Invasion of hereditary ovalocytes by Plasmodium falciparum in vitro and its relation to intracellular ATP concentration

Hereditary ovalocytes (stomatocytic ovalocytes), when examined within 1-2 days from the time that the blood sample is drawn, are invaded by Plasmodium falciparum in culture to the extent of at least 55% of normal control cells. The ovalocytes have extremely rigid membranes, characterised by a shear elastic modulus some 3-4 times greater than that of normal cells. The extent of invasion falls off very much more rapidly than that into normal cells on storage, and we surmise that this is the reason for earlier reports of resistance of ovalocytes to malarial invasion in vitro. The initial loss of susceptibility to invasion with time is not accompanied by any change in membrane rigidity, but is primarily a consequence of a rapid decline in intracellular ATP concentration: this falls to below the threshold level required for invasion (approx. 0.1 mM) over a period in which the ATP in normal cells remains almost constant. Incubation in a metabolic regenerating medium leads to a rise in the intracellular ATP concentration and invasion by P. falciparum is recovered, though to a much lower extent than in normal cells. The resistance of ovalocytes to invasion becomes irreversible, due possibly to degradative processes in the membrane, on further storage. The developing parasites in ovalocytes have a reduced number of merozoites and show distinct morphological abnormalities.     

伍尔弗汉普敦市中心的公共空间概念设计，英国

2004年伍尔弗汉普敦(Wolverhampton)市政府授权伟信公司对该市中心公共空间进行全面改造概念设计和进一步的详细设计。市政府希望制定发展策略框架及实施步骤,以建造能够顺应大众和社团活动的核心主题公共空间。这些主题包括:安全城市、绿色城市、促进经济发展的城市等。现状是一些靠近大学区的地方出现的新的广场,如知识广场(LearningQuarter)、圣约翰城市村(StJohns’UrbanVillage),以改变城市中心看起来非常陈旧的状态。伟信公司接受了这项挑战,从深入城市的“表皮”入手,剖析城市的特征,以及所面临的问题,逐街分析。正如很多城市中心…     

Cardiovascular responses to occupational stress in male medical students: A paradigm for ambulatory monitoring studies.

Examined hemodynamic responses to systematic variations in occupational stress using ambulatory blood pressure monitors. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, rate–pressure product, and mood states were measured before, during, and after low-stress (lecture) and high-stress (examination) work in 44 healthy White male medical students. The lecture day was characterized by stable patterns of cardiovascular activity across all 3 periods. Hemodynamic activity and reports of activation and distress were greater on the examination day than on the lecture day. Cardiovascular activity during the pre-examination period was as high as that seen during the examination period itself, indicating an anticipatory stress effect. Pressor activity decreased after the examination, although some residual chronotropic activity was seen. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonparametric Analysis of the Order-Statistic Model in Software Reliability

In the literature on statistical inference in software reliability, the assumptions of parametric models and random sampling of bugs have been pervasive. We argue that both assumptions are problematic, the first because of robustness concerns and the second due to logical and practical difficulties. These considerations motivate the approach taken in this paper. We propose a nonparametric software reliability model based on the order-statistic paradigm. The objective of the work is to estimate, from data on discovery times observed within a type I censoring framework, both the underlying distribution F from which discovery times are generated and N, the unknown number of bugs in the software. The estimates are used to predict the next time to failure. The approach makes use of Bayesian nonparametric inference methods, in particular, the beta-Stacy process. The proposed methodology is illustrated on both real and simulated data     

Rogue Servers

Rogue servers are a constant threat and pose a variety of problems for the IT security team. This article summarises the threats that come from not managing rogue servers and gives prevention and detection tips.     

The BsmI vitamin D receptor restriction fragment length polymorphism (bb) influences the effect of calcium intake on bone mineral density

Previous studies of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms and bone mineral density (BMD) have suggested that there may be differences in calcium absorption among groups of women with different VDR genotypes, and that the association may be stronger in younger women. To investigate the association between the VDR polymorphisms and BMD, this study was undertaken in the Framingham Study Cohort and a group of younger volunteers. Subjects from the Framingham Study (ages 69-90 years) included those who underwent BMD testing and who had genotyping for the VDR alleles (n = 328) using polymerase chain reaction methods and restriction fragment length polymorphisms with BsmI (B absence, b presence of cut site). A group of younger volunteer subjects (ages 18-68) also underwent BMD testing and VDR genotyping (n = 94). In Framingham Cohort subjects with the bb genotype, but not the Bb or BB genotypes, there were significant associations between calcium intake and BMD at five of six skeletal sites, such that BMD was 7-12% higher in those with dietary calcium intakes greater than 800 mg/day compared with those with intakes < 500 mg/day. The data also suggested that BMD was higher in persons with the bb genotype only in the group with calcium intakes above 800 mg/day. No significant differences were found in the Framingham Cohort for age-, sex-, and weight-adjusted BMD at any skeletal site between those with the BB genotype and those with the bb genotype regardless of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels or country of origin. In the younger volunteers, BMD of the femoral neck was 5.4% higher (p < 0.05) in the bb genotype group compared with the BB group and 11% higher (p < 0.05) in males with the bb genotype compared with the BB group. There were no significant differences at the lumbar spine. In this study, the association between calcium intake and BMD appeared to be dependent upon VDR genotype. The findings of an association between dietary calcium intake and BMD only in the bb genotype group suggests that the VDR genotype may play a role in the absorption of dietary calcium. Studies that do not consider calcium intake may not detect associations between VDR genotype and BMD. In addition, the association between VDR alleles and BMD may become less evident in older subjects.     

Serum lipids and incidence of coronary heart disease. Findings from the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP)

BACKGROUND: The association of serum lipids with coronary heart disease has been studied extensively in middle-aged men and, to a lesser extent, in similar women. Less well defined are lipid variables predictive of CHD in individuals of age > or = 60 years. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program recruited 4736 persons (mean age, 72 years; 14% were black; and 43% were men). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 170 and 77 mm Hg, respectively. Baseline mean total cholesterol was 6.11 mmol/L (236 mg/dL); HDL cholesterol, 1.39 mmol/L (54 mg/dL); and non-HDL cholesterol, 4.72 mmol/L (182 mg/dL). Triglyceride levels were 1.62 mmol/L (144 mg/dL) for fasting participants and 1.78 mmol/L for the total group. LDL cholesterol, estimated in fasting samples with triglycerides of < 4.52 mmol/L, averaged 3.98 mmol/L (154 mg/dL). Mean follow-up was 4.5 years. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, baseline total, non-HDL, and LDL cholesterol levels and the ratios of total, non-HDL, and LDL to HDL cholesterol were significantly related to CHD incidence. HDL cholesterol and triglycerides were not significant in these analyses. In fasting participants with triglyceride levels of < 4.52 mmol/L, a 1.03 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) higher baseline total, non-HDL, or LDL cholesterol was associated with a 30% to 35% higher CHD event rate. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the concept that serum lipids are CHD risk factors in older Americans.