Ultrastructural analysis of primary human urethral epithelial cell cultures infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae

In men with gonococcal urethritis, the urethral epithelial cell is a site of infection. To study the pathogenesis of gonorrhea in this cell type, we have developed a method to culture primary human urethral epithelial cells obtained at the time of urologic surgery. Fluorescent analysis demonstrated that 100% of the cells stained for keratin. Microscopic analyses indicated that these epithelial cells arrayed in a pattern similar to that seen in urethral epithelium. Using immunoelectron and confocal microscopy, we compared the infection process seen in primary cells with events occurring during natural infection of the same cell type in men with gonococcal urethritis. Immunoelectron microscopy studies of cells infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae 1291 Opa+ P+ showed adherence of organisms to the epithelial cell membrane, pedestal formation with evidence of intimate association between the gonococcal and the epithelial cell membranes, and intracellular gonococci present in vacuoles. Confocal studies of primary urethral epithelial cells showed actin polymerization upon infection. Polyclonal antibodies to the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) demonstrated the presence of this receptor on infected cells in the primary urethral cell culture. In situ hybridization using a fluorescent-labeled probe specific to the ASGP-R mRNA demonstrated this message in uninfected and infected cells. These features were identical to those seen in urethral epithelial cells in exudates from males with gonorrhea. Infection of primary urethral cells in culture mimics events seen in natural infection and will allow detailed molecular analysis of gonococcal pathogenesis in a human epithelial cell which is commonly infected.     

Assessment of cocaine use with quantitative urinalysis and estimation of new uses

Qualitative urinalysis methods of monitoring cocaine use may over-detect frequency of use, possibly decreasing the ability of clinical trials to detect effective treatments. Quantitative urinalysis and newly developed criteria for identifying new cocaine use were evaluated as alternative measures of cocaine use. Urine specimens collected in a cocaine dosing study in non-treatment-seeking subjects (n = 5) and a cocaine treatment trial (n = 37) were analyzed for the cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine, with qualitative and quantitative methods. Pharmacokinetic criteria ('New Use' rules) were applied to quantitative data to identify occasions of new cocaine use. Results were compared to known cocaine administrations in the laboratory study and to self-reported drug use and qualitative urinalysis for subjects in the clinical trial. New Use criteria correctly identified cocaine administrations in the cocaine dosing study in all but a small number of specimens. In the clinical trial, quantitative urinalysis and estimated New Uses provided more information about patterns and frequency of use than qualitative urinalysis in the different treatment conditions in the clinical trial. Interpretation of quantitative urinalysis with New Use rules appears to be a useful method for monitoring treatment outcome and may be more accurate than traditional qualitative urinalysis in estimating frequency of cocaine use.     

Synthesis and characterisation of carboxylic acid and diphenylphosphine derivatives in the 1,3-diyne series: Spectral properties of polydiacetylene carboxylates

Symmetrically substituted 1,3-diynes containing hydroxyalkyl ( 1a-d ), bromoalkyl ( 1e-h ) (diphenylphosphinyl) ( 1i-k ) and carboxyalkyl ( 2a-d ) substituents have been prepared and characterised; the phosphine derivative ( 1k ) has been converted with alkyl iodides ( RI ; R = Me, Et) into bis(phosphonium) salts ( 1l and m ). During preparation of the diynedioic acid. ( 2a ), the non-centrosymmetrical diyne, HO₂CCH₂C?C—C?C(CH₂)₂OH ( 3 ), was also isolated. ⁶⁰Co γ-Irradiation of diacetylene monomers ( 2a – d ) and 10,12-tricosadiyn-1-oic acid gave the corresponding polydiacetylene derivatives ( 4a – d and 5 ), respectively. Rubidium salts of ( 4c ) and ( 4d ), a barium salt of ( 4c ), and a potassium salt of ( 5 ) were prepared and isolated; soluble potassium salts of the carboxylic acid polymers ( 4 ) were generated in aqueous solution. The effects of changes in pH on the UV/visible absorption spectra of aqueous solutions of selected carboxylic acid polydiacetylenes have been recorded, and are discussed.     

Processing of engineering ceramics with high power CO2 lasers

The hardness and brittleness of high performance engineering ceramics such as zirconia, aluminia, silicon carbide and silicon nitride makes traditional processing very expensive and time consuming. Efforts have been made to cut thick commercial ceramics with a continuous wave CO₂ laser. The results obtained so far are very promising and materials up to 10 mm in thickness have been cut successfully.     

Retinal neurostimulator for a multifocal vision prosthesis.

A neurostimulator application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with scalable circuitry that can stimulate 14 channels, has been developed for an epi-retinal vision prosthesis. This ASIC was designed to allow seven identical units to be connected to control up to 98 channels, with the ability to stimulate 14 electrodes simultaneously. The neurostimulator forms part of a vision prosthesis, designed to restore vision to patients who have lost their sight due to retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. For charge balance, the neurostimulator was designed to stimulate with current sources and sinks operating together, and with the ability to drive a hexagonal mosaic of electrodes to reduce the electrical crosstalk that occurs when multiple bipolar stimulation sites are active simultaneously. A hexagonal mosaic of electrodes surrounds each stimulation site and has been shown to effectively isolate each site, increasing the ability to inject localized independent charge into multiple regions simultaneously.     

Temperature, thermal efficiency, and gradient performance from two seawater-SZ solar ponds

This paper presents 10 months of experience with two seawater-SZ (Storage Zone) solar ponds operated as a source of warm seawater which could have been used in an adjacent mariculture facility. Observations and extensive temperature, gradient and efficiency data are presented. This work demonstrated operation of and heat extraction from seawater-SZ solar ponds over a much longer interval than in previous work. It confirmed that seawater-SZ solar ponds can consistently give useful temperature elevations. A few phenomena not characteristic of conventional solar ponds were identified and are discussed.