Non-isotopic in situ hybridization of HPV types in cervical intraepithelial lesions in patients with AIDS

Naturally produced methane shows different delta 13C-values with respect to its origin, e.g., geological or biological. Methane-production of ruminants is considered to be the dominant source from the animal kingdom. Isotopic values of rumen methane--given in literature--range between -80/1000 and -50/1000 and are related to feed composition and also sampling techniques. Keeping cows, camels and sheep under identical feed conditions and sampling rumen gases via implanted fistuale we compared delta PDB 13C-values of methane and CO2 between the species. Referring to mean values obtained from 4 or 5 samples at different times of 11 animals (n = 47) we calculated delta PDB 13C-medians resulting in small but not significant differences within and significant differences between the species for CO2 and methane. The delta PDB 13C-differences between methane and CO2 were statistically equal within and also between the species. Therefore a linear regression of methane values on CO2 is appropriate and leads to: delta PDB 13C(methane)/1000 = 1.57 * delta PDB 13C(CO2)/1000 - 47/1000 with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.87.     

Experimental occlusal interferences. Part IV. Mandibular rotations induced by a pliable interference

In 12 subjects, a pliable, yet unbreakable, intercuspal interference (aluminum shim onlay splint; uniform height of 0.25 mm) was placed between either the right or left maxillary and mandibular second premolars and first molars. During brief and forceful biting (dynamic chewing stroke of about 20 kg force) the interference emulated a semisoft food bolus, and at the end of biting (subsequent static clenching stroke of about 20 kg force) it emulated a rigid metal interference. During dynamic/static biting, rotational electrognathography measured maximum frontal and horizontal plane torque of the right and left mandibular condyles. Eleven subjects (92%) showed frontal plane upward rotation (mean of 1.0 degree) of the condyle contralateral to the interference, and one subject (8%) showed frontal plane upward rotation (0.4 degree) of the condyle ipsilateral to the interference. Two subjects (17%) showed no horizontal plane rotation; seven subjects (58%) showed backward rotation (mean of 0.4 degree) of the condyle contralateral to the interference; and three subjects (25%) showed backward rotation (mean of 0.3 degree) of the condyle ipsilateral to the interference. It is suggested that, in the presence of an occlusal interference, mastication may have both short- and long-term detrimental effects.     

Evaluation for the curing characteristics of phenolic molding compounds by rockwell hardness test at an elevated temperature

Rockwell hardness measurement at an elevated temperature has been proposed as an evaluation method for the curing characteristics of thermosetting molding compounds. This method is convenient and has a high accuracy over a wide range of curing, Using a cone indenter, the following advantages are brought about: a good correspondence with acetone extraction test, in showing the degree of cure of the internal part of a molding rather than that of the skin layer, and a higher sensitivity in measuring higher degrees of cure. On examining curing behavior of commercial phenolic molding compounds by this method, an inflection point was observed on a plot of the hardness vs log curing time. This critical point has been called “the minimum cure time”, beyond which the molding exhibits good physical properties.     

Determinants of the inhibitory action of purified 14-kDa phospholipases A2 on cell-free prothrombinase complex

It has been suggested (Kini, R. R., and Evans, H. J. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 14402-14407) that the anticoagulant activity of members of the 14-kDa phospholipase A2 (PLA2) family depends on the presence of basic residues within a variable surface region (residues 54-77) distinct from both the conserved catalytic machinery and surface sites mediating the antibacterial action of these enzymes (see Weiss, J., Inada, M., Elsbach, P., and Crowl, R. M. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 26331-26337). To further define the determinants of the anticoagulant activity of PLA2, we have analyzed the inhibitory effects of purified native and recombinant PLA2 on cell-free prothrombinase. Both native and recombinant wild-type pig pancreas (net charge -1) and human "secretory" PLA2 (net charge +15) produced similar dose-dependent inhibition of prothrombinase activity that was significantly less potent than a toxic PLA2 purified from snake venom. Site-specific mutations that either increased or decreased PLA2 activity toward bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein-treated Escherichia coli by up to 50-fold had no effect on antiprothrombinase activity. In contrast, substitution of Arg for Asp-59/Gly for Ser-60 in the pig PLA2 increased antiprothrombinase activity by 5-10-fold without affecting catalytic activity toward a range of phospholipid substrates or antibacterial activity. Comparison of antiprothrombinase activity of catalytically active and inactive forms of the PLA2 and under a range of phospholipid conditions revealed that the potent antiprothrombinase activity of native toxic venom PLA2 and of the D59R.S60G mutant pancreatic PLA2 reflect combined catalytic and noncatalytic actions, the latter apparently dependent on basic residues at discrete surface sites in the enzyme.     

CHL1 encodes a component of the low-affinity nitrate uptake system in Arabidopsis and shows cell type-specific expression in roots

The Arabidopsis CHL1 (AtNRT1) gene confers sensitivity to the herbicide chlorate and encodes a nitrate-regulated nitrate transporter. However, how CHL1 participates in nitrate uptake in plants is not yet clear. In this study, we examined the in vivo function of CHL1 with in vivo uptake measurements and in situ hybridization experiments. Under most conditions tested, the amount of nitrate uptake by a chl1 deletion mutant was found to be significantly less than that of the wild type. This uptake deficiency was reversed when a CHL1 cDNA clone driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter was expressed in transgenic chl1 plants. Furthermore, tissue-specific expression patterns showed that near the root tip, CHL1 mRNA is found primarily in the epidermis, but further from the root tip, the mRNA is found in the cortex or endodermis. These results are consistent with the involvement of CHL1 in nitrate uptake at different stages of root cell development. A functional analysis in Xenopus oocytes indicated that CHL1 is a low-affinity nitrate transporter with a K(m) value of approximately 8.5 mM for nitrate. This finding is consistent with the chlorate resistance phenotype of chl1 mutants. However, these results do not fit the current model of a single, constitutive component for the low-affinity uptake system. To reconcile this discrepancy and the complex uptake behavior observed, we propose a "two-gene" model for the low-affinity nitrate uptake system of Arabidopsis.     

Effects of intravenous lansoprazole on acute gastric mucosal lesions and acid secretion

The effects of lansoprazole given intravenously on gastric mucosal lesions, gastric bleeding and acid secretion were investigated in rats in comparison with those of omeprazole, famotidine and ranitidine. Lansoprazole inhibited the formation of gastric mucosal lesions in rats induced by water-immersion stress or aspirin with ID50 values of 0.26 and 0.99 mg/kg, respectively, and also inhibited gastric bleeding induced by hemorrhagic shock or water-immersion stress with ID50 values of 0.46 and 1.22 mg/kg, respectively. Lansoprazole was more potent than omeprazole, famotidine and ranitidine in inhibiting gastric mucosal lesions and hemorrhagic shock- or stress-induced bleeding. Famotidine and ranitidine showed negligible inhibition of water-immersion stress-induced gastric bleeding. Lansoprazole strongly inhibited water-immersion stress-stimulated acid secretion in rats, whereas famotidine and ranitidine did not show a potent inhibitory effect. These results indicate that lansoprazole exerts prominent inhibitory actions against the formation of gastric mucosal lesions and gastric bleeding by inhibiting acid secretion, and they show that it is superior to histamine H2-receptor antagonists in inhibiting stress-induced gastric bleeding.     

High-resolution MR imaging of stage I cervical neoplasia with a dedicated transvaginal coil: MR features and correlation of imaging and pathologic findings

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to assess the appearance of stage 1 neoplasia of the cervix by high-resolution MR imaging with an enveloping transvaginal receiver coil and to correlate the imaging findings with the pathologic findings. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients (25-73 years old; mean, 40 years old) with clinical stage I disease were examined with a 37-mm-diameter ring-design solenoid receiver coil placed around the cervix. Axial 2.5-mm contiguous slices were obtained with a field of view of 10-15 cm on a 1.0-T HPQ Vista scanner with T1-weighted (660/20 msec [TR/TE]) and T2- weighted (2500/80 msec) spin-echo sequences and dynamic gradient-echo sequences during injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine (0.1 mmol/kg). Ten patients subsequently underwent Wertheim's hysterectomy, two underwent radiotherapy, two underwent extended cone biopsy for microinvasive disease, and one underwent a punch biopsy. For seven of 10 patients who had a hysterectomy, the widths of the tumor and the residual stroma were measured at eight radial points on the transverse images and at corresponding points on the histologic specimens at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 mm from the ectocervix. We then compared the widths of the tumor and the stroma on images and histologic specimens at each of these 40 points. Tumor volumes were calculated from the MR imaging and pathologic data and compared. For the other three patients, detailed MR imaging-pathology correlation was not possible because of multifocal tumor distribution (two patients) and insufficient detailed pathologic data (one patient). RESULTS: Three carcinoma types were recognized. Squamous carcinoma (nine cases) was seen as a centrally expanding intermediate-signal-intensity mass, whereas oat (small)-cell carcinoma (one case) and clear-cell carcinoma (one case) showed a multifocal distribution. For patients who had a radical hysterectomy, we noted good agreement between the widths of the tumor and the stroma determined by MR imaging and histology. Tumor volumes were determined to be 0-28.2 cm3 by MR imaging and 0-18.4 cm3 by pathology. We observed tumor extension into the immediate parametrium in four patients by MR imaging; one of these cases was not confirmed at surgery. Parametrial extension was not underestimated by MR imaging in any case. CONCLUSION: High-resolution imaging of the cervix with a transvaginal coil provides accurate assessment of the intra- and extracervical extents of tumors in clinical stage 1 cervical neoplasia.     

Treatment with anti-interleukin-10 monoclonal antibody enhances early resistance to but impairs complete clearance of Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice

Mice that received an anti-interleukin-10 (anti-IL-10) neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAb) (SXC-1) prior to infection with Listeria monocytogenes initially demonstrated resistance to the infection, as indicated by reduced recovery of L. monocytogenes from their spleens and livers during the first 5 days after challenge. Anti-IL-10 MAb-treated mice then demonstrated reduced resistance during the later stage of infection, as indicated by persistent infection with L. monocytogenes in their livers 11 days after challenge. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (a measure of liver damage) in the sera of control mice increased between 1 and 5 days after challenge, while anti-IL-10 MAb-treated mice maintained lower AST levels. At 7 days after challenge, AST levels in the sera of control mice decreased as the numbers of organisms declined. In contrast, AST levels increased as the infections persisted in anti-IL-10 MAb-treated mice. The AST levels in serum reflected liver histopathology as anti-IL-10 MAb-treated mice exhibited fewer granulomatous lesions and less necrosis of liver tissue than the control mice during the first 5 days after challenge. Anti-IL-10 MAb treatment altered the expression of inflammatory cytokine mRNAs during L. monocytogenes infection. Control MAb-treated mice exhibited increased expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor mRNA in their lives during L. monocytogenes infection, but this increase did not occur in anti-IL-10 MAb-treated mice. Gamma interferon mRNA expression in the livers of the control MAb-treated mice was increased between 1 and 5 days after L. monocytogenes challenge and then decreased at 7 days after challenge. In contrast, gamma interferon mRNA expression in the livers of anti-IL-10 MAb-treated mice was not decreased until 7 days after challenge. These results indicate that endogenous IL-10 has both beneficial and detrimental effects on the host response to L. monocytogenes infection in mice.