High-performance liquid chromatography of human milk triacylglycerols and gas chromatography of component fatty acids

Human milk triacylglycerols were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. A 5-μ Supelcosil LC-18 column (Supelco, Inc., Bellefonte, PA) was used with acetone/acetonitrile (64∶36, vol/vol) as mobile phase. Triacylglycerols were tentatively identified based on theoretical carbon number and relative retention time. Despite changes resulting from dietary fat variation, the major component triacylglycerols were those composed of palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. Triacylglycerols with palmitic, stearic and oleic acids were present as minor components. Fatty acids were quantified by gas chromatography relative to an internal standard. Ratios of n−6/n−3 fatty acids were found to be high than previously reported. Based on a paper presented at the Symposium on Milk Lipids held at the AOCS Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 1990.     

A specific,sensitive and high-capacity immunoassay for PAF

A specific radioimmunoassay for platelet-activating factor (PAF) sensitive in the range 10–1000 pg (0.02–2 pmoles) has been developed. Detailed quantitative hapten inhibition studies showed specificity for the acetyl group at C-2 of PAF, a requirement for the ether linkage at C-1 and some tolerance for substituents on the choline nitrogen. No significant cross-reactivity was found with phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine or with lysoPAF. Based on a paper presented at the Third International Conference on Platelet-Activating Factor and Structurally Related Alkyl Ether Lipids, Tokyo, Japan, May 1989.     

The distribution of brominated long-chain fatty acids in sponge and symbiont cell types from the tropical marine spongeAmphimedon terpenensis

The tropical marine spongeAmphimedon terpenensis (family Niphatidae, order Haplosclerida) has previously been shown to possess unusual lipids, including unusual fatty acids. The biosynthetic origin of these fatty acids is of interest as the sponge supports a significant population of eubacterial and cyanobacterial symbionts. The total fatty acid composition of the sponge was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of the methyl esters. Among the most abundant of the fatty acids in intact tissue were 16∶0, 18∶0 and 3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadecanoic (phytanic) acid. In addition, three brominated fatty acids, (5E,9Z)-6-bromo-5,9-tetracosadienoic acid (24∶2Br), (5E,9Z)-6-bromo-5,9-pentacosadienoic acid (25∶2Br) and (5E,9Z)-6-bromo-5,9-hexacosadienoic acid (26∶2Br) were also present. The three brominated fatty acids, together with phytanic acid, were isolated from both ectosomoal (superficial) and choanosomal (internal) regions of the sponge. Analysis of extracts prepared from sponge/symbiont cells, partitioned by density gradient centrifugation on Ficoll, indicated that phytanic acid and the three brominated fatty acids were associated with sponge cells only. Further, a fatty acid methyl ester sample from intact tissue ofA. terpenensis was partitioned according to phospholipid class, and the brominated fatty acids were shown to be associated with the phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine fractions that are commonly present in marine sponge lipids. The phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol fractions were rich in the relatively shorter chain fatty acids (16∶0 and 18∶0). The association of brominated long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) with sponge cells has been confirmed. The findings allow comment on the use of fatty acid profiles in chemotaxonomy and permit further interpretation of LCFA biosynthetic pathways in sponges. The assignment of the sponge studied, which is currently placed asA. terpenensis, is being supported to some extent, but the species is unusual in having C₂₅ fatty acids as the major constituent in this group. Other factors, such as season or microenvironmental conditions, may influence observed fatty acid composition which tends to reduce the usefulness of fatty acid profiles as markers in sponge chemotaxonomy.     

Preliminary Assessment of Contaminants in Soft Sediments of the Detroit River

Soft sediments from the Detroit River were analyzed for the USEPA priority pollutants to generally characterize contaminant distribution. Forty-three were detected. Highest heavy metal concentrations were found in the Trenton Channel and immediately downstream of Grosse Ile. They ranged from an area mean (N = 2) of 0.19 mg/kg mercury to 338.7 mg/kg zinc (dry weight). Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from 0.1 mg/kg to 38.8 mg/kg (mean, N = 2) with the highest levels near Grosse Ile. PCBs ranged from 0.015 mg/kg to 1.7 mg/kg (mean, N = 2). Organochlorine pesticides were not detected except for a trace of heptachlor in one sample. Sediment contamination in the Detroit River is widespread with higher concentrations on the U.S. side downstream of the Rouge River and in the Trenton Channel. The significance of these in-place pollutants to biota and as a source to Lake Erie is still unknown.     

The study of sexual behavior in relation to the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus: Caveats and recommendations.

To create the behavior-change programs essential for limiting the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, we must obtain a precise understanding of the sexual behavior, knowledge, and attitudes of our nation's various ethnic, racial, social, age, regional, and sexual orientation groups. Such information is necessary for developing the precisely targeted educational programs that currently are our most effective means of reducing risk behaviors and halting the spread of the disease in the United States. These behavioral data are also crucial to biomedical investigations, making possible the identification of appropriate subjects for programs ranging from the testing of vaccines to the evaluation of the threat to pregnant women and their offspring. In this article, we summarize data on sexual behaviors associated with the transmission of the AIDS virus (i.e., human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]) and discuss selected issues relevant to the conduct of research on human sexuality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between the extent of reciprocity with social supporters and measures of depressive symptomatology, impairment, disability, and handicap in persons with spinal cord injury.

140 adults (aged 19–77 yrs) were randomly selected from a sampling frame of 661 persons with spinal cord injury. They completed a questionnaire assessing amount of social support, degree of reciprocity with supporters, and satisfaction with relationships with supporters; the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; a self-report version of the Functional Independence Measure; and the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique. A physician assessed the degree of paralytic impairment by means of the ASIA Total Motor Index Score. Relationships in which the supporter gave more than the participant were associated with more satisfaction with the relationship and more social support. The number of reciprocal relationships was positively associated with more desirable outcomes in the handicap dimensions of mobility, occupation, social integration, and economic self-sufficiency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Large specimen bone embedment and cement line staining

Undecalcified embedment of large bone specimens is often challenging. A method is presented here that is suitable for methacrylate embedment of sections of canine vertebrae while retaining the ability to localize tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activity. Specimens also retained tetracycline labelling, and sectioned preparations were readily stained with routine bone procedures. A modification of the Bodian silver stain, used for examining the nerves and spinal cord in these specimens, provided a useful stain for canaliculi and cement lines in trabecular and cortical bone. This stain is advantageous when both bone and nerve tissue are of interest, as in spinal fusion studies.     

High quality LTCC resonator for voltage-controlled oscillator

Design and technology of microwave conductor lines embedded in low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) multilayer substrates are summarized with a focus on achieving the highest possible quality (Q) factor for a given line inductance. The work was initiated to test the integrability of base station voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) in ceramic multilayer substrates. This approach leads to a miniaturization of current versions by a factor of 2 to 4. However, base station specifications for phase noise and hence resonator Q are extremely demanding. Therefore, both the design and the processing technology were optimized. By choosing a twin-line design with two parallel lines vertically separated by a single LTCC layer, Q factors of 90 and 180 have been achieved for integrated 5.5 nH inductors at frequencies of 640 MHz and 1650 MHz, respectively. Application of this result to VCO modules in standard LTCC technology already yields low phase noise levels, e.g., -136 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset, which is suitable for base station applications. However, further noise reduction is expected from a dedicated high Q fabrication process that uses conventional via punching and filling steps to replace the ceramic material between the two lines by conductive silver paste. This raises the Q to 120 and 200, respectively, at the two frequencies and adds extra degrees of freedom to LTCC design for low-loss wireless solutions.     

The federal role in injury control.

Early federal injury control programs in the 1960s and 1970s were centered first in the Division of Accident Prevention (Public Health Service) and subsequently in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Department of Transportation) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the early 1970s also began to investigate injuries, particularly in the home and recreational environment. The field expanded in the 1970s and 1980s to include injuries that occur in many settings and both intentional injuries (violence) and unintentional injuries. After a 1985 report, Injury in America, CDC was chosen to be the national coordinating agency because of its mission of prevention. The current program also includes acute care, rehabilitation, and biomechanics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

John Bowlby (1907–1990): Obituary.

Marks the death of John Bowlby, whose Attachment Theory (AT) has had greater impact on American psychology than any theory of personality development since Freud's. Bowlby believed in the importance of real-life experiences in the etiology of mental disorders, rather than in the fantasies that then-current psychoanalytic theory emphasized. He was convinced of the importance to a child's personality development of interaction with its parents. In 1948, he established a research unit at the Tavistock Clinic to continue his work on the effects of early separation and identified 3 phases of response: protest, despair, and detachment. Inspired by the work of Konrad Lorenz, Bowlby seized on ethology and Darwinian evolutionary theory as the foundation of AT. First applied to social development in infancy, AT is now leading to research in later childhood and adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)