Recent Developments in Protein Recovery and Purification

This article deals with emerging techniques for the purification of proteins, with an emphasis on those methods which have potential for scale-up. These include membrane processes, some new adsorption and affinity techniques, supercritical gas extraction, 2-phase aqueous liquid/liquid extraction, and electrokinetic methods. Many are at an early stage of development for their use in the food industry. However, it is likely that in the future they will broaden substantially the options available for processing both ‘solid’ and ‘liquid’ streams. Significant and sustained research and development will be needed to convert these techniques to off-the-shelf established technologies.     

A comparison of self-reported drug use with a urine drug screen in a working population: Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by R. Bharucha-Reid et al (Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 1995, Vol 3 [3], 280–286). Rachel Kaufmann was inadvertently misspelled. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1996-92908-001.) This study summarized information on 162 workers who completed urine screen and self-report concerning drug use. It is the first to compare self-report of drug use in the workplace with a urine screen in which individual participant (nonaggregate) data were used. The findings indicate that agreement between the 2 methods of drug detection, although statistically significant, is at best only moderate. The level of agreement was consistent for segments of the sample when divided by sociodemographic characteristics. Although urine screen may be the more reliable and accurate method of detecting prevalence of drug use, self-report must be considered to assess drug use histories and the role of other variables. These 2 methods should be considered as complementary assessment techniques; the appropriate method depends on the conditions and purposes of the drug use study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of detergent phosphorus bans on receiving water quality

One of the chemicals most clearly exemplifying scientific and political controversy concerning efforts to control its discharge to surface waters is phosphorus and its complexes. These materials are discharged as natural components of domestic wastewaters and include phosphorus from human waste and food waste as well as residual detergent phosphorus. Significant amounts of phosphorus also reach surface waters from non-point sources such as agricultural and urban runoff. This paper presents results of several field and laboratory investigations designed to position the impact of detergent phosphorus contributions to surface water quality. In a number of areas where legislation banned the sale of phosphorus detergents, limnological investigations were carried out to assess the impact of the ban upon receiving water quality. Field studies in natural lakes demonstrate that reductions of phosphorus in wastewaters, even up to 50%, may not substantially improve the trophic status of lakes. The consistent conclusion emerging from these studies is that the elimination of detergent phosphorus has not measurably improved lake water quality.     

Center-specific graft and patient survival rates: 1997 United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) report

CONTEXT: Multiple comprehensive, risk-adjusted studies evaluating short-term surgical mortality have been reported previously. This report analyzes short-term and long-term outcomes, both nationally and at each individual transplant program, for all solid organ transplantations performed in the United States. OBJECTIVES: To report graft and patient survival rates for all solid organ transplantations, both nationally and at each specific transplant program in the United States, and to compare the expected survival rate with the actual survival rate of each individual program. DESIGN AND SETTING: Multivariate regression analysis of donor and recipient factors affecting graft and patient survival of all kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, lung, and heart-lung transplants reported to the United Network for Organ Sharing from 742 separate transplant programs. PATIENTS: A cohort of 97587 solid organ transplantations performed on 92966 recipients in the United States from January 1988 through April 1994. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Short-term and conditional 3-year national and individual transplant program graft and patient survival rates overall and from 2 separate eras (era 1, January 1988-April 1992; era 2, May 1992-April 1994); comparison of actual center-specific performance with risk-adjusted expected performance and identification of centers with better-than-expected or worse-than-expected survival rates. RESULTS: One-year graft follow-up exceeded 98% and conditional 3-year follow-up exceeded 91% for all organs. Graft and patient survival improved significantly in era 2 compared with era 1 for all cadaver organs except heart, which remained the same. One-year cadaveric graft survival ranged from 81.5% for heart to 61.9% for heart-lung and 3-year conditional graft survival ranged from 91.3% for pancreas to 74.7% for lung. The percentage of programs whose actual 1-year graft survival was not different from or was better than their risk-adjusted expected survival ranged from 98.3% for heart-lung to 75.7% for liver. Most kidney, liver, and heart programs whose actual survival was significantly less than expected performed small numbers (less than the national average) of transplantations per year. CONCLUSIONS: Graft and patient survival for solid organ transplantations showed improvement over time. Conditional 3-year graft and patient survival rates were approximately 90% for all organs except for lung and heart-lung. The conditional 3-year survival rates were better than 1-year survival rates, indicating the major risk after transplantation occurs in the first year. The majority of transplant programs achieved actual survival rates not significantly different from their expected survival rates. Center effects were most significant within the first year after transplantation and had much less influence on long-term survival outcomes.     

Surface cracking in gold-silicon alloys

Cast gold-silicon specimens containing Au₃Si were examined after room temperature aging for eight to nine years. Dissociation of Au₃Si in a surface layer had caused extensive surface cracking. Such cracking might, in some circumstances, be responsible for failures of gold-silicon eutectic bonds in solid state circuits.     

Evaluating replicability of factors in the Revised NEO Personality Inventory: Confirmatory factor analysis versus Procrustes rotation.

Despite the empirical robustness of the 5-factor model of personality, recent confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) of NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) data suggest they do not fit the hypothesized model. In a replication study of 229 adults, a series of CFAs showed that Revised NEO-PI scales are not simple-structured but do approximate the normative 5-factor structure. CFA goodness-of-fit indices, however, were not high. Comparability analyses showed that no more than 5 factors were replicable, which calls into question some assumptions underlying the use of CFA. An alternative method that uses targeted rotation was presented and illustrated with data from Chinese and Japanese versions of the Revised NEO-PI that clearly replicated the 5-factor structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expression of the chromogranin A-derived peptides pancreastatin and WE14 in rat stomach ECL cells

The ECL cells constitute the predominant endocrine cell population in the mucosa of the acid-secreting part of the stomach (fundus). They are rich in chromogranin A (CGA), histamine and histidine decarboxylase (HDC). They secrete CGA-derived peptides and histamine in response to gastrin. The objective of this investigation was to examine the expression of pancreastatin (rat CGA266-314) and WE14 (rat CGA343-356) in rat stomach ECL cells. The distribution and cellular localisation of pancreastatin- and WE14-like immunoreactivities (LI) were analysed by radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemistry with antibodies against pancreastatin, WE14 and HDC. The effect of food deprivation on circulating pancreastatin-LI was examined in intact rats and after gastrectomy or fundectomy. Rats received gastrin-17 (5 nmol/kg/h) by continuous intravenous infusion or omeprazole (400 micromol/kg) once daily by the oral route, to induce hypergastrinemia. CGA-derived peptides in the ECL cells were characterised by gel permeation chromatography. The expression of CGA mRNA was examined by Northern blot analysis. Among all of the endocrine cells in the body, the ECL cell population was the richest in pancreastatin-LI, containing 20-25% of the total body content. Food deprivation and/or surgical removal of the ECL cells lowered the level of pancreastatin-LI in serum by about 80%. Activation of the ECL cells by gastrin infusion or omeprazole treatment raised the serum level of pancreastatin-LI, lowered the concentrations of pancreastatin- and WE14-LI in the ECL cells and increased the CGA mRNA concentration. Chromatographic analysis of the various CGA immunoreactive components in the ECL cells of normal and hypergastrinemic rats suggested that these cells respond to gastrin with a preferential release of the low-molecular-mass forms.