Prenatal determination of human platelet antigen type using DNA amplification following amniocentesis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a newly developed individualised birthweight ratio (IBR), which corrects for physiological birthweight determinants, in identifying infants at risk from the complications of macrosomia. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Obstetric unit, Nottingham City Hospital. SUBJECTS: 2835 women delivered between December 1991 and July 1992 and the infants of 624 of these, selected by virtue of their birthweight for gestation and IBR centile positions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Skinfold thickness and ponderal index measurements, operative delivery, shoulder dystocia, fetal trauma, impaired glucose tolerance. RESULTS: Using an IBR above the 90th centile as a cut off results in 2.4% of infants being reclassified as normally grown and 3.1% are reclassified as large. The IBR does not result in the identification of any more infants with abnormal ponderal indices or skinfold thicknesses than birthweight for gestation. It does, however, identify more of the infants at risk of operative delivery, shoulder dystocia, fetal trauma and impaired glucose tolerance. CONCLUSION: The IBR significantly improves upon birthweight for gestation in identifying infants who suffer from the complications of relative macrosomia.     

Impairment, disability, and handicap in multiple sclerosis. A cross-sectional study in an incident cohort in M?re and Romsdal County, Norway

Non-submerged ITI Bonefit implants (ITI Dental Implant System) were inserted in edentulous lower jaws of 46 patients. The patients were provided with either a fixed prosthesis or an overdenture, and has been followed during a 2-year-period. At the 1-year examination, the suprastructures were removed permitting test of the individual implant stability. Radiographic examinations were performed in connection with the loading of the implants and at the 1-year examination. In total 216 implants were inserted. 4 implants were lost before loading and 4 during the 2nd year of function, which gives a survival rate after 1 year 98% and after 2 years of 96%. The mean marginal bone loss during the first year of function was 0.1 mm. However, the marginal bone changes had a high degree of variation and four implants showed a severe bone loss. The intention is to follow this patient group with annual examinations during 5 years.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of recombinant human beta 2-glycoprotein I identifies a cluster of lysine residues that are critical for phospholipid binding and anti-cardiolipin antibody activity

beta2-Glycoprotein I (beta2GPI) is a phospholipid-binding serum protein with anticoagulant properties. It plays a vital role in the binding of anti-cardiolipin Abs purified from patients with autoimmune disease when assayed in a cardiolipin (CL) ELISA. Based on a three-dimensional model of beta2GPI, electrostatic calculations, and earlier peptide studies, a highly positively charged amino acid sequence, Lys282-Asn-Lys-Glu-Lys-Lys287, located in the fifth domain of beta2GPI, has been predicted to be the phospholipid binding site. We tested this hypothesis by site-directed mutagenesis of residues in the predicted phospholipid binding site and by assessing the mutants for phospholipid binding and anti-beta2GPI activity. A single amino acid change from Lys286 to Glu significantly decreased the binding of beta2GPI to CL. Double and triple mutants 2k (from Lys286, 287 to Glu286, 287), 2ka (from Lys284, 287 to Glu284, 287), and 3k (from Lys284, 286, 287 to Glu284, 286, 287) possessed no binding of Ab to beta2GPI in a CL ELISA, as well as no inhibitory activity on the binding of iodinated native beta2GPI to CL. These results indicate that the residues Lys284, Lys286, and Lys287 in the fifth domain of beta2GPI are critical for its binding to anionic phospholipids and its subsequent capture for binding of anti-beta2GPI Abs.     

Structural modelling of coprecipitated VTiO catalysts

A statistical study of the particle shape and size of pure V₂O₅ and TiO₂, and samples of coprecipitated V₂O₅---TiO₂ catalysts with different V/Ti ratios, has been performed. They were also characterized by XRD, EDAX, SEM and XPS. The results showed that pure vanadium pentoxide is compose by large square or needle-shaped particles, while pure titanium dioxide has small and rounded ones. VTiO samples presented an area and shape, depending on the V/Ti ratio.

These results and the spectroscopical characterization conducted to a particle model of the catalysts. Those VOTi samples with high V/Ti ratio would have large V₂O₅ crystals acting as support of a V/TiO₂ solid solution. In contrast, those samples with a low V/Ti ratio, would have the solid solution supporting vanadium pentoxide crystals.     

Is the development of adenoma and carcinoma in proximal colon related to apolipoprotein E phenotype?

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Alterations in plasma lipoprotein levels and bile acid metabolism observed in patients with colorectal adenoma and carcinoma may reflect a genetic background predisposing to altered lipid metabolism and tumors. This study was designed to determine whether the polymorphism of apolipoprotein E, one of the key regulatory proteins in cholesterol metabolism, is associated with proximal or distal colonic neoplasia. METHODS: Apolipoprotein E phenotype was determined in 135 patients with colorectal adenoma, 122 patients with colorectal carcinoma, and 199 randomly selected control subjects. RESULTS: The frequency of the epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E was low (0.075 and 0.073) in patients with proximal adenoma and those with carcinoma, respectively, compared with the control subjects (0.181) (P < 0.05). In patients with distal tumors, there was no alteration in epsilon 4 frequency. In all subjects with the epsilon 4 allele compared with subjects without epsilon 4, the odds ratio for proximal adenoma was 0.36 (95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.89), and the odds ratio for proximal carcinoma was 0.35 (95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that the epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E provides protection from the development of adenoma and carcinoma of the proximal colon. These results support the theory that there are common susceptibility genes modulating the susceptibility to external carcinogenic factors.     

The blocking barrier effect on aluminum electromigration due totitanium layers in multilayered interconnects of LSI's

Experimental evidence of an increase in the resistance of a cathode-side metal line without any void generation is presented for a multilayered metal structure terminated by via-holes during electromigration tests. This resistance increase is reversed to the initial value by high temperature storage after electromigration testing. The increase in the resistance of multilayered metal structures is attributed to the vacancy accumulation in the cathode side due to the blocking barrier effect of the refractory metal layer in the via-hole