Serum HIV-1 RNA levels and time to development of AIDS in the Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study

Normal women produce small amounts of active androgens. When androgen levels are elevated, such as for example in the polycystic ovary syndrome, this is followed by the development of male physical characteristics and muscle mass, structure and function as well as android adipose tissue distribution and function. Psychological features and stress reactions also seem similar to those of men. Such women have an increased risk of developing hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Recent data have shown that these physical, and psychological characteristics, as well as risk of ill health, are also found in the population of women selected at random. Women in the lowest quintiles of levels of sex-hormone-binding globulin--an indicator inversely related to active androgens--are at risk of developing hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular mortality. The mechanism probably includes muscular insulin resistance, following a relative androgen excess. It is thus apparent that androgens, even within the highest levels of the nonselected population of women, are powerful predictors of serious disease development. The population at risk might be as large as about 20% of middle-aged women. This is an area of female disease risk which requires more attention in screening and intervention procedures.     

Photoaffinity labeling of the human erythrocyte nucleoside transporter by N6-(p-Azidobenzyl)adenosine and nitrobenzylthioinosine. Evidence that the transporter is a band 4.5 polypeptide

N6-(p-Azidobenzyl)adenosine (ABA) and nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR) were employed as covalent probes of the nucleoside transport mechanism in human erythrocytes. NBMPR, a potent inhibitor of nucleoside transport, binds tightly (KD 0.3-1 nM) to specific sites on nucleoside transporter elements. ABA, a less potent inhibitor of uridine influx, competitively inhibited NBMPR binding (Ki 15 nM). [3H]ABA was bound tightly (KD 13.4 nM) but reversibly to sites on erythrocytes which appeared to be those which bind NBMPR. ABA binding was inhibited by uridine and adenosine. Irradiation with UV light caused site-bound [3H]ABA on erythrocyte membranes to become covalently bound and, similarly, photoactivation resulted in covalent attachment of membrane-bound [3H]NBMPR. In the presence of dithiothreitol, a free radical scavenger, photoactivation of the site-bound 3H-ligand on membranes depleted of extrinsic membrane proteins resulted in selective incorporation of 3H into band 4.5 of the membrane polypeptides which were resolved on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electropherograms. This result, when considered with previous findings, indicates that the NBMPR-binding component of the nucleoside transport mechanism (or the entire mechanism, if the NBMPR site is an integral part) is a band 4.5 polypeptide.     

The United States--The Netherlands Round Table Conference on immunization. Summary report

A group of public health scientists from the United States and The Netherlands met at a Bicentennial Round Table Conference December 1-2, 1982, to discuss the latest developments in immunization against infectious diseases, focusing on pertussis, poliomyelitis, measles, and rubella. The major differences in immunization practices in the two countries are: (a) In The Netherlands, inactivated polio vaccine is used exclusively; in the United States, the oral polio vaccine is used. Polio-myelitis has virtually disappeared from both countries. (b) In The Netherlands, the pertussis component of DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) is not given to children over the age of 1 year, whereas in the United States, it is given to children up to their seventh birthday. (c) Rubella vaccine is given only to girls at ages 11-12 years in The Netherlands, but to all children at ages 12-15 months in the United States. (d) Mumps vaccine is not administered to children in The Netherlands, but in the United States it is given routinely to children at 12-15 months (in combination with measles and rubella vaccine). The participants concluded that both the United States and The Netherlands have effective immunization programs that have significantly reduced the impact of these diseases.     

The effect of gas purity on the reflectance and resistivity of magnetron sputtered aluminium and its alloys

The relative optical reflectance and electrical resistivity have been measured of thick films (～1μm) deposited by sputtering Al in a planar magnetron using Ar and Ar + O₂ mixtures. The results obtained have a practical value in indicating the power input and related deposition rate required for given discharge conditions to obtain Al-films with a high reflectance and bulk resistivity.     

Actin isoform utilization during differentiation and remodeling of BC3H1 myogenic cells

Mouse BC3H1 myogenic cells and a bi-functional chemical cross linking reagent were utilized to investigate the polymerization of newly-synthesized vascular smooth muscle (alpha-actin) and non-muscle (beta- and gamma-actin) actin monomers into native F-actin filament structures during myogenesis. Two actin dimer species were identified by SDS-PAGE analysis of phenylenebismaleimide-cross linked fractions of BC3H1 myoblasts and myocytes. P-dimer was derived from the F-actin-enriched, detergent-insoluble cytoskeleton. Pulse-chase analysis revealed that D-dimer initially was associated with the cytoskeleton but then accumulated in the soluble fraction of lysed muscle cells that contained a non-filamentous or aggregated actin pool. Immunoblot analysis indicated that non-muscle and smooth muscle actins were capable of forming both types of dimer. However, induction of smooth muscle alpha-actin in developing myoblasts coincided with an increase in D-dimer level which may facilitate actin stress fiber assembly. Smooth muscle alpha-actin was rapidly utilized in differentiating myoblasts to assemble extraction-resistant F-actin filaments in the cytoskeleton whereas non-muscle beta- and gamma-actin filaments were more readily dissociated from the cytoskeleton by an extraction buffer containing ATP and EGTA. The data indicate that cytoarchitectural remodeling in developing BC3H1 myogenic cells is accompanied by selective actin isoform utilization that effectively segregates multiple isoactins into different sub-cellular domains and/or supramolecular entities.