Prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 13 on fetal cells obtained from maternal blood after minor enrichment

In a pilot study to establish fetal nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) detection in maternal blood, trisomy 13 was diagnosed by FISH analysis at 11 weeks' gestation. The NRBCs were detected after a single-step ficoll density gradient enrichment. In blood samples taken both before and after CVS, 52 and 80 NRBCs, respectively, were found to be positive for fetal haemoglobin. In 47 per cent of these cells, FISH analysis for X and Y chromosomes confirmed the fetal sex. Moreover, 48 per cent of these NRBCs showed three fluorescent signals for a chromosome 13 probe, which confirmed the diagnosis of trisomy 13, previously detected at CVS karyotyping. This is the first report of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 13, i.e., pre-CVS, in the first trimester. The high number of fetal NRBCs detected indicates a connection with aneuploidy, probably due to early impairment of the feto-maternal barrier.     

Multicomponent Bioluminescence Imaging with Naphthylamino Luciferins

Bioluminescent tools have been used for decades to image processes in complex tissues and preclinical models. However, few distinct probes are available to probe multicellular interactions. We and others are addressing this limitation by engineering new luciferases that can selectively process synthetic luciferin analogues. In this work, we explored naphthylamino luciferins as orthogonal bioluminescent probes. Three analogues were prepared using an optimized synthetic route. The luciferins were found to be robust emitters with native luciferase in vitro and in cellulo. We further screened the analogues against libraries of luciferase mutants to identify unique enzyme-substrate pairs. The new probes can be used in conjunction with existing bioluminescent tools for multi-component imaging.     

Combinatorial chemistry methods for coating development: VI. Correlation of high throughput screening methods with conventional measurement techniques

Combinatorial chemistry has proven to be a valuable tool for the development of new compounds. In the pharmaceutical industry, where combinatorial chemistry began, the approach has been instrumental in the high-speed development of new drugs. Due to the overwhelming success of the combinatorial methodology in the pharmaceutical industry, it has been recently applied to materials development. We have recently developed a combinatorial factory capable of preparing and evaluating on the order of 100 organic clear coatings in a day.

One of the most challenging aspects of the creation of the combinatorial factory was the development of the high throughput screening (HTS) methods for the primary coating properties of interest such as optical clarity, abrasion resistance, adhesion, and weatherability. For each property, an entirely new method was developed that allowed for rapid measurement of these properties on very small samples. This paper describes various aspects of the development of these novel measurement systems including the correlation of the HTS methods with conventional, industry standard measurement methods.     

The role of manganese and nitrogen nutrition in the susceptibility of wheat plants to take-all in Western Australia

Five field experiments are described which measured the effect of take-all on grain yield of wheat when 5 levels of manganese fertilizer were applied in a factorial combination with 5 different types of nitrogen fertilizer.Ammonium nitrogen fertilizer, either as ammonium sulphate or ammonium chloride, lowered the severity of take-all. By contrast, sodium nitrate had no effect on the incidence and severity of take-all. Ammonium chloride and ammonium sulphate were equally effective at controlling take-all, suggesting that the chloride or sulphate ion had little or no effect on the disease.Manganese sulphate decreased take-all severity at two trial sites. Where manganese was deficient, an application of manganese lowered the severity of take-all, had no effect on the incidence and increased the dry matter and grain yields of the wheat plants. There were no beneficial effects of applied manganese if the wheat plants were adequately supplied with soil manganese.The results suggest that take-all is more severe where plants are deficient in either manganese or nitrogen. The work also suggests that manganese deficiency is not necessarily the reason why the wheat plants grown on the acid soils of south-west Western Australia are prone to take-all.     

Correction to: Investigating Energy Flow in Water-Energy Storage for Hydropower Generation in Water Distribution Systems

Water Resources Management - The original version of this article unfortunately contains mistake introduced during the publishing process. The author name “M. Fayzul” should be deleted...     

Domain structure of the Fib-1 and Fib-2 regions of human fibronectin. Thermodynamic properties of the type I finger module

The stability of the Fib-1 (29 kDa) and Fib-2 (19 kDa) fragments of human fibronectin as well as several different subfragments and isolated type I "finger" modules were studied under various solvent conditions by differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was established that all fibronectin fingers constitute independently folded domains whose melting temperatures range from 54 to 108 degrees C. The difference between heat capacities of the native and denatured states (delta Cp) is low, about 0.03 cal/K-g, which is consistent with the relatively low percentage of hydrophobic amino acids and the consequent small change in non-polar surface area exposed to the solvent upon denaturation. The free energy of unfolding at 25 degrees, as calculated from the calorimetric data or measured directly by titration with GdmSCN is also small, in the range of 2.4 to 6.7 kcal/mol. The small delta G value and its flat dependence on temperature (determined by delta Cp) translates the small variations in delta G between fingers into large variations in tm. The small value of delta G also indicates that finger modules are structurally rather fragile which may account for their sensitivity to proteolysis; almost any cleavage within either of the two disulfide loops destroys the cooperative structure and abolishes the corresponding melting transition. The fact that some fingers exhibit large decreases in tm upon separation from more stable neighbors with which they interact can also be viewed as a consequence of the low values of delta G and delta Cp.     

Infective endocarditis complicated with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis: a case report

Despite a general national decline in criminal activities in the 1990s, juvenile criminal offenses continue to increase, (including violent, property, and delinquency acts). In addition increased numbers of children are being held in juvenile jails. It is all but impossible for pediatric health providers to think that "their patients" and "their practices" are immune from the epidemic of crime that affects and is caused by "just kids."     

Stress Generation, Avoidance Coping, and Depressive Symptoms: A 10-Year Model.

This study examined (a) the role of avoidance coping in prospectively generating both chronic and acute life stressors and (b) the stress-generating role of avoidance coping as a prospective link to future depressive symptoms. Participants were 1,211 late-middle-aged individuals (500 women and 711 men) assessed 3 times over a 10-year period. As predicted, baseline avoidance coping was prospectively associated with both more chronic and more acute life stressors 4 years later. Furthermore, as predicted, these intervening life stressors linked baseline avoidance coping and depressive symptoms 10 years later, controlling for the influence of initial depressive symptoms. These findings broaden knowledge about the stress-generation process and elucidate a key mechanism through which avoidance coping is linked to depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trencher operator seating positions. A simple ergonomic assessment of two styles of layout

A comparison of two different styles of operator position in a trencher were compared using biomechanical principles and a field survey. A major postural difference between the two styles is the amount of time spent by the operators looking to the rear of their seated position. This was confirmed by a simple experiment. The style of position used in the skid steer type of trencher, facing the working tool, was found to be significantly better than the traditional fore-aft tractor style configuration.