Fibroblast growth factor-2 and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 mRNA expression and peptide localization in placentae from normal and diabetic pregnancies

Soils developed on serpentine rocks cover a large area in Albania which contains large reserves of iron, nickel, chromium and copper and is characterised by a high density of mines and metal smelters. This work was conducted to study the flora associated with serpentine and former industrial and mining sites in Albania. Eight sites were investigated in the south-eastern, central and northern parts of the country. Soils were sampled in the Ap horizon and plants were collected and identified. Plant material was allowed to dry before being ground. Soil and plant samples were analysed for total Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, Ni, Pb and Zn. Results showed that each site exhibited a high concentration of one or more metals. The maximum concentrations of metals in soils dry matter (DM) were 14 mg Cd kg-1, 476 mg Co kg-1, 3865 mg Cr kg-1, 1107 mg Cu kg-1, 3579 mg Ni kg-1, 172 mg Pb kg-1 and 2495 mg Zn kg-1. The Mg/Ca ratio in serpentine soils varied from 1 to 7.8. A collection of 58 plant species, members of 44 genera and 17 families, were collected. Alyssum markgrafii in the north and Alyssum murale in the south-eastern serpentines had a concentration of 1.26 and 0.85% Ni in DM, respectively. In the species Herniaria hirsuta, a serpentine plant, concentrations of 808 mg Ni kg-1 and 275 mg Cr kg-1 in DM were recorded. Other taxa (Filago, Inula, Picris, Galamintha, Marrubium, Teucrium, Lotus, Ononis and Xeranthemum) from serpentines had a high, but not exceptional Ni content. Some species collected on serpentines and industrial sites presented rather high concentrations of lead or copper in their above-ground parts, probably related to contamination by soil dust.     

Non-transferrin iron uptake by trophoblast cells in culture. Significance of a NADH-dependent ferrireductase

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids have been linked to self-administration of a wide range of drugs in animals and are increased endogenously by chronic nicotine intake. Corticosteroids have also been shown to regulate nicotine receptor sensitivity and to be involved in behavioral sensitization to nicotine. METHODS: Cortisol levels and cortisol suppression in response to dexamethasone were measured in a sample of smokers participating in a smoking cessation treatment trial. RESULTS: Cortisol levels dropped significantly during the early quitting process (2 weeks post-quit) and returned to a level below baseline 1 month post-quit. The magnitude of the initial drop in cortisol was strongly related to post-quit distress and marginally predictive of abstinence. Neither baseline nor post-quit changes in percent cortisol suppression after dexamethasone were related to abstinence success or withdrawal distress. CONCLUSIONS: Withdrawal from cigarette smoking is marked by a reduction in cortisol levels that appears to be related to the degree of distress experienced during the early quitting period. Further work is needed to determine whether withdrawal-related cortisol changes or distress are predictive of abstinence success.     

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and malaria

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a cytoplasmic enzyme that is essential for a cell's capacity to withstand oxidant stress. G6PD deficiency is the commonest enzymopathy of humans, affecting over 400 million persons worldwide. The geographical correlation of its distribution with the historical endemicity of malaria suggests that 66PD deficiency has risen in frequency through natural selection by malaria. This is supported by data from in vitro studies that demonstrate impaired growth of P. falciparum parasites in G6PD-deficient erythrocytes. Attempts to confirm that G6PD deficiency is protective in field studies of malaria have yielded conflicting results, but recent results from large case control studies conducted in East and West Africa provide strong evidence that the most common African G6PD deficiency variant, G6PD A-, is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of severe malaria for both G6PD female heterozygotes and male hemizygotes. The effect of female homozygotes on severe malaria remains unclear but can probably be assumed to be similar to that of comparably deficient male hemizygotes.     

Influence of receptor number on the stimulation by salmeterol of gene transcription in CHO-K1 cells transfected with the human beta2-adrenoceptor

We investigated the behavior of the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APx), in potato tubers during storage at low temperature. SOD activity increased temporarily within 3 weeks and was higher at 1 degree C than at 20 degrees C. APx activity also increased more at low (1 degree C) than at higher temperatures (5 and 20 degrees C). The contents of ascorbic acid (AsA), which is the substrate of APx, decreased immediately within 3 weeks and then gradually decreased until 15 weeks. The activity of CAT, the other enzyme which can scavenge hydrogen peroxide, decreased once in the first six weeks and thereafter increased to 15 weeks. Thus, the enhancement of the active oxygen-scavenging system that was induced by low temperature in potato tubers could result not only in a decrease of AsA but also in combined increases in APx and CAT activity whose manners were different.     

Ethical and practical issues involved in behavioral pharmacology research that administers drugs of abuse to human volunteers

Researchers carrying out non-therapeutic research that involves the administration of drugs of abuse to human volunteers can be faced with many ethical and practical questions. The history of this type of research is relatively brief, with little in the way of published information relevant to carrying out behavioral pharmacological research with human participants. The aim of this article is to raise issues that occur in most studies of this type and to provide solutions that we have found acceptable and which have been approved by a variety of institutions and regulatory agencies. Clearly, there are other approaches that would work equally as well, and we are not attempting to provide 'the' answer to many of the issues raised. We believe that raising these issues and providing our perspectives is important for stimulating others to discuss them and for all of us to strive, where possible, to reach a consensus concerning ethical practices and to become aware of gaps and pitfalls. The topics discussed range from the nuts and bolts of acquiring and keeping track of drugs, to selecting research participants and designing ethical studies that protect our volunteers while still collecting scientifically useful data.     

Recruitment strategies in the women's health trial: feasibility study in minority populations. WHT:FSMP Investigators Group. Women's Health Trial:Feasibility Study in Minority Populations

The Women's Health Trial:Feasibility Study in Minority Populations (WHT:FSMP) examined the feasibility of recruiting postmenopausal women from a broad range of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds into a primary prevention trial requiring marked reductions in dietary fat. Postmenopausal women aged 50-79 yr who had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer and who consumed 36% or more total energy from fat qualified to participate. We randomized the women into dietary intervention (60%) or control (40%) groups; we aimed to randomize 750 women in 18 months in each of the three clinical centers. All centers achieved goals for randomization based on ethnicity, and two centers exceeded overall recruitment goals. The greatest source of randomized participants was mass mailing, followed by items in the media, referrals, and community outreach. Recruitment yields were generally similar for the ethnic groups but lower for less-educated participants. The experience of WHT:FSMP indicates that postmenopausal women from the African-American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white communities can be recruited into dietary intervention studies for the prevention of disease.