Retinal vessel dilatation and elongation precedes diabetic macular oedema

Rolandic discharge (RD), noted in the electroencephalography (EEG) of patients with benign epilepsy in childhood with centrotemporal spikes (BECCT) has several unique features. One feature is that the amount or frequency of RDs does not correlate well with the incidence of seizures in BECCT although it is a key finding in the diagnosis of this epileptic syndrome. In this study, we examined the efficacy of antiepileptic drugs focusing on the disappearance of RDs in relationship with seizure control. Forty patients with BECCT who were not medically treated prior to this study were randomly sorted into three groups. Twenty patients were assigned for clonazepam (CZP) treatment, 10 patients for valproate (VPA) and the remaining 10 patients for carbamazepine (CBZ). Each drug was administered for 4 consecutive weeks. EEGs were recorded twice during the study, before and 4 weeks after the medication trial. The effects of each treatment on RDs were assessed. RDs disappeared in 15 of the 20 cases treated with CZP (75%) within 4 weeks while the same was observed in only one of the 10 cases treated with VPA (10%). CBZ failed to demonstrate any effect on RD. In the group treated with CZP, there were no differences in seizure incidence, seizure type and blood concentration of CZP between the patients whose RDs disappeared and those whose RDs remained.     

Plasmid pGA1 from Corynebacterium glutamicum codes for a gene product that positively influences plasmid copy number

The complete nucleotide sequence (4,826 bp) of the cryptic plasmid pGA1 from Corynebacterium glutamicum was determined. DNA sequence analysis revealed four putative coding regions (open reading frame A [ORFA], ORFA2, ORFB, and ORFC). ORFC was identified as a rep gene coding for an initiator of plasmid replication (Rep) according to the high level of homology of its deduced amino acid sequence with the Rep proteins of plasmids pSR1 (from C. glutamicum) and pNG2 (from Corynebacterium diphtheriae). This function was confirmed by deletion mapping of the minimal replicon of pGA1 (1.7 kb) which contains only ORFC. Deletion derivatives of pGA1 devoid of ORFA exhibited significant decreases in the copy number in C. glutamicum cells and displayed segregational instability. Introduction of ORFA in trans into the cells harboring these deletion plasmids dramatically increased their copy number and segregational stability. The ORFA gene product thus positively influences plasmid copy number. This is the first report on such activity associated with a nonintegrating bacterial plasmid. The related plasmids pGA1, pSR1, and pNG2 lacking significant homology with any other plasmid seem to be representatives of a new group of plasmids replicating in the rolling-circle mode.     

Influence of total surface area of core material on yield of deposited coacervate

The neuronal cytoskeleton is one of the most profoundly altered organelles in late life neuro-degenerative disorders that are characterized by progressive impairments in cognitive abilities. The elucidation of the protein building blocks of these organelles as well as advances in understanding how these proteins become altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other less common dementing illnesses, i.e., diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD) or the Lewy body variant of AD (LBVAD), will provide insights into the molecular basis of these disorders. Within, we review evidence that normal adult human tau is abnormally phosphorylated and converted into the subunits of AD paired helical filaments (PHFs), and that Lewy bodies (LBs) represent accumulation of altered neurofilament (NF) triplet subunits. Although the precise biological consequences of PHF and LB formation in neurons is unknown, growing evidence suggests that the formation of PHFs and LBs from normal neuronal cytoskeletal proteins could have deleterious effects on neuronal function and survival. Finally, insights into the composition of PHFs and LBs could lead to the development of novel strategies for the timely and accurate diagnosis of AD, DLBD and the LBVAD.     

Protection of B lymphocyte hybridoma against starvation-induced apoptosis: survival-signal role of some amino acids

Immunofluorescence microscopic observations indicated that a monoclonal antibody, Vmp 18, raised against the peptide 199-208 of murine interleukin 1 alpha, cross-reacted with an antigenic determinant of Drosophila thorax muscles. Immunoelectron microscopic analysis showed that the gold particles were mainly localized in the Z-line which is the attachment site of thin filaments from adjacent sarcomeres. On the contrary, the antibody failed to mark the Z-line in vertebrate skeletal muscle. A Western blot of total protein extract from Drosophila thorax muscles bound a protein of 43 kDa. Our observations suggest that the Vmp 18 antibody could contribute to clarify the composition of the Z-line in insect's flight muscles.     

Predictive equation for acquisition of hepatitis B in hospital workers in a general hospital

A cross-sectional study was performed to obtain risk factors for hepatitis B disease, HBsAg carriers and immunised personnel, among 2470 workers in a general hospital in Madrid, Spain. The data obtained were analyzed with multiple logistic regression to obtain beta coefficients for variables. The results of the analysis show that being a nurse or being regularly exposed to blood are the most important risk factors for hepatitis B acquisition. The length of time working at the same job activity was also a risk factor. The resulting beta coefficients allow the construction for a hepatitis non-immunised, HBsAg carrier and immunised HBV status, which can select subjects for a hepatitis B vaccination program.     

Generation of Technology-Independent Retargetable Analog Blocks

This paper introduces a complete methodology for retargeting of analog cells to different sets of specifications. This methodology is technology-independent, thus allowing the migration, from one technology to another, of the circuit under retargeting. Careful integration of the device sizing and layout generation tasks via the incorporation of layout constraints during the sizing process allows to generate fully functional designs in a few minutes. The methodology is illustrated via the retargeting of a fully-differential Miller-compensated two-stage operational amplifier for a new set of specifications and two different technological processes.An erratum to this article can be found at     

A Symbolic Pole/Zero Extraction Methodology Based on Analysis of Circuit Time-Constants

This paper introduces a methodology for symbolic pole/zero extraction based on the formulation of the time-constant matrix of the circuits. This methodology incorporates approximation techniques specifically devoted to achieve an optimum trade-off between accuracy and complexity of the symbolic root expressions. The capability to efficiently handle even large circuits will be demonstrated through several practical circuits.