Studies on the dechlorination and detoxificaton of organochlorine compounds. I. PCBs and PCNs

In the analysis of organochlorines such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), levels of, for example, PCB concentration are often expressed as a ‘total PCB’ value, using a straight GC pattern-matching technique with electron capture detection. Such methods provide little information about the identity of the individual components. In the present study, preliminary investigations using dechlorination with a NiCl₂/NaBH₄ catalyst indicated that the technique offered a comprehensive method for the analysis of PCBs and PCNs, as well as a method of detoxification of the ‘priority pollutants’ . This paper reports the use of capillary column GC-MS with an ion trap detector (ITD^TM) for the analysis of a number of PCBs and PCNs, including the commercially produced Aroclor 1254 and 1221, employing this dechlorination technique.     

A role for the hippocampal formation in implicit memory: a 3-D PET study

The apparent preservation of word priming effects in amnesia has been interpreted as supporting the view that implicit memory depends on brain systems that are independent of mesial temporal lobe structures which are in part responsible for explicit memory disorders. Nevertheless, a number of studies have demonstrated word priming deficits in amnesic patients relatively to normal subjects, suggesting that such structures may also be involved in implicit memory. To determine whether one such structure, the hippocampal formation, is a component of the brain system subserving word priming, a 3-D PET study was carried out in 13 normal individuals. Encoding was carried out using the brief multiple presentation technique, a procedure that allows one to effectively circumvent contamination of implicit memory tasks by explicit memory strategies. Results revealed that word priming was indeed associated with an activation of the right hippocampal formation. This finding of an hippocampal involvement in word priming calls into question the notion of absolute dissociability between the brain systems underlying performance on various explicit and implicit memory tasks.     

Effect of ischaemia and reperfusion on the intracellular concentration of taurine and glutamine in the hearts of patients undergoing coronary artery surgery

Taurine and glutamine are the most abundant intracellular free amino acids in mammalian hearts where changes in their intracellular concentrations are likely to influence a number of cellular activities. In this study we investigated the effects of ischaemia and reperfusion on the intracellular concentrations of taurine and glutamine in the hearts of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery using cold crystalloid or cold blood cardioplegic solutions. Ischaemic arrest (30 min), using cold crystalloid cardioplegic solution (n = 19), decreased the intracellular concentrations (micromol/g wet weight) of taurine (from 9.8 +/- 0.8 to 7.7 +/- 0.7, P < 0.05) and glutamine (8.7 +/- 0.5 to 7.2 +/- 0.6). After 20 min of normothermic reperfusion the fall in taurine and glutamine was maintained (7.5 +/- 0.5 and 7.4 +/- 0.7 for taurine and glutamine respectively). Myocardial ischaemic arrest with cold blood cardioplegic solution (n = 16) did not cause a significant fall in tissue taurine or glutamine. However, on reperfusion there was a marked fall in the intracellular concentrations of taurine (9.4 +/- 0.5 to 6.5 +/- 0.7) and glutamine (8.0 +/- 0.7 to 5.8 +/- 0.4). The fall in amino acids was associated with a fall in ATP and a rise in tissue lactate. This work demonstrates that irrespective of the cardioplegic solution used to arrest the heart, there is a marked fall in tissue taurine and glutamine which may influence the extent of recovery following surgery. The fall in taurine is largely due to efflux whereas changes in glutamine are due to both transport and metabolism. Ischaemia, hypothermia and changes in the transmembrane concentration gradients are the likely factors responsible for the changes in tissue amino acids.     

Solid-state NMR studies of the prion protein H1 fragment

Conformational changes in the prion protein (PrP) seem to be responsible for prion diseases. We have used conformation-dependent chemical-shift measurements and rotational-resonance distance measurements to analyze the conformation of solid-state peptides lacking long-range order, corresponding to a region of PrP designated H1. This region is predicted to undergo a transformation of secondary structure in generating the infectious form of the protein. Solid-state NMR spectra of specifically 13C-enriched samples of H1, residues 109-122 (MKHMAGAAAAGAVV) of Syrian hamster PrP, have been acquired under cross-polarization and magic-angle spinning conditions. Samples lyophilized from 50% acetonitrile/50% water show chemical shifts characteristic of a beta-sheet conformation in the region corresponding to residues 112-121, whereas samples lyophilized from hexafluoroisopropanol display shifts indicative of alpha-helical secondary structure in the region corresponding to residues 113-117. Complete conversion to the helical conformation was not observed and conversion from alpha-helix back to beta-sheet, as inferred from the solid-state NMR spectra, occurred when samples were exposed to water. Rotational-resonance experiments were performed on seven doubly 13C-labeled H1 samples dried from water. Measured distances suggest that the peptide is in an extended, possibly beta-strand, conformation. These results are consistent with the experimental observation that PrP can exist in different conformational states and with structural predictions based on biological data and theoretical modeling that suggest that H1 may play a key role in the conformational transition involved in the development of prion diseases.     

A prospective 12-year study of subsyndromal and syndromal depressive symptoms in unipolar major depressive disorders

BACKGROUND: Investigations of unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) have focused primarily on major depressive episode remission/recovery and relapse/recurrence. This is the first prospective, naturalistic, long-term study of the weekly symptomatic course of MDD. METHODS: The weekly depressive symptoms of 431 patients with MDD seeking treatment at 5 academic centers were divided into 4 levels of severity: (1) depressive symptoms at the threshold for MDD; (2) depressive symptoms at the threshold for minor depressive or dysthymic disorder (MinD); (3) subsyndromal or subthreshold depressive symptoms (SSDs), below the thresholds for MinD and MDD; and (4) no depressive symptoms. The percentage of weeks at each level, number of changes in symptom level, and medication status were analyzed overall and for 3 subgroups defined by mood disorder history. RESULTS: Patients were symptomatically ill in 59% of weeks. Symptom levels changed frequently (1.8/y), and 9 of 10 patients spent weeks at 3 or 4 different levels during follow-up. The MinD (27%) and SSD (17%) symptom levels were more common than the MDD (15%) symptom level. Patients with double depression and recurrent depression had more chronic symptoms than patients with their first lifetime major depressive episode (72% and 65%, respectively, vs 46% of follow-up weeks). CONCLUSION: The long-term weekly course of unipolar MDD is dominated by prolonged symptomatic chronicity. Combined MinD and SSD level symptoms were about 3 times more common (43%) than MDD level symptoms (15%). The symptomatic course is dynamic and changeable, and MDD, MinD, and SSD symptom levels commonly alternate over time in the same patients as a symptomatic continuum of illness activity of a single clinical disease.     

Arterial disease in antiquity

The study of papyrus writings and of mummified human remains provides an insight into the diseases and the practice of medicine in ancient times. Paleopathology, developed in the latter part of the last century and now incorporating modern technology and diagnostic techniques, has shown that arterial disease was not uncommon and that the arterial lesions of 3000 years ago were no different from those we see today.     

Temperature rise during polymerization of light-activated resin composites

There has been a steady rise in the use of resin-based composites in the restoration of large posterior cavities. Visible light-activated materials have come to dominate the market for direct posterior composites because of the convenience offered to the operator by their command set nature. Manufacturers have produced more powerful light-activation units in response to concerns over inadequate depth of cure. However, some authors have warned of the danger to the dental pulp induced by excessive heat generated during polymerization. Variables governing heat generation include output intensity of the light-activation unit, quality of light filter, irradiation time, material composition and material surface-light guide exit window distance, residual dentine thickness and cavity dimensions. This in vitro study assessed the relative influence of some of these factors under controlled conditions. The findings suggest that minimum irradiation times should be used when curing bonding agents in unlined cavities where residual dentine thickness is limited and high output intensity light-activation units are employed. Material composition is identified as an important variable in determining the magnitude of the temperature rise.     

Three-dimensional respiratory-gated MR angiography of coronary arteries: comparison with conventional coronary angiography

OBJECTIVE: MR coronary angiography is most often performed using two-dimensional techniques. Although three-dimensional (3D) acquisitions do have important advantages, they take too long for a single breath-hold and are thus susceptible to respiratory motion artifacts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of a unique respiratory-gated 3D MR angiographic technique in identifying the proximal coronary arteries in patients suspected of having coronary artery disease. In addition, we investigated the capability of this technique to detect proximal stenoses. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective blinded study in 20 patients who were referred for conventional coronary angiography. A cardiac-gated 3D gradient-echo sequence with fat suppression was used. Retrospective respiratory gating was performed using navigator echoes of the diaphragm position. Using multiplanar reformatting, two independent readers blindly analyzed the data sets for visualization of major coronary arteries, lengths of imaged segments, and detection of significant stenoses (> 50% occlusion of the luminal diameter by conventional angiography). RESULTS: Seventy-seven of 80 (96%) coronary arteries were positively identified. In one patient, an anomalous coronary anatomy was readily identified and confirmed by conventional angiography. The average lengths of the imaged segments of the right, left main, left anterior descending, and left circumflex coronary arteries were 58 +/- 13 mm, 9 +/- 5 mm, 59 +/- 16 mm, and 24 +/- 10 mm, respectively. Overall sensitivity for the detection of stenoses was low (38%), with a specificity of 95%. Interobserver agreement was 0.92, with a kappa value of 0.65. CONCLUSION: Respiratory-gated 3D MR angiography allows accurate identification of proximal coronary arteries and may be valuable for 3D imaging of coronary anomalies. Further technical improvements are required to enhance the value of the technique in detecting stenoses.     

Phosphorous and proton spectroscopy in relation to near incarceration and incarceration of the human brain

The yeast gene, YTA10, encodes a member of a novel family of putative ATPases. Yta10p, as deduced from the nucleotide sequence, is 761 amino acids in length (predicted molecular mass 84.5 kDa). The amino acid sequence of Yta10p exhibits high similarity to two other yeast proteins, Yta11 and Yta12, and to E. coli FtsH. Several features of Yta10p are compatible with its localization in mitochondria. We report here that Yta10p is a yeast mitochondrial protein and that import is dependent on a membrane potential and accompanied by processing to a protein of approximately 73 kDa. Disruption of YTA10 leads to a nuclear petite phenotype and to a loss of respiratory competence, as shown by spectrophotometric measurement of the activities of respiratory complexes I-III and IV, respectively. These findings together with the high similarity of Yta10p to several ATP-dependent proteases suggest that Yta10p is a mitochondrial component involved, directly or indirectly, in the correct assembly and/or maintenance of active respiratory complexes.