The potential use of wetlands to reduce phosphorus export from agricultural catchments

Natural and artificial wetlands have the potential to reduce phosphorus (P) loads from dispersed agricultural runoff and from point sources in the Peel-Harvey catchment, Western Australia. Small experimental systems containing wetland plants and substrate have shown significant removal of P from inflowing water, the proportion of P removed being dependent on P concentration and flow rate of water through the system. The use of artificial wetlands to treat diffuse agricultural runoff is limited by the highly seasonal runoff typical of this Mediterranean climate, while use at point sources has so far been unsuccessful because compounds from the effluent clog the wetland filters. Treatment at point sources may well be feasible after further research.Natural wetlands in the catchment absorb P received in runoff from farmland and, in the absence of any outflow channels to the drainage system, confine this P within the boundaries of the wetland. Disturbance to wetlands may reduce their efficiency in absorbing nutrients and may release P stored in the vegetation and sediment to the water. The conservation of natural wetlands is recommended to maximise nutrient retention in the catchment.     

Computing Minimum Area Homologies

Calculating and categorizing the similarity of curves is a fundamental problem which has generated much recent interest. However, to date there are no implementations of these algorithms for curves on surfaces with provable guarantees on the quality of the measure. In this paper, we present a similarity measure for any two cycles that are homologous, where we calculate the minimum area of any homology (or connected bounding chain) between the two cycles. The minimum area homology exists for broader classes of cycles than previous measures which are based on homotopy. It is also much easier to compute than previously defined measures, yielding an efficient implementation that is based on linear algebra tools. We demonstrate our algorithm on a range of inputs, showing examples which highlight the feasibility of this similarity measure.     

Application of nitrogen and phosphorus criteria for streams in agricultural landscapes

Efforts to control eutrophication of water resources in agriculturally dominated ecosystems have focused on managing on-farm activities to reduce nutrient loss; however, another management measure for improving water quality is adoption of environmental performance criteria (or 'outcome-based standards'). Here, we review approaches for setting environmental quality criteria for nutrients, summarize approaches developed in Canada for setting 'ideal' and 'achievable' nutrient criteria for streams in agricultural watersheds, and consider how such criteria could be applied. As part of a 'National Agri-Environmental Standards Initiative', the Government of Canada committed to the development of non-regulatory environmental performance standards that establish total P (TP) and total N (TN) concentrations to protect ecological condition of agricultural streams. Application of four approaches for defining ideal standards using only chemistry data resulted in values for TP and TN spanning a relatively narrow range of concentrations within a given ecoregion. Cross-calibration of these chemically derived standards with information on biological condition resulted in recommendations for TP and TN that would likely protect aquatic life from adverse effects of eutrophication. Non-point source water quality modelling was then conducted in a specific watershed to estimate achievable standards, i.e. chemical conditions that could be attained using currently available and recommended management practices. Our research showed that, taken together, short-term achievable standards and ultimate ideal standards could be used to set policy targets that should, if realized, lower N and P concentrations in Canadian agricultural streams and improve biotic condition.     

Breast micro-opacities of lead origin mimicking microcalcifications

After a surgical excision of focal mammary "microcalcification" we noticed that in fact they represented fine lead deposits (mean diameter: 100 microns) resulting from an attempted suicide (22 long rifle) 10 years previously. The leaded nature of these foreign microbodies was demonstrated by a micro-analysis by energy dispersion on histological slides.     

US-guided core breast biopsy: use and cost-effectiveness

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine, using serial echocardiography, the hydrodynamic mechanisms involved in the occurrence of hemolysis after mitral valve repair. BACKGROUND: Recently, fluid dynamic simulation models have identified distinct patterns of mitral regurgitant flow disturbances in patients with mitral prosthetic hemolysis that were associated with high shear stress and may therefore produce clinical hemolysis. Rapid acceleration, fragmentation, and collision jets were associated with high shear stress and hemolysis whereas slow deceleration and free jets were not. METHODS: We reviewed serial echocardiographic studies of 13 consecutive patients with hemolytic anemia after mitral valve repair who were referred for mitral reoperation between January 1985 and December 1996 (group 1). Thirteen patients undergoing reoperation for mitral regurgitation after mitral valve repair but without hemolysis served as controls (group 2). RESULTS: The mitral regurgitant jet was central in origin in 12 group 1 patients and 9 group 2 patients (Fisher exact test, p= 0.3). The other patients had para-ring regurgitation. Group 1 patients had collision (n=11), rapid acceleration (n=2) or fragmentation (n=1) jets whereas group 2 patients had slow deceleration (n=11) or free jets (n=2) (Fisher exact test, p < 0.0001). One patient with hemolysis had both collision and rapid acceleration jets. The "culprit" jet could be identified on the postbypass transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) study in only 1 patient at the time of initial mitral repair. Twelve group 1 patients underwent reoperation, with subsequent resolution of hemolysis in all patients. At reoperation, the initial repair was found to be intact in 8 (67%) patients. CONCLUSION: Distinct patterns of flow disturbance associated with high shear stress were identified by color Doppler imaging in patients with hemolysis after mitral valve repair. The majority (92%) of these color flow disturbances were not present during intraoperative postbypass TEE study after initial mitral repair and subsequently developed in the early postoperative period.     

Proline isomerization-independent accumulation of an early intermediate and heterogeneity of the folding pathways of a mixed alpha/beta protein, Escherichia coli thioredoxin

Oxidized Escherichia coli thioredoxin (Trx) is a small protein of 108 residues with one disulfide bond (C32-C35 essentially involved in the activity) and no prosthetic moieties, which folds into a structural motif containing a central twisted beta-sheet flanked by helices that is found in many larger proteins. The kinetics of refolding of Trx in vitro have been investigated using a newly developed active site titration assay and continuous or stopped-flow (SF) methods in conjunction with circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence (Fl) spectroscopy. These studies revealed the presence of early folding intermediates with "molten globule or pre-molten globule" characteristics. Measurements of the ellipticity at 222 nm indicated that about 68% of the total change associated with refolding occurred during the dead time (4 ms) of the stopped-flow instrument, suggesting the formation of substantial secondary structure. The reconstruction of the far-UV CD spectrum of the burst intermediate using combined continuous and stopped-flow methods showed the formation of a defined secondary structure that contains more beta-structure than the native state. Kinetic measurements using SF far-UV CD and Fl over a wide range (0.087-6 M) of GuHCl concentrations at two temperatures (6 and 20 degreesC) demonstrated that the population formed during the 4 ms dead time contained multiple species that are stabilized mainly by hydrophobic interactions and undergo further folding along alternative pathways. One of these species leads directly and rapidly to the native state as demonstrated by active site titration, while the two others fold into a fourth intermediate that is slowly converted to the native protein. Double-jump experiments suggest that the heterogeneity in folding behavior results from proline isomerizations occurring in the unfolded state. Conversely, the accumulation of the burst intermediate does not depend on proline isomerizations.     

Melanoma-associated antigens recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes

During the last 7 years significant progress has been made in the identification of melanoma-associated antigens recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). These antigens belong to three main groups: cancer/testis-specific antigens (MAGE, BAGE, GAGE, PRAME and NY-ESO-1), melanocyte differentiation antigens (tyrosinase, Melan-A/MART-1, gp100, TRP-1 and TRP-2), and mutated or aberrantly expressed antigens (MUM-1, CDK4, beta-catenin, gp100-in4, p15 and N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V). In this review we have summarized the available data concerning the characterization of melanoma-associated antigens, focusing on their immunogenic and protective properties. The development of a strong immune response to differentiation antigens is limited by the existence of tolerance to these "self"-antigens, permitting the involvement of only T cells with low affinity T-cell receptors. Among the melanoma differentiation antigens, only gp100 has been shown to be a tumor regression antigen. The cancer/testis-specific antigens such as MAGE and PRAME should potentially be highly immunogenic antigens. They contain several potential HLA class I binding epitopes and are present only in the testes, which are not accessible to the cells of the immune system owing to the lack of direct contact with the immune cells and the lack of HLA class I expression on the surface of germ cells. But only two patients have been found who responded to these antigens in vivo, indicating their genuinely low immunogenicity. A comparison of the predicted secondary structures of these two groups of antigens (cancer/testis-specific and differentiation antigens) revealed enrichment of long alpha-helical stretches in the cancer/testis-specific antigens. We hypothesize that such highly organized stable structures could, first, reduce denaturation of the protein and, thus, ubiquitinylation as a degradation signal, and, second, diminish the efficiency of the protein unfolding - a necessary step in the proteolytic cleavage by proteasomes. High structural stability could therefore be responsible for the low immunogenicity of these proteins. In this case, modifications decreasing the stability of these proteins might be a means of improving the immune response to these potentially therapeutically useful antigens.     

Comparison of molecular changes in lung cancers in HIV-positive and HIV-indeterminate subjects

CONTEXT: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been associated with an increasing incidence of malignancy, and HIV-infected persons have an increased incidence of primary lung carcinoma compared with the general population. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the molecular changes present in HIV-associated lung tumors and compare them with those present in lung carcinomas arising in HIV-indeterminate subjects ("sporadic tumors"). DESIGN: Convenience sample. SUBJECTS: Archival tissues from 11 HIV-positive persons and from 35 persons of indeterminate HIV status. SETTING: University-based medical centers and affiliated hospitals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Analysis of frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite alteration (MA) using polymerase chain reaction and 16 polymorphic microsatellite markers at 8 chromosomal regions frequently deleted in lung cancer. Presence of HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV) sequences. RESULTS: The overall frequency of LOH at all chromosomal regions tested and the frequencies at most of the individual regions were similar in the 2 groups. Frequency of MA present in the HIV-associated tumors (0.18) was 6-fold higher than in sporadic tumors (0.03) (P<.001). At least 1 MA was present in 10 (91%) of 11 HIV-associated tumors vs 17 (48%) of 35 sporadic tumors (P=.02). Molecular changes were independent of tumor stage and gender. HIV and HPV sequences were not detected in the HIV-associated lung carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: Microsatellite alterations, which reflect widespread genomic instability, occur at greatly increased frequency in HIV-associated lung carcinomas. Although the mechanism underlying the development of increased MAs is unknown, it may play a crucial role in the development of many HIV-associated tumors.     

Costimulatory molecule-deficient dendritic cell progenitors (MHC class II+, CD80dim, CD86-) prolong cardiac allograft survival in nonimmunosuppressed recipients

We have shown previously that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-stimulated mouse bone marrow-derived MHC class II+ dendritic cell (DC) progenitors that are deficient in cell surface expression of the costimulatory molecules B7-1 (CD80) and B7-2 (CD86) can induce alloantigen-specific T-cell anergy in vitro. To test the in vivo relevance of these findings, 2 x 10(6) B10 (H2b) mouse bone marrow-derived DC progenitors (NLDC 145+, MHC class II+, B7-1dim, B7-2-/dim) that induced T-cell hyporesponsiveness in vitro were injected systemically into normal C3H (H2k) recipients. Seven days later, the mice received heterotopic heart transplants from B10 donors. No immunosuppressive treatment was given. Median graft survival time was prolonged significantly from 9.5 to 22 days. Median graft survival time was also increased, although to a lesser extent (16.5 days), in mice that received third-party (BALB/c; H2d) DC progenitors. Ex vivo analysis of host T-cell responses to donor and third-party alloantigens 7 days after the injection of DC progenitors (the time of heart transplant) revealed minimal anti-donor mixed leukocyte reaction and cytotoxic T lymphocyte reactivity. These responses were reduced substantially compared with those of spleen cells from animals pretreated with "mature" granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor + interleukin-4-stimulated DC (MHC class IIbright, B7-1+, B7-2bright), many of which rejected their heart grafts in an accelerated fashion. Among the injected donor MHC class II+ DC progenitors that migrated to recipient secondary lymphoid tissue were cells that appeared to have up-regulated cell surface B7-1 and B7-2 molecule expression. This observation may explain, at least in part, the temporary or unstable nature of the hyporesponsiveness induced by the DC progenitors in nonimmunosuppressed recipients.