Genetic control of differential baseline breathing pattern

The purpose of the present study was to determine the genetic control of baseline breathing pattern by examining the mode of inheritance between two inbred murine strains with differential breathing characteristics. Specifically, the rapid, shallow phenotype of the C57BL/6J (B6) strain is consistently distinct from the slow, deep phenotype of the C3H/HeJ (C3) strain. The response distributions of segregant and nonsegregant progeny were compared with the two progenitor strains to determine the mode of inheritance for each ventilatory characteristic. The BXH recombinant inbred (RI) strains derived from the B6 and C3 progenitors were examined to establish strain distribution patterns for each ventilatory trait. To establish the mode of inheritance, baseline breathing frequency (f), tidal volume, and inspiratory time (TI) were measured five times in each of 178 mature male animals from the two progenitor strains and their progeny by using whole body plethysmography. With respect to f and TI, the two progenitor strains were consistently distinct, and segregation analyses of the inheritance pattern suggest that the most parsimonious genetic model for response distributions of f and TI is a two-loci model. In similar experiments conducted on 82 mature male animals from 12 BXH RI strains, each parental phenotype was represented by one or more of the RI strains. Intermediate phenotypes emerged to confirm the likelihood that parental strain differences in f and TI were determined by more than one locus. Taken together, these studies suggest that the phenotypic difference in baseline respiratory timing between male B6 and C3 mice is best explained by a genetic model that considers at least two loci as major determinants.     

The merits of varicella vaccination for varicella non-immune health care workers

Immunity against varicella can be reliably established by history and, if negative, confirmed or refuted by serology. If non-immune, the merits of varicella vaccine for a health care worker (HCW) can be stated clearly: Protection from a disease which may be particularly severe in an adult, and evading the inconvenience (investigation time and possible work restriction) and cost of managing an exposure. This paper discusses implementation of a varicella immunity program for HCWs at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City.     

Intermodality, retrospective image registration in the thorax

The purpose of this study was to develop an accurate, retrospectively applicable procedure for registering thoracic studies from different modalities in a short amount of time and with minimal operator intervention. METHODS: CT and PET studies were acquired from six patients. The pleural surfaces in both image sets were determined by segmenting based on 50% of the maximum soft-tissue value in the study. These surfaces were converted into three-dimensional volumes and used to register the CT and PET studies in three dimensions using a sum of least squares fitting approach. The registered PET study was then displayed in a hot metal scale overlayed on top of the gray scale CT study. The accuracy of the fit was evaluated through a phantom study and preliminary clinical evaluation. RESULTS: A phantom study was performed to determine the limits of this technique. The accuracy was determined to be less than 2.3 mm in the x and y direction and 3 mm in the z direction. Preliminary clinical evaluation was also performed with encouraging results. CONCLUSION: This technique accurately registers PET and CT images of the thorax, retrospectively, without the need for external fiducial markers or other a priori action.     

Membrane traffic in polarized neurons

The plasma membrane of neurons can be divided into two domains, the soma-dendritic and the axonal. These domains perform different functions: the dendritic surface receives and processes information while the axonal surface is specialized for the rapid transmission of electrical impulses. This functional specialization is generated by sorting and anchoring mechanisms that guarantee the correct delivery and retention of specific membrane proteins. Our understanding of neuronal membrane protein sorting is primarily based on studies of protein overexpression in cultured neurons. These studies revealed that newly synthesized membrane proteins are segregated in the Golgi apparatus in the cell body from where they are transported to the axonal or dendritic surface. Such segregation presumably depends on sorting motifs in the proteins' primary structure. They appear to be located in the cytoplasmic tail for dendritic proteins and in the transmembrane-ectodomain for axonal proteins. Recent studies on neurotransmitter segregation suggest that anchoring in the correct subdomain of the plasma membrane also requires cytoplasmic tail information for binding to the cytoskeleton either directly or by linker proteins. Both mechanisms, sorting and retention, gradually mature during neural development. Young neurons appear to develop initial polarity by other mechanisms, presumably analogous to the mechanisms used by migrating cells.     

Characterization and screening for mutations of the growth arrest-specific 11 (GAS11) and C16orf3 genes at 16q24.3 in breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Both fibroblast-mediated cytokine gene therapy and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) have proven to be efficient protocols for the recovery of bone marrow depression. In this report, the effects of fibroblast-mediated interleukin (IL)-6 gene therapy, in combination with BMT, on the recovery of irradiation-induced bone marrow depression were investigated. METHODS: NIH3T3 fibroblast cells engineered to secrete IL-6 (NIH3T3-IL-6) or NIH3T3 cells transduced with the neomycin gene (NIH3T3-Neo), in combination with 10(7), 10(6), or 10(5) syngeneic bone marrow cells, were implanted into irradiated mice. RESULTS: The platelets and white blood cells in the peripheral blood of the irradiated mice increased greatly 12 days after implantation of NIH3T3-IL-6 cells and BMT, the white blood cell counts were restored to a normal level 32 days after the combined therapy, and the platelet number was obviously higher than that in mice implanted with NIH3T3-Neo and BMT. Twenty and 25 days after the combined therapy, the mice showed accelerated recovery of colony-forming unit (CFU)-granulocyte/macrophages and CFU-megakaryocytes when compared with the mice implanted with NIH3T3-Neo cells and BMT. Ten days after lethal irradiation with gamma rays, the spleens formed more CFU-spleen in mice implanted with NIH3T3-IL-6 cells and BMT than in mice injected with phosphate-buffered saline or NIH3T3-Neo cells. Combined therapy with NIH3T3-IL-6 cell implantation and BMT delayed the survival period of the hematopoietic-depressed mice significantly when compared with therapy with NIH3T3-Neo cell implantation and BMT. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrated that the combined therapy of fibroblast-mediated IL-6 gene therapy and BMT could significantly promote the recovery of irradiation-induced hematopoietic depression.     

Water sorption and diffusion in starch/polyolefin blends

The kinetics of water sorption by starch filled polyolefins has been investigated using blends of commercial starch masterbatch with low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density PE (HDPE), and copolymers of ethylene with methyl acrylate (EMA), ethyl (EEA), AND n-butyl acrylate (EBA). Transient state diffusion coefficients (D) of water in the blends were determined using Fickian analysis of the initial stages of the sorption isotherms. Measured D values were several orders of magnitude lower than values reported for either pure starch of LIDPE by various investigators. Resin effects on D were on the order D_HDPE < D_LDPE ? D_EBA < D_EEA < D_EMA. The resin effects diminished as the starch content increased. The lower magnitude of D in the blends relative to pure LDPE was attributed to the sorption of water by the dry starch particles, in a manner similar to dual-mode sorption in glassy polymers. Copolymer effects were consistent with reduction in crystallinity caused by the comonomers. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient on starch content was not described by mixing models of heterogeneous systems of percolation theory.     

Carbohydrate, enzyme, and hematology dynamics in newborn calves.

The dynamics of 25 blood constituents in newborn calves were monitored. Eight calves were immediately removed from dams following birth. Jugular blood samples for carbohydrate determinations were taken at birth (within 2 min), 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 18, and 24 h and every 12 h until 144 h of age. Samples for blood chemistries were taken at birth, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120, and 144 h. Colostrum was first fed at either 1 h (group 1) or 12 h (group 2) of age. At birth, plasma glucose concentrations were lower than the plasma fructose in both groups. Plasma glucose increased substantially from birth to 24 h, whereas fructose decreased to nondetectable concentrations by 18 h. Increases in insulin were associated with time of first feeding. Serum cortisol decreased rapidly from birth to 3 h for group 1 and at 15 h for group 2. Colostrum intake resulted in increased activities of serum alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase at 6 h for group 1 and at 15 h for group 2. Activities of these enzymes decreased to "normal" values after 24-h samplings for group 1. Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase increased gradually in activity over the first 24 h in both groups and decreased after 24 h for group 1. Triglycerides and cholesterol increased from birth to 24 h in both groups and continued to increase in group 1 until 144 h. Creatinine decreased and bilirubin increased from birth to 24 h in both groups. These changes indicated that the newborn calves were undergoing many adaptive changes in relation to either maintenance of homeostasis or nutrient intake.     

Dynamic Multiple-Fault Diagnosis With Imperfect Tests

In this paper, we consider a model for the dynamic multiple-fault diagnosis (DMFD) problem arising in online monitoring of complex systems and present a solution. This problem involves real-time inference of the most likely set of faults and their time-evolution based on blocks of unreliable test outcomes over time. In the DMFD problem, there is a finite set of mutually independent fault states, and a finite set of sensors (tests) is used to monitor their status. We model the dependence of test outcomes on the fault states via the traditional D-matrix (fault dictionary). The tests are imperfect in the sense that they can have missed detections, false alarms, or may be available asynchronously. Based on the imperfect observations over time, the problem is to identify the most likely evolution of fault states over time. The DMFD problem is an intractable NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem. Consequently, we decompose the DMFD problem into a series of decoupled subproblems, one for each sample epoch. For a single-epoch MFD, we develop a fast and high-quality deterministic simulated annealing method. Based on the sequential inferences, a local search-and-update scheme is applied to further improve the solution. Finally, we discuss how the method can be extended to dependent faults.     

Tandem mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of Candida bombicola sophorolipids and product formed on hydrolysis by cutinase

Natural mixtures of sophorolipids produced by the yeast Candida bombicola have been analyzed by fast atom bombardment (FAB)-MS and collision-induced dissociation (CID)-MS. Some pure components have been analysed by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The presence of acidic, lactonic, and O-acetylated forms and the position of double bonds in the fatty acid part of these glycolipids can be easily inferred from positive and negative ion FAB-mass spectra. Details about position of O-acetylation can be obtained from CID mass spectra of [M+H]+ and [M-H]- ions and from the NMR spectra. Differences in CID fragmentation between protonated and sodiated molecular ions are discussed in detail. Enzymatic hydrolysis of 6',6"-di-O-acetyl sophorolipid lactone by cutinase from Fusarium solani results specifically in the removal of the 6'-O-acetyl group, whereas the 6"-O-acetyl and lactone group are resistant. This specificity is explained from a three-dimensional model of the sophorolipid generated on the basis of the short 1H,1H distances as inferred from the NMR (ROESY) spectra.