The effect of a preparation from the horns of the saiga antelope on the goal-directed drinking behavior of rats

We analyzed 79 consecutive patients with aneurysms and found a patient who lacked type III collagen. Collagen was extracted from the skin, and the lack of type III collagen was determined by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Only 1 of the 79 patients was found to lack type III collagen. This patient was a 55-year-old man who had sustained an abdominal aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection. He did not show any of the typical clinical symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV, such as hyperextensible skin and joints. He had none of the usual risk factors nor any clear family history of the syndrome. Furthermore, his collagen fibrils demonstrated a homogeneous appearance. This case may represent a new form of type III collagen deficiency.     

Toroidal structures due to anisotropy of DNA-like molecules

We suggest that toroidal structures in the state of psi-condensation of DNA may be caused by anisotropy on a meso-scale of several thousand A, the conformation of a DNA-molecule being determined by its elasticity and neutralization of phosphate charge. We model a molecule of B-DNA on an anisotropic elastic rod subject to a torque, and make the numerical simulation of the model that reveals that under appropriate conditions, which may be effected in experimental setting by changing the concentration of polymeric solutions, there are toroidal structures having the size of a few persistence lengths, in agreement with the experimental data. On changing the elastic modulii or characteristics of the counterion layer, we see the toroidal structures turn into the spherical ones. To understand the function of anisotropy it would be interesting to investigate the Z-DNA as regards psi-condensation.     

Perinatal outcome associated with outpatient management of triplet pregnancy

A recent review of the relevant literature indicates that different approaches to the exploration of nurses' clinical reasoning are being adopted in North America, Australia and the United Kingdom. These differing approaches, which tend to cluster chronologically and which include decision analysis, information processing and skills acquisition theory and their limitations will be outlined; it will be argued that it is through their conflation that nurses' collective understanding of nurses' clinical reasoning is deepened. The author is attempting to develop an international network of nurse scholars interested in clinical reasoning with the aim of achieving this. The purposes of this network will be to facilitate international collaboration to expedite both the growth of knowledge related to nurses' clinical reasoning and the development of programs of international comparative research related to it. The setting up of this network and progress to date is described.     

Materials on the morphology departments of the Orenburg Medical Academy

An analysis of the relation among the quantity of focuses of Aedes aegypti, the rains and the temperatures in rainy and dry periods from 1982 to 1992 in 10 de Octubre municipe, at City of Havana, was carried out. No correlation was found between the number of focuses and the rains occurred in both seasons, and it was just the same between the number of focuses and temperatures. Thus, emphasis is made in the need for a strong surveillance along all year.     

Cell-mediated immunity and blocking factor in ovarian carcinoma

Lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity (cell-mediated immunity) to ovarian carcinoma cells and serum blocking factor were measured in 37 patients. Short-term cultures of tumor cells and a low ratio of effector to target cells were used throughout the study, minimizing nonspecific cytotoxicity. Sixteen patients were followed for long periods of time, and correlation with the course of the disease and with therapy could be obtained. Although the level of cell-mediated immunity did not always correspond to the clinical status of the patient, the presence of blocking factor was associated with clinical relapse in 14 of 16 patients. Chemotherapy with single alkylating agents or combinations of drugs caused no significant or permanent depression of cell-mediated immunity as measured in this way. In addition, blocking factor disappeared in 2 patients during remission. It appears that the chemotherapy for ovarian carcinoma may not be significantly immunosuppressive against established levels of cell-mediated immunity and may in certain instances have effects potentially beneficial to the host as evaluated by lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity and blocking factor studies.     

The course of the reparative process in patients with gastric and duodenal peptic ulcers (a clinico-statistical study)

Clinico-statistical evaluation of reparative process in 332 gastric ulcer and 294 duodenal ulcer patients revealed factors of objective value to its course. In order of significance the factors rank as follows: area of ulcer, localization, combination with certain mucosal erosions, total fasting acidity, free fasting hydrochloric acid, basal gastric secretion, cardial function, duodenogastric reflux, sex, age, number of cigarettes smoked daily. When studying treatment effects on regeneration in ulcer patients in is necessary to take into consideration basal clinico-endoscopic parameters.     

The e subunit gene of murine F1F0-ATP synthase. Genomic sequence, chromosomal mapping, and diet regulation

Genomic sequences encoding murine Lfm1, whose predicted protein sequence is 96% and 98% similar to bovine and rat F1F0-ATP synthase e subunits (respectively), have been amplified from BALB/cByJ DNA, cloned, and sequenced. The 1.1-kilobase gene has 3 introns and 4 exons, and its coding sequence differs by two nucleotides compared to the previously published BALB/cHnn Lfm1 cDNA sequence. A PstI restriction site polymorphism in intron 2 between C57BL/6J and Mus spretus was used to map this gene to Chromosome 5 near D5Mit9. Related sequences were mapped on Chromosomes 8, 11, and 2 unlinked loci on Chromosome 2 using Southern blot analyses with the 1. 1-kilobase gene as probe. Previous studies from this laboratory indicated that the Lfm1/e subunit was regulated by the level of dietary fat and carbohydrate. Northern hybridization analyses demonstrated that e subunit mRNA abundance showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.025) between hearts of BALB/c mice fed 3% and those fed 20% corn oil for 2 weeks and in liver (p < 0. 05) from the same animals. Significant differences were also observed in hepatic and heart mRNA expression at different times after eating in animals subjected to a fast/refeed regimen. The implications of the high degree of sequence similarity to the e subunit for rat and bovine F1F0-ATP synthase and its regulation by diet are discussed.