How old can one become?]

We recorded the highest age at the time of death for both men and women in Norway for the years 1970 to 1995. During this period longevity increased by approximately one year; for women from 106 to 107 years and for men from 105 to 106 years. Based on Gumbel's theory, we have estimated the most probable highest age for the next 10, 20, and 100 years. For women this was found to be 109, 110 and 113 years, respectively; for men the corresponding ages were 108, 109 and 112 years. Our aim must be that as many men and women as possible live to a high age, that their latter years are meaningful, and that they enjoy a high standard of living.     

Aortopulmonary fistula in an infected Dacron graft for coarctation of the aorta: an uncommon cause of hemoptysis

Hemoptysis secondary to an aortobronchial fistula is rare and uniformly fatal when left untreated. The authors describe a case of massive hemoptysis caused by an aortopulmonary fistula in an infected Dacron graft used successfully to repair a coarctation of the aorta.     

Phosphofructokinase from mantle tissue of Mytilus galloprovincialis. Purification and effects of phosphorylation on the enzymatic activity

Phosphofructokinase purified from mantle tissue of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, was phosphorylated "in vitro" by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The incorporation of phosphate gave rise to an activation of the enzyme by increasing its affinity for fructose-6-phosphate, by decreasing its sensitivity to the inhibition by ATP and by enhancing the effect of allosteric activators (5'-AMP and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate). In addition, the effects of phosphorylation on the catalytic activity are pH-dependent.     

Physiatric research fellows'' perceptions of the quality of their training

After being poisoned by eating the mushroom species Cortinarius speciosissimus, a twin developed interstitial nephritis with acute renal failure. He received a renal transplant from his living twin brother, who was presumed dizygotic on phenotypic grounds. Fifteen years later, the twins were zygosity tested by DNA "fingerprint analysis" and found to be monozygotic, despite important phenotypic discordances. The recipient has discontinued immunosuppression therapy and remains well after 9 months. We suggest that, for medical and other reasons, zygosity should be determined at birth on all like-sexed twins.     

Evaluating medication response in ADHD: cognitive, behavioral, and single-subject methodology

We introduce a novel application for linkage analysis: using bone marrow donor-recipient sib pairs to search for genes influential in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a major cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. In particular, we show that transplant sib pairs in which the recipient developed severe GVHD can be used to map genes in the same way as traditional discordant (affected/unaffected) sib pairs (DSPs). For a plausible GVHD model, we demonstrate that the transplant/discordant sib pair analog of the "possible triangle test" [Holmans (1993) Am J Hum Genet 52:362-374] has similar power to that of the simpler "restricted test" proposed by Risch [(1990b) Am J Hum Genet 46:229-241; (1992) Am J Hum Genet 51:673-675]. Moreover, we show that the restricted test has superior power in much of the DSP possible triangle and significantly inferior power in only a small region. Thus, we conclude that the restricted test is preferable for localizing genes with transplant/discordant sib pairs. Finally, we examine the effects of heterogeneity on the power to detect GVHD loci and demonstrate the gain in efficiency by dividing the sample into genetically more homogeneous subgroups.     

Differences in detection of alcohol use in a prenatal population (on a Northern Plains Indian Reservation) using various methods of ascertainment

Although Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) rates have been reported to be higher in American Indian populations, no screening tool has been validated for alcohol use in American Indian women. The objectives of this study were to compare the detection of prenatal alcohol use by a self-administered questionnaire to detection by clinical interview; and to ascertain whether the screening tool would increase detection of pregnant women who are abusing alcohol. The hospital records of the women were reviewed for any history of alcohol-related illnesses or injuries to compare with results obtained from the questionnaire. Seventy women attending their first prenatal clinic visit on a reservation were screened for alcohol use. There was a wide range in detection of prenatal alcohol use (20%-71% of the sample detected) depending on the method used. There was a large variation in sensitivities (7%-93%) of the individual questions in identifying patients detected as "high risk" by the clinicians. The T-ACE screening questions significantly increased detection of alcohol use compared to detection by the clinicians (p = 0.04 Fisher's exact test). Due to the large variation between different methods of detection, it is recommended that screening tools that increase detection of alcohol use should be combined with methods of higher specificity such as using questions about quantity and frequency of alcohol intake, medical chart review and clinical interview. We also found that various interpretations of the screening questions by the patients highlighted the need to tailor the wording of individual questions to the particular patient population.     

Endoscopic sclerotherapy is useful in Dieulafoy''s disease

1.5% Capsaicin (Cap) or Vehicle was respectively used to treat the right or left sciatic nerve in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats. On the seventh day, the 20 rats were at random divided into electroacupuncture (EA) group and non-EA group, the spinal cord corresponding to the afferent segments of sciatic nerve was taken out for observing the changes of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and [3H]-quinuelidinylbenzylate (QNB) binding sites in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH). The results were as follows: (1) EA "Huantiao" could enhance AChE activity in the SDH and decrease [3H]-QNB binding sites; (2) Cap treating sciatice nerve could weaken AChE activity in the SDH and merease [3H]-QNB binding sites; (3) Cap treatment could inhibit or partially inhibit the actions of EA as above. The results indicated that ACh participated in the primary afferent of acupuncture information and might exist in Cap-sensitive neurons.     

Sleep-induced breathing instability. University of Wisconsin-Madison Sleep and respiration Research Group

We present a view of the neuromechanical regulation of breathing and causes of breathing instability during sleep. First, we would expect transient increases in upper airway resistance to be a major cause of transient hypopnea. This occurs in sleep because a hypotonic upper airway is more susceptible to narrowing and because the immediate excitatory increase in respiratory motor output in response to increased loads is absent in non-REM sleep. Secondly, sleep predisposes to an increased occurrence of ventilatory "overshoots", in part because abruptly changing sleep states cause transient changes in upper airway resistance and in the gain of the respiratory controller. Following these ventilatory overshoots, breathing stability will be maintained if excitatory short-term potentiation is the prevailing influence. On the other hand, apnea and hypopnea will occur if inhibitory mechanisms dominate following the ventilatory overshoot. These inhibitory mechanisms include: a) hypocapnia-if transient, will inhibit carotid chemoreceptors and cause hypopnea, but if prolonged will inhibit medullary chemoreceptors and cause apnea; b) a persistent inhibitory effect from lung stretch; c) baroreceptor stimulation, from a transient rise in systemic blood pressure immediately following termination of apnea or hypopnea may partially suppress the accompanying hyperpnea; d) depression of central respiratory motor output via prolonged brain hypoxia. Once apneas are initiated, reinitiation of inspiration is delayed even though excitatory stimuli have risen well above their apneic thresholds, and these prolonged apneas are commonly accompanied by tonic EMG activation of expiratory muscles of the chest wall and upper airway.     

Characterizing spatial patterns of invasive species using sub-pixel classifications

Invasive species disrupt landscape patterns and compromise the functionality of ecosystem processes. Non-native saltcedar poses significant threats to native vegetation and groundwater resources in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, and quantifying spatial and temporal distribution patterns is essential for monitoring its spread. Considerable research focuses on determining the accuracy of various remote sensing techniques for distinguishing saltcedar from native woody riparian vegetation through sub-pixel, or soft classifications. However, there is a lack of research quantifying spatial distribution patterns from these classifications, mainly because landscape metrics, which are commonly used to statistically assess these patterns, require bounded classes and cannot be applied directly to soft classifications. This study tests a new method for discretizing sub-pixel data to generate landscape metrics using a continuum of fractional cover thresholds. The developed approach transforms sub-pixel classifications into discrete maps compliant with metric terms and computes and interprets metric results in the context of the region to explain patterns in the extent, distribution, and connectivity of saltcedar in the Rio Grande basin. Results indicate that landscape metrics are sensitive to sub-pixel values and can vary greatly with fractional cover. Therefore spectral unmixing should be performed prior to metric calculations. Analysis of metric trends provides evidence that saltcedar has expanded away from the immediate riparian zones and is displacing native vegetation. This information, coupled with control management strategies, can be used to target remediation activities along the Rio Grande.     

Imported measles. A potential control problem

From Dec 23, 1978, through Jan 31, 1979, an outbreak of five laboratory-confirmed cases and four clinical cases of measles occurred in a Vietnamese refugee population living in a single housing complex in Albuquerque, NM. The index cases were in two refugee siblings in whom measles was incubating on arrival in the United States. Despite spread through three subsequent generations of disease transmission within the Vietnamese population, there was no additional spread into the general Albuquerque population. Responsible factors included the age distribution of susceptible persons, the social isolation of the refugee population, and the physical structure of the housing complex. There is a need to identify the problem of imported measles in "ethnic islands" in need of vaccination.