Height, occupation and back pain in a national prospective study

Back pain is an important public health problem but there is a paucity of knowledge about risk factors and causal mechanisms. Previous studies have shown that tall men are more at risk of back pain, although observations in women have been less consistent. This paper presents findings from a national longitudinal study of 3262 men and women aged 43 yr. Standing height and sitting height were related to 18-month reported prevalence of 'sciatica, lumbago or severe backache' in both men and women. The paper investigates explanations for these findings using previously collected data on childhood growth and detailed lifetime occupational histories. Neither greater susceptibility of tall men to heavy lifting, nor the timing of growth, were able to account for these relationships. To assess further the association between height and back pain, information is needed on the relationship between stature and characteristics of spinal structure.     

A comparison of gene organization in the zwf region of the genomes of the cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 and Anabaena sp. PCC 7120

The region of the genome encoding the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene zwf was analysed in a unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942, and a filamentous, heterocystous cyanobacterium, Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Comparison of cyanobacterial zwf sequences revealed the presence of two absolutely conserved cysteine residues which may be implicated in the light/dark control of enzyme activity. The presence in both strains of a gene fbp, encoding fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, upstream from zwf strongly suggests that the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in these organisms may function to completely oxidize glucose 6-phosphate to CO2. The amino acid sequence of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase does not support the idea of its light activation by a thiol/disulfide exchange mechanism. In the case of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, the tal gene, encoding transaldolase, lies between zwf and fbp.     

Scientific role of German ophthalmology in the European telecommunication project OPHTEL]

We examined 21 patients aged 5 months to 19 years, on a 1.5 T magnet. T1-weighted spin-echo images, proton density and T2-weighted images with spin-echo and turbo spin-echo sequences, and contrast-enhanced magnetization transfer (MT) T1-weighted images were obtained in all cases. MT T1-weighted images were performed before injection in 9 patients. Subependymal nodules were found in 14, and cortical and subcortical tubers in 20 of the 21 patients. MT T1-weighted images showed tubers and subependymal nodules as higher signal than normal gray matter and revealed more tubers than conventional sequences in 11 cases. High signal intensity lesions of the white matter were found in 19 patients but were seen only on MT images in 9 cases. When MT images both before and after injection were available, tubers and white matter lesions were more easily recognised on unenhanced MT images because of their higher contrast.     

New energy transfer dyes for DNA sequencing

We have synthesized a set of four energy transfer dyes and demonstrated their use in automated DNA sequencing. The donor dyes are the 5- or 6-carboxy isomers of 4'-aminomethylfluorescein and the acceptor dyes are a novel set of four 4,7-dichloro-substituted rhodamine dyes which have narrower emission spectra than the standard, unsubstituted rhodamines. A rigid amino acid linker, 4-aminomethylbenzoic acid, was used to separate the dyes. The brightness of each dye in an automated sequencing instrument equipped with a dual line argon ion laser (488 and 514 nm excitation) was 2-2.5 times greater than the standard dye-primers with a 2 times reduction in multicomponent noise. The overall improvement in signal-to-noise was 4- to 5-fold. The utility of the new dye set was demonstrated by sequencing of a BAC DNA with an 80 kb insert. Measurement of the extinction coefficients and the relative quantum yields of the dichlororhodamine components of the energy transfer dyes showed their values were reduced by 20-25% compared with the dichlororhodamine dyes alone.     

Cytogenetic abnormalities and clonal evolution in an adult hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastomas usually occur in children < 3 years of age, and only occasional adult cases have been described. To date, 20 cytogenetically abnormal childhood hepatoblastomas have been reported. Karyotypic investigations have shown that most hepatoblastomas are diploid or hyperdiploid, often displaying trisomies for chromosomes 2 and 20. We have cytogenetically investigated an adult hepatoblastoma for which no previous karyotypic data exist. A hypertriploid stemline with multiple numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations, including +2 and +20, was found. In addition, the tumor displayed extensive clonal evolution with 11 subclones. Although the tumor thus displayed some chromosomal abnormalities commonly observed in childhood tumors, providing further support for the importance of these abnormalities in the development of hepatoblastoma, the level of genomic complexity seen in the present case has never been described in childhood hepatoblastomas and may suggest a different etiology or pathogenesis.     

Optimization of a schottky barrier mixer diode in the submillimeter wave region

We have designed a mixer Schottky barrier diode (SBD) for use in the submillimeter wave region with a structure optimized for minimum noise temperature. The dependence of mixer noise temperature upon thickness and doping density of the epitaxial layer and diode diameter of SBDs was simulated within the framework of existing theories. Special care was taken to formulate the SBD current-voltage and capacitance-voltage relations in a way that correctly describes the behavior of real SBDs.     

Detection of ultrasonic tones and simulated dolphin echolocation clicks by a teleost fish, the American shad (Alosa sapidissima)

The authors previously reported that American shad (Alosa sapidissima) can detect sounds from 100 Hz to 180 kHz, with two regions of best sensitivity, one from 200 to 800 Hz and the other from 25 to 150 kHz [Mann et al., Nature 389, 341 (1997)]. These results demonstrated ultrasonic hearing by shad, but thresholds at lower frequencies were potentially masked by background noise in the experimental room. In this study, the thresholds of the American shad in a quieter and smaller tank, as well as thresholds for detecting stimulated echolocation sounds of bottlenosed dolphins was determined. Shad had lower thresholds for detection (from 0.2 to 0.8 kHz) in the quieter and smaller tank compared with the previous experiment, with low-frequency background noise but similar thresholds at ultrasonic frequencies. Shad were also able to detect echolocation clicks with a threshold of 171 dB re: 1 microPa peak to peak. If spherical spreading and an absorption coefficient of 0.02 dB/m of dolphin echolocation clicks are assumed, shad should be able to detect echolocating Tursiops truncatus at ranges up to 187 m. The authors propose that ultrasonic hearing evolved in shad in response to selection pressures from echolocating odontocete cetaceans.     

Lack of PPCA expression only partially coincides with lysosomal storage in galactosialidosis mice: indirect evidence for spatial requirement of the catalytic rather than the protective function of PPCA

Protective protein/cathepsin A (PPCA) is a pleiotropic lysosomal enzyme that complexes with beta-galactosidase and neuraminidase, and possesses serine carboxypeptidase activity. Its deficiency in man results in the neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder galactosialidosis (GS). The mouse model of this disease resembles the human early onset phenotype and results in severe nephropathy and ataxia. To understand better the pathophysiology of the disease, we compared the occurrence of lysosomal PPCA mRNA and protein in normal adult mouse tissues with the incidence of lysosomal storage in PPCA(-/-) mice. PPCA expression was markedly variable among different tissues. Most sites that produced both mRNA and protein at high levels in normal mice showed extensive and overt storage in the knockout mice. However, this correlation was not consistent as some cells that normally expressed high levels of PPCA were unaffected in their storage capability in the PPCA(-/-) mice. In addition, some normally low expressing cells accumulated large amounts of undegraded products in the GS mouse. This apparent discrepancy may reflect a requirement for the catalytic rather than the protective function of PPCA and/or the presence of cell-specific substrates in certain cell types. A detailed map showing the cellular distribution of PPCA in nomal mouse tissues as well as the sites of lysosomal storage in deficient mice is critical for accurate assessment of the effects of therapeutic interventions.     

Human wound contraction: collagen organization, fibroblasts, and myofibroblasts

The closure of ungrafted sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus excisional wounds was studied in 15 patients. Wound punch biopsies were taken on a regular basis, and histologic sections were made. To document changes, computer-assisted morphometric image analysis was employed. Initial average wound depth was 37.8 +/- 4.6 mm, and complete closure (0 wound depth) was reached by 68 days. Wound contraction contributed 88 percent to wound closure, whereas the deposition of scar only contributed 12 percent. Maximum cells density within granulation tissue was reached by day 18. Myofibroblasts, identified by alpha-smooth muscle actin immunostaining, first appeared on day 11. Unlike those observed in laboratory animals, myofibroblasts were a minor cell population of granulation tissue, never exceeding 10 percent of the cells. The pattern of collagen fiber organization was documented by polarized light microscopy of Sirius red-stained sections. Early granulation tissue collagen fibers demonstrated a fine greenish birefringence, whereas more mature granulation tissue collagen fibers were thicker, displaying orange-yellowish birefringence. Myofibroblasts were associated exclusively with thicker collagen fibers, whereas fibroblasts were associated with both fine and thick collagen fibers. It is proposed that human wound contraction involves a volume change whereby normal dermal and adipose tissues are pulled into the defect by forces generated within fibroblasts.