Providing the right stuff: feeding children with chronic renal failure

The progressive loss of renal function in children with chronic renal failure (CRF) has a negative influence on their nutritional status and statural growth. Supportive therapies with 1-25 dihydroxy-vitamin D3, recombinant erythropoietin and growth hormone have significantly improved the biochemical and clinical features but the success of these therapies is largely related to an appropriate diet, with adequate protein/caloric intakes. Children more than adults have minimal protein requirements to avoid malnutrition and growth impairment FAO/WHO and RDA recommendations save as guidelines for a correct diet in children with CRF. Following these allowances leads to a "normoproteic" diet, with a protein intake which is often half the unrestricted one in Western European countries, but which is still likely to be not enough to protect against renal deterioration. Indeed the European Study Group for Nutritional Treatment of CRF in children failed to show a significant effect of diet on the mean decline of glomerular filtration rate over two years.     

'98 Escherichia coli SWISS-2DPAGE database update

The combination of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE), computer image analysis and several protein identification techniques allowed the Escherichia coli SWISS-2DPAGE database to be established. This is part of the ExPASy molecular biology server accessible through the WWW at the URL address http://www.expasy.ch/ch2d/ch2d-top.html . Here we report recent progress in the development of the E. coli SWISS-2DPAGE database. Proteins were separated with immobilized pH gradients in the first dimension and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the second dimension. To increase the resolution of the separation and thus the number of identified proteins, a variety of wide and narrow range immobilized pH gradients were used in the first dimension. Micropreparative gels were electroblotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride membranes and spots were visualized by amido black staining. Protein identification techniques such as amino acid composition analysis, gel comparison and microsequencing were used, as well as a recently described Edman "sequence tag" approach. Some of the above identification techniques were coupled with database searching tools. Currently 231 polypeptides are identified on the E. coli SWISS-2DPAGE map: 64 have been identified by N-terminal microsequencing, 39 by amino acid composition, and 82 by sequence tag. Of 153 proteins putatively identified by gel comparison, 65 have been confirmed. Many proteins have been identified using more than one technique. Faster progress in the E. coli proteome project will now be possible with advances in biochemical methodology and with the completion of the entire E. coli genome.     

Trick or treat?: uneven understanding of mind and emotion and executive dysfunction in "hard-to-manage" preschoolers

It is widely recognised that impaired social relations are characteristic of school-aged children with behavioural disorders, and predict a poor long-term outcome (Parker & Asher, 1987). However, little is known about the early antecedents of social impairment in behaviourally disturbed children. The aim of the present study was to explore three areas of potential dysfunction in younger children: theory of mind, emotion understanding, and executive function. Forty preschoolers, rated by their parents on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1994) as "hard to manage" (H2M) were compared with a control group on a set of: (1) theory of mind tasks (including an emotion prediction task involving either a nice or a nasty surprise); (2) emotion understanding stories (that required affective perspective-taking skills as well as situational understanding); and (3) simple executive function tasks (adapted for preschoolers, and tapping inhibitory control, attentional set-shifting, and working memory). Small but significant group differences were found in all three cognitive domains. In particular, hard-to-manage preschoolers showed poor understanding of emotion and executive control, poor prediction or recall of a false belief, and better understanding of the belief-dependency of emotion in the context of a trick than a treat. Moreover, executive function was associated with performance on the theory of mind tasks for the hard-to-manage group alone, suggesting both direct and indirect links between executive dysfunction and disruptive behaviour.     

Canadian national power quality survey: frequency and duration ofvoltage sags and surges at industrial sites

The occurrence of voltage sags and surges originating on the primary and secondary sides of industrial facilities can disrupt continuous and noncontinuous industrial computer processes, a costly issue for society. This paper attempts to answer several questions concerning the frequency and duration of voltage sags and surges posed by industrial customers. The answers to these questions are based on the national survey results of the frequency and duration of voltage sags and surges at industrial sites monitored at their utilization voltage levels (e.g. 120, 347 V) and on the utility primary side of their facilities. The survey results provide a knowledge base for monitoring, designing, and utilizing voltage sag and surge mitigating technologies     

Analogues of capsaicin with agonist activity as novel analgesic agents: structure-activity studies. 4. Potent, orally active analgesics

Structural features of three regions of the capsaicin molecule necessary for agonist properties were delineated by a previously reported modular approach. These in vitro agonist effects were shown to correlate with analgesic potency in rodent models. Combination of optimal structural features from each of these regions of the capsaicin molecule have led to highly potent agonists (eg., 1b). Evaluation in vivo established that 1b had analgesic properties but poor oral activity, short duration of action, and excitatory side effects which precluded further development of this compound. Preliminary metabolism studies had shown that the phenol moiety of 1b was rapidly glucuronidated in vivo, providing a possible explanation for the poor pharmacokinetic profile. Subsequent specific modification of the phenol group led to compounds 2a-j, which retained in vitro potency. The in vivo profiles of two representatives of this series, 2a,h, were much improved over the "parent" phenol series, and they are candidates for development as analgesic agents.     

Cervical pain and proprioceptive sensitivity

With the intent of estimating the proprioceptive sensitivity of the cervical rachis, the Authors subjected 17 healthy volunteers and 20 patients suffering from various cervical disorders to a clinical head positioning test, which was previously experimented upon by several french Authors was modified under certain aspects by our equipe. The test, consists in flexion and extension of the head after maximal rotations to the left and right, then repositioning the head at the starting point "0" which corresponds to the crossing point of two orthogonal axis of a target. The positions are marked on the target by a laser beam situated on the helmet worn by the subject undergoing testing. The results obtained corresponding to the errors committed regarding point "0", permit us to confirm the reliability of the test and significant definitions between the control group and the patients suffering from cervical disorders.     

Localization of prothymosin alpha in the nucleus

Age differences in processing resources seem salient to age-related declines in secondary (or "recent") memory. Community-dwelling adults (N = 90, ages 30-80) completed 4 memory tests: Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) Logical Memory (LM), Cowboy Story (CS), WMS-R Visual Reproductions (VR), and Extended Complex Figure Test (ECFT; Fastenau, in press). Two space-capacity measures (WMS-R Digit Span and Visual Memory Span) and 4 processing speed measures (cancellation and mental-tracking tasks) assessed processing resources. A statistical control procedure was used to isolate retrieval efficiency and measures contributions of age and processing resources to retrieval. A negative relationship between age and retrieval efficiency emerged on all measures (p < .05). The age effect was reduced 60% on LM and CS when processing resources were controlled, eliminated for VR, and unchanged on ECFT. It is possible that visual-spatial retrieval requires fewer processing resources than does verbal retrieval.