Visualization of DNA segments, interacting with reactive oligonucleotide derivatives in interphase nuclei and metaphase chromosomes

Reaction of (pdT)16 derivatives, bearing 4-(N-2-chloroethyl-N-methylamino)benzylphosphamide group on its 5' end and biotin on its 3' end with DNA in interphase nuclei and metaphase chromosomes has been investigated by fluorescence and electron microscopy. The result obtained evidence that in interphase nuclei DNA in active chromatin (nucleolus) is the most available for specific modification. In metaphase chromosomes the modified DNA regions are situated on the surface of chromosome.     

Local gain control and focal accommodation in the Self Similar Stack vision model

The aim of this paper is to report an extension to the computationally efficient Self Similar Stack model (Burton et al. Biol., Cybernet. 53, 397-403, 1986) to include the effects of local gain control in the retina. The method employed to do this has been to fit a family of difference-of-Gaussian functions to the human contrast sensitivity function curves of van Nes and Bouman (J. Opt. Soc. Am. 57, 401-406, 1967). The centre frequencies of the DoGs within each family are octave-related, in a simplified manifestation of the DoG channels found by Wilson et al. (Vision Res. 23, 873-882, 1983). The sensitivity of each level, or channel, that formed the original Stack model is modulated individually according to the fitted values, as the local illumination varies within an image. The model was tested against psychometric data obtained by Haig and Burton (Appl. Optics 26, 492-500, 1987) during experiments on visual discrimination. The consistency of the results indicates the validity of the approximations and the robustness of the model, either for machine vision purposes or for predicting human visual performance. A simple algorithm, developed for use with a machine vision application of this model, provides a means by which a TV camera may be focused automatically. The success of this algorithm, using the newly computed channel sensitivities, suggests that human focal accommodation may be regulated by a similar form of mechanism.     

Anterior communicating artery aneurysm rupture: an unusual cause of acute subdural hemorrhage

A case of acute subdural hemorrhage caused by rupture of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm is presented. The patient is a young man who presented with an acute onset of neurologic symptoms; computed tomography revealed subdural hemorrhage in the absence of associated subarachnoid or intraparenchymal bleeding.     

Gastric wounds: study of 85 patients

During January 1987 and December 1990 we studied 85 patients (75 males), the age varying between 6 and 47 years (mean 27.6) sustaining penetrating (81 patients) and blunt (4 patients) gastric wounds. The mortality rate was 17.6% (15 patients) with four deaths occurring during the surgical procedure as consequence of critical associated injuries. Only one death happened as consequence of gastric wound; 6 patients died during the first 24 hours of hospitalization because of irreversible shock, 9 deaths came about after the first day of hospitalization (4 sepsis, 3 respiratory failure, 2 head trauma). The morbidity rate among the 81 patients that survived after surgical treatment was 39.5% (32 patients). The main postoperative gastric complication was vomiting in 10 patients (5 presenting vagus nerve injury and 5 sustaining pancreatic and/or another hollow viscus wounds) one patient presented with gastric suture dehiscence. Among the 12 patients sustaining vagus nerve injury the presence of gastric complication was higher in the group that was not submitted to pyloroplasty (6 patients). Analysing the patients presenting gastric and pancreatic injuries we verified that morbidity rate was statistically significantly higher in this group (69.2%) than in overall morbidity (39.5%).     

Design of integrated data/voice stations for a CSMA/CD LAN

This paper describes the design and implementation of integrated data/voice stations for a LAN environment. The stations are based on the DB16000 Development Board using a 16-bit CPU. Continuously variable slope delta modulation is selected as the voice encoding technique. Protocols were designed and implemented to handle data and voice separately. Prototypes were built to test the station's performance. The stations communicate with one another at a rate of 1.5 Mbit/s. The voice digitization rate is 16 kbit/s and the terminal speed is 9.6 kbit/s.     

Effects of interleukin-1 blockers on ophthalmic wound healing in a rabbit model of trabeculectomy

A trabeculectomy model was used to test the efficacy of some Interleukin-1 blockers on the modulation of ophthalmic wound healing in the pigmented rabbit. The corticosteroid, methyl prednisolone, was used as a positive control and was effective in prolonging the time to failure of the trabeculectomy by 21%. The experimental compounds CK-17, CK-101A, CK-102 and CK-103A were more efficacious than vehicle control at prolonging the number of days before failure of the trabeculectomy by 55%, 55%, 30% and 79%, respectively. The CK- compounds increased the amount of time before failure of the fistula, with no side effects at the doses tested to date.     

The clinical efficacy in using leukinferon in adults with diseases caused by the varicella-zoster virus

To achieve more effective treatment of varicella (chickenpox) and herpes zoster in adults, a wide-spectrum immunocorrective agent containing, together with alpha-interferon, a number of other cytokines of the first phase of immune response was used. In patients with the different severity of disease leukinferon induced a rapid decrease in the severity of the disease, arrested the development of new elements on the skin and the buccal mucosa, and reduced the duration of the fever period. When used in such forms as intramuscular injections in combination with the irrigation of the buccal mucosa and ointment, leukinferon proved to be a highly effective preparation for the treatment of diseases caused by varicella-zoster virus.     

The hypereosinophilic variant of Ph''-positive chronic myeloleukemia

AIM: To confirm clonal nature of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (IHES), its relevance to Ph'-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3 cases of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome are reported with morphologic analysis of bone marrow cells and cytogenetic examinations. In one patient the presence of Ph'-chromosome was confirmed at fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular-genetic analysis (bcr/abl). Samples of bone marrow, spleen and liver were examined pathohistologically. RESULTS: The presence of chromosome anomaly t(9;22), i.e. Ph'-chromosome, associated with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was identified in all the 3 cases. There was also myeloid hyperplasia in the bone marrow (with primarily mature, eosinophilic granulocytes), spleen and liver, depression of megakaryocyto- and erythropoiesis. 2 patients had similar clinical symptoms which was not typical for CML in chronic phase: fever, elevated ESR, clear-cut anemia and thrombocytopenia. In the absence of hyperleukocytosis, blood and bone marrow eosinophils remained high (42.5, 21.5, 42.5% and 21.4, 7.1, 6.5%, respectively) due to "mature" forms. The number of blasts in the bone marrow was maximum 2.4%. CONCLUSION: The literature and the obtained data suggest closeness of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and Ph'-positive CML within myeloproliferative diseases.