Sparganosis in the United States. Report of a case

A 20-year-old Philadelphia woman (recently moved from South Carolina) had sparganosis of her lower anterior abdominal wall. In the United States sparganosis occurs when man enters the life cycle of dog or cat tapeworms of the genus Spirometra. Most of the American cases have been reported from the southeastern United States, and the most probable source of infection is contaminated drinking water. Sporadic cases have also been seen in other parts of the country. If the pathologist is familiar with the morphology of spargana, the gross and histologic features are sufficient for identification of genus Spirometra.     

Relationships of serum insulin-like growth factor I concentrations to growth, composition, and reproductive traits of swine

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a peptide hormone that has been shown to be involved in metabolic regulation of growth and reproduction in livestock species. The objectives of this study were to quantify concentrations of IGF-I in growing pigs and determine whether IGF-I concentration can be used as a predictor of growth, composition, and reproductive traits. Forty male and 60 female pigs, divided equally between two locations, were weighed and bled at 3-wk intervals from 6 to 21 wk of age. At each sampling, two blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture at an interval of at least 1 h. Serum was separated and IGF-I concentration determined via RIA. Pigs were weighed at each sampling date. Backfat and longissimus muscle area were measured with the use of B-mode ultrasound and adjusted to 100 kg. Age at puberty and first-parity litter size were measured on gilts. Effects of age, sex, location, and pig within sex x location on log-transformed IGF-I concentrations were determined by analyzing data as a split-plot. Performance traits were fitted to a model including the effects of IGF-I concentration, sex, location, and interactions. The IGF-I concentrations increased (P < .05) from 3 to 18 wk of age before dropping at 21 wk of age. Concentrations increased more rapidly in males than in females and differed significantly between sexes from 12 to 21 wk of age. Repeatability of IGF-I concentration was .29 +/- .02; IGF-I concentrations of samples collected at 6 wk were not correlated with those at later ages. Correlations between IGF-I concentrations of samples at later ages ranged from .27 to .51. Heritability of IGF-I concentration was .27 +/- .07. There was a tendency for weight to be affected by a sex x age interaction (P = .09). Weight of boars exceeded weight of gilts only at 21 wk (111.4 +/- 1.1 vs 107.1 +/- .8 kg). Regressions of weight on IGF-I concentrations were positive at all ages but greatest at 6 wk. The IGF-I concentration did not affect backfat thickness, longissimus area, percentage of lean, age at puberty, or litter size.     

Low-temperature pyrolysis of Texas lignite,basic extracts and some related model compounds

Low-temperature (400 °C) pyrolysis of Texas lignite produced volatile products typical of coal tars, with tar evolution beginning at about 300 °C. n-Alkanes up to about C₃₀ were observed among the products and these were accompanied by smaller but significant amounts of 1 -alkenes. Similar pyrolyses were performed on pyridine extracts and sodium hydroxide extracts of lignite. The alkanes and alkenes were seen among the pyrolysis products from the pyridine extracts and from the residual lignite from both types of extractions, but they were not seen among the pyrolysis products from the sodium hydroxide extracts. Pyrolyses of some model compounds suggested that dealkylation of alkyl-substituted arenes can be significant at 400 °C and can account for the production of the alkanes and alkenes from the lignite.     

Regulation of NMDA receptor phosphorylation by alternative splicing of the C-terminal domain

The NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) receptors in the brain play a critical role in synaptic plasticity, synaptogenesis and excitotoxicity. Molecular cloning has demonstrated that NMDA receptors consist of several homologous subunits (NMDAR1, 2A-2D). A variety of studies have suggested that protein phosphorylation of NMDA receptors may regulate their function and play a role in many forms of synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation. We have examined the phosphorylation of the NMDA receptor subunit NMDAR1 (NR1) by protein kinase C (PKC) in cells transiently expressing recombinant NR1 and in primary cultures of cortical neurons. PKC phosphorylation occurs on several distinct sites on the NR1 subunit. Most of these sites are contained within a single alternatively spliced exon in the C-terminal domain, which has previously been proposed to be on the extracellular side of the membrane. These results demonstrate that alternative splicing of the NR1 messenger RNA regulates its phosphorylation by PKC, and that mRNA splicing is a novel mechanism for regulating the sensitivity of glutamate receptors to protein phosphorylation. These results also provide evidence that the C-terminal domain of the NR1 protein is located intracellularly, suggesting that the proposed transmembrane topology model for glutamate receptors may be incorrect.     

Gender and haplotype effects upon hematological manifestations of adult sickle cell anemia

We evaluated the rates of short-term neonatal complications, neonatal brain damage or mortality in a group of 96 singleton pregnancies complicated by hypertension and electively delivered before 36 weeks gestation. The neonatal outcome of these pregnancies was compared with that of a matched control group of 192 uneventful pregnancies delivered because of spontaneous preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes. Although the rates of acidosis, apneoic crises, bradycardia and ventilatory support were higher among cases than controls, the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage, severe brain damage (grade III-IV intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leucomalacia) or neonatal mortality were comparable between the two groups. Neonatal complications were more frequent among infants born to mothers with severe hypertension or severe proteinuria. In conclusion, this study has shown that short term neonatal complications after elective preterm delivery in hypertensive pregnancies are increased in comparison with low risk controls. However, these complications, which were well managed in our intensive care nursery, did not affected neonatal mortality or severe brain damage.