Peroxidase activity at several stages in the growth and development of inbred strains of corn

A nitrofuran-containing medium, FTO agar, supported the growth of Micrococcus and prevented the growth of Staphylococcus. Its potential as a differential medium is considered worthy of clinical trial.     

Choledochal cyst: a review of 19 cases

Nineteen cases of choledochal cyst are reviewed. Two distinct groups of patients were identified. Patients under one year of age, initially diagnosed as having biliary atresia, had a higher mortality rate, a higher incidence of severe cirrhosis with portal hypertension, and associated atresia or stenosis in the biliary tree. The second group, presenting between 3 and 20 years of age with more classic symptoms, had mild cirrhosis without portal hypertension and had associated choledocholithiasis and pancreatitis. It is suggested that the younger patients had a congenital form of cystic bile duct dilatation and that the older patients had an acquired form, perhaps related to a common channel with reflux of pancreatic juice into the common bile duct. Postoperative follow-up supports the current view that choledochocyst-jejunostomy with choleystectomy has a lower rate of long-term complications than does choledochocyst-duodenostomy.     

Effect of mechanical activation on the reactivity of powder copper

Mechanical activation is found to enhance the reactivity of copper powder with acetic acid. The milling-induced increase in the thermal effect of the reaction between Cu and acetic acid is shown to be associated with the activation of the molecular oxygen involved in the reaction. The activation is due to the presence of lattice oxygen with increased bond energies.Translated from Neorganicheskie Materialy, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2005, pp. 151–161.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Poluboyarov, Lapin, Korotaeva, Prosvirin, Bukhtiyarov, Sirotkina, Kobotaeva.     

Lymphocytes' cytotoxicity towards cells of human lymphoblastoid lines in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus

A research study and discussion of antiinterferon immunoglobulin in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, and its possible value in the treatment of allergic diseases, autoimmune diseases and other diseases where it is presumed there may be an autoimmune genesis.     

Genetic and environmental contributions to the association between quantitative ultrasound and bone mineral density measurements: a twin study

This study was designed to assess the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the variation and covariation of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurements and their relationships to bone mineral density (BMD). Forty-nine monozygotic (MZ) and 44 dizygotic (DZ) female twins between 20 and 83 years of age (53 +/- 13 years, mean +/- SD) were studied. Digital (phalangeal) QUS (speed of sound [SOS]) and calcaneal QUS (broadband ultrasound attenuation [BUA] and velocity of sound [VOS]) were measured using a DBM Sonic 1200 ultrasound densitometer and a CUBA ultrasound densitometer, respectively. Femoral neck (FN), lumbar spine (LS), and total body (TB) BMD were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Familial resemblance and hence heritability (proportion of variance of a trait attributable to genetic factors) were assessed by analysis of variance, univariate, and multivariate model-fitting genetic analyses. In both QUS and BMD parameters, MZ twins were more alike than DZ pairs. Estimates of heritability for age- and weight-adjusted BUA, VOS, and SOS were 0.74, 0.55, and 0.82, respectively. Corresponding indices of heritability for LS, FN, and TB BMD were 0.79, 0.77, and 0.82, respectively. In cross-sectional analysis, both BUA and SOS, but not VOS, were independently associated with BMD measurements. However, analysis based on intrapair differences suggested that only BUA was related to BMD. Bivariate genetic analysis indicated that the genetic correlations between BUA and BMD ranged between 0.43 and 0.51 (p < 0.001), whereas the environmental correlations ranged between 0.20 and 0.28 (p < 0.01). While the genetic correlations within QUS and BMD measurements were significant, factor analysis indicates that common genes affect BMD at different sites. Also, individual QUS measurements appear to be influenced by some common sets of genes rather than by environmental factors. Significant environmental correlations were only found for BMD measurements and ranged between 0.50 and 0.65 (p < 0.001). These data suggest that QUS and BMD measurements are highly heritable traits. While it appears that there is a common set of genes influencing both QUS and BMD measurements, specific genes yet to be identified appear to have greater effects than that of shared genes in each trait.