Nondeterministic dependencies in relations: An extention of the concept of functional dependency

In the present article, some special semantic integrity constraints—so called nondeterministic dependencies—are proposed. These dependencies can be regarded as stochastic extensions of functional dependencies. After some basic definitions, the concept of nondeterministic dependency is introduced. Examples are given and an implementation for a statistical analysis system is described. Some properties are discussed.     

Treatment with human growth hormone in patients with Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome reduces body fat and increases muscle mass and physical performance

Using a monoclonal antibody based ELISA, 600 pAN7-1 plasmid-tagged mutants of Penicillium paxilli were screened for paxilline accumulation and one paxilline-negative mutant, YI-20, was identified. A molecular analysis of this mutant showed that pAN7-1 was inserted at a single site but was present as 4-6 copies arranged in a head-to-tail tandem array. Rescue of flanking sequences and analysis of the corresponding genomic region revealed that YI-20 has an extensive deletion at the site of pAN7-1 integration. Probing of a CHEF gel with the same sequences showed that associated with the deletion is a rearrangement of chromosome Va. Targeted gene disruption of wild-type sequences adjacent to the site where pAN7-1 inserted, resulted in the generation of two additional paxilline-negative mutants; both were single crossovers with deletions extending outside the region mapped. Neither of these new mutants had a rearrangement of chromosome Va, suggesting that deletion of genes on this chromosome is responsible for the paxilline-negative phenotype. Telomeric fingerprinting of genomic digests of P. paxilli, combined with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of chromosomal DNA, established that there are a minimum of eight chromosomes in this fungus.     

Atraumatic shoulder instability. Discussion of classification and results after capsular imbrication

AIMS/BACKGROUND: We studied the fate of hepatocytes in the rat liver after D-galactosamine injury by genetic labeling using recombinant retroviruses carrying the Escherichia coli lacZ gene coupled to a nuclear localization signal. METHODS: Hepatocytes were either labeled by direct injection of 2.5 ml high-titer retrovirus-containing medium in the regenerating liver parenchyma after administration of a single dose of D-galactosamine. Alternatively hepatocytes were pre-labeled, 24 h after a two-thirds hepatectomy, by injecting the same volume of retroviral solution in the portal vein and D-galactosamine was administered 15 days later. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and beta-galactosidase activities were assessed on cryostat sections, along with localization of the hepatocyte-specific HES6 antigen. RESULTS: Morphological observations, as well as beta-galactosidase activity detection, showed that hepatocytes actively divide as early as 1 day after D-galactosamine injection. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity was detected in biliary cells, but also in mature hepatocytes, pre-labeled with beta-galactosidase before D-galactosamine administration. CONCLUSIONS: These experiments demonstrate that hepatocytes can divide to restore the liver mass after D-galactosamine liver injury. Furthermore, we also show that gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, which has been reported to be expressed only by fetal or preneoplastic hepatocytes, can be re-expressed by mature hepatocytes during the recovery process.     

Effects of extracellular cadmium on renal basolateral organic anion transport

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor trandolapril, a non-sulfhydryl prodrug which is hydrolysed into trandolaprilat, was studied in 322 hypertensives of African-American descent using a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel study design. Following 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with placebo or 0.25 to 16 mg/day trandolapril, an analysis of drug effect on trough blood pressure (BP) stratified by age, gender, weight, pre-treatment plasma renin activity, and trandolaprilat concentration was performed. Two mg was the lowest effective trandolapril dose, whereas doses above 4 mg did not significantly reduce trough BP. Reduction in BP did not correlate with trough plasma trandolaprilat concentration. Pre-treatment plasma renin activity was not a reliable indicator of anti-hypertensive response, as similar reductions in BP occurred even in patients with the lowest renin levels. There were no observable differences based on age, gender or measurements of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. In conclusion, neither age, gender or plasma renin activity influenced anti-hypertensive response to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in African-Americans.     

Lesion location influences perception of homonymous scotomata during flickering random dot pattern stimulation

An attempt was made to clarify whether the site of postchiasmal lesions affects subjective perception of homonymous visual field defects during stimulation with flickering random dot patterns (white noise-field). Out of 56 patients with homonymous hemianopia, 38 (68%) perceived scotomata in this situation, but 18 (32%) discerned none at all. Neuroradiologic superposition of cerebral lesions detected by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that nearly all patients who perceived their scotomata had lesions involving the primary visual cortex or the perigeniculate region, whereas those who received no scotoma had lesions centered within the optic radiation. Functional MRI of six normal subjects during stimulation with flickering random dot patterns indicated predominant activation of the primary visual cortex. Since noise-field defects were most frequently perceived by patients whose lesion involved the primary visual cortex, it appears that the sensitivity of noise-field campimetry depends on the site of damage in the visual pathway. The explanation for this may be that damage to long-range horizontal connections impairs filling-in processes.     

Founder BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Ashkenazi Jews in Israel: frequency and differential penetrance in ovarian cancer and in breast-ovarian cancer families

Germ-line BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations account for most of familial breast-ovarian cancer. In Ashkenazi Jews, there is a high population frequency (approximately 2%) of three founder mutations: BRCA1 185delAG, BRCA1 5382insC, and BRCA2 6174delT. This study examined the frequency of these mutations in a series of Ashkenazi women with ovarian cancer unselected for family history, compared with the frequency of these mutations in families ascertained on the basis of family history of at least two affected women. Penetrance was compared, both according to the method of family ascertainment (i.e., on the basis of an unselected ovarian cancer proband vs. on the basis of family history) and for the BRCA1 founder mutations compared with the BRCA2 6174delT mutation. There was a high frequency (10/22; [45%]) of germ-line mutations in Ashkenazi women with ovarian cancer, even in those with minimal or no family history (7/18 [39%]). In high-risk Ashkenazi families, a founder mutation was found in 59% (25/42). Families with any case of ovarian cancer were significantly more likely to segregate a founder mutation than were families with site-specific breast cancer. Penetrance was higher in families ascertained on the basis of family history than in families ascertained on the basis of an unselected proband, but this difference was not significant. Penetrance of BRCA1 185delAG and BRCA1 5382insC was significantly higher than penetrance of BRCA2 6174delT (hazard ratio 2.1 [95% CI 1.2-3.8]; two-tailed P = .01). Thus, the high rate of germ-line BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations in Ashkenazi women and families with ovarian cancer is coupled with penetrance that is lower than previously estimated. This has been shown specifically for the BRCA2 6174delT mutation, but, because of ascertainment bias, it also may be true for BRCA1 mutations.     

27-GHz bandwidth high-speed monolithic integrated optoelectronicphotoreceiver consisting of a waveguide fed photodiode and anInAlAs/InGaAs-HFET traveling wave amplifier

A monolithic integrated photoreceiver for 1.55-μm wavelength has been designed for operation in a 20-Gb/s synchronous digital hierarchy system (SDH/SONET), based on a new integration concept. The optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC) receiver combines a waveguide-integrated PIN-photodiode and a traveling wave amplifier in coplanar waveguide layout with four InAlAs/InGaAs/InP-HFETs (0.7-μm gate length). The receiver demonstrates a bandwidth of 27 GHz with a low frequency transimpedance of 40 dBΩ. This is, to our knowledge, the highest bandwidth ever reported for a monolithic integrated photoreceiver on InP. Furthermore, a receiver sensitivity of -12 dBm in the fiber (20 Gb/s, BER=10^-9) and an overall optical input dynamic range of 27 dB is achieved. Optical time domain multiplex (TDM) system experiments of the receiver packaged in a module show an excellently shaped eye pattern for 20 Gb/s and an overall sensitivity of -30.5 dBm (BER=10^-9) [including erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA)]