Selection of tumor antigens as targets for immune attack using immunohistochemistry: II. Blood group-related antigens

The Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry includes 14,800 male twins born 1939-55 and in military service in 1964-75. A mailed health survey including the Jenkins Sleep Questionnaire was sent to 11,959 members and 8,870 (74.2%) provided responses on the frequency of sleep problems in the previous month. Prevalence of those experiencing conditions at least 1 day per month was 67.2% for waking often, 61.5% for waking tired/worn out, 48.1% for trouble falling asleep and 48.6% for awakening early. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to estimate sleep problems from demographic, behaviour and lifestyle characteristics, and morbid conditions. Black (vs. white) race, older age, church/religious group participation, social support, employment, cigarette smoking, light physical activity, and strenuous physical activity were associated with lower risk of one or more sleep problems. Eleven morbid conditions with a prevalence of 1% or more, coffee consumption, heavy alcohol consumption, and Framingham Type A behaviour pattern were associated with a higher risk of sleep problems. These analyses suggest that sleep problems may be one of the mechanisms relating reduced quality of life to many physical and behavioural characteristics. Fortunately, a number of the risk factors associated with sleep problems are lifestyle characteristics which, if modified, may reduce sleep problems.     

Attenuation of a human rotavirus vaccine candidate did not correlate with mutations in the NSP4 protein gene

The NSP4 protein of a simian rotavirus was reported to induce diarrhea following inoculation of mice. If NSP4 is responsible for rotavirus diarrhea in humans, attenuation of a human rotavirus may be reflected in concomitant mutations in the NSP4 gene. After 33 passages in cultured monkey kidney cells, a virulent human rotavirus (strain 89-12) was found to be attenuated in adults, children, and infants. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the NSP4 protein gene revealed only one base pair change between the virulent (unpassaged) and attenuated 89-12 viruses, which resulted from a substitution of alanine for threonine at amino acid 45 of the encoded NSP4 protein. Because both threonine and alanine have been found at position 45 of NSP4 in symptomatic and asymptomatic human rotaviruses, neither amino acid in this position could be established as a marker of virulence. Therefore, attenuation of rotavirus strain 89-12 appears to be unrelated to mutations in the NSP4 gene.     

Complex evaluation of toxicity due to anthropogenic environmental pollution in ecologic ranking of the territory

As multi-hospital systems develop, the demand to compare performance across sites has become an organizational imperative. This article describes the process a six-hospital system used to create clinically reliable and valid quality assessment indicators.     

Families and children's chronic conditions: knowledge development and methodological considerations

The complexity of studying families has been a deterrent in the development of knowledge about families as the unit of care. When chronicity in childhood is combined with family study, research and theory development is particularly challenging. Although publication in the field of chronic illness in childhood has been quite prolific, there are few comprehensive, recognizably organized ways to think about providing care for the family as a whole. This is profoundly important as increasing responsibility of day-to-day care for children with long-term health conditions shifts to the family and to community-based care. This paper presents a synthesis of what is known about families in health care when one member is a child with a long-term health concern, identifies gaps in knowledge that potentially compromise optimal health care delivery, and suggests methods for expanding and deepening our understanding so that we might improve the quality of our efforts to assist families that live with a child with a chronic condition.     

Genetic engineering of human insulin. IV. Development and optimization of an analysis system using reversed phase high pressure liquid chromatography

The effectiveness of the RP HPLC application for the step-by-step analysis of the recombinant insulin production was studied. Properties of a number of commercial and experimental columns in different chromatographic conditions were considered. A three-dimension optimization of selectivity and resolution versus pH and ion strength was carried out. A mechanism of the resolution and selectivity control is suggested.     

Measuring the polarization characteristics of birefringent optical fibers using an interference technique

A simple method based on the interference of coherently excited modes is proposed for measuring the orientations of birefringence axes and determining the level of polarized mode excitation in single-mode birefringent fibers. The exact determination of these characteristics is achieved by introducing the dimensionless coefficients of modulation and transmission dependent on the analyzer rotation angle. The proposed technique, in contrast to the conventional methods, does not require the use of special excitation conditions at the fiber entrance.