Measurement of amide hydrogen exchange by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) was used to determine amide proton/deuteron (H/D) exchange rates. The method has broad application to the study of protein conformation and folding and to the study of protein-ligand interactions and requires no modifications of the instrument. Amide protons were allowed to exchange with deuterons in buffered D2O at room temperature, pD 7.25. Exchanged deuterons were "frozen" in the exchanged state by quenching at pH 2.5, 0 degree C and analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The matrix mixture consisted of 5 mg/mL alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, acetonitrile, ethanol, and 0.1% TFA. The matrix was adjusted to pH 2.5, and the chilled MALDI target was rapidly dried. Deuteration of amide protons on cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase was measured after short times of incubation in deuterium by pepsin protein digestion and MALDI-TOF MS analysis. The unseparated peptic digest was analyzed in a single spectrum of the mixture. From five spectra, H/D exchange rates were determined for some 40 peptides covering 65% of the protein sequence.     

Effects of processing conditions and aging on the fracture toughness of rigid PVC pipe materials

Results for given for the fracture toughness of rigid polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe materials over a range of test temperatures as a function of extrusion temperature. The fracture toughness is shown to be reduced as the extrusion temperature is reduced below standard conditions. The transition temperature for valid fracture toughness tests is increased by reducing the extrusion temperature. The results of a fractographic analysis are also presented, including quantitative data for the extent of drawn, fibrillated material at the crack tip. Although annealing above T_g reduces the fracture toughness relative to as-received pipes, no significant effect of controlled physical aging could be identified.     

Fatigue behaviour of synthetic fibres,yarns, and ropes

S-N fatigue and creep-rupture data have been obtained for nylon 6,6 single fibres, interlaced yarns, and small ropes under a variety of loading conditions. The results show a similar degradation rate at each level of structure, with no apparent influence of inter-fibre effects. Cyclic lifetimes of single fibres of nylon 6,6 as well as polyester and aramid can be predicted from a creep rupture model. Consistent with this model, the time to failure is insensitive to frequency over a broad range. For each level of structure the strain at failure is the same whether tested in simple tension or under cyclic or creep loading. Failure modes were generally similar in creep rupture and cyclic fatigue tests; no effect of a slack load on each cycle was evident either in the failure mode or specimen lifetime.     

Tritiated-naloxone binding to brainstem opioid receptors in the sudden infant death syndrome

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age that remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including a complete autopsy. We hypothesized that SIDS is associated with altered 3H - naloxone binding to opioid receptors in brainstem nuclei related to respiratory and autonomic control. We analyzed 3H - naloxone binding in 21 regions in SIDS and control brainstems using quantitative tissue receptor autoradiography. Three groups were analyzed: SIDS (n = 45); acute controls (n = 14); and a chronic group with oxygenation disorders (n = 15). Opioid binding was heavily concentrated in the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract, nucleus parabrachialis medialis, spinal trigeminal nucleus, inferior olive, and interpeduncular nucleus in all cases analyzed (n = 74). The arcuate nucleus on the ventral medullary surface contained negligible binding in all cases (n = 74), and therefore binding was not measurable at this site. We found no significant differences among the three groups in the age-adjusted mean 3H - naloxone binding in 21 brainstem sites analyzed. The only differences we have found to date between SIDS and acute controls are decreases in 3H - quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to muscarinic cholinergic receptors and in 3H - kainate binding to kainate receptors in the arcuate nucleus in alternate sections of this same data set. The present study suggests that there is not a defect in opioid receptor binding in cardiorespiratory nuclei in SIDS brainstems.     

Individualizing the treatment of gout

Rectal cancer affects 40,000 people annually in the United States. Traditionally, operative therapy has involved abdominoperineal resection. This procedure results in a permanent colostomy and carries a high incidence of impotence and urinary retention. Because of improvements in operative techniques, perioperative care, and adjuvant tumor therapy, less invasive local techniques of tumor resection have become excellent options.     

Etiology of corneal striae accompanying hydrogel lens wear

Vertical striae in the posterior cornea were produced experimentally in ten human subjects by depriving the anterior corneal surface of its normal oxygen supply and inducing corneal edema. These striae were similar in appearance and time of occurrence to those observed in gel lens wearers. Three subjects also wore gel lenses and developed vertical striae while wearing their lenses. These striae were eliminated by increasing the oxygen concentration at the anterior lens surface. The data confirm many clinical observations which have suggested that verical striae are caused by corneal edema accompanying gel lens wear.     

Family resemblance in attitudes to foods.

Although it seems likely that family experience should be a major factor in the acquisition of food preferences and attitudes to foods, prior research has not justified assignment of a significant portion of variance to family influences. The present study compared young adults with their parents and explored attitudes to food, especially sensitivity to cleanliness and contamination of foods, as well as food preferences. Questionnaires were answered by 17 Christian and 17 Jewish university students, their parents, and 41 11–36 yr old siblings. Results indicate small positive parent–child correlations for food preferences and considerably larger correlations in the area of disgust or contamination sensitivity. Children's preferences and attitudes were about equally related to those of their mother and father. Some small ethnic-group effects were found in contamination sensitivity; these were minor in comparison to the family effects. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)