The usefulness of three biallelic restriction fragment length polymorphisms versus a polymorphic dinucleotide tandem repeat polymorphism at the low-density-lipoprotein receptor gene locus for diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia

The DNA adduct 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) has been widely used as a biomarker for oxidative stress. Bulky DNA adducts, which are detectable by the 32P-postlabelling method, provide evidence for exposure to and metabolic activation of large, mainly apolar compounds, e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We determined both types of adducts in placental tissues of 30 term pregnancies and related the adduct levels to the exposure to tobacco smoke and the plasma antioxidant status. Urine and plasma continine concentrations were used to select 10 nonsmokers, 9 nonsmokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and 11 smoking women. Placental levels of 8-OHdG were 0.84 +/- 0.11, 0.90 +/- 0.21 and 0.83 +/- 0.20/10(5) deoxyguanosine bases (dG) for nonsmokers, nonsmokers exposed to ETS and smokers, respectively. The differences between the groups were not significant. Smoking women had significantly lower plasma vitamin C and beta-carotene concentrations than nonsmoking women or nonsmoking women exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. The 8-OHdG adduct level in placental DNA was inversely correlated with the plasma vitamin E concentration (r = -0.47, P < 0.05). There was no association between placental 8-OHdG adducts and vitamin A, C and beta-carotene in plasma. In total, 15 different adducts could be identified in the 30 placenta samples by the 32P-postlabelling method. There was a strong inter-individual variation in both the number of adducts and adduct intensities. No smoking-related or vitamin-related effects on adduct patterns or intensities were found. Our findings suggests that, within the limits of the methods used, tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy does not lead to a measurable increase in placental DNA adduct levels and that vitamin E appears to have a protective effect on placental 8-OHdG formation.     

Modern breaking of Enigma ciphertexts

“Breaking German Army Ciphers” is the title of a Cryptologia article from 2005, describing the lucky survival of several hundred authentic Enigma messages of World War II, and an account of a ciphertext-only cryptanalysis of a large number of these messages, leaving only a few (mostly short messages) unbroken. After reviewing the work done, and investigating the reasons for both lucky breaks and close misses, the modern ciphertext-only attack on Enigma messages is improved, especially on genuine ones with short lengths and/or many garbles. The difficulties of a proper measure for the candidate’s closeness to a plaintext are clarified. The influence on the decryption process of an empty plugboard and one with only a few correct plugs is examined. The method is extended by a partial exhaustion of the plugboard combined with an optimized hillclimbing strategy. The newly designed software succeeds in breaking formerly unbroken messages.     

Study of the influence of some organics as thiourea derivatives and butindiol in steel pickling baths

The corrosion inhibition effect of the following organic additives: 2‐butin‐1,4‐diol (BD), N,N′‐dimethylthiourea (DMTU), N,N′‐diethylthiourea (DETU) and N,N′‐diisopropylthiourea (DITU), in steel pickling baths (sulphuric acid solutions) was studied by means of weight loss and electrochemical measurements like open circuit potential (OCP), polarization curves and impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A significant decrease in the corrosion rate was observed in presence of the investigated compounds depending on the nature and the concentration of the additives. The weight loss experiments show an inhibitory efficiency that reaches values beyond 98 %. The protective effect increases with the enlargement of the lateral chain size in the case of the thioureas. The electrochemical experiments show also a protective effect of the organic additives against corrosion. Their adsorptive behaviour is found to follow the Langmuir model.     

p53 gene mutations and HPV infection in primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas do not correlate with overall survival: a long-term follow-up study

We analyzed specimens of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) from 110 patients for p53 gene mutations, and 92 of them for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, in order to evaluate the prognostic significance of these factors by comparison with clinical follow-up data. Mutations within the exons 5 to 8 of the p53 gene were found in 48 tumors (44%). Sequencing revealed in most cases mis-sense mutations (16/21). Frequency of p53 gene mutations was not related to the tumor stage or the presence of lymph node metastases. Of the 46 tumors that were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, 26 stained positively (56%). The number of positively stained nuclei increased slightly with decreasing differentiation of the tumors, whereas no correlation was found between tumor stage and immunoreactivity. An infection with the high-risk HPV types 16 and 18 could be detected in 39/92 tumor specimens (42%). Follow-up data were obtained from 99 patients within a range of 2 to 112 months. No dependence of overall survival on the presence of p53 gene mutations or HPV infection could be observed. The absence of statistically significant correlations between p53 gene mutation and progressive disease, however, does not deny its putative relevance in early phases of tumor development.     

Influence of sex and gonadal hormones on lipid metabolism in essential fatty acid-deficient rats

Previous work has shown differences between male and female rats in their ability a) to mobilize linoleic acid from adipose tissue when the supply is limited; b) to maintain higher levels of circulating and liver arachidonic acid when dietary linoleic acid is limited; c) to prevent accumulation of cholesteryl ester (CE) in the liver; and d) to increase the proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in their plasma lecithins. Recent studies are reviewed which show that a) essential fatty acid (EFA)-deficient rats exhibit the same kinds of sex differences as do rats on complete diets; b) these differences are mediated or at least influenced by estrogen; c) some of the differences may be attributed to differences in body size which result in less need for PUFA in structural phospholipid (PL); d) the rate of conversion of linoleic to arachidonic acid may differ under certain experimental conditions; and e) female rats have higher proportions of stearic and arachidonic acids in their liver lecithins than do males, which may relate to their higher rate of lecithin synthesis via methylation of phosphatidyl-ethanolamine. Presented at the symposium on essential fatty acids in honor of George O. Burr, AOCS Meeting, Loss Angeles, April 1968.     

Effect of dietary cholesterol on bile-acid composition of gall bladder bile from guinea pigs

The composition of gall bladder bile acids from control and cholesterol-fed, anemic guinea pigs was analyzed by thinlayer-chromatographic and colorimetric techniques. In both control and cholesterol-fed animals, the gall bladder bile acids constituted about one third of the total bile solids. The main component of the bile acids of both groups of animals was chenodexycholic acid, which was predominantly conjugated with glycine. No cholic acid was present although this is the main bile acid in most mammals. The major difference in bile composition between control and cholesterol-fed animals was the conjugation pattern of chenodeoxycholic acid. The ratio of glycochenodeoxycholic to taurochenode-oxycholic acid was high, 6.4, for control animals, and decreased to 2.4 for the cholesterol-fed, anemic animals. Impaired liver function, limited availability of glycine, and greater efficiency of taurocholanic acids for the disposal of excess cholesterol may be involved in the mechanism for this phenomenon. Material in this paper has been submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutition in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley. A portion of this material was presented at the 7th International Congress of Biochemistry in Tokyo, Japan, August, 1967.     

Spatio-visual experience of movement through the Yuyuan Garden: A computational analysis based on isovists and visibility graphs

A traditional Chinese private garden (TCPG) is a historically important spatial type of garden that is well-known for its rich experiential properties. Although several theories have been used to explain the creation of these experiential properties, little evidence exists for any of the current explanations because TCPGs are complex environments and their visual properties change as a person moves through them. This study uses computational analysis—isovists, isovist fields, and visibility graphs—to measure the spatio-visual character of movement along a path through a well-known TCPG, namely, the 16th century Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai. The measures derived from this process are used to evaluate four theories on the spatial experience of the TCPG.     

Developing strategic planning schemes for urban regeneration through mixed-use development in Seoul

Whilst the generic visions and directions of urban regeneration in cites are well documented, far less is understood about the strategic approaches to this issue which are being used in specific urban contexts. This paper investigates strategic planning schemes (SPSs) and visions for mixed-use development to support urban regeneration in Seoul (South Korea), using a combination of a literature review and a survey. The results contribute to understanding the construction of SPSs for future urban development as well as to improving strategic planning for urban regeneration on a wider scale.