Pseudoexfoliation syndrome and secondary cataract

AIM/BACKGROUND: The pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome is frequently associated with impairment of the blood-aqueous barrier. This study analysed if this might stimulate secondary cataract following cataract extraction. METHODS: This historical cohort study included 197 eyes of 197 patients (99 with and 98 without PEX) that underwent extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber lens implantation (PMMA optic) between 1985 and 1991. Secondary cataract was defined as opacification of the axial posterior capsule and decrease of visual acuity by two or more lines. Mean follow up was 23.8 months. For statistical analysis, the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used. RESULTS: Secondary cataract was observed within 24 months in 35% (SD 7%) of all eyes, and was significantly more frequent in eyes with PEX (45 (11)%) than in eyes without PEX (24 (9)%, p < 0.03). Eyes with diabetes mellitus (n = 32) showed a significantly lower frequency of secondary cataract (11 (11)%) than eyes without diabetes mellitus (39 (8)%, p < 0.01). The influences of sex, open angle glaucoma, type of cataract, surgeon, positioning of IOL, and phacoemulsification versus nuclear expression on secondary cataract did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The higher frequency of secondary cataract could be considered as another potential complication of cataract surgery in eyes with PEX.     

Mechanomyography and oxygen consumption during incremental cycle ergometry

Brucella abortus strain RB51 was recently approved as an official brucellosis calfhood vaccine for cattle by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service branch of the United States Department of Agriculture. Currently available serologic surveillance tests for B. abortus do not detect seroconversion following SRB51 vaccination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a dot-blot assay using gamma-irradiated strain RB51 bacteria for its specificity and sensitivity to detect antibody responses of cattle vaccinated with strain RB51. Dot-blot titers of sera at a recommended dosage (10(10) colony-forming units) were similar to those of sera from cattle vaccinated with similar numbers of B. abortus strain 19 and greater (P < 0.05) than titers of nonvaccinated cattle. In the first 12 weeks after vaccination with 10(10) colony-forming units of strain RB51, the RB51 dot-blot assay had 100% specificity for titers of 80 or less and a 53% sensitivity for titers of 160 or greater. Sensitivity of the RB51 dot-blot assay peaked at 4 weeks after vaccination with 10(10) colony-forming units of strain RB51. Dot-blot responses of sera from cattle vaccinated with a reduced dosage of strain RB51 (10(9) colony-forming units) did not differ (P > 0.05) from titers of sera from nonvaccinated cattle. Following intraconjunctival challenge with B. abortus strain 2308, titers on the RB51 dot-blot assay did not differ (P > 0.05) between nonvaccinated cattle and cattle vaccinated at calfhood with strain 19 or strain RB51.     

Middle cerebral artery main stem thrombosis in two siblings with familial thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Idiopathic thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is frequently complicated by microinfarcts in cerebral cortex and subcortical white matter. We describe two sisters who suffered massive hemispheric infarction due to thrombosis of the middle cerebral artery main stem during exacerbations of TTP. Acute TTP may be associated with intraluminal thrombosis of large-diameter arteries in addition to arterioles and capillaries.     

An antigenic polysaccharide from Campylobacter coli serotype O:30. Structure of a teichoic acid-like antigenic polysaccharide associated with the lipopolysaccharide

A water-soluble antigenic polysaccharide of high M(r) associated with the lipopolysaccharide has been isolated from phenol-water extraction of cells of Campylobacter coli serotype O:30. The polysaccharide and oligosaccharide degradation products formed on O-dephosphorylation and by periodate oxidation followed by reduction have been investigated by one- and two-dimensional 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR. It is concluded that the antigenic polysaccharide has a teichoic acid-like structure with a poly-Ribitol phosphate, [5-Ribitol-1-P]n, backbone with side chains at O-2 of O-(6-deoxy-beta-D-talo-heptopyranosyl)-(1-->4)-(2-acetylamino-2-deoxy-beta-D- glucopyranosyl) units. The structure is unusual in Gram-negative bacteria and is unique in possessing 6-deoxy-D-talo-heptose as a constituent sugar. Evidence for the relationship of the antigenic polysaccharide to the lipopolysaccharide of low M(r) is discussed.     

Comparative Rheomechanical and Adhesive Properties of Two Hydrocolloid Dressings: Dependence on the Degree of Hydration

Hydration is believed to modify the mechanical properties (resistance to stress) and the rheological (viscoelastic) properties of hydrocolloid dressings. Rheomechanical properties in turn influence adhesional properties. In this work the relationships between the degree of hydration and the rheomechanical and the adhesive properties of two different commercial dressings (regular and nondispersive) were investigated. The two dressings showed different hydration characteristics. The regular dressing takes up water rapidly and tends to reach saturation after 12 hr. As the dressing swells and loses its integrity there is an accompanying reduction of both rheomechanical and adhesive properties. The nondispersive dressing exhibits a linear water uptake profile over extended periods of hydration up to 4 days. It does not swell and its rheomechanical and adhesive properties remain unchanged after hydration, The comparative evaluation of the results obtained with the various methods points to the relevance of mechanical and viscoelastic properties to the functionality assessment of dressings.     

High bit rate digital subscriber line echo cancellation

The authors explore the issues of complexity, precision, and dynamic range and practical implementation issues such as nonlinearities in high bit rate digital subscriber line (HDSL) echo cancelers. The approach taken is to study these issues analytically using computer simulations, and then to verify simulation results with laboratory prototyping. One of the objectives was to determine whether HDSL echo cancellation will be practical and cost effective within the next several years, consistent with the desire to develop and deploy a repeaterless T1 capability by 1993. Thus, attention is given to practical design issues     

Further studies on the influence of genotype and dietary protein on the performance of broilers

An experiment was conducted to quantify genetic differences in response to dietary protein level of male vs female broilers. Broilers (1 d old) from a "high-yield" strain cross (Ross x Ross 208) and a "fast-growing" strain cross (Peterson x Arbor Acres) were placed on fresh pine shavings in floor pens. From Day 0 to 18, all birds were fed a 23% CP starter diet. During Days 18 to 53 male birds were fed either a 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, or 26% CP diet (3,200 kcal ME/kg) and female birds were fed the 16, 20, or 24% CP diet. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were noted in the performance of the different strains. Ross x Ross 208 male birds had a higher body weight (3.37 vs 3.16 kg), higher feed intake (7.08 vs 6.78 kg), higher breast yield (31.76 vs 29.25%), higher carcass yield (73.90 vs 71.85%), and a lower adjusted feed conversion ratio (FCR; 2.10 vs 2.16 g:g) than Peterson x Arbor Acres males at 53 d of age. As compared to Peterson x Arbor Acres females, Ross x Ross 208 female broilers also had a higher body weight (2.68 vs 2.55 kg), higher breast meat yield (33.61 vs 30.80%), higher carcass yield (75.31 vs 73.91%), and lower adjusted FCR (1.97 vs 2.04 g:g). Qualitative differences in the response of these strains were confirmed and better qualitative data is presented that can be used to predict the important output parameters from the import inputs in broiler production.     

Auditory system plasticity in children after long periods of complete deafness

Separation and identification of proteins by two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis can be used for protein-based gene expression analysis. In this report single protein spots, from polyvinylidene difluoride blots of micropreparative E. coli 2-D gels, were rapidly and economically identified by matching their amino acid composition, estimated pI and molecular weight against all E. coli entries in the SWISS-PROT database. Thirty proteins from an E. coli 2-D map were analyzed and identities assigned. Three of the proteins were unknown. By protein sequencing analysis, 20 of the 27 proteins were correctly identified. Importantly, correct identifications showed unambiguous "correct" score patterns. While incorrect protein identifications also showed distinctive score patterns, indicating that protein must be identified by other means. These techniques allow large-scale screening of the protein complement of simple organisms, or tissues in normal and disease states. The computer program described here is accessible via the World Wide Web at URL address (http:@expasy.hcuge.ch/).     

What's the latest? Cultural age deadlines for family transitions

Several questions about the degree to which cultural schedules exist for the timing of life transitions, as well as the nature of these schedules, remain unexplored. In this article, we examine age timetables for central family transitions. Do individuals perceive age deadlines for these transitions, and by what ages do they think that men or women should have experienced them? How much consensus exists about these deadlines? Why are they considered important, and what consequences are perceived for men or women who miss them? A key theoretical question with which we are concerned is whether contemporary thinking about these deadlines can be considered "normative." A random sample of 319 adults from the Chicago metropolitan area were interviewed about eleven separate life-course transitions, six of which were from the family sphere. By and large, the majority of respondents perceived deadlines for most of the family transitions discussed. While the deadlines cited were quite variable in range, they were also concentrated within a narrow band of ages. The dimensions underlying individuals' thinking about deadlines were centered primarily on the development of self and personality, or were linked to concerns about the sequencing of roles and experiences over lifetime. However, late timing was generally thought to be acceptable, accompanied by little social tension, and without consequences for the individual's life or the lives of other persons to whom one is intimately connected. While a rough, "normal biography" of family life existed in the minds of our respondents, the deadlines attached to that biography were flexible guidelines for the course of family life, not rigid, normative principles. These findings are discussed in light of recent debates about life-course theory and research.     

Radial distribution functions of non-crystalline polymers and their application to the structural analysis of PMMA

The use of Radial Distribution Functions (RDFs) in the determination of the structure of non-crystalline polymers is briefly reviewed. Particular aspects of the procedure for preparing RDFs from X-ray scattering are discussed in detail; namely the employment of an energy dispersive detector to remove the Compton component of the scattered X-rays and the application of the method of sampled transforms. A RDF is presented for atactic polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and its precision and reliability are discussed. It is analysed by comparison with RDFs calculated from computer-generated atom co-ordinates for isolated lengths of PMMA chains in different conformations. Methods are introduced by which the calculated RDFs are smeared to account for random disorder in the real chain and normalized so that, despite the finite range of the model, they can be immediately compared with the difference RDF which is directly obtained by transforming the data. Comparison between experimental and calculated RDFs shows that reasonable agreement is only obtained for a very limited range of conformations corresponding to sequences of backbone bond rotation angles of (10, 10, –10, –10) and the bond angles alternately 110 and 128. The form of the RDF appears very sensitive to important aspects of the molecular structure. The results both confirm and refine an earlier proposal from this laboratory which was based on comparisons between experimental and calculated functions in reciprocal space.