Search

Two models were used to assess the effects of coastal characteristics on radar propagation in ducting conditions in the Persian Gulf. The NCAR/Penn State MM5 model simulated atmospheric conditions at a 5‐km horizontal spatial and hourly temporal resolution on a day on which observations of ducts existed. The output from this model was input to the AREPS propagation model to produce radar coverage over coastal areas. Four factors influenced radar propagation: the sea breeze; coastal configuration; orography; and ambient wind. The sea breeze alone allowed propagation to extend about 100 km inland in a layer 200 m deep. When the breeze was aided by a following ambient wind the propagation layer extended for 150 km and was 400 m deep. A coastal indentation caused differences in depth and intensity of propagation over a distance of about 30 km parallel to the coast in which the indentation occurred. Steep near‐coastal orography blocked radar propagation. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society.

High-affinity glycine transport in neurons and glial cells is a primary means of inactivating synaptic glycine. We have synthesized a potent selective inhibitor of glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1), and characterized its activity using a quail fibroblast cell line (QT6). The glycine transporters GlyT1A, GlyT1B, GlyT1C, and GlyT2 were stably expressed in QT6 cells. The transporters expressed in these cells exhibited appropriate characteristics as described previously for these genes: Na(+)/Cl(-) dependence, appropriate K(m) values for glycine uptake, and appropriate pharmacology, as defined in part by the ability of N-methyl glycine (sarcosine) to competitively inhibit glycine transport. Furthermore, the characteristics of the transporters in the cell lines recapitulate the characteristics of glycine transporters observed in tissue preparations. We developed a sarcosine derivative, (R)-(N-[3-(4'-fluorophenyl)-3-(4'-phenylphenoxy)propyl])sarcosine (ALX 5407), and examined its activity against the cloned glycine transporters. ALX 5407 completely inhibited glycine transport in the GlyT1 cells, with an IC(50) value of 3 nM, but had little or no activity at the human GlyT2 transporter, at other binding sites for glycine, or at other neurotransmitter transporters. The inhibition of glycine transport was essentially irreversible. ALX 5407 represents a novel tool in the investigation of N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor function. This class of drug may lead to novel therapies in the treatment of schizophrenia.

The polar regions play an important role in the climate system but energy exchanges between the atmosphere and surface in polar sea ice regions are not well understood, particularly in the observation‐sparse Southern Ocean. A high resolution mesoscale numerical model of the planetary boundary layer was used to simulate mean winter atmospheric conditions over open water (widths of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 km) surrounded by sea ice in the Southern Ocean, rather than the colder Arctic environment which is the focus of most past work. Previous work has concentrated on surface turbulent fluxes. Here we present data on momentum, heat, and moisture fluxes up to 800 m. Shear and increase in buoyancy above the polynya generated a turbulent plume that caused downward mixing of high momentum air. The consequent acceleration of the surface wind and horizontal divergence contributed to descent, despite thermal buoyancy, while downwind of the polynya, there was a region of convergence and ascent. Surface drag on the atmosphere over the water increased due to the accelerated wind and increased drag coefficient. The surface heat flux increased for distances up to 20 km over open water owing to the increase in the heat transfer coefficient and wind speed. Beyond the point where the wind speed reached a maximum, the decrease in surface‐air temperature difference, which decreased with distance from the upwind ice edge, became the dominant influence on heat flux. Transfer of heat from air to the ice downwind of a polynya increased with polynya width despite an increase in thermal stability of the lower atmosphere.

A screening method is described to select monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) that bind to ocular melanoma-associated antigens (MAAs) retained in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Small sections of epithelioid or spindle-cell-type uveal melanomas were cut into 2 mm cubes and reembedded in one block. Microslides were cut from this block and used to screen hybridoma supernatant fluid. Using this screening method, three MAbs were selected from two separate fusions of mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells of mice immunized previously with either ocular melanoma cells obtained fresh at enucleation or cells of a cutaneous melanoma cell line. Although all three MAbs showed similar specificities, MAb8-1H showed the strongest immunohistochemical reaction and was studied further in detail. MAb8-1H bound to 91% (71/79) of the choroidal or ciliochoroidal melanomas tested, indicating a high prevalence of this antigen in uveal melanomas. The antigen defined by MAb8-1H was isolated, purified, and partially characterized as a 40,000-50,000 dalton, highly glycosylated protein rich in glycine, serine, and glutamic acid, as is typical of a mucin-type glycoprotein.

A relatively simple indentation technique for the rapid measurement of fracture surface energy, G, of small samples is described. The reliability of this technique is assessed by testing soda-lime glass for which there are good independent fracture mechanics determinations of fracture surface energy. The indentation technique gives a value for G of 4.33 J m-2 which compares favourably with the accepted value of 3.8 J m-2. Fracture surface energies of the {010} and {001} cleavage planes of single crystal olivine (modal composition Fo88Fa12) are then determined and compared with theoretical estimates of the thermodynamic surface energy, ?, calculated from atomistic parameters (? is equal to G in the absence of dissipative processes during crack extension). The experimental values for ?{010} and ?{001} are respectively 0.98 J m-2 and 1.26 J m-2. The calculated values of ?{010} and ?{001} are respectively in the range from 0.37 J m-2 to 8.63 J m-2 and 12.06 J m-2. The particular advantages of the indentation technique for the study of the fracture surface energies of geological materials are outlined.

Heat-shock protein 72 (HSP72), the inducible isoform of the HSP70 family, is constitutively expressed in rat hindlimb muscles in proportion to the content of type I muscle fibers. To determine whether this relationship was maintained after fiber transformation, male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 3,5,3'-triiodo-DL-thyronine (T3) for 40 days or underwent surgical removal of the left gastrocnemius muscle, after which the left plantaris muscle was allowed to hypertrophy for 30 days. Hypertrophied plantaris muscles exhibited an increased number of type I fibers, type I myosin heavy-chain (MHC) protein, and HSP72 content compared with contralateral muscles. Soleus muscles from rats administered T3 exhibited an increased number of type II fibers, citrate synthase activity, and decreased HSP72 content compared with soleus muscles from controls. These results indicate that the relationship between HSP72 content and type I muscle fiber-MHC composition is maintained when muscles undergo fiber transformation and substantiate that HSP72 content in rat skeletal muscle is not directly linked to a muscle's oxidative capacity.

We have used an in vitro selection procedure called crosslinking SELEX (SELEX = systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) to identify RNA sequences that bind with high affinity and crosslink to the Rev protein from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). A randomized RNA library substituted with the photoreactive chromophore 5-iodouracil was irradiated with monochromatic UV light in the presence of Rev. Those sequences with the ability to photocrosslink to Rev were partitioned from the rest of the RNA pool, amplified, and used for the next round of selection. Rounds of photocrosslinking selection were alternated with rounds of selection for RNA sequences with high affinity to Rev. This iterative, dual-selection method yielded RNA molecules with subnanomolar dissociation constants and high efficiency photocrosslinking to Rev. Some of the RNA molecules isolated by this procedure form a stable complex with Rev that is resistant to denaturing gel electrophoresis in the absence of UV irradiation. In vitro selection of nucleic acids by using modified nucleotides allows the isolation of nucleic acid molecules with potentially limitless chemical capacities to covalently attack a target molecule.

Uterine specimens from fetal and postnatal heifers were examined by various types of microscopy to determine when the endometrium differentiated into caruncular and intercaruncular regions and changes in the cell types as the uterus developed. The luminal surface of the fetal uterus was formed into prominent pedunculated or mushroom-shaped nodules. Glandular development was first observed at about 250 days of gestation as short invaginations of the epithelium of the internodular surface adjacent to nodular stalks. The basal profile of each epithelial cell in the deeper portions of developing glands formed cytoplasmic processes which extended into the stroma. Between birth and 3 months of age there was a tremendous increase in the glandular epithelium. Concurrent thickening of the connective tissue component caused expansion of the nodular peduncle and a gradual flattening of the nodule until, by 1 year of age, only slight elevations remained, with a discrete caruncle visible on each. By following the development of the glandular component it was concluded that only the apical portion of each fetal nodule will develop into a caruncle and the sides of the nodule, together with the internodular portion, are destined to be the intercaruncular region.

Eight fence designs with and without electrification were tested for their ability to stop feral pigs crossing from one paddock to another.Fences of 8:80:15 hingejoints were pig-proof, whereas fences of 6:70:30 hingejoint or plain wires allowed some pigs to cross. Electrification of the fences significantly reduced the frequency of pig movement through fences to as little as 6.3% of test pigs. The behaviour of feral pigs relative to the fences and their implications are described.

The thymidine incorporation method was compared with the disc diffusion and broth dilution methods for determining the antibiotic susceptibility ofEscherichia coli (233 strains),Proteus mirabilis (72 strains) andKlebsiella species (189 strains). The method measures changes in the rate of DNA synthesis of bacterial strains exposed to an antibiotic by comparing the amount of radioactive thymidine incorporated by these strains in relation to control strains. Good agreement was obtained between the results of the thymidine incorporation and disc diffusion methods for all antibiotics tested except streptomycin and tetracycline. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics determined by the thymidine incorporation method after 3 and 5 hours were generally lower than those obtained after 24 hours by the conventional broth dilution procedure. The thymidine incorporation method may be potentially useful for determining the antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria a few hours after inoculation of a clinical specimen.

The nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor was characterized by using a new series of anti-receptor monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). These MAbs (i) showed significantly greater reactivity with a melanoma cell line expressing higher levels of NGF receptor, (ii) inhibited the binding of 125I-labeled NGF to its receptor, and (iii) immunoprecipitated both metabolically labeled and 125I-labeled NGF affinity-labeled receptor. These experiments defined the receptor as a 75-kDa cell-surface protein. The NGF receptor was visualized by immunoperoxidase staining in tissue sections of human nevi, melanomas, neurofibromas, a pheochromocytoma, and peripheral nerves. Uniform staining of the cytoplasm suggests that, in addition to cell-surface NGF receptors, there is a population of intracellular receptors.

A patient with a lymphoproliferative disorder, angioedema, and an acquired deficiency of the inhibitor of the activated first component of complement was studied. The patient's complement profile revealed depletion of the first component of complement, which has not been seen in angioedema of the hereditary type. There was no evidence for C1- depleting activity in the patient's plasma. The majority of the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells resembled B cells in their memebrane receptor properties and in that they carried easily detectable immunoglobulin, predominantly IgM. However, these cells were unusual in that they phagocytosed both latex particles and C3-coated erythrocytes. Morphological study of the cells infiltrating the patient's lung revealed immature, atypical, and plasmacytoid lymphocytes and immunoblasts. Both the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells and a suspension of cells from the pulmonary infiltrate were capable of depleting the first component of complement and its inhibitor from homologous plasma. Normal ABO-compatible cells did not possess this property. The data suggested that the patient's abnormal lymphoid cells may have interacted with the complement system to produce a biochemical defect and a clinical syndrome closely resembling angioedema of the hereditary type.

The effect of norepinephrine (NE) on cAMP accumulation in primary glial cultures is mediated by two functionally opposing receptor subtypes. beta-Adrenergic receptor activation increases cAMP formation, whereas simultaneous alpha 2-adrenergic receptor activation partially inhibits this effect. We compared desensitization of these two responses during exposure to selective agonists or NE. Pretreatment with the beta-selective agonist isoproterenol (ISO) decreased responses to ISO, ISO plus the alpha 2-selective agonist UK 14,304 (UK), and NE. However, ISO plus UK and NE responses decreased more, relative to their control values, than did responses to ISO alone. Pretreatment with UK increased cAMP responses to both ISO and forskolin (sensitization), with little effect on alpha 2-mediated inhibition of these responses. Pretreatment with NE caused effects similar to those of both ISO and UK pretreatment. NE pretreatment decreased responses to ISO, ISO plus UK, and NE, sensitized responses to forskolin, and had little effect on alpha 2-mediated inhibition. Thus, chronic agonist exposure desensitizes beta-adrenergic receptors more rapidly and at much lower concentrations than alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in these cultures. The continuing alpha 2 inhibition during diminishing beta stimulation functionally accelerates the loss of the NE response.

The selective antagonists (+)-niguldipine and 5-methylurapidil (5-MU) were used to more clearly identify the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor subtypes involved in second messenger responses in slice and culture preparations of rat brain. The alpha 1-adrenergic receptor activating [3H]inositol phosphate (InsP) formation in neocortical and hippocampal slices appeared to have mixed characteristics. Although the low potency of (+)-niguldipine indicated involvement of the alpha 1B subtype, 5-MU had an alpha 1A-like potency at this subtype. (+)-Niguldipine did not inhibit the alpha 1 receptor-mediated potentiation of the cAMP response to either isoproterenol or adenosine in cortical slices, even at high concentrations. 5-MU inhibited both cAMP responses, although this inhibition appeared non-competitive. Thus, these receptors are clearly different from those mediating InsP formation. In primary glial cultures, (+)-niguldipine also had a low potency in blocking norepinephrine-stimulated [3H]InsP formation, consistent with involvement of the alpha 1B subtype. However, both 5-MU and WB 4101 had high potencies in blocking this response, suggesting involvement of the alpha 1A subtype. Inactivation of the alpha 1B subtype by pretreatment of cultures with chloroethylclonidine did not increase the potencies of any of these antagonists. The inhibition by 5-MU and WB 4101 was competitive in both control and chloroethylclonidine-pretreated cultures, whereas the inhibition by (+)-niguldipine was primarily noncompetitive. The use of these more selective antagonists shows that the current alpha 1A/alpha 1B subclassification scheme is inadequate to identify the receptors mediating these responses. None of the responses were blocked by (+)-niguldipine with the high potency expected at the alpha 1A subtype, although all InsP responses were blocked by 5-MU with a relatively high (alpha 1A-like) potency. In addition, very low affinity and noncompetitive effects of (+)-niguldipine were observed. These data raise the possibility of additional subtypes of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors or as yet unidentified functional interactions between known subtypes.

An animal model of disseminated Mycobacterium haemophilum infection was utilized to compare treatment with azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, rifabutin, and the combination of clarithromycin with rifabutin. Following subcutaneous challenge with M. haemophilum, local and disseminated infection occurred only in immunosuppressed mice. For disseminated infection, ciprofloxacin was relatively ineffective therapy. Clarithromycin and rifabutin alone significantly reduced the tissue burden in the spleen after 4 weeks of therapy. Combination therapy with rifabutin and clarithromycin was superior to 4 weeks of treatment with the individual agents. When immunosuppressed mice were treated for 20 weeks with the combination of rifabutin and clarithromycin, the tissue burden remained reduced in the spleen at 1 month following the completion of therapy. Combined rifabutin and clarithromycin provide effective treatment for M. haemophilum in this model.

Torulopsis glabrata, an opportunist pathogen in immunosuppressed patients, is resistant to many antifungal agents, and there are no established treatment regimens for this organism. The mouse model was used to evaluate treatment with DO870, amphotericin B, fluconazole, and their combination. Mice were immunosuppressed with 5 mg of gold sodium thiomalate given intraperitoneally 1 day prior to intravenous infection with 10(8) T. glabrata cells. Treatment with a new antifungal triazole, DO870, at doses ranging from 1 to 50 mg/kg of body weight administered per os either daily or on alternate days; fluconazole at 100 mg/kg twice a day per os; or amphotericin B at 3 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally was begun 1 day after infection. Treatment for 5 days was followed by sacrifice 2 days later for determining CFU counts in spleen and kidney tissue. For a fluconazole-sensitive isolate (MIC of DO870, < 1.25 micrograms/ml), DO870 at 5 mg/kg/day significantly reduced counts in kidney and spleen tissue (P < 0.05), amphotericin B was modestly effective, and the combination of DO870 (25 mg/kg) and amphotericin B (3 mg/kg) was markedly more effective than either drug alone (P < 0.01). Three additional isolates were resistant in vitro to DO870 (MIC, 4 micrograms/ml). No reduction in CFU in kidney or spleen tissue was observed with DO870 when compared with counts in control tissue. DO870 is effective in vivo against at least some isolates of T. glabrata and when combined with amphotericin B can exert additive effects.

Twelve strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients and two collection strains were grown on membranes placed on agar containing subminimal inhibitory concentrations of oxacillin. Clusters of staphylococci held together by thick cross walls resulted. These organisms, as well as the same strains grown in the same way on drug-free medium (control), were eluted from the membranes and were incubated with human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) from various donors. Phagocytosis was comparable for both staphylococci exposed to oxacillin and control staphylococci, but the killing effect was different. The staphylococci grown on membranes in the presence of oxacillin were less susceptible to killing than the control staphylococci, but the killing effect was different. The staphylococci grown on membranes in the presence of oxacillin were less susceptible to killing than the control staphylococci. After 0.5 and 1 h of incubation with PMNs, the killing rates for oxacillin-grown versus control staphylococci were 52 and 70% and 65 and 85%, respectively (P < 0.01). After 2 and 3 h of incubation, the killing was similar. Most clusters of staphylococci contain a few individual cells that are located in the center of the cluster and are surrounded by other staphylococci; therefore, they are protected from adverse agents in the environment. This could explain why the phagocytized clusters are less susceptible than control staphylococci to the killing effect of PMNs during the first hour of incubation. Oxacillin does not penetrate into PMNs and in the absence of the drug the cross walls lyse, liberating the constituent staphylococci. This coincides with the increase in the percentage of cluster killing by PMNs after 2 and 3 h of incubation.

Summary.Specimens were obtained from the uteri of heifers on Days 17, 18, 20 to 30 and at 3-day intervals up to Day 45 of gestation and this material was examined by light microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. A reduction in height of the uterine epithelium on Day 18 was the first detectable maternal response to the presence of the blastocyst within the lumen. The trophoblast could be preserved in contact with the uterine epithelium by Day 20 and the attachment became progressively more complex between Days 21 and 30. Attachment occurred simultaneously in the intercaruncular and caruncular regions near the embryo and subsequently spread towards each end of the blastocyst. Agranular leucocytes were present in the uterine epithelium until Day 22 but were almost totally absent in later specimens.

Summary.Nulliparous heifers (N = 21) were killed at each day between Days 20 and 29 after insemination. Placentomes were collected from the region near the embryo and prepared for examination by light electron microscopy. At Day 20 placentomes could be recognized as discrete oval structures on the surface of the uterine lumen. At Day 20–21, the trophoblast was in close apposition to the caruncular epithelium with microvilli from the maternal cells indenting the apical border of the embryonic cells. Mutual interdigitation of microvilli was present by Day 24 and this progressed to intimate attachment by Day 27. In the early stages, the maternal cell types ranged from tall columnar to very thin, elongated cells with some excessively large multinucleate cells, but became uniformly cuboidal by Day 29. Trophoblast giant cells, without microvilli, were observed in contact with the maternal epithelium at all stages examined.

The activity of three aminoglycosides and six beta-lactam antibiotics on strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and enterococci was studied. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), the minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), and the minimal antibiotic concentrations (MACs) were determined after 5 h of incubation in broth cultures by colony-forming-unit counts. The MICs were also determined by agar dilution after 24 h of incubation. The MICs on agar after 24 h of incubation were higher than those in broth after 5 h of incubation. The differences ranged from 1.1- to 14.2-fold, but in most cases were only three- to fivefold (P less than 0.05 to less than 0.001). The MBCs at 5 and 24 h were comparable in 71% of tests. For current practice, the MBC of enterococci can be determined after 5 h of incubation with antibiotics. The aminoglycosides showed MBCs which were closer to the MICs than were those of the beta-lactam antibiotics, which required a higher multiple of the MIC to show a bactericidal effect. The MBCs of oxacillin and cefamandole for S. aureus after 5 h of incubation were greater than 128 times the respective MICs. The MACs ranged from 1/1.5 to 1/7 of the 5-h MICs. The three endpoints, MIC, MBC, and MAC, indicate the antibacterial range of an antibiotic in terms of inhibition of growth and bacterial survival. The data suggest that the antibacterial range of an antibiotic is similar for most strains of a given species and is, to some extent, a characteristic of similar antibiotics.

Subjecting 24-h-old cultures of quail myoblasts to incubation at an elevated temperature causes the pattern of protein synthesis to shift from the production of a broad spectrum of different proteins to the enhanced synthesis of a small number of heat-shock proteins. The synthesis of four major heat-induced polypeptides with Mrs of 88,000, 82,000, 64,000 and 25,000 achieve levels comparable to that of the major structural protein, actin. Two-dimensional electrophoretic separation and fluorographic analysis of these polypeptides establish that those with Mrs of 94,000, 88,000, 82,000, and 64,000 and pIs of 5.1, 5.2, 5.2, and 5.4, respectively, are synthesized by heat-shocked as well as by control (albeit not as intense) cultures. However, the synthesis of polypeptides with Mrs of 94,000, 64,000, and 25,000 and pI's of 5.2, 5.8, and 5.4, respectively, is detectable only in myoblasts shifted to a higher temperature. Recovery of heat-shocked myoblasts, to a normal preinduction pattern of polypeptide synthesis, takes approximately 8 h. Similar studies, completed in older, more differentiated myogenic cells, demonstrated that as cells progress through myogenesis their ability to respond to a similar temperature shift is diminished. The synthesis of some myoblastlike heat-shock proteins by fusing of cells or by myotubes requires that they be maintained at an elevated temperature at least twice as long as myoblasts. This observation and the demonstration that heat-shocked myotubes do not synthesize detectable levels of the 25,000-dalton polypeptide found in heat-shocked myoblasts, suggest that the synthetic response of myogenic cells to heat shock is dependent on the differentiative state of these cells.

Spleen cells, peripheral lymphocytes, and soleus muscles were removed from male Sprague-Dawley rats that had been run on a treadmill (24 m/min) for either 20, 40, or 60 min or to exhaustion (86 +/- 41 min) and were labeled in vitro with [35S]methionine at 37 degrees C. Similar tissues from nonrunning control rats were labeled in vitro at either 37 or 43 degrees C (heat shock). Fluorographic analyses of one- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic separations of the proteins from cells and tissues of exercised rats demonstrate the new or enhanced synthesis of proteins of approximately 65, 72, 90, and 100 kDa. Although synthesis of these proteins is low or not detectable in tissues from control rats labeled at 37 degrees C, they are prominent products of similar tissues labeled under heat-shock conditions (43 degrees C) and, in fact, correspond in Mr and pI with the so-called heat-shock proteins. These results suggest that exercise is a sufficient stimulus to induce or enhance the synthesis of heat shock and/or stress proteins in mammalian cells and tissues.

The most prominent group of stress or heat-shock proteins (HSPs) has an Mr of approximately 70,000 and is collectively referred to as the HSP70 family. The extent of stress inducibility and subcellular location of the various HSP70 isoforms differ, but all appear to be involved with ATP-dependent stabilization or solubilization of proteins. One isoform, termed the inducible isoform of HSP70 (HSP72i), is normally absent in unstressed cells. In a previous study, we detected a protein corresponding in Mr and pI to HSP72i in unstressed rat muscle. Therefore, it was of interest to determine if this expression in unstressed muscle cells is general or confined to specific muscle fiber types. To answer this question we have employed various rat hindlimb muscles that differ in fiber type proportion from predominantly type I (soleus) to predominantly type IIB (white gastrocnemius). Proteins from muscle homogenates were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, blotted to a nylon membrane, probed with a monoclonal antibody for HSP72i, and visualized using an alkaline phosphatase-conjugated secondary antibody. Immunoblot analyses demonstrate the constitutive expression of HSP72i in rat muscles comprised primarily of type I muscle fibers (soleus), but not in muscles comprised primarily of type IIB fibers (white gastrocnemius). In muscles of mixed fiber type, HSP72i content is roughly proportional to the percentage of type I fibers. These results substantiate that unstressed rat muscles express the inducible HSP72 isoform and demonstrate that its constitutive expression is proportional to the type I muscle fiber composition.

Bacterial susceptibility to 16 commonly used antibiotics was analyzed for a 12-year period (from 1971 to 1982, inclusive). Susceptibilities of 5,828,243 strains isolated from a mean of 242 hospitals nationwide and of 194,575 strains isolated at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass., and the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, New York, N.Y., were compared. Strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed virtually the same susceptibilities to antibiotics throughout the 12-year period, whereas Streptococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus epidermidis showed significant increases in resistance to most antibiotics. The close similarity between antibiotic susceptibilities shown at both the 242 hospitals and the 2 individual hospitals suggests that this analysis accurately reflects trends of bacterial resistance to antibiotics in U.S. hospitals. Since most of the species analyzed produce serious disease and high mortality, their susceptibility to antibiotics is relevant both to physicians treating infectious diseases and to epidemiologists.

Urinary excretion of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is assessed in response to pitressin stimulation in three patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, four carriers and seven controls. There is no significant difference in cAMP excretion between these groups when corrected for surface area, nor is there any significant increase in excretion after pitressin stimulation. There is very close correlation between urinary cAMP and both urinary concentration and urinary creatinine excretion. Urinary cAMP after pitressin stimulation does not discriminate between carriers of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and control subjects.

Cutaneous wheal and flare responses to increasing concentrations of calcitonin gene-related peptide, substance P, neurokinin A, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), compound 48/80, and phosphate-buffered saline were measured in 10 patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria and 10 healthy controls. A significant increase in VIP-induced wheal, but not flare or cutaneous blood flow, was seen in urticarial patients compared with controls (p<0·001). No significant differences in responses to other tested compounds were found between these groups. These data point to an increased sensitivity of microvasculature to VIP in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Two hundred twenty group D streptococci isolated from 1953 to 1954 from patients in the Washington, D.C., area were characterized. All were susceptible to ampicillin, vancomycin, and gentamicin; none produced beta-lactamase activity. High-level resistance to streptomycin was expressed by 117 strains, and 2 strains were resistant to >8 microg of chloramphenicol per ml. Three isolates were resistant to both erythromycin and lincomycin, and DNA from these hybridized to an ermAM probe. Of 118 strains resistant to tetracycline and minocycline, genomic DNA from 63 was examined for homology to tet(M), tet(O), and tet(S). DNA from 20 strains hybridized to tet(M), DNA from 37 strains hybridized to tet(S), and DNA from none of the strains hybridized to tet(O).

PREMESSE: La malattia di Cushing è una patologia ad alta morbidità e mortalità per la quale oggi non vi è una terapia medica di provata efficacia. Il pasireotide, un ligando multirecettoriale per i recettori per la somatostatina (SS), ha dimostrato di possedere nell’animale in vitroe in vivoun significativo effetto inibitorio sulla funzione corticotropa con conseguente riduzione della secrezione glucocorticoide in tumori ACTH-secernenti. SCOPO:Valutare l’efficacia di un trattamento a breve termine con pasireotide in pazienti affetti da malattia di Cushing. METODI: È stato valutato l’effetto del trattamento per 15 giorni con pasireotide (600 mg/bid) in 39 pazienti con malattia di Cushing, de novo, persistente o recidivata dopo trattamento neurochirurgico. RISULTATI: Dei 29 pazienti in cui si è potuta eseguire l’analisi di efficacia, il 76% (N=22) ha dimostrato una significativa riduzione dei livelli di cortisoluria, con normalizzazione nel 17% (N=5), in associazione a una riduzione dei livelli di ACTH e cortisolo, più pronunciata nei soggetti responder. I livelli plasmatici steady statedi pasireotide sono stati ottenuti entro 5 giorni dall’inizio del trattamento. I pazienti responderhanno dimostrato livelli plasmatici di pasireotide più elevati rispetto ai non responder. CONCLUSIONI: Il trattamento a breve termine con pasireotide ha dimostrato un significativo effetto inibitorio sui livelli di cortisoluria nella maggior parte dei pazienti studiati con malattia di Cushing, associato a una riduzione della secrezione corticotropa, suggerendo una potenziale nuova prospettiva terapeutica in tale patologia.

Summary.Nulliparous heifers were killed, 3–5 each day, at 3-day intervals between Days 30 and 45 after insemination and 4 additional animals were killed between Days 48 and 67. Placentomes were collected from the region near the fetus and prepared for examination by light and electron microscopy. At 30 days the placentomes were visible on the internal surface of the fixative-treated uteri as discrete, oval structures with a lighter appearance than the surrounding tissues. The maternal–trophoblast interface ranged from almost completely flat to slightly undulating but villi and crypts were not evident. Microvilli were present on both the uterine and trophoblast epithelial cells which were very closely apposed and a tenuous attachment had developed between the two layers. Villi and crypts which had formed by 33 days subsequently lengthened and developed secondary branching. The uterine epithelium was composed mainly of lightly staining cuboidal cells which were interspersed with some dark elongated cells, particularly in the earliest stages, and a few multinucleate giant cells with little cytoplasm. The major cell type in the trophoblast was a low columnar, epithelial cell interspersed with darker staining giant cells. Considerable lipid material was present in the uterine and trophoblast cells at the earlier stages examined but became less pronounced as gestation progressed. An extensive cytocavitary network developed in many of the uterine epithelial cells between Days 33 and 42 but this vacuolization was subsequently reduced.

A summary is presented of the use of stress relaxation testing in studies of the mechanical behaviour of materials with emphasis on the underlying assumptions of the method. It is shown that relaxation testing is a powerful experimental method which could profitably be used in future studies of the mechanical properties of geological materials to augment, but not to replace, the more conventional creep and constant strain rate tests. Stress relaxation data can be analysed to determine important parameters in equations describing (a) laws of flow and fracture, and (b) dislocation dynamics. The variation of the first derivative of any stress relaxation curve with stress can be used to establish the applied stress sensitivity to strain rate and the values of activation parameters such as ‘activation volume’. Such parameters may be used to constrain the inference of the dominant deformation mechanism. This account is illustrated by reference to some recent experiments on polycrystalline, synthetic galena (lead sulphide) and pre-faulted cylinders of Tennessee sandstone deformed over a wide range of environmental conditions. The accurate sensing of the second derivative of a relaxation curve is required to establish parameters relating to dislocation dynamics, e.g. partition between thermal and athermal components of applied stress, and the stress dependence of dislocation velocity. The determination of such parameters is illustrated with new experiments on single crystals of calcite.

Fault zones in wet Westerly granite deformed at temperatures of 300° and 400°C require markedly lower shear stresses for sliding than when dry, even when the effective confining pressure is held constant between the wet and dry tests, provided that the strain rate is lower than 10−7s−1. The rate of strength reduction is enhanced by increasing the pore water pressure. The deformation rate is a power function of the applied stress where the stress exponent is approximately 7 for pore water pressure of 100 MPa and 21 for pore water pressure of 20 MPa. The experimental results are extrapolated to conditions believed to occur at depths of 10 km along the San Andreas Fault Zone. It is suggested that for slow tectonic deformation at strain rates of 10−11 and 10−14s−1 the shear stress for sliding on faults in granite would be approximately 60 and 20 MPa, respectively, at pore water pressures equal to the hydrostatic head. Fluid overpressures of c. 0.8 lithostatic pressure are required to lower the shear stress for sliding into the 10 MPa range at the slower strain rate.

Double torsion tests in ambient air and liquid water have been used to establish critical stress intensity factors (KIc) and stress intensity factor (KI)-crack velocity (v) diagrams for propagation of single tensile cracks in Whin Sill dolerite and Ralston Intrusive. KIc for Whin Sill dolerite was 3.28 MN m−3/2 and for Ralston Intrusive was 2.58 MN m−3/2. No stress corrosion limit was encountered. Acoustic response was monitored during experiments on Whin Sill dolerite which spanned a velocity range from 5 × 10−4 to 5 × 10−9m s−1. The rate of acoustic emission was an indirect measure of crack velocity. The slopes of KI-v diagrams and KI-acoustic emission rate diagrams had similar slopes of c. 30 in double logarithmic coordinate frames. Slopes of the KI-v curves for Ralston Intrusive fell from 43.4 in air to 23.3 in water, during tests which spanned a crack velocity range from 5 × 10−4 to 10−8 m s−1. The activation enthalpy for dolerite between 20° and 75°C was determined by two complementary methods to be 30.4 × 1.9 and 33-46 kJ mol−1. Amplitude distributions of acoustic emission events depend strongly on KI and the ‘humidity’ at the crack tip. As KIc is approached, b-values for dolerite in air decrease from 1.8 to 1.25, and for dolerite in water a decrease occurs in b-value from 3.5 to 1.25. At KI greater than 0.8 KIc the b-values for tests in water and in air are virtually identical. A discussion is given of these results in terms of their implications for earthquake mechanics.

Notes that many top-class athletes are reaching new heights after giving birth to a child. How pregnancy leads to improved VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen that can be taken in and used by the body; Research conducted on the subject; Recommendations and warnings from experts.

Debates the pros and cons of facials. Quality cleansing; Improving skin's appearance; Giving a relaxed, pampered feeling; Limitations as treatment for skin conditions; Lack of evidence that facials can perform anti-aging; When not to have a facial.