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Background The evidence base for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is nascent. We sought to characterize SARS-CoV-2 transmission within US households and estimate the household secondary infection rate (SIR) to inform strategies to reduce transmission. Methods We recruited patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and their household contacts in Utah and Wisconsin during 22 March 2020–25 April 2020. We interviewed patients and all household contacts to obtain demographics and medical histories. At the initial household visit, 14 days later, and when a household contact became newly symptomatic, we collected respiratory swabs from patients and household contacts for testing by SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) and sera for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies testing by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We estimated SIR and odds ratios (ORs) to assess risk factors for secondary infection, defined by a positive rRT-PCR or ELISA test. Results Thirty-two (55%) of 58 households secondary infection among household contacts. The SIR was 29% (n = 55/188; 95% confidence interval [CI], 23%–36%) overall, 42% among children (aged Conclusions We found substantial evidence of secondary infections among household contacts. People with COVID-19, particularly those with immunocompromising conditions or those with household contacts with diabetes, should take care to promptly self-isolate to prevent household transmission.

Transmembrane protein 67 (TMEM67) is mutated in Meckel Gruber Syndrome type 3 (MKS3) resulting in a pleiotropic phenotype with hydrocephalus and renal cystic disease in both humans and rodent models. The precise pathogenic mechanisms remain undetermined. Herein it is reported for the first time that a point mutation of TMEM67 leads to a gene dose-dependent hydrocephalic phenotype in the Wistar polycystic kidney (Wpk) rat. Animals with TMEM67 heterozygous mutations manifest slowly progressing hydrocephalus, observed during the postnatal period and continuing into adulthood. These animals have no overt renal phenotype. The TMEM67 homozygous mutant rats have severe ventriculomegaly as well as severe polycystic kidney disease and die during the neonatal period. Protein localization in choroid plexus epithelial cells indicates that aquaporin 1 and claudin-1 both remain normally polarized in all genotypes. The choroid plexus epithelial cells may have selectively enhanced permeability as evidenced by increased Na+, K+ and Cl− in the cerebrospinal fluid of the severely hydrocephalic animals. Collectively, these results suggest that TMEM67 is required for the regulation of choroid plexus epithelial cell fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. The Wpk rat model, orthologous to human MKS3, provides a unique platform to study the development of both severe and mild hydrocephalus.

After returning from Europe to the United States, on March 1, 2020, a symptomatic teacher received positive test results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Of the 21 students exposed to the teacher in the classroom, serologic results suggested past infection for 2. Classroom contact may result in virus transmission.

This report highlights the first two cases of MERS coronavirus in the United States. Although these patients were not transplant recipients, it is important for transplant professionals to be aware of this infection and to consider it when evaluating patients with respiratory illnesses and travel to the Arabian peninsula.

A training program was developed by the American Water Works Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with financial support from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to bring together water utility personnel, their public health counterparts involved with epidemiology and outbreak investigation, and first responders. The objective of this training program was to help facilitate working relationships between each of the invited groups and to improve communication to better prepare for potential incidents involving physical destruction of critical water treatment and distribution facilities and/or potential intentional contamination of the public drinking water supply. This 2-day workshop was delivered in eight locations in the United States between 2004 and 2006. Representatives from 142 of the largest water utilities and 186 different public health departments received this training. In total, more than 550 individuals attended the 2-day workshop training series.The outcomes of this training program were numerous, and several important lessons were learned about how to develop, improve, and maintain relationships and communication between utilities, public health personnel, and first responders. These relationships and improved communication will allow these groups to better respond, remediate, and return utilities to normal operation following an incident.

TOC Summary: Prophylactic antiviral agents lower the odds of acute respiratory infection but not serologic infection. Keywords: pandemic, influenza, A/H1N1, pandemic (H1N1) 2009, seroepidemiology, outbreak, serology, asymptomatic, prophylaxis, antiviral agents, vaccine, viruses, research, We conducted a seroepidemiologic study during an outbreak of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in a boarding school in England. Overall, 353 (17%) of students and staff completed a questionnaire and provided a serum sample. The attack rate was 40.5% and 34.1% for self-reported acute respiratory infection (ARI). Staff were less likely to be seropositive than students 13–15 years of age (staff 20–49 years, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.30; >50 years AOR 0.20). Teachers were more likely to be seropositive than other staff (AOR 7.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.31–24.2). Of seropositive persons, 44.6% (95% CI 36.2%–53.3%) did not report ARI. Conversely, of 141 with ARI and 63 with influenza-like illness, 45.8% (95% CI 37.0%–54.0%) and 30.2% (95% CI 19.2%–43.0%) had negative test results, respectively. A weak association was found between seropositivity and a prophylactic dose of antiviral agents (AOR 0.55, 95% CI 0.30–0.99); prophylactic antiviral agents lowered the odds of ARI by 50%.

The WAG1 and WAG2 genes of Arabidopsis thaliana encode protein-serine/threonine kinases that are closely related to PINOID. In order to determine what roles WAG1 and WAG2 play in seedling development, we used a reverse genetics approach to study the wag1, wag2 and wag1/wag2 mutant phenotypes for clues. Although the wag mutants do not contain detectable amounts of the corresponding mRNA, they are wild type in most respects. However, wag1/wag2 double mutants exhibit a pronounced wavy root phenotype when grown vertically on agar plates, a phenotype observed in wild-type plants only on plates inclined to angles less than 90 degrees. The wag1 and wag2 mutants also demonstrate enhanced root waving, but to a lesser extent. Moreover, the double mutant roots are more resistant to the effects of N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid on the inhibition of root curling, raising the possibility that transport of auxin is affected in the wag mutants. Promoter fusions to the gusA reporter gene demonstrate that the WAG promoters are most active in root tips, consistent with the observed phenotypes in the wag mutants.

The PsPK3 gene of the garden pea encodes a presumptive protein-serine/threonine kinase whose catalytic domain is closely related to the second messenger-dependent kinases. To demonstrate that PsPK3 is a functional protein kinase, its catalytic domain was expressed in and purified from Escherichia coli for in vitro activity assays. The recombinant catalytic domain autophosphorylated primarily on serines. We found previously that when 6-day-old etiolated pea seedlings are illuminated with continuous white light (WLc), PsPK3 transcript levels decline rapidly within apical buds, reaching their minimum levels within just a few hours of illumination. We asked whether PsPK3 transcript levels changed during seedling development using RNA gel blot analyses of total RNA purified from the apical buds and plumular hooks of seedlings ranging in age from 3 to 7 days. During seedling development in darkness, the amount of PsPK3 mRNA exhibited a modest decline. When etiolated seedlings were exposed to 1 day of WLc, PsPK3 gene expression in hooks was light-responsive even at the earliest stage of seedling development and became more responsive as the seedlings aged. We used antibodies directed against recombinant PsPK3 catalytic domain to ask whether light also regulates the abundance of PsPK3 polypeptides in the bud, hook, and upper portion of the stem of pea seedlings. PsPK3-related polypeptides are present in all three organ systems tested and their abundance is decreased by WLc in the hooks and stems of pea seedlings but not in apical buds. Therefore, the PsPK3 gene demonstrates discoordinate regulation of its polypeptide and mRNA abundances in greening pea seedlings.

The plant hormone auxin acts as a signal for cell division, extension and differentiation during the course of plant growth and development. With the aim of elucidating the molecular mechanism of auxin responses in pea leaf development, we have isolated a putative pea PINOID ( PID ) homolog, PsPK2 , and characterized it. The deduced protein sequence of PsPK2 had 445 amino acids and possessed 12 conserved catalytic subdomains that characterize protein kinases. The PsPK2 sequence was most closely related to PID , and together they defined a PINOID subfamily within the AGC-VIII protein kinases. PsPK2 mapped to the lower portion of linkage group VI between Pl and Gsp . By genome walking, 2.3 kb of the PsPK2 promoter was obtained and was predicted to possess auxin and gibberellin response elements. PsPK2 was strongly expressed in developing organs of wildtype ( WT ) pea, such as shoot tips, immature adult leaves, developing embryos and flower buds. Comparing the PsPK2 mRNA levels from tendrils and leaflets of WT as well as the other leaf form mutants, we found that irrespective of genotype, PsPK2 mRNA was much more abundant in tendrils than in leaflets. Furthermore, differential expression occurred in shoot tip RNAs of the different leaf form genotypes. Expression was slightly higher in the afila genotypes, and lower in acacia / tendrilless and tendrilled - acacia compared to WT . In an auxin induction experiment, PsPK2 mRNA levels increased most after methyl-IAA treatment compared to IAA, 4-Cl-IAA, IBA and NAA treatments. Time course and concentration dependent experiments showed that PsPK2 mRNA levels were the highest after 30 min of methyl-IAA treatment compared to control and other treatments, and peaked at 10 μM methyl-IAA. In addition, PsPK2 mRNA levels peaked after 4 h of GA 3 treatment and were highest in response to 75 μM GA 3 . Therefore, auxin and gibberellin positively regulate PsPK2 expression and it may play a role in the control of auxin transport and leaf form generation in pea.

Although media historians have broadly chronicled the struggle for press freedom in the United States, they have done little to document the lives and contributions of pornographers. This article seeks to begin filling that void by illuminating the life, work, and First Amendment struggles of Herman Lynn Womack, a publisher who specialized in materials designed to titillate and appeal to gay men. His battles against the efforts of the U.S. Post Office to halt the circulation of his publications are chronicled, and the social and legal ramifications of his ultimate victory in a landmark 1962 ruling by the U.S. supreme Court are examined. The ruling in Manual Enterprises Inc. v.J.Edward Day expanded the limits of First Amendment protection and began erasing the social stigma imposed on homsexuality. Although media historians have broadly chronicled the struggle for press freedom in the United States, they have done little to document the lives and contributions of pornographers.1 This group of publishers is often perceived as pursuing profit instead of principle while operating in the sewers far beneath the marketplace of ideas. But, in fact, these individuals often have fought key battles to defend and expand the First Amendment. This article adds to the historical record of free-press crusaders by illuminating the life and contributions of a publisher of sexual material who, although by no means a saint, deserves recognition as a significant figure in the struggles for free expression and for gay rights. Herman Lynn Womack was an intriguing personage by many measures. In appearance, his 300-pound bulk and the distinctive traits of an albino-snow-white hair, pallid complexion, and pink eyes-combined to create a startling presence. In his personal life, he was a gay man who married twice and fathered a daughter, spent time in a mental institution, and became the object of public ridicule. In his career, he rose from humble beginnings to the heights of academic success-- receiving a PhD. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University and teaching on the faculties of George Washington University and Mary Washington College-before participating in an illicit stock scheme that produced considerable profits that enabled him to finance a career as the "Porn King of Washington." These details co-exist with another set of achievements that reveal Womack to have been a visionary pioneer who consciously and courageously, despite enormous personal and financial costs, mounted a fearless assault against the repressive and homophobic American legal system and the U.S. Post Office. His 1962 landmark victory before the U.S. Supreme Court had an impact in two important areas. First, it succeeded in expanding the protections of the First Amendment in the area of sexually oriented material targeted toward homosexuals and as well as heterosexuals. Second, by legalizing the publication and distribution of homoerotic images, his courtroom triumph energized the American gay press and played a seminal role in transforming that particular genre of alternative media into an enterprise with a heightened level of appeal for millions of homosexual men. Scholars committed to recording the evolution of two aspects of the American experience have previously made passing references to Womack. Legal historians have discussed him or his precedent-setting case in relation to the evolution of pornography as a form of free expression! Scholars of the movement to secure gay and lesbian rights during the second half of the twentieth century also have mentioned him and his court case as having advanced the cause of sexual minorities in the United States.3 This article, which provides a more detailed illumination of Womack's life and his contributions than has previously been published, seeks to document why this particular pornographer deserves a place in American media history. It begins by describing his early life and the circumstances that led him into a career as a publisher of homoerotic material. …

In this article I address the ethical implications of the legal issues the U. S. Supreme Court resolved in New York Times v. Sullivan and its progeny. In a ruling with far-reaching moral implications, the Court addressed truthtelling-journalism's primary ethical directive-and undermined it by favoring other moral principles and social goals. Much of this article focuses on the ethical arguments addressed to the Court in legal briefs that sought rulings that would support fundamental principals of ethical journalism. The creation of actual malice as a legal concept in the Sullivan case owes more to the Court's pursuit of other moral and social values than strict legal reasoning, according to the descriptive theory of pragmatic instrumentalism, which informs this analysis.

As the 20th century began its final decade, litigation public relations was more rigorously condemned than condoned. By the end of the decade, the proliferation of the practice and the failure of the bar and bench to forbid it had made the criticism virtually moot. This article considers whether there is a basis for making the right to practice litigation public relations an obligation to do so. The article concludes that the right properly belongs to clients and not their attorneys, and finds a basis in contract and malpractice law for requiring attorneys to tend to their clients' interests in the court of public opinion as zealously as they do in courts of law.

Optical, filter chemistry, and cascade impactor data collected during the winter intensive of the IMS95 Study in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California were analyzed to determine the light-extinction efficiency of aerosol species. Regression of light scattering by particles (bsp) measured by a heated nephelometer without a size selective inlet against PM2.5 front filter mass gave a scattering efficiency of 3.67±0.05 m2/g with an R2 (fraction of variance explained) of 0.94. Division of the aerosol into two components and applying two different corrections to the filter data for nitrate and organic carbon on the backup filter gave scattering efficiencies of 3.7±0.3 or 4.1±0.2 m2/g for the salts composed of sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium and 2.9±0.2 or 3.1±0.2 m2/g for all other species with R2 of 0.985 and 0.986. The ambient bsp measured by an open nephelometer was a simple function of PM2.5 mass and relative humidity (RH), giving R2 of 0.90 and 0.88 for two different RH sensors. Variations in PM2.5 size distribution and composition did not have an important effect on ambient bsp. The RH data from each sensor were repeatable enough to show the existence of a simple dependence of aerosol water uptake on RH, but RH sensor calibration uncertainties prevented determining this dependence. Inversion of MOUDI cascade impactor data gave sulfate and nitrate mass median diameters (MMD) between 0.4 and 0.8 μm. Mie scattering calculations based on MOUDI data provided humidity-dependent extinction efficiencies for the principal aerosol chemical species. These efficiencies combined with particle filter data showed that ammonium nitrate was the dominant contributor to wintertime light extinction. Source apportionment showed that light extinction was dominated by emissions sources contributing to the formation of secondary species, especially nitrate. These wintertime data are not expected to apply to summertime in the SJV.

The PsPK3 and PsPK5 genes of the garden pea encode protein-serine/threonine kinases whose catalytic domains are closely related to known signal transducing kinases from animals and fungi. The PsPK3 polypeptide is predicted to be located in the nucleus, whereas PsPK5 is a homologue of NPH1, the probable blue light receptor for phototropism from Arabidopsis. We found previously that when etiolated pea seedlings are illuminated with continuous white light, PsPK3 and PsPK5 transcript levels within apical buds decline substantially, reaching their minimum levels within one day of exposure to light. The role of light in regulating the expression of the PsPK3 and PsPK5 genes was investigated further. To gain insight into the rapidity with which expression changes, 6-day old, dark-grown pea seedlings were transferred to continuous white light, and PsPK3 and PsPK5 RNA levels monitored over the ensuing 24 h. While transcripts from the RbcS gene family increase, the PsPK3 and PsPK5 mRNAs decline rapidly to their minimum levels. PsPK5 mRNA declines 10-fold in ca. 2 h, whereas PsPK3 mRNA declines 4-fold in ca. 8 h. We used single pulses of light to elucidate which photoreceptor triggers the negative regulation of PsPK3 and PsPK5 gene expression. To assess phytochrome involvement, etiolated seedlings were treated with single pulses of red light, red followed by far-red light, or far-red light alone. RbcS induction by a red light pulse is reversible with a subsequent far-red light pulse, clearly showing that phytochrome mediates its induction. Likewise, RbcS expression is induced with a single pulse of blue light or a dichromatic pulse of red+blue light. However, none of these pulses trigger the PsPK3 and PsPK5 mRNA levels to decline. Given the lack of effectiveness of light pulses, etiolated seedlings were transferred to continuous light of three different qualities to determine the spectral sensitivity of PsPK3 and PsPK5 gene expression. Exposure to continuous red, continuous far-red, or continuous blue light causes the PsPK3 and PsPK5 mRNAs to decline and transcripts from the RbcS and Cab gene families to increase. One likely explanation is that phytochrome A mediates the responses of these genes to continuous far-red light. The effectiveness of continuous red light and blue light in triggering the reduction in PsPK3 and PsPK5 mRNA levels and the increase in RbcS and Cab mRNAs may imply the participation of additional phytochromes and/or cryptochromes. Thus, the PsPK3 and PsPK5 genes exhibit responsiveness to continuous light, but a lack of responsiveness to single light pulses that is unusual, and perhaps unique, among light-regulated genes.

Background. It is unknown whether vaccine-induced immunity is lifelong in the absence of periodic exposure to measles virus. After 27 years of no known exposure to measles, an outbreak in Palau in 1993 offered the opportunity to study this issue and the measles vaccine effectiveness. Methods. Household contacts of a sample of confirmed cases were interviewed for exposure, symptoms and vaccination status verified by records. Serum from symptomatic contacts was tested for measles antibodies. Results. Among 78 contacts 4 of 5 (80%) unvaccinated, 4 of 35 (11%) 1-dose vaccine recipients and none of 38 (0%) > 1-dose recipients developed measles. Effectiveness of 1-dose vaccine was 86% (95% confidence interval, 60 to 95%). An additional dose significantly reduced the risk of measles (P = 0.048). Time since vaccination was not a significant risk factor for developing measles (relative risk, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.3 to 9.4; persons vaccinated >15 years ago vs.

The compound leaf of the wildtype pea exhibits basal stipules, proximal leaflets, and distal tendrils, which are profoundly modified by several recessive genes thought to act as homeotic mutations. The acacia (tl) gene appears to replace simple tendrils with leaflets in the distal region, while the afila (af) gene appears to replace the leaflets with branched tendrils in the proximal region. Morphological analyses of all homozygous and heterozygous combinations of this genetic system indicate that these genes affect many other features of leaf morphology, including leaf length, petiole length, pinna number, and branching order. Moreover, these genes are apparently expressed within the context of preexisting proximal and distal regions in the developing leaf. Pinna identity on the leaves from different genotypes is therefore regulated by the interaction among relative pinna position, morphological region, and genetic background. Current models of pea leaf development fail to account for several characteris...

Background. A two dose measles vaccination schedule is recommended routinely for all schoolentry-aged children. We evaluated this recommendation by determining both measles antibody seroprevalence and the response to revaccination in seronegative children in this age group. Methods. Children 4 to 6 years of age who had received a single dose of measles vaccine between the ages of 15 to 17 months were tested for measles antibody by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) microneutralization technique. Seronegative children were revaccinated and again tested for measles antibody (immunoglobulin M [IgM] and neutralizing). Results. Of 679 children tested, 37 (5.4%) were seronegative. Seronegativity was not significantly associated with age, sex, race, age at initial vaccination, time since vaccinalion, or maternal year of birth. However, children of mothers with a college degree were 12 times more likely to be seronegative than children of mothers who never attended college (P< .01). Of the 37 seronegative children, 36 seroconverted after revaccination—33 producing IgM measles antibody, suggestive of a primary immune response. The cost per seroconversion would have been an estimated $415 if all 679 children had been revaccinated. Conclusions. Revaccination reduces the pool of children who are susceptible to measles. Although the cost per seroconversion is high, a two-dose schedule should reduce the substantial costs of controlling measles outbreaks by reducing the number of outbreaks.

The rho proteins, members of the ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins, play a central role in the modulation of cellular functions involving the actin cytoskeleton such as in the establishment of cell polarity and morphology. As a first step in elucidating signal transduction pathways leading to processes mediated by the actin cytoskeleton in plants, we initiated cloning and characterization of rho proteins from pea. One rho-related, partial cDNA clone of 167 bp was isolated utilizing a polymerase chain reaction-based cloning strategy, using degenerate primers that correspond to conserved domains within the rho proteins. A full-length cDNA was isolated by screening a pea cDNA library using the 167-bp cDNA as a probe. The Rho1Ps cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide (Rho1Ps) of 197 amino acids that shows 45-64% sequence identity to members of the rho family and about 30% identity to other members of the ras superfamily. In addition to the nucleotide-binding and GTPase domains, Rho1Ps shares conserved residues and motifs unique to the rho proteins. Purified Rho1Ps protein expressed in Escherichia coli retains specific GTP-binding activity. These data indicate that Rho1Ps encodes a small GTP-binding protein of the rho family. The Rho1Ps transcript is expressed in all organs of pea seedlings, being more abundant in root tips and apical buds. DNA gel blot analyses show that the rho proteins in pea are encoded by a multigene family.

The use of IgM antibody detection for the classification of the primary and secondary measles antibody response in persons following primary and secondary vaccination and natural measles virus infection was examined. Of 32 nonimmune children receiving primary measles vaccination, 31 (97%) developed IgM antibodies, consistent with a primary antibody response. Of 21 previously vaccinated children with low levels of preexisting IgG antibodies who responded to revaccination, none developed detectable IgM antibodies, whereas 33 of 35 (94%) with no detectable preexisting IgG antibodies developed an IgM response. Of a sample of 57 measles cases with a prior history of vaccination, 55 (96%) had detectable IgM antibodies. Of these, 30 (55%) were classified as having a primary antibody response and 25 (45%) a secondary antibody response based on differences in their ratios of IgM to IgG antibodies. Differences in the severity of clinical symptoms between these 2 groups were consistent with this classification scheme. These findings suggest that 1) an IgM response follows primary measles vaccination in the immunologically naive, 2) an IgM response is absent on revaccination of those previously immunized, and 3) an IgM response may follow clinical measles virus infection independent of prior immunization status.

Frontier nursing in the public health model might invoke images of school nurses on horseback in rural Kentucky or the wilds of the western prairies. Northern Minnesota was a frontier in the last decade of the 19th century, due to the discovery of one of the richest seams of iron ore on the North American continent. Immigrants from Europe responded to the opportunities this discovery created. Among the many Finns arriving on the Iron Range of Minnesota, as it came to be named, were the parents of Lillian Augusta Wilhelmena Beck, John and Hulda Beck. Over her more than nine decades of life, their daughter became one of the most well known school nurses on the Iron Range. Her story evokes memories of the creation of school nursing in the public health model by nurses at the Henry Street Settlement in New York City.

To measure transcript levels for individual members of the Cab (chlorophyll a/b protein) multigene family in pea under a range of developmental situations, we developed a system using cDNA synthesis, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and chemiluminescence detection. In order to design gene-specific PCR primers for all genes, a partial genomic clone for a fifth, Type I LHCII (light-harvesting complex of photosystem II) gene, Cab-9 The Cab-9 sequence appears in the Genbank/EMBL databases under the accession number M86906 , was isolated and sequenced. All seven known Cab genes in pea are expressed in light-grown buds and leaves, including several genes previously known only from genomic clones. There appear to be at least two groups of Cab genes in pea which differ in their response to light and development. The first group (consisting of Cab-8, AB96, Cab-215 and Cab-315) includes Type I, Type II and Type III genes, shows a relatively strong response to red light, and has bud transcript levels similar to or slightly higher than leaves. The second group, consisting of the Type I genes Cab-9, AB80 and AB66, shows little or no transcript accumulation 24 h after a red light pulse, and has higher transcript levels in leaves than in buds. Transcript levels for genes in this second group appear to be lower than those of the first group in all developmental situations examined. These data indicate that there has been an evolutionary divergence of the responses to light and development among the Type I LHCII genes.

Previous studies have shown that in several angiosperms and the liverwort Marchantia the chloroplast gene rpl2, encoding ribosomal protein L2, is interrupted by an intron, but that in spinach (Spinacia oleracea, Caryophyllales) this intron has been lost. We have determined the distribution of the rpl2 intron for 390 species representing 116 angiosperm families. Filter hybridizations reveal that the intron is absent from the chloroplast genomes of all examined families of the Caryophyllales, suggesting that the intron was lost in the common ancestor of the order. Sequencing of the rpl2 gene in five genera of the Caryophyllales and in Rumex (Polygonales) not only confirms the filter hybridization results, but also shows that for all taxa lacking the intron, the rpl2 gene has undergone a precise deletion of the intron. In all cases, it is the original rpl2 gene that has sustained loss of its intron. This implies that in chloroplast DNA, integration of exogenous genes (e.g., a reverse transcript of a spliced mRNA) occurs mainly by homologous, replacement recombination, rather than by illegitimate recombination elsewhere in the genome. Filter hybridizations also reveal that the rpl2 intron was lost independently in the common ancestors of at least five other lineages of dicotyledons: Saxifragaceae (s.s.), Convolvulaceae (including Cuscuta), Menyanthaceae, two genera of Geraniaceae, and one genus of Droseraceae. The molecular and phylogenetic implications of these independent intron losses are discussed.

Sabotage of food and water by terrorists and criminals has occurred in the United States, though rarely. Recently, the threat of intentional contamination with ricin of community drinking water occurred in the United States. A multiplicity of suitable biological and chemical agents exists and the vast contemporary food supply is vulnerable as are community drinking water systems. Prevention requires enhancement of food and water security. An outbreak caused by sabotage of food or water would be detected and handled by the existing public health system in close collaboration with law enforcement and other local, state, and federal agencies. Therefore, minimization of casualties requires a robust standing public health infrastructure capable of detecting, investigating and controlling all foodborne and waterborne disease outbreaks, intentional and unintentional, and providing appropriate medical resources.

Cryptosporidiosis, a gastrointestinal illness, is caused by protozoa of the genus Cryptosporidium.1999-2002.State and two metropolitan health departments voluntarily reported cases of cryptosporidiosis through CDC's National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance.During 1999-2002, the total number of reported cases of cryptosporidiosis increased from 2,769 for 1999 to 3,787 for 2001 and then decreased to 3,016 for 2002. The number of states reporting cryptosporidiosis cases increased from 46 to 50, and the number of states reporting more than four cases per 100,000 population increased from two to five. A greater number of case reports were received for children aged 1-9 years and for adults aged 30-39 years compared with other age groups. Incidence of cryptosporidiosis was particularly high in the upper Midwest and Vermont. Peak onset of illness occurred annually during early summer through early fall.Transmission of cryptosporidiosis occurs throughout the United States, with increased diagnosis or reporting occurring in northern states. However, state incidence figures should be compared with caution because individual state surveillance systems have varying capabilities to detect cases. The seasonal peak in age-specific case reports coincides with the summer recreational water season and might reflect increased use of communal swimming venues (e.g., lakes, rivers, swimming pools, and water parks) by young children.Cryptosporidiosis surveillance provides data to educate public health practitioners and health-care providers about the epidemiologic characteristics and the disease burden of cryptosporidiosis in the United States. These data are used to improve reporting of cases, plan prevention efforts, and establish research priorities.

Giardiasis, a gastrointestinal illness, is caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia intestinalis.1998-2002.State, commonwealth, territorial, and two metropolitan health departments voluntarily reported cases of giardiasis through CDC's National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance.During 1998-2002, the total number of reported cases of giardiasis decreased from 24,226 for 1998 to 19,708 for 2001 and then increased to 21,300 for 2002. The number of states reporting giardiasis cases increased from 42 to 46; however, the number of states reporting more than 15 cases per 100,000 population decreased from 10 to five. A greater number of case reports were received for children aged 1-9 years and for adults aged 30-39 years compared with other age groups. Incidence of giardiasis was highest in northern states. Peak onset of illness occurred annually during early summer through early fall.The increase observed for 2002 might reflect increased reporting after reporting of giardiasis as a nationally notifiable disease began in 2002. Transmission of giardiasis occurs throughout the United States, with increased diagnosis or reporting occurring in northern states. However, state incidence figures should be compared with caution because individual state surveillance systems have varying capabilities to detect cases. The seasonal peak in age-specific case reports coincides with the summer recreational water season and might reflect increased use of communal swimming venues (e.g., lakes, rivers, swimming pools, and water parks) by young children.Giardiasis surveillance provides data to educate public health practitioners and health-care providers about the epidemiologic characteristics and the disease burden of giardiasis in the United States. These data are used to improve reporting of cases, plan prevention efforts, and establish research priorities.

Type 1 phototropin, one of the blue light receptors responsible for phototropism, is encoded in peas by at least two genes, PsPHOT1A and PsPHOT1B (formerly PsPK4 and PsPK5), both of which are more similar to Arabidopsis PHOT1 than to Arabidopsis PHOT2. We show here that PsPHOT1B encodes a full-length phototropin, whose expression pattern suggests that Psphot1b is the predominant phot1-type phototropin in etiolated seedlings. The gene encoding the other type 1 phototropin, PsPHOT1A, is expressed at low levels, with its highest levels in the leaves and stems of more mature, light-grown plants. Studies with phyA, phyB and the phyAphyB double mutants show that phyA and phyB have partially redundant roles in the reduction of PsPHOT1B expression under red light.

This report is a revision of General Recommendations on Immunization and updates the 1994 statement by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) (CDC. General recommendations on immunization: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices [ACIP]. MMWR 1994;43[No. RR-1]:1-38). The principal changes include expansion of the discussion of vaccination spacing and timing, recommendations for vaccinations administered by an incorrect route, information regarding needle-free injection technology, vaccination of children adopted from countries outside the United States, timing of live-virus vaccination and tuberculosis screening, expansion of the discussion and tables of contraindications and precautions regarding vaccinations, and addition of a directory of immunization resources. These recommendations are not comprehensive for each vaccine. The most recent ACIP recommendations for each specific vaccine should be consulted for additional details. This report, ACIP recommendations for each vaccine, and other information regarding immunization can be accessed at CDCs National Immunization Program website at http.//www.cdc.gov/nip (accessed October 11, 2001).

Protein kinases play prominent roles in the regulation of metabolism and signal transduction processes (2, 3). In plants, the activities of several metabolic enzymes are regulated via phosphorylation by protein kinases (2). However, relatively little is known about the roles protein kinases may play in signal transduction in plants. In an effort to determine whether protein kinases are involved in signal transduction during photomorphogenesis, we previously used the PCR2 to obtain a suite of partial cDNA clones that encode protein kinase homologs from pea (9). We found that transcript levels corresponding to these cDNAs, called the PsPK series, exhibit differential accumulation patterns during photoregulated leaf development (Table I). In particular, we found that PsPK3 and PsPK5 RNA levels were high in buds of etiolated pea seedlings and declined dramatically upon exposure of the seedlings to white light (9). Here, we report the complete nucleotide sequence of the cloned transcript encoding PsPK5. The cDNA library (Clontech) we used was constructed using mRNA from the buds of 7-d-old etiolated pea seedlings and XgtlO as vector. We screened the library using the partial cDNA clone of PsPK5 (9) as hybridization probe. Four overlapping cDNA clones were isolated and sequenced. To obtain the first 170 bp of cDNA sequence, we amplified DNA from the library using PCR with the XgtlO forward-sequencing primer (Clontech) and an antisense primer corresponding to nucleotides 297 to 319 of the complete sequence (Fig. 1). The resulting 310-bp fragment from two independent PCR amplifications was cloned also and sequenced. The complete cDNA sequence of PsPK5 shown in Figure 1 is 1826 bp and contains an open reading frame of 1284 bp. The predicted PsPK5 polypeptide is 428 amino acids in length and has a calculated molecular mass of 48.6 kD. Searches of the GenBank database revealed that the predicted PsPK5 polypeptide is most similar to the polypeptide encoded by the bean cDNA clone PVPK-1 (8). The next most similar sequences were the catalytic subunits of the cAPK subfamily and the PKC subfamily of protein-serine/threonine kinases. This similarity to signal-transducing protein kinases suggests Table I. Characteristics of cDNA Clone PsPK5

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the role that protein kinases play in the perception and transduction of light signals. There is a substantial body of evidence to show that light causes rapid changes in protein phosphorylation and in the expression of protein kinase genes. These types of data are consistent with the notion that protein kinases play a role in transducing light signals. Protein kinases are often mentioned as potential components of signaling pathways activated by the photoreceptors. Light alters the phosphorylation status of several proteins, including phytochromes and phototropin. Light regulates the expression of genes encoding protein kinases; in most cases, the signaling function of these kinases remains to be elucidated, although clear hints exist on where to begin. From a protein phosphorylation perspective, the most profound recent advance is perhaps the identification of phytochrome and phototropin as protein kinases.

The United States has a goal to eliminate all indigenous cases of measles by the year 2000. Initial interruption of indigenous measles transmission would be expected during a period of very low measles incidence as occurred during late 1993.Indigenous measles cases (i.e. cases acquired in the United States and not traceable to any imported case) from 1993 were investigated to determine their source of infection. The probability of sustained undetected measles transmission between isolated indigenous cases was estimated.Of the 312 measles cases reported for 1993, only 25 (8%) occurred after September 19. Of these only 4 cases (16%) could be classified as indigenous. The estimated probability that any of these 4 cases resulted from indigenous measles transmission in theirs or any adjoining counties was 0.05 or less.Interruption of indigenous measles transmission appears to have occurred for the first time throughout the United States in 1993. This event provides strong support for the current national strategy for measles elimination. However, complete elimination of indigenous measles will require maintaining high population immunity to prevent spread from imported cases and attaining global measles control to prevent the importation of measles.

(2006). Outrage, Passion & Uncommon Sense: How Editorial Writers Have Taken on the Great American Issues of the Past 150 Years by Michael Gartner and the Newseum Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2005. 223 pp. American Journalism: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 175-176.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) catalyzes the first reaction in the general phenylpropanoid pathway leading to the production of phenolic compounds with a significant range of biological functions. A PAL gene we designated gPAL1, cloned from tobacco, consists of two exons separated by an intron of 1932 bp. Exon I, 398 bp, and exon II, 1747 bp, together encode a polypeptide of 715 amino acids. A putative TATA box and polyadenylation signal are found 144 bp upstream of the initiation codon and 193 bp downstream from the stop codon, respectively. Using various parts of gPAL1 as probes, genomic Southern blots indicated the presence of a small family of PAL genes in the tobacco genome that can be divided into two distinct subfamilies, one consisting of pal1 and pal2 and another of pal3 and pal4. Comparative genomic blot analysis of progenitor species (Nicotiana tomentosiformis and N. sylvestris) indicated that each species contains one PAL gene from each of the subfamilies, suggesting that pal1 and pal3 (or pal2 and pal4) diverged prior to the evolution of N. tabacum. Expression of the PAL gene family was examined using RNA gel blots. PAL transcript levels were significantly higher in flowers and roots than in leaves and stems of mature plants. PAL transcripts accumulate differentially during flower and leaf maturation in that mRNA levels decline during flower maturation but increase during leaf maturation. In leaves, PAL transcripts rapidly accumulated after wounding.

A receptor-like protein kinase, OsPK10, has been cloned from rice (Oryza sativa). The 2.8 kb cDNA contains an open reading frame capable of encoding a peptide sequence of 824 amino acids. The topological features of the predicted OsPK10 protein include an N-terminal signal peptide, a cysteine-rich extracellular ligand-binding domain, a membrane-spanning segment, and a cytoplasmic domain possessing all the hallmarks of catalytic domains of eukaryotic protein kinases. The cytoplasmic domain was selectively expressed in Escherichia coli and assayed for kinase activity. The results show the protein is capable of autophosphorylation using either ATP or GTP as the phosphate donor. Phosphoamino acid analysis reveals phosphorylation of threonines, consistent with the substrate specificity indicated by sequence motifs in the catalytic core. A single amino acid substitution of Glu for Lys-528 completely abolishes autophosphorylation activity. DNA gel blot analyses suggest that the haploid rice genome contains a single copy of the OsPK10 gene. OsPK10 transcripts appear to be more abundant in shoots than in roots of rice seedlings.

Vertical transmission of hepatitis A virus (HAV) has not been reported. From 25 October to 15 November 1989, 10 cases of symptomatic HAV infection occurred among neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staff. Testing of other NICU staff and patients identified 4 infected infants. Hepatitis A among staff was associated with caring for 1 of these infants, infant A (relative risk [RR], undefined; P = .05). Risk of illness was greater for staff who did not routinely wash their hands after treating infant A for apnea and bradycardia (RR = 4.9; P = .02). Staff, infants, visitors, and transfused blood products could not be implicated as a source of infant A's infection. Infant A's mother, however, was diagnosed with hepatitis A 10 days after premature labor and delivery. Evidence suggests that infant A was infected by his mother before or during birth. HAV then spread within the NICU because of breaks in infection control precautions. To prevent future outbreaks, NICU staff should adhere rigorously to body substance isolation measures.

Degenerate oligonucleotides, corresponding to conserved regions within the catalytic domain of known protein-serine/threonine kinases, were used as primers for the polymerase chain reaction to amplify cDNA synthesized from poly(A)+ RNA purified from the apical buds of 7-day-old pea seedlings. Five partial cDNAs were obtained and designated PsPK1 through PsPK5 (for Pisum sativum protein kinase) in order of decreasing length. The deduced amino acid sequences show that each member of the PsPK series is different in length, and, although their sequences are quite similar overall, each has a unique sequence. Moreover, each member of the PsPK series has structural features typical of members of the protein-serine/threonine kinase family of protein kinases. All are equally similar to cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C, suggesting that the pea homologs may be involved in signal transduction. DNA gel blots show that each PsPK cDNA is likely to be encoded by a single gene within the pea genome. RNA blot analyses show that the PsPK transcripts accumulate differentially during greening of etiolated seedlings. PsPK3 and PsPK5 transcripts show a large and rapid decline during deetiolation. In contrast, the level of PsPK4 RNA increases steadily during deetiolation whereas PsPK1 and PsPK2 transcripts show little change during the greening period. Thus light regulates changes in the levels of transcripts encoding putative protein kinases in plants.

Although eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome has been linked to use of tryptophan, it has been unclear whether tryptophan itself or a contaminant causes illness. In Oregon, we compared the brand and source of tryptophan used by 58 patients with eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome with the brand and source of tryptophan used by 30 asymptomatic controls identified through a random telephone survey and 63 asymptomatic controls who contacted the Oregon Health Division voluntarily. Although a single brand/retail lot of tryptophan was statistically associated with the development of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome, there was no common importer, wholesaler, tablet maker, encapsulator, or distributor. However, 45 (98%) of 46 cases had taken a product made by one manufacturer, compared with three (30%) of 10 telephone survey controls and 15 (48%) of 31 volunteer controls. Retail lots of tryptophan from this manufacturer that were associated with cases were significantly more likely to have been produced from January through June 1989 than lots from this manufacturer that were taken by controls. These findings indicate that the recent epidemic of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome was caused by a contaminant or an alteration in a subset of tryptophan manufactured by a single company in Japan shortly before the outbreak began. ( JAMA . 1990;264:213-217)

Light effects on the activity of several genes have recently been exploited in studies of plant gene expression. We discuss here some examples involving nuclear genes of higher plants, with emphasis on responses mediated by the phytochrome system. Recent work has revealed considerable diversity in the responses of different genes, indicating that several different regulatory programs are probably involved. A start has been made in studies of nuclear events associated with the changes in expression. Transcriptional regulation almost certainly occurs, although many details remain to be studied and effects on mRNA processing and turnover have not been ruled out. Recent in vitro mutagenesis and gene transfer experiments with the gene for the small subunit of RuBP carboxylase indicate that sequences involved in regulating the level of expression in the light are located 5′ to the gene within about 1 kb of the start of transcription.

Considerable DNA sequence homology can be detected between the Escherichia coli genes coding for translational and transcriptional components and both the chloroplast and nuclear genomes of Chlamydomonas reinhardi. Labeled chloroplast DNA was demonstrated to hybridize to DNA fragments of the transducing phages λfus3 and λspc2 that encode ribosomal proteins of the α and S10 operons. Further, chloroplast DNA probes hybridize to fragments of λrtf (d) 18 that encode the β and β' subunits of RNA polymerase. The regions homologous to the ribosomal protein and RNA polymerase genes were located on the chloroplast DNA physical map by probing restriction fragments of chloroplast DNA with phage or plasmid fragments carrying these E. coli genes. Probing nuclear DNA with bacterial gene probes revealed DNA fragments homologous to elongation factor and ribosomal protein genes. Most surprisingly, sequences homologous to the β subunit of RNA polymerase were found not only in chloroplast DNA but in nuclear DNA as well.

We have examined the rDNA chromatin of Pisum sativum plants grown with or without exposure to light for the presence of DNase I hypersensitive sites and possible developmental changes in their distribution. Isolated nuclei from pea seedlings were incubated with various concentrations of DNase I. To visualize the hypersensitive sites, DNA purified from these nuclei was restricted and analyzed by gel blot hybridization. We find that several sites exist in both the coding and noncoding regions of rDNA repeating units. Several of the sites in the nontranscribed spacer region are present in the light but are absent in the dark. Conversely, the hypersensitive sites within the mature rRNA coding regions are present in the dark but absent in the light. There are two major length variants of the rRNA genes in P. sativum var. Alaska. The sites in the nontranscribed spacer region that appear during the light treatment occur only in the shorter of these two length variants in this cultivar.

In a previous publication (2) we reported, in preliminary fashion, the production of a new rapid film-changing device which would be useful for general routine radiography. At that time the unit was in the course of preparation and only an experimental model was available. Since then a practical unit has been made and we have been able to test the device in practical clinical radiography. The history of the development of rapid film-changing cassettes and their utility in vascular radiography has been adequately reviewed by Scott (3). He is responsible, to a major degree, for the first rapid film-changing device utilizing roll film, although Dotter and his associates (1) no doubt also used roll film at a very early period. Since the original contributions on this subject, numerous papers have appeared and many types of apparatus have been designed to accomplish a similar purpose. The idea, however, of using a continuous strip of film, with intermittent contact with intensifying screens and automatic separ...

Any and varied instruments have been devised to permit the rapid changing of films or cassettes for special procedures in roentgen diagnosis, particularly in the field of angiography. One of the most commonly used types of apparatus for this purpose embodies a magazine loaded with a roll of film; the latter is moved rapidly between intensifying screens. The device will permit two exposures per second. Each year has brought forth several such pieces of apparatus, attesting to the fact that none available on the market are entirely satisfactory. Since such devices are expensive and as presently constructed are very limited in their utility, they are not commonly found outside of large institutions. The use of roll film for conventional x-ray examinations has had very little experimentation. At one time x-ray paper of 14 × 17-inch size was prepared on a roll for the rapid radiography of the chest, as a survey procedure, but this has largely been superseded by photofluorography. In the latter, roll film has b...