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U21 is a viral protein that forms hetero-oligomers with class I major histocompatibility complex molecules and reroutes them to lysosomes. It is shown that U21 exits from the Golgi in a distinct clathrin-independent carrier that also carries unfolded and aggregated proteins to lysosomes.

The authors describe the development of the catalog of mouse genes to compose genomic. transcript and protein sequences. They report that the main focus of their study has been the RIKEN full-length enriched cDNA clone set.

Remodeling of tissue, such as airway smooth muscle (ASM) and extracellular matrix, is considered a key feature of airways disease. No clinically accepted diagnostic method is currently available to assess airway remodeling or the effect of treatment modalities such as bronchial thermoplasty in asthma, other than invasive airway biopsies. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) generates cross-sectional, near-histological images of airway segments and enables identification and quantification of airway wall layers based on light scattering properties only. In this study, we used a custom motorized OCT probe that combines standard and polarization sensitive OCT (PS-OCT) to visualize birefringent tissue in vivo in the airway wall of a patient with severe asthma in a minimally invasive manner. We used optic axis uniformity (OAxU) to highlight the presence of uniformly arranged fiber-like tissue, helping visualizing the abundance of ASM and connective tissue structures. Attenuation coefficient images of the airways are presented for the first time, showing superior architectural contrast compared to standard OCT images. A novel segmentation algorithm was developed to detect the surface of the endoscope sheath and the surface of the tissue. PS-OCT is an innovative imaging technique that holds promise to assess airway remodeling including ASM and connective tissue in a minimally invasive, real-time manner.

Photojournalism is about to be abolished in newspapers. Many photo editors are of the opinion that the photo department has been relegated to the back room in terms of importance especially when the 'run of press color' was introduced which allowed the printing of color on any page. This made photography merely as an illustrative tool. Thus, photo editors are now just being asked to manage and their powers may be further reduced with the emergence of digital photography.

We reported previously that infection of C3H/HeOuJ (HeOu) mice with the murine intestinal pathogen Citrobacter rodentium caused a selective modulation of hepatic cytochrome P450 (P450) gene expression in the liver that was independent of the Toll-like receptor 4. However, HeOu mice are much more sensitive to the pathogenic effects of C. rodentium infection, and the P450 down-regulation was associated with significant morbidity in the animals. Here, we report that oral infection of C57BL/6 mice with C. rodentium, which produced only mild clinical signs and symptoms, produced very similar effects on hepatic P450 expression in this strain. As in HeOu mice, CYP4A mRNAs and proteins were among the most sensitive to down-regulation, whereas CYP4F18 was induced. CYP2D9 mRNA was also induced 8- to 9-fold in the C57BL/6 mice. The time course of P450 regulation followed that of colonic inflammation and bacterial colonization, peaking at 7 to 10 days after infection and returning to normal at 15 to 24 days as the infection resolved. These changes also correlated with the time course of significant elevations in the serum of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, as well as of interferon-γ and IL-2, with serum levels of IL-6 being markedly higher than those of the other cytokines. Intraperitoneal administration of C. rodentium produced a rapid down-regulation of P450 enzymes that was quantitatively and qualitatively different from that of oral infection, although CYP2D9 was induced in both models, suggesting that the effects of oral infection on the liver are not due to bacterial translocation.

The article features Abraham Lincoln as a lawyer and how the profession helped him for U.S. presidency. Lincoln, considered as the most experienced trial lawyer Americans have ever placed in the White House, handled 3,800 known cases, litigated during a quarter century at the Illinois bar. It is noted that Lincoln's political contacts widened while he was in practice and learned how to communicate with people and solve disputes. It also highlights his relationship with friend attorney John Todd Stuart William H. Herndon.

To facilitate automated patch clamp measurements of ion channels in cells, the development of an all-glass Chiptip pipette is reported that may be combined with the previously described Flip-the-Tip technology. A single measurement requires less than 50 cells, and the addition of drugs for screening can be limited to very low volumes down to 1 L. This apparatus is suitable for the study small cells, subcellular organelles and bacteria.

The musical notation for the song "Prelude No. 3," by Dirck Nagy is presented.

Les inconvénients le plus fréquemment cités dans la thérapeutique linguale, sont l’inconfort du patient, les problèmes liés au collage indirect et à la finition. Par conséquent, malgré un potentiel croissant, ces problèmes associés à des temps de traitement plus long, ont freiné son utilisation. Le système d’attache présenté dans cet article, a pour but de faciliter le traitement lingual pour le patient comme pour le praticien, en réduisant, même éliminant, les problèmes jusque là rencontrés. Contrairement aux techniques traditionnelles, les méthodes innovantes décrites ici, tant pour la manufacture des attaches que des arcs, permettent d’obtenir un appareil lingual totalement individualisé. Le praticien est le seul prescripteur et en fonction de la malocclusion et du plan de traitement établi, toute une bibliothèque de brackets et d’arcs sont disponibles et personnalisés à partir d’un set-up individualisé final.

Focuses on the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced by photographer David Leeson because of his coverage of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 for the newspaper "Dallas Morning News." Awards he received for the news coverage; Percentage of U.S. soldiers and Marines who served in Iraq that were afflicted with PTSD, according to a study by the "New England Journal of Medicine."

The morbidity and mortality associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by hemolytic anemia, vaso-occlusion, and progressive multiorgan damage. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is currently the only curative therapy; however, toxic myeloablative preconditioning and barriers to allotransplantation limit this therapy to children with major SCD complications and HLA-matched donors. In trials of myeloablative BMT designed to yield total marrow replacement with donor stem cells, a subset of patients developed mixed chimerism. Importantly, these patients showed resolution of SCD complications. This implies that less toxic preparative regimens, purposefully yielding mixed chimerism after transplantation, may be sufficient to cure SCD without the risks of myeloablation. To rigorously test this hypothesis, we used a murine model for SCD to investigate whether nonmyeloablative preconditioning coupled with tolerance induction could intentionally create mixed chimerism and a clinical cure. We applied a well-tolerated, nonirradiation-based, allogeneic transplantation protocol using nonmyeloablative preconditioning (low-dose busulfan) and costimulation blockade (CTLA4-Ig and anti-CD40L) to produce mixed chimerism and transplantation tolerance to fully major histocompatibility complex–mismatched donor marrow. Chimeric mice were phenotypically cured of SCD and had normal RBC morphology and hematologic indices (hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocyte, and white blood cell counts) without evidence of graft versus host disease. Importantly, they also showed normalization of characteristic spleen and kidney pathology. These experiments demonstrate the ability to produce a phenotypic cure for murine SCD using a nonmyeloablative protocol with fully histocompatibility complex–mismatched donors. They suggest a future treatment strategy for human SCD patients that reduces the toxicity of conventional BMT and expands the use of allotransplantation to non–HLA-matched donors.

The potential of the cluster fly, Pollenia rudis sensu stricto, to transmit bacterial pathogens was investigated during a mass infestation that took place in a German hospital. Cluster flies were individually examined for mesophilic bacteria carried on the exoskeleton. Bacterial growth could only be detected by using the enrichment culture technique to increase sensitivity, but not by direct inoculation of fly samples to agar plates. All 50 cluster fly samples that were tested carried opportunistic aerobic mesophilic Bacillus spp., whereas 41 fly samples were positive for Erwinia spp., 16 samples for Erwinia amylovara, 24 samples for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and 4 samples for Flavobacterium odoratum. Staphylococcus lugdunensis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found in 5 samples. No bacteriologically sterile cluster fly samples were obtained. The whole bacterial pattern found on P. rudis s.s. is known for its potential to cause opportunistic and /or noso-comial infections in humans. The results obtained led to the assumption that mass infestations of cluster flies occurring in sensitive areas, especially in hospitals, may cause a low, but not neglect-able health threat due to mechanical transmission of bacterial pathogens.

ABSTRACTHistorically, Swiss Webster mice of the CFW subline, both inbred and random-bred stocks, have been considered to have a low spontaneous occurrence of hematopoietic system tumors, and previous reports of infectious expression of murine leukemia viruses (MuLVs) have been rare and unremarkable. In marked contrast, in the present study of CFW mice from one source observed by two laboratories over a 2-year period, nearly 60% developed tumors, 85% of which were lymphomas, the majority of B-cell origin. All tumors tested expressed ecotropic MuLVs, and most expressed mink cell focus-inducing (MCF) MuLVs. Among normal mice of weanling to advanced age, over one-half were positive for ecotropic virus in tail or lymphoid tissues, and MCF virus was frequently present in lymphoid tissue, less often in tail. Patterns of ecotropic proviral integration indicated that natural infection occurred by both genetic and exogenous routes. Lymphomas were induced in NIH Swiss mice infected as neonates with tissue culture-propagated MuLVs isolated from normal and tumor tissue of CFW mice.

Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer, its causes remain unknown. The most common conditions known to be associated with testicular cancer are cryptorchidism, infertility, and overexposure to pesticides or radiation. Recent studies also indicate hormones may play a crucial role in testicular tumorigenesis. Our studies show that about half of the male transgenic mice overexpressing aromatase in testis were infertile and/or had larger than normal testicles. Gross pathology and histological analysis showed the mice to have Leydig cell tumors, unilaterally or bilaterally. Serum estradiol levels for transgenic mice were at least twice as high as those for nontransgenic mice. Expression of aromatase and estrogen receptor were also very high in testicular tissue of transgenic mice compared to nontransgenic mice. Consistent with increased estrogenic activity in the testicular tissue, we also saw an increase in the levels of genes involved in cell cycle that are regulated by the estrogen. To obtain a better understanding of the biological significance of testicular tumorigenesis, a reliable animal model is necessary to clarify the mechanisms and correlations associated with human cancers. Here we describe such a model, which shows that overexpression of aromatase results in increased estrogen production and a changed hormone milieu, leading to the induction of testicular cancer (Leydig cell tumors). This predictable and useful model is a potential tool for the study of testicular tumorigenesis, hormonal carcinogenesis, synergistic action of other carcinogens on hormone-induced tumors, and tumor dependency on endocrine factors.

Intelligent antennas have long been recognized as a method of improving the performance and capacity of wireless systems. However, only recently have they begun to make the move from research labs to product lines. As an example, Lucent Technologies recently included a two‐branch intelligent antenna (TBIA) in its enhanced digital radio unit product for time division multiple access (TDMA) systems. This paper describes the gains associated with various intelligent antenna techniques for both TDMA and code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular systems. Additionally, we describe recent research and prototyping efforts within Bell Labs.

Although body composition analysis is popular, dissection data are sparse and sometimes difficult to access. Published data that include the weights of skin, adipose tissue, muscle, and bone, along with body weight, are reviewed. The 31 men and 20 women include 34 cadavers from three separate dissection studies in Brussels, 12 from 19th century reports, and 5 from the United States. The age range was 16–94y. Men differed from women in that they had less adipose tissue and more muscle in both absolute and relative terms. The body mass index (BMI) did not differ between the sexes, because lower weights of muscle and bone compensated for the greater adiposity in women. The relationship between the BMI and relative adiposity was significant, but the BMI explained only about one-third of the variance in adiposity, indicating that in this sample it is a poor predictor of fatness. The composition of the fat-free weight (FFW) and adipose tissue free weight (ATFW), though less variable than body weight, showed enough variability that the assumption of constancy of the fat-free body required for densitometry and other indirect methods of fat estimation, could not be supported. In the few dissections that did fat extraction, essential on non-adipose fat, varied from 4–14% of the FFW, thus undermining the concept of lean body weight. More dissection data are needed, especially in children and adolescents, and especially in conjunction with in vivo body composition methods to help in their validation. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 11:167–174, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) from bovine heart, a 15 kDa cytoplasmic protein has been investigated by multidimensional homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR-spectroscopy. Perdeuterated palmitic acid has been used as fatty acid ligand. The tertiary structure has been determined from distance geometry calculations with the variable target functions algorithm (DIANA) [1] utilizing 1027 interproton distance constraints, which were obtained from1H-homo-nuclear NOESY spectra. Overlapping NOE crosspeaks were assigned by heteronuclear multidimensional NMR-experiments with a15N-labelled sample. The tertiary structure resembles a ß-barrel (ß-clam) consisting of ten anti-parallel ß-strands and a short helix-turn-helix motif. The ß-strands are arranged in two nearly orthogonal ß-sheets composed of 5 strands each. The solution structure is compared with the x-ray cyrstal structure of bovine heart [4] and rat intestinal FABPs.

We inoculated 5 to 7-week-old female C3HeB/FeJ mice withStreptococcus pyogenesstrain B514-Sm (type M50) by both an intranasal and intratracheal route and characterized the resulting illness. Following intranasal inoculation, the animals developed signs of illness within 1 to 8 days post-inoculation which correlated with acute, suppurative, bronchopneumonia during histopathologic analysis; however, the relationship of response to dose was non-linear, as seen previously in a small group of mice.1Intratracheal inoculations were then performed to increase the quantitative reliability of the model. Following intratracheal inoculation, the animals succumbed to an illness that was indistinguishable from that seen after intranasal inoculation, and the incidence of pneumonia followed a steep dose response curve. The dose at which 50% of the animals exhibited signs of respiratory illness within 72 h was 1.0×107colony forming units. All of the animals that appeared ill had lung lesions as determined by gross and histopathologic examination. Bacteraemia followed pneumonia in two-thirds of the intratracheally inoculated animals, indicating that theS. pyogeneshad crossed tissue barriers. We hope that this model will be useful in future studies concerning the role of suspected streptococcal virulence factors in the later stages of pathogenesis of invasiveS. pyogenesinfection.

An approximate constitutive relation is derived for plane strain deformation in a power-law viscous matrix reinforced with long rigid inclusions with elliptical cross sections. The analysis is based on the differential self-consistent scheme and numerical calculations estimating the influence of a single inclusion on the material surrounding it. In particular, the effects of particle shape and material nonlinearity are reported.

Thirty-nine states, all except two of which are new, have been observed up to 1535 keV in191Os using the reactions190Os(d,p)191Os,192Os(d, t)191Os with 12 MeV deuterons and magnetic analysis with photographic emulsions of the outgoing particles, and190Os(n, ?)191Os with thermal neutrons and three modes of gamma detection in the energy range from 40 keV to ~6 MeV. The neutron separation energy was determined as 5758.5±2.0 keV in agreement with the value of the (d, p) reaction. TheQ value for the (d, t) reaction was determined as -1265±15 keV. Spins and parities are assigned for most of the states below 800 keV. The states below 463 keV are shown to be qualitatively but not quantitatively consistent with the expectations of the Nilsson model. Nilsson systematics of the 1/2-: ¦510¦ and 3/2- ¦512¦ orbitals in odd-A Os isotopes with increasing neutron number can be understood in terms of decreasing deformation. Anomalously large (d, p) and (d, t) cross sections populating 5/2- and 3/2- states at 134 and 142 keV, respectively, are explained as a tendency to restore the cross sections expected for a spherical nucleus. Evidence for triaxiality in191Os is observed in the form of a 5/2- state at 273 keV which appears to be a rotational state built on the 9/2- ground state.

The authors assess performing hepatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after arterial portography with manganese dipyridoxal diphosphate (MnDPDP), a hepatobiliary contrast agent, as an invasive but potentially highly sensitive means of focal lesion detection.

Purpose: To report the results of a two-center study of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) exclusion using a polyester-covered nitinol stent-graft.Methods: Candidates were evaluated with arteriography and computed tomography. Criteria for endovascular therapy were a proximal aortic neck > 10 mm in length and < 25 mm in diameter, no bilateral internal iliac artery involvement in the aneurysm, no markedly tortuous common iliac arteries (CIAs) or CIAs < 7 mm in diameter, and no superior mesenteric artery occlusive disease. Patients were treated with the Mialhe Stentor and Vanguard stent-grafts in either tube or bifurcated versions.Results: Between August 1994 and November 1996, 149 patients (mean age 67 years, range 49 to 90) were admitted to the study. Overall primary technical success (aneurysm exclusion without endoleak) was 87% (130 patients): 78% (7 patients) for tube grafts and 88% (123 patients) for bifurcated endografts. The rate of local, remote, or systemic complications was 10.8%, with a 30-day mortality rate of 0.7%. During an average 13.5-month follow-up, there were no late deaths. Four of 20 endoleaks sealed spontaneously, 14 were treated with endoluminal techniques, and 2 remain untreated by patient request. Three graft limb thromboses occurred; one was treated surgically, one with lytic therapy, and one was untreated. Secondary patency was 96%.Conclusions: Endoluminal repair of infrarenal AAAs using straight or bifurcated grafts is a feasible alternative to conventional surgical repair. Longer follow-up and more experience with refined endograft models will elucidate the durability of this endovascular approach to treating AAAs.

The previously completely unknown energy levels of193Os have been investigated using the reactions192Os(d, p)193Os and192Os(n, ?)193Os. The neutron separation energy was measured to be 5583.5±2.0 keV. Most of the states below 500 keV can be qualitatively interpreted in terms of the Nilsson model; however the occurrence of four levels with significantl=1 transfer strength in this energy range is incompatible with that model. The Nilsson orbital systematics of the odd-A Os and W isotopes are compared.

ABSTRACTThis paper provides evidence for a measles virus receptor other than CD46 on transformed marmoset and human B cells. We first showed that most tissues of marmosets are missing the SCR1 domain of CD46, which is essential for the binding of Edmonston measles virus, a laboratory strain that has been propagated in Vero monkey kidney cells. In spite of this deletion, the common marmoset was shown to be susceptible to infections by wild-type isolates of measles virus, although they did not support Edmonston measles virus production. As one would expect from these results, measles virus could not be propagated in owl monkey or marmoset kidney cell lines, but surprisingly, both a wild-type isolate (Montefiore 89) and the Edmonston laboratory strain of measles virus grew efficiently in B95-8 marmoset B cells. In addition, antibodies directed against CD46 had no effect on wild-type infections of marmoset B cells and only partially inhibited the replication of the Edmonston laboratory strain in the same cells. A direct binding assay with insect cells expressing the hemagglutinin (H) proteins of either the Edmonston or Montefiore 89 measles virus strains was used to probe the receptors on these B cells. Insect cells expressing Edmonston H but not the wild-type H bound to rodent cells with CD46 on their surface. On the other hand, both the Montefiore 89 H and Edmonston H proteins adhered to marmoset and human B cells. Most wild-type H proteins have asparagine residues at position 481 and can be converted to a CD46-binding phenotype by replacement of the residue with tyrosine. Similarly, the Edmonston H protein did not bind CD46 when its Tyr481 was converted to asparagine. However, this mutation did not affect the ability of Edmonston H to bind marmoset and human B cells. The preceding results provide evidence, through the use of a direct binding assay, that a second receptor for measles virus is present on primate B cells.

The daily and seasonal movements of the walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, were studied by use of a VHF radio-tag system for three seasons each year during 1973 and 1974 in Lake Bemidji, a large eutrophic lake in north central Minnesota. The walleye moved parallel to the shore and did not show a diel on-shore and off-shore movement pattern. Submerged projections on the lake bottom such as rock bars or spits tended to serve as boundaries of the ranges within which the test fish moved. Large movements of tagged fish coincided with extensive periods of heavy cloud cover and precipitation. Wind speed and direction also appeared to influence fish movement especially when the fetch was large. Marked daily changes in water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration did not occur, and, thus, had little effect on the movement of test fish. There were slight seasonal changes in the extent of the daily movement of test fish, but the depth ranges shown by the tagged fish did not change greatly for each season.

Objectives.To examine the effects of intravesical suramin on N-methyl-N-nitrosurea (MNU)-induced bladder tumors in Fischer 344 rats.Methods.Multiple cohorts of female rats received four biweekly intravesical instillations of MNU. A control group received no other treatment, the experimental group received 25 mg/kg intravesical suramin twice a week beginning at week 6.Results.After 18 weeks from the first instillation of MNU, 60% to 65% of control animals developed papillary transitional cell carcinoma, compared with only 0% to 10% of the suramin-treated animals (P = 0.01 to P = 0.0007). There was no local or systemic toxicity observed.Conclusions.Intravesical suramin is an effective chemopreventative therapy for transitional cell carcinoma in vivo with minimal toxicity.