Cognitive estimation in traumatic brain injury.

The present study explores the construct and ecological validity of the Biber Cognitive Estimation Test (BCET) in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) sample. Participants completed the BCET in the course of a neuropsychological evaluation at 1-15 years after injury. BCET scores correlated moderately with other standard measures of executive functioning, and contrary to our hypotheses, at least as high with neuropsychological tests with minimal demands on executive functioning. Moreover, partialing out the portion of BCET variance not attributable to executive functioning markedly attenuated the former correlations. With respect to ecological validity, BCET scores did not predict concurrent functional status, as measured by the Disability Rating Scale. By comparison, standard measures of executive functioning strongly correlated with each other, correlated less strongly with nonexecutive functioning measures, and predicted functional status. In conclusion, unlike standard measures of executive functioning, the BCET demonstrated poor construct and ecological validity in TBI patients.     

Public health capacity building in southeastern Europe: a partnership between the Open Society Institute and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The political disintegration of former Yugoslavia inaugurated in 1991 resulted in the decentralization of health systems in the federation's successor nation-states. Efforts by the Open Society Institute improved public health planning and management needs consequent to health sector changes. Beginning in Croatia in 2001, the Institute developed ongoing collaborations between Andrija Stampar School of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2003 and 2004, it expanded its project to include the republics of Macedonia and of Serbia and Montenegro.     

GLUT1 and GLUT8 in endometrium and endometrial adenocarcinoma.

Glucose is provided to cells by a family of glucose transport facilitators known as GLUTs. These transporters are expressed in a tissue specific manner and are overexpressed in many primary tumors of these tissues. Regulation of glucose transport facilitator expression has been demonstrated in endometrial tissue and endometrial adenocarcinoma. The following experiments were conducted to quantify and localize the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT8 in benign endometrium and compare this expression to endometrial cancer. Endometrial tissue samples were obtained from random hysterectomy specimens of patients with benign indications for surgery and endometrial cancer. Immunoblot and immunolocatization studies were performed using GLUT1 and GLUT8 specific antisera. Endometrial samples from 65 women who had undergone hysterectomy were examined (n=38 benign, n=27 malignant). A 44 and a 35.4 kDa immunoreacive species was demonstrated in endometrium and endometrial cancer for GLUT1 and GLUT8, respectively. Upregulation of GLUT1 expression was demonstrated with increasing grade of tumors (P<0.002). GLUT8 expression was increased in all tumor subtypes compared to atrophic endometrium (P<0.001). Apical localization by GLUT1 and GLUT8 was demonstrated in endometrial glands. GLUT1 and GLUT8 demonstrated diffuse intracellular localization in the cancer subtypes. GLUT1 and GLUT8 are expressed in both human endometrium and endometrial cancer. There appears to be a step-wise progression in GLUT1 and GLUT8 expression as tumor histopathology worsens. GLUT1 and GLUT8 may be important markers in tumor differentiation, as well as providing energy to rapidly dividing tumor cells.     

Amide molecular clocks in drosophila proteins: potential regulators of aging and other processes

After synthesis and folding, peptides and proteins undergo changes in charge and conformation through nonenzymatic deamidation of asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues. Each amide has a specific deamidation rate that is genetically determined by the sequence of residues immediately adjacent in the peptide chain and by secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure. By means of experimentally verified computations, we have determined the deamidation rates of 49 Drosophila peptides and proteins. These rates demonstrate that deamidation provides molecular clocks that are suitable for the regulation of Drosophila aging, development, and other biochemical processes. We have also determined the rates of deamidation for 17,886 other proteins from a wide variety of organisms. The distribution function of these deamidation rates demonstrates the suitability of amide residues as biomolecular clocks.     

Regional distribution of antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 in men and women in Ontario,Canada

This study estimated the regional and age- and gender-specific seroprevalences of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 in Ontario, Canada. Stored serum specimens from subjects aged 15 to 44 years, including men (n = 979), women not under prenatal care (n = 638), and women under prenatal care (n = 701) submitted for routine viral serology were randomly selected according to regional population size from public health laboratories. HSV-1 and HSV-2 testing was done with the MRL enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (Focus Technologies), and HSV-2 was also tested by the Gull/Meridian EIA. Specimens discordant for HSV-2 antibodies between the two EIAs were resolved by a recombinant immunoblot assay (Focus Technologies). The overall age- and gender-standardized seroprevalences of HSV-1 and HSV-2 were 51.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 50.1 to 52.1) and 9.1% (95% CI, 8.6 to 9.7), respectively. The seroprevalence of HSV-1 antibodies increased from 26.9 to 54.7% in men between 15 to 16 and 40 to 44 years of age, from 32.0 to 88.7% in women not under prenatal care, and from 55.2 to 69.2% in women under prenatal care. The seroprevalence of HSV-2 increased from 3.8 to 21.3% in men between 15 to 16 and 40 to 44 years of age, from 0 to 18.9% in women not under prenatal care, and from 3.4 to 23.1% in women under prenatal care. HSV-2 results were discordant for 3.3% (76 of 2,318) of specimens. Both types of HSV antibodies appeared to be acquired earlier among women under prenatal care than among men and women not under prenatal care. Antibodies were more prevalent among people in northern Ontario (72.9% of subjects [range, 68.4 to 77.4%] for HSV-1 and 13.7% of subjects [95% CI, 10.2 to 17.2%] for HSV-2) than elsewhere.     

Induction of long-term protective effects against heterologous challenge in SIVhu-infected macaques

A group of three rhesus macaques were inoculated with SIV isolated from a human (SIVhu) accidentally exposed and infected with SIVsm. Extensive sequence analyses of SIVhu obtained from the human and macaques following infection indicated the presence of truncated nef. Not only did nef fail to repair itself in vivo postinfection (p.i.), but instead, further mutations added additional stop codons with increasing time p.i. Infection of these animals was associated with minimal acute viral replication, followed by undetectable plasma viral loads and only intermittent PCR detection up to 5 years p.i. The three SIVhu infected and three control monkeys were then challenged with the heterologous highly pathogenic SHIV89.6p. All three controls became infected and showed rapid declines in peripheral CD4(+) lymphocytes, disease, and death at 10 and 32 weeks p.i., respectively. In contrast, all three animals previously infected with SIVhu are healthy and exhibit stable CD4(+) lymphocyte levels and undetectable plasma viral loads at >20 months post-SHIV89. 6p challenge. Only transient, low levels of SHIV replication were noted in these animals. Whereas responses to SIVgag/pol were noted, no evidence for SIV/SHIV envelope cross-reactivity was detected by antibody or CTL analyses, suggesting that the protective immune mechanisms to the heterologous challenge isolate were most likely not directed to envelope but rather to other viral determinants.     

Performance of a commercial, type-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of herpes simplex virus type 2-specific antibodies in Ugandans

Two hundred forty-eight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and 496 HIV-negative subjects in Uganda were tested by HerpeSelect herpes simplex virus type 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting to optimize the ELISA for use in this population. A higher index cutoff value was required for optimal sensitivity and specificity, and overall performance of the assay was not affected by HIV status.