CHARACTERIZATION OF RAT TESTICULAR ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE

A protein from rat testes that catalyzes the oxidation of ethanolin the presence of NAD⁺, but not NADP⁺, has been characterizedenzymatically and compared to that of hepatic alcohol dehydrogenaseobtained from the same animals. The testicular enzyme, likethe hepatic enzyme, has a K_m value for ethanol in the 0.5–1.0-mMrange and can utilize other alcohols such as n-propanol, n-butanol,and isobutanol, although the K_m values for these other alcoholsare considerably lower (0.03–0.08 mM) that that for ethanol.The testicular enzyme is more heat-labile than is the hepaticenzyme. Finally, the testicular enzyme catalyzes the oxidationof retinol and its retinol dehydrogenase activity is inhibitedby ethanol.     

Chemical shift differences between free and Fab-bound peptide correlate with a two-stage selection of peptide sequences from a random phage display library to delineate critical and non-critical residues for antibody recognition

Epitope libraries provide a method to identify peptide ligands for antibodies, receptors or other binding proteins. As such, they provide a powerful tool to rapidly identify lead ligands in the drug discovery process. In an attempt to correlate structural information with the results from peptide screening, we have used NMR spectroscopy of peptide/antibody complexes to demonstrate that core residues identified through a two-stage selection process undergo a larger structural change upon binding antibody than do positions in the peptide amenable to a variety of side chains. The model system used was the M2 monoclonal antibody/Flag? octapeptide epitope system. We have analyzed two peptides: Ac-Asp-Tyr-Lys-Leu-Gly-Asp-Asp-Leu-NH₂ (peptide l), which contains several non-core positions randomized, and Ac-Asp-Tyr-Lys-Asp-Asp-Asp-Asp-Leu-NH₂ (peptide 2), which closely corresponds to the original Flag? sequence. Enrichment of the peptides with ¹⁵N facilitated the investigation by permitting spectral editing of the peptide resonances in the presence of antibody. For peptide 1 the absolute shifts for the free vs. Fab-bound peptide were found to be largest for the amide groups of Asp-1 and Asp-6, in agreement with classification of these residues as critical by the phage display library selection process. For peptide 2 the largest absolute shifts were observed for Asp-1 and Asp-4, with the other aspartic acid residues also showing significant but smaller changes. © Munksgaard 1995.     

Evaluation of the impact of recent changes in postgraduate continuing education for community pharmacists in England

Postgraduate continuing education for community pharmacists in England has undergone a radical change since the establishment of the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) in 1992. The present study was undertaken to assess the impact of the introduction of the CPPE on levels of participation and attitudes towards continuing education. Comparisons are drawn with an analysis made in 1991. Results showed that 76.8 per cent of respondents had participated in CPPE-based continuing education, as either workshops or distance learning. This level of participation is far higher than that previously recorded. Those pharmacists who attended the workshops also tended to request distance learning packages, while a significant proportion of users of distance learning declined to attend workshops. Owners of community pharmacies were significantly more likely than managers to use computer assisted learning material. Attitudes concerning restraints against participation in continuing education focused on the value pharmacists place on their spare time and the absence of a postgraduate education allowance for community pharmacists.     

Allocation of attentional resources during habituation to food cues

Two experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that habituation to repeated food cues can be inhibited by allocating processing resources to nonfood cues. In two experiments, the salivary response to 10 presentations of lemon yogurt was assessed while subjects engaged in a controlled cognitive search task (demanding attentional resources), an automatic search task (needing fewer attentional resources), or no task. In Experiment 1, the controlled and automatic search tasks differed in the number of memory set items. In Experiment 2, the size of the memory sets was held constant, and individuals were provided practice to stabilize the different search strategies in the task. The automatic search and no task groups habituated to the repeated presentation of food cues in both experiments, but the controlled search group did not. These results support the hypothesis that allocation of attentional resources to external cues can influence the processing of food cues.     

Personality disorder in an outpatient offender population

Previous research with incarcerated and hospitalised offenders has produced a fourfold typology of personality types. These have been labelled primary psychopath, secondary psychopath, inhibited and controlled. The current study uses cluster analysis of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) scores to determine whether the same clusters emerge in a sample of non-incarcerated offenders. Results indicate the presence of the four types in this population. Consideration is given to how the clusters vary with respect to index offence and other variables.     

Incremental Value of Three-Dimensional Echocardiography Over Transesophageal Multiplane Two-Dimensional Echocardiography in Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Cardiac Masses and Defects

In the present study, we compared three-dimensionally (3-D) reconstructed images with multiplane two-dimensional (2-D) transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) images in 17 patients with various cardiac masses and defects. To overcome the problem of making measurements from 3-D reconstructed images, we carefully "dissected" the 3-D dataset using paraplane and anyplane 2-D sections, which were then used to obtain the maximum sizes of the cardiac masses and defects. Of the 15 vegetations and 9 abscesses detected by 3-D TEE in 7 patients, only 8 (53%) vegetations and 4 (44%) abscesses were detected by multiplane 2-D TEE (P < 0.02). Also, the exact anatomical location, shape, geometry, and extent of various cardiac masses and defects were more clearly delineated by 3-D than 2-D TEE. The maximum dimensions of cardiac masses and defects were larger by 3-D than by 2-D TEE in 17 (89%) of the 19 lesions available for comparison (P < 0.002). In addition, 3-D TEE correlated more closely than 2-D TEE when compared to surgical measurements in three patients in whom they were available. Thus, it would appear that in several instances, the exact size of the cardiac lesion could only be assessed by analysis of the 3-D volumetric dataset. Out preliminary study has demonstrated the superiority of transesophageal 3-D reconstruction over multiplane 2-D TEE in both qualitative and quantitative assessment of various cardiac mass lesions and pathological defects.     

Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

The proceedings of the second annual scientific conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco are summarized. The goal of the annual conference was to disseminate information about ongoing nicotine research from biological, behavioral and social perspectives. Data were presented describing our current understanding of the structure and function of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, by which nicotine exerts most, if not all, of its effects in the brain. The conformational complexity of receptor subunits expressed in different brain areas contributes significantly to the complexity of responses observed to nicotinic agonists. Nicotine is being developed as a medication that might be used to maintain smoking cessation and to treat various medical diseases. The potential toxicity of nicotine, apart from cigarette smoking, is an important variable in assessing the benefits and risks of such therapeutic applications. The risks of nicotine-containing medications appear to be far less than those associated with tobacco use. Recent data indicate that cigarette smoking is increasing among youth in the United States. Adolescent smokers are interested in quitting and make frequent quit attempts, but are usually not successful. Effective methods are needed to manage adolescent smokers before they become heavily addicted. Nicotine replacement as a pharmacological treatment for smoking cessation has made a significant contribution in improving quit rates. New medications have been developed that target specific populations of smokers.