Incidental prostatic carcinoma: Morphometry correlated with histological grade

Summary The histological grades of prostatic carcinoma, as defined by Gleason, were correlated with three methods of morphometry in 254 step-sectioned prostates obtained at autopsy. The variables studied were 1) the number of tumours in each prostate; 2) bilaterality and 3) tumour volume. Each characteristic yielded a statistically significant correlation with histological grade. The strongest correlations were obtained using tumour volume. These autopsy studied help to explain the inconsistent results obtained from morphometric analyses of surgical material, and lend support to the Gleason system as a means of predicting tumour behavior.Supported in part by research contracts PH 64-10, NCI-72-3213, N01-CP-53521; Grant R01-CA-33644; and the Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research (33) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare     

HLA typing used with cultured amniotic and chorionic villus cells for early prenatal diagnosis or parentage testing without one parent's availability

Like fetal fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells, cultured chorionic villus cells can also be HLA typed with selected typing sera after preincubation with gamma interferon to promote better antigen expression. A modified procedure now in use would also allow any of these cell types to be tested for the presence or absence of all known HLA A,B,C, and DR antigens with standard preplated typing trays. This procedure was used to confirm that an on-going pregnancy had resulted from the successful in vitro fertilization and implantation of an anonymous donor's ovum and could also be of major use in rape or artificial insemination cases when the identity of the possible father(s) is not known.     

Methoxsalen stimulates electrogenic Cl- secretion in the mouse jejunum

We used the short-circuit current (I(sc)) and patch-clamp techniques to investigate the effects of methoxsalen (MTX) on the electrogenic Cl- secretion of the mouse jejunum. MTX stimulated a sustained increase in Isc that was dose dependent. Bumetanide inhibited MTX-stimulated Isc in a dose-dependent manner consistent with activation of Cl- secretion. MTX failed to stimulate I(sc) following maximal activation of the cAMP pathway by forskolin, but did increase Isc after a submaximal dose of forskolin. Glibenclamide, a blocker of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), reduced the MTX-stimulated increase of Isc by 59 +/- 6%. The cAMP-dependent K+ channel blocker 293B did not alter the MTX-activated I(sc); however, clotrimazole, an intermediate Ca2(+)-activated K+ channel (IK(Ca)) blocker, reduced the MTX-stimulated I(sc). MTX did not alter Na(+)-glucose cotransport across the mouse jejunum. In cell-attached membrane patches, MTX increased the open probability of the basolateral IK(Ca) channel of isolated crypts. These data suggest that the CFTR and IK(Ca) channels participate in the MTX-activated, sustained Cl- secretory response of the mouse jejunum.     

Symptoms of illness in late adulthood are related to childhood social deprivation and misfortune in men but not in women

Experiencing adverse life events during childhood may increase vulnerability to physical illnesses and psychological disorders during adulthood. We developed an Early Life Events Questionnaire (ELEQ) with 12 scales and administered it to 92 relatively healthy elderly individuals (29 men and 63 women). A canonical-correlation analysis of the 12 ELEQ scales and physical and psychological symptoms revealed a significant canonical correlation. The results indicate that those who grew up in a family with a harsh climate and whose affiliation needs were not met tended to have more psychological and physical symptoms in old age. Regression analysis revealed that, in men, early life events accounted for 42% of the variance in physical symptoms and 39% in psychological symptoms. No significant relationship, however, was found between ELEQ scales and health outcomes in women. These results suggest that women may be less vulnerable than men to the adverse health consequences of childhood deprivation and other misfortunes.This work was supported by Award SA 325 from the Medical Research Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs.     

Mutations in VMK1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase gene, affect microsclerotia formation and pathogenicity in Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium dahliae is an important soil-borne fungal pathogen that causes vascular wilt diseases in a large variety of important crop plants. Due to its persistence in the soil, control of Verticillium wilt relies heavily on soil fumigation. The global ban on methyl bromide, a highly effective soil fumigant, poses an urgent need to develop alternative control measures against Verticillium wilt; and these might be more forthcoming with a better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underpin the pathogenicity of V. dahliae. In this study, we assessed the role in growth, development, and pathogenicity of VMK1, a gene encoding a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (hence, Verticillium MAP Kinase 1). Disruption of VMK1 via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation, in two V. dahliae isolates, one from lettuce and the other from tomato, resulted in severely reduced virulence in diverse host plants, suggesting that VMK1 is essential for pathogenicity and that the MAP kinase-mediated signaling pathway has a conserved role in fungal pathogenicity. The vmk1 mutants also exhibited reduced conidiation and microsclerotia formation, suggesting that the gene is important for multiple cellular processes. P.R. and R.G.B. equally contributed to the work     

Changing patterns of binocular visual connections in the intertectal system during development of the frog,Xenopus laevis

Summary In the frog, Xenopus laevis, a system of intertectal connections underlies the visual projection from an eye to its ipsilateral tectal lobe and is involved in the topographic representation of binocular visual space. Rotation of one eye in early life may be followed by a radical rearrangement of the connections in this system. The modified pattern which later emerges is that which keeps the visual projection through the ipsilateral eye in topographic registration with the direct visual projection from the contralateral eye to the same tectal lobe. This plasticity requires visual experience.In this paper we describe the time-course and sequence of events by which this plasticity is effected. Following rotation of one eye in larval animals or in animals undergoing metamorphic climax, the earliest evidence of intertectal modification was found 3–4 weeks after metamorphosis. With increasing intervals after metamorphosis an increasing proportion of animals displayed modified intertectal systems. At intermediate intervals many animals showed partial modifications, which were interpreted as transitional stages in the modification process. Analysis of these transitional stages indicated that the sequence of events involved in the elaboration of a modified intertectal system following the experimental alteration of eye alignment exhibits features in common with rearrangements of the system that occur during normal development in response to growth-related alterations in eye alignment.     

Heparin-binding fragments of fibronectin are potent inhibitors of endothelial cell growth.

Two heparin-binding proteolytic fragments of fibronectin--an amino-terminal 29-kd segment and a carboxyl-terminal 40-kd segment-are apparently specific, potent inhibitors of the growth of cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells and inhibit growth in a reversible, dose-dependent manner. In contrast, native fibronectin at higher dosages neither inhibits nor interferes with the effects of the 29-kd fragment. The data, therefore, suggest that fibronectin fragments may participate in the regulation of vascular growth.     

Effects of Orally Administered Epidermal Growth Factor on Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Infection in Rabbits

The increased intestinal absorption induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF) is associated with diffuse lengthening of brush border microvilli. The aim of this study was to examine the in vivo effects of oral administration of EGF during infection with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. New Zealand White rabbits (4 weeks old) received orogastric EGF daily starting 3 days prior to infection with enteropathogenic E. coli RDEC-1 and were compared with sham-treated infected animals and uninfected controls. Weight gain, food intake, fecal E. coli, and stool consistency were assessed daily. On day 10, segments of jejunum, ileum, proximal, and distal colon were assessed for gram-negative bacterial colonization, disaccharidase activities, and epithelial ultrastructure. Effects of EGF on E. coli RDEC-1 proliferation were studied in vitro. E. coli RDEC-1 caused diarrhea and reduced weight gain. Seven days postinfection, the small and large intestines were colonized with numerous bacteria, brush border microvilli were disrupted, and maltase and sucrase activities were significantly reduced in the jejunum. Daily treatment with EGF prevented the occurrence of diarrhea and reduction of weight gain. These effects were associated with significant inhibition of E. coli colonization in the small and large intestine, improved jejunal maltase and sucrase activities and reduced microvillous injury. EGF did not affect the proliferation of E. coli in vitro. The findings suggest that EGF protects the gastrointestinal tract against colonization by enteropathogenic E. coli.