Quality control in cervical cytology

From surveys conducted by the authors it is concluded that the best and most acceptable quality control methods in cytology are those from within the laboratory. Most of these have results which can be reported centrally. Where the overall control and codes of practice are high, there the results are the most reliable, as sources of error from whatever cause are quickly brought to light. These conclusions are illustrated by data from the five centres and correlated in the tables.     

Characterization of an SAV organism and proposal of Mycobacterium triplex sp. nov.

Polyphasic taxonomic methods were employed to characterize a new species of slowly growing, nonpigmented mycobacteria. We propose the name Mycobacterium triplex sp. nov. for this new taxon. Conventional identification testing demonstrated a group of similar organisms that were geographically widespread in the United States. Commercially available nucleic-acid probes specific for the Mycobacterium avium complex were unreactive for these strains. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the mycolic acids revealed mycolate profiles that closely resembled Mycobacterium simiae. Comparative 16S rRNA sequence data confirmed the phylogenetic relationship of the strains with the slowly growing mycobacteria. Representative-type strains have been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection as strain ATCC 700071 [corrected].     

Behavior in chimeric mice combining differently behaving strains

A/J and C57BL/6J mice behave differently in tests for alcohol preference, open-field activity, defecation in the open field, cricket attacking, and rope climbing. Chimeric mice, i.e., mice containing both A/J cells and C57BL/6J cells, were constructed and tested for these behaviors. Patterns of behavior among A/JC57BL/6J chimeras are such as to suggest that none of these behavior differences is controlled by a single cell or clone and that the same cell population that gives rise to the strain difference in alcohol preference also gives rise to the differences in open-field activity and defecation, while separate cell populations control cricket killing and rope climbing.This research was supported by Research Grants AA 00388 and HD 03015 to M. N. N. and MH 18996 to K. B. Computing assistance was obtained from the Health Sciences Computing Facility, UCLA, supported by NIH Special Research Resources Grant RR-3.     

Mitogenic response of mouse spleen cells and gelation of limulus lysate by lipopolysaccharide of Yersinia pestis and evidence for neutralization of lipopolysaccharide by polymyxin B.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extracted with phenol and water from Yersinia pestis was compared with LPS of Escherichia coli for stimulation of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in mouse spleen cells (lymphocyte mitogenesis), gelation of limulus lysate, pyrogenicity in the rabbit, and susceptibility to inhibition of these activities by polymyxin B sulfate (PBS). LPS of Y. pestis stimulated deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in mouse spleen cell cultures over the same quantitative range as LPS of E. coli. In the limulus tests and rabbit pyrogenicity studies, the LPS of Y. pestis was active but about 10 times less potent than E. coli LPS on a weight basis. PBS in concentrations from 1 to 10 microgram/ml diminished the rate of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in spleen cell cultures stimulated by LPS of both Y. pestis and E. coli. Addition of PBS to LPS of both Y. pestis and E. coli in a ratio of 100 parts of PBS to 1 part of LPS by weight increased by 10-fold the concentration of LPS required to produce gelation of limulus lysate and inhibited significantly pyrogenic responses in rabbits. These results demonstrating similarities of LPS of Y. pestis and E. coli may suggest that the pathogenesis of plague is similar to that of other gram-negative bacterial infections.     

Duke Surgery Research Central: an open-source Web application for the improvement of compliance with research regulation

Background  

Although regulatory compliance in academic research is enforced by law to ensure high quality and safety to participants, its implementation is frequently hindered by cost and logistical barriers. In order to decrease these barriers, we have developed a Web-based application, Duke Surgery Research Central (DSRC), to monitor and streamline the regulatory research process.     

Whole-genome sequence assembly for mammalian genomes: Arachne 2

We previously described the whole-genome assembly program Arachne, presenting assemblies of simulated data for small to mid-sized genomes. Here we describe algorithmic adaptations to the program, allowing for assembly of mammalian-size genomes, and also improving the assembly of smaller genomes. Three principal changes were simultaneously made and applied to the assembly of the mouse genome, during a six-month period of development: (1) Supercontigs (scaffolds) were iteratively broken and rejoined using several criteria, yielding a 64-fold increase in length (N50), and apparent elimination of all global misjoins; (2) gaps between contigs in supercontigs were filled (partially or completely) by insertion of reads, as suggested by pairing within the supercontig, increasing the N50 contig length by 50%; (3) memory usage was reduced fourfold. The outcome of this mouse assembly and its analysis are described in (Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium 2002).     

Inhibitory processes in adults with persistent childhood onset ADHD

The theory that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stems from a deficit in an executive behavioral inhibition process has been little studied in adults, where the validity of ADHD is in debate. This study examined, in high-functioning young adults with persistent ADHD and a control group, 2 leading measures of inhibitory control: the antisaccad task and the negative priming task. ADHD adults showed weakened ability to effortfully stop a refle ve or anticipated oculomotor response but had normal ability to automatically suppress irrelevant information. Results suggest that an inhibitory deficit in ADHD is confined to effortful inhibition of motor response, that antisaccade and negative priming tasks index distinct inhibition systems, and that persistence of ADHD symptoms into adulthood is associated with persistence of executive motor inhibition deficits.