Proton,calcium, and magnesium binding by peptides containing γ-carboxyglutamic acid

γ-Carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) is believed to bind Ca [II] ions and Mg [II] ions in prothrombin and other coagulation proteins. Binding constants for H ⁺, Ca [II] ions, and Mg [II] ions to Gla-containing peptides are determined using pH and ion selective electrode titrations. The binding constants for peptides containing a single Gla residue are similar to the constants for malonic acid. Peptides containing two Gla residues in sequence (di-Gla peptides) bind Ca [II] ions and Mg [II] ions more strongly. K_MgL for the di-Gla peptides is similar to the site-binding constant for Ca [II] ions in denatured BF1. These di-Gla peptides may be useful analogs for metal binding by the disordered Gla domain in BF1.     

THE ELECTROPHORETIC INDEX : A PARAMETER OF THYROID FUNCTION

The capacity of serum thyroxine-binding globulin (T.B.G.) and albumin to bind added radiothyroxine in vitro has been utilized as a diagnostic test of thyroid function. After electrophoresis on cellulose acetate, the ratio of radioactivity in the α₁- to α₂ globulin zone to the total radioactivity present in the protein area, expressed as a percentage, is termed the electrophoretic index (E. I.). The normal range of values lies between 61% and 75% (mean, 68·9±3·86). The hyperthyroid range is below the lower limit (mean, 54·9±6·03), while hypothyroid values are above the upper limit (mean, 79·8±2·90). The E.I. for normal pregnancy is invariably over 80%. The clinical conditions under which the E.I. is most contributory to correct diagnosis, in the presence of conflicting protein bound iodine and resin uptake results, include treated thyroid disease and suspected thyroid dysfunction in which there is a high blood level of iodine as a result of laboratory contamination, the use of X-ray media or the intake of iodine preparations. In the case of those patients who have an abnormal binding capacity of T.B.G. because of changes in the protein pattern which are either inherent, disease-induced, or the result of the intake of drugs or hormones, the estimation of the E.I. is of value in establishing the underlying cause. A knowledge of the E.I. is also helpful in the detection of hypothyroidism in early infancy, and its use gives consistently reliable results in the diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis coinciding with pregnancy.     

Focus-group methods: effects on village-agency collaboration for child survival

In the West African nation of Togo an essential element of healtheducation in support of child survival is the training of mid-levelhealth workers to conduct focus-group interviews with caretakersof children under 5 years of age. The intent is to develop thecapability of the National Health Education Unit to establishqualitative data bases that complement survey data on maternalpractices related to child health. These data are used to designand evaluate the health education component for programmes ofchildhood immunization, the control of diarrhoeal diseases,and malaria. Following a five-day training programme in late 1986, healthworkers collected and prepared for analysis data from 81 focus-groupinterviews involving a total of 324 mothers living in nine ruralTogolese villages. In addition, two unanticipated effects wereobserved during and after training. First, the focus-group methoddemocratized data gathering by forcing health workers out oftheir perceived roles as experts and teachers, and mothers outof being helpless villagers and learners. Second, by stimulatingthis shift in roles, the focus-group process enhanced the developmentof community competence, thereby promoting collaborative programmeplanning by health workers and target villages. Dramatic increases in childhood immunization rates offer evidencethat focus-group interviews can play an important role in stimulatingthe needed interaction between clients and providers to planand carry out a community education ‘mini-campaign’in each village. It is from such group processes that collectiveawareness of needs, and actions to resolve them, can arise.Child survival projects should consider training mid-level healthworkers to gather focus-group data as an action-research approachto planning, implementing and evaluating their community healtheducation programmes.     

Attributes of the Oral Cavity as a Site for Basal Body Temperature Measurements

The thermal topography of the oral cavity of 11 women was mapped with thermocouples in early morning waking conditions. A reference thermocouple was placed in the vagina. No significant difference was found in the time required to reach a steady-state oral temperature and in the achieved steady-state temperature difference (T_v-T_o) in the preovulatory and postovulatory phases of the menstrual cycle. Location of the thermocouple in the oral cavity had a significant effect on steady-state temperature differences. After equilibration of oral thermometers, women breathed through their mouths for exactly five minutes. Mouths were closed and a second temperature equilibration phase was recorded. Mouth breathing had a significantly greater effect on the temperature of the anterior sublingual and dorsum of the tongue sites than on the posterior sublingual and buccal trough sites.     

Inhibition of cell proliferation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines with antisense cyclin D1

Cyclin D1 and cyclin G are essential regulatory factors in the progression of the cell cycle from G0 through G1 and S phase. Aberrations in expression of these cyclins may lead to dysregulated cellular proliferation that could result in neoplasia. Amplification and overexpression of cyclin D1 have been observed in many human cancers, whereas cyclin G is a new cyclin recently described in osteosarcoma cells. This study was performed to determine whether these cyclins were amplified in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumors. Polymerase chain reaction of DNA extracted from 22 HNSCC primary tumors and three HNSCC cell lines did not reveal amplification of cyclin D1 in any of the tumor samples. Southern blot analysis identified amplification of cyclin D1 in a single tumor. Amplification of cyclin G was not observed in any of the tumors by Southern blot hybridization with a cyclin G probe. HNSCC cell lines transfected with antisense cyclin D1 were tested for cell proliferation by the incorporation of ³ H-thymidine into cells grown in serum-free media. By 72 hours of incubation, there was a greater than 30% reduction in proliferation of cells transfected with antisense cyclin D1 as compared with nontransfected control cells. The results indicate that cyclin D1 may play an important role in the growth and proliferation of HNSCC cells. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;119:593-9.)     

A comparison of DSM-III-R, DSM-IV and ICD-10 substance use disorders diagnoses in 1922 men and women subjects in the COGA study

A research interview was used to evaluate the relationship relationships between DSM-IV, DSM-III-R and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders. The sample of 1992 subjects, including both men and women, was composed of subjects and their relatives from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcohoism (COGA) study. With regard to diagnoses of substance dependence, the analyses revealed that the proportions of individuals diagnosed in the three systems were similar, with the highest numbers observed for DSM-III-R, the lowest for ICD-10 and the figures for DSA4-IV between the two. The kappas for dependence diagnoses ranged from 0.54 to 0.83, with the majority at 0.7 and higher, indicating that the same subjects were being given the same labels in the three systems. However, the criteria for abuse or harmful use resulted in rather disparate proportions labeled across the three systems, with kappas that rarely exceeded 0.10.     

Effects of Malathion on Humoral Immunity and Macrophage Function in Mast Cell-Deficient Mice

Malathion, when administered at noncholinergic doses, was previouslyshown to enhance the humoral immune response to a T dependentantigen, sheep red blood cells (SRBC), and macrophage function.In addition, malathion was shown to cause mast cell degranulation.The hypothesis that mast cells contribute to the observed alterationsin humoral immunity and macrophage function was determined byexamination of the effects of acute administration of malathionto mast cell-deficient mice on macrophage function and the generationof a humoral immune response to SRBC. Initial studies in twostrains of mast cell-deficient mice (6–7 weeks old) indicatedthat oral administration of malathion reduced macrophage functionin these mice, but enhanced macrophage function in the wild-typestrain. Because both strains reacted in a similar fashion andthe defect in the WBB6F1-W/WV strain allowed reconstitution,further studies were conducted with this strain. Exposure ofeither wild-type mice or mast cell-deficient mice with reconstitutedwith bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) from the wild-typemice to malathion enhanced macrophage function and the productionof circulating IgM, but not IgG, antibodies to SRBC on Days3 and 5 after immunization. In contrast, administration of malathionto older mast cell-deficient mice suppressed the generationof IgM and IgG antibodies to SRBC on Days 3 and 5 after immunization,but did not affect macrophage function. In summary, the resultspresented indicate that the presence of mast cells was necessaryfor the increases in macrophage function and humoral immunityobserved after acute oral administration of malathion to mice.     

Umbilical Artery Doppler Flow Studies during Pregnancy

The fetus depends upon adequate uteroplacental blood flow for normal growth and development. Inaccessibility of the fetus has made assessment of uteroplacental blood flow difficult. Doppler ultrasound of umbilical artery blood flow provides a noninvasive method for assessing pregnancies at risk for poor outcomes. This article describes blood flow studies using the Doppler ultrasound technique and provides related nursing implications.     

Health and offence histories of young offenders in Saskatoon,Canada

This paper examines the relationship between health and juvenile criminality in Saskatchewan, Canada. The data consist of anonymised demographic, health and juvenile offence information provided by Saskatchewan Social Service and Health agencies. They allow the examination of health and offence relationships among 315 offenders attaining the age of 17 years in 1987 or 1988. Two main research questions are explored: (1) the relationship between health and the criminal career patterns of the sample, and (2) the time course of the receipt of healthcare relative to times of offence to determine whether offending is associated with an increase of healthcare being sought. The findings indicate that there is little support for an association between any specific disease category and juvenile offending. Mental disorder is the health variable most consistently distinguishing offenders. Other variables suggest intriguing relationships that cannot be regarded as conclusive on the evidence presented here: for instance, perinatal disorders distinguish those whose offences are exclusively committed against the person. The data show clear differences between offenders and non-offenders in the pattern of health contacts made according to age. A higher proportion of medical contacts made by non-offenders are made before their eleventh birthday. The opposite is true of offenders. This could be interpreted as showing that parents and others respond to officially recorded offending by seeking medical accounts or mitigation of juvenile offending. However, much of the increase in health contacts by offenders occurs in the years before their official identification as offenders. This suggests that medical help is sought as children develop a pre-delinquent lifestyle and also seek medical accounts of official delinquency once it has occurred. This is most true of those who start their official delinquency late.