Effectiveness of foam earplug hearing protection for artillerymen firing L118/119 105 mm howitzers

A field study was carried out to study the effect of firing the British L118/9 195 mm howitzer (Hamel gun) on the hearing of crewmen wearing EAR earplugs. Two guns and gun crews were placed 7 m apart, each gun firing 40 rounds during each of 2 successive days. Bekesy type audiometry was carried out before and after firing and was also used to measure the attenuation or goodness of fit of the earplugs. No significant hearing loss was measured in any of the crewmen. It was concluded that, if correctly fitted, EAR earplugs provide adequate hearing protection under these exposure conditions.     

Disease tropism of c-erbB: effects of carboxyl-terminal tyrosine and internal mutations on tissue-specific transformation.

Avian leukosis virus induces erythroleukemia in chickens by proviral insertional mutation of the protooncogene c-erbB. The product of the insertionally activated c-erbB locus lacks the extracellular ligand-binding domain and is strictly leukemogenic. It has previously been demonstrated that the disease spectrum associated with aberrant c-erbB expression can be expanded by structural perturbation of the cytoplasmic domain of this protein. In this report, we use mutagenesis and retroviral vectors to identify specific mutations in the carboxyl-terminal domain of the insertionally activated c-erbB product that are sufficient to activate the sarcomagenic potential of this protein. Interestingly, a point mutation in the kinase domain appears to be sufficient for sarcomagenic activation. However, removal of the terminal tyrosine residue of the c-erbB product, implicated in modulating kinase activity, does not lead to a fully transforming phenotype. These studies suggest that there are multiple ways to activate the fibroblast-transforming potential of the insertionally activated c-erbB product. The conformation of this protein may play a more significant role in oncogenic activation than the phosphorylation status of the putative carboxyl-terminal autophosphorylation site.     

Evaluation of a Bayesian regression program for predicting warfarin response

The ability of a Bayesian regression program (Warfcalc) to predict warfarin response was evaluated retrospectively in 48 inpatients and prospectively in 10 inpatients. The prothrombin ratio (PR) on the last day of inpatient therapy was predicted using zero (naive) to five sequential, daily PR feedbacks. Bias and precision were measured using mean error (ME) and mean absolute error (MAE), respectively. Root mean squared error (RMSE) was used as a combined measure of bias and precision. In the retrospective group, the use of five PR feedbacks yielded the lowest ME, MAE, and RMSE (0.22, 0.30, and 0.45, respectively). The use of two and three daily PR feedbacks resulted in larger prediction errors compared with the use of naive parameters. Further evaluation of the retrospective patient data indicated that deletion of PR feedbacks associated with an activated partial thromboplastin time greater than 100 s and exclusion of metabolic inhibitors in the estimation of warfarin clearance resulted in more reliable predictions (ME = 0.07, MAE = 0.20, RMSE = 0.28). Similarly, deletion of such PR feedbacks and metabolic inhibitors from the prospective data and use of PRs for the first 5 days of therapy yielded ME, MAE, and RMSE values of 0.07, 0.21, and 0.27, respectively. The variance for prothrombin complex activity (PCA) as a function of the variance in the prothrombin time (PT) was investigated using Monte Carlo simulation assuming four different random error models for the PT measurements. These error models yielded functions that exhibit a maximum coefficient of variation at PCA values of 40-70%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The AT2 angiotensin receptor subtype predominates in the 18 day gestation fetal rat brain

The angiotensin II receptor subtype-specific antagonists Dup 753 (AT₁) and PD 123177 (AT₂) were used to characterize the angiotensin II receptor subtypes present in 18 day gestation fetal Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rat brain using in vitro receptor autoradiography. The AT₂ subtype was predominant in the brain of both rat strains, even in areas that display predominantly the AT₁ subtype in the adult rat brain.     

The effects ofN-methyl-d-aspartate and kainate lesions of the rat striatum on striatal ornithine decar☐ylase activity and polyamine levels

The intrastriatal injection ofN-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) (250 nmol) produced a delayed and marked increase in striatal ornithine decar☐ylase (ODC) activity and putrescine levels which peaked 6–15 h following the injection of NMDA. Striatal ODC activity subsequently returned to normal values while putrescine levels remained significantly elevated for up to 4 days following the lesion. NMDA produced an early and progressive decline in striatal spermine and spermidine levels, preceding the increase in ODC activity, with a maximum effect 2 h following injection. Spermidine levels returned to normal 6 h post-NMDA infusion, and subsequently increased to above normal levels 36 h and 4 days after the infusion of NMDA. This late increase in striatal spermidine levels paralleled an increase in the binding of the glial cell/macrophage marker [³H]PK 11195. Spermine levels tended to return to normal values 6 h after the injection of NMDA but may be further depressed at later intervals (15 h to 4 days). The intrastriatal injection of saline also resulted in a delayed increase in striatal ODC activity and putrescine levels, but these changes were minor compared to those produced by NMDA. Intrastriatal saline injection provoked no consistent change in striatal spermine or spermidine levels. The changes in polyamine metabolism produced by the instriatal injection of kainic acid (4 nmol) were only analysed at 6 and 15 h following injection but were qualitatively similar to those produced by NMDA although perhaps following a slightly more delayed time-course. Neurotoxic lesions of the striatum thus provoke changes in ODC activity and increased levels of putrescine that follow closely the time-course of similar events in the ischaemic brain. The initial early changes in spermine and spermidine levels induced by NMDA could perhaps alter the functioning of the NMDA receptor itself via its polyamine-sensitive modulatory site and contribute to a feed-forward activation of NMDA receptors and prolonged NMDA receptor-mediated toxicity.     

Combination of 5-Fluorouracil and Cyclophosphamide in L1210 and P388 Leukemias with Changes in Optimum Treatments as a Function of the Age of the L1210 Tumor at First Treatment

The interaction of 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide in the treatment of L1 210 and P388 leukemias was studied using response surface methodology. Single dose treatment of each drug was administered simultaneously or with a 24-hr interval between 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide to the advanced tumors or at various times after L1210 inoculation. While at low doses the action of the combination of the two drugs was greater than expected, there was no therapeutic synergism if the drugs were given together (optimum doses cylclophosphamide 366 mg/kg and 364 mg/kg, respectively, in advanced L1210 and P388 leukemias) or in the early tumor when cyclophosphamide was given 24 hours after 5-fluorouracil. In the advanced tumor, using the regimen employing a 24-hr interval between drugs, therapeutic synergism could be demonstrated (optimum doses 5-fluorouracil 130 mg/kg followed by cyclophosphumide 248 mg/kg in advanced L1210 leukemia and 5-fluorouracil 110 mg/kg followed by cyclophosphamide 263 mg/kg in advanced P388 leukemia). The evidence generated suggested that improved therapy could be found in two separate regions of the treatment space, raising the possibility of more than one mechanism of drug interaction. The location of the optimal treatment depended on the tumor burden at the time treatment was initiated. A shift from one region to the other occurred after 4-6 days of tumor growth when the original inoculum was lo⁵ i.p. L1210 cells. Another more obvious conclusion that can be drawn is that treatment was less effective as the tumor became more advanced. The notion that different tumor stages may require different ratios of drugs in a clinically useful combination should receive attention.