High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) Assay Using Fluorescence Detection for the Simultaneous Determination of Gallopamil and Norgallopamil in Human Plasma

Gallopamil is a calcium-channel antagonist with reported activity in experimental animals three to five times higher than that of verapamil. An automated high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection is described for the simultaneous determination of gallopamil and its metabolite norgallopamil in plasma. Gallopamil was well resolved from norgallopamil and other metabolites, allowing simultaneous quantitation of both drugs. The detection limit for both gallopamil and norgallopamil was 0.9 ng/ml. This method has been successfully used for the determination of gallopamil and norgallopamil following the administration of 25-, 37.5-, and 50-mg oral doses of drug.     

Lymphoproliferative disease in antibody deficiency: a multi-centre study

We have undertaken a retrospective study of antibody deficient patients, with and without lymphoma, and assessed the ability of specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers to determine if the detection of clonal lymphocyte populations correlates with clinical and immunohistochemical diagnosis of lymphoma. We identified 158 cases with antibody deficiency presenting during the past 20 years. Paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens or slides were available for analysis in a cohort of 34 patients. Of these patients, 29 had common variable immunodeficiency, one X-linked agammaglobulinaemia, one X-linked immunoglobulin deficiency of uncertain cause and three isolated IgG subclass deficiency. We have confirmed that lymphoma in antibody deficiency is predominantly B cell in origin. Clonal lymphocyte populations were demonstrated in biopsies irrespective of histology (16/19 with lymphoma and 11/15 without). Isolated evidence of clonality in biopsy material is therefore an insufficient diagnostic criterion to determine malignancy. Furthermore, our data suggest that clonal expansions are rarely the result of Epstein-Barr virus-driven disease.     

Preinvasive and invasive cervical cancer: an ex vivo proton magic angle spinning magnetic resonance spectroscopy study

The aim of this study was to obtain (1)H MR spectra using magic angle spinning (MAS) techniques from punch biopsies (<20 mg) of preinvasive and invasive cervical disease and to correlate the spectral profiles with sample classification on the basis of histopathology. Tissue samples were obtained at colposcopic examination, during local treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or at hysterectomy. (1)H MAS MRS was performed at 25 degrees C while spinning the sample at 4.5 kHz. After measurement, the tissue was immersed in formalin and the pathology determined. Histological examination after (1)H MAS MRS defined 27 samples with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 12 with CIN and 39 with only normal tissue. The standardized integrals of the lipid, choline and creatine regions of the spectra were significantly higher in SCC than in normal or CIN tissue. There was no obvious difference in the standardized integral of the region 4.15-3.5 ppm. The acyl fatty acid side-chain length was longer or less unsaturated in SCC than in normal tissue. Normal tissue from patients with SCC showed significantly higher triglycerides than normal tissue from patients with benign uterine disease but significantly lower triglycerides than SCC tissue. (1)H MAS MRS of the uterine cervix ex vivo may be used to differentiate non-invasive from invasive cervical lesions, increase interpretation of in vivo MRS and provide insights into tumor biology.     

A proposed unified interphase nucleus chromosome structure: Preliminary preponderance of evidence

Cryoelectron tomography of the cell nucleus using scanning transmission electron microscopy and deconvolution processing technology has highlighted a large-scale, 100- to 300-nm interphase chromosome structure, which is present throughout the nucleus. This study further documents and analyzes these chromosome structures. The paper is divided into four parts: 1) evidence (preliminary) for a unified interphase chromosome structure; 2) a proposed unified interphase chromosome architecture; 3) organization as chromosome territories (e.g., fitting the 46 human chromosomes into a 10-μm-diameter nucleus); and 4) structure unification into a polytene chromosome architecture and lampbrush chromosomes. Finally, the paper concludes with a living light microscopy cell study showing that the G1 nucleus contains very similar structures throughout. The main finding is that this chromosome structure appears to coil the 11-nm nucleosome fiber into a defined hollow structure, analogous to a Slinky helical spring [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slinky; motif used in Bowerman et al., eLife 10, e65587 (2021)]. This Slinky architecture can be used to build chromosome territories, extended to the polytene chromosome structure, as well as to the structure of lampbrush chromosomes.

A recent publication introduced iterative deconvolution for scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tomograms of cryopreserved cellular structures (ref. 1 and references therein). Micron-thick areas of the vitrified cells were accessible without prior cryosectioning or lamella preparation. The deconvolution computation simplified interpretation of the tomograms by substantially filling the missing wedges of information that result from incomplete tilts. The effect was a substantial improvement in resolution along the depth (Z) direction. This technology made it possible to assess a tomogram from an area of the nucleus intact, in which large-scale interphase chromosome structures were noted (1).Here, the chromosome structures observed in these nuclear tomograms are further documented and analyzed. This paper is divided into four parts. The first part presents the evidence, preliminary but compelling, for a unified interphase chromosome structure. The second part presents the proposed unified interphase chromosome architecture. The third part shows that this interphase chromosome structure could be further organized as chromosome territories: for example, by fitting the 46 human chromosomes into a 10-μm-diameter nucleus. The fourth part unifies this structure into a polytene chromosome architecture and lampbrush chromosomes. The paper concludes with a living light microscopy cell study showing that the G1 nucleus has very similar structures throughout this organelle.The interphase nucleus encloses the genomic DNA, as well as the machinery for regulation of gene expression, RNA synthesis, and DNA replication (2). DNA is packaged into chromatin, the in vivo structure of which remains unclear. While mitotic chromosomes are highly condensed, interphase chromosomes decondense but remain in distinct territories with little overlap. Interphase chromatin is organized in a number of ways, including immutable gene-rich and -poor domains in the primary sequence and expression-promoting or -suppressing regions that may vary during the cell cycle or reflect cell differentiation (2). A classic distinction is drawn between euchromatin and heterochromatin, with the former more “open” and prone to expression, while the latter is more “closed” and prone to silencing (but see ref. 3). However, different methods, such as fluorescence and electron microscopy (EM), or posttranslational histone modifications, are sensitive to different parameters and do not necessarily agree in their identification.The predominant model to describe the path of the DNA strand in the interphase nucleus is the constrained random walk (4) or fractal globule (5, 6). At prophase, the dispersed polymers must recondense without entangling. During mitosis, the space-filling interphase chromatin condenses into a compact micrometer-sized structure. The degree of order in these structures remains undefined.The double-stranded DNA polymer itself, which in isolation appears as a semiflexible, right-hand helix 2 nm in diameter, winds tightly around core histones to form nucleosomes. Each nucleosome has a DNA footprint of 146 base pairs and a geometric diameter of ∼11 nm (7–9). Nucleosomes appear as beads on a string, but the density and spacing of nucleosomes along the DNA sequence may be highly variable (10). In the next stage, the nucleosomes are supposed to coil up into a 30-nm filament, possibly as a tight solenoid or alternatively with a zig-zag structure (11, 12). Today, the 30-nm filament is largely considered an artifact (13, 14). It has been observed in vitro, in isolated or ruptured nuclei, and in cases of deliberate manipulation of divalent cation concentration, but not in intact nuclei (13–15).Current insights into chromatin structure arise primarily from methods based on sequencing. With a number of significant variations, chromatin is cross-linked, cleaved, captured, and sequenced in order to determine which sequences lie in close proximity (5, 16). These methods have revealed a genetic structure of chromosome territories at the largest scale, active and inactive compartments at the multimega base level, followed by topologically associated domains (also known as TADs) whose regulation is controlled concomitantly even if they appear to be distant in sequence (16, 17). An overall, three-dimensional (3D) spatial map of the genome can be generated from the proximity constraints. Extension of the methods to analysis of individual cells revealed a strong heterogeneity, however, making it difficult to connect proximity data to local structure.Microscopy offers the most direct observations of structure, but specimen preparation may be disruptive. Classic EM requires fixation, followed by solvent-based dehydration and impregnation with a hardening polymer. Heavy metal salts are added to generate image contrast based on electron scattering; the indirect nature makes it difficult to interpret apparent density in terms of molecular composition (18). This limitation was circumvented by electron spectroscopic imaging, which distinguishes protein from nucleic acid on the basis of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations (19). A recent advance used a DNA-binding dye to induce a localized polymerization of diaminobenzidine, which in turn binds an osmium stain (15). A modest density difference between euchromatin and heterochromatin was found, but no evidence was seen for long-range order (15). Fluorescence microscopy has made great advances with the introduction of superresolution methods. The combination with in situ hybridization permits even a degree of sequencing in situ. Still, long exposures and biochemical manipulations require strong cross-linking, which necessarily influences local structure. Cryoelectron tomography offers the most direct and pristine view of cellular structure, including chromatin, but conventional TEM requires thin sectioning or lamella fabrication using the focused ion beam microscope.Cryoscanning transmission electron tomography is a new addition to the toolkit of cellular imaging techniques. The most obvious advantages in relation to conventional defocus phase-contrast TEM are the ability to accommodate thicker specimens and the quantitative contrast based on electron scattering cross-sections. As implemented for cellular tomography, it provides: 1) a unipolar optical transfer function with the specimen in focus, 2) a long depth of field, and most importantly, 3) strong contrast for low spatial frequencies (20). We have recently demonstrated the application of cryoscanning transmission electron tomography in combination with 3D iterative deconvolution processing to whole-cell tomography and obtained a view of the cell nucleus that revealed unexpected large-scale structures (1).Data Considerations and Their Complexity.The primary data for this paper have considerably different attributes, such as the close-spaced 3D pixels with subtle gray level differences and textures, requiring new ways to display its details and architecture. This is a common problem for various imaging technologies (e.g., cellular cryoelectron tomography and MRI). The usual methods to visualize 3D data, such as moving up and down in the Z-dimension through two-dimensional (2D) slices, do not adequately show 3D relationships. Therefore, we propose the extensive use of stereo with extensions to circumvent this problem. Evidence for the chromosome structure is presented primarily in 3D stereo movies of various kinds (Movie S1 and rocking angular stereo pairs A to C′ presented in Movies S2–S8). Visualization guidance and challenges for the stereo movies are also discussed in depth in SI Appendix.     

Anger is associated with reward‐related electrocortical activity: Evidence from the reward positivity

Previous research indicates that the reward positivity (RewP), an electrophysiological correlate of sensitivity and biases towards rewarding stimuli, is modulated by affective and motivational variables. Studies have provided evidence that states and traits associated with negative affect and reduced approach motivation are correlated with smaller RewP amplitudes. However, the possible confound of affective valence and motivational direction was not addressed in these studies. In the present study, we examined if anger, an emotion associated with negative affect and increased approach motivation, would affect RewP amplitude. We also investigated if RewP amplitude was related to the motivational properties of reward stimuli. One hundred male participants completed two emotion inductions intended to elicit feelings of either neutrality or anger. Each was followed by a simple gambling task, in which correct choices were followed by images of women in lingerie or swimwear. Although the RewP was elicited following each induction, there was no difference in amplitude between the neutral and anger induction. However, RewP amplitude was positively correlated with how much participants liked the reward stimuli, and this correlation was statistically larger following the anger induction. These results support a motivational interpretation for the differences in RewP amplitude reported in previous studies, suggesting that motivational direction and intensity, rather than affective valence, underlie differences in RewP amplitude. Moreover, the RewP appears to be affected by interactions between motivational state and the motivational value of reward stimuli.     

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Brucella abortus is less toxic than that from Escherichia coli, suggesting the possible use of B. abortus or LPS from B. abortus as a carrier in vaccines.

Brucella abortus may be useful as a component of vaccines. This is because it possesses several unique properties as a carrier that enable it to stimulate human B cells even in the relative absence of T cells. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 proteins conjugated to B. abortus could induce neutralizing antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Recently we showed that the characteristics of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from B. abortus are similar to those of the whole bacterium in that the LPS acts as a T-independent type 1 carrier in mice. In this study we wanted to determine whether LPS derived from B. abortus is associated with the adverse effects seen with other bacterial endotoxins. LPS purified from B. abortus by butanol extraction was shown to have less than 2% (wt/wt) contamination by protein and less than 1% (wt/wt) contamination by nucleic acids and to contain 1% (wt/wt) ketodeoxyoctanic acid. Compared with LPS derived from Escherichia coli, B. abortus LPS was 10,000-fold less potent in eliciting fever in rabbits, 268-fold less potent in killing D-galactosamine-sensitized mice, and 1,400-fold and 400-fold less potent in inducing interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha production, respectively. These results suggest that B. abortus LPS is much less likely than the LPS from E. coli to evoke endotoxic shock; therefore, it may be feasible to incorporate B. abortus as a component of vaccines.