The impact of poverty on educational outcomes for children

Over the past decade, the unfortunate reality is that the income gap has widened between Canadian families. Educational outcomes are one of the key areas influenced by family incomes. Children from low-income families often start school already behind their peers who come from more affluent families, as shown in measures of school readiness. The incidence, depth, duration and timing of poverty all influence a child’s educational attainment, along with community characteristics and social networks. However, both Canadian and international interventions have shown that the effects of poverty can be reduced using sustainable interventions. Paediatricians and family doctors have many opportunities to influence readiness for school and educational success in primary care settings.     

Pathology of acute radiation sickness induced by relatively proportional combined radiation damage]

Materials are presented on six cases of fatal acute radiation disease consequent to relatively proportional beta- and gamma-irradiation after accident in the nuclear submarine. The comparison is performed of this material with the data published on the radiation sequelae of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.     

Naphthalimido derivatives as antifolate thymidylate synthase inhibitors

A new series of N-(substituted)benzyl-1,8-naphthalimides 4, structurally related to the previously reported thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor naphthaleins 3, were synthesized and compounds tested for their inhibition of several species of TS. Moreover, their in vitro cytotoxicity together with antimycotic and antibacterial properties were assayed. While no activity was detected in the antibacterial tests, the m-nitro (4ae) and the p-nitro (4af) derivatives were found able to partially inhibit TS at low micromolar concentrations. Introduction of nitro or (substituted)-amino groups in position 4 of the naphthalic ring always led to less active compounds.     

The isolation and characteristics of continuous virus-producing lymphoid suspension cultures of African green monkey cells

Five continuous lymphoid suspension cell cultures were established by cultivation of lymphocytes from African green monkeys. The immunological typing revealed the mixed pattern of cultures consisting of B and T cell types. Two types of viruses: herpesvirus and retrovirus C-type were demonstrated by electron microscopy. Indirect immunofluorescence and molecular hybridization studies showed one of the viruses to be an EBV-related herpesvirus of green monkeys designated HVGM and the other to belong to H (S) TLV-1 group.     

Properties of the slow excitatory postsynaptic potential in mammalian sympathetic ganglia neurons

Slow EPSPs evoked in the neurons of the rabbit isolated superior cervical ganglion were studied using intracellular microelectrodes. Two types of EPSPs occurring in different neurons were found. The type I slow EPSPs showed an increase during hyperpolarization of the membrane and a decrease during its depolarization. Input resistance of the neurons during the response either decreased or remained unchanged. The type II slow EPSPs were increased by depolarization and decreased by hyperpolarization with the reversal potential -78.9 +/- 3.6 mV. Depolarization evoked by acetylcholine or carbocholine was followed by an increase in the input resistance in 53% of neurons with reversal potential -83.2 +/- 6.7 mV. It is concluded that in the first group of the neurons the nature of the slow EPSP is similar to that of ordinary EPSP. The main component underlying the ionic mechanism of slow EPSP in the other group of the neurons is a decrease in potassium conductance of the membrane.     

Comparison of the heat shock response in ethnically and ecologically different human populations.

In response to heat shock or other metabolic insults, an increased expression of different heat shock proteins (hsps) and, in particular, members of the hsp70 family is observed in human cells. Using two-dimensional electrophoresis, we compared the pattern of hsp70 synthesis in human fibroblast cell lines isolated from two contrasting groups of individuals. The first group was represented by native Turk-men living in the hot desert of Middle Asia; the second group consisted of Russians living in moderate climatic regions of European Russia. This analysis has shown that fibroblasts isolated from Turkmen after severe heat shock exhibited intensive synthesis of all hsps in parallel with synthesis of many other cellular proteins, while only trace synthesis of hsps was observed in the second group (Russians). Surprisingly, Northern analysis of RNA synthesis failed to reveal any differences between the two groups after heat shock treatment. When survival of fibroblasts after severe heat shock treatment was assessed by colony formation assay, the cells of the first group exhibited significantly higher survival rates.