The use of 2-hydroperoxytetrahydrofuran as a reagent to sequence cytosine and to probe non-Watson-Crick DNA structures

2-Hydroperoxytetrahydrofuran (THF-OOH) can be employed to sequence cytosine (C) and to probe for non-canonical DNA structures involving C. Using 32P-labeled oligomers and a DNA restriction fragment, it is demonstrated that THF-OOH has a strong preference for Cs in single-stranded (s-s) DNA regions, and in bulges, loops and mismatches. The reactivity of C is diminished below pH 6.0, but is not affected by substitution of 5-methylcytosine. To demonstrate the utility of the reagent, it is directly compared to methoxylamine and chloroacetaldehyde, two other reagents commonly used to chemically probe C residues in non-Watson-Crick DNA structures.

[Clinical behavior and cytobiological activity of desmoid tumor]

Desmoid tumor, characterized by aggressive growth and frequent recurrence without metastasis after excision, remains to be a poorly understood neoplasm. In seventeen patients with desmoid tumor of the extremities, the relationship between the cytobiological activity and prognosis of desmoid tumor was studied by reviewing clinical material, histologic examination, statistical analysis of Ag-NORs, and morphometry of tumor cell nuclei in comparison with those of fibrosarcoma and soft tissue fibroma. The results showed that the cells of desmoid tumor were highly proliferative with their biological activity bearing resemblance to fibrosarcoma. Thus we have good grounds for grouping desmoid tumors as of low grade malignancy. We believe that initial surgical resection with a wide margin is the key for good prognosis because a lower recurrence rate will result.

Dermatologic consultations in the hospital setting

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN

Dermatologic practice occurs mainly in the outpatient setting. The reasons for, frequency, and impact of inpatient dermatologic consultation are largely unstudied. In this report, we prospectively studied dermatologic consultation in the major teaching hospital complex of a medical school. Over a period of 8 months, we prospectively recorded the demographics of the patients for whom consultation was requested, the provisional dermatologic diagnosis of the referring service, the final diagnosis of the dermatologic service, and the tests necessary to arrive at a final diagnosis.

RESULTS

During a period of slightly over 8 months, dermatologic consultation was requested and delivered to 591 patients who were either hospitalized or being evaluated in the emergency department or other urgent care settings. The services requesting consultation most frequently were medicine (39%), pediatrics (14%), surgery (12%), psychiatry (6%), and neurology (3%). In 51% of consultations, the patients were younger than 45 years of age. Diagnostic tests, including Tzanck smear and potassium hydroxide preparation, confirmed the clinical diagnosis in up to 50% of cases. Dermatologic consultation changed dermatologic diagnosis and treatment in more than 60% of the patients. Generally, the dermatologic diagnoses most frequently missed by the referring service were common conditions with established treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Dermatologic consultation in the hospital setting improves dermatologic diagnosis and has an impact on treatment.

ATF3 and ATF3 delta Zip. Transcriptional repression versus activation by alternatively spliced isoforms

ATF3 is a member of the mammalian activating transcription factor/cAMP responsive element binding protein (ATF/CREB) family of transcription factors. In this report, we demonstrate that, contrary to the implication of its name, ATF3 represses rather than activates transcription from promoters with ATF sites. We also present evidence suggesting that one possible mechanism by which ATF3 represses transcription is to stabilize inhibitory co-factors at the promoter. In addition, we describe a naturally occurring, alternatively spliced, form of ATF3: ATF3 delta Zip. ATF3 delta Zip lacks the leucine zipper domain and does not bind to DNA. In contrast to ATF3, ATF3 delta Zip stimulates transcription, presumably by sequestering inhibitory co-factors away from the promoter. It is possible that ATF3 delta Zip is a physiologically important regulator and that it, together with ATF3, regulates the expression of specific target genes.

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for determination of anabasine, anatabine and other tobacco alkaloids in urine of smokers and smokeless tobacco users

A selected ion monitoring method for determination of the tobacco alkaloids anabasine, anatabine, nornicotine, metanicotine, dihydrometanicotine, and 2,3'-bipyridyl in urine of smokers and smokeless tobacco users is described. The method involves conversion of the secondary amine alkaloids to tertiary amine derivatives by reductive alkylation using an aldehyde and sodium borohydride, and chromatography on a 5% phenylmethylsilicone capillary column. These derivatives have good chromatographic properties, allowing determination of concentrations as low as 1 ng/ml. The alkaloid 2,3'-bipyridyl is unaffected by the derivatization procedure and may be determined simultaneously with the other alkaloids. The structural analogues 2-(3-pyridyl)hexahydroazepine, 5-methyldihydrometanicotine, and 6-methyl-2,3'-bipyridyl were synthesized for use as internal standards. Using the method, concentrations and 24 h excretion of anabasine, anatabine, and nornicotine in urine of twenty-two smokers, eight chewing tobacco users, and six oral snuff users were determined and compared with concentrations and excretion of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine. Excretion of nicotine and cotinine was similar in all tobacco users, but excretion of anabasine, anatabine and nornicotine was substantially greater in urine of smokeless tobacco users, presumably due to absence of pyrolysis of these alkaloids in smokeless tobacco products.

Prevalence and epidemiologic correlates of sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis infection in a selected population

The incidence of Chlamydia trachomatis genitourinary infection was found by enzyme immunoassay antigen detection to be 10.0% in patients attending a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic, 3.0% in clients visiting an obstetrics-gynecology clinic, 20.8% in female prostitutes, and 1.3% in sexually active men. Predisposing factors for chlamydial infection were young age, multiple sexual partners, history of STDs, and coinfection with other STDs. Abnormal vaginal discharge and cervices in women, but not urethral manifestations in men, were significantly associated with chlamydial infection. Urethral gram stain had a certain value in identifying men infected with C. trachomatis.

[Clinical observation of immunotherapy in ocular malignant tumors with lymphokine-activated killing (LAK) cell]

In this paper, the authors reported the method of treating ocular malignant tumors with lymphokine-activated killing cells which were induced by rIL-2 in vitro. Among the sixteen cases of ocular tumors, 4 cases of 5 base cell carcinoma (1 case of which was partially extinctive), 4 cases of tarsal gland carcinoma, 2 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and respectively 1 case of retinoblastoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, intraorbital hemangiopericytoma, intraorbital fibrous histiocytomas and hidradenocarcinoma were completely extinctive. The result shows that the immunotherapy method is effective.

Estimates and determinants of valid self-reports of musculoskeletal disease in the elderly

This study examined the extent and nature of bias associated with self-reported versus standardized physician-examination/assessment-based accounts of musculoskeletal disease in a sample of 406 persons chosen to represent an aging and dependency continuum. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disease based on standardized physician examination/assessments was 97%. Using the standardized findings as the criterion, the self-report underestimated prevalence by 16%. Overall, the results indicated that self-reports of musculoskeletal conditions by the elderly capture the vast majority of persons with painful or functionally significant disease and are most valid for persons from ages 65 to 74 but do not reflect the presence of asymptomatic joint pathology. Standardized physician examinations/assessments would more accurately determine the presence of risk factors in epidemiological studies of musculoskeletal disability.

STD epidemiologic analysis at national surveillance spots in the period 1987-1990

This article summarizes surveillance data of STDs at 16 urban monitoring centers in 1987-1990. During the four year period, 125,493 STD cases were reported. The average annual incidence was 77.80/100,000. Because the rate of increase in females (65.85% per year) was greater than that in males (36.81% per year), the male-to-female ratio fell from 2.39:1 (1987) to 1.34:1 (1990). The number of STD cases reported from all centers tended to increase, and the overall rate of increase was 46.61% per year. The major disease was gonorrhea, with a constituent ratio of 59.22% (1990). However, condyloma acuminatum and nongonococcal urethritis had greater rates of increase (105.03% and 85.14% per year, respectively). The 20-39 year age group accounted for 82.10% of total cases, for STD patients were mostly in the sexually active population. The STD incidence among self-employed businessmen (1206.06/100,000, in 1990) was highest among professional populations. According to analysis of different regions, STD incidence was highest in the southern cities (203.00/100,000, 1990). The greatest rate of increase of STDs was in Yangtze River Valley cities, where the average annual rate of increase was 71.41%.

[Experimental study of the murine monoclonal antibodies of anti-human osteogenic sarcoma]

In the present experiment, cellular suspension, extracted from osteogenic sarcoma tissue removed from patients in operation, was used to immunize BABL/cmouse. The immunized murine spleen cells and murine myeloma cells were fused. The three lines of the hybridoma cells were produced by fusion and were screened by the method of PAP immunoperoxidase. Three hybridomas (MOG 1, MOF 6, MoC 4) reacted with osteogenic sarcoma but not with the normal synovium. MOF 6 reacted with rhabdomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, undifferentiated round cell sarcoma and melanoma but not with other tumors and normal tissues. MOG 1 and MOC 4 reacted with more tumors and tissues. The subclasses of MOF 6 and MOG 1 were identified. Both antibodies are IgG 1. Ascites developed in 10 days after two hybridomas were injected respectively into the murine peritoneal cavities. By more extensive research, the monoclonal antibodies may be used in many clinical and experimental works.

Sodium channel binding and anticonvulsant activities of hydantoins containing conformationally constrained 5-phenyl substituents

As a preliminary investigation of the importance of the aromatic ring orientation in interactions of 5-phenylhydantoins with the anticonvulsant site on the neuronal voltage-sensitive sodium channel, two isomeric hydantoins containing conformationally constrained phenyl rings and their monocyclic analogues were synthesized. One, a spirohydantoin (2) derived from alpha-tetralone, contains the plane of the phenyl ring in an orientation approximately perpendicular to that for the hydantoin ring. The other, a tricyclic hydantoin (4) derived from tetrahydroisoquinoline, contains the plane of the phenyl ring in an orientation roughly coplanar with that for the hydantoin ring. These compounds were evaluated in sodium channel binding and whole animal (mice) anticonvulsant assays. In both assays, 4 was significantly more potent than 2, suggesting that the anticonvulsant receptor site on the voltage-sensitive sodium channel may require a specific aromatic ring orientation.

Studies of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor gene rearrangement in cutaneous B and T cell lymphomas

We report two patients with cutaneous B and T cell lymphomas, respectively, in which DNA rearrangement studies were instrumental in establishing a diagnosis. In each case clinical, histopathologic, and immunologic criteria were not sufficient to establish a definitive tissue classification. The use of DNA gene rearrangement studies in the analysis of cutaneous lymphomas is discussed.

Sodium channel binding and anticonvulsant activities for the enantiomers of a bicyclic 2,4-oxazolidinedione and monocyclic models

Racemic 7-phenyl-9,10-dioxo-1-aza-8-oxabicyclo[5.2.1]decane (1), a bicyclic 2,4-oxazolidinedione that we previously reported was a possible sodium channel anticonvulsant, was resolved into its enantiomeric forms, the absolute configurations were determined, and the stereoisomers were evaluated for relative sodium channel binding and whole animal anticonvulsant activities. Similar studies were carried out with two monocyclic models, 5-ethyl-5-phenyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (2) and 5-ethyl-3-methyl-5-phenyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (3). None of these isomers exhibited stereoselective effects in the sodium channel assay, and only modest enantioselectivities were observed for 2 and 3 in the anticonvulsant assays. (R)-(-)-1 was, however, 4 times more toxic than (S)-(+)-1 in the rotorod test, and due to its larger protective index, (S)-(+)-1 exhibited greater therapeutic potential than either (R)-(-)-1 or racemic 1.