Auditory integration training for children with autism: no behavioral benefits detected

Auditory integration training and a control treatment were provided for 16 children with autism in a crossover experimental design. Measures, blind to treatment order, included parent and teacher ratings of behavior, direct observational recordings, IQ, language, and social/adaptive tests. Significant differences tended to show that the control condition was superior on parent-rated measures of hyperactivity and on direct observational measures of ear-occlusion. No differences were detected on teacher-rated measures. Children's IQs and language comprehension did not increase, but adaptive/social behavior scores and expressive language quotients decreased. The majority of parents (56%) were unable to report in retrospect when their child had received auditory integration training. No individual child was identified as benefiting clinically or educationally from the treatment.

Changes in skills for people with intellectual disability: a follow-up of the Camberwell Cohort

The skills of a total population of children with severe intellectual disability and/or autism from Camberwell, South London, UK, and the initial follow-up data, taken when the subjects were adolescents and young adults (Shah 1986), are described in the present study. Changes in skills over time are presented within the categories of communication, self-care, and educational and cognitive skills, as assessed by the Handicaps, Behaviours and Skills schedule. The results indicated that skills had improved in many areas between times 1 and 2, but that this improvement was more noticeable for the children who had been youngest at time 1. The implications of these results and predictions for a further follow-up study are discussed.

Relapsing polychondritis and myelodysplasia: a report of two cases and review of the current literature

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare multisystem disorder. We describe two case reports of patients with RP, one of whom developed myelodysplasia subtype refractory anaemia (RA) and the other, refractory anaemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS). We also review the literature of association between RP and haematological disorders.

Some toxic and enzymatic activities of Bothrops ammodytoides (yarará ñata) venom

Bothrops ammodytoides, the smallest representative of this genus, is found only in Argentina. Venom was extracted from thirty adult specimens (35-70 cm in length, 90-300 g in weight) captured in the Province of Buenos Aires and kept in captivity. Venom yield was 3-30 mg. SDS-PAGE showed strong bands at 14.0; 23-25; 45; 54 and 63 kDa and weak bands at 17.0; 30.0; 40.0 and 85.0 kDa. Toxic activities were: LD50 (intravenous, mice) 0.5+/-0.2 microg/g; minimal procoagulant dose on human plasma (MPD-P) 35+/-2 mg/l; and minimal defibrinogenating dose (MDD, mice) 6-12 microg. Hemorrhagic and/or necrotic activities appear to play a major role in lethality; minimal hemorrhagic dose (MHD, mice) is 10+/-2 microg/g and minimal necrotizing dose (MND, mice) is 38+/-5 microg. The LD50, MPD-P and MND are among the lowest in venoms from Bothrops species found in Argentina. B. ammodytoides venom exhibited high proteolytic and phospholipase A2 activities. Most of the B. ammodytoides venom components cross-react with Bivalent Bothropic antivenom (Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos ANLIS Dr. G. Malbrin, against B. alternatus and B. neuwiedii venoms). One ml of antivenom neutralizes 1.2 mg of B. ammodytoides venom.

Chronic treatment with finasteride daily does not affect spermatogenesis or semen production in young men

PURPOSE

Finasteride, an oral type 2, 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, is used in 1 mg. daily doses for the treatment of male pattern hair loss. A dose of 5 mg. finasteride daily reduces ejaculate volume by approximately 25%, and reduces prostate volume by approximately 20% and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) by approximately 50% in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. To our knowledge no data exist on the effect of 1 mg. finasteride daily on ejaculate volume or other semen parameters, or on the prostate in young men. Therefore, we studied the potential effect and reversibility of effect of 1 mg. finasteride daily on spermatogenesis, semen production, the prostate and serum PSA in young men.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this double-blind, placebo controlled multicenter study 181 men 19 to 41 years old were randomized to receive 1 mg. finasteride or placebo for 48 weeks followed by a 60-week off-drug period. Of the 181 men 79 were included in a subset for the collection and analysis of sequential semen samples.

RESULTS

There were no significant effects of 1 mg. finasteride on sperm concentration, total sperm per ejaculate, sperm motility or morphology. Ejaculate volume in subjects on finasteride decreased 0.3 ml. (-11%) compared to a decrease of 0.2 ml. (-8%) for placebo, with a median between treatment group difference of -0.03 ml. (1%, 90% confidence interval -10.4 to 13.1, p = 0.915). There were significant but small decreases in prostate volume (-2.6%) and serum PSA (-0.2 ng./ml.) in the finasteride group, which reversed on discontinuation of the drug.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with 1 mg. finasteride daily for 48 weeks did not affect spermatogenesis or semen production in young men. The effects of 1 mg. finasteride daily on prostate volume and serum PSA in young men without benign prostatic hyperplasia were small and reversible on discontinuation of the drug.

Delayed language onset as a predictor of clinical symptoms in pervasive developmental disorders

DSM-IV states that Asperger Disorder may be distinguished from Autistic Disorder by a lack of a delay in early language development. The aim of this study was to establish whether the presence or absence of early language delay would predict autistic symptomatology in children diagnosed with a PDD/autism spectrum disorder. Forty-six language-delayed and 62 normal language onset individuals (M age 11 years) were compared on ICD-10 research criteria and DSM-IV criteria, receptive language, and developmental history variables. Retrospective data were also obtained to determine whether language onset predicted autism symptomatology when young (< 6 years). We found that early language delay predicts more autistic symptomatology when young, but not at an older age. Early language delay is also associated with developmental motor milestone delays and lower receptive language abilities. The results question the use of early language delay as a valid discriminating variable between PDD subgroups.

Are there subgroups within the autistic spectrum? A cluster analysis of a group of children with autistic spectrum disorders

Comprehensive data on the developmental history and current behaviours of a large sample of high-functioning individuals with diagnoses of autism, Asperger's syndrome, or other related disorder were collected via parent interviews. This provided the basis for a taxonomic analysis to search for subgroups. Most participants also completed theory of mind tasks. Three clusters or subgroups were obtained; these differed on theory of mind performance and on verbal abilities. Although subgroups were identified which bore some relationship to clinical differentiation of autistic, Asperger syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) cases, the nature of the differences between them appeared strongly related to ability variables. Examination of the kinds of behaviours that differentiated the groups suggested that a spectrum of autistic disorders on which children differ primarily in term of degrees of social and cognitive impairments could explain the findings.

Utility of percentage of births to teenagers as a surrogate for the teen birth rate

OBJECTIVES

The teen birth rate is commonly used in comparing regional variation in teen pregnancies, but local teen birth rates are not always available. In this study the percentage of all births that are to teens was evaluated for its utility as a surrogate for the teen birth rate.

METHODS

Rank correlation and sensitivity and specificity analyses were used.

RESULTS

The Spearman rank correlations between percentage of teen births (PTB) and teen birth rate (TBR) were .995, .906, and .841 for the 3 age groups suggesting that it may be reasonable to employ PTB to prioritize zip codes. Zip codes with upper quartile levels of percentages of teen births identified zip codes with upper quartile levels of TBR with a sensitivity of 83.8%, 68.8%, and 65%; a false-positive rate of 2.1%, 8.6%, and 10%; and a positive predictive value of 89.3%, 67.6%, and 67.5% for the age groups 10 through 14, 15 through 17, and 18 through 19 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The percentage of births to teens is a useful surrogate for teen birth rate in California, especially among younger teenagers.

Regulation of Pdha-2 expression is mediated by proximal promoter sequences and CpG methylation

Spermatogenesis is a complex process requiring the coordinate expression of a number of testis-specific genes. One of these, Pdha-2, codes for the murine spermatogenesis-specific isoform of the E1a subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. To begin to delineate the mechanisms regulating its expression in vivo, we have generated transgenic mice lines carrying Pdha-2 promoter deletion constructs. Here we report that transgenic mice harboring a construct containing only 187 bp of promoter and upstream sequences (core promoter) is sufficient for directing the testis-specific expression of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene. Like the endogenous Pdha-2, the CAT gene is expressed in testis in a stage-specific manner. Our studies also show a correlation between CpG methylation within the core promoter and its capacity to regulate transcription. In NIH 3T3 cell lines stably transfected with the Pdha-2 core promoter-CAT construct, high levels of CAT reporter expression are observed, whereas the endogenous Pdha-2 gene is repressed. In these cells, the CpG dinucleotides residing within the transfected promoter are hypomethylated whereas those residing in the endogenous promoter are methylated. Furthermore, promoter activity can be abated by the in vitro methylation of its CpG dinucleotides. DNase I footprint analysis indicates that at least one site for the methylation-mediated repression may occur through the ATF/cyclic AMP response element binding element located within the core promoter. Mutations within this element reduces activity to approximately 50% of the wild-type promoter activity. These results suggest that tissue-specific gene expression may be modulated by other mechanisms in addition to specific transcription factor availability and cooperativity. We propose that methylation may be a mechanism by which repression of the testis-specific Pdha-2 gene is established in somatic tissue.

Renal adenosine A1 receptor binding characteristics and mRNA levels during the development of acute renal failure in the rat

1. The binding characteristics and mRNA levels for renal adenosine A1 receptors were investigated in normal rats and rats with acute renal failure (ARF) induced by either glycerol or HgCl2. 2. Saturation isotherms determined from the binding of [3H]-1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine ([3H]-DPCPX), a selective adenosine A1 antagonist, to renal membranes of untreated rats gave values of 0.62 nM for the equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) and 19.9 fmol mg-1 protein for the density of binding sites (Bmax). No saturable binding was observed with [3H]-2-(p-(carboxylethyl)-phenylethylamino)-5'-N-ethylcar box amido adenosine ([3H]-CGS 21680), a selective adenosine A2a agonist. 3. By contrast to time-matched controls, renal membranes obtained from rats 16 and 48 h following the induction of ARF with glycerol, showed statistically significant increases (2-4 fold) in both Bmax and Kd for the binding of [3H]-DPCPX. No significant changes in the binding characteristics of [3H]-DPCPX were noted with membranes from rats 48 h following the production of ARF with HgCl2. 4. Adenosine A1 receptor mRNA levels were significantly elevated 0.5, 16 and 48 h following induction of ARF with glycerol, whilst no change was noted in mRNA levels for beta-actin at the same time points. No statistically significant changes in adenosine A1 receptor or beta-actin mRNA levels were noted 48 h after the induction of ARF with HgCl2. 5. This study indicates that glycerol-induced ARF in the rat is associated with an increase in renal adenosine A1 receptor density which appears to result from increased transcription of the gene for this receptor. An increase in adenosine A1 receptor density in renal resistance vessels may explain, at least in part, the enhanced renal vasoconstrictor response to adenosine in glycerol-induced ARF that was noted in a previous study.

Comparison of clinical symptoms in autism and Asperger's disorder

OBJECTIVE

To determine what clinical symptoms clinicians have been using to distinguish between Asperger's disorder (AsD) and autistic disorder (AD).

METHOD

Parents of children and adolescents with high-functioning AD (n = 48) and AsD (n = 69) were given a structured interview based on DSM-III-R and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. Information regarding early and current symptom presentation and family, developmental, and verbal mental age information were collected. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine which variables best predicted clinician's diagnosis.

RESULTS

A number of clinical variables predicted diagnosis. Delayed language onset was the only variable of the family and developmental variables that predicted diagnosis. The AsD group was also significantly higher than the AD group in verbal mental age.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians appear to be diagnosing AsD and AD on the basis of published research and case study accounts. The findings question whether DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria adequately describe the AsD individual, particularly in the communication domain.

Maternal risks for very low birth weight infant mortality

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether known maternal risk factors for low birth weight directly contribute to infant mortality among very low birth weight infants.

DESIGN

Retrospective population-based, case-control study.

SETTING

Four hospitals in the Oakland, California, area: one community, two private, one health maintenance organization.

PARTICIPANTS

All live-born singleton very low birth weight ( < 1500 g) infants born to Oakland residents over a 3-year period. Cases were infants who died before their first birthday, identified by computerized linkage of birth and death certificates. For each case, a surviving control was selected to match for birth weight, sex, and race. Forty matched pairs were identified in total.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Prevalence of maternal risk factors among cases versus controls.

RESULTS

After controlling for other factors known to influence either birth weight or infant mortality, maternal cocaine use (odds ratio [OR] = 5.43), prior infant death (OR = 27.14), and planned pregnancy (OR = 6.33) were significantly associated with the survival of very low birth weight infants.

CONCLUSIONS

Some maternal risk factors for low birth weight confer a survival advantage to very low birth weight infants. Our data reveal that maternal cocaine use is independently associated with survival among this subset of infants. Prior research supports the observed relationship as well as the scientific plausibility of a cocaine-mediated survival advantage among premature infants. Our study also showed both planned pregnancy and prior infant death to be independently associated with infant survival among this subset of infants, suggesting that maternal behaviors may play a role in determining birth weight-specific mortality. These data should be systematically evaluated to better define their relationship to infant mortality.

The response of injection drug users to free treatment on demand: implications for HIV control

Injection drug use is a major risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and drug treatment is widely recognized as a core component of the public health effort to limit the spread of HIV. The assumption is frequently made that lack of immediate access to treatment is a significant barrier to the success of this effort. However, little empirical data exist to support this belief. We conducted a trial of no-cost outpatient drug-free treatment made available on demand to a cohort of out-of-treatment injection drug users (IDUs) in Portland, Oregon, through a coupon program. Of 824 IDUs, 272 (33%) expressed an interest in treatment, 225 (27%) accepted a coupon, 66 (8%) redeemed a coupon, and 9 (1%) remained in treatment for 6 months. These numbers indicate that simply enhancing access is not adequate. Additional strategies to increase motivation to enter and remain in treatment are needed if drug treatment is to play an important role in reducing the spread of HIV among injection drug users, their sexual partners, and their infants.

Predicting symptomatology and self-blame among child sex abuse victims

Fifty-six sexually-abused girls and their nonoffending female caretakers from primarily low-income. African American families were comprehensively assessed in order to determine factors related to child symptomatology and self-blame. Girls whose overall relationships with their caretakers were somewhat negative exhibited more behavioral difficulties. Girls with disruptions in their relationship with a primary caretaker and who felt powerless as a result of the abuse were rated as functioning less well overall by clinicians. Child age, general attributional style, and caretaker blame of the child were related to child self-blame. Clinical implications of these findings include identification of clients at high risk for negative sequelae and development of interventions targeted at specific clinical issues.

The recognition of autism in children with Down syndrome--implications for intervention and some speculations about pathology

Although autism can occur in conjunction with a range of other conditions, the association with Down syndrome is generally considered to be relatively rare. Four young boys with Down syndrome are described who were also autistic. All children clearly fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for autism required by the ICD-10 or DSM-III-R, but in each case the parents had faced considerable difficulties in obtaining this diagnosis. Instead, the children's problems had been attributed to their cognitive delays, despite the fact that their behaviour and general progress differed from other children with Down syndrome in many important aspects. The implications, for both families and children, of the failure to diagnose autism when it co-occurs with other conditions such as Down syndrome are discussed. Some speculations about possible pathological associations are also presented.

Angiogenic activity of anterior pituitary tissue and growth hormone on the chick embryo chorio-allantoic membrane: a novel action of GH

A useful system to evaluate the angiogenic activity of hormones and growth factors is the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chick embryos. The present studies examined the angiogenic activity of chicken anterior pituitary glands and both fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and growth hormone (GH). Grafts of anterior pituitary gland evoked an angiogenic response on the CAM which was lost if the adenohypophyseal tissue was first boiled. The magnitude of the angiogenic response to anterior pituitary glands increased with the age of the donor (from a minimum 15 days of embryonic development to a maximum between 2 and 6 weeks old). In view of the similarity of the profile of the angiogenic response and the reported changes in GH secretion, the angiogenic activity of GH was then examined. Considerable angiogenic responses were observed with GH; there being increases (P < 0.05) in number of new blood vessels on the CAM of chick embryos on which native chicken GH or native bovine GH or recombinant bovine GH were added. These data support GH having an angiogenic action.

Renal haemodynamic responses to adenosine in acute renal failure

Renal vascular reactivity was studied in rats with acute renal failure (ARF) to investigate whether changes in sensitivity to the renal haemodynamic effects of adenosine can explain why adenosine plays a significant role in some but not all forms of ARF. Experiments involved rats with glycerol-induced ARF in which adenosine antagonists have been shown previously to have beneficial effects and rats with HgCl2-induced ARF which was not ameliorated by treatment with the selective A1 antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (0.1 mg/kg). Close renal arterial injections of adenosine (0.1-10 micrograms) or noradrenaline (0.003-0.1 microgram) produced falls in renal blood flow in rats with HgCl2-induced ARF which were not statistically different from controls. Adenosine evoked falls in renal blood flow in rats with glycerol-induced ARF which were significantly greater 16 and 48 h, but not 30 min after glycerol injection. The enhanced responsiveness to adenosine's renal constrictor effects was most pronounced 48 h following glycerol injection when, for example, a dose of 10 micrograms produced a fall of 60 +/- (SEM) 5% (n = 8) in renal blood flow in comparison to a fall of 27 +/- 5% (n = 8) in controls. By contrast to the renal vascular response to adenosine, the falls in renal blood flow induced by noradrenaline in rats 48 h following glycerol injection were not statistically different from the decreases in renal blood flow recorded in control animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Self-help groups: a key to HIV risk reduction for high-risk injection drug users?

While recent studies indicate that injection drug users (IDUs) can change their behavior to reduce injection risk of HIV, it remains unclear which users are most likely to change and which mediating variables are most amenable to intervention. We report a study in which a cohort of high-risk IDUs was followed over time to determine which variables were associated with reduced injection risk of HIV. Of 317 IDUs who at baseline had shared a dirty needle in the previous 30 days, 234 (74%) were followed for 6 months. Of these, 107 (46%) reported reduced or eliminated injection risk between the baseline and follow-up interviews, 82 (35%) by not injecting and 25 (11%) by not sharing syringes. Those who attended self-help meetings between the two interviews were almost twice as likely to report reduced or eliminated risk as those who did not attend (OR = 1.92; p = 0.04). The findings suggest that, at least, IDUs in self-help groups comprise a population amenable to HIV interventions and, at most, that self-help groups may play an important role in reducing the risk of HIV in out-of-treatment populations.

The impact of change on violent patients

This article describes how a continuing care ward attempted to deal with an increase in levels of violence towards staff and looks at how changes that were taking place on the ward may have contributed to a reduction in this problem. Possible lessons for the future management of this group of patients and reduction of violence are drawn from the discussion.

Phase II study of intravenous idarubicin in unfavorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Idarubicin, a new analogue of daunorubicin, was administered intravenously at a dose of 15 mg/m2 to 31 patients with previously treated patients with unfavorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Clinical characteristics included median age 69 years, performance status 1, and prior chemotherapeutic regimens 1. Twenty of the patients were relapsing after prior therapy and 11 were refractory; 29 had received prior anthracycline or anthracenedione. Responses were observed in 43% of patient (3 CR and 10 PR) with a median duration of 10+ months (2-29+ months). Idarubicin was well tolerated with non-hematologic toxicities (nausea/vomiting, mucositis, and anorexia) seen in < 50% of patients. Median hematologic values during the first cycle for this dosage included WBC 1300/mm3, platelets 129,000/mm3, and hemoglobin 10.9 mg/dl. With dose escalation, hematologic toxicity was dose-limiting. Symptomatic cardiac toxicity was observed in one patient who had received maximum dose doxorubicin and radiotherapy. Median values for the cardiac ejection fraction during the full course of therapy for the entire group of patients were 0.62 (initial) and 0.60 (final). Idarubicin in intravenous form is an active drug in previously treated patients with unfavorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Further studies employing idarubicin in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma should be considered. Cardiac function should be followed in trials utilizing anthracycline-type chemotherapeutic agents.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells

Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were used to investigate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y. Acetylcholine, nicotine and the neuronal nAChR agonist dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide (DMPP), but not muscarine, all evoked inward currents in the cells (voltage-clamped at -60 mV). DMPP's actions were concentration- and voltage-dependent, and were antagonised by the neuronal nAChR antagonist mecamylamine (1-3 microM). Atropine was ineffective at 0.1 microM, but at 1 microM caused significant reductions in current amplitudes. Pre-incubation of cells with 2 microM alpha-cobratoxin had no effect on the actions of DMPP, and inward currents could also be induced when extracellular NaCl was replaced with CaCl2. DMPP also reversibly depolarized SH-SY5Y cells. These findings clearly identify nAChRs in SH-SY5Y cells, and provide two possible mechanisms by which receptor activation may lead to noradrenaline release, namely by triggering Ca2+ influx through the nAChR itself or by opening voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.

Sequence of lamprey vitellogenin. Implications for the lipovitellin crystal structure

The amino acid sequence of lamprey vitellogenin has been predicted from the nucleotide sequence of cloned cDNA. The sites of proteolytic cleavage that produce the lipovitellin complex from the vitellogenin have been located by comparing the N-terminal sequences of two lamprey lipovitellin polypeptides with the predicted sequence. These results also confirm that the vitellogenin sequence derived here corresponds to the lipovitellin complex for which the crystal structure has been solved previously. Predictions of secondary structure indicate that the region most likely to correspond to the large alpha-helical domain of the crystallographic model consists of vitellogenin residues 300 to 600. Similar to the lipovitellins of Xenopus laevis, lamprey lipovitellin appears to lack approximately 200 C-terminal residues that are present in vitellogenin. However, the lamprey lipovitellin differs from those of Xenopus and chicken in two respects. First, most of the serine-rich domain that is present as the phosvitin polypeptide in the lipovitellins of the higher vertebrates appears to be lost in the maturation of lamprey vitellogenin to lipovitellin. Second, the domains that constitute the large lipovitellin-1 polypeptide in Xenopus and chicken are present in two polypeptides in lamprey, owing to an additional proteolytic processing event.

Phase II study of intravenous idarubicin in unfavorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Idarubicin, a new analogue of daunorubicin, was administered i.v. at a dose of 15 mg/m2 to 31 previously treated patients with unfavorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Clinical characteristics included median age, 69 years; performance status, 1; and prior chemotherapeutic regimens, 1. Twenty of the patients were relapsing after prior therapy and 11 were refractory; 29 had received prior anthracycline or anthracenedione. Responses were observed in 43% of patient (3 complete remission and 10 partial remission) with a median duration of 10+ months (2-29+ months). Idarubicin was well tolerated with nonhematological toxicities (nausea/vomiting, mucositis, and anorexia) seen in less than 50% of patients. Median hematological values during the first cycle for this dosage included WBC, 1,300/mm3; platelets, 129,000/mm3; and hemoglobin, 10.9 mg/dl. With dose escalation, hematological toxicity was dose limiting. Symptomatic cardiac toxicity was observed in one patient who had received maximum dose doxorubicin and radiotherapy. Median values for the cardiac ejection fraction during the full course of therapy for the entire group of patients were 0.62 (initial) and 0.60 (final). Idarubicin in i.v. form is an active drug in previously treated patients with unfavorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Regeneration of Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense from shoot apex tissues for transformation

A method of regenerating cotton plants from the shoot apical meristem of seedlings was developed for use with particle gun and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. This method was developed to circumvent the problems of genotype restriction and chromosomal damage frequently encountered in cotton regeneration in tissue culture through somatic embryogenesis. In this procedure, the cells of the shoot meristem are targeted for transformation. Normal and fertile plants of Gossypium barbadense Pima S-6, and 19 cultivars of G. hirsutum were regenerated using this method. Shoot regeneration from these tissues was direct and relatively rapid. A MS based, hormone-free medium could be used with all the varieties tested.

Nosocomial Pseudomonas pickettii bacteremias traced to narcotic tampering. A case for selective drug screening of health care personnel

Three patients in a university hospital developed nosocomial infusion-related Pseudomonas pickettii bacteremia. Investigation identified six additional patients who had received intravenous fluid contaminated by P pickettii but did not become ill. All nine patients had had surgery, and each of these patients but only nine of 19 operated-on control patients had received intravenous fentanyl citrate in the operating room; the mean dose given to the nine case patients was far greater than that given to control patients. Fentanyl in 20 (40%) of 50 predrawn 30-mL syringes was shown to be contaminated by P pickettii. Contamination was caused by theft of fentanyl from predrawn synringes and replacement by distilled water contaminated by P pickettii. Narcotic theft by health care personnel may cause patients to suffer pain needlessly and can also result in dire unanticipated consequences, such as nosocomial bacteremia. Whereas drug testing in the workplace is highly controversial, we believe that testing of health care personnel is indicated when drug abuse or theft is suspected.

Transformation of Zea mays L. Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the Shoot Apex

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is established as a vector for gene transfer in many dicotyledonous plants but is not accepted as a vector in monocotyledonous plants, especially in the important Gramineae. The use of Agrobacterium to transfer genes into monocot species could simplify the transformation and improvement of important crop plants. In this report we describe the use of Agrobacterium to transfer a gene into corn, the regeneration of plants, and detection of the transferred genes in the F(1) progeny. Shoot apices of Zea mays L. variety Funk's G90 were cocultivated with A. tumefaciens EHA 1, which harbored the plasmid pGUS3 containing genes for kanamycin resistance (NPT II) and beta-glucuronidase (GUS). Plants developed from these explants within 4 to 6 weeks. Fluorometric GUS assays of leaves and immature seeds from the plants exhibited low GUS activity. Both NOS and GUS gene fragments were amplified by polymerase chain reaction in the DNA isolated from the F(1) generations of one of the original transformed plants. Southern analysis showed both GUS and NPT probes hybridized to DNA in several of the F(1) progeny, demonstrating the incorporation of GUS and NPT II genes into high molecular weight DNA. These data establish successful gene transfer and sexual inheritance of the genes.

Nine-gunshot suicide

In this article, we describe an unusual case of suicide involving nine gunshot wounds to the anterior chest. This illustrates that individuals may function for a short time with fatal wounds and stresses the importance of a complete investigation.

On-line monitoring of sequential blood flow reduction during splenic embolization

Partial embolization of the spleen has been well established for the treatment of hypersplenism. A weakness of the technique is the lack of an objective method to quantitate the flow reduction during the procedure. The video dilution technique (VDT) has earlier been used to measure blood flow in regional arteries using video cassette replay. By adapting the VDT concept of relative flow to digital subtraction angiography, it is possible to calculate the flow reduction instantly following each injection of embolic material. We present a case of partial splenic embolization where the flow in the splenic artery was reduced to a predetermined level of 50 per cent of baseline flow. The clinical results were excellent. By observing the clinical results of partial embolization, terminated at different levels of flow reduction, it will be possible to optimize the results and prevent overembolization.

Duodenal perforation as a delayed complication of placement of a biliary endoprosthesis

Duodenal perforation may occur at the time of insertion of a biliary endoprosthesis or following endoscopic manipulation of such a stent. The possibility of perforation as a late sequela of stent migration, after percutaneous placement of an endoprosthesis, however, has not been emphasized. In the authors' experience with a 12-F soft-stent endoprosthesis, duodenal perforation occurred in four of 50 patients following initially satisfactory stent placement. One intraperitoneal perforation necessitated immediate surgical intervention. The three retroperitoneal perforations were treated conservatively.

Plasma cell karyotype in multiple myeloma

Karyotypic abnormalities were studied in multiple myeloma and were correlated with clinical features. Among 115 evaluable patients, 46% had an abnormal karyotype. Trisomy 3, 5, 9, and 15 and monosomy 13 and 16 were the most common clonal abnormalities. Translocations described previously in other B cell malignancies occurred in nine patients, including four with t(8;14)(q24;q32) translocations. The association of all t(8;14) abnormalities with IgA protein type suggested a pathogenetic relationship between a specific karyotypic abnormality and myeloma protein type. Hypodiploidy occurred mainly in patients with only Bence Jones protein, was associated with resistance to therapy, and justified the early consideration of investigational therapies.

The Lowe and Costello Symbolic Play Test in socially impaired children

The Symbolic Play Test was given to 31 socially impaired and 29 sociable children retarded in language comprehension, with the same range of age (5 to 12 years) and intelligence (profoundly retarded to normal). Play test age and spontaneous pretend play were at a similar level in the sociable children, but, in the socially impaired, spontaneous pretend play was lower than the play test age would predict. In some of the latter it was absent, and in the others it was narrow and repetitive in form. For subgroups of socially impaired and sociable children with similar play ages, there was no significant difference in language comprehension age. The discrepancy, in socially impaired children, between levels on tests and spontaneous use of skills was discussed.

Identification of sequences in a yeast histone promoter involved in periodic transcription

Sequences between a pair of divergently transcribed histone genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are able to confer periodic transcription during the cell cycle. This conclusion contrasts to our previous hypothesis that an ars (autonomously replicating sequence) 3' to this locus is a transcription timer for yeast histone genes. The promoter sequences required for periodic expression have been localized by deletion analysis, and isolated elements have been analyzed by insertion into a heterologous promoter. Two cell-cycle-specific promoter functions have been identified. One function activates transcription in a cell-cycle-dependent manner. The other periodically represses transcription. Negative regulation may be the predominant form of cell-cycle control, because removal of the repressing function results in constitutive expression of the histone genes.

Cell-cell recognition of host surfaces by pathogens. The adsorption of maize (Zea mays) root mucilage by surfaces of pathogenic fungi

The adsorption of radioactive mucilage by pathogenic fungi was shown to be dependent upon time, the composition of mucilage, the type of fungal surface (conidia, hyphae, hyphal apices), fungal species, pH and bivalent cations. All fungal adhesins were inactivated by either proteinase or polysaccharase treatments. Adsorption was not inhibited by the numberous mono-, di- and oligo-saccharides that were tested individually, but it was inhibited absolutely by several polysaccharides. This suggested that adsorption of mucilage by pathogens involved conformational and ionic interactions between plant and fungal polymers but not fungal lectins bound to sugar residues of mucilage. Several fractionation schemes showed that pathogens bound only the most acidic of the variety of polymers that comprise mucilage. There was not any absolute distinction between ability to bind radioactive mucilage and type of pathogen or non-pathogen. However, there were notable differences in characteristics of adsorption between two types of pathogen. Differences were revealed by comparison of the adsorption capacities of conidia and germinant conidia and chromatography of radioactive mucilage on germinant conidia. An ectotrophic root-infecting fungus (a highly specialized pathogen) bound a greater proportion of mucilage than did a vascular-wilt fungus (of catholic host and tissue range) with more than one class of site for adsorption. In contrast with the vascular-wilt fungus, sites for adsorption on the specialized pathogen were present solely on surfaces formed by germination.

Toxic shock syndrome

Presenting features and clinical manifestations of six patients with toxic shock syndrome are reported. In four of the six cutaneous injury, sometimes trivial, occurred before the onset of symptoms and may have been a causal factor. All six children recovered. The need for early recognition and intensive management in this life threatening condition is discussed.

Serum C-reactive protein in normal and infected neonates

Serum C-reactive protein determinations were performed on well and sick neonates, in order to gain information about normal values and its value in the diagnosis of neonatal septicaemia. The median value in 48 cord sera was 200 micrograms/l (range 15 to greater than 6,000 micrograms/L); there was no correlation between paired maternal and cord serum CRP levels (12 pairs). Thirty-six children were followed from birth for a mean of 20 days. There were 21 episodes of confirmed infection in 16 children, each associated with a sustained rise in C-reactive protein, often commencing before there was clinical evidence of infection. In four patients with raised levels, infection was suspected, but no firm evidence was obtained. In the remaining 16 children there were no values above 10 mg/l, and the 95th centile was about 6 mg/l, with no difference between values obtained in the first three days of life and those found subsequently. Hyaline membrane disease and jaundice were not associated with a rise. Raised serum C-reactive proteins is a good indicator of the presence of infection in the neonatal period.

ran1+ controls the transition from mitotic division to meiosis in fission yeast

We have investigated the genetic and physiological control of meiosis in fission yeast. Nutritionally depleted h+/h- diploid cells become irreversibly commited to meiosis immediately prior to the initiation of premeiotic S phase. Premeiotic DNA synthesis requires matP+, matM+, mei2+ and mei3+ but not the mitotic cell cycle control gene, cdc2+. ran1+ is an essential gene, loss of which provokes sexual conjugation, premeiotic DNA synthesis, pseudo-meiosis and the sporulation of haploid cells. Our experiments suggest that sexual differentiation is achieved physiologically by the inhibition of ran1+ activity in a two-step process. In the first step, partial inhibition of ran1+ in starved haploid cells, leads to cell cycle arrest in G1 followed by sexual conjugation. In the second step, a pathway requiring the matP+, matM+ and mei3+ genes of the newly-formed zygote, further inhibits ran1+ and thereby commits the cell to meiosis. mei2+ is required for meiotic commitment after full inhibition of ran1+. ran1+ is normally essential for vegetative cell reproduction but is inessential in cells which have abnormally high levels of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. We propose that the ran1+ gene encodes a highly controlled protein kinase which shares key substrates with cAMP-dependent protein kinase.