GLUCOCORTICOID-INDUCED ALTERATION OF THE SURFACE MEMBRANE OF CULTURED HEPATOMA CELLS

Glucocorticoids induce an alteration of the surface of hepatoma tissue culture (HTC) cells as expressed by changes in cell electrophoretic, antigenic, and adhesive properties. The alteration is assayed by the increased adhesiveness of induced cells for a glass surface. The induction process has a lag period of about 3 hr and attains a plateau level after 24–30 hr when 50–80% of the steroid-treated cells are firmly adhered. Less than 10% of untreated cells adhere under the same conditions. Induction is inhibited by actinomycin D and cycloheximide, demonstrates both pH and temperature dependence, and responds to changes in steroid concentration and structure. By contrast, the attachment per se of preinduced cells is not affected by inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis, fluctuations of temperature and pH, and the presence or absence of the hormone. When the induction process is reversed by removal of steroid or addition of actinomycin D, preinduced adhesiveness is lost with a half-life of 13–24 hr, but in the presence of cycloheximide the loss is accelerated (t1/2 3–5.5 hr). These results suggest that glucocorticoids induce the biosynthesis of a protein which either modifies the cell surface (an enzyme) or is incorporated into surface structures (structural protein)

ACCURACY AND PRECISION OF ESTIMATING AGE OF GRAY WOLVES BY TOOTH WEAR

We evaluated the accuracy and precision of tooth wear for aging gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Alaska, Minnesota, and Ontario based on 47 known-age or known-minimum-age skuIIs. Estimates of age using tooth wear and a commercial cementum annuli-aging service were useful for wolves up to 14 years old. The precision of estimates from cementum annuli was greater than estimates from tooth wear, but tooth wear estimates are more applicable in the field. We tended to overestimate age by 1-2 years and occasionaIIy by 3 or 4 years. The commercial service aged young wolves with cementum annuli to within ± 1 year of actual age, but under estimated ages of wolves 2:9 years old by 1-3 years. No differences were detected in tooth wear patterns for wild wolves from Alaska, Minnesota, and Ontario, nor between captive and wild wolves. Tooth wear was not appropriate for aging wolves with an underbite that prevented normal wear or severely broken and missing teeth

Messina (\u3cem\u3eMelilotus siculus\u3c/em\u3e)–A New Pasture Legume for Saltland

Messina (Melilotus siculus ((Turra) Vitman ex B.D. Jacks)) is a new annual pasture legume for saltland in temperate Australia and regions of the world that experience Mediterranean climates. Messina has greater tolerance to the combined stresses of salinity and water-logging than existing commercial pasture legumes. Coupled with desirable agronomic traits these characteristics give messina the capacity to rehabilitate saltland and increase productivity on land where existing legumes fail. This paper reviews the agronomic perform-ance of messina in relation to top soil salinity levels

Influence of coronary artery disease on morbidity and mortality after abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy: A population-based study, 1971–1987

AbstractThe prognostic importance of coronary artery disease at the time of elective abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy was evaluated among 131 residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota who underwent elective aneurysmectomy from 1971 to 1987 and were followed up to 1988 for death and cardiac events (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, coronary bypass surgery and angioplasty). Before aneurysmectomy, 75 patients (Group 1) had no clinically recognized coronary disease, 47 patients (Group 2) had suspected or overt uncorrected coronary artery disease (history of prior myocardial infarction, angina or a positive stress test) and 9 patients (Group 3) had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting or coronary angioplasty.The 30 day operative mortality rate was 3% (2 of 75) in Group 1 and 9% (4 of 47) in Group 2 (p = 0.15). According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, estimated survival 8 years after aneurysmectomy was 59% (expected rate 68%, p = 0.29) in Group 1 versus 34% (expected rate 61%, p = 0.01) in Group 2. The cumulative incidence rate of cardiac events at 8 years was 15% and 61%, respectively, for patients without and with suspected/overt coronary artery disease (p < 0.01). Using multivariable proportional hazards analysis, uncorrected coronary artery disease was associated with a nearly twofold increased risk of death (hazard ratio 1.79, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 3.00) and a fourfold increased risk of cardiac events (hazard ratio 3.71, 95% confidence interval 1.79 to 7.69).These population-based data support an aggressive lifelong approach to the management of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy

Staphylococcus aureus infects osteoclasts and replicates intracellularly

Osteomyelitis (OM), or inflammation of bone tissue, occurs most frequently as a result of bacterial infection and severely perturbs bone structure. OM is predominantly caused b

SPECULOOS exoplanet search and its prototype on TRAPPIST

One of the most significant goals of modern science is establishing whether life exists around other suns. The most direct path towards its achievement is the detection and atmospheric characterization of terrestrial exoplanets with potentially habitable surface conditions. The nearest ultracool dwarfs (UCDs), i.e. very-low-mass stars and brown dwarfs with effective temperatures lower than 2700 K, represent a unique opportunity to reach this goal within the next decade. The potential of the transit method for detecting potentially habitable Earth-sized planets around these objects is drastically increased compared to Earth-Sun analogs. Furthermore, only a terrestrial planet transiting a nearby UCD would be amenable for a thorough atmospheric characterization, including the search for possible biosignatures, with near-future facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope. In this chapter, we first describe the physical properties of UCDs as well as the unique potential they offer for the detection of potentially habitable Earth-sized planets suitable for atmospheric characterization. Then, we present the SPECULOOS ground-based transit survey, that will search for Earth-sized planets transiting the nearest UCDs, as well as its prototype survey on the TRAPPIST telescopes. We conclude by discussing the prospects offered by the recent detection by this prototype survey of a system of seven temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby UCD, TRAPPIST-1.Comment: Submitted as a chapter in the "Handbook of Exoplanets" (editors: H. Deeg & J.A. Belmonte; Section Editor: N. Narita). 16 pages, 4 figure

Pain assessment for people with dementia: a systematic review of systematic reviews of pain assessment tools.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence of under-detection and poor management of pain in patients with dementia, in both long-term and acute care. Accurate assessment of pain in people with dementia is challenging and pain assessment tools have received considerable attention over the years, with an increasing number of tools made available. Systematic reviews on the evidence of their validity and utility mostly compare different sets of tools. This review of systematic reviews analyses and summarises evidence concerning the psychometric properties and clinical utility of pain assessment tools in adults with dementia or cognitive impairment. METHODS: We searched for systematic reviews of pain assessment tools providing evidence of reliability, validity and clinical utility. Two reviewers independently assessed each review and extracted data from them, with a third reviewer mediating when consensus was not reached. Analysis of the data was carried out collaboratively. The reviews were synthesised using a narrative synthesis approach. RESULTS: We retrieved 441 potentially eligible reviews, 23 met the criteria for inclusion and 8 provided data for extraction. Each review evaluated between 8 and 13 tools, in aggregate providing evidence on a total of 28 tools. The quality of the reviews varied and the reporting often lacked sufficient methodological detail for quality assessment. The 28 tools appear to have been studied in a variety of settings and with varied types of patients. The reviews identified several methodological limitations across the original studies. The lack of a 'gold standard' significantly hinders the evaluation of tools' validity. Most importantly, the samples were small providing limited evidence for use of any of the tools across settings or populations. CONCLUSIONS: There are a considerable number of pain assessment tools available for use with the elderly cognitive impaired population. However there is limited evidence about their reliability, validity and clinical utility. On the basis of this review no one tool can be recommended given the existing evidence

Impacts of habitat heterogeneity on the provision of multiple ecosystem services in a temperate floodplain

The relationships between habitat heterogeneity and the provision of multiple ecosystem services are not well understood. This study investigates the impacts of heterogeneity in surface floodwater inundation on the productive efficiency of ecosystem service provision, and the degree to which the relative provision of these ecosystem services is evenly balanced. We analyse indicators of five services. Field data from 100 floodplain quadrats were first analysed to investigate relationships between ecosystem service indicators and floodplain hydrology. Floodplain mosaics of varying hydrological heterogeneity were then simulated using the empirical data. Simulated floodplains with higher hydrological heterogeneity were generally less efficient in providing the target indicators, because they were adapted to the particular hydrological ranges which best provided the target services. Simulated floodplains that were more heterogeneous generally provided more even levels of the target indicators by segregating provision into different habitat types. Heterogeneity in floodplain hydrology may help to balance provision of multiple ecosystem services. However, management of hydrological heterogeneity to achieve this requires a detailed understanding of the relationships between each service and habitat conditions