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Biomedical subjects

D R Lee

Publications and source records attributed to D R Lee.

105 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Chemical heterogeneity of major outer membrane pore proteins of Escherichia coli.

Peptide mapping and isoelectric focusing were used to compare the major outer membrane pore proteins from various strains of Escherichia coli K-12, including strains carrying mutations in the nmpA, nmpB, and nmpC genes which result in the production of new membrane proteins. Proteins 1a, 1b, and 2 and the NmpA proteins each gave unique peptide and isoelectric focusing profiles, indicating that these are different polypeptides. The NmpA protein and the NmpB protein appeared to be identical by these criteria. The NmpC protein and protein 2 were nearly identical, although one different peptide was observed in comparing the proteolytic peptide maps of these proteins and there were slight differences in their isoelectric focusing profiles. Antiserum against protein 2 showed partial cross-reactivity with the NmpC protein. These results indicate that the various pore proteins of E. coli K-12 fall into four different classes.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Carbon assimilation and translocation in soybean leaves at different stages of development.

Carbon assimilation, translocation, and associated biochemical characteristics of the second trifoliolate leaf (numbered acropetally) of chamber-grown soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., plants were studied at selected stages of leaf development during the period from 10 to 25 days postemergence. Leaves of uniform age were selected on the basis of leaf plastochron index (LPI).The test leaf reached full expansion (A(max)) and maximum CO(2) exchange rates on a leaf area basis at 17 days postemergence (LPI 4.1). Maximum carbon exchange rates per unit dry weight of lamina were attained several days earlier and declined as specific leaf weight increased. Chlorophyll and soluble protein continued to increase beyond the attainment of A(max), but were not accompanied by further increases in photosynthetic rates.Much of the fixed carbon in leaves is partitioned between starch and sucrose. Starch content of leaves as a percentage of dry weight at the end of an 11-hour photoperiod was taken as an indication of the potential energy reserve accumulated by the leaf. Starch levels were the same regardless of leaf age during the period from 0.3 A(max) to 7 days after attaining A(max). Respiratory and synthetic activity of leaves decreased considerably during the same period, suggesting that starch accumulation is not entirely controlled by the energy demands of the leaf.Sucrose content increased steadily during leaf expansion and was accompanied by corresponding increases in sucrose phosphate synthetase (EC 2.4.1.14) activity and translocation rates. Sucrose phosphate synthetase may have an important regulatory role in photosynthate partitioning and translocation.

Journal Article↗

Salmonella in horses: a source of contamination of horsemeat in a packing plant under federal inspection.

Cecal samples from 270 slaughter horses revealed that 41 samples (15.1%) contained Salmonella. Of 233 horsemeat samples tested, Salmonella was isolated from 62 samples, or 26.6%. Only 2 of 158 human stool specimens from the plant workers revealed Salmonella. Predominant serotypes isolated from the horsemeat were Salmonella enteritidis Good and Anatum, whereas the serotypes Agona and Derby predominated the horse cecal isolates. Preliminary data indicate that the high percentage of meat contamination is surface contamination due to poor slaughtering technique.

Animals↗

Ground substance mucopolysaccharides and plasma proteins: their role in capillary water balance.

The osmotic interaction of mucopolysaccharides and plasma proteins, normally present in the interstitium, has been investigated. It has been found that hyaluronate-plasma protein mixtures may be treated as a two-phase system and that the two phases are in osmotic equilibrium. The osmotic pressures exerted by these mixtures are higher than the algebraic sum of the two components. At concentrations normally present in the interstitium of skin and muscle (0.6% mucopolysaccharides and 2% protein), the osmotic pressure exerted by the mixture is on the order of 10 mmHg, which is in agreement with predictions from earlier computer-simulation studies. The partition of fluid between the gel-like mucopolysaccharide compartment and the free-fluid containing the protein is approximately 50% in the "gel" phase at concentrations found in the interstitium. The volume exclusion effects of the interstitial mucopolysaccharides are significant, both in terms of selection of tracer molecules for interstitial volume measurements and also as an osmotic buffering mechanism which aids in maintaining the partition of fluid between the circulation and the interstitial space.

Blood Proteins↗

Prazosin: preliminary clinical and pharmacological observations.

1. Prazosin had a considerable anti-hypertensive effect in both lying and standing posture in a mixed group of twenty-four patients in an open clinical trial. The drug was well tolerated and side-effects were few. 2. Tested on rat blood vessels, prazosin was ten times more potent on a molar basis than phentolamine in blocking the vasoconstrictor effects of noradrenaline. In the absence of vasoconstrictor nervous activity, no vasodilatation was observed. 3. In genetically hypertensive rats, prazosin in large doses caused a substantial fall in blood pressure, total exchangeable sodium and extracellular fluid volume. Tolerance to these effects started to develop within 20 days. In normotensive rats, blood pressure was lowered but total exchangeable sodium and extracellular fluid volume were not affected.

Adult↗

-D-phosphogalactoside galactohydrolase of lactic streptococci.

beta-D-Phosphogalactoside galactohydrolase (beta-Pgal) was examined in a number of lactic streptococci by use of the chromogenic substrate o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside-6-phosphate. Specific activity of beta-Pgal ranged from 0.563 units/mg of protein in Streptococcus lactis UN, to 0.120 in S. diacetilactics 18-16. Essentially no beta-D-galactoside galactohydrolase (beta-gal) was found in these organisms when o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside served as the chromogenic substrate. S. lactis 7962 was the one exception found. This organism contained rather high levels of beta-gal, and very little beta-Pgal could be detected. beta-Pgal activity was examined in streptococci that differed widely in both their proteolytic ability and rates of lactic acid production during growth in milk. Differences in proteolytic ability did not influence beta-Pgal synthesis; also, the rate of lactic acid production was independent of the level of beta-Pgal present in the cell, since the rate of lactic acid production could be increased approximately fourfold without changing the amount of beta-Pgal present in the cell. Various carbohydrates were tested as potential inducers of the enzyme. Although galactose, either as the free sugar or combined with glucose in lactose, was the only inducer, noninducing sugars such as mannose or glucose showed some ability to cause fluctuations in the basal level of beta-Pgal. Cells growing in mannose or glucose exhibited about 30% of the maximal enzyme levels found in cells growing in lactose or galactose. No gratuitous inducers were found.

Animals↗

Analysis of nonhuman primate peripheral blood mononuclear cells for susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and HIV coreceptor expression.

HIV-1 infection of nonhuman primates does not lead to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome seen in humans. The basis for this lack of disease progression in these animals is still unknown. In this study, primary nonhuman primate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were tested for their susceptibility to in vitro infection by several different primary HIV-1 isolates representing distinct subtypes or clades. None of the five HIV-1 subtypes tested were able to readily establish an infection in chimpanzee or baboon PBMC, as determined by p24 antigen capture assays. To address the mechanism of in vitro resistance to HIV-1 infection, PBMC were analyzed for HIV coreceptor mRNA expression and cell surface expression. Flow cytometry analysis of the nonhuman primate PBMC demonstrated that they do express CD4, CCR3, CCR5, and CXCR4 on their cell surface. Therefore, the level of restriction in the virus replication cycle does not appear to lie at the point of entry in these cells.

Animals↗

Lattice theory analysis of the relationship of hyaline membrane disease and fetal pneumonia in 96 perinatal autopsies.

A previous study of hyaline membrane disease of the newborn demonstrated that the hyaline membrane was derived from necrotic epithelial cells, and it was suggested that a no flow-reflow episode affecting the pulmonary circulation might account for the cell necrosis. An unexpected statistical finding in that study was a highly significant negative correlation between hyaline membrane disease and chorioamnionitis. Because it seemed to us that fetal infection could be expected to produce the circulatory pathophysiology suggested to produce hyaline membrane disease, we reexamined the issue by reviewing a group of autopsied infants. Data were collected on clinicopathologic variables from 42 stillborn and 54 liveborn infants less than or equal to 12 h of age with lung and placenta slides available for review. Correlations and multivariate regression analysis showed that the inflammatory responses in membranes, cord, and lung are interrelated but that hyaline membrane disease develops independently. However, lattice theory analysis, which represents the pathogenesis of a progressive disease process as edges along a mathematical lattice or hyperdimensional cube, showed that this separation was not absolute. Despite the negative correlation of hyaline membrane disease and fetal pneumonia, there were 10 (10%) patients with both conditions and a total of 19 (20%) with hyaline membrane disease and inflammation of membranes, cord, and/or lung. We suggest that the coexistence of hyaline membrane disease and fetal pneumonia in some patients implies a possible pathogenetic relationship between the two entities. Given the nature of the two processes, it seems likely that the direction of causality is that fetal pneumonia would give rise to the hyaline membrane disease of the newborn.

Autopsy↗