Hypernuclear weak decay of 12 Lambda C and 11 Lambda B.
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Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
L Lee
Publications and source records attributed to L Lee.
Anti-p57: a novel association with neonatal lupus.
IgG antibodies to a 57-kD protein (p57) present in various human and bovine extracts were detected by immunoblotting in the serum of the mother of a baby with congenital heart block, but not in the corresponding cord blood, suggesting specific antibody consumption in the baby. Since this indicates a possible functional role for these antibodies, the antigen target was characterized and the association of the antibodies to heart block was further studied. A human K562 lambda gt11 cDNA library was screened and two clones were identified whose products reacted with the prototype serum. Antibody affinity-purified by use of the cloned gene products reacted on immunoblot with the 57-kD band. Partial sequences of both inserts were identical, but differed from DNA encoding the Ro(SSA) and La(SSB) antigens. Antibodies to the p57 were detected in 10% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera, almost exclusively in association with anti-Ro(SSA). Furthermore, they were present in 38% (8/21) mothers of babies with neonatal lupus expressing either cardiac or cutaneous manifestations. Antibodies to this 57-kD protein may be an additional risk factor for neonatal lupus in anti-Ro-positive women. Moreover, disappearance of antibody from cord blood suggests that they may have a role in disease manifestations.
Autoantibodies↗
Transactivation activity of Meq, a Marek's disease herpesvirus bZIP protein persistently expressed in latently infected transformed T cells.
Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an avian herpesvirus that induces a variety of diseases, including T-cell lymphomas, in chickens. In latently infected, transformed lymphoid cells, very few viral transcripts or proteins are detected. We previously described a gene, meq (MDV EcoQ), which is persistently expressed in MDV-transformed tumor samples and cell lines. meq codes for a 339-amino-acid protein with a basic-leucine zipper domain near its N terminus and a proline-rich domain near its C terminus. The basic-leucine zipper domain shows homology with Jun/Fos family proteins, whereas the proline-rich domain resembles that of the WT-1 tumor suppressor protein. These structural features raise the possibility that Meq functions as a transcription factor in regulating viral latency or oncogenesis. In this report, we show that the proline-rich domain is a potent transcription activator when fused to the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Gal4(1-147) DNA-binding domain. The transactivation activity maps to the C-terminal 130 amino acids, with the last 33 amino acids essential. In the absence of these 33 amino acids, a two-and-one-half proline-rich repeat structure was found to exhibit repression activity. We further show that Meq is able to dimerize not only with itself but also with c-Jun. Meq/c-Jun heterodimers bind to an AP1-like sequence in the meq promoter region with an affinity much greater than that of Meq/Meq or c-Jun/c-Jun homodimers. Cotransfection chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays suggest that the Meq/c-Jun heterodimers can up-regulate Meq expression in both chicken embryo fibroblasts and F9 cells. Our data provide the first biochemical evidence that Meq is a transcriptional factor and identify c-Jun as one of Meq's interacting partners.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Evaluation of the Cult-Dip Plus dip slide method for urinary tract infection.
AIM: To evaluate the Cult-Dip Plus (Merck, Germany), a bacteriological culture test for detecting uropathogens. METHODS: Cult-Dip Plus consists of Brolacin (CLED) and MacConkey agar, each containing methylumbelliferylglucuronide (MUG). Using 1022 urine samples, this product was compared with the routine method of calibrated loop inoculated CLED and blood agar for screening urine for uropathogens. The MUG test for identifying Escherichia coli was also evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the routine method, Cult-Dip Plus has a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 88.3%, 98.0%, 91.9%, and 97.1%, respectively. The MUG test correctly identified 92% of E coli isolates with a sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of 91.6%, 95.2%, and 93.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Cult-Dip Plus appears to be an alternative method to the calibrate loop method for detecting uropathogens. The MUG test permits rapid, reliable and inexpensive identification of E coli.
Bacteriological Techniques↗
The health insurance system in Korea and its implications.
The national health insurance system was introduced in Korea in 1977 and achieved universal coverage in July 1989. This article briefly describes the general features of the insurance scheme: coverage, management, benefit package, financing provision of medical services and method of reimbursement. Generally speaking, the system mirrors that of the German and Japanese experiences. Although the Korean health insurance system achieved universal coverage during a remarkably short time-span, there is much room for improvement. In this regard, the article also highlights the problems related to Korea's health insurance system and the attempts to improve equity and efficiency in both financing and provision of services.
Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
Discovery of a better aspirin.
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Analgesia↗
New products--to buy or not to buy.....?
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Advertising↗
Pharmacological and biochemical demonstration of the role of cyclooxygenase 2 in inflammation and pain.
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, but significant side effects such as gastrointestinal erosion and renal damage limit their use. NSAIDs inhibit the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX), which catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxane. Two forms of COX have been identified--COX-1, which is constitutively expressed in most tissues and organs, and the inducible enzyme, COX-2, which has been localized primarily to inflammatory cells and tissues. In an animal model of acute inflammation (injection of carrageenan into the footpad), edema was produced that was associated with marked accumulation of COX-2 mRNA and thromboxane. A selective inhibitor of COX-2 (SC-58125) inhibited edema at the inflammatory site and was analgesic but had no effect on PG production in the stomach and did not cause gastric toxicity. These data suggest that selective inhibition of COX-2 may produce superior antiinflammatory drugs with substantial safety advantages over existing NSAIDs.
Abscess↗
Wild-type alternatively spliced p53: binding to DNA and interaction with the major p53 protein in vitro and in cells.
A p53 variant protein (p53as) generated from alternatively spliced p53 RNA is expressed in normal and malignant mouse cells and tissues, and p53as antigen activity is preferentially associated with the G2 phase of the cell cycle, suggesting that p53as and p53 protein may have distinct properties. Using p53as and p53 proteins translated in vitro, we now provide evidence that p53as protein has efficient sequence-specific DNA-binding ability. DNA binding by p53 protein is inefficient in comparison and requires activation. Furthermore, p53as and p53 proteins formed hetero-oligomers when co-translated in vitro, resulting in inactivation of p53as DNA-binding activity. Gel filtration indicated that p53as translated in vitro, like p53, formed tetramers. In support of a functional role of p53as in cells, p53as/p53 hetero-oligomers were coimmunoprecipitated from mouse cells, and both protein forms were detectable in nuclear extracts by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. These results suggest that the biochemical functions of p53 are mediated by interaction between two endogenous protein products of the wild-type p53 gene.
Alternative Splicing↗
Smoking initiation rates in adults and minors: United States, 1944-1988.
To the authors' knowledge, calendar year trends in cigarette smoking initiation rates have not been examined on a population basis. National Health Interview Survey data (1970, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1987, and 1988) on age of starting to smoke fairly regularly were used to compute smoking initiation rates for males and females aged 10-24 years from 1944 through the mid-1980s. Information from 102,626 respondents was included. The authors examined trends in these rates and looked for associations with milestones in the antismoking public health campaign. Smoking initiation in 21- to 24-year-old (adult) males declined sharply beginning around 1950 when evidence regarding the health consequences of smoking was first made public. The decline in adult females began in the mid-1960s when the Surgeon General's report was released, intensifying the public health campaign. The initiation rate for adult males and females dropped below 1% by the end of the study period. Initiation rates in 15- to 20-year-old males also began to decrease in the mid-1960s, but rates for 10- to 14-year-old males did not decrease over the study period. Initiation rates for females both in the 15-20 and 10-14 year age groups actually increased, at least through the mid-1970s. These trends in smoking initiation suggest that knowing the health consequences of smoking has kept adults from starting to smoke. Such knowledge either may be lacking or may not be salient among the youngest age groups.
Adolescent↗
Smoking initiation by adolescent girls, 1944 through 1988. An association with targeted advertising.
OBJECTIVE: To identify trends in smoking initiation among persons aged 10 to 20 years that might reflect the impact of specific targeting of tobacco advertising to women. DESIGN: Data from the National Health Interview Surveys on age of initiation of smoking (survey years 1970, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1987, and 1988) were used to construct age-specific rates of smoking initiation for males and females aged 10 to 20 years from 1944 through the middle 1980s. The raw rates were smoothed to allow trends to be more easily identified. PARTICIPANTS: Information from 102,626 respondents was used. RESULTS: In 18- to 20-year-old women, initiation rates peaked in the early 1960s and steadily declined thereafter. In girls younger than 18 years, smoking initiation increased abruptly around 1967, when tobacco advertising aimed at selling specific brands to women was introduced. This increase was particularly marked in those females who never attended college (1.7-fold higher). Initiation rates for females younger than 18 years peaked around 1973, at about the same time sales of these brands peaked. After a steep postwar (1944 to 1949) decline, initiation rates in 18- to 20-year-old men did not decrease until the middle to late 1960s. Initiation rates for boys younger than 16 years showed little change during the entire study period. CONCLUSIONS: The tobacco advertising campaigns targeting women, which were launched in 1967, were associated with a major increase in smoking uptake that was specific to females younger than the legal age for purchasing cigarettes.
Adolescent↗
Functional cell surface expression by a recombinant single-chain class I major histocompatibility complex molecule with a cis-active beta 2-microglobulin domain.
As a preliminary step towards the use of cell surface single-chain class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules as T cell immunogens, we have engineered a recombinant gene encoding a full-length cell surface single-chain version of the H-2Dd class I MHC molecule (SC beta Ddm) which has beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) covalently linked to the amino terminus of a full-length H-2Dd heavy chain via a peptide spacer. The single-chain protein is correctly folded and stably expressed on the surface of transfected L cells. It can present an antigenic peptide to an H-2Dd-restricted antigen-specific T cell hybridoma. When expressed in peptide-transport-deficient cells, SC beta Ddm can be stabilized and pulsed for antigen presentation by incubation with extracellular peptide at 27 degrees or 37 degrees C, allowing the preparation of cells with single-chain molecules that are loaded with a single chosen antigenic peptide. SC beta Ddm can be stably expressed in beta 2m-negative cells, showing that the single-chain molecule uses its own beta 2m domain to achieve correct folding and surface expression. Furthermore, the beta 2m domain of SC beta Ddm, unlike transfected free beta 2m, does not rescue surface expression of endogenous class I MHC in the beta 2m-negative cells. This strict cis activity of the beta 2m domain of SC beta Ddm makes possible the investigation of class I MHC function in cells, and potentially in animals, that express but a single type of class I MHC molecule.
Animals↗
An early decrease in interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein gene expression in Abyssinian cats homozygous for hereditary rod-cone degeneration.
Levels of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) protein and message in retinas of Abyssinian cats homozygous for progressive rod-cone degeneration were determined at early ages, well before the onset of clinical retinal degeneration. IRBP gene expression was assessed by immunochemical quantitation of IRBP protein, and by Northern blotting and slot-blotting of total RNA using a human IRBP cDNA probe. Morphology was assessed by electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry. Levels of both IRBP protein and message in affected Abyssinian cat retinas were significantly reduced below normal as early as 4 weeks of age at the earliest stage of retinal disorientation. Opsin mRNA was more abundant in affected Abyssinian cat retinas than in control retinas. This was at least 1 year before the onset of clinical symptoms. The reduction in IRBP gene expression to levels significantly below normal well before the onset of retinal degeneration in affected Abyssinian cat retinas indicates that this represents a primary defect or at least an early problem that could itself cause adverse effects.
Animals↗
Intraoral pyogenic granuloma after allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Report of three cases.
Allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients commonly have oral complications related to their disease or its treatment. Those reported include: xerostomia, mucositis, caries, infection, gingival hyperplasia, periodontitis, and graft-versus-host disease. These complications may be responsible for significant morbidity. This article reviews commonly reported oral complications of bone marrow transplantation and presents three cases in which intraoral pyogenic granuloma occurred. The cause of these lesions in post-bone marrow transplant patients is discussed.
Adult↗
NMR study of the positions of His-12 and His-119 in the ribonuclease A-uridine vanadate complex.
The binding of uridine vanadate to ribonuclease A has been investigated by one- and two-dimensional 1H NMR. The homonuclear Nuclear Overhauser and exchange spectroscopy spectrum of the uridine vanadate/RNase A complex exhibits cross peaks between both the C5H and C6H protons of uridine vanadate and the H epsilon 1 proton of His-12 of ribonuclease A. These cross peaks suggest that the H epsilon 1 proton of His-12 is in the vicinity of the uracil base of uridine vanadate, as observed in the crystallographic structure of the uridine vanadate/RNase A complex. However, no cross peaks are observed between the C5H and C6H protons of uridine vanadate and the H epsilon 1 proton of His-119 of ribonuclease A, although they were predicted based upon the distances calculated from coordinates of the crystallographic structure of the complex. These results suggest that there is a significant difference between the positioning of the His-119 side chain in the solution and in the crystallographic structures.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Efficacy of vocal function exercises as a method of improving voice production.
Objective voice analysis including acoustic, aerodynamic, and laryngeal videostroboscopic measures demonstrated normal voice in 35 adult women. The subjects were then randomly divided into experimental, placebo, and control groups. The experimental group engaged in vocal function exercises. The placebo group engaged in a placebo exercise program. Objective measures taken after 4 weeks of execise demonstrated significant changes in phonation volume, flow rate, maximum phonation time, and frequency range for the experimental group. No significant changes were noted in the measurements of the control and placebo groups.
Adult↗
Factors associated with individual differences in clinical measures of speech recognition among the elderly.
In the present study, the speech-recognition performance of 50 subjects aged 63 to 83 years was measured for a wide range of materials (nonsense syllables, monosyllabic words, sentences) and listening conditions (presentation levels of 70 and 90 dB SPL, both in quiet and in a noise background). In addition to complete audiologic evaluations, measures of auditory processing (the Test of Basic Auditory Capabilities [TBAC], Watson, 1987) and cognitive function (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised [WAIS-R], and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised [WMS-R], Wechsler, 1981, 1987) were obtained from all subjects. Principal component analyses were applied to each of the three sets of measures (speech-recognition, auditory, and cognitive) prior to examining associations among the sets using canonical analyses. Two principal components captured most of the systematic variation in performance sampled by the set of 20 speech-recognition measures. Hearing loss emerged as the single largest factor associated with individual differences in speech-recognition performance among the elderly, accounting for 70-75% of the total variance in speech-recognition performance, with the measures of auditory processing and cognitive function accounting for little or no additional variance.
Acoustic Stimulation↗
Transmembrane signalling by the chimeric chemosensory receptors of Escherichia coli Tsr and Tar with heterologous membrane-spanning regions.
The serine and aspartate chemosensory receptors (Tsr and Tar) of Escherichia coli have two membrane-spanning regions TM1 and TM2. To investigate their roles in transmembrane signalling, we constructed two chimeric receptors from Tsr and Tar with heterologous combinations of TM1 and TM2: the N-terminus of one receptor, including TM1 and the periplasmic domain, was fused to the C-terminus of the other, beginning with TM2. Both of the chimeric receptor genes rescued the chemotactic defect of a receptorless E. coli strain, indicating that the chimeric receptors are functional. Their apparent affinities for the specific ligands were the same as those of Tsr or Tar. Therefore, as far as transmembrane signalling abilities are concerned, the TM2 regions of Tsr and Tar are interchangeable, suggesting that sequence-specific interaction between TM1 and TM2 may not be required for the signal transmission across the membrane. The cells expressing either of the chimeric receptors, however, showed 'smooth', biased, basal swimming patterns. Moreover, they adapted quickly after stimulation with the repellent glycerol. This rapid adaptation was observed even in the methyltransferase-defective strain. Therefore, exchange of TM2 might impose structural constraints on the chimeric receptors that stabilize conformations which elicit smooth swimming.
Adaptation, Physiological↗