Is the incidence of hypertension higher in HIV-infected persons on ARV therapy?
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Anti-HIV Agents↗
Biomedical subjects
M Anderson
Publications and source records attributed to M Anderson.
Association between dinucleotide repeat in non-coding region of interferon-gamma gene and susceptibility to, and severity of, rheumatoid arthritis.
BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis ranges from a mild, non-deforming arthropathy with little long-term disability to severe, incapacitating, deforming arthritis which may be refractory to conventional disease-modifying agents. Epidemiological studies show an important genetic influence in rheumatoid arthritis, and MHC region genes and cytokine genes within and outside this region have been considered as candidates. We did a case-control study to test whether polymorphisms in the interferon-gamma gene are associated with severity of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Interferon gamma dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms were examined with quantitative genescan technology, and HLA-DR alleles were identified by PCR and restriction-fragment-length polymorphism analysis. We studied 60 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, 39 with mild disease, and 65 normal controls. FINDINGS: Susceptibility to, and severity of, rheumatoid arthritis were related to a microsatellite polymorphism within the first intron of the interferon-gamma gene. A 126 bp allele was seen in 44 (73%) of 60 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, compared with eight (21%) of 39 with mild disease (odds ratio 10.66 [95% CI 4.1-24.9]), and with eight (12%) of 65 normal controls (19.59 [7.7-49.9]). Conversely, a 122 bp allele at the same locus was found in four (7%) patients with severe disease compared with 25 (64%) of those with mild disease (0.04 [0.01-0.1]) and with 52 (80%) of controls (0.018 [0.005-0.06]). INTERPRETATION: This association may be valuable for understanding the mechanism of disease progression, for predicting the course of the disease, and for guiding therapy.
Adult↗
Antiflow of K(0)(s) mesons in 6A GeV Au + Au collisions
We have measured the sideward flow of neutral strange ( K(0)(s)) mesons in 6A GeV Au+Au collisions. A prominent antiflow signal is observed for an impact parameter range ( b less, similar7 fm) which spans central and midcentral events. Since the K(0)(s) scattering cross section is relatively small in nuclear matter, this observation suggests that the in-medium kaon vector potential plays an important role in high density nuclear matter.
Journal Article↗
Sideward flow in Au+Au collisions between 2A and 8A GeV
Using the large acceptance Time Projection Chamber of experiment E895 at Brookhaven, measurements of collective sideward flow in Au+Au collisions at beam energies of 2A, 4A, 6A, and 8A GeV are presented in the form of in-plane transverse momentum and the first Fourier coefficient of azimuthal anisotropy v(1). These measurements indicate a smooth variation of sideward flow as a function of beam energy. The data are compared with four nuclear transport models which have an orientation towards this energy range. All four exhibit some qualitative trends similar to those found in the data, although none show a consistent pattern of agreement within experimental uncertainties.
Journal Article↗
The pager grows up and reaches out.
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Equipment Design↗
Bombarding energy dependence of pi(-) interferometry at the brookhaven AGS
We present the first excitation function of pi(-) intensity interferometry at Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) energies (2-8 A GeV). The sensitivity of the multidimensional correlation functions to the geometry and dynamics of the pion-emitting system provides a stringent test of transport models of heavy ion collisions. Detailed comparisons with a realistic transport model, both with and without an explicit nuclear mean field, suggest that the beam energy evolution in the reaction dynamics is different in the model than in the data. A significantly increased pi(-) emission time scale, which has been suggested as a signal of the onset of the transition to quark-gluon plasma, is not observed.
Journal Article↗
Biomarkers of immunotoxicity in fish: from the lab to the ocean.
Historically, host immunocompetence has been monitored using a battery of immune parameters. Recently, many of these same assays have been employed as biomarkers for predicting chemical-induced immunotoxicity in wildlife species. In this laboratory, assays measuring immunopathology, immune cell function, and host resistance against bacteria have been used successfully to assess immunotoxicity in laboratory-reared Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and in feral fish populations. As an example of the latter, smallmouth bass collected from a PCB-contaminated site demonstrated significantly reduced phagocyte function and antioxidant activity compared to reference site fish. Taken together, these studies along with those from other investigators demonstrate the usefulness of immune assays as indicators to predict the toxicological risk associated with 'real-world' polluted aquatic environments.
Animals↗
The effects of low frequency and two-pulse stimulation protocols on synaptic transmission in the CA1-subiculum pathway in the anaesthetized rat.
The downregulation of synaptic efficacy is referred to as long-term depression (LTD). Recent work has shown that a two-pulse stimulation (TPS) protocol is successful at inducing LTD in vivo in area CA1 of the hippocampus. Here, we examine the ability of two TPS protocols and two low-frequency stimulation (LFS) protocols to induce LTD in the projection from hippocampal area CA1 to the subiculum in the anaesthetized rat. We find no evidence of LTD induction with TPS or LFS protocols. Instead, with three of the protocols (both TPS protocols and 1 Hz LFS), a late-developing potentiation is observed.
Animals↗
Cell-specific, activation-dependent regulation of neutrophil CD32A ligand-binding function.
Neutrophils express 2 low-affinity FcgammaR, FcgammaRIIIB (CD16B), and FcgammaRIIA (CD32A). CD16B is a glycosyl-phosphatidyl inositol-anchored molecule, whereas CD32A is a polypeptide-anchored molecule. These 2 receptors also differ in their signaling. The biological significance of coexpression of 2 FcgammaRs with distinct membrane anchors and signaling capacities is not clearly understood. Using neutrophils from a CD16B-deficient donor and normal neutrophils treated with anti-CD16 monoclonal antibodies, the authors demonstrated that affinity modulation of CD32A is one of the mechanisms by which neutrophils regulate their FcgammaR-dependent functions. Neutrophils isolated from a CD16B(- )donor rosetted poorly with sheep erythrocytes opsonized with rabbit IgG (EA) (12% +/- 2% versus 80% +/- 6% for control) and were unable to mediate immunophagocytosis. However, activation of CD16B(-) neutrophils with fMLP, a bacterial chemotactic peptide, increased the CD32A-dependent EA rosetting to 58%. The CD32A-dependent rosetting of fMLP-activated normal neutrophils also increased nearly 5-fold, but there was no increase in CD32A expression. The CD32A-dependent immune complex (IC) binding was also increased in activated neutrophils. This affinity regulation was not observed with CD32A expressed on Chinese hamster ovary cells. These results suggest that in resting neutrophils CD32A is in a low-affinity state and that these cells primarily engage CD16B for IC binding. However, once the neutrophils are activated, the CD32A is converted to a high-affinity state that leads to CD32A-dependent ligand binding and signaling. These results suggest that neutrophils adopt a novel strategy to engage the 2 different FcgammaR selectively during physiologic and pathologic conditions to carry out their functions efficiently.
Animals↗
UK CropNet: a collection of databases and bioinformatics resources for crop plant genomics.
The UK Crop Plant Bioinformatics Network (UK CropNet) was established in 1996 in order to harness the extensive work in genome mapping in crop plants in the UK. Since this date we have published five databases from our central UK CropNet WWW site (http://synteny.nott.ac.uk/) with a further three to follow shortly. Our resource facilitates the identification and manipulation of agronomically important genes by laying a foundation for comparative analysis among crop plants and model species. In addition, we have developed a number of software tools that facilitate the visualisation and analysis of our data. Many of our tools are made freely available for use with both crop plant data and with data from other species.
Crops, Agricultural↗
Synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal area CA1-subiculum projection: implications for theories of memory.
This paper reviews investigations of synaptic plasticity in the major, and underexplored, pathway from hippocampal area CA1 to the subiculum. This brain area is the major synaptic relay for the majority of hippocampal area CA1 neurons, making the subiculum the last relay of the hippocampal formation prior to the cortex. The subiculum thus has a very major role in mediating hippocampal-cortical interactions. We demonstrate that the projection from hippocampal area CA1 to the subiculum sustains plasticity on a number of levels. We show that this pathway is capable of undergoing both long-term potentiation (LTP) and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF, a short-term plastic effect). Although we failed to induce long-term depression (LTD) of this pathway with low-frequency stimulation (LFS) and two-pulse stimulation (TPS), both protocols can induce a "late-developing" potentiation of synaptic transmission. We further demonstrate that baseline synaptic transmission can be dissociated from paired-pulse stimulation of the same pathway; we also show that it is possible, using appropriate protocols, to change PPF to paired-pulse depression, thus revealing subtle and previously undescribed mechanisms which regulate short-term synaptic plasticity. Finally, we successfully recorded from individual subicular units in the freely-moving animal, and provide a description of the characteristics of such neurons in a pellet-chasing task. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to theories of the biological consolidation of memory.
Animals↗
Launch of the bone and joint decade 2000-2010.
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Health Promotion↗
Soft tissue injuries to USA paralympians at the 1996 summer games.
OBJECTIVE: To report the soft tissue injuries sustained by the members of four disabled sports organizations (DSOs) who competed as the USA Team at the 1996 Paralympic Games. SETTING: 1996 Paralympic Games, Atlanta, Georgia. METHODS: Soft tissue (strain, sprain, tendonitis, bursitis, or contusion) injury frequencies sustained by Disabled Sports USA (DSUSA, n = 66), the United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA, n = 53), the United States Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association (USCPAA, n = 56), and Wheelchair Sports USA (WSUSA, n = 129) athletes were compared by body region with chi-square tests (p<.05) and standardized residual assessment. RESULTS: A total of 254 soft tissue injuries (67% acute onset, 170/254) were sustained by the participant DSO members. Statistical design limitations and poor USCPAA athlete homogeneity prompted their exclusion from group comparisons (descriptive results are reported). The most common injury regions for specific DSOs were shoulder (26%), hip-thigh (14%), and ankle (12%) for DSUSA; hip-thigh (21%), cervicothoracic region (19%), and shoulder (17%) for USABA; lumbar region (14%), foot-toe (13%), and ankle (9%) for USCPAA; and shoulder (18%), arm-elbow (12%), forearm-wrist (12%), and lumbar region (9%) for USUSA. Chi-square residual analysis showed that the USABA athletes contributed more to cervicothoracic and lower leg region injury frequencies than DSUSA or WSUSA athletes. The WSUSA athletes contributed more to elbow-arm and forearm-wrist region injury frequencies than DSUSA or USABA athletes. The DSUSA athletes contributed more to ankle region injury frequencies than USABA or WSUSA athletes. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in soft tissue injury frequency among athletes of differing DSOs suggest that the competitive use of adaptive or assistive devices, in combination with sport-specific stressors and the athletes' disabilities, is related to the development of predictable soft tissue injury patterns. The decreased incidence of shoulder injury among WSUSA athletes suggests that the injury prevention advice provided by previous studies is being implemented among athletes at this competitive level. The increased incidence of ankle injuries among DSUSA athletes suggests lower extremity load imbalances (prosthetic vs. uninvolved) during running. The increased incidence of lower leg injuries among USABA athletes suggests "overuse" injury patterns typical of nondisabled runners, or inadvertent contacts (contused shins), whereas the increased incidence of cervicothoracic injuries suggests injuries related to falls, "near falls," or sudden directional changes prompted by guidance aids.
Athletic Injuries↗
Effects of vitrified and nonvitrified sugars on phosphatidylcholine fluid-to-gel phase transitions.
DSC was used to study the ability of glass-forming sugars to affect the gel-to-fluid phase transition temperature, T(m), of several phosphatidylcholines during dehydration. In the absence of sugars, T(m) increased as the lipid dried. Sugars diminished this increase, an effect we explain using the osmotic and volumetric properties of sugars. Sugars vitrifying around fluid phase lipids lowered T(m) below the transition temperature of the fully hydrated lipid, T(o). The extent to which T(m) was lowered below T(o) ranged from 12 degrees to 57 degrees, depending on the lipids' acyl chain composition. Sugars vitrifying around gel phase lipids raised T(m) during the first heating scan in the calorimeter, then lowered it below T(o) in subsequent scans of the sample. Ultrasound measurements of the mechanical properties of a typical sugar-glass indicate that it is sufficiently rigid to hinder the lipid gel-to-fluid transition. The effects of vitrification on T(m) are explained using the two-dimensional Clausius-Clapeyron equation to model the mechanical stress in the lipid bilayer imposed by the glassy matrix. Dextran and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) also vitrified but did not depress T(m) during drying. Hydration data suggest that the large molecular volumes of these polymers caused their exclusion from the interbilayer space during drying.
Biophysical Phenomena↗
Nurses' and doctors' attitudes towards suicidal behaviour in young people.
This paper presents an exploratory study performed to identify the attitudes towards suicidal behaviour in young people, amongst nurses (and nursing lecturers), and doctors working in in-patient medical and mental health care settings. The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) was administered to 59 participants. Responses were scored using eight clinical scales, and tested by using a Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance. An Independent Sample t-test was used to analyse gender differences. Qualitative interviews were conducted in a sample of respondents. SOQ findings revealed no overall significant differences in the relevant groups of nurses and doctors, with the exception of gender and the clinical scale relating to a 'Cry for Help'. The focused interviews generated five categories relating to suicidal behaviour and young people. Nurses and doctors working in these areas possess a range of influential perceptions of suicidal behaviour and need to be considered in the contexts of care and treatment of young people.
Adolescent↗
Family planning clinic patients: their usual health care providers, insurance status, and implications for managed care.
PURPOSE: To understand the extent to which family planning clinic patients have health insurance or access to other health care providers, as well as their preferences for clinic versus private reproductive medical care. METHOD: An anonymous self-report questionnaire was administered at three Planned Parenthood clinics in Los Angeles County to 780 female patients aged 12-49 years. Dependent variables included insurance status, usual source of care, and a battery of questions regarding the importance of confidentiality. RESULTS: A total of 356 adolescents (aged 12-19 years) and 424 adults (aged 20-49 years) completed the survey in 1994. Fifty-nine percent of adolescents and 53% of adults had a usual source of care other than the clinic. The majority of each group reported some degree of continuity of care in their usual provider setting. Nearly half (49%) of all adolescents had health insurance compared with 27% of adults. Adolescents cited not wanting to involve family members as the primary reason for not using their usual providers, whereas adults were more likely to cite being uninsured. The majority of both adult and adolescent patients indicate they would prefer the clinic over private health care if guaranteed health care that was free, confidential, or both. CONCLUSION: Despite many patients' having health insurance and other sources of health care, family planning clinics were primarily chosen because of cost and confidentiality. Their reasons for preferring clinics may continue despite changes in access to insurance or efforts to incorporate similar reproductive services into mainstream health care provider systems. Making public or private health care funds available to family planning clinics through contracts or other mechanisms may facilitate patients' access to essential services and reduce potential service duplication.
Adolescent↗
High "intelligence," low "IQ"? Speed of processing and measured IQ in children with autism.
The uneven profile of performance on standard assessments of intelligence and the high incidence of savant skills have prompted interest in the nature of intelligence in autism. The present paper reports the first group study of speed of processing in children with autism (IQ 1 SD below average) using an inspection time task. The children with autism showed inspection times as fast as an age-matched group of young normally developing children (IQ 1 SD above average). They were also significantly faster than mentally handicapped children without autism of the same age, even when these groups were pairwise matched on Wechsler IQ. To the extent that IT tasks tap individual differences in basic processing efficiency, children with autism in this study appear to have preserved information processing capacity despite poor measured IQ. These findings have implications for the role of general and specific cognitive systems in knowledge and skill acquisition: far from showing that children with autism are unimpaired, we suggest that our data may demonstrate the vital role of social insight in the development of manifest "intelligence."
Adolescent↗
N-acetylcysteine replenishes glutathione in HIV infection.
BACKGROUND: Glutathione (GSH) deficiency is common in HIV-infected individuals and is associated with impaired T cell function and impaired survival. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is used to replenish GSH that has been depleted by acetaminophen overdose. Studies here test oral administration of NAC for safe and effective GSH replenishment in HIV infection. DESIGN: Oral NAC administration in a randomized, 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial followed by optional open-label drug for up to 24 weeks. SUBJECTS: HIV-infected, low GSH, CD4 T cells < 500 micro L(-1), no active opportunistic infections or other debilitation; n = 81. Study conducted prior to introduction of protease inhibitors. RESULTS: Whole blood GSH levels in NAC arm subjects significantly increased from 0.88 mM to 0.98 mM, bringing GSH levels in NAC-treated subjects to 89% of uninfected controls (P = 0.03). Baseline GSH levels in the placebo group (0.91) remained essentially the same during the 8 week placebo-controlled trial. T cell GSH, adjusted for CD4 T cell count and beta2-microglobulin levels, also increased in the NAC-treated subjects (P = 0.04). Adverse effects were minimal and not significantly associated with NAC ingestion. CONCLUSION: NAC treatment for 8 weeks safely replenishes whole blood GSH and T cell GSH in HIV-infected individuals. Thus, NAC offers useful adjunct therapy to increase protection against oxidative stress, improve immune system function and increase detoxification of acetaminophen and other drugs. These findings suggest that NAC therapy could be valuable in other clinical situations in which GSH deficiency or oxidative stress plays a role in disease pathology, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson's disease, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, septic shock and diabetes.
Acetylcysteine↗