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PubMed1999

Indicators of immunotoxicity in populations of cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) inhabiting an abandoned oil refinery.

Wildlife species inhabiting contaminated sites are often exposed to complex mixtures of chemicals, many of which have known effects on physiological and biochemical function. Although sensitivity of the immune system to chemical exposure has been documented in laboratory animal and wildlife species, little work has been conducted on feral wildlife populations inhabiting contaminated sites. Immune function was measured in populations of wild cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) inhabiting replicated reference and contaminated study sites at an abandoned oil refinery in Oklahoma four times from 1991 to 1992. Several measures of immunocompetence were examined including immune organ mass and cellularity, hematology, in vivo hypersensitivity, macrophage function, killer cell activity, and lymphoproliferative responsiveness. In vitro proliferation of splenocytes, either spontaneous or induced with concanavalin A (Con A), was the most consistent and reliable indicator of immunotoxicity. Spontaneous proliferation of splenocytes was 48 and 24% higher for cotton rats collected from contaminated than reference sites in September 1991 and September 1992, respectively. Likewise, Con A-induced proliferation of splenocytes ranged form 20 to 53% higher in animals collected from contaminated than reference sites in three of four collection periods. The percentage of splenocytes (mean+/-SE) staining positive for Con A receptors was lower on contaminated sites (73.7+/-1.2%) than reference sites (77.0+/-1.4%) in September 1991. Other measures of immune function including macrophage metabolism, hypersensitivity, blood cellularity, and mass and cellularity of immune organs varied between contaminated and reference sites.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Developmental effects of ambient UV-B light and landfill leachate in Rana blairi and Hyla chrysoscelis.

This study assessed the effects of ambient UV light on the development of two native species of anurans, Rana blairi and Hyla chrysoscelis, during their normal breeding season in Oklahoma. Additionally, the effects of ambient UV light and water contaminated with landfill leachate in Rana blairi were examined. Embryos were collected from the field and distributed equally among replicates of four filter treatments of ambient UV light in experimental tubs filled with either FETAX solution or landfill leachate diluted to 25, 10, and 5% concentrations. Three endpoints (mortality, teratogenesis, and growth) were compared between filter treatments. By itself, UV-B caused no significant effects. Leachate at 10 and 25% concentrations caused 100% mortality across all filter treatments. There was a significant interaction between filter treatment and water toxicity at leachate concentrations of 5% for both malformation and growth. Increased UV-B exposure decreased the malformation rate and increased growth in the leachate treatments.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Laparoscopic pelvic and paraaortic lymph node dissection in the obese.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the utility of laparoscopic pelvic and paraaortic lymph node dissection in obese women. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis from 1/8/96 to 1/14/01 at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, evaluating patients who had a Quetelet index (QI) > or =28 and had planned laparoscopic bilateral pelvic and paraaortic lymph node dissections (lnd) for their gynecologic cancer. This group was compared to a matched group of patients that had lnd done by laparotomy. Patients were identified by our institution's database and data were collected by review of their medical records. Data were collected regarding demographics, stage, histology, length of stay, and procedural information including completion rates, estimated blood loss (EBL), operating room (OR) time, lymph node count, assistant, and complications. Associations between variables were analyzed using Student t tests and chi(2) testing, Excel v9.0. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients had planned laparoscopic lnd (Group 1) and 45 patients had lnd via laparotomy (Group 2). All patients had the diagnosis of endometrial cancer. The percentage of stage I patients did not differ between groups (42/55, 71.2% versus 37/45, 82.2%, P = n.s.). Age and QI were also similar between groups, (64.6 versus 58.4, 40.0 versus 39.3, P = n.s.). Laparoscopy was completed in 35/55 (63.6%) cases. Reasons for conversion included obesity (23.6%), adhesions (1.8%), intraperitoneal cancer (5.5%), and bleeding (5.5%). QI > or =35 was associated with a decreased success rate compared to QI <35 (44.4% versus 82.1%, P = 0.004). There was no difference in successful laparoscopy when the first assistant was a fellow or a community obstetrician/gynecologist (61.0% versus 50.0%, P = n.s.). The patients in Group 1 who had laparoscopy completed had a longer OR time compared to those in Group 2 (265.3 versus 140.7 min, P < 0.0001), EBL and transfusion rates were equivalent (361.8 versus 344.2 ml, 5.6% versus 6.7%, P = n.s.), and length of stay was shorter (2.8 versus 4.5 days, P = 0.0004). Group 1 had significantly fewer postoperative fevers (5.5% versus 31.1%, P = 0.0007), fewer postoperative ileus (0% versus 13.3%, P = 0.005), and a trend for fewer wound infections (9.0% versus 22.2%, P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is not a contraindication to laparoscopic pelvic and paraaortic lymph node dissection. The overall success rate was significantly higher in those patients with a QI <35. Advantages include shorter hospital stay, fewer postoperative fevers, fewer postoperative ileus, and possibly fewer wound infections.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intake of nutrients related to cardiovascular disease risk among three groups of American Indians: the Strong Heart Dietary Study.

BACKGROUND: Although diet is implicated in the elevated rate of cardiovascular disease among some American Indian tribes, the dietary intakes of these individuals have not been described. The Strong Heart Dietary Study compared diets of 10 tribes in Arizona, Oklahoma, and the Dakotas to examine the possible contribution of diet to cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. METHODS: During 1988-1991, 892 people responded to a 24 hr diet recall questionnaire. Nutrient intake by study area, sex, and age group were compared by analysis of variance, and intakes were compared with nutrient intakes reported by participants in Phase 1 of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and with dietary recommendations of the National Research Council, the American Heart Association, and the Healthy People 2000 objectives. RESULTS: The intake of energy and nutrients varied significantly by sex and age. Men consumed more energy, macronutrients, and sodium than did women (P < or = 0.001). Women's diets were denser in carbohydrate, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E than were men's diets (P < or = 0.001). Younger participants consumed more energy, macronutrients, vitamin E, and sodium than did older participants (P < or = 0.001). Older participants had diets denser in protein and beta-carotene than did younger participants (P < or = 0.001). Energy intake did not differ significantly by study area, but men in Arizona consumed more energy from carbohydrate and less energy from total fat than did men elsewhere (P < or = 0.01). Men and women in Arizona consumed more cholesterol and fiber than did other participants (P < or = 0.01) and less of the antioxidant vitamins (P < or = 0.01). Participants in the Strong Heart Diet Study reported diets higher in fats and cholesterol than did participants in Phase 1 of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Few Strong Heart participants achieved dietary recommendations for the reduction of risk of chronic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Area differences in nutrient intake were observed, but most participants consumed diets associated with increased risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases. Women and older participants in general reported healthier nutrient intakes. Dietary intervention programs should educate American Indians about dietary modifications to reduce the risk of cardiovascular and other nutrition-related disorders.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed2000

Vegan diet-based lifestyle program rapidly lowers homocysteine levels.

BACKGROUND: Plasma homocysteine levels have been directly associated with cardiac disease risk. Current research raises concerns as to whether comprehensive lifestyle approaches including a plant-based diet may interact with other known modulators of homocysteine levels. METHODS: We report our observations of homocysteine levels in 40 self-selected subjects who participated in a vegan diet-based lifestyle program. Each subject attended a residential lifestyle change program at the Lifestyle Center of America in Sulphur, Oklahoma and had fasting plasma total homocysteine measured on enrollment and then after 1 week of lifestyle intervention. The intervention included a vegan diet, moderate physical exercise, stress management and spirituality enhancement sessions, group support, and exclusion of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine. B vitamin supplements known to reduce blood homocysteine levels were not provided. RESULTS: Subjects' mean homocysteine levels fell 13%: from 8.66 micromol/L (SD 2.7 micromol/L) to 7.53 micromol/L (SD 2.12 micromol/L; P < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis showed that homocysteine decreased across a range of demographic and diagnostic categories. Conclusions. Our results suggest that broad-based lifestyle interventions favorably impact homocysteine levels. Furthermore, analysis of Lifestyle Center of America program components suggests that other factors in addition to B vitamin intake may be involved in the observed homocysteine lowering.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Neuropsychological experiences in neurotraumatology.

My work in Neurotraumatology was initiated in 1961, when I as a neuropsychologist got a position in a neurosurgical University department. The tasks were to evaluate the mental state of patients, give advices to family members regarding the mental and social prognosis of the patients and to support nurses in the initial care of the patients. Initially the methods that were made use of were tests developed by the German neurologist Kurt Goldstein and traditional psychometric tests, but it was not until the theories of A. R. Luria and his investigation method were applied that a true position as a member of the treatment team was secured. Reading Luria's book "Higher Cortical Functions in Man" made me aware of his theories. The skill to perform the investigation was acquired during visits to Luria's laboratory at the Bourdenko Neurosurgical Institute in Moscow in the nineteen-seventies. Text and material to "Luria's Neuropsychological Investigation" was published in 1974. The early work was further stimulated by the development in the neurosciences regarding brain plasticity and brain repair and experiences from visits to rehabilitation centres in the US, Yehuda Ben-Yishay's center at New York Medical School, George Prigatano's centre at the time in Oklahoma, and Lance Trexler's center at Community Hospital, Indianapolis led in 1985 to the establishment of the first post acute rehabilitation center in Europe: the Center for Rehabilitation of Brain Injury (CRBI) at the University of Copenhagen, DK. The main program was a holistic day program, six hours a day for four months in accordance with the university semesters, and an eigth months follow-up. Groups of 15 persons started together, collaborating in smaller groups. The present director of the CRBI is neuropsychologist Frank Humle. A thorough follow-up of the patients' state and improvement through the course of treatment towards social integration, including getting back to work was performed, and studies have indicated that successful integration of the traumatized patient is possible, provided that an early intensive care is succeeded by a comprehensive, individualized post-acute rehabilitation program, of which follow-up is a part, all within the frame of multidisciplinary collaboration.

Brain Injuries↗

PubMed1982

Interrelationships of microangiopathy, plasma glucose and other risk factors in 3583 diabetic patients: a multinational study.

In a multinational study, fasting plasma glucose values in 3583 diabetic patients, aged 34-56 years, were related to the characteristics of these subjects and to the presence and severity of microangiopathy as ascertained by standardised methods. The patients were from nine different populations and ranged in number from 193 to 686 per population (London, Warsaw, Berlin (FRG), New Delhi, Tokyo, Havana, Oklahoma Indians, Arizona Pima Indians, and a national sample in Switzerland). In the total group, mean fasting plasma glucose was 8.1 mmol/l for those on diet alone, 9.7 mmol/l for those on oral agents, and 12.7 mmol/l for insulin-treated patients, of whom 25% had values exceeding 16.5 mmol/l. Since many variables were measured in each patient, it was possible to take into account many confounding factors in evaluating the relationship of plasma glucose levels to retinopathy and nephropathy.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Prevalence of small vessel and large vessel disease in diabetic patients from 14 centres. The World Health Organisation Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetics. Diabetes Drafting Group.

A total of 6695 diabetic men and women, aged 35 to 54 years, from 14 centres and representing 13 national groups, participated in a vascular disease prevalence survey. A random sample was drawn after stratification of each centre's diabetic base population by sex, duration of diabetes and age. A common agreed protocol, standardized examination procedures, and centralized laboratory methods were used in the investigation. Within the age range examined there was considerable variation between centres in a number of variables, including degree of obesity (measured as Body Mass Index (BMI)), proportion treated with insulin and proportion of cigarette smokers. The latter also showed considerable sex differences within centres. Subjects with age at onset below 25 years were notably few in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Oklahoma. There was also considerable variation in the apparent prevalence of both large- and small-vessel (macrovascular and microvascular) disease between centres. In pooled data, measures of large-vessel disease were significantly and independently associated with age, blood pressure and BMI in both sexes, and with diabetes duration and plasma cholesterol in men only. Within-centre analyses showed blood pressure to be the most consistently associated variable in both sexes. In pooled data, small-vessel disease of the eye was significantly and independently associated with diabetes duration, blood pressure, BMI and type of treatment in both sexes. In within-centre analyses, diabetes duration was the most consistently associated variable, followed by blood pressure. Proteinuria as an index of small-vessel disease of the kidney was, in pooled data, significantly and independently correlated with diabetes duration, blood pressure and plasma cholesterol in both sexes. In within-centre analyses, blood pressure was the most consistently associated variable, with diabetes duration and plasma cholesterol equal second - significant in 12 of the 28 centre/sex groups. Heterogeneity of large-vessel disease prevalence in diabetic subjects is confirmed by this study, and the possibility of heterogeneity in small-vessel disease prevalence and severity is suggested.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Exposure of pesticide applicators to arsenic acid.

The arsenic content of long-sleeved coveralls worn by ground rig drivers, pilots, and ground crew members averaged 430, 260 and 348 mg of arsenic, respectively after being worn during the normal pursuit of the application of arsenic acid as a desiccant on cotton in Texas and Oklahoma. The average arsenic content in breathing zone air for ground rig applicators was 7.8 microgram As/m3 during the application. The applicators coveralls received only about 0.1 to 50 ml of the applied spray. The results will aid in the determination of preliminary hazards of exposure to arsenic acid spray when the expected absorption percentage of arsenic from clothing and bare skin is determined at some future date.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗

PubMed1996

Clinical annotation of tobacco use in patient charts at Indian Health Service clinics and hospitals.

Few clinicians would doubt the importance of obtaining smoking histories from their patients. Nevertheless a clinicians' practices of documenting tobacco use in medical records varies substantially among individual providers and between different health care systems. To investigate the chart documentation of patient smoking among Indian Health Service clinicians, we reviewed 545 randomly selected patient records from 22 different Indian Health Service affiliated clinics. We focused on differences in charting of tobacco use by type of clinic and by geographic area within the Indian Health Service. Documentation varied by area, ranging from no documentation in the Albuquerque, Navajo, and Phoenix areas to 51% in the Oklahoma area. We conclude that clinicians practices of documentation of tobacco use vary widely and recommend that this practice be more widely encouraged at all affiliated Indian Health Service clinics.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

Gene flow versus selection pressure and ancestral differentiation in the composition of species: analysis of population variation of Juniperus ashei Buch. using terpenoid data.

Twenty-four populations of Juniperus ashei were sampled throughout the range of this taxon and the terpenoids of the foliage were analyzed by gas/liquid chromatography. Population differentiation was investigated by analysis of variance and numerical taxonomy. Three south Texas and one Mexican population clustered together with the rest of the taxon appearing fairly uniform. No evidence was found of hybridization or introgression with other taxa. Disjunct populations in Oklahoma and the Ozarks, which have been genetically isolated from the central population for thousands of years, showed no signs of differentiation nor genetic drift. The present pattern of distribution probably dates from the Pleistocene. The south Texas and Mexican populations appear to be the primitive elements of the species. Populational differences have apparently been maintained in adjacent populations in spite of seemingly large gene flow and conversely, chemical uniformity is being maintained in many disjunct populations where there is little or no gene flow.

Biological Evolution↗

PubMed2001

Mortality and causes of death in the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to examine the mortality rates, excess mortality and causes of death in diabetic patients from ten centres throughout the world. METHODS: A mortality follow-up of 4713 WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes (WHO MSVDD) participants from ten centres was carried out, causes of death were ascertained and age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated by centre, sex and type of diabetes. Excess mortality, compared with the background population, was assessed in terms of standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for each of the 10 cohorts. RESULTS: Cardiovascular disease was the most common underlying cause of death, accounting for 44 % of deaths in Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and 52 % of deaths in Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Renal disease accounted for 21% of deaths in Type I diabetes and 11% in Type II diabetes. For Type I diabetes, all-cause mortality rates were highest in Berlin men and Warsaw women, and lowest in London men and Zagreb women. For Type II diabetes, rates were highest in Warsaw men and Oklahoma women and lowest in Tokyo men and women. Age adjusted mortality rates and SMRs were generally higher in patients with Type I diabetes compared with those with Type II diabetes. Men and women in the Tokyo cohort had a very low excess mortality when compared with the background population. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: This study confirms the importance of cardiovascular disease as the major cause of death in people with both types of diabetes. The low excess mortality in the Japanese cohort could have implications for the possible reduction of the burden of mortality associated with diabetes in other parts of the world.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

PubMed2001

The appearance of retinopathy and progression to proliferative retinopathy: the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to estimate incidences of any retinopathy and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) by direct ophthalmoscopy and relate them to baseline risk factors in re-examined diabetic survivors from 10 centres of the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes. METHODS: After a mean follow-up of 8.4years (11.7 years in Oklahoma), 2877 (71.6%) survivors were resubmitted to standardised direct ophthalmoscopy as at baseline. The presence of any retinopathy and PDR were recorded at each centre and their incidence estimated in those without retinopathy and PDR at baseline. The independent associations of these incidences with baseline risk factors are expressed as odds ratios derived from multiple logistic regression analyses, within individual centres (which included fasting plasma glucose in 8 and triglyceride in 5) and in pooled data. RESULTS: Of the 4662 original patients, 465 (10.4%) of those without and 77 (43.0%) of those with baseline PDR had died (p < 0.001). Any retinopathy was newly reported at follow-up in 47.7 % and PDR in 9.7 % of those free of them at baseline, with reported incidences varying substantially among centres. Incident retinopathy appeared earlier in the known course of diabetes but incidence rates rose more slowly with duration in patients with Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus than in those with Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. In pooled data and in some individual centres, any retinopathy incidence gave significantly positive odds ratios with age, diabetes duration, systolic pressure, plasma cholesterol, BMI, insulin treatment and proteinuria, and with fasting plasma glucose in the centres where it was measured. Positive odds ratios for PDR were similarly obtained for age, duration, insulin treatment, cholesterol, proteinuria and fasting glycaemia. Smoking status odds ratios were negative for both outcomes. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: Incidence of ophthalmoscopically ascertained any retinopathy varied about twofold and of PDR about threefold among centres. Although, in part attributable to differences between observers, variation in incidence in all centres and in some cases within centres was associated with a number of baseline risk factors. Such associations are not likely due to observer variation or selection biases and emerged despite the imprecision of clinical ophthalmoscopy. Improved detection and control of these risk factors should reduce the impact of diabetic retinopathy and its consequences.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2001

Follow-up of the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes: general description and morbidity.

AIMS: The incidence of retinal, renal and cardiovascular complications and their relation to baseline risk factors was documented in this follow-up study of 10 of the 14 original centres of the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes (WHO MSVDD). METHODS: The incidence of specified items of vascular disease and some associated risk factors was ascertained after 7 to 9 years (11-12 years in Oklahoma, USA) follow-up, re-using baseline examination methodology in 3165 patients (66.9 %) and, through secondary information in 717 (15.2%) of the 4729 original patients, of whom 540 (11.4%) had died and 307 (6.5 %) were untraceable. RESULTS: During follow-up, approximately one third of the patients developed hypertension and one third started insulin. Coronary heart disease incidence varied 10 to 20-fold among centres as did limb amputation rates. Inter-centre differences in incident retinopathy and severe visual impairment were smaller but incident clinical proteinuria and renal failure varied markedly. Vascular disease incidence of all categories was high in Native Americans though coronary heart disease incidence was relatively low in Pima Indians and absolutely low in Hong Kong and Tokyo patients. Specific vascular events and their relation with baseline risk factors are analysed in accompanying papers, summarised in the Epilogue. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: These 10 centres reported very different incidence rates of vascular complications. Observer variation, selection biases and competing causes of mortality contributed to these differences but their validity is supported by the more objective outcome indicators. The following papers also suggest that baseline factors such as raised arterial pressure, cholesterol and fasting glucose (in the centres where it was measured) were important and potentially reversible predictors of risk.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Effect of the shampoo Ultra Clean on drug concentrations in human hair.

The influence of the special shampoo Ultra Clean (Zydot Unlimited, Tulsa, Oklahoma) on the results of hair analyses was investigated. Hair samples from persons (n = 14) with a known history of drug abuse were collected at autopsy. The hair samples were divided into separate strands which were analyzed both after washing with Ultra Clean and without treatment. Hair analyses were performed by methanol extraction under sonication, purification by solid phase extraction and GC/MS in SIM mode according to routine procedures for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, amphetamine, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDE), heroin, 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), morphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine and methadone. All drugs originally present in the hair fibers were still detected after a single application of Ultra Clean. However, a slight decrease in drug concentrations could mostly be observed e.g. cocaine (n = 10) -5%, 6-MAM (n = 12) -9%, morphine (n = 12) -26%, THC (n = 4) -36%. The findings clearly demonstrated that drug substances had not been sufficiently removed from human hair by a single Ultra Clean treatment to drop their concentrations below the limit of detection of the analytical method applied.

Forensic Medicine↗

PubMed2005

Quantitative trait loci for yield and related traits in the wheat population Ning7840 x Clark.

Grain yield and associated agronomic traits are important factors in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) improvement. Knowledge regarding the number, genomic location, and effect of quantitative trait loci (QTL) would facilitate marker-assisted selection and the development of cultivars with desirable characteristics. Our objectives were to identify QTLs directly and indirectly affecting grain yield expression. A population of 132 F12 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was derived by single-seed descent from a cross between the Chinese facultative wheat Ning7840 and the US soft red winter wheat Clark. Phenotypic data were collected for 15 yield and other agronomic traits in the RILs and parental lines from three locations in Oklahoma from 2001 to 2003. Twenty-nine linkage groups, consisting of 363 AFLP and 47 SSR markers, were identified. Using composite interval mapping (CIM) analysis, 10, 16, 30, and 14 QTLs were detected for yield, yield components, plant adaptation (shattering and lodging resistance, heading date, and plant height), and spike morphology traits, respectively. The QTL effects ranged from 7 to 23%. Marker alleles from Clark were associated with a positive effect for the majority of QTLs for yield and yield components, but gene dispersion was the rule rather than the exception for this RIL population. Often, QTLs were detected in proximal positions for different traits. Consistent, co-localized QTLs were identified in linkage groups 1AL, 1B, 4B, 5A, 6A, and 7A, and less consistent but unique QTLs were identified on 2BL, 2BS, 2DL, and 6B. Results of this study provide a benchmark for future efforts on QTL identification for yield traits.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed2002

Identification of QTLs influencing wood property traits in loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.). II. Chemical wood properties.

Chemical wood property traits were analyzed for the presence of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in a three-generation outbred pedigree of loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.). These traits were assayed using pyrolysis molecular beam mass spectrometry and include mass spectrum peak intensities associated with carbohydrates, alpha-cellulose and hemicellulose sugars, and lignin. Models for projection to latent structures (PLS) were used to also estimate the chemical composition of cell walls (i.e., alpha-cellulose, galactan and lignin) from mass spectrum data using multivariate regression. Both earlywood and latewood fractions from the fifth annual ring were analyzed for each trait. An interval mapping approach designed for an outbred pedigree was used to estimate the number of QTLs, the magnitude of QTL effects, and their genomic position. Eight unique QTLs influencing cell wall chemistry were detected from multiple peak intensities and/or PLS estimates using the one- and two-QTL models. Significant differences in chemical contents were observed among the populations from North Carolina vs Oklahoma, and results from QTLxenvironment analyses suggest that QTLs interact with environmental location. QTLs should be verified in larger experiments and in different genetic and environmental backgrounds. QTL mapping will help towards eventually identifying genes having a major effect on chemical wood properties.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Tissue-specific HSP70 levels and reproductive physiological responses in fishes inhabiting a metal-contaminated creek.

The 70-kDa stress protein family (HSP70) plays important roles in a variety of physiological processes, including protein chaperoning, protection against apoptosis, steroidogenesis, and general cellular stress responses in vertebrate organisms, and has also been proposed as a biochemical marker of environmental stress, such as toxicant exposure. The objectives of this study were to determine HSP70 protein expression in head kidney, liver, gill, and ovarian tissues and to examine reproductive physiological responses in female fishes exposed chronically to sublethal metal concentrations. Female black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) and bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) were collected from Tar Creek, Oklahoma (flowing through the Tri-State mining district) and from a nearby reference creek (Lytle Creek) during spring (prespawning; 26.5 +/- 0.95 degrees C water temperature) and winter (ovarian recrudescence; 4.8 +/- 0.80 degrees C water temperature). Aqueous (dissolved and suspended) concentrations of Cd and Zn and liver concentrations of Cd and Zn in both fish species were significantly greater at Tar Creek compared to Lytle Creek. HSP70 expression was consistently elevated in the head kidney of both fish species collected at Tar Creek in comparison to fish collected from the reference creek. In contrast, no consistent differences were observed in HSP70 expression in liver, gill, or ovarian tissues between sites. Significant seasonal differences were observed in expression of HSP70 in gill tissue of both species, in ovarian and liver tissue of bluegill sunfish and in head kidney of black bullhead. Serum testosterone concentration was significantly reduced in sunfish collected from Tar Creek during winter. Gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indices were significantly lower in black bullhead collected from Tar Creek during spring, and condition factors were lower in black bullhead collected from Tar Creek during both spring and winter. There was no significant difference in the extent of ovarian follicular cell apoptosis in either species collected during spring. In conclusion, we observed significant tissue specific differences and seasonal variation in expression of HSP70, as well as alterations in circulating testosterone levels in female fish chronically exposed to metals.

Animals↗