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Biomedical subjects

C Grieve

Publications and source records attributed to C Grieve.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of ethnic group on appendicular bone mass in children.

The prevalence of senile and postmenopausal osteoporotic fractures is considerably higher in white than black women. Although the reasons for the genetic difference have not been elucidated, it has been suggested that ethnic differences in peak bone mass may be partially responsible. The present study examined appendicular bone mass (single-photon absorptiometry, SPA) in black and white children between the ages of 6 and 20 years. The sample was stratified for ethnic group, age, and sex. The effect of weight, height, puberty, and skinfold thickness on bone mass was also assessed. The bone width (BW) and bone mineral content (BMC) of males were significantly higher than those of females (p less than 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences in bone mineral content normalized for bone width (BMC/BW) between the sexes (p = 0.1743 for whites and p = 0.5456 for blacks). The bone mass parameters of black girls were generally lower than those of white girls. After adjusting for height, BMC and BMC/BW of black girls tended to be greater than those of white girls (unadjusted p = 0.0258 for BMC and p = 0.0340 for BMC/BW). White boys tended to have greater bone mass parameters than black boys. After adjusting for height the trends disappeared. Thus, unlike the studies of bone mass in adults from the United States, we were unable to show that age-matched black children have higher bone mass than whites. After adjusting for height, however, the bone mass of black children (especially black girls) was marginally, but not significantly, greater than that of white girls.

Adolescent↗

Knowledge increment assessed for three methodologies of teaching physiology.

A study was conducted on a group of forty-six students of physiology, to compare the knowledge increment following three different teaching methods. The assessment of knowledge increase was done by a pre-test preceding each teaching method, followed by a post-test for each method. The three methods assessed were: (1) a lecture with audio-visual aids; (2) a formal didactic lecture; and (3) a self-study tutorial. The pre-test/post-test method of assessment was found to be valid and reliable. The results indicated a favourable increment for the audio-visually aided lecture and for the self-study tutorial. There was no significant increment for the didactic lecture. A questionnaire completed by the students indicated an overall preference for the audio-visually aided method and a lesser preference for the self-study tutorial. The formal didactic lecture found no favour with the students.

Educational Measurement↗

crnA encodes a nitrate transporter in Aspergillus nidulans.

The nucleotide sequence of the Aspergillus nidulans crnA gene for the transport of the anion nitrate has been determined. The crnA gene specifies a predicted polypeptide of 483 amino acids (molecular weight 51,769). A hydropathy plot suggests that this polypeptide has 10 membrane-spanning helices with an extensive hydrophilic region between helices six and seven. No striking homology was observed between the crnA protein and other reported membrane proteins of either prokaryotic or eukaryotic organisms, indicating that the crnA transporter may represent another class of membrane protein. Northern blotting results with wild-type cells show that (i) control of crnA expression is subject to nitrate (and nitrite) induction as well as nitrogen metabolite repression and (ii) regulation of the crnA gene is exerted at the level of mRNA accumulation, most likely at transcription, in response to the nitrogen source in the growth medium. Furthermore, similar studies with mutants of nirA and areA control genes and the niaD nitrate reductase structural gene show that crnA expression is mediated by the products of nirA (nitrate induction control gene), areA (nitrogen metabolite repression control gene), and niaD (involved in autoregulation of nitrate reductase).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homologous transformation of Cephalosporium acremonium with the nitrate reductase-encoding gene (niaD).

We report the development of a homologous transformation system for Cephalosporium acremonium using the niaD gene of the nitrate assimilation (NA) pathway. Mutants in the NA pathway were selected on the basis of chlorate resistance by conventional means. Screening procedures were developed to differentiate between nitrate reductase apoprotein structural gene mutants (niaD) and molybdenum cofactor gene mutants (cnx) as wt C. acremonium, unlike most filamentous fungi, fails to grow on minimal medium with hypoxanthine as a sole source of nitrogen. Phage clones carrying the niaD gene were isolated from a C. acremonium library constructed in lambda EMBL3 using the A. nidulans niaD gene as a heterologous probe. An 8.6-kb EcoRI fragment was subcloned into pUC18, and designated pSTA700. pSTA700 was able to transform stable niaD mutants to NA at a frequency of up to 40 transformants per microgram DNA. Transformants were easily visible since the background growth was low and no abortives were observed. Gene replacements, single copy homologous integration and complex multiple integrations were observed. The niaD system was used to introduce unselected markers for hygromycin B resistance and benomyl resistance into C. acremonium by cotransformation.

Acremonium↗

Transformation of Aspergillus niger with the homologous nitrate reductase gene.

A homologous transformation for Aspergillus niger was developed based on the nitrate reductase structural gene niaD. This system offered certain advantages over existing A. niger systems, such as the ease of recipient mutant isolation, absence of abortive transformants, convenient enzyme assay, ease of transformant stability testing, and complete absence of background growth. Transformation frequencies of up to 100 transformants per microgram DNA were obtained with the vector pSTA10 which carries the niaD gene of A. niger. Southern blotting analysis indicated that vector DNA had integrated into the genome of A. niger. Mitotic stability studies demonstrated that while some transformants were as stable as the wild-type (wt), others were markedly less so. No correlation was seen between plasmid integration, mitotic stability and nitrate reductase activity, which was markedly different from wt in only three of the transformants examined.

Aspergillus niger↗