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Biomedical subjects

D Lynn

Publications and source records attributed to D Lynn.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Growth and mitogenic effects of arylphorin in vivo and in vitro.

In insects, developmental responses are organ- and tissue-specific. In previous studies of insect midgut cells in primary tissue cultures, growth-promoting and differentiation factors were identified from the growth media, hemolymph, and fat body. Recently, it was determined that the mitogenic effect of a Manduca sexta fat body extract on midgut stem cells of Heliothis virescens was due to the presence of monomeric alpha-arylphorin. Here we report that in primary midgut cell cultures, this same arylphorin stimulates stem cell proliferation in the lepidopterans M. sexta and Spodoptera littoralis, and in the beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Studies using S. littoralis cells confirm that the mitogenic effect is due to free alpha-arylphorin subunits. In addition, feeding artificial diets containing arylphorin increased the growth rates of several insect species. When tested against continuous cell lines, including some with midgut and fat body origins, arylphorin had no effect; however, a cell line derived from Lymantria dispar fat body grew more rapidly in medium containing a chymotryptic digest of arylphorin.

Animals↗

Lambda spectra in 11.6A GeV/c Au-Au collisions.

E896 has measured Lambda production in 11.6A GeV/c Au-Au collisions over virtually the whole rapidity phase space. The midrapidity p(t) distributions have been measured for the first time at this energy and appear to indicate that the Lambda hyperons have different freeze-out conditions than protons. A comparison with the relativistic quantum molecular dynamics model shows that while there is good shape agreement at high rapidity the model predicts significantly different slopes of the m(t) spectra at midrapidity. The data, where overlap occurs, are consistent with previously reported measurements.

Journal Article↗

High rates of paraquat-induced suicide in southern Trinidad.

The suicide rate in Trinidad and Tobago is much greater than that of its English-speaking Caribbean neighbors. Many of these suicides are paraquat induced. This research reviewed the deaths due to suicide in the area with the greatest agricultural activity in Trinidad for 1996 and identified, for further demographic and etiological investigation, cases in which paraquat was ingested as the agent of suicide. Of 48 cases of suicide for the year, 39 (81.3%) were due to paraquat poisoning. The incidence of paraquat-induced suicide was 8.0 per 100,000. Among the males, 47.8% were in the age group 25-34 (p < 0.001), and among the females 50.0% were in the 15-24 age group (p < 0.05). Family-of-origin disputes were the most frequently cited precipitant, followed by marital problems. Individuals of East Indian origin accounted for 89% of the suicide victims (p < 0.001). When compared with suicide by other methods in the country, these findings confirm that paraquat poisoning is a significant means of suicide in Trinidad and that young East Indian individuals are particularly vulnerable.

Adolescent↗

Inhibition of phenolic acid metabolism results in precocious cell death and altered cell morphology in leaves of transgenic tobacco plants

Several complex phenotypic changes are induced when the transcription factor AmMYB308 is overexpressed in transgenic tobacco plants. We have previously shown that the primary effect of this transcription factor is to inhibit phenolic acid metabolism. In the plants that we produced, two morphological features were prominent: abnormal leaf palisade development and induction of premature cell death in mature leaves. Evidence from the analysis of these transgenic plants suggests that both changes resulted from the lack of phenolic intermediates. These results emphasize the importance of phenolic secondary metabolites in the normal growth and development of tobacco. We suggest that phenolic acid derivatives are important signaling molecules in the final stages of leaf palisade formation and that phenolic acid derivatives also play a prominent role in tissue senescence.

Journal Article↗

Major purchasers view customer service.

While managed care organizations may select a variety of strategies toward customer service, the most successful will be adapting their approach to the expectation and requirements of major purchasers. In order to better understand the perspective of the individuals who are responsible for policy decisions at that level, Managed Care Quarterly (MCQ) conducted interviews with three highly respected representatives.

Consumer Behavior↗

The adenylate kinase genes of M. voltae, M. thermolithotrophicus, M. jannaschii, and M. igneus define a new family of adenylate kinases.

The adenylate kinase genes (adkA) were cloned from four closely related methanogenic members of the Archaea: the mesophile Methanococcus voltae (Mv), the thermophile M. thermolithotrophicus (Mt) and the hyperthermophiles M. jannaschii (Mj) and M. igneus (Mi). All four genes encode a protein of 192 amino acids (aa), and the four enzymes were closely related, with 68-81% aa identity in pairwise comparisons. It is anticipated that the enzyme set will provide the basis for studies that can establish the structural basis for ADK thermal stability. Mj and Mi contained a gene homologous to M. vannielii sec Y upstream of adkA, while Mv and Mt contained an unidentified, yet conserved, upstream open reading frame (ORF). Mt, Mj and Mi, but not Mv, contained an unidentified, yet highly conserved, ORF directly downstream of adkA. Based on their size, predicted secondary structure and phylogenetic relation to bacterial and eukaryotic adenylate kinases (ADK), it was concluded that the archaeal adkA genes encoded a unique class of ADK, and suggested that Euryarchaeotal and Crenarchaeotal branches of the Archaea contain separate subclasses of the enzyme.

Adenylate Kinase↗

Identification of the Methanococcus voltae S-layer structural gene.

We have established that the gene which we had previously identified as encoding the Methanococcus voltae P-type ATPase is, in fact, the structural gene for the M. voltae S-layer protein. This conclusion is based on a comparison of the N-terminal sequence of S-layer protein prepared by two independent methods with that derived from the nucleotide sequence of the cloned gene. This conclusion was further supported by immunocytochemical localization of the antigen directed against the antibodies used in the cloning experiments.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Correlation of Zn2+ content with aflatoxin content of corn.

Forty-nine samples from the 1983 Virginia corn harvest were analyzed for aflatoxin, zinc, copper, iron, and manganese content. Values (mean +/- standard deviation) were as follows: aflatoxin, 117 +/- 360 micrograms/kg; zinc, 22.5 +/- 3.4 mg/kg; copper, 2.27 +/- 0.56 mg/kg; iron, 40.8 +/- 18.7 mg/kg; and manganese, 5.1 +/- 1.1 mg/kg. Aflatoxin levels positively correlated with zinc (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.385; P less than 0.006) and copper levels (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.573; P less than 0.0001). Based on biochemical data in the literature, we believe that the correlation with zinc is important and that there may be a cause-and-effect relationship between zinc levels in corn and aflatoxin levels which are produced upon infection with Aspergillus flavus or A. parasiticus. Control of aflatoxin contamination in field corn by decreasing the zinc levels may be feasible, but no methods to decrease zinc levels are currently available.

Aflatoxins↗

A newly revised classification of the protozoa.

The subkingdom Protozoa now inclues over 65,000 named species, of which over half are fossil and approximately 10,000 are parasitic. Among living species, this includes approximately 250 parasitic and 11,300 free-living sarcodines (of which approximately 4,600 are foraminiferids); approximately 1,8000 parasitic and 5,100 free-living flagellates; approximately 5,600 parasitic "Sporozoa" (including Apicomplexa, Microspora, Myxospora, and Ascetospora); and approximately 2,5000 parasitic and 4,700 free-living ciliates. There are undoubtedly thousands more still unnamed. Seven phyla of PROTOZOA are accepted in this classification--SARCOMASTIGOPHORA, LABYRINTHOMORPHA, APICOMPLEXA, MICROSPORA, ASCETOSPORA, MYXOSPORA, and CILIOPHORA. Diagnoses are given for these and for all higher taxa through suborders, and reporesentative genera of each are named. The present scheme is a considerable revision of the Society's 1964 classification, which was prepared at a time when perhaps 48,000 species had been named. It has been necessitated by the acquisition of a great deal of nex taxonomic information, much of it through electron microscopy. It is hoped that the present classification incorporatesmost of the major changes that will be made for some time, and that it will be used for many years by both protozoologist and non-protozoologists.

Animals↗

Balm in Gilead.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans↗

Mechanism of prevention of aspirin-induced gastric lesions by bile duct legation in the rat.

UNLABELLED: Gastric reflux of bile has been reported to be essential for the production of acute gastric mucosal lesions by intragastric aspirin in the rat. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether bile duct legation of pylorus ligation in the rat inhibits asprin-induced gastric lesions, and, if so, what the protective mechanisms are. Operations were performed under ether anesthesia. Asprin, 200 mg per kg, was instilled into the stomach 1/2 hr postsurgery (bile duct ligation or pylorus ligation). Four hours later the rats were killed, the stomachs were examined, and mucosal lesions were scored. Bile duct ligation, but not pylorus ligation, significantly protected against aspirin-induced gastric-lesions. Bile duct ligation, in pylorus-ligated rats, inhibited gastric acid output by 78%. Instilling HCl + aspirin in bile duct-ligated rats restored lesion formation. Shunting bile to the colon (to prevent bile reflux) did not prevent aspirin lesions. Salicylate determination, to ascertain whether bile duct ligation altered asprin absorption, revealed no significant differences between bile duct ligation and aspirin, shunt + aspirin, and sham shunt + aspirin in plasma and gastric tissue salicylate concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Bile duct legation protects against aspirin-induced gastric mucosal lesions by inhibiting gastric HCl secretion. As a corollary, a certain amount of acid in the stomach is necessary for aspirin-induced gastric lesions to form. (2) Bile reflux is not necessary for aspirn-induced gastric lesions in the rat.

Animals↗