J Celenza | PubMed Health

PubMed2001

A clinic succeeds Kern's in Rhode Island.

A new Occupational and Environmental Health Center has opened in Providence, Rhode Island, the successor to the one operated by Dr. David Kern until 1997 when he published research that identified a new occupational respiratory disease among patients there and thereby drew a storm of controversy involving his program, Memorial Hospital, and Brown Medical School. The new independent clinic is the result of cooperative work among a number of medical and occupational organizations in the state.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

Lead suit: an immodest proposal.

Rhode Island's Attorney General Whitehorse has announced that Rhode Island will sue the lead paint industry for its contribution to the epidemic of health problems caused by lead paint. The suit asserts that the paint industry was negligent because it marketed a harmful product; since it caused the problem, it should contribute to paying for it. We need a lead trust fund to provide for primary abatement upkeep and maintenance of housing. The attorney general's action can, if successful, help implement such a fund. Personal lead injury cases, which have a minimal public health impact, can be channeled to do so. Whenever personal injury cases are settled--either through negotiated settlement or full jurisprudence--a percentage of the settlement could be earmarked for a public lead trust fund.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1984

Formation of the rabbit zona pellucida and its relationship to ovarian follicular development.

The zona pellucida is the unique extracellular glycoprotein matrix which is assembled during growth of the mammalian oocyte. The present studies were carried out to examine the formation of this structure in relation to the differentiation of ovarian cell types during follicular development. Specific antibodies were developed against total rabbit ZP proteins as well as against ZP proteins electrophoretically purified by high-resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels (2D-PAGE). Antibodies were characterized by (a) immunoelectrophoresis, (b) a Staphylococcus aureus protein A binding assay, and (c) immunoblotting following 2D-PAGE separation of ZP proteins. Immunoperoxidase localization with these antibodies was used to determine the stage of ovarian follicular development at which ZP antigens first appear as well as to evaluate the cellular and extracellular distribution of these proteins throughout folliculogenesis. The ZP proteins were first observed in the cytoplasm and at the periphery of the oocytes surrounded by a thin squamous follicular cell layer. No staining was observed in the cytoplasm of follicle cells during early folliculogenesis. As the ZP matrix was assembled extracellularly, the intensity of staining of the outer and inner regions could be distinguished. This differentiation of the matrix coincided with the differentiation of the follicular cells into a multilayer cell complex. At this stage, specific ZP proteins are localized within the cytoplasm of the inner layers of these follicular cells. The staining is then diminished in cells of preantral follicles. These studies demonstrate that the formation of the ZP is an excellent model system to study the early stages of follicular development and cell differentiation.

Animals↗