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Biomedical subjects

J Lodge

Publications and source records attributed to J Lodge.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Dredged material decontamination demonstration for the port of New York/New Jersey.

Management of contaminated dredged material is a significant challenge in the Port of New York and New Jersey as a result of more stringent regional ocean placement regulations with escalating costs for upland placement. One component of an overall management plan can be the application of a decontamination technology followed by creation of a product suitable for beneficial use. This concept is the focus of a project now being carried out by the US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, the US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, the US Department of Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and regional university groups that have included Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rutgers University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Stevens Institute of Technology. The project has progressed through phased testing of commercial technologies at the bench scale (15 liters) (Marcor, Metcalf & Eddy, Gas Technology Institute, Westinghouse Science & Technology, BioGenesis, International Technology, and BioSafe) and pilot-scale (1.5-500m(3)) (BioGenesis, Gas Technology Institute, and Westinghouse Science & Technology) levels. The technologies developed by Gas Technology Institute and BioGenesis are now going forward to commercial demonstration facilities that are intended to treat from 23000 to 60000m(3) of dredged material during their first operational period in 2001-2002. Beneficial use products are soils and cement. Treatment costs for the final commercial facilities are estimated at US$ 39 per m(3). Selection of the technologies was made based on the effectiveness of the treatment process, evaluation of the possible beneficial use of the treated materials, and other factors. Major elements of the project are summarized here.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed1998

Transgenic plants expressing potato virus X ORF2 protein (p24) are resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and Ob tobamoviruses.

The p24 protein, one of the three proteins implicated in local movement of potato virus X (PVX), was expressed in transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum Xanthi D8 NN). Plants with the highest level of p24 accumulation exhibited a stunted and slightly chlorotic phenotype. These transgenic plants facilitate the cell-to-cell movement of a mutant of PVX that contained a frameshift mutation in p24. Upon inoculation with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), the size of necrotic local lesions was significantly smaller in p24+ plants than in nontransgenic, control plants. Systemic resistance to tobamoviruses was also evidenced after inoculation of p24+ plants with Ob, a virus that evades the hypersensitive response provided by the N gene. In the latter case, no systemic symptoms were observed, and virus accumulation remained low or undetectable by Western immunoblot analysis and back-inoculation assays. In contrast, no differences were observed in virus accumulation after inoculation with PVX, although more severe symptoms were evident on p24-expressing plants than on control plants. Similarly, infection assays conducted with potato virus Y showed no differences between control and transgenic plants. On the other hand, a considerable delay in virus accumulation and symptom development was observed when transgenic tobacco plants containing the movement protein (MP) of TMV were inoculated with PVX. Finally, a movement defective mutant of TMV was inoculated on p24+ plants or in mixed infections with PVX on nontransgenic plants. Both types of assays failed to produce TMV infections, implying that TMV MP is not interchangeable with the PVX MPs.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Invasion of murine intestinal M cells by Salmonella typhimurium inv mutants severely deficient for invasion of cultured cells.

We have examined the role of the Salmonella typhimurium inv locus in invasion of the murine intestine. Previous studies have demonstrated that M cells within the lymphoid-follicle-associated epithelia are the primary site of intestinal invasion by S. typhimurium. In this study, we show that mutants possessing defects in one of two inv genes, invA or invG, which render them severely deficient for invasion of polarized epithelial MDCK cells, retain their ability to actively invade mouse Peyer's patch M cells. The interaction of these mutants with M cells was associated with apical membrane remodelling resembling that induced by wild-type strains. These data demonstrate that Salmonella invasion in vivo can proceed via mechanisms other than those previously defined in cultured cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Biological and genetic characterization of TnphoA mutants of Salmonella typhimurium TML in the context of gastroenteritis.

TnphoA transposon insertion mutants of phoN-negative derivatives of Salmonella typhimurium TML (of human gastroenteritic origin) were selected by growing mutagenized recipient bacteria under a variety of growth conditions. Ninety-seven individual mutants, which expressed alkaline phosphatase, were collected and tested for their ability to invade HEp-2 cells. Seven smooth mutants had a reduced ability to invade HEp-2 cells, and three smooth mutants were consistently more invasive than their corresponding parental strains. One rough mutant was of similar invasiveness and two were of reduced invasiveness when compared with that of parental strains. The seven smooth hypoinvasive mutants, the three smooth hyperinvasive mutants, and the three rough mutant strains were tested for their abilities to invade ileal enterocytes by the rabbit ileal invasion assay described previously (3). All smooth mutants exhibited parental levels of invasiveness. The rough mutants were hypoinvasive in the rabbit ileal invasion assay. The HEp-2 system is therefore not a good predictor of behavior in gut tissue in this model. DNA sequences flanking the transposon were determined for five mutants which were hypoinvasive in the HEp-2 cell assay. The mutations were found to be insertions in two previously identified invasion genes, invG and invH, and in a gene not normally associated with invasion, pagC. These observations lead one to be cautious in the interpretation of the biological significance of data obtained from invasion of tissue culture monolayers when extrapolated to gut tissue.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1993

Investigation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa ampR gene and its role at the chromosomal ampC beta-lactamase promoter.

The complete sequence of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa beta-lactamase regulator gene ampR has been determined. The amino acid sequence encoded by this gene is compared with other members of the LysR family of transcription factors. The P. aeruginosa ampC promoter was subcloned and gel mobility shift assays were used to demonstrate specific binding of AmpR to the ampC promoter region.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Dental students' perception of patient anxiety.

This study examined the ability of dental students to assess patients' anxiety during dental treatment, and the relationship between patients' general, waiting room and clinic levels of anxiety. Sixty-six restorative dental patients and 35 Final-year dental students participated in the study. Prior to a routine dental appointment, patients completed visual analogue scales indicating their general and waiting room levels of anxiety. During treatment, patients and dental students completed similar scales to indicate patients' levels of anxiety up to and at that time. Patients' general and waiting room levels of anxiety were found to correlate significantly with their reports of anxiety during treatment. Female patients reported higher levels of anxiety than male patients. The correlations between patient and student ratings of patients' anxiety were small and non-significant, suggesting the students were not accurate in their estimates of patients' anxiety during treatment. It is suggested, therefore, that dental students be encouraged to ask patients directly how they are feeling about the dental situation. Such discussion could take place prior to, or at the beginning of, the dental appointment.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Broad host range plasmids carrying the Escherichia coli lactose and galactose operons.

We have developed a number of broad-host-range plasmids that allow the expression of the Escherichia coli lac operon from any cloned promoter, and the creation of 'in phase' fusions between lacZ and other cloned genes. In a second series of constructions, the E. coli gal operon has been cloned into the broad-host-range vector and a plasmid carrying both the E. coli gal and lac genes is described. These plasmids have been transferred into Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Zymomonas mobilis and their effects on the utilisation of lactose and galactose have been investigated.

Escherichia coli↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of promoter activities in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa: use of a new broad-host-range promoter-probe plasmid.

The broad-host-range plasmid, pRW2, is a derivative of pRK 2501 carrying the Escherichia coli lac operon without a promoter, downstream of a polylinker sequence. We have cloned a number of DNA fragments carrying promoters into this plasmid and measured promoter activity in both E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Promoters carrying consensus -10 and -35 sequences were active in both backgrounds and the dependence of activity on the nucleotide sequence of the 35 region was the same in both cases. We also measured the activity of two promoters at which transcription in E. coli was totally dependent on the E. coli activators CRP and FNR: both promoters were found to be active in P. aeruginosa.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Starvation-induced stimulation of sugar uptake in Streptococcus mutans is due to an effect on the activities of preexisting proteins of the phosphotransferase system.

We examined the effects of sugar concentration in the medium on sugar uptake and phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) activities in Streptococcus mutants GS-5. Kinetic analyses of sucrose uptake in cells harvested under conditions of sucrose excess or sucrose limitation showed that increased uptake under the latter condition was almost completely due to an increase in the Vmax of the high-affinity PTS. In a series of experiments in which cells growing under conditions of sucrose or glucose excess were shifted to a medium lacking sugar, starvation resulted in a stimulation of sugar uptake and a parallel increase in PTS activity. These starvation-induced increases in PTS-mediated uptake were not affected by the presence of either chloramphenicol or rifampin during the starvation period, indicating that neither protein nor RNA synthesis was necessary for the stimulation. In vivo labeling experiments with 32Pi revealed that uptake stimulation during starvation was accompanied by a loss of acid-stable phosphate covalently bound to the phosphocarrier protein HPr of the PTS. We conclude, therefore, that stimulation of PTS-mediated uptake of sucrose and glucose during sugar limitation in S. mutans GS-5 is at least partially the result of increased activities of preexisting PTS proteins and that this may be due, at least in part, to dephosphorylation of a previously identified site in S. mutans HPr that can be phosphorylated by an ATP-dependent kinase.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed1985

Expression of polyoma early gene products in E. coli.

The three products of the early region of polyoma virus have been cloned for expression in E. coli using the Tac promoter. Although the identical promoter and ribosome binding site are used in each final construction, the observed level of protein expression is different for each protein. While plasmids expressing wild type T antigens as well as a plasmid expressing the truncated Py-1387T middle T antigen lacking the membrane-anchoring sequence give rise to synthesis of proteins readily detectible by 35S-methionine labeling and immunoprecipitation, only small T and the middle T of Py-1387T are made in amounts sufficient for ready detection in total cell protein. Unlike middle T expressed in animal cells, middle T produced in E. coli is not detectibly phosphorylated. Further, the E. coli protein lacks tyrosine kinase activity.

Antigens, Viral, Tumor↗
PubMed1980

A comparison of frontalis EMG feedback training and progressive relaxation in the treatment of chronic anxiety.

Two groups (N = 26) of patients with chronic anxiety were compared in their response to different forms of relaxation therapy. One group received 16 sessions of frontalis EMG and the other 16 sessions of progressive relaxation. Although EMG feedback was much superior in reducing frontalis EMG activity this treatment was no more effective than progressive relaxation in reducing symptoms of anxiety. Few patients in each group showed more than marginal improvement.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Carbohydrate uptake in the oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans: mechanisms and regulation by protein phosphorylation.

Streptococcus mutans is the primary etiological agent of dental caries in man and other animals. This organism and other related oral streptococci use carbohydrates almost exclusively as carbon and energy sources, fermenting them primarily to lactic acid which initiates erosion of tooth surfaces. Investigations over the past decade have shown that the major uptake mechanism for most carbohydrates in S. mutans is the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS), although non-PTS systems have also been identified for glucose and sucrose. Regulation of sugar uptake occurs by induction/repression and inducer exclusion mechanisms in S. mutans, but apparently not by inducer expulsion as is found in some other streptococci. In addition, ATP-dependent protein kinases have also been identified in S. mutans and other oral streptococci, and a regulatory function for at least one of these has been postulated. Among a number of proteins that are phosphorylated by these enzymes, the predominant soluble protein substrate is the general phospho-carrier protein of the PTS, HPr, as had previously been observed in a variety of Gram-positive bacteria. Recent results have provided evidence for a role for ATP-dependent phosphorylation of HPr in the coordination of sugar uptake and its catabolism in S. mutans. In this review, these results are summarized, and directions for future research in this area are discussed.

Carbohydrates↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Children's self-talk under conditions of mild anxiety.

Two studies are described which used think-aloud (Study 1) and verbal thought-listing (Studies 1 and 2) procedures to assess preadolescent children's self-talk under conditions of mild anxiety. The self-talk reported was coded into six theoretically meaningful categories and the relationship between self-talk type and anxiety (state and trait) examined. Increased levels of anxiety were associated with higher rates of negative self-talk, but not clearly associated with other types of self-talk. These results suggest negative self-talk plays a role in the generation or maintenance of anxiety in normal children. From the data, it is unclear to what extent perceived task difficulty contributes to the relationship between trait anxiety and negative self-talk. Assessment of self-regulation (Study 1) identified higher levels of anxiety in children reporting awareness of strategies for managing their anxiety.

Adaptation, Psychological↗