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The concordance of respiratory fluctuations in oesophageal and central venous pressures.

Respiratory fluctuations in oesophageal and central venous pressures were recorded in 13 healthy subjects and compared with respect to phase and amplitude concordance. An average divergence in phase of nearly 180 degrees was obtained, with large inter-individual variations. Disregarding phase the amplitude of the respiratory central venous pressure was found to be, on the average, a good 1/4 of that of the oesophageal pressure in the supine posture, and a good 2/3 while the subjects were sitting. These figures also varied considerably. It is suggested that the findings might be referred to competition between a central venous pressure raising effect of inspiration enhanced venous return, and a central venous pressure depressing effect of the inspiratory fall in intrathoracic pressure. The partitioning of costal and abdomino-diaphragmatic breathing is considered of great significance to the outcome of this competition. It is concluded that the oesophageal balloon catheter technique for estimation of transpulmonary pressure cannot simply be replaced by the central venous catheter technique in healthy subjects. Its application in patients with certain pulmonary disorders, however, might be more successful.

Adult↗

Use of screening phase data to evaluate observer variation of sputum cytodiagnosis as an outcome measure in a chemoprevention trial.

Sputum samples obtained during the screening phase of a chemoprevention trial in heavy smokers were evaluated independently by trained cytotechnologists and classified for degree of cellular atypia according to the method of Saccommano et al. (G. Saccommano et al., Cancer (Phila.), 33: 256-270, 1974). The level of agreement within and between Observers A and B was calculated as the percentage of agreement and, in addition, a statistic was used (kappa) to correct for chance-expected agreement. Between observer agreement on 300 specimens from 130 subjects was 68% (204 of 300) (kappa = 0.58). Of the 96 disagreements, only 17 were of more than one category in the six-category classification. Within observer agreement for both Observers A and B was evaluated on a subset of 60 specimens from 49 subjects examined on two separate occasions by each observer. The percentage of within observer agreement was 80% for Observer A (kappa = 0.73) and 62% for Observer B (kappa = 0.49) (P less than 0.04). Altogether, 71% (25 of 35) of within observer discordant readings were confined to only one category. These data, obtained from the screening phase of the study, will allow us to refine the outcome measure for the trial without introducing bias that could result from knowledge of the actual study results. The failure of conventional cancer treatments to impact significantly on overall cancer mortality has led to an emphasis on prevention. If premalignant changes can be reliably detected at a time when the malignant process is reversible, then it may be feasible to intervene to prevent the occurrence of some cancers. The appropriate selection of subjects for such intervention trials and the subsequent demonstration of the efficacy of chemoprevention strategies are therefore crucial.

Etretinate↗

[Daily number of births in Norway 1989-93. Variations across months, day of week, phase of the moon and changes in leave entitlements].

The variation in the daily numbers of births across month, day of week, phase of the moon and maternity leave entitlements have been studied for all births in Norway between 1989 and 1993, a total of 302,209 newborn children. The number of births was highest in the spring and lowest in November and December. A secondary birth maximum was observed in September, possibly related to activities during Christmas and New Year celebrations nine months before. Furthermore, births were least numerous at weekends and were concentrated in the middle of the week. This pattern probably reflects less active obstetric intervention at weekends. The number of births does not seem to vary with phase of the moon. At the time of the latest, and largest increase in national birth maternity leave entitlements, fewer births occurred in the days before and correspondingly more births in the days immediately after the date when the change came into force.

Adult↗

A comparison of some different methods for purifying core temperature data from humans.

Nine healthy females were studied about the time of the spring equinox while living in student accommodations and aware of the passage of solar time. After 7 control days, during which a conventional lifestyle was lived under a 24h "constant routine," the subjects lived 17 x 27h "days" (9h sleep in the dark and 18h wake using domestic lighting, if required). Throughout the experiment, recordings of wrist activity and rectal (core) temperature were taken. The raw temperature data were assessed for phase and amplitude by cosinor analysis and another method, "crossover times," which does not assume that the data set is sinusoidal. Two different purification methods were used in attempts to remove the masking effects of sleep and activity from the core temperature record and so to measure more closely the endogenous component of this rhythm; these two methods were "purification by categories" and "purification by intercepts." The former method assumes that the endogenous component is a sinusoid, and that the masking effects can be estimated by putting activity into a number of bands or categories. The latter method assumes that a temperature that would correspond to complete inactivity can be estimated from measured temperatures by linear regression of these on activity and extrapolation to a temperature at zero activity. Three indices were calculated to assess the extent to which exogenous effects had been removed from the temperature data by these purification methods. These indices were the daily variation of phase about its median value; the ratio of this variation to the daily deviation of phase about midactivity; and the relationship between amplitude and the square of the deviation of phase from midactivity. In all cases, the index would decrease in size as the contribution of the exogenous component to a data set fell. The purification by categories approach was successful in proportion to the number of activity categories that was used, and as few as four categories produced a data set with significantly less masking than raw data. The method purification by intercepts was less successful unless the raw data had been "corrected" to reflect the direct effects of sleep that were independent of activity (a method to achieve this being produced). Use of this purification method with the corrected data then gave results that showed least exogenous influences. Both this method and the purification by categories method with 16 categories of activity gave evidence that the exogenous component no longer made a significant contribution to the purified data set. The results were not significantly influenced by assessing amplitude and phase of the circadian rhythm from crossover times rather than cosinor analysis. The relative merits of the different methods, as well as of other published methods, are compared briefly; it is concluded that several purification methods, of differing degrees of sophistication and ease of application to raw data, are of value in field studies and other circumstances in which constant routines are not possible or are ethically undesirable. It is also concluded that such methods are often somewhat limited insofar as they are based on pragmatic or biological, rather than mathematical, considerations, and so it is desirable to attempt to develop models based equally on mathematics and biology.

Body Temperature↗

Relationship between circadian changes in renal hemodynamics and circadian changes in urinary glycosaminoglycan excretion in normal rats.

Circadian changes in renal hemodynamics and urinary glycosaminoglycan (GAG) excretion were studied in normal Sprague-Dawley rats to further investigate rhythms in kidney function. Urinary water, protein, and GAG excretion, as well as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF), were determined every 4h over the 24h cycle in an attempt to characterize any temporal changes. Urinary flow rate and proteinuria peaked during the dark activity period of the animals, consistently at the same hour, whereas the lowest values were detected during the resting phase. GAG are mucopolysaccharides entering the constitution of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), which is the key component in the process of glomerular filtration. Similarly, the urinary excretion rate of GAG showed a circadian rhythmicity in phase with urinary water and protein excretion, with markedly increased values observed during the nocturnal phase of the animals. Moreover, GFR and RPF were demonstrated to exhibit large circadian variations in phase with renal excretory rhythmicity, showing nighttime values significantly greater compared to daytime ones. Strong correlations were found between GFR and RPF rhythms, as well as between GAG and GFR, and GAG and RPF rhythms, although the latter were not statistically significant. This pattern suggests that the circadian rhythmicity in urinary excretion rate of GAG in physiological conditions could presumably be secondary to the temporal changes in renal hemodynamics. In this respect, knowledge of renal chronobiology helpfully contributes to increase our understanding of renal physiology.

Animals↗

Structure and some contractile properties of fast and slow muscles of the chicken.

1. A comparative study has been made of the structure of the posterior and anterior latissimus dorsi muscles (P.L.D. and A.L.D.) of the chicken. Some of the contractile properties of these muscles, particularly of the A.L.D. muscle, have also been examined.2. In confirmation of earlier work, it is found that structural differences between these two muscles mainly reside in the organization of the T-system and the sarcoplasmic reticulum.3. In the P.L.D. muscle the T-system and sarcoplasmic reticulum are tubular networks of regular pattern, with frequent regions of contact between them in the form of the familiar triads. As described earlier, two series of triads are present in each sarcomere, near the level of the A-I boundary.4. The presence in the A.L.D. muscle of both T-system and sarcoplasmic reticulum has been established here by the combined use of electron microscopic and histochemical techniques. The appearance of these structures is considerably less regular in this than in the P.L.D. muscle, and the area of contact between them relatively small: in terms of contact area per sarcomere, about 15% or less of that in the P.L.D. muscle. Regions of contact are mainly in the form of dyads, but a few triads are also present.5. Contractures of the A.L.D. muscle in high K fluids have been recorded and their modification due to variation of the external concentration of Ca, K and Mg examined. The K contracture consists of two phases: an initial transient and a later maintained phase. The response of these phases to variation in the external medium is markedly different.6. Application of Ca-free fluids causes contracture tension of the late phase to subside within a few minutes whilst that of the initial phase declines completely only after several hours. High Mg concentrations depress the later but not the early phase of contracture.7. Tentative interpretations of both the morphological and physiological differences described have been proposed.

Animals↗

Regulated polyploidy in halophilic archaea.

Polyploidy is common in higher eukaryotes, especially in plants, but it is generally assumed that most prokaryotes contain a single copy of a circular chromosome and are therefore monoploid. We have used two independent methods to determine the genome copy number in halophilic archaea, 1) cell lysis in agarose blocks and Southern blot analysis, and 2) Real-Time quantitative PCR. Fast growing H. salinarum cells contain on average about 25 copies of the chromosome in exponential phase, and their ploidy is downregulated to 15 copies in early stationary phase. The chromosome copy number is identical in cultures with a twofold lower growth rate, in contrast to the results reported for several other prokaryotic species. Of three additional replicons of H. salinarum, two have a low copy number that is not growth-phase regulated, while one replicon even shows a higher degree of growth phase-dependent regulation than the main replicon. The genome copy number of H. volcanii is similarly high during exponential phase (on average 18 copies/cell), and it is also downregulated (to 10 copies) as the cells enter stationary phase. The variation of genome copy numbers in the population was addressed by fluorescence microscopy and by FACS analysis. These methods allowed us to verify the growth phase-dependent regulation of ploidy in H. salinarum, and they revealed that there is a wide variation in genome copy numbers in individual cells that is much larger in exponential than in stationary phase. Our results indicate that polyploidy might be more widespread in archaea (or even prokaryotes in general) than previously assumed. Moreover, the presence of so many genome copies in a prokaryote raises questions about the evolutionary significance of this strategy.

Archaea↗

Volume-dependent variations of regional lung sound, amplitude, and phase.

Acoustic imaging of the respiratory system demonstrates regional changes of lung sounds that correspond to pulmonary ventilation. We investigated volume-dependent variations of lung sound phase and amplitude between two closely spaced sensors in five adults. Lung sounds were recorded at the posterior right upper, right lower, and left lower lobes during targeted breathing (1.2 +/- 0.2 l/s; volume = 20-50 and 50-80% of vital capacity) and passive sound transmission (< or =0.2 l/s; volumes as above). Average sound amplitudes were obtained after band-pass filtering to 75-150, 150-300, and 300-600 Hz. Cross correlation established the phase relation of sound between sensors. Volume-dependent variations in phase (< or =1.5 ms) and amplitude (< or =11 dB) were observed at the lower lobes in the 150- to 300-Hz band. During inspiration, increasing delay and amplitude of sound at the caudal relative to the cranial sensor were also observed during passive transmission in several subjects. This previously unrecognized behavior of lung sounds over short distances might reflect spatial variations of airways and diaphragms during breathing.

Adult↗

Phase behavior of poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether/novel alkanolamide/water systems.

The phase behavior and microstructure of mixed nonionic surfactant systems containing poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether (ChEOn, n=15 and 10), a new alkanolamide-type foam booster, dodecanoyl N -methylethanolamide (NMEA-12), and water, were investigated at 25 degrees C by means of visual observation and small-angle X-ray scattering. In the ChEO(15)/water binary system, aqueous micellar (W(m)), discontinuous cubic liquid crystal (I(1)), hexagonal (H(1)), rectangular ribbon (R(1)), lamellar (L(alpha)), and solid (S) phases are successively formed with increasing surfactant concentration. Although the R(1) phase is an intermediate phase formed in a very narrow composition range in conventional surfactant systems, its domain is unusually wider than that of H(1), which may be attributed to the packing constraint caused by the bulky cholesteric group in the lipophilic core of the aggregate. Upon addition of lipophilic NMEA-12 to the ChEO(15)/water binary system, the interfacial curvature of the aggregates decreases, and the micellar or liquid crystal phases formed in the binary system transform to the reverse micellar (O(m)) phase via the L(alpha) phase existing over a wide concentration range. The SAXS results establish an epitaxial relationship between the (11) plane of the R(1) phase and the (10) plane of the L(alpha) phase. The ChEO(10)/NMEA-12/water system shows a phase diagram of similar general appearance, except that the W(m) to R(1) phase transformation occurs via an optically anisotropic liquid crystal phase of unknown structure and the R(1) to L(alpha) phase transition occurs through a narrow intermediate defected lamellar (L(alpha)(H)) phase. The variation in the aggregate size and shape and the unit cell of the R(1) phase formed in ChEOn/NMEA-12/water systems is also discussed.

Amides↗

[Characterization of the functional relations between cerebral structures: the linear and non-linear].

Two kinds of methods are available in order to assess the functional relationships between different cerebral structures from the analysis of EEG signals: linear and non-linear methods. In this paper, we describe didactically the methodological bases of signal processing. After recalling the significance of the fundamental parameters of a sine wave: frequency, amplitude and phase, we show, from a first example about an epileptic seizure propagation, how a linear variation between phase and frequency can be interpreted as a small time difference between two EEG channels. This linear method hypothesises that these two signals are respectively the input and the output of a linear system. Then, we point out the limits of this method and we introduce non-linear methods. Among the latter, a recent approach introduces a realistic model of EEG which try to relate signal measured quantities to relations between underlying structures which produce them.

Algorithms↗

Rate and time of DNA synthesis of individual Chinese hamster cells.

The duration of DNA synthesis of a diploid cell line of Chinese hamster fibroblasts was determined in a comparative study by the FLM technique, and also by a new technique for measuring the rate of DNA synthesis of individual cells. These methods produced comparable results when applied during exponential growth of the cells. The rate of DNA synthesis was measured by means of quantitative autoradiography following a short-term incubation of the cells with 5 X 10(-6) M FUdR and 10(-5) M 14C-TdR. The choice of the medium for this purpose did not seem to be critical. The autoradiographic silver grains over cells and 14C-standard sources are counted by microphotometry using incident light bright-field. The direct measurements of DNA synthesis rate are 'compartment' statistics which have been converted into 'flux' parameters for comparison with the FLM method and applicability in cell-kinetic calculations. Frequency distributions of the rate of DNA synthesis of individual cells thus obtained may resemble normal distributions quite closely. They result from several factors: differences in the rate of synthesis in different parts of the S-phase, the density distribution of cells within the S-phase, the variation in the time of DNA synthesis among individual cells, and the experimental error. In the case of a pronounced partial synchronization as probably has been present in one experiment performed in the lag phase, an incorrect time of DNA synthesis may result from the rate values. Due to the variation in DNA synthesis rate in different parts of the S-phase it is not possible to determine the duration of DNA synthesis of an individual cell. However, the mean values of DNA synthesis time are reliable. The new method will be preferentially applied for determining the duration of DNA synthesis of human cells in as far as difficulties are encountered with the classical methods. In addition, it may be used to advantage for studying cells which make up low percentages in mixed populations. It finally permits a safer morphological classification of the cells under study than is possible with the classical methods.

Autoradiography↗

Variation in resistance to high hydrostatic pressure and rpoS heterogeneity in natural isolates of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Several natural isolates of Escherichia coli O157:H7 have previously been shown to exhibit stationary-phase-dependent variation in their resistance to inactivation by high hydrostatic pressure. In this report we demonstrate that loss of the stationary-phase-inducible sigma factor RpoS resulted in decreased resistance to pressure in E. coli O157:H7 and in a commensal strain. Furthermore, variation in the RpoS activity of the natural isolates of O157:H7 correlated with the pressure resistance of those strains. Heterogeneity was noted in the rpoS alleles of the natural isolates that may explain the differences in RpoS activity. These results are consistent with a role for rpoS in mediating resistance to high hydrostatic pressure in E. coli O157:H7.

Animals↗

Fluorescence image analysis of the MCF-7 cycle related changes in chromatin texture. Differences between AT- and GC-rich chromatin.

This paper reports on quantitative in situ changes in chromatin structure that occur throughout the cell cycle of the human breast cancer epithelial cell line, MCF-7. Texture parameters were measured by image cytometry on nuclei stained by DNA specific fluorochromes. These parameters calculated from the co-occurrence and run length matrices of grey level images were previously shown to be related to condensation, organization and distribution of DNA. In some experiments, cells were triple stained for DNA/Ki-67/PCNA, and compartmentalization in the cycle was ascertained from the Ki-67/PCNA pattern expression. In these experiments, Hoechst dye was used to stain DNA. Chromatin of cells traversing G1 phase progressively decondensed and became homogeneously distributed. In addition, these G1 cells had more condensed chromatin than cells in G0 phase (as determined by Ki-67 negative staining). During the S and G2 phases, chromatin condensation took place and an increasing reticulated organization was quantified. Similar profile of changes in chromatin texture was found in experiments done with cells double stained by AT-specific Hoechst dye and the GC-specific mithramycin dye. GC-rich chromatin texture-associated parameters greatly varied comparing to those of AT-rich chromatin during the G0/G1 phase as well as in the first mid-S phase. Conversely, variation of the AT-associated parameters was much greater in the second half of S phase as compared to the GC-associated parameters that barely varied during this period. This study well establishes the correlation between in situ chromatin texture and proliferation state because the latter is assessed by proliferation-associated antigens. Moreover, changes in chromatin texture are independently ascribed to the AT- and GC-rich regions suggesting that these 2 types of chromatin are involved to different extents in transcriptional and replicational tasks.

Base Composition↗

Increment and decrement detection on temporally modulated fields.

Increment and decrement probe thresholds were measured during the presentation of two types of temporal masking stimuli. In Experiment 1, we measured thresholds for increment or decrement rectangular probes presented during the presentation of an increment or decrement Gaussian masking stimulus. We find that thresholds are higher when the probe and the Gaussian mask are of the same sign (e. g. both increments). However, both types of Gaussian mask raised increment and decrement probe thresholds above steady state conditions. In Experiment 2, we presented increment or decrement probes at one of eight possible phases of a 1 Hz luminance-modulated sine wave. For both increment and decrement probes, threshold variation with phase is non-sinusoidal in shape, but increment and decrement probe thresholds vary as a function of the sinusoid phase. These experiments show that increment and decrement thresholds vary as a function of the adaptation state of the visual system, and as a function of the direction of change in the adaptation state. Data from both experiments are discussed in terms of a recent neurophysiological model [Hood & Graham (1998). Threshold fluctuations on temporally modulated backgrounds: a possible physiological explanation based upon a recent computational model. Visual Neuroscience, 15 (5), 957-967]. We find that the predicted ON- and OFF-pathway responses do not correlate in a straightforward manner with the psychophysical thresholds, suggesting that detection of increment and decrement probes may not be performed exclusively by one pathway. Our data have implications for modeling visual performance under conditions where visual adaptation is dynamic, such as when scanning complex images or natural scenes.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Relation of olfactory bulb and cortex. II. Model for driving of cortex by bulb.

The major projection pathway of the olfactory bulb is by way of the lateral olfactory tract (LOT) to the olfactory cortex. Oscillatory bursts of extracellular potential appear during inspiration in both bulb and cortex. Based on anatomical and physiological considerations, a model was proposed, consisting of a bulbar transmitter, a conduction line representing axons in the LOT, and a cortical receiver. The model predicted the relation between phase and frequency of bulbar and cortical burst pairs, based on the expectation that the bulb drives the cortex. Experimental phase-frequency plots were computed from bursts of 9 bulbocortical electrode site pairs from each of 10 rabbits. For each site pair, the model predicted the expected range of the joint variation of phase and frequency, using the known distance between the bulbar and cortical sites. The model was highly successful (greater than 95% prediction accuracy) for one quarter of the total number of site pairs examined. The wide range of variation for the rest of the data suggested that higher order interactions are responsible for the phase relation between bulb and cortex. Convergence of input, independence of the cortical generator, cortical feedback to the bulb and synchronization by an outside source are all discussed as possible contributors to this variation.

Animals↗

The enantioseparation of amino acids on a teicoplanin chiral stationary phase using non-aqueous mobile phases after pre-column derivatization with sulfur-containing reagents: the considerations of mobile phase composition and analyte structure variation on resolution enhancement.

Amino acids were derivatized with sulfur-containing reagents in alkaline medium and enantioresolved by HPLC on a teicoplanin chiral stationary phase. Much better resolution was achieved using methanol-based mobile phase compared with elution with acetonitrile-based solvent mixture. The value of selectivity factor for many derivatives examined in the study can be easily several tenths of 100 or even exceed 100 in some cases. This magnitude of resolution is suitable for the preparative-scale application of isolating alpha-amino acid enantiomers in the derivatized form using a short column. The resolution is believed to be a result of the hydrogen bonding and steric hindrance by the nitrogen and sulfur atoms from the isothiocyanatyl fragment of the reagent, respectively, and is enhanced as the fragment is structurally phenylated (e.g. 2,4-difluorophenyl isothiocyanate and others examined in this study). The enhancement is even more significant if the aromatic moiety of the reagent becomes more acidic through halogenation with chlorine or fluorine for the stronger pi-pi interaction. However, this type of enhancement is offset to some extent and sometimes obscured by a chlorinated reagent that is relatively large in size as compared with the fluorinated one. Judging from the chromatographic data and the elution profile, the mechanisms leading to the resolutions are believed to be different under the elution of polar-organic mobile phases (i.e. methanol- and acetonitrile-based mobile phases).

Amino Acids↗

Flow cytometry (FCM) of human epidermal cells. A preparation method for epidermal cells and demonstration of circadian variations in the proportion of S-phase cells.

A suction blister technique on the abdominal skin to separate pure human epidermis from its basement membrane is described. After incubation with proteolytic enzymes (trypsin, pepsin) and mechanical shaking, isolated cells and nuclei were stained with ethidium bromide. DNA-specific fluorescence was measured in a flow cytometer using UV excitation light. Cell-cycle phase distributions were obtained from the resulting histograms using a planimetric method. The proportion of cells with an S-phase DNA content showed circadian variations with peak values shortly before noon, and lower values during the rest of the 24 h period.

Blister↗

Comparison of tRNA activity under homologous and heterologous conditions during the reproductive cycle of Heteropneustes fossilis.

Rate of protein synthesis in ovary is analyzed throughout the annual reproductive cycle of H. fossilis. It is highest during previtellogenic phase and lowest during post spawning phase. The variation pattern matches with aminoacylation capacity of tRNA. The aminoacylation capacity of tRNA is compared in the two phases under homologous and heterologous conditions. Both tRNA and aRS are obtained from the same phase under homologous conditions and from different phases under heterologous conditions. Aminoacylation capacity is also compared in ovary and liver under homologous and heterologous conditions. Both tRNA and aRS show higher activity in previtellogenic phase. However, tRNA contributes more for higher aminoacylation activity. Transfer RNA fractionates into similar isoacceptors during the two phases. This indicates that the primary structure of tRNA may not change during the reproductive cycle. Therefore, it is suggested that the difference in aminoacylation activity may be due to post-transcriptional modifications of tRNA leading to conformational changes. Gm modification and 2-O' methylation of tRNA are reported earlier to vary during the reproductive cycle [2]. The results support the earlier suggestion of conformational changes in tRNA in 'active' and 'inactive' forms in previtellogenic and post spawning phases respectively. Aminoacylation capacity of tRNA shows organ specificity. It is high in ovary than in liver. Poor aminoacylation capacity is shown under heterologous conditions. This may be due to incompatible aRS related to specific amino acid pool in the tissue, or post transcriptional changes in tRNA, which may not allow cross acylation with full efficiency.

Algal Proteins↗