Poliomyelitis vaccine; a report on field trials in Southern Alameda County in 1954

Southern Alameda County was the only area in California to take part in the 1954 nationwide field trials for testing poliomyelitis vaccine. Besides the contribution made in evaluating the vaccine, other benefits were:1. Participation contributed to the control of a serious communicable disease.2. Inoculations of vaccine during the field trials in all probability prevented some cases of paralytic poliomyelitis among children in southern Alameda County.3. The community became better informed about poliomyelitis and more interested in the local health department.4. Local physicians had an opportunity to contribute to important research and to give a valuable community service.5. The staff of the Alameda County Health Department became better informed and better prepared for any future responsibilities in poliomyelitis immunization programs.Other conclusions reached as a result of participation in the 1954 field trials are that the initial planning of the study was hasty and not sufficiently representative of medical and administrative thinking. If the trials had been planned for 1955 instead of 1954 there would have been sufficient time for research to be completed, professional information to be assured and for sound design of study.     

ParA encoded on chromosome II of Deinococcus radiodurans binds to nucleoid and inhibits cell division in Escherichia coli

Bacterial genome segregation and cell division has been studied mostly in bacteria harbouring single circular chromosome and low-copy plasmids. Deinococcus radiodurans, a radiation-resistant bacterium, harbours multipartite genome system. Chromosome I encodes majority of the functions required for normal growth while other replicons encode mostly the proteins involved in secondary functions. Here, we report the characterization of putative P-loop ATPase (ParA2) encoded on chromosome II of D. radiodurans. Recombinant ParA2 was found to be a DNA-binding ATPase. E. coli cells expressing ParA2 showed cell division inhibition and mislocalization of FtsZ-YFP and those expressing ParA2-CFP showed multiple CFP foci formation on the nucleoid. Although, in trans expression of ParA2 failed to complement SlmA loss per se, it could induce unequal cell division in slmAminCDE double mutant. These results suggested that ParA2 is a nucleoid-binding protein, which could inhibits cell division in E. coli by affecting the correct localization of FtsZ and thereby cytokinesis. Helping slmAminCDE mutant to produce minicells, a phenotype associated with mutations in the ‘Min’ proteins, further indicated the possibility of ParA2 regulating cell division by bringing nucleoid compaction at the vicinity of septum growth.     

Aerobic training increases the expression of adiponectin receptor genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of young men

Little is known about the effect of exercise training on the expression of adiponectin receptor genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In this study, we investigated the effects of aerobic training on the expression of AdipoR1 and AidpoR2 mRNAs in PBMCs, whole body insulin sensitivity, and circulating adiponectins in men. Thirty young men were randomly assigned to either a control (n=15) or an exercise (n=15) group. Subjects assigned to the exercise group underwent a 12-week jogging and/or running programme on a motor-driven treadmill at an intensity of 60%-75% of the age-based maximum heart rate with duration of 40 minutes per session and a frequency of 5 days per week. Two-way mixed ANOVA with repeated measures was used to test any significant time-by-group interaction effects for the measured variables at p=0.05. We found significant time-by-group interaction effects for waist circumference (p=0.001), VO_2max (p<0.001), fasting insulin (p=0.016), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p=0.010), area under the curve (AUC) for insulin response during the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (p=0.002), high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin (p=0.016), and the PBMC mRNA levels of AdipoR1 (p<0.001) and AdipoR2 (p=0.001). The exercise group had significantly increased mRNA levels of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in PBMCs, along with increased whole body insulin sensitivity and HMW adiponectin, decreased waist circumference, and increased VO_2max compared with the control group. In summary, the current findings suggest that exercise training modulates the expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 mRNAs in PBMCs, implying that manipulation of the expression of these genes could be a potential surrogate for lifestyle intervention-mediated improvements of whole body insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis.     

Similar hypotensive responses to resistance exercise with and without blood flow restriction

Low intensity resistance exercise (RE) with blood flow restriction (BFR) has gained attention in the literature due to the beneficial effects on functional and morphological variables, similar to those observed during traditional RE without BFR, while the effects of BFR on post-exercise hypotension remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to compare the blood pressure (BP) response of trained normotensive individuals to RE with and without BFR. In this cross-over randomized trial, eight male subjects (23.8 ± 4 years, 74 ± 3 kg, 174 ± 4 cm) completed two exercise protocols: traditional RE (3 x 10 repetitions at 70% one-repetition maximum [1-RM]) and low intensity RE (3 x 15 repetitions at 20% 1-RM) with BFR. Blood pressure measurements were performed after 15 min of seated rest (0), immediately after and 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, 50 min and 60 min after the experimental sessions. Similar hypotensive effects for systolic BP (SBP) were observed for both protocols (P < 0.05) after exercise, with no differences between groups (P > 0.05) and no statistically significant difference for diastolic BP (P > 0.05). These results suggest that in normotensive trained individuals, both traditional RE and RE with BFR induce hypotension for SBP, which is important to prevent cardiovascular disturbances.     

Extraktion von Ochratoxin A aus geröstetem Kaffee Mittels Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE)

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is an alternative sample extraction procedure for ochratoxin A in roasted coffee. ASE results are comparable to that of the modified Koch method, but required less sample preparation time. Furthermore, ASE gave higher quantitative values than other methods reported for extraction of ochratoxin A. In the end less harmful water could be used for extraction.     

Effects of long-term exposure to 900 megahertz electromagnetic field on heart morphology and biochemistry of male adolescent rats

The pathological effects of exposure to an electromagnetic field (EMF) during adolescence may be greater than those in adulthood. We investigated the effects of exposure to 900 MHz EMF during adolescence on male adult rats. Twenty-four 21-day-old male rats were divided into three equal groups: control (Cont-Gr), sham (Shm-Gr) and EMF-exposed (EMF-Gr). EMF-Gr rats were placed in an EMF exposure cage (Plexiglas cage) for 1 h/day between postnatal days 21 and 59 and exposed to 900 MHz EMF. Shm-Gr rats were placed inside the Plexiglas cage under the same conditions and for the same duration, but were not exposed to EMF. All animals were sacrificed on postnatal day 60 and the hearts were extracted for microscopic and biochemical analyses. Biochemical analysis showed increased levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione and catalase levels in EMF-Gr compared to Cont-Gr animals. Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections from EMF-Gr animals exhibited structural changes and capillary congestion in the myocardium. The percentage of apoptotic myocardial cells in EMF-Gr was higher than in either Shm-Gr or Cont-Gr animals. Transmission electron microscopy of myocardial cells of EMF-Gr animals showed altered structure of Z bands, decreased myofilaments and pronounced vacuolization. We found that exposure of male rats to 900 MHz EMF for 1 h/day during adolescence caused oxidative stress, which caused structural alteration of male adolescent rat heart tissue.     

Functional characterisation of the regulation of CAAT enhancer binding protein alpha by GSK-3 phosphorylation of Threonines 222/226

Background  

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK3) activity is repressed following insulin treatment of cells. Pharmacological inhibition of GSK3 mimics the effect of insulin on Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (PEPCK), Glucose-6 Phosphatase (G6Pase) and IGF binding protein-1 (IGFBP1) gene expression. CAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) regulates these gene promoters in liver and is phosphorylated on two residues (T222/T226) by GSK3, although the functional outcome of the phosphorylation has not been established. We aimed to establish whether CEBPα is a link between GSK3 and these gene promoters.