Pharmacogenomics: Social, Ethical, and Clinical Dimensions

Books reviewed:
Pharmacogenomics: Social, Ethical, and Clinical Dimensions , edited by M.A. Rothstein. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Liss, A John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 368 pp. US$ 64.95 (hardback)     

Indians, Markets, and Rainforests: Theory, Methods, and Analysis

Indians, Markets, and Rainforests: Theory, Methods, and Analysis. Ricardo A. Godoy. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. 274 pp.     

Effect of heavy exercise on spectral baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate, and blood pressure variability in well-trained humans

The aim of the study was to assess the instantaneous spectral components of heart rate variability (HRV) and systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV) and determine the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency baroreflex sensitivity (HF-BRS) during a graded maximal exercise test. The first hypothesis was that the hyperpnea elicited by heavy exercise could entail a significant increase in HF-SBPV by mechanical effect once the first and second ventilatory thresholds (VTs) were exceeded. It was secondly hypothesized that vagal tone progressively withdrawing with increasing load, HF-BRS could decrease during the exercise test. Fifteen well-trained subjects participated in this study. Electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, and gas exchanges were recorded during a cycloergometer test. Ventilatory equivalents were computed from gas exchange parameters to assess VTs. Spectral analysis was applied on cardiovascular series to compute RR and systolic blood pressure power spectral densities, cross-spectral coherence, gain, and alpha index of BRS. Three exercise intensity stages were compared: below (A1), between (A2), and above (A3) VTs. From A1 to A3, both HF-SBPV (A1: 45 +/- 6, A2: 65 +/- 10, and A3: 120 +/- 23 mm2Hg, P < 0.001) and HF-HRV increased (A1: 20 +/- 5, A2: 23 +/- 8, and A3:40 +/- 11 ms2, P < 0.02), maintaining HF-BRS (gain, A1: 0.68 +/- 0.12, A2: 0.63 +/- 0.08, and A3: 0.57 +/- 0.09; alpha index, A1: 0.58 +/- 0.08, A2: 0.48 +/- 0.06, and A3: 0.50 +/- 0.09 ms/mmHg, not significant). However, LF-BRS decreased (gain, A1: 0.39 +/- 0.06, A2: 0.17 +/- 0.02, and A3: 0.11 +/- 0.01, P < 0.001; alpha index, A1: 0.46 +/- 0.07, A2: 0.20 +/- 0.02, and A3: 0.14 +/- 0.01 ms/mmHg, P < 0.001). As expected, once VTs were exceeded, hyperpnea induced a marked increase in both HF-HRV and HF-SBPV. However, this concomitant increase allowed the maintenance of HF-BRS, presumably by a mechanoelectric feedback mechanism.     

Cryopreservation of spermatozoa from closed colonies, and inbred, spontaneous mutant, and transgenic strains of rats

We attempted to cryopreserve spermatozoa from closed colonies (Jcl:SD and Jcl:Wistar), and inbred (BN/Crj, F3441 DuCrj, LEW/Crj, Long-Evans and WKY/NCrj), mutant (Zitter [WTC.ZI-zi] and Tremor [TRM]), transgenic (human A-transferase [A], and green fluorescent protein [GFP]) strains of rats. Rat epididymal spermatozoa suspended in cryopreservation solution (23% egg yolk, 8% lactose monohydrate, and 0.7% Equex Stm, pH 7.4, adjusted with 10% Tris [hydroxymethy] aminomethane) were frozen and stored at -196 degrees C. After thawing at 37 degrees C, the spermatozoa were instilled into the tip of each uterine horn of the recipients. A total of five recipient females for each strain were inseminated with cryopreserved spermatozoa, and normal live offspring of all strains (Jcl:SD: 11, Jcl:Wistar: 13, BN/Crj: 9, F344/DuCrj: 28, LEW/Crj: 4, Long-Evans: 6, WKY/NCrj: 8, TRM: 24, WTC.ZI-zi: 27, A: 30 and GFP: 20) were obtained.     

Verging on Extra-Vagance: Anthropology, History, Religion, Literature, Arts… Showbiz.

Verging on Extra-Vagance: Anthropology, History, Religion, Literature, Arts… Showbiz. James A. Boon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999. 361 pp.     

Hydraenidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) of Mindoro,Philippines. I: Hydraena Kugelann, 1794 of the Baroc River basin,Roxas, Oriental Mindoro with description of three new species

The species of the genus Hydraena Kugelann, 1794 of the Baroc River basin in the Philippine Island of Mindoro are studied taxonomically. Five species of Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) are recorded of which three new species, namely H. hinundungan sp. n., H. quirao sp. n., and H. sanvicentensis sp. n., are described. Their genital characters are illustrated by line drawings. Photographs of their habitus and type localities, and a map of the collection sites are provided. Their habitat requirements are briefly discussed and their potential usefulness as bioindicators is deduced. The paper is based on a student thesis and intended as a first step towards the review of the entire hydraenid beetle fauna of Mindoro.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BDB0EABE-5A9A-46D0-83A2-81A3DA895BFD     

Yanomamology, Missiology, and Anthropology

The Yanomami and Their Interpreters: Fierce People or Fierce Interpreters? Frank A. Salamone. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1997. 117 pp.
Spirit of the Rainforest:. Yanomamö Shaman's Story. Mark Ritchie. Chicago: Island Lake Press, 1996. 271 pp.
Yanomamö Interactive: The Ax Fight. Peter Bella. Napoleon Chagnon. and Gary Seaman. Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology Multimedia Series Windows/Macintosh CDROM. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1997.     

Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii in wild waterfowl in Chukotka, Kamchatka, Russia and Hokkaido, Japan

Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were assayed by ELISA in 22 experimentally inoculated domestic ducks. In addition, a serological assay was carried out at Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, in 2004 and 2005, on 221 wild ducks of 5 species: Anas platyrhynchus (n = 111); A. poecilorhyncha (n = 27); A. acuta (n = 58); A. penelope (n = 16); and A. crecca (n = 9). Assays were also conducted using sera from 197 wild geese of 2 species, i.e., Anser albifrons (n = 162) and Ans. fabalis (n = 35). Birds were collected between 2003 and 2005 from 3 different areas: Lake Miyajima-numa, Hokkaido, Japan, regions around Anadyr city of Chukotka autonomous okrug, and Lake Makobetukoe, Kamchatka oblast, Russia. The ELISA cutoff value (OD) was > or =0.395 based on results from uninfected ducks; the final dilution ratio recognized as positive was represented by the end titer. The end titer in the experimentally infected ducks ranged from 1:400 to 1:3,200. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 49 of the 221 wild duck samples from Japan: A. platyrhynchus (22/74); A. poecilorhyncha (2/15); A. penelope (3/16); A. acuta (4/58); and A. crecca (0/9), all in 2004. In 2005, T. gondii was found in A. platyrhynchus (13/37); and A. poecilorhyncha (5/12). Thirty-two of 197 wild goose samples were seropositive, i.e., Ans. albifrons (7/51) in 2004 and (11/72) in 2005 in Miyajima-numa, Japan and 9/39 in Chukotka, Russia as well as in Ans. fabalis (5/35) in Kamchatka, for which the end titer ranged from 1:100 to 1:3,200. In immunoblotting, the A. platyrhynchus samples showed specific IgG antibody binding to several antigens in the T. gondii lane, i.e., at 30 and 43 kDa, but not in the Neospora caninum lane. No specific bands were noted in samples for which antibody activity was not detected. These results suggest that wild waterfowl inhabiting Hokkaido, Chukotka, and Kamchatka may be exposed to T. gondii.     

Interaction of the high density lipoprotein conversion factor with recombinant discoidal complexes of egg phosphatidylcholine, free cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A-I

An HDL conversion factor which promotes the conversion of HDL3 to populations of larger and smaller particles has recently been identified in human plasma. In the present report a partially purified preparation of this factor has been used to examine the conversion of 79:0:1, 77:5:1, and 74:10:1 (mol:mol:mol) egg phosphatidylcholine-free cholesterol-apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) recombinant discoidal complexes. The study was carried out in order to ascertain whether the conversion process is regulated by the concentration of free cholesterol in the complexes. The complexes comprised one major and two minor populations of particles with respective Stokes' diameters of 96 A, 84 A, and 78 A. The 74:10:1 complexes also contained a population of particles 112 A in diameter. The 79:0:1 and 77:5:1 complexes contained two molecules of apoA-I per particle. The 74:10:1 complexes comprised two classes of particles with two or three molecules of apoA-I. When the 74:10:1 complexes were incubated with the conversion factor, the 96 A and 84 A particles were converted to a population of particles 78 A in diameter that contained two apoA-I molecules. In the case of the 79:0:1 and 77:5:1 complexes, the 96 A particles were converted to 78 A particles but the concentration of 84 A particles did not change. The rate of conversion of 96 A particles to 78 A particles was dependent on the concentration of free cholesterol in the complexes. When the 74:10:1 complexes were incubated for 24 hr with the conversion factor, the 96 A particles were completely converted to particles 78 A in diameter. In the case of the 77:5:1 complexes, complete conversion was achieved by 48 hr. Conversion of the 79:0:1 complexes did not proceed to completion, even when the incubation was extended beyond 48 hr. The rate of conversion of 96 A particles to 78 A particles was also dependent on the concentration of the conversion factor in the incubation mixtures. The previous incubations contained equivalent concentrations of apoA-I and conversion factor. When the concentration of the conversion factor relative to apoA-I was reduced, there was a concomitant decrease in the rate of conversion of 96 A particles to 78 A particles. Conversion was not evident when the concentration of the conversion factor was reduced to one-tenth that of apoA-I.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Trifluoperazine,a calmodulin antagonist,inhibits muscle cell fusion

We investigated the effect of trifluoperazine (TFP), a calmodulin antagonist, on the fusion of chick skeletal myoblasts in culture. TFP was found to inhibit myoblast fusion. This effect occurs at concentrations that have been reported to inhibit Ca2+-calmodulin in vitro, and is reversed upon removal of TFP. In addition, other calmodulin antagonists, including chlorpromazine, N-(6-aminohexyl)-5- chloro-1-naphthalene-sulfonamide (W7), and N-(6-aminohexyl)-1- naphthalene-sulfonamide (W5), inhibit fusion at doses that correspond closely to the antagonistic effects of these drugs on calmodulin. The expression of surface acetylcholine receptor, a characteristic aspect of muscle differentiation, is not impaired in TFP-arrested myoblasts. Myoblasts inhibited from fusion by 10 microM TFP display impaired alignment. In the presence of the Ca2+ ionophore {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"A23187","term_id":"833253","term_text":"A23187"}}A23187, the fusion block by 10 microM TFP is partially reversed and myoblast alignment is restored. The presence and distribution of calmodulin in both prefusional myoblasts and fused muscle cells was established by immunofluorescence. We observed an apparent redistribution of calmodulin staining that is temporally correlated with the onset of myoblast fusion. Our findings suggest a possible role for calmodulin in the regulation of myoblast fusion.     

A tyrosinase inhibitor, Daedalin A, from mycelial culture of Daedalea dickinsii

A chromene-type compound, daedalin A (1), was isolated from mycelial culture broth of Daedalea dickinsii. Based on spectroscopic data, the structure of 1 was found to be (2R)-6-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-2-methyl-2H-chromene. Daedalin A (1) strongly inhibited the activity of tyrosinase (IC(50): 194 muM). In addition, 1 also showed 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity (IC(50): 16.9 microM) and superoxide anion scavenging activity (IC(50): 28.5 microM).     

Dangerous Places: Health, Safety, and Archaeology

Dangerous Places: Health, Safety,and Archaeology. David A. Poirier and Kenneth L. Feder. eds. Westport, CT and London: Bergin and Garvey, 2001. + 249 pp.     

Algeria in France: Transpolitics, Race, and Nation

Algeria in France: Transpolitics, Race, and Nation. Paul A. Silverstein. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2004. 284 pp.     

Human Adaptability: Past, Present, and Future

Human Adaptability: Past, Present, and Future. Stanley J. Ulijaszek and Rebecca A. Huss-Ashmore. eds. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.326 pp.     

Earth,Air, Fire,and Water: Elements of Art

Abstract

Shoshana Zuboff. In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power. New York: Basic Books, 1988, 468 pp. $11.95 paperback.

George Gilder. Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology. New York: Simon &; Schuster, 1989. 426 pp. $19.95 hardcover.

Loren Baritz. The Good Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1988. 361 pp. $19.95 hardcover.

Miles Orville. The Real Thing: Imitation and Authority in American Culture, 1880–1940. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989. 382 pp. $14.95 paperback.

Peter Shaw. The War Against the Intellect. Iowa City: The University of Iowa Press, 1989. 181 pp. $10.95 paperback.

Robert Alter. The Pleasures of Reading in an Ideological Age. New York: Simon &; Schuster, 1989. 250 pp. $18.95 hardcover.

Ian Crofton. A Dictionary of Art Quotations. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1989. $19.95 hardcover.     

MAGE-A1,A2,A3,A4在膀胱移行细胞癌组织及细胞株中基因表达的研究

目的研究膀胱移行细胞癌(TCC)中黑色素瘤抗原(MAGE)基因表达。方法逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)技术检测20例膀胱TCC患者癌组织和3株膀胱TCC细胞株T24、EJ、BIU87中MAGE-A1、A2、A3、A4基因mRNA表达。结果20例膀胱TCC癌组织中19例(95%)至少表达一种MAGE-A基因,12例MAGE-A1阳性(60%),16例MAGE-A2阳性(80%),11例MAGE-A3阳性(55%),18例MAGE-A4阳性(90%),MAGE-A1-4均阳性8例(40%)。膀胱TCC细胞株T24中MAGE-A1-4基因均表达,EJ中MAGE-A3、A4基因表达,BIU87中MAGE-A2、A3、A4基因表达。结论MAGE基因在膀胱TCC中有较高表达,可望成为膀胱TCC免疫治疗的靶基因。     

Four new species, a new variety, and a status change in Argostemma (Rubiaceae) from Thailand

Four new species of Argostemma , all endemic to Thailand are described: A. thaithongae , restricted to northern Thailand; A. monophyllum , rather widely distributed in the easern half of Thailand: A. puffii and A. routundicalyx , both endemic to peninsular Thailand. Var. variabile is a new variety of the peninsular Thailand, species A. lobulatum. A. setosum , previously thought to be an endemic species of peninsular Thailand, is now considered to be a subspecies of A. laeve (Malay peninsula and Sumatra): A. laeve subsp. setosum , stat. nov.     

The content of troponin, tropomyosin, actin, and myosin in rabbit skeletal muscle myofibrils

A stacking sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system has been used to resolve and quantify all the major myofibrillar protein components (actin, myosin, tropomyosin, and troponin C, T, and I). Quantification was achieved by densitometry of the fast green-stained gels calibrated with the use of purified proteins. The approximate molar ratios of these proteins in rabbit muscle are: actin: myosin: tropomyosin: troponin T: troponin I: troponin C = 7:1:1:1:1:1. On the basis of these results and available structural information one obtains an estimate of 254 myosin molecules per thick filament.     

Simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of urinary metabolites of benzene, nitrobenzene, toluene, xylene and styrene

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the simultaneous determination of six urinary metabolites of several aromatic chemicals: phenol (from benzene), hippuric acid (from toluene), 3-methylhippuric acid (from xylene), mandelic and phenylglyoxylic acid (from styrene) and 4-nitrophenol (from nitrobenzene). Reversed-phase liquid chromatography was performed in an isocratic mode at 1 ml/min on a 5-μm C₁₈ column using two mobile phases: (A) acetonitrile—1% phosphoric acid (10:90); (B) acetonitrile—1% phosphoric acid (30:70). Phase A separates the six metabolites well, but phase B allows to a more rapid and reproducible simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds than phase A. For these compounds a prior enzymic hydrolysis step using Helix pomatia juice is performed to hydrolyse their sulphate and glucuronate conjugates. The reproducibility and the specificity are both excellent. Furthermore, the method is rapid, economical and easily automated. The proposed method appears very suitable for the routine monitoring of workers exposed to these chemicals on the basis of the biological threshold limit values.     

Isolation,crystallisation, and preliminary X-ray analysis of the bovine mitochondrial EF-Tu:GDP and EF-Tu:EF-Ts complexes

Previous studies have shown that when bovine mitochondrial elongation factor Ts (EF-Ts) is expressed in Escherichia coli, it forms a tightly associated complex with E. coli elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). In contrast to earlier experiments, purification of free mitochondrial EF-Ts was accomplished under nondenaturing conditions since only about 60% of the expressed EF-Ts copurified with E. coli EF-Tu. The bovine mitochondrial EF-Tu:GDP complex, the homologous mitochondrial EF-Tu:EF-Ts complex, and the heterologous E. coli/mitochondrial EF-Tu:EF-Ts complex were isolated and crystallised. The crystals of the EF-Tu:GDP complex diffract to 1.94 A and belong to space group P2(1) with cell parameters a=59.09 A, b=119.78 A, c=128.89 A and beta=96.978 degrees. The crystals of the homologous mitochondrial EF-Tu:EF-Ts complex diffract to 4 A and belong to space group C2 with cell parameters a=157.7 A, b=151.9 A, c=156.9 A, and beta=108.96 degrees.