Tissue factor expression in newt iris coincides with thrombin activation and lens regeneration

Lens regeneration in adult salamanders occurs at the pupillary margin of the mid-dorsal iris where pigmented epithelial cells (PEC) re-enter the cell cycle and transdifferentiate into lens. It is not understood how the injury caused by removal of the lens (lentectomy) in one location is linked to initiating the response in a different spatial location (dorsal iris) and to this particular sector. We propose that the blood provides a link between the localised coagulation and signal transduction pathways that lead to regeneration. A transmembrane protein (tissue factor) is expressed in a striking patch-like domain in the dorsal iris of the newt that localises coagulation specifically to this location, but is not expressed in the axolotl, a related species that does not show thrombin activation after lentectomy and cannot regenerate its lens. Our hypothesis is that tissue factor expression localises the initiation of regeneration through the activation of thrombin and the recruitment of blood cells, leading to local growth factor release. This is the first example of gene expression in a patch of cells that prefigures the location of a regenerative response, and links the immune system with the initiation of a regenerative program.     

Skeletal muscle creatine kinase MB alterations in women marathon runners

Total creatine kinase (CK) and CK MB activities were determined in gastrocnemius muscle and serum obtained from 14 female marathon runners. The level of CK MB in muscle increased significantly (p less than 0.05) after chronic exercise training from 5.3% to 10.5% of the total CK activity, but not after acute exercise (post-marathon 8.9%). No significant differences in total CK activities were detected. However, the total CK activity in the muscles were significantly (p less than 0.05) less than those previously reported from the muscle of men runners (1800 U/g, 3000 U/g respectively). No significant correlation existed between fiber type and muscle CK MB activity. Additionally, trace amounts of mitochondrial CK and CK BB were present in muscle homogenates. A significant correlation was observed in the increase in mean serum total CK (597 UL-1) and CK MB (23 UL-1) activities 24 h after the race (r = 0.97, p less than 0.05). These results suggest that gastrocnemius muscle in women adapts to training with increased CK MB activities and imply that skeletal muscle is the major source of elevated serum CK MB activities in women marathon runners.     

Isolation and Antifungal Susceptibility of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Exophiala dermatitidis</Emphasis> Isolates from Human Stool Samples in Nigeria

We screened a total of 460 stool samples from humans with and without underlying disease for the black yeast and neurotrope, Exophiala dermatitidis using conventional and molecular identification procedures. Sixteen (3.5%) samples were positive. Twelve out of the sixteen positive samples where the fungus was recovered were from individuals who had diarrhoea at the moment of isolation. Two asymptomatic positive cases were within the age bracket of 21–30. Susceptibility testing of the strains using the CLSI M38 protocol suggests that almost all the strains were susceptible to amphotericin B, 5 fluorocytosine, itraconazole, fluconazole and voriconazole. Considering the health risk currently posed by this organism in Asia, especially among healthy younger subjects of the population and the scarcity of data on this fungus in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular, some recommendations were suggested.     

Statistical analysis of in situ hybridization data: derivation and use of the zmax test.

There are many situations in which grain distributions resulting from in situ hybridization of radioactively labeled probes to unique genes should be subjected to a statistical analysis. However, the problems posed by analysis of in situ hybridization data are not straightforward, and no completely satisfying method is currently available. We have developed a procedure in which the major and any number of minor site(s) of hybridization may be specifically located and the significance of each tested. This zmax procedure first tests the overall distribution for departure from randomness and then identifies significantly overlabeled whole chromosomes (or chromosome arms or other large segments), a process that may be repeated to pinpoint significantly overlabeled regions within these chromosomes. We describe in detail the derivation of the zmax statistic, present tables of significant zmax levels, and show with examples how zmax is used in tests of significance of in situ hybridization data.     

Localized intravascular coagulation in the mesenteric region

Coagulation and fibrinolysis were measured in the portal and peripheral circulation in 15 rabbits after ligation of the superior mesenteric artery. It was found that the local coagulation syndrome in the mesenteric region can be recognized by tests in blood samples taken from the peripheral circulation area.     

Prevalence,control and awareness of high blood pressure among Canadian adults. Canadian Heart Health Surveys Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and distribution of elevated blood pressure (BP) among Canadian adults and to determine the level of control, treatment, awareness and prevalence of other risk factors among adults with high BP. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional surveys. SETTING: Nine Canadian provinces, from 1986 to 1990. PARTICIPANTS: A probability sample of 26,293 men and women aged 18 to 74 years was selected from the health insurance registers in each province. For 20,582 subjects, BP was measured at least twice. Nurses administered a standard questionnaire and recorded two BP measurements using a standardized technique. Two further BP readings, anthropometric measurements and a blood specimen for lipid analysis were obtained from those subjects who attended a clinic. OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean values of systolic and diastolic BP, prevalence of elevated BP using different criteria, and prevalence of smoking, elevated blood cholesterol, body mass index, physical activity and presence of diabetes by high BP status are reported. MAIN RESULTS: Sixteen percent of men and 13% of women had diastolic BP of 90 mm Hg or greater or were on treatment (or both). About 26% of these subjects were unaware of their hypertension, 42% were being treated and their condition controlled, 16% were treated and not controlled, and 16% were neither treated nor controlled. Use of non-pharmacologic treatment of high BP with or without medication was low (22%). Hypertensive subjects showed a higher prevalence of elevated total cholesterol, high body mass index, diabetes and sedentary lifestyle than normotensive subjects. Most people with elevated BP were in the 90 to 95 mm Hg range for diastolic pressure and 140 to 160 mm Hg range for systolic pressure. Prevalence of high isolated systolic BP sharply increased in men (40%) and women (49%) 65 to 74 years old. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively low level of control of elevated BP calls for population and individual strategies, stressing a non-pharmacologic approach and addressing isolated systolic hypertension in the elderly.     

The differential effects of the carcinogen dimethylnitrosamine on isocitrate and 6-phosphogluconate metabolism in single intact cells

A microspectrofluorimetric study is made of the influence of dimethylnitrosamine on NADP reduction, following sequential microinjections into the same L cell, of two substrates: (1) isocitrate, with activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase both in the extramitochondrial and intramitochondrial compartments, (2) 6-phosphogluconate, with activity of the dehydrogenase in the extramitochondrial compartment. In control L cells a two-step reduction of NAD(P) is obtained followed by relatively slow reoxidation. In the minutes which follow addition of carcinogen, e.g., dimethylnitrosamine, to the cell medium the isocitrate and 6-phosphogluconate-induced transient NADP reoxidation is decreased in magnitude compared to control, while the rate constant of NADPH reoxidation is considerably accelerated, possibly due to requirements at the level of the microsomal metabolizing system. Observations within the first hour of carcinogen addition suggest an interesting system for evaluating the immediate actions of carcinogens at extranuclear sites: i.e., a comparative study of NADP reduction-reoxidation rate constants via injection of substrates for extra- vs. intramitochondrial pathways.