The Jewish–Arab divide in life expectancy in Israel

Life expectancy at birth in Israel in 2001 was 77.7 years for males and 81.6 years for females among Jews, and 74.5 and 77.8 years for males and females, respectively, among Israeli Arabs. In spite of vast improvements in health conditions of the two populations since Israel's statehood in 1948, persistent disparities in life expectancy between the two groups have challenged the Israeli socialized health care system. These disparities are influenced primarily by differences between the two population groups in infant and child mortality rates. This early study suggests that the distribution of life expectancy across localities in Israel reflects the distribution of those localities' socio-economic condition index (not including health and medical care), and the distribution of medical services. The positive association between life expectancy and the index is pronounced, however, only within the Jewish population but not among Arabs. While there may be no significant difference in life expectancy among Jews and Arabs living in poorer communities, there are fewer Arabs living in relatively affluent communities. Thus, persistent higher concentration of poverty among Arabs than among Jews has sufficed to maintain the gap in life expectancy between them. In addition, however, there are population-specific effects: wealth and education are more protective among Jews than among Arabs, while medical services are more protective among Arabs.     

The cloning of macrophages in agar: Identification of the cells by electron microscopy

A normal cell type that can be cloned in agar has been identified by electron microscopy as a macrophage.     

Rapid intraoperative diagnosis of gynecological cancer by ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy of fresh tissue biopsy

A rapid and reliable intraoperative diagnostic technique to support clinical decisions was developed using Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Twenty‐six fresh tissue samples were collected intraoperatively from patients undergoing gynecological surgeries. Frozen section (FS) histopathology aimed to discriminate between malignant and benign tumors was performed, and attenuated total reflection (ATR) FTIR spectra were collected from these samples. Digital dehydration and principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis (PCA‐LDA) models were developed to classify samples into malignant and benign groups. Two validation schemes were employed: k‐fold and “leave one out.” FTIR absorption spectrum of a fresh tissue sample was obtained in less than 5 minutes. The fingerprint spectral region of malignant tumors was consistently different from that of benign tumors. The PCA‐LDA discrimination model correctly classified the samples into malignant and benign groups with accuracies of 96% and 93% for the k‐fold and “leave one out” validation schemes, respectively. We showed that a simple tissue preparation followed by ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy provides accurate means for very rapid tumor classification into malignant and benign gynecological tumors. With further development, the proposed method has high potential to be used as an adjunct to the intraoperative FS histopathology technique.     

Purification and properties of potato 1,4-alpha-D-glucan:1,4-alpha-D-glucan 6-alpha-(1,4-alpha-glucano)-transferase. Evidence against a dual catalytic function in amylose-branching enzyme.

Q-Enzyme, the enzyme that synthesizes the 1,6-alpha-glucosidic branch linkages of amylopectin, has been purified from potato to near homogeneity. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 85000. The active enzyme is a monomer, with a molar activity at pH 7.0 and 24 degrees C of 15. The energy of activation is 25 kJ/mol below 15 degrees C, changing sharply to 63 kJ/mol above that temperature. Enzyme activity is not affected by Mg2+ or ATP. There are about 11 readily titratable sulfhydryl groups per molecule. The evidence that the enzyme is a single protein entity, without hydrolytic activity towards amylose, contrasts with an earlier report that Q-enzyme consists of two components, a hydrolase with molecular weight 70000, and a transferase with molecular weight 20000. Q-enzyme acts on native and synthetic amyloses to give products resembling amylopectin in terms of average unit chain length, degress of beta-amylolysis and iodine stain. The profiles of the unit chains of these synthetic products are, however, different from that of native amylopectin. Additional branch linkages are introduced by Q-enzyme into potato amylopectin, but the product bears no resemblance to phytoglycogen.     

Development of specific RIA and ELISA to study trypsin modulating oostatic factor in mosquitoes.

Trypsin modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), a decapeptide (H-YDPAPPPPPP-OH) that signals the termination of trypsinlike enzyme biosynthesis in the mosquito midgut, was covalently bound to Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin using N-hydroxysuccinimide and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. Polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbits against this conjugate were used to develop specific RIA and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect the peptide hormone in female Aedes aegypti. TMOF and its analogs TMOF(B) (H-DYPAPPPPPP-OH), P4 (H-YDPAPPPP-OH), P1 (H-YDPAP-OH), and poly-L-proline were tested with the antiserum. The antiserum fully recognized TMOF and partially recognized P4. Using both RIA and ELISA, we report that the amount of TMOF in the mosquito ovary is 100 +/- 20 ng (S.E.) and 96 +/- 1.4 ng (S.E.), respectively, for each assay. Minute quantities of TMOF a thousandfold lower than in the ovary were found in the mosquito brain, indicating that the hormone is probably not neural but ovarian in origin.