Correlation between the bone mass of athletes and biochemical and genetic markers of bone tissue remodeling

The association of the polymorphism of the VDR, Col1a1, and CALCR genes with a form of osteoporosis frequently occurring as a consequence of intense physical exercise in athletes was studied. Biochemical parameters of bone remodeling and its neuroendocrine regulation, as well as the bone masses, of 22 amateur athletes were determined immediately before a strenuous nine-week training cycle (TC) and eight months later. The possible association of these factors with the polymorphism of the genes coding for bone tissue proteins was studied. Long-term intense physical training was found to be associated with a significant activation of bone tissue resorption accompanied by continued rapid synthesis. Nevertheless, and in spite of the strong activation of resorption caused by the TC, the athletes exhibited no osteoporosis (even eight months after the discontinuation of the TC); some of them, however, displayed an individual tendency to osteopenia. According to the results of genetic analysis, this was associated with the polymorphism of predisposition genes (genotype TT of the VDR gene and the functionally weakened s allele of the Col1a1 gene).     

Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus epidermidis Strain AU12-03, Isolated from an Intravascular Catheter

In recent years, Staphylococcus epidermidis has become a major nosocomial pathogen and the most common cause of intravascular catheter-related bacteremia, which can increase morbidity and mortality and significantly affect patient recovery. We report a draft genome sequence of Staphylococcus epidermidis AU12-03, isolated from an intravascular catheter tip.     

Baseline and mutagen-induced sister-chromatid exchanges in cultures of human whole blood and purified fresh or frozen lymphocytes

Baseline and mutagen-induced levels of sister-chromatid exchanges were evaluated in 10 normal individuals. Cultures with whole blood or purified lymphocytes, either freshly isolated or after 1 or 6 months of cryopreservation, were analyzed to determine whether frozen lymphocytes are suitable for SCE studies. Whole blood and freshly isolated lymphocytes were cultured from samples taken at the beginning of the study (Time 0) and 6 months later (Time 6). Cryopreserved lymphocytes were recovered after 1 month (Time 1) and 6 months (Time 6) of cryopreservation and then challenged with mutagens in culture. The mutagens used were mitomycin C, 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Purified lymphocytes had consistently and significantly higher baseline SCE frequencies than cells from whole blood cultures and were more sensitive to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide. The response to mitomycin C was similar in all culture types. There was, overall, no consistent effect of freezing on baseline or induced sister-chromatid exchange frequencies in the purified lymphocytes. This suggests that purification and cryopreservation of human lymphocytes does not alter the baseline or mutagen-induced sister-chromatid exchange response and in certain epidemiological, occupational and monitoring situations may have logistical and technical advantages over the use of fresh whole blood.     

Antagonism by an LHRH agonist of the steroidogenic effects of exogenous human chorionic genadotrophin in the rhesus monkey

Fourteen regularly cycling female rhesus monkeys were observed daily for menstruation and bled from the saphenous vein at regular intervals throughout the study. Plasma samples were assayed by RIA for progesterone levels. The animals were divided into 3 subgroups. The first (n=5) received daily subcutaneous injections of 1000 IU hCG from the 18th to 36th day following onset of menstruation. The second (n=7) received the same hCG treatment and was also implanted subcutaneously from the 18th to 40th days with 1.2 mg [Des-gly¹⁰, DTrp⁶, ProNHEt⁹] LHRH contained in cholesterol matrix pellets. The third (n=2) was untreated. Intermenstrual interval was significantly extended by hCG treatment. The extension was partially overcome by the LHRH agonist. The hCG-induced elevation in plasma progesterone to peak values over 17ng/ml was blocked by the LHRH agonist to give mean values not significantly different from control luteal phase levels. Plasma estradiol levels were unaffected by hCG or LHRH agonist.     

Kinetics and mechanism for platination of thione-containing nucleotides and oligonucleotides: evaluation of the salt dependence

Reactions of cis-[PtCl(NH(3))(CyNH(2))(OH(2))](+) (Cy=cyclohexyl) with thione-containing single-stranded oligonucleotides d(T(8)XT(8)) and d(XT(16)) (X=(s6)I or (s4)U) and the mononucleotides 4-thiouridine ((s4)UMP) and 6-mercaptoinosine ((s6)IMP) have been studied in aqueous solution at pH 4.1. The reaction kinetics was followed using HPLC methodology as a function of ionic strength in the interval 5.0 mM相似文献