Values,Errors, and Precautions

In the environmental health literature, errors in interpreting studies or data are not infrequent. Many are of the Type II variety. Common solecisms of this type are: treating the criterion of p < 0.05 as a sacrament; demanding complete confounder control; arguing for the existence of phantom confounders; arguing that the effect size is trivial; building nonveridical models; arguing for no effect from inadequate sample size; demanding causal proof; arguing that causality is reversed; conducting a ballot of published studies. These are examined in this paper.     

Identification of a GM1-Binding Protein on the Surface of Murine Neuroblastoma Cells

S20Y murine neuroblastoma cells appear to express a protein component(s) able to adhere specifically to the oligosaccharide portion of GM1 (oligo-GM1). To identify proteins with which the oligo-GM1 becomes closely associated, a radiolabeled (125I), photoactivatable derivative of oligo-GM1 was prepared. This was accomplished by reductive amination of the glucosyl moiety of oligo-GM1 to 1-deoxy-1-aminoglucitol, followed by reaction of the amine with sulfosuccinimidyl 2-(p-azidosalicylamido)ethyl-1,3'-dithiopropionate (SASD). Crosslinking studies using the photoactivatable probe indicated that it came in close proximity to a protein with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 71 kDa. In competition experiments, as little as a 10-fold molar excess of oligo-GM1 resulted in a selective reduction in labeling of this protein; preincubation with a 200-fold molar excess of siayllactose was necessary to observe the same change in the labeling pattern, lending additional support to the hypothesis that the approximately 71-kDa protein specifically associates with oligo-GM1. Cell surface location of the oligo-GM1 binding protein was confirmed using subcellular fractionation and morphological analyses.     

The study of X-rays and TCDD effects on satellite associations may suggest a simple model for application in environmental mutagenesis

Summary Satellite associations were used as parameters to test nucleolar organizer activity. Assuming that toxic and/or mutagenic agents may affect the ribosomal genes, satellite associations in human lymphocytes were analysed following exposure to X-rays and compared with the satellite association pattern of subjects exposed to TCDD. A significant decrease in the satellite association frequency in D group chromosomes was found both in irradiated lymphocytes and in subjects exposed to Dioxin. The findings seem to be in accordance with the hypothesis based on random damage of functional nucleolar organizing regions.     

Use of low-dose insulin infusions in diabetics after myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction in diabetics is often accompanied by poor diabetic control. An assessment of a low-dose insulin infusion regimen in 26 diabetic patients after myocardial infarction found this system to be simple, effective, and safe.     

Initial Commitment to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Circumcision for HIV Prevention amongst Indian Truck Drivers

Studies of HIV prevention interventions such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) and circumcision in India are limited. The present study sought to investigate Indian truck-drivers initial commitment to PREP and circumcision utilizing the AIDS Risk Reduction Model. Ninety truck-drivers completed an in-depth qualitative interview and provided a blood sample for HIV and HSV-2 testing. Truck-drivers exhibited low levels of initial commitment towards PREP and even lower for circumcision. However, potential leverage points for increasing commitment were realized in fear of infecting family rather than self, self-perceptions of risk, and for PREP focusing on cultural beliefs towards medication and physicians. Cost was a major barrier to both HIV prevention interventions. Despite these barriers, our findings suggest that the ARRM may be useful in identifying several leverage points that may be used by peers, health care providers and public health field workers to enhance initial commitment to novel HIV prevention interventions in India.     

Infrared spectroscopic studies on gramicidin ion-channels: relation to the mechanisms of anesthesia

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies are reported on gramicidin ion-channels in phospholipid bilayers and the effects on the spectra of the anesthetics and related compounds (methoxyflurane, halothane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, n-pentane and n-decane) have been determined. The addition of anesthetics containing the 'acidic hydrogen' caused unique changes particularly on the amide I bands at 1639 cm-1 and 1670 cm-1. The 1639 cm-1 band became more intense while the intensity near 1670 cm-1 decreased dramatically. These effects were not observed with carbon tetrachloride, n-pentane and n-decane. The 1670 cm-1 band is interpreted as arising from the carbonyls involved in the head-to-head hydrogen-bonded dimerization where the relationship between chains is analogous to that of the antiparallel beta-pleated sheet structure and the anesthetics with 'acidic hydrogens' are considered to disrupt the hydrogen-bonded dimerization by competitive hydrogen bonding to the carbonyls at the head-to-head junction. As the dimer-monomer equilibrium is the 'on-off' mechanism for gramicidin ion-channel conductance, the results are considered in terms of the mechanism of action of anesthetics and are taken to suggest, for certain anesthetics, a hydrogen-bonding role to protein ion-channel components.     

Hormonal regulation of anabolic processes and of protein utilization efficiency in the early postnatal period

The levels of thyroid, pituitary and steroid hormones-thyroxine, triiodothyronine and 11-hydroxycorticosteroids in the blood serum, somatotropin in the pituitary, and processes of protein assimilation were studied in rats in the early postnatal period. The highest endogenous production of thyroxine, triiodothyronine and somatotropin was detected in 15-day-old rats. The highest level of protein utilization was detected in 7 to 15-day-old rats, followed by the lowering of the utilization on changing over to definitive nutrition. Endogenous production of the anabolic hormones thyroxine, triiodothyronine and somatotropin was found to correlate with a high level of protein utilization in rats within the first days of life after birth.