Surgical Management of Epilepsy

Therapy with anticonvulsant drugs reduces the frequency and severity of seizures in many but not all epileptic patients. Unfortunately, in a significant number control remains poor even when maximal doses of multiple anticonvulsant drugs are given. Some of these patients are candidates for surgical treatment of epilepsy. The operative management of convulsive disorders is a well-established technique and is available in some centers. In selected cases, such operations are both safe and effective, with good longterm improvement or complete control in 76 percent of patients. We have summarized the 24-year experience with surgical operation for epilepsy at the University of Washington Medical Center.     

Myocardial Revascularization in Patients 70 Years of Age and Older

Myocardial revascularization has been carried out by us in 67 patients 70 years of age or older. Advanced coronary artery disease was found at angiography in more than two thirds of the patients. The postoperative morbidity and mortality compare very favorably with those in younger patients. The early and late mortality in the 67 patients was 4.5 percent and 6.0 percent, respectively. Fifty-seven survivors have been followed an average of 21 months; for most patients there has been a pronounced improvement in clinical classification. Properly selected, patients of advanced age can undergo successful revascularization surgical procedures. The adequacy of function of the left ventricle, proper timing of the surgical operation and an aggressive yet realistic approach seem to be major determinants for a good result.     

Identification of the oligonucleotide and oligopeptide involved in an RNA--protein crosslink induced by ultraviolet irradiation of Escherichia coli 30 S ribosomal subunits.

When 30 S ribosomal subunits are irradiated with ultraviolet light, we have found that an RNA-protein crosslinking reaction occurs whose primary target is protein S7. This paper describes the identification of the oligopeptide and oligonucleotide at the crosslinking point, by direct analysis (a) of the peptide remaining attached to an oligonucleotide (after total digestion of the RNA in the crosslinked complex with ribonucleases A and T₁, followed by digestion with trypsin), and (b) of the nucleotides remaining attached to the crosslinked protein (after digestion of the RNA in the complex with ribonuclease T₁ alone).The crosslinking site was found to lie within a single short peptide, Ser-Met-Ala-Leu-Arg (positions 113 to 117 in the S7 sequence), with methionine as the probable amino acid concerned. The principal RNA site was found to lie within an oligonucleotide three to six bases long, the underlined portion of the partially ordered sequence $\text{C-U-A-C-}\text{A-A-U-G.G.C}\text{-G}$ in section P of the 16 S RNA. The methodology involved has been designed with a view to being generally applicable in future RNA-protein crosslinking studies, where several proteins are simultaneously attached to the RNA.     

A measure of the denseness of a phylogenetic network

Summary The concept of phylogenetic denseness bears critically on the accuracy of evolutionary pathways inferred from experimentally sequenced proteins isolated from extant species. In this paper I develop an objective measure,, of denseness to supplement previous intuitive concepts and which permits one to use this concept in comparing the quality of different evolutionary reconstructions. This measure is used to examine several published phylogenetic trees: insulin, a-hemoglobin,-hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochromec, and the parvalbumin family. The paper emphasizes 1) the importance of denseness in accurately estimating the number of nucleotide replacements which separate homologous sequences when this estimation is made by the method of parsimony, 2) the value of this concept in assessing the quality of those estimates, and 3) the use of this concept as a biologically practical heuristic method for identifying poorly studied regions in a phylogenetic tree, whether or not the tree was obtained by the parsimony method.     

Alcaloides du Strychnos tchibangensis

The structure of a new bisindole alkaloid has been elucidated by chemical correlation and analysis of ¹³C NMR spectra.     

A 13C NMR study of the biosynthesis of the anthraquinone dothistromin by Dothistroma pini

A ¹³C-NMR study of the biosynthesis of dothistromin by Dothistroma pini was undertaken. The biosynthetic labelling pattern in this bistetrahydr     

The amino acid sequences of plastocyanin from Mercurialis perennis and Capsella bursa-pastoris

The amino acid sequences of the plastocyanins from Mercurialis perennis and Capsella bursa-pastoris have been determined. The amides at positions 64 and 68 in the Mercurialis sequence were positioned by ‘homology’ Both proteins are single polypeptide chains of 99 residues and are closely related to other higher plant plastocyanins.     

Neoflavonoids and the cinnamylphenol kuhlmannistyrene from Machaerium kuhlmannii and M. Nictitans

The trunkwood of Machaerium kuhlmannii contains methyl palmitate, 3-O-acetyloleanolic acid and sitosterol; the benzene derivatives 2,3-dimethoxyphenol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, 2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenol, 2,3-dimethoxybenzaldehyde and methyl 3-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-propionate; the isoflavonoids formononetin and (6aS,11aS)-medicarpin; the neoflavonoids (R)-3,4-dimethoxydalbergione, (R)-3,4-dimethoxydalbergiquinol, kuhlmanniquinol [(R)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(5-hydroxy-2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl)-propene], dalbergin, kuhlmannin (6-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxy-4-phenylcoumarin) and kuhlmannene (6-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxy-4-phenylchrom-3-ene), as well as the cinnamylphenol kuhlmannistyrene [Z-1-(5-hydroxy-2,3,4-trimethoxybenzyl)-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-ethylene]. Five of these compounds, in addition to (R)-4′-hydroxy-3,4-dimethoxydalbergione, were also isolated from a trunkwood extract of M. nictitans. Structural assignments were confirmed by chemical interconversion and by the synthesis of (±)-kuhlmanniquinol.     

Pubertal age,weight, and weight gain in the individual female new world monkey (Cebus albifrons)

From February 1972 to August 1974 ten immatureCebus albifrons monkeys were weighed and vaginal swabbing performed at monthly or shorter intervals to determine age and weight at the onset of puberty. The average weight (±S.E.M.) at birth and at puberty was 226±5.8 g and 1,617±32.45 g, respectively. The average age at puberty was 3.59±0.17 years. The average weight velocity for all ten monkeys shows the maximum rate of weight gain to occur shortly after birth and decrease rapidly to its smallest prepubertal increment at nine months of age (weaning). From nine months there is a post-weaning weight spurt which reaches its greatest velocity at an average age of 15 months. Thereafter, the weight velocity decreases to its lowest level. Individual weight velocity curves of each of the ten animals show a slight prepubertal weight spurt which is not obvious in the average growth curve.     

A stochastic model of a temperature-dependent population

The theoretical basis is developed for a population model which allows the use of constant temperature experimental data in predicting the size of an insect population for any variable temperature environment. The model is based on a stochastic analysis of an insect's mortality, development, and reproduction response to temperature. The key concept in the model is the utilization of a physiological time scale. Different temperatures affect the population by increasing an individual's physiological age by differing rates. Conditions for the temperature response properties are given which establish the validity of the model for variable temperature regimes. These conditions refer to the relationship between chronological and physiological age. Reasonable agreement between the model and field populations demonstrates the practicality of this approach.