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.     

Alanine metabolism in the perfused rat liver. Studies with (15)N.

We have utilized [(15)N]alanine or (15)NH(3) as metabolic tracers in order to identify sources of nitrogen for hepatic ureagenesis in a liver perfusion system. Studies were done in the presence and absence of physiologic concentrations of portal venous ammonia in order to test the hypothesis that, when the NH(4)(+):aspartate ratio is >1, increased hepatic proteolysis provides cytoplasmic aspartate in order to support ureagenesis. When 1 mm [(15)N]alanine was the sole nitrogen source, the amino group was incorporated into both nitrogens of urea and both nitrogens of glutamine. However, when studies were done with 1 mm alanine and 0.3 mm NH(4)Cl, alanine failed to provide aspartate at a rate that would have detoxified all administered ammonia. Under these circumstances, the presence of ammonia at a physiologic concentration stimulated hepatic proteolysis. In perfusions with alanine alone, approximately 400 nmol of nitrogen/min/g liver was needed to satisfy the balance between nitrogen intake and nitrogen output. When the model included alanine and NH(4)Cl, 1000 nmol of nitrogen/min/g liver were formed from an intra-hepatic source, presumably proteolysis. In this manner, the internal pool provided the cytoplasmic aspartate that allowed the liver to dispose of mitochondrial carbamyl phosphate that was rapidly produced from external ammonia. This information may be relevant to those clinical situations (renal failure, cirrhosis, starvation, low protein diet, and malignancy) when portal venous NH(4)(+) greatly exceeds the concentration of aspartate. Under these circumstances, the liver must summon internal pools of protein in order to accommodate the ammonia burden.     

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.     

Diversification of Hawaiian Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) under the influence of incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization

Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) is a genus of flowering plants with over 800 species distributed throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. On the Hawaiian Islands, 60 named species and over 89 putative hybrids exist, most of which are identified on the basis of morphology. Despite many previous studies on the Hawaiian Cyrtandra lineage, questions regarding the reconciliation of morphology and genetics remain, many of which can be attributed to the relatively young age and evidence of hybridization between species. We utilized targeted enrichment, high‐throughput sequencing, and modern phylogenomics tools to test 31 Hawaiian Cyrtandra samples (22 species, two putative hybrids, four species with two samples each, one species with four samples) and two outgroups for species relationships and hybridization in the presence of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Both concatenated and species‐tree methods were used to reconstruct species relationships, and network analyses were conducted to test for hybridization. We expected to see high levels of ILS and putative hybrids intermediate to their parent species. Phylogenies reconstructed from the concatenated and species‐tree methods were highly incongruent, most likely due to high levels of incomplete lineage sorting. Network analyses inferred gene flow within this lineage, but not always between taxa that we expected. Multiple hybridizations were inferred, but many were on deeper branches of the island lineages suggesting a long history of hybridization. We demonstrated the utility of high‐throughput sequencing and a phylogenomic approach using 569 loci to understanding species relationships and gene flow in the presence of ILS.     

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.     

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.     

Decreased virulence in stable,acapsular mutants ofCryptococcus neoformans

Six acapsular strains ofCryptococcus neoformans obtained by chemical mutagenesis failed to produce a capsulein vivo and were avirulent in mice following high dose intramuscular, intraperitoneal or intravenous inoculation. Peritoneal granulomas were observed in all animals inoculated with the acapsular mutants. These granulomas were characterized by a large central mass consisting of intact, degenerating and necrotic yeast cells. This was surrounded by concentric layers of a broad band of histiocytes, a narrow band of fibroblasts, and around the periphery, a mass of lymphocytes and plasma cells. These isolates did not revert to an encapsulated or virulent state after more than a year of subculturing or 18 passages through mice.     

High performance liquid chromatography,chemical laboratory practice: By Heinz Engelhardt. Springer-Verlag,New York/Berlin, 1979. 248 pp. $29.80

A gel filtration method has been developed for the complete removal of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) from proteins and peptides. The protein or peptide (20 μg–10 mg) containing SDS (up to 30–60 mg) is dissolved in a mixture of propionic acid, formic acid, and water (2:1:2, $\text{v}\text{v}$). Under these conditions, protein-SDS (or peptide-SDS) complexes, as well as SDS micelles, are dissociated. Subsequently, protein and SDS can be separated on a small Sephadex G-25 superfine column. The recovery of protein is typically 90% or more.