Synthesis and processing of high molecular weight RNA by nuclei isolated from embryos of Rana pipiens

When synthesized under conditions optimal for maximal methylation, two of the major classes of high molecular-weight RNA produced by isolated nuclei were indistinguishable from RNA purified from cytoplasmic ribosomes. The degree of methylation was found to influence the sedimentation velocity of only the heavier major RNA fraction. Upon becoming maximally methylated, this RNA sedimented at 27 s rather than 25 s. When comparing maximally-methylated nuclear RNA to cytoplasmic rRNA, it was found that on the basis of sedimentation coefficient, base composition and electrophoretic mobility, the 0.7 million dalton nuclear RNA was equivalent to 18 s cytoplasmic rRNA, the 1.5 million dalton nuclear RNA was equivalent to the 27 s moiety of 28 s cytoplasmic rRNA, and the 0.058 million dalton nuclear RNA was the same as the 7 s moiety of 28 s cytoplasmic rRNA. In isolated nuclei, the 27 s and 7 s RNA did not associate to form the 28 s duplex found in mature cytoplasmic ribosomes.     

Variation in the nitrotoxin concentration of 13 species ofAstragalus (fabaceae) over a 6-year period

The purpose of this study was to examine the variation in nitrite production in the leaves of various species ofAstragalus over a 6-y period. It was discovered that in drought years the nitrate concentration in leaves was consistently higher than in wet years or those of edequate moisture. Among the plant examined,A. Hallii contained the greatest quantity in drought years (30–35 mg NO₂/g leaf, dry wt basis) andA. aesclepiadoides had no detectable amounts in wet years. A two-way analysis of variance showed NO₂ concentrations to be significantly different (p<0.0001) in the two climatic years.     

BsmI polymorphisms in vitamin D receptor gene are associated with diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes in the Han Chinese population

We investigated the relationship between BsmI/ApaI polymorphisms in vitamin D receptor gene and diabetic nephropathy in a Han Chinese population. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to test the genotype and allele frequency of BsmI and ApaI polymorphisms in 304 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM group) and 100 control individuals (ND group). The DM group was further divided into DN0 (no diabetic nephropathy), DN1 (diabetes with small amount of albuminuria), DN2 (diabetes with large amount of albuminuria), L/NDN (late-onset DN after 5 years/no DN over the whole follow-up period of 5 years) and EDN (early-onset diabetic nephropathy occurring within first year) subgroup. We found that (1) genotype and allele frequency of BsmI polymorphism had significant difference between DM and ND group; BB+Bb genotype and B allele frequency were significantly higher in DN2 group than in ND and DN0 group; the ApaI polymorphism and allele frequency did not show any difference between DM and ND group; (2) BsmI BB+Bb genotype and B allele frequency were significantly higher in EDN group than in L/NDN group; (3) among patients with nephropathy, albumin excretion rate (AER) in 24-hour urine was significantly higher in those with BB+Bb phenotype than in those with bb phenotype (P<0.01), (4) unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that BsmI BB+Bb genotype was not only correlated with type 2 diabetic nephropathy, but also correlated with early-onset type 2 diabetic nephropathy. We conclude that the allele B (BB or Bb genotype) in vitamin D receptor gene is correlated with large amount albuminuria in the Han Chinese population with type 2 diabetes, and is probably a risk factor for early-onset diabetic nephropathy.     

Expected life years compared to the general population

For cohorts with long-term follow-up, the number of years lost due to a certain disease yields a measure with a simple and appealing interpretation. Recently, an overview of the methodology used for this goal has been published, and two measures have been proposed. In this work, we consider a third option that may be useful in settings in which the other two are inappropriate. In all three measures, the survival of the given dataset is compared to the expected survival in the general population which is calculated using external mortality tables. We thoroughly analyze the differences between the three measures, their assumptions, interpretation, and the corresponding estimators. The first measure is defined in a competing risk setting and assumes an excess hazard compared to the population, while the other two measures also allow estimation for groups that live better than the general population. In this case, the observed survival of the patients is compared to that in the population. The starting point of this comparison depends on whether the entry into the study is a hazard changing event (e.g., disease diagnosis or the age at which the inclusion criteria were met). Focusing on the newly defined life years difference measure, we study the estimation of the variance and consider the possible challenges (e.g., extrapolation) that occur in practice. We illustrate its use with a dataset of French Olympic athletes. Finally, an efficient R implementation has been developed for all three measures which make this work easily available to subsequent users.     

Proton magnetic resonance of the triple helix of poly(prolylprolylglycyl)n with defined degree of polymerization

Proton magnetic resonance spectra at 220 MHz were obtained for deuterium oxide and aqueous solutions of the polytripeptides (Pro-Pro-Gly)_n, which were synthesized as collagen models by the modified solid phase method. At higher temperatures, the signals of the proline C_a-protons for the peptides with n ≦ 5 and for those with n = 10 and 15 demonstrate the presence of cis and trans isomers with respect to the Gly-Pro or Pro-Pro C-N bonds. Glycine C_a-protons give typical AB type patterns. At lower temperatures, as the peptides with n = 5, 10 and 15 form triple helices, all of the resonance peaks become broad, but the whole form of the spectrum is quite similar to that of poly(l-proline) form II. The glycine C_a-proton resonances become barely detectable and the upfield peak of the two proline C_a-proton resonances fade away. At the same time, a new glycine NH resonance appears at a field slightly higher than that of a random coil. It seems to suggest that the formation of triple helices accompanies the conversion of cis proline peptide bonds into all trans bonds, and that the glycine residue environment completely changes in the helix.     

广州市15岁以下人群乙肝疫苗查漏补种项目实施效果评价

目的评价广州市2001—2011年15岁以下人群乙肝疫苗查漏补种效果,为制定乙肝免疫策略提供依据。方法对广州市2001年、2008年和2009—2011年15岁以下儿童乙肝疫苗查漏补种项目实施效果进行评价。结果 3次乙肝疫苗查漏补种实施,可调查儿童6 973～319 478人,2001年、2008年和2009—2011年实施乙肝疫苗查漏补种项目首针及时接种率分别为90.88%9、5.1%和96.92%,全程接种率分别为92.44%、97.14%和99.08%。2009—2011年乙肝疫苗首针及时接种率比2001年、2008年分别提高了15.21%和88.70%;2009—2011年乙肝疫苗全程接种率比2001年、2008年分别提高了15.27%和88.71%。结论乙肝疫苗查漏补种项目的实施,显著提高了乙肝疫苗首针及时接种率和全程接种率,起到了良好的预防作用。     

A non-LTR retroelement extinction in Spermophilus tridecemlineatus

The typical mammalian genome is dominated by two types of transposable elements (TEs), the autonomous and non-autonomous non-LTR retrotransposons, i.e. LINEs and SINEs, and with few exceptions there is a sole active LINE family (L1). During an ongoing investigation of TEs in rodents we determined that overall transposon activity has been steadily declining in Spermophilus tridecemlineatus. More specifically, the typically ubiquitous L1 activity of mammals has decreased drastically within the last 26MY. Indeed, only three L1 insertions with intact ORF1 sequences were readily identifiable and no intact ORF2 sequences were identified. The last L1 and SINE insertions date to ~5.3MYA and 4MYA, respectively. Based on our inability to computationally identify recently inserted L1 elements we suggest that S. tridecemlineatus is experiencing a quiescence or extinction of non-LTR retrotransposon activity. Such a finding represents only the fourth instance of a loss of non-LTR retrotransposon activity identified in mammals and, as such, represents an important additional data point to guide our understanding of LINE dynamics in eutherians.     

Occupational health impacts: offshore crane lifts in life cycle assessment

Background, Aim, and Scope  The identification and assessment of environmental tradeoffs is a strongpoint of life cycle assessment (LCA). A tradeoff made in many product systems is the exchange of potential for occupational accidents with the additional use of energy and materials. Net benefits of safety measures with respect to human health are best illustrated if the consequences avoided and health impacts induced by additional emissions are assessed using commensurable metrics. Our aim is to develop a human health impact indicator for offshore crane lifts. Crane lifts are a major cause of accidents on offshore oil and gas (O & G) rigs, and health impacts from crane lift accidents should be included in comparative LCA of O & G technologies if the alternatives differ in the use of crane lifts. Materials and methods  Accident records for mobile offshore petroleum installations were used to develop an empirical occupational health indicator for crane lifts in LCA. Probabilistic parameters were introduced in the procedure, and results were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The disability adjusted life years (DALY) framework was used to classify health outcome. The characterization factor for offshore crane lifts was applied in three comparisons to evaluate the significance of crane lifts to human health impacts from drilling technology. Results  The mean occupational health impact per crane lift was 4.5∙10⁻⁶ DALY, with cumulative percentiles {P _2.5, P ₅₀, P _97.5} = {6.0∙10⁻⁷, 3.1∙10⁻⁶, 1.7∙10⁻⁵}. Analogously, the fatal accident frequency was described by {P _2.5, P ₅₀, P _97.5} = {7.6∙10⁻⁹, 3.9∙10⁻⁸, 2.0∙10⁻⁷}, with mean 5.6∙10⁻⁸ lives lost per crane lift. Discussion  The uncertainty in the results is caused mainly by the random nature of accidents, i.e., variability in accident frequency. Applications of the characterization factor indicate that although crane lifts may not be significant to the overall health impact of the life cycle of drilling fluids, they are important to the occupational safety of employees on offshore drilling rigs and contribute significantly to the life cycle health impact of loading technologies used to transport drilling waste to shore. A comparative LCA of technologies for loading and off-loading drilling wastes shows that a recently developed hydraulic system performs better than the traditional crane lift alternative in terms of human health impacts. Conclusions  With the availability of statistics to assess the risk of single mechanical operations, safety aspects may well be included in LCA. For the case of offshore crane lifts, the uncertainty in the characterization factor compares favorably to what is indicated for other human health impact chains. In further work of quantifying occupational health impacts in DALY using accident statistics, it is advised to see if records of non-recoverable injuries (fatalities and amputation cases) can be used to simplify the damage assessment procedure as recoverable injuries were insignificant to the total burden from crane accidents. Recommendations and perspectives  The characterization factor for crane lifts identifies contributions to life cycle health impact from loading technologies that otherwise would have been overlooked in LCA. While many contest the inclusion of occupational accidents in LCA, our results show that such impacts can be included and that their consideration adds valuable insights.     

百岁以上老人跟骨骨密度和骨强度的相关性分析

目的研究广西巴马百岁以上女性老人的年龄、身高、体重、BMI与跟骨骨密度、骨强度之间的关系。方法采用定量超声骨密度测定仪,对广西巴马16名百岁以上女性老人的跟骨骨密度、骨强度进行测定,并记录相应年龄,同时行人工测量身高、体重、BMI指数,应用SPSS16.0软件分别计算年龄、身高、体重、BMI与跟骨骨密度、骨强度的pearson的相关系数。结果年龄、身高、体重、BMI均与百岁以上女性老人的跟骨骨密度、骨强度有相关关系,但相关性均无显著性(P0.05)。其中年龄、身高、体重与跟骨骨密度、骨强度呈负相关关系;BMI与跟骨骨密度、骨强度呈正相关关系,但相关性均无显著性(P0.05)。结论年龄、身高、体重、BMI均是广西巴马百岁以上女性老人骨密度、骨强度的影响因素,但相关性均无显著性,或需探讨新的评价指标衡量百岁以上女性老人的骨密度及骨强度,为百岁以上女性老人早期预防和诊断骨质疏松提供科学依据。