Dissimilarity-based algorithms for selecting structurally diverse sets of compounds.

This paper commences with a brief introduction to modern techniques for the computational analysis of molecular diversity and the design of combinatorial libraries. It then reviews dissimilarity-based algorithms for the selection of structurally diverse sets of compounds in chemical databases. Procedures are described for selecting a diverse subset of an entire database, and for selecting diverse combinatorial libraries using both reagent-based and product-based selection.     

Reference ranges of retinol, tocopherols, lycopene and alpha- and beta-carotene in plasma by simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis

Using a high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure, age- and gender-based reference ranges for plasma retinol, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene have been established. In addition to confirming higher retinol levels in men than in women (p less than 0.001), this study demonstrates significantly higher plasma levels of both carotenes in women than in men (p less than 0.001). The plasma levels of retinol and beta-carotene showed a positive relationship with age after adjusting for plasma lipids (p less than 0.001 and p less than 0.02, respectively). In contrast to beta-carotene, there was no gender difference for plasma lycopene and a strong (p less than 0.001) inverse relationship of lycopene with age. These results suggest that differences may exist between beta-carotene and lycopene in their intestinal absorption, plasma transport, or tissue metabolism.     

A major difference between the divergence patterns within the lines-1 families in mice and voles

L1 retroposons are represented in mice by subfamilies of interspersed sequences of varied abundance. Previous analyses have indicated that subfamilies are generated by duplicative transposition of a small number of members of the L1 family, the progeny of which then become a major component of the murine L1 population, and are not due to any active processes generating homology within preexisting groups of elements in a particular species. In mice, more than a third of the L1 elements belong to a clade that became active approximately 5 Mya and whose elements are > or = 95% identical. We have collected sequence information from 13 L1 elements isolated from two species of voles (Rodentia: Microtinae: Microtus and Arvicola) and have found that divergence within the vole L1 population is quite different from that in mice, in that there is no abundant subfamily of homologous elements. Individual L1 elements from voles are very divergent from one another and belong to a clade that began a period of elevated duplicative transposition approximately 13 Mya. Sequence analyses of portions of these divergent L1 elements (approximately 250 bp each) gave no evidence for concerted evolution having acted on the vole L1 elements since the split of the two vole lineages approximately 3.5 Mya; that is, the observed interspecific divergence (6.7%-24.7%) is not larger than the intraspecific divergence (7.9%-27.2%), and phylogenetic analyses showed no clustering into Arvicola and Microtus clades.      

Three-dimensional structural resemblance between leucine aminopeptidase and carboxypeptidase A revealed by graph-theoretical techniques.

Using 3-D searching techniques based on algorithms derived from graph theory we have established a striking structural similarity between the structure of bovine carboxypeptidase A and that of the C-terminal domain of bovine leucine aminopeptidase. There is no significant sequence homology between the aminopeptidases and the carboxypeptidases but the strong structural relationship detected in this complex fold suggests that there may be a very remote divergent evolutionary relationship between these two enzyme classes.     

Primary cytodiagnosis of synchronous small-cell cancer and squamous-cell carcinoma of the respiratory tract

Report is made of the first primary cytodiagnosis of a synchronous small-cell cancer of the lung and squamous-cell carcinoma of the larynx, which were histologically confirmed. Sputum cytology should be used in the detection and surveillance of multiple primary malignancies of the respiratory tract, which have been observed with increasing frequency.     

Field monitoring of onion maggot (Delia antiqua) fly through improved trapping

Onion maggot (Delia antiqua) is an economically important pest of Allium crops in temperate regions throughout the world. Management of this pest is necessary to achieve economic returns and depends on insecticide regimes and cultural management. Current cultural management especially altering planting date, field location and crop rotation depend on monitoring. We evaluated the effect of shape, size, colour and chemical attractants on trap catch of field populations of adult D. antiqua flies in upstate New York. White, large diameter, spherical traps in conjunction with Delia Lure attractant performed the best in attracting and catching D. antiqua adults. These results suggest an improved means of attracting and capturing D. antiqua populations which could be useful in monitoring efforts and development of attract and kill strategies for pest control.