NaCeP(2)Se(6), Cu(0.4)Ce(1.2)P(2)Se(6), Ce(4)(P(2)Se(6))(3), and the incommensurately modulated AgCeP(2)Se(6): new selenophosphates featuring the ethane-like [P(2)Se(6)](4-) anion.

NaCeP(2)Se(6), Cu(0.4)Ce(1.2)P(2)Se(6), and AgCeP(2)Se(6) were prepared from nearly stoichiometric proportions of the starting materials plus extra selenium at 750-850 degrees C.

Sun exposure and interaction with family history in risk of melanoma, Queensland, Australia.

Sun exposure is the main environmental risk factor for melanoma, but the timing of exposure during life that confers increased risk is controversial. Here we provide the first report of the association between lifetime and age-specific cumulative ultraviolet exposure and cutaneous melanoma in Queensland, Australia, an area of high solar radiation, and examine the association separately for families at high, intermediate and low familial melanoma risk. Subjects were a population-based sample of melanoma cases diagnosed and registered in Queensland between 1982 and 1990 and their relatives.

beta-Bi(4)(P(2)Se(6))(3): A New Ternary Selenophosphate Obtained in a P(2)Se(5) Flux.

Bi metal dissolves in excess molten phosphorus selenide at 500 degrees C to yield black, rodlike, air- and water-stable beta-Bi(4)(P(2)Se(6))(3) crystals. The phase crystallizes in the triclinic space group P&onemacr; (No. 2) with the room-temperature cell parameters a = 12.

Mutation analysis of the CDKN2A promoter in Australian melanoma families.

Approximately 50% of all melanoma families worldwide show linkage to 9p21-22, but only about half of these have been shown to contain germ line CDKN2A mutations. It has been hypothesized that a proportion of these families carry mutations in the noncoding regions of CDKN2A. Several Canadian families have been reported to carry a mutation in the 5' UTR, at position -34 relative to the start site, which gives rise to a novel AUG translation initiation codon that markedly decreases translation from the wild-type AUG (Liu et al.

Furin cleavage of the respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein is not a requirement for its transport to the surface of virus-infected cells.

The intracellular cleavage of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion (F) protein by furin was examined. In RSV-infected LoVo cells, which express an inactive form of furin, and in RSV-infected Vero cells treated with the furin inhibitor decanoyl-Arg-Val-Lys-Arg-chloromethyl ketone (dec-RVKR-cmk), the F protein was expressed as a non-cleaved 73 kDa species. In both cases the F protein was initially expressed as an endoglycosidase H (Endo H)-sensitive precursor (F0(EHs)) which was modified approximately 40 min post-synthesis by the addition of complex carbohydrates to produce the Endo H-resistant form (F0(EHr)).

Eye color and cutaneous nevi predict risk of ocular melanoma in Australia.

Ethnicity, cutaneous nevi and eye color are generally accepted risk factors for melanoma of the eye, although case-control studies have produced conflicting results. We sought to determine the constitutional risk factors for melanomas of the choroid, ciliary body, iris and conjunctiva in Australia. A population-based case-control study was conducted, with case ascertainment from a prospective national incidence survey and randomly selected community controls.

Costs of locomotion and vertic dynamics of cephalopods and fish.

The world's oceans are three-dimensional habitats that support high diversity and biomass. Because the densities of most of the constituents of life are greater than that of seawater, planktonic and pelagic organisms had to evolve a host of mechanisms to occupy the third dimension. Some microscopic organisms survive at the surface by dividing rapidly in vertically well mixed zones, but most organisms, small and large, have antisinking strategies and structures that maintain vertical position and mobility.

Evaluation of differences in ultraviolet exposure during weekend and weekday activities.

The weekday UV exposures to anatomical sites were evaluated for outdoor workers, home workers, adolescents, indoor workers, school staff and students in south-east Queensland, Australia. Additionally, the UV exposures at weekends of school staff, school students, indoor workers and outdoor workers were evaluated. The weekday exposures per day ranged from 1.

Effect of childhood and adolescent ultraviolet exposures on cumulative exposure in South East Queensland schools.

Quantitative estimates of the childhood and adolescent erythemal ultraviolet (UV) exposure received in South East Queensland schools are provided in this paper for age groups 0 to 6, 7 to 12 and 13 to 19 years. For the neck, hand and lower arm, sites of high UV exposure that are generally not covered by clothing, 13 to 19 year olds received the highest exposure of the three age groups, followed by 7 to 12 year olds. Exposure for 13 to 19 year olds contributed up to 44% of cumulative exposure to 20 years of age, and exposures for the 7 to 12 year olds contributed up to 31%.

Melanocortin-1 receptor polymorphisms and risk of melanoma: is the association explained solely by pigmentation phenotype?

Risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is increased in sun-exposed whites, particularly those with a pale complexion. This study was designed to investigate the relationship of the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) genotype to CMM risk, controlled for pigmentation phenotype. We report the occurrence of five common MC1R variants in an Australian population-based sample of 460 individuals with familial and sporadic CMM and 399 control individuals-and their relationship to such other risk factors as skin, hair, and eye color; freckling; and nevus count.

Lifetime ultraviolet exposure estimates for selected population groups in south-east Queensland.

The lifetime erythemal UV exposures received by selected population groups in southeast Queensland from birth up to an age of 55 years have been quantitatively estimated. A representative sample of teachers and other school workers received (64 +/- 22) x 10(5) J m(-2) to the neck compared with (4.1 +/- 1.

A major quantitative-trait locus for mole density is linked to the familial melanoma gene CDKN2A: a maximum-likelihood combined linkage and association analysis in twins and their sibs.

Important risk factors for melanoma are densely clustered melanocytic nevi (common moles) and mutations in the p16 (CDKN2A) gene. Nevi may be subclassified as raised or flat. In our sample, raised nevi were 27% of the total, and the two kinds had a correlation of.

CDKN2A variants in a population-based sample of Queensland families with melanoma.

Background: Mutations in the CDKN2A gene confer susceptibility to cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM); however, the population incidence of such mutations is unknown. Polymorphisms in CDKN2A have also been described, but it is not known whether they influence melanoma risk. We investigated the association of CDKN2A mutations and polymorphisms with melanoma risk in a population-based sample of families ascertained through probands with melanoma.

Structure of the human cytomegalovirus B capsid by electron cryomicroscopy and image reconstruction.

The three-dimensional structure of B capsids of the beta-herpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was investigated at a resolution of 3.5 nm from electron cryomicrographs by image processing and compared with the structure obtained for the alpha-herpesvirus herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). The main architectural features of the HSV-1 and HCMV capsids are similar: the T = 16 icosahedral lattice consists of 162 capsomers, composed of two distinct morphological units, 12 pentamers and 150 hexamers, with triplex structures linking adjacent capsomers at positions of local threefold symmetry.

Genetic and environmental contributions to size, color, shape, and other characteristics of melanocytic naevi in a sample of adolescent twins.

The presence of melanocytic naevi is the strongest known risk factor for malignant melanoma. We have developed a computer imaging system with which it is possible to make quantitative measures of the size, color, and shape of pigmented lesions. The objective of this study was to examine the genetic and environmental contributions to these characteristics of naevi as measured by computer image analysis in a sample of adolescent twins.

Segregation analysis of cutaneous melanoma in Queensland.

To investigate whether the familial clustering of cutaneous melanoma is consistent with Mendelian inheritance of a major autosomal gene, maximum likelihood segregation analyses were performed in a population-based sample of 1,912 families ascertained through a proband with melanoma diagnosed in Queensland between 1982 and 1990. Analyses were performed with the S.A.

The effect of tolcapone on levodopa pharmacokinetics is independent of levodopa/carbidopa formulation.

Clinical pharmacology studies have shown that the catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor tolcapone increases the bioavailability area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and the plasma elimination half-life (t1/2) of levodopa. The objective of the study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of levodopa and 3-O-methyldopa (3-OMD) after coadministration of tolcapone 200 mg with levodopa/ carbidopa in the following doses: 100/10 mg, 100/25 mg, 200/20 mg, 200/50 mg, 250/25 mg (all immediate-release) and 200/50 mg (controlled-release). Thirty healthy male volunteers were divided into four groups: three groups of 8 and one group of 6.

Optimizing levodopa pharmacokinetics with multiple tolcapone doses in the elderly.

Objectives: The multiple-dose tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of tolcapone, a novel catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor, were assessed in healthy elderly volunteers receiving concomitant carbidopa and levodopa.

Methods: Thirty-six volunteers from 55 to 75 years old participated in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending multiple-dose study. Tolcapone was studied at dosages of 100, 200, 400, or 800 mg three times daily (t.

Economic evaluation of the use of nadroparin calcium in the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in surgical patients in Italy.

The objective of this study was to compare the costs, from the perspective of the payer, of using nadroparin calcium, a low-molecular-weight heparin, instead of unfractionated heparin in the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery or major general surgery in Italy. The methods used were based on a published meta-analysis and a survey of clinical practice. We constructed a model of the prophylaxis and management of venous thromboembolism in Italy.

Protein kinase C- and Ca2+ ionophore-stimulated production of reactive oxygen species in mechanically dispersed isolated bovine luteal cells.

We measured the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using luminol-horseradish peroxidase-induced chemiluminescence in mechanically dispersed cell suspensions from bovine corpus luteum (CL). Since other cell types besides luteal cells were present in crude cell suspensions from CL, cell preparations were purified by centrifugation on Percoll. Only cell suspensions that gave no significant response when stimulated with formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, a potent stimulator of ROS production by phagocytes, were used routinely.

Economic evaluation of the use of nadroparin in the treatment of deep-vein thrombosis in Switzerland.

Objective: To compare the cost implications, from the payer's perspective, of the use of nadroparin instead of unfractionated heparin in the initial treatment of deep-vein thrombosis.

Design: Cost-minimization study.

Setting: Switzerland.

The effect of COMT inhibition by tolcapone on tolerability and pharmacokinetics of different levodopa/benserazide formulations.

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study was designed to evaluate the effects of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibition by tolcapone on the pharmacokinetics of levodopa given as four different formulations of levodopa/benserazide: 50/12.5 mg, 100/25 mg, 200/50 mg (all standard release), or 100/25 mg (controlled release). Sixteen healthy volunteers, in two groups of 8, were given two different levodopa/benserazide formulations with and without tolcapone in random order on 4 days, each separated by a 7-day washout period.