Shack fires: a consequence of urban migration.

Shack fire burns are the second most common reason for admission of patients to the burns unit in Cape Town. A retrospective analysis of 99 patients between January 1993 and June 1995 was undertaken to investigate the demographics and mortality associated with shack fire burns. There were 58 males and 41 females with an average age of 34 years (range 13-17 years).

Bcl-xS enhances adenoviral vector-induced apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells.

bcl-x is a member of the bcl-2 family of genes and by alternative splicing gives rise to two distinct mRNAs: bcl-xL and bcl-xS. We have previously investigated the expression of Bcl-x in neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines and have shown that Bcl-xL is expressed and functions to inhibit chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. However, none of the NB cell lines expressed Bcl-xS.

Mapping of noninvasion TnphoA mutations on the Escherichia coli O18:K1:H7 chromosome.

The most virulent newborn meningitis-associated Escherichia coli are of the serotype O18:K1:H7. We previously isolated a large number of E. coli O18:K1:H7 mutants resulting from transposon TnphoA mutagenesis that fail to invade brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Amino acid sequence of the Phaseolus vulgaris var. "fogo na serra" inhibitor and interactive surface modeling for the enzyme-inhibitor complex.

A trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor from seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris var. "Fogo na Serra" (PFSI) was purified and its complete amino acid sequence was determined using Edman degradation methods. The inhibitor was found to belong to the Bowman-Birk family of enzymatic inhibitors; it has 82 amino acid residues and a 8.

Pathogenicity island evaluation in Escherichia coli K1 by crossing with laboratory strain K-12.

In bacterial pathogens, strain-specific chromosomal segments often contain genes encoding strain-specific traits, and because these genes often appear to be dedicated to pathogenic interactions with eucaryotic hosts, the segments containing them may be considered so-called pathogenicity islands (G. Blum, M. Ott, A.

Purification of Escherichia coli chromosomal segments without cloning.

Pairs of genomic insertions made with elements carrying any one of several frequently used rare restriction sites allow physical purification of insertion delimited genes. However, native rare restriction sites can, either by causing (i) fragmentation of targeted intervals or (ii) generation of additional fragments that overlap electrophoretically with targeted ones, place severe limitations on this approach. We present a series of Escherichia coli mini-Tn10 insertions containing the rare-cutting polylinker 2 (RCP2) of rare restriction sites, which includes the 18-base-pair I-SceI site (absent from native E.

Gene conversion in the CYP11B2 gene encoding P450c11AS is associated with, but does not cause, the syndrome of corticosterone methyloxidase II deficiency.

Cytochrome P450c11AS (aldosterone synthase) has 11 beta-hydroxylase, 18-hydroxylase, and 18-oxidase activities and is expressed solely in the adrenal zona glomerulosa. Corticosterone methyloxidase II (CMOII) deficiency denotes a rare disorder of adrenal steroidogenesis in which only the 18-oxidase activity of P450c11AS is disrupted, while the 11 beta-hydroxylase and 18-hydroxylase activities persist. Such patients have elevated serum concentrations of corticosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone and very low or unmeasurable concentrations of aldosterone, often resulting in a clinical salt-losing crisis in infancy.

Comparative Ngas measurements for a parallel plate chamber in proton, electron, and 60Co beams.

The TG21 protocol introduced the Ngas calibration method for parallel plate chambers in high-energy electron beams. This calibration method was performed for a Markus parallel plate chamber in proton and electron beams of various energies as well as a 60Co beam. For an individual chamber, the Ngas value in proton beams differs from the Ngas value in cobalt and electron beams by the ratio of (W/e) for proton beams to that of a 60Co beam.

New tools for integrated genetic and physical analyses of the Escherichia coli chromosome.

Genetic and biophysical techniques have traditionally been applied to genome mapping independently of one another. We present a series of Escherichia coli mini-Tn10 insertions that contain the rare-cutting polylinker 1 (RCP1) of rare restriction sites [including BlnI/AvrII, SpeI, NheI, XbaI, NotI, PacI and SfiI; Mahillon and Kleckner, Gene 116 (1992) 69-74] which allows them to be used not just for genetic mapping, but also for rapid physical mapping and integrated physical and genetic mapping of the E. coli chromosome.

Virulence characteristics of Escherichia coli causing first urinary tract infection predict risk of second infection.

Escherichia coli causes most urinary tract infections (UTIs) in ambulatory populations. Several bacterial virulence factors occur more frequently among urinary E. coli isolates than among fecal isolates, but none have been reported to predict risk of second UTIs.

Amino acid sequence and disulphide-bridge pattern of three gamma-thionins from Sorghum bicolor.

The complete primary structure of a new alpha-amylase inhibitor from Sorghum bicolor belonging to the gamma-thionin family has been determined and the amino acid sequences of two components of the family already elucidated have been corrected by combining the classical Edman degradation with advanced mass spectrometric procedures. The same integrated approach allowed us to define the pattern of the disulphide bridges in the three isoinhibitors. The arrangement of the cysteine pairing was determined as Cys3-Cys47, Cys14-Cys34, Cys20-Cys41 and Cys24-Cys43.

Gender and Tanner stage differences in body composition and insulin sensitivity in early pubertal children.

A cross-sectional analysis examining the impact of gender and early pubertal stage on insulin sensitivity (Si) and body composition was carried out as part of a longitudinal study to determine how Si relates to body composition changes during puberty. The study population consisted of 97 healthy children (age range, 9.7-14.

Comparative genome mapping with mobile physical map landmarks.

We describe a method for comparative macrorestriction mapping of the chromosomes of Escherichia coli strains. In this method, a series of physically tagged E. coli K-12 alleles serve as mobile landmarks for mapping DNAs from other strains.

Bcl-2 inhibits chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in neuroblastoma.

bcl-2 is the first member of a new class of protooncogenes the products of which inhibit programmed cell death (PCD) or apoptosis. We have previously determined that Bcl-2 is expressed in a significant percentage of untreated primary neuroblastoma (NBL) tumors. In these specimens Bcl-2 expression correlated with other markers of poor prognosis suggesting a role for Bcl-2 in the malignant behavior of NBL tumor cells.

Primus stove burns in Cape Town: a costly but preventable injury.

The management and outcome was evaluated in 33 patients during an 18-month period, who sustained burns as a result of working with a primus stove. There were 17 females and 16 males with an average age of 32.5 years.

Risk of repeated spontaneous luteinizing hormone surges in ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization.

Although spontaneous luteinizing hormone (LH) surges are preventable with gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) inclusion in ovarian stimulation protocols, GnRH-a-containing protocols are more expensive and associated with an increased risk of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome. The present study assessed whether spontaneous LH surges occur in predictable patterns, allowing GnRH-a to be utilized selectively. We assessed 1,103 patients receiving clomiphene citrate/human menopausal gonadotropin (CC/hMG) without GnRH-a for their first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle and observed spontaneous LH surges in 30.