Extracellular dextranase from Streptococcus oralis.

A human dental plaque organism, Streptococcus oralis (S. mitior), was cultivated in a dextran-free, dialysed medium, and dextranase activity was isolated from the cell-free, culture supernatant. The lyophilized, crude enzyme preparation, optimum pH 6, was subjected sequentially to anion exchange and gel filtration fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC).

Suppression of the growth of the androgen-insensitive R3327 HI rat prostatic carcinoma by combined estrogen and antiprogestin treatment.

The antiprogestin RU486 has been shown to inhibit the growth of a number of tumor cell lines and solid tumors which contain significant concentrations of progesterone receptor (PgR). It has been suggested that growth suppression may be due to a PgR-mediated cytotoxic effect. The R3327 HI prostatic carcinoma of the rat is considered to be a model for human prostatic carcinoma which has become resistant to androgen deprivation therapy.

Fluorescent membrane probes incorporating dipyrrometheneboron difluoride fluorophores.

The spectroscopic properties of a new series of fatty acid analogs in which a dipyrrometheneboron difluoride fluorophore forms a segment of the acyl methylene chain are presented and their characteristics as fluorescent membrane probes are examined. When incorporated as a low mole fraction component in model phospholipid membranes, the probes retain the principal characteristics of the parent fluorophore: green fluorescence emission with high quantum yield, extensive spectral overlap, and low environmental sensitivity. The fluorescence quantum yield is typically two to three times that of comparable membrane probes based on the nitrobenzoxadiazole fluorophore.

Effects of conventional sucrose-based, fructose-based and isomalt-based chocolates on postprandial metabolism in non-insulin-dependent diabetics.

Milk chocolate is rich in both sucrose and fat, and is therefore considered unsuitable for diabetics. Nevertheless there is little information on the metabolic effects of conventional chocolate or specialized formulations with reduced sucrose content. In the present study six male non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients (age range 35-60 years; body-mass index less than 28) consumed test meals of chocolate (75 g) on three separate occasions.

The occurrence of Centrorhynchus (Acanthocephala) in shrews (Sorex araneus and Sorex minutus) in the United Kingdom.

Encysted acanthocephalans belonging to the genus Centrorhynchus were found in the body cavities of Sorex araneus (common shrew) and Sorex minutus (pygmy shrew) from Boxworth, Cambridgeshire, U.K. Fifty percent of the male S.

Extradural hematoma in neonates.

Six neonates with extradural hematomas (EDH) diagnosed by ultrasound and confirmed by computed tomography scan were reviewed. EDH was seen in term male infants of primigravidas. Predisposing factors were coagulopathy and forceps extraction after prolonged labor.

Fermentable carbohydrate reaching the colon after ingestion of oats in humans.

A simulated digestion technique was used to investigate the characteristics of starch hydrolysis in uncooked, cooked and extrusion-cooked oat products in vitro. The rate and extent of starch hydrolysis were both significantly lower in uncooked rolled oats than in the same material after brief boiling or extrusion cooking. A similar degree of maldigestion in vivo would lead to as much as an estimated 68% of oat starch entering the colon.

Retrograde response to axotomy of motoneurons in the thoracic spinal cord of the aging cat.

The retrograde response of HRP-labelled intercostal motoneurons was compared in adult (1-2 years) and aging (10-15 years) cats, 64-68 days following crush of intercostal nerves or following nerve transection with proximal ligation. A comparison of the neuroglial response to these two lesions was also made. In both adult and aging cats, 64-68 days following nerve crush, most labelled motoneurons had a normal appearance.

Physiological effects of retrograded, alpha-amylase-resistant cornstarch in rats.

Retrograded amylose was prepared by gelatinization of high amylose cornstarch, followed by storage at 1 degrees C for 48 h. The insoluble residue, which resisted hydrolysis with porcine amylase, was dried and fed to male Wistar rats for 14 d in powdered semisynthetic diet. Control rats received a similar diet containing sucrose in place of resistant starch.

The use of recorded interviews to enhance physician-patient communication.

Audio recordings were made of the initial interview conducted between a cancer physician and 29 patients at the time of initial diagnosis and treatment planning. The tape recordings were then given to these patients to allow review as often as desired. Follow-up questionnaires were collected to evaluate this experience.

Dextranase activity of streptococcal isolates from human dental plaques.

Streptococci were isolated from sixty human dental plaques. Of those isolates which exhibited dextranolytic activity on culture media containing dextran, three were selected for further investigation. Two of these isolates were identified as Streptococcus mitior and the other was a strain of Streptococcus mutans.

Echo planar imaging of the human fetus in utero at 0.5 T.

The snap-shot capability of the echo-planar imaging technique is used to freeze motion effectively in human fetal studies in utero. These first results obtained at 0.5 T demonstrate diagnostic quality images without the need for averaging.

Study of internal structure of the human fetus in utero by echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging.

The ultrafast echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging technology, developed and built in Nottingham, has been used to produce the first snapshot images of the human fetus in utero. The imager, operating at a proton resonance frequency of 22 MHz, produces transaxial views in 64 or 128 milliseconds. These images comprise either 64 x 128 or 128 x 128 pixels with an in-plane resolution of 3 x 3 mm2.

Epidemiological changes in cervical carcinoma with particular reference to mucin-secreting subtypes.

The histology of all 242 new cases of cervical carcinoma presenting to the Nottingham hospitals during two 2-year periods (1976-1977 and 1986-1987) has been reviewed and histochemical staining for mucins has been performed. Unlike previous studies these cases represent an unselected population and are primary referrals. The relative proportion of adenocarcinomas did not change significantly during the decade studied.

The biological effects and digestible energy value of a sugar-beet fibre preparation in the rat.

A sugar-beet fibre preparation (SBF) was incorporated into a semi-synthetic rat diet at a level of 100 g/kg. The material caused no feed aversion, and gain of live weight was unimpaired. SBF appeared to be slightly more fermentable than wheat bran and only marginally less effective as a faecal bulking agent when compared with equalized intakes of non-starch polysaccharide.

What do hospices do? A survey of hospices in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

Objective: To obtain baseline information about hospice clinical activity.

Design: Survey of hospices by postal questionnaire and telephone interview.

Setting: 98 Hospices in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland of 111 that had a named matron or senior nurse, including 17 funded by NHS and 81 independent units.

Echo-planar imaging of the human fetus in utero.

We have demonstrated that echo-planar imaging can be used to produce high-quality snapshot images of the human fetus in utero in a fraction of a second. These images are free of motional artifact or blurring and allow detailed depiction of fetal structures in normal and pathological pregnancies.

Quantitation of cytosolic and nuclear estrogen and progesterone receptor in benign, untreated, and treated malignant human prostatic tissue by radioligand binding and enzyme-immunoassays.

Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) were quantitated in benign and malignant human prostatic tissue by using radioligand binding assays (RBA) and enzyme-immunoassays (EIA). Using a hydroxylapatite exchange method for ER, little or no nuclear ER (ERN) could be detected, but with the EIA both cytosolic (ERC) and ERN were detected in almost all specimens, although in meager concentrations. Tissue from patients with carcinoma had significantly higher ERC concentrations than tissue from patients with benign disease.