The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SIN3 gene, a negative regulator of HO, contains four paired amphipathic helix motifs.

The SIN3 gene (also known as SDI1) is a negative regulator of the yeast HO gene. Mutations in SIN3 suppress the requirement for the SWI5 activator for expression of the yeast HO gene and change the normal asymmetric pattern of HO expression in mother and daughter cells. Furthermore, the in vitro DNA-binding activity of several DNA-binding proteins is reduced in extracts prepared from sin3 mutants.

Screening for aminoglycoside auditory toxicity in the old.

1. We have investigated 22 patients receiving gentamicin, mean (s.d.

Determinants of gait in the elderly parkinsonian on maintenance levodopa/carbidopa therapy.

1. We have used gait analysis to investigate the efficacy of maintenance therapy with a levodopa/carbidopa combination in patients with idiopathic Parkinsonism, who do not have overt fluctuations in control in relation to administration of medication. 2.

Identification of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA-binding protein involved in transcriptional regulation.

A DNA-binding protein has been identified from extracts of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae which binds to sites present in the promoter regions of a number of yeast genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II, including SIN3 (also known as SDI1), SWI5, CDC9, and TOP1. This protein also binds to a site present in the enhancer for the 35S rRNA gene, which is transcribed by RNA polymerase I, and appears to be identical to the previously described REB1 protein (B. E.

Parkinsonian abnormality of foot strike: a phenomenon of ageing and/or one responsive to levodopa therapy?

1. Normally during walking, the heel strikes the ground before the forefoot. Abnormalities of foot strike in idiopathic Parkinson's disease may be amenable to therapy: objective measurements may reveal response which is not clinically apparent.

Recent advances in defining the role of misoprostol in rheumatology.

Recent findings suggest that the prostaglandin E1 analog misoprostol may be associated with significant antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. The addition of misoprostol to diclofenac significantly reduced the effective dose of the latter in the carrageenan acute inflammation rat model. A number of in vitro and animal studies have shown that misoprostol substantially increases the immunomodulatory effect of cyclosporine or steroids, and a study in renal transplant recipients revealed that the addition of this agent to cyclosporine and steroid treatment produced a significant improvement in renal function and a marked decrease in the incidence of graft rejection.

Pharmacokinetics of misoprostol in the elderly, in patients with renal failure and when coadministered with NSAID or antipyrine, propranolol or diazepam.

The pharmacokinetics of misoprostol were examined in the following contexts: in coadministration with the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents (NSAID) aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, indomethacin and piroxicam; in coadministration with agents extensively metabolized by the liver--i.e., antipyrine, propranolol and diazepam; in healthy elderly subjects; and in patients with various degrees of renal failure.

Prostaglandin deficiency.

Healthy cells from virtually all tissues synthesize a variety of prostaglandins, autacoids which can significantly alter cellular functions. An absolute or relative deficiency of prostaglandins has now been demonstrated in many diseases or clinical conditions. These include 'natural' disorders such as peptic ulcer disease and diabetes mellitus.

Stress-induced protein synthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Following exposure to UV light the synthesis of six polypeptides (112, 100, 89, 76, 71 and 65 kDa) was found to be enhanced or induced in the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Treatment with 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (NQO) resulted in the enhanced/induced synthesis of six polypeptides with molecular masses similar to those enhanced following exposure to UV light. Heat shock resulted in the enhanced synthesis of five polypeptides (89, 76, 71, 60 and 22 kDa), three of which (89, 76 and 71 kDa) had apparently identical mobilities to polypeptides whose synthesis was enhanced following UV treatment.

A long-term study of rapid maxillary expansion and bone grafting in cleft lip and palate patients.

Rapid maxillary expansion followed by iliac crest bone grafting was a common procedure in cleft lip and palate patients until a few years ago. This study is based on patients who had rapid expansion in the early 1960s to late 1970s. The object of the study was to assess the long-term stability of the expansion.

Bringing gait analysis out of the laboratory and into the clinic.

The potential value of objective assessment of gait in geriatric medicine cannot be explored fully whilst gait analysis remains a laboratory research tool, imposing special conditions which often preclude its use in the elderly. We describe a method of gait analysis suitable for the geriatric clinic and illustrate its use in documenting the response to interventions in three patients presenting with falls due to parkinsonism. Irregularity between gait cycles was noted, a finding previously described in Parkinson's disease, dementia and normal old men at a fast walking speed.

The paradox of using a 7 day antibacterial course to treat urinary tract infections in the community.

1. We have studied determinants of outcome of 7 day courses of treatment in 77 middle aged and elderly patients, in whom the general practitioner's diagnosis of urinary tract infections had been confirmed microbiologically. Bacteria were sensitive to cephalexin or trimethoprim.

Types of Salmonella paratyphi B and their phylogenetic significance.

The substrates inositol, rhamnose, d-tartrate and m-tartrate used in fermentation tests with 338 cultures of Salmonella paratyphi B differentiated strains in some phage types to give information that could be used in epidemiological investigations. Xylose in Bitter's medium, the fifth substrate by which 13 of a potential 32 biotypes were identified, differentiated few cultures with the negative character. The possession of a specific type of outer-membrane protein receptor for colicin M or bacteriophage ES18 and the particular type of ribosomal ribonucleic acid present, defined three groups among the phage-typed and biotyped cultures.

Pressure sores: effect of Parkinson's disease and cognitive function on spontaneous movement in bed.

It has previously been shown that the incidence of pressure sores is related inversely to the amount of movement made during the night. The present study of 30 in-patients of geriatric units suggests that the measurement of mean lateral displacement of the centre of gravity may better characterize those at risk than the total amount of movement. The mean displacement was reduced in Parkinson's disease and in dementia.

Compliance with anti-tuberculous therapy: a field trial of a pill-box with a concealed electronic recording device.

We have conducted a field trial of a pill-box containing a concealed electronic device for monitoring compliance in 23 consecutive adult out patients taking a rifampicin/isoniazid combination once daily. In 22 cases, the times when the box was opened were successfully recorded for the entire period (mean (SD) 26 (5) days) between successive clinic visits. In the other patient the record terminated after one week, a broken box being returned.

Parkinson's disease in the elderly: response to and optimal spacing of night time dosing with levodopa.

1. Insomnia is an even more frequent complaint in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease than might be expected from the effect of age alone on sleep. 2.

Studies on the subunit structure of textilotoxin, a potent neurotoxin from the venom of the Australian common brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis).

Textilotoxin is a presynaptic neurotoxin from the venom of the Australian common brown snake, Pseudonaja textilis. It has the highest lethality and is structurally the most complex of any known snake venom neurotoxin. It was resolved into its five non-covalently linked subunits in a single step by reverse-phase HPLC.

A quinine a day keeps the leg cramps away?

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial of quinine in leg cramps occurring at rest was conducted in 22 elderly cramp sufferers. Despite demonstration of impaired quinine elimination in the elderly, prescription of the traditional dose of 300 mg quinine bisulphate at night failed to produce a significant (P = 0.1) reduction in the number or severity of cramps.

Prescribing digoxin in geriatric units: the unexplained variability in dosage requirements.

Some physicians regard patients of Geriatric Units as a homogeneous population with respect to digoxin dosage requirements. Others advocate the use of pharmacokinetic models in prescribing digoxin for the elderly. Sixty in-patients of Geriatric Units were studied and the results compared with those previously obtained from 129 patients of other adult Units; all were receiving maintenance digoxin.

IgE FAST inhibition: a rapid technique for the standardization of pollen allergen extract potency.

An IgE FAST(TM) inhibition protocol has been developed as a rapid in vitro method for determining relative potencies of in vivo allergenic extracts. Results are obtained within one day and correlate well with those of the RAST inhibition protocol (r = .96), making the FAST assay a preferable procedure for inprocess potency determination during the manufacture of standardized allergenic extracts.

A multicenter international controlled comparison of two dosage regimens of misoprostol with cimetidine in treatment of gastric ulcer in outpatients.

In this double-blind, parallel-group multicenter study, patients with endoscopically proven gastric ulcers were randomly allocated to treatment with either 50 micrograms or 200 micrograms of misoprostol or 300 mg of cimetidine, each given four times daily for four weeks. Endoscopic, clinical and laboratory assessments were made before treatment and after four weeks; clinical and laboratory assessments were repeated at two weeks. In the Korean center, assessments were also made after six weeks and at eight weeks of treatment.