Breaking bad news. Consultations with ethnic communities.

Objective: To record the attitudes of members of significant ethnic groups in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia, with regard to care and management of the terminally ill so as to offer some guidance to medical practitioners dealing with people from different ethnic communities.

Methods: A questionnaire was prepared and used in focused interviews with members of the Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, Italian, German, Greek, Jewish, Macedonian, Muslim, Polish, Filipino, Russian, Samoan, South American, Ukrainian and Vietnamese communities in the Hunter area. Where possible a religious leader of each community was interviewed separately from the group.

The invariant U5 snRNA loop 1 sequence is dispensable for the first catalytic step of pre-mRNA splicing in yeast.

We have developed an in vitro reconstitution system to investigate the role of U5 snRNA in the two catalytic steps of pre-mRNA splicing. The invariant U5 loop 1 is known to interact with exon sequences at the 5' splice site before the first catalytic step. Remarkably, analysis of U5 mutations in vitro reveals that the first transesterification occurs accurately in the absence of the U5 loop.

Evidence for the presence of functional thyrotropin receptor in cardiac muscle.

There is increasing evidence that the membrane-bound thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) may be mediating clinically important direct effects of thyrotropin (TSH) and of TSHR antibodies (TSHRab) in extra-thyroidal tissues. TSHR mRNA has formerly been detected in thyroid, retroorbital muscle and fibroblasts, peripheral lymphocytes and rodent fat. It is well known that thyroid disease may aggravate or induce heart disease, but the pathophysiological role of TSH and TSHRab is not clear.

A family study of the antiphospholipid syndrome associated with other autoimmune diseases.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an entity characterized by recurrent thrombotic events and may occur spontaneously or in the context of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We describe an English Canadian family in whom the propositus, a woman with Graves' disease and SLE, was found to have a lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibody (aCL). A brother with deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary emboli, bilateral adrenal hemorrhage and thrombocytopenia, circulating anticoagulant and aCL had a positive antinuclear antibody and Coombs' test, but no other features of SLE.

U5 snRNA interacts with exon sequences at 5' and 3' splice sites.

U5 snRNA is an essential pre-mRNA splicing factor whose function remains enigmatic. Specific mutations in a conserved single-stranded loop sequence in yeast U5 snRNA can activate cleavage of G1----A mutant pre-mRNAs at aberrant 5' splice sites and facilitate processing of dead-end lariat intermediates to mRNA. Activation of aberrant 5' cleavage sites involves base pairing between U5 snRNA and nucleotides upstream of the cleavage site.

Mutations in yeast U5 snRNA alter the specificity of 5' splice-site cleavage.

Recognition of 5' splice sites in pre-mRNA splicing is achieved in part by base pairing with U1 snRNA. We have used interactive suppression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to look for other factors involved in 5' splice-site recognition. This approach identified an extragenic suppressor that activates a cryptic 5' splice site.

The resistance of meat chickens vaccinated by aerosol with a live V4 Newcastle disease virus vaccine in the field to challenge with a velogenic Newcastle disease virus.

Meat chickens housed on a commercial broiler farm in Australia were vaccinated once at 10 to 11 days-of-age by aerosol with live V4 Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine. Groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated birds were flown to Malaysia, where they were challenged with a virulent strain of NDV. Survival rates in vaccinated chickens challenged 7, 14, 21 or 31 d after vaccination were 0.

Natural infection of broiler breeder chickens with endemic apathogenic Newcastle disease virus and their subsequent response to vaccination with a live V4 Newcastle disease virus vaccine.

Flocks of broiler breeder chickens housed on a commercial farm were monitored from 13 w of age for natural infection with endemic lentogenic Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Seroconversion was first detected at 17 w. By 24 w, all 8 flocks had achieved peak log2 mean haemagglutination inhibiting antibody titres of up to 4.

The serological responses of chickens to mass vaccination with a live V4 Newcastle disease virus vaccine in the field and in the laboratory. 2. Layer pullets.

Layer chickens on a commercial started pullet farm were vaccinated once at 31 to 52 days of age by drinking water or aerosol with live V4 Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine. Flockmates which had been rehoused in laboratory isolation pens shortly beforehand were similarly vaccinated. Samples of birds were bled at intervals and the serums tested for haemagglutination inhibiting antibody to NDV.

The serological responses of chickens to mass vaccination with a live V4 Newcastle disease virus vaccine in the field and in the laboratory. 1. Meat chickens.

Meat chickens on commercial broiler farms were vaccinated once at 1 to 15 days of age with a live V4 Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine administered by drinking water, aerosol or coarse spray. Hatchmates were housed and similarly vaccinated in laboratory isolation pens. Samples of birds were bled at weekly to fortnightly intervals and the serums tested for haemagglutination inhibiting antibody to NDV.