Ca(2+)-regulated dynamic compartmentalization of calmodulin in living smooth muscle cells.

A key assumption of most models for calmodulin regulation of smooth and non-muscle contractility is that calmodulin is freely diffusible at resting intracellular concentrations of free Ca2+. However, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements of three different fluorescent analogs of calmodulin in cultured bovine tracheal smooth muscle cells suggest that free calmodulin may be limiting in unstimulated cells. Thirty-seven % of microinjected calmodulin is immobile by FRAP and the fastest recovering component has an effective diffusion coefficient 7-fold slower than a dextran of equivalent size.

Accuracy and intraobserver variability of simulated cervical dilatation measurements.

Objective: Our purpose was to assess the accuracy and intraobserver variability of clinical cervical diameter measurements among obstetric health care providers.

Study Design: Polyvinyl chloride pipes 1 to 10 cm in diameter were mounted in cardboard boxes and used to simulate cervical examinations. The boxes were designed so that the examiner had to rely solely on proprioception to determine the inner diameter.

Twins with schizophrenia: genes or germs?

High concordance for schizophrenia in monozygotic (MZ) twins is often cited as evidence for the etiological influence of genetics; however, even if twins are separated at birth, MZ twin concordance is influenced by the shared prenatal environment. Study of the placentation status of MZ twins provides a way to investigate some prenatal influences, including the possible role of viral infections. The probability of shared infections is likely to be greater in monochorionic MZ twin pairs than in dichorionic pairs because of shared fetal circulation in the monochorionic pairs.

Health care prices, the federal budget, and economic growth.

Rising health care spending, led by rising prices, has had an enormous impact on the economy, especially on the federal budget. Our work shows that if rapid growth in health care prices continues, under current institutional arrangements, real economic growth and employment will be lower during the next two decades than if health price inflation were somehow reduced. How big the losses are and which sectors bear the brunt of the costs vary depending on how society chooses to fund the federal budget deficit that stems from the rising cost of federal health care programs.

Prenatal development of monozygotic twins and concordance for schizophrenia.

While twin concordances for schizophrenia have been used to estimate heritability and to develop genetic models, concordances in subtypes of monozygotic (MZ) twins can also be used to investigate the influence of prenatal development in the etiology of mental illness. We used within-pair variability and mirroring of fingerprints to estimate retrospectively the placentation status of concordant and discordant MZ twins. The results indicate that concordant MZ pairs were more likely to have been monochorionic (MC) and to have shared a single placenta, whereas discordant MZ pairs appear more likely to have been dichorionic (DC) with separate placentas.

An anti-IL-2 antibody increases serum half-life and improves anti-tumor efficacy of human recombinant interleukin-2.

We examined the ability of anti-human recombinant interleukin-2 (hu rIL-2) monoclonal antibody DMS-1.10 to increase serum half-life of hu rIL-2, and the effect of this complex on inhibition of tumor progression in a B16-F10 murine melanoma model. In C57B1/6 mice, intravenous (i.

Normal values of urinary albumin and total protein excretion during pregnancy.

Objective: Our purpose was to determine the normal 24-hour excretion values of urinary albumin and total protein in healthy pregnant women.

Study Design: We evaluated 270 healthy pregnant women < or = 35 years old without a history of diabetes, hypertension, pyelonephritis, preeclampsia, or renal or connective tissue disease. Adequacy of 24-hour collection was determined by creatinine excretion.

Cervical cone margins as a predictor for residual dysplasia in post-cone hysterectomy specimens.

Objective: To determine the relation between dysplasia at cervical cone margins and the presence or absence of residual dysplasia in post-cone hysterectomy specimens.

Methods: We performed a 6-year retrospective, multicenter study and reviewed 250 cases in which the patient had a cold-knife cervical cone biopsy followed by a hysterectomy within 6 months. Pathology reports from 23 institutions described the margins in conization specimens and the subsequent status of residual dysplasia in the hysterectomy specimens.

Accuracy of the Double Variation Technique of Refractive Index Measurement.

Errors in the double variation teclinique of refractive index measurement are analyzed using a new approach. The ability to measure matching wavelength is characterized, along with the effect on the calculated refractive index. Refractive index accuracy and precision are very dependent on the specifics of each calibration set, particularly the difference in dispersion between the liquid and solid.

ELF exposure facility for human testing.

A laboratory facility specifically designed for controlled human exposure to 60-Hz electric (0 to 16 kV/m) and magnetic (0 to 32 A/m, B = 0 to 40 microT) fields has been constructed. The facility presents uniform fields under controlled temperature and humidity. Special control systems allow collection of physiological data during, as well as before and after, exposure to electric fields at strengths to 16 kV/m under verified double-blind control.

Real-time implementation of coherent speckle suppression in B-scan images.

Early experiences of new forms of adaptive filtering for ultrasound speckle reduction and parametric imaging, using off-line conventional digital processing, have been sufficiently encouraging to warrant examining the feasibility of implementing specific algorithms in real-time. A hardware two-dimensional real-time filter is described which consists of a hybrid digital/analogues system in which the video signal from any scanner is sampled to 256 points per line and passed sequentially through a series of shift registers, in order to derive a 5 x 5 window of values which surrounds the image point currently being processed. These 25 video signals are then used as inputs to an analogue processor, which provides the filtered output.

The effects of tri-o-cresyl phosphate and metabolites on rat Sertoli cell function in primary culture.

A neurotoxic organophosphate, tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) is also a testicular toxicant. Histopathologic damage in the testis is first seen in Sertoli cells. TOCP and its activated metabolite saligenin cyclic-o-tolyl phosphate (SCOTP) were evaluated for effects on rat Sertoli cells in primary culture.

Purification and characterization of a chimeric bifunctional antibody specific for human carcinoembryonic antigen and indium-benzyl-EDTA.

We describe the purification and characterization of a genetically engineered mouse/human chimeric bifunctional antibody specific for human carcinoembryonic antigen and indium-benzyl-EDTA. A clone expressing the bifunctional antibody has been previously described by our group and was found in this investigation also to express monospecific antibodies as well as Ig forms with mismatched light and heavy chains. The physicochemical properties of these various chimeric immunoglobulins were nearly identical.

Semen analysis and fertility assessment in rabbits: statistical power and design considerations for toxicology studies.

Semen analysis is commonly used in evaluating human response to reproductive toxicants. Serial semen samples can be collected from rabbits and fertility assessed by artificial insemination, hence this species is potentially well suited for male reproductive toxicity studies that might be extrapolated to humans. However, the size and cost of rabbits often restricts the number of animals used, reducing the sensitivity of such studies.

Expression and characterization of a chimeric bifunctional antibody with therapeutic applications.

A simple method is described for the generation of a biologically produced mouse/human chimeric hetero-bifunctional antibody that has dual specificity for human carcinoembryonic Ag and metal chelate haptens. Two large compound chimeric vectors each containing the genetic information to produce a single antibody specificity were sequentially electroporated into the murine nonsecreting hybridoma SP2/0. This led to the isolation of a clone expressing high levels of total IgG (up to 25 micrograms/ml/10(6) cells), 10 to 20% of which showed simultaneous reactivity with both Ag.

The interaction of Sertoli and Leydig cells in the testicular toxicity of tri-o-cresyl phosphate.

Previous studies have shown that after dosing with tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), the testis contains more active intermediate (saligenin cyclic-o-tolyl phosphate; SCOTP) than do other organs or blood. SCOTP is produced by a cytochrome P450-dependent reaction, and the Sertoli cells, although containing little P450, are the testicular cells that show the first signs of damage after TOCP administration. The present studies evaluated (i) whether testicular Leydig cell production of SCOTP might explain the elevated testicular concentration of SCOTP, (ii) if this production affected testosterone secretion, and (iii) if Sertoli cells cocultured over TOCP-exposed Leydig cells would show effects similar to those found after SCOTP exposure of Sertoli cells in vitro, indicating a cell interaction.

Toxicology studies of a chemical mixture of 25 groundwater contaminants. III. Male reproduction study in B6C3F1 mice.

A mixture of chemicals has been developed that models contaminated groundwater around hazardous waste sites. We investigated the effects of this mixture on spermatogenesis in B6C3F1 mice. The animals consumed three different concentrations of this mixture for 90 days, after which time they were euthanatized.

Mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, a metabolite of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, causally linked to testicular atrophy in rats.

Acute testicular atrophy results when appropriate dosages of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) or its hydrolysis product mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) are given to male rats. Events thought to be involved in this pathological effect also occur in cultures of testicular cells in vitro, but require MEHP rather than DEHP. Primary cultures of hepatocytes, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells were incubated with 14C-labeled MEHP [8 microM] for up to 24 hr.