Financial and operational ratios for bond-insured hospitals.

Few, if any, researchers have analyzed the performance indicators of companies that offer bond insurance to hospitals and healthcare systems. The authors of this study analyzed the key financial and operational indicators of independent hospitals and hospitals within large multihospital systems that are insured by the 5 major bond insurance companies. The authors examined 87 insured bond issues; the results of this study show that some insurers cover healthcare facilities that have strong operational traits and others focus on financial factors.

alpha1,3 Fucosyltransferase, alpha-L-fucosidase, alpha-D-galactosidase, beta-D-galactosidase, and Le(x) glycoconjugates in developing rat brain.

Fucosyltransferases (FTs) and various glycosidases that are involved in the biosynthesis or degradation of SSEA-1 (Le(x)) antigens and their precursors in the CNS are developmentally regulated. In forebrain and cerebellum with lactosamine (LacNAc) as acceptor the FT activity was maximal at P15-P22, but with the glycolipid substrate paragloboside (nLc4) the maximal activity in cerebellum was obtained at P10-P15. The FT activity, with these substrates, was insensitive to N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and the glycolipid product had an alpha1,3 linkage (Fuc to GlcNAc) suggesting similarities of the investigated enzyme to the cloned human and rat FT IV.

Cloning of a rat alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase gene: a member of the fucosyltransferase IV family.

We report the cloning of a rat alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase gene (rFuc-T), isolated from a rat genomic library by a PCR-cross-hybridization based cloning approach using primers derived from the conserved region of human alpha1,3-Fuc-T sequences. Comparison of the rFuc-T predicted amino acid sequence with those of previously cloned human and murine fucosyltransferases showed highest degree of homology to murine Fuc-TIV (87% identity) and human Fuc-TIV (78% identity), with lower homology (41-49% identity) to Fuc-TIII, V, VI, and VII. COS-1 cells transfected with the rFuc-Tgene expressed a fucosyltransferase activity with type 2 (Gal beta1-->4GlcNAc)-containing oligosaccharides and the glycolipid acceptor neolactotetraosylceramide but only low activity with sialylated substrates; the SSEA-1/Le(x) antigen was detected in transfected cells by immunocytochemistry.

Auditory discrimination reversal learning and assessment of behavioral teratogenesis in rats.

Qualitative auditory discrimination procedures were used to evaluate discrimination acquisition and reversal learning in rats. Twelve adult rats prenatally exposed to ethanol (ETOH) and 12 unexposed isocaloric controls (CON) were given training with a positively reinforced successive discrimination procedure. Most ETOH subjects were impaired relative to CON subjects on accuracy during early training sessions and the number of sessions required to meet an 80% accuracy criterion.

Gangliosides in membranes from Torpedo electric organ.

The electric organ membrane has been the subject of many studies, due principally to its rich content of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Knowing its lipid composition is clearly important. Although its major membrane lipids have been characterized, its ganglioside composition has not been as well-described.