Effect of inhaled triamcinolone on bronchial hyperreactivity and airways obstruction in asthma.

We measured changes in methacholine bronchial hyperreactivity and airways obstruction in 37 asthmatics treated with inhaled triamcinolone for 6 weeks. All received regular bronchodilator therapy but not steroids or cromolyn. Initial studies included spirometry and the provocative concentration of methacholine required to decrease the FEV1 by 20% (PC20).

The secE gene encodes an integral membrane protein required for protein export in Escherichia coli.

Genetic screening and selection procedures employing a secA-lacZ fusion strain repeatedly have yielded mutations in four genes affecting the protein export pathway of Escherichia coli. These genes are secA, secD, prlA/secY, and secE. We discuss the significance of the failure to find new sec genes after extensive use of this approach.

Captopril-induced hypersensitivity lung disease. An immune-complex-mediated phenomenon.

Captopril has not yet been included in the list of drugs causing hypersensitivity lung disease. We report a patient with hypertension, congestive heart failure, and chronic renal failure who, when rechallenged with captopril, developed upper lung field infiltrates associated with productive cough and striking peripheral eosinophilia. Gallium scan, transbronchial biopsy histologic findings, and direct immunofluorescent study were consistent with an immune-complex-mediated hypersensitivity reaction.

Isolation and characterization of conditional-lethal mutations in the TUB1 alpha-tubulin gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Microtubules in yeast are functional components of the mitotic and meiotic spindles and are essential for nuclear movement during cell division and mating. We have isolated 70 conditional-lethal mutations in the TUB1 alpha-tubulin gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a plasmid replacement technique. Of the 70 mutations isolated, 67 resulted in cold-sensitivity, one resulted in temperature-sensitivity, and two resulted in both.

An evaluation of the components of compliance in patients with diabetes.

In the past, research directed at understanding patient compliance behavior has generally resulted in findings that were not predictive of compliance or that were at best contradictory. A study of 98 adult patients with diabetes was conducted to investigate some of the variables affecting compliance in that patient population. Compliance and knowledge scores were computed for all 98 patients interviewed.

Insertions of up to 17 amino acids into a region of alpha-tubulin do not disrupt function in vivo.

Microtubules in yeasts are essential components of the mitotic and meiotic spindle and are necessary for nuclear movement during cell division and mating. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two alpha-tubulin genes, TUB1 and TUB3, either of which alone is sufficient for these processes when present in a high enough copy number. Comparisons of sequences from several species reveals the presence of a variable region near the amino terminus of alpha-tubulin proteins.

Plasmid construction by homologous recombination in yeast.

We describe a convenient method for constructing new plasmids that relies on interchanging parts of plasmids by homologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A circular recombinant plasmid of a desired structure is regenerated after transformation of yeast with a linearized plasmid and a DNA restriction fragment containing appropriate homology to serve as a substrate for recombinational repair. The free ends of the input DNA molecules need not be homologous in order for efficient recombination between internal homologous regions to occur.

Genetically essential and nonessential alpha-tubulin genes specify functionally interchangeable proteins.

Microtubules in yeast are essential components of the mitotic and meiotic spindles and are essential for nuclear movement during cell division and mating. The relative importance in these processes of the two divergent alpha-tubulin genes of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, TUB1 and TUB3, was examined through the construction of null mutations and by increasing their copy number on chromosomes and on plasmids. Experiments with null alleles of TUB3 showed that TUB3 was not essential for mitosis, meiosis, or mating.

Two functional alpha-tubulin genes of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encode divergent proteins.

Two alpha-tubulin genes from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were identified and cloned by cross-species DNA homology. Nucleotide sequencing studies revealed that the two genes, named TUB1 and TUB3, encoded gene products of 447 and 445 amino acids, respectively, that are highly homologous to alpha-tubulins from other species. Comparison of the sequences of the two genes revealed a 19% divergence between the nucleotide sequences and a 10% divergence between the amino acid sequences.

Shedding light on the insurance crisis.

The insurance crisis has hopscotched through all areas of the field--from professional liability and general liability, to benefit programs and health plans. Is the crisis real or imagined? To help inform medical group administrators about the current state of insurance coverage, the Medical Group Management Association, through its insurance committee and the Center for Research in Ambulatory Health Care Administration, embarked on an insurance survey. In this survey report, the key areas covered are: insurance needs and how groups cover them; methods used to purchase insurance, including evaluation of agencies and carriers; the type of medical malpractice insurance groups have and specifics about professional liability insurance; employee protection coverage; and an overview of current problems.

Sequences in the gag-pol-5'env region of avian leukosis viruses confer the ability to induce osteopetrosis.

DNA sequences encoding the genomes of three subgroup E avian leukosis viruses have been molecularly cloned. Virus recovered from one of these cloned DNAs (pRAV-0) caused no osteopetrosis while virus recovered from the second (lambda NY203) caused late onset osteopetrosis and virus recovered from the third (lambda NTRE-2) caused intermediate onset osteopetrosis. Restriction endonuclease fragments of the cloned viral DNAs were used to construct recombinant viruses that could be used to test for the role of gag-pol-5'env and 3'env-LTR sequences in the induction of osteopetrosis.

Use of stable 48Ca in the clinical measurement of intestinal calcium absorption.

Measurements of intestinal-calcium-absorption efficiency are fundamental for understanding calcium homeostasis in health and disease. Stable calcium isotopes are attractive tracers for such measurements, to avoid excessive radiation exposure to the subject and permit serial studies at short intervals. To realize this, we found it necessary to improve the sensitivity and precision of existing thermal neutron activation analyses for 48Ca.