Expert assessment of illegal collecting impacts on Venus flytraps and priorities for research on illegal trade.

Illegal collecting of wild Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) for the horticultural trade represents a persistent threat to populations of the species across their endemic range in the coastal plain of North and South Carolina (United States). Although wild collecting of Venus flytraps is not a novel threat, there has been very little research on the impacts of collecting on the species' conservation to date or why an illegal trade persists alongside a legal one. We drew on qualitative expert stakeholder elicitation to contextualize the threat of illegal collecting to the long-term conservation of Venus flytraps in relation to other anthropogenic threats.

Titration of Folate Pathway Enzymes.

How enzymes behave in cells is likely different from how they behave in the test tube. Previous studies find that osmolytes interact weakly with folate. Removal of the osmolyte from the solvation shell of folate is more difficult than removal of water, which weakens binding of folate to its enzyme partners.

The Association Between Peer and Self-Assessments and Professionalism Lapses Among Medical Students.

Peer and self-assessments are widely used to assess professionalism during medical school as part of a multisource feedback model. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between peer and self-assessments and professionalism lapses at a large medical school. A retrospective case-control study design was used to compare peer and self-assessment scores from Years 1 to 3 of medical school for students who had been cited for professionalism lapses during medical school (case group; n = 78) with those of a randomly selected control group ( n = 230).

Is Reflective Ability Associated With Professionalism Lapses During Medical School?

Purpose: Recently, many have argued that learning to reflect on one's experiences is a critical component of professional identity formation and of professionalism. However, little empirical evidence exists to support this claim. This study explored the association between reflective ability and professionalism lapses among medical students.

Pregnancy and labor increase the capacity of human myometrial cells to secrete parathyroid hormone-related protein.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), a oncofetal gene product possessing smooth muscle relaxant properties, has been found in rat and human uterine smooth muscle cells (USMC) where it is postulated to regulate myometrial tone and/or blood flow. Studies investigating the gestational regulation of PTHrP in human USMC have not been performed. This study was conducted to determine if pregnancy alters the capacity of USMC to secrete or respond to PTHrP.

Superficial femoral popliteal vein: An anatomic study.

Objective: The superficial femoral popliteal vein (SFPV) has been used as an alternative conduit for both arterial and venous reconstructive surgery. Its popularity continues to grow, despite concern about the potential for venous morbidity after harvest. The purpose of this study was to determine an anatomic "safe" length of SFPV for harvest, assuming that the preservation of at least one valve and one significant collateral vein in the remaining popliteal vein (PV) segment can minimize venous morbidity.

Hyperoxia-induced airway remodeling and pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia in the weanling rat.

Infants dying with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) demonstrate increased numbers of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNEC). These infants also possess altered airway epithelial and smooth muscle dimensions reminiscent of oxygen-exposed animals. Because the pathogenesis of BPD involves oxygen toxicity, we hypothesized that chronic hyperoxia would induce both airway remodeling and PNEC hyperplasia.

Relaxation of porcine tracheal smooth muscle by parathyroid hormone-related protein.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrp) has been shown to relax uterine and gastrointestinal smooth muscles, but the mechanisms underlying its effects have not been characterized. Furthermore, its effect on pulmonary smooth muscle is unknown. Therefore we designed the present study to determine the PTHrp dose-response; the interaction of PTHrp and PTH; and the role of cyclic nucleotides and potassium channels in the PTHrp response in porcine tracheal smooth muscle (TSM).

Isolation of nitric oxide synthase in the rat uterus.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was isolated from the uterus of adult female rats by diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) column and further purified by 2',5'-ADP agarose. The chromatographic properties revealed two isoenzymes, NOS1 and NOS2. The molecular weights of both isoenzymes was approximately 155 Kd by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS PAGE) which was similar to NOS1 and NOS2 from rat brain.

Imported malaria in Auckland in 1993.

Aim: To determine the number of people with malaria in Auckland in 1993 and determine species, sources, exposure history, use of chemoprophylaxis, outcome and geographic attack rates.

Methods: We prospectively obtained the numbers of people with laboratory diagnosed malaria from all haematology departments in Auckland and then contacted the patients and their doctors to elicit further details.

Results: Forty three people, 30 men and 13 women, had malaria.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection in women in Auckland: an evolving epidemic.

Aims: To study the epidemiology, presenting features and outcome of HIV infection among women in Auckland.

Methods: Retrospective review of the medical records of all HIV infected women cared for by the adult infectious disease unit or the sexual health clinic at Auckland Hospital up to the end of December, 1993.

Results: Thirty women with HIV infection were cared for between September 1986 and December 1993.

In vitro fatigue testing of a dental bonding system on enamel.

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro fatigue behavior of a dental bonding system [ScotchBond Multi Purpose (SBMP)] by using a cyclic shear loading test. Cylinders of a light-cured hybrid composite resin (Z100) were formed on, and bonded with SBMP to, the flattened, acid-etched enamel surface of human teeth. Thirty-two samples (eight per group) were used to determine the 1-h, 1-day, 7-day, and 30-day shear bond strengths.

Diabetic and age-related enhancement of collagen-linked fluorescence in cortical bones of rats.

Nonenzymatic collagen cross-linking occurs in a variety of connective tissues as a result of formation of advanced glycosylation end products. Diabetes and aging significantly increase levels of nonenzymatic collagen cross-linking in connective tissues. This study was undertaken to determine whether nonenzymatic collagen cross-linking occurs in rat cortical bone and if these levels are increased in diabetic and aged rats.

Axon growth is enhanced by NCAM lacking the VASE exon when expressed in either the growth substrate or the growing axon.

The neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM exists as several related peptides formed by alternative splicing of the single NCAM gene. Here the ability of NCAM containing and lacking the alternatively spliced VASE exon to act as a permissive growth substrate was tested by examining retinal axon outgrowth on normal L cell fibroblasts and L cells expressing stably transfected 140 kD NCAM +/- VASE. L cells expressing either NCAM form were a more permissive substrate than control L cells.

NADPH-diaphorase-positive nerves and the role of nitric oxide in CGRP relaxation of uterine contraction.

We previously demonstrated calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactivity in sensory nerves in the rat uterus and that CGRP inhibits stimulated uterine contraction in vitro. The present study was undertaken to: 1) examine possible roles nitric oxide (NO) may have in the inhibitory action of CGRP on uterine contraction and 2) identify sites where NO may be synthesized. The relaxing effect of CGRP on SP-stimulated uterine contraction was established in vitro on uterine horns from diethylstilbestrol-treated rats.

CGRP-immunoreactive primary afferent nerve fibers in the rat urinary bladder: effects of dorsal rhizotomy and MK-801.

A transection lesion of the suprasacral spinal cord results in a decreased density of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive (I) primary afferent nerve fibers in the rat urinary bladder. The fiber density can be restored by postsurgical treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801. We are attempting to determine the level of the primary afferent neuron at which MK-801 might have a restorative effect on CGRP immunostaining.

Effects of spinal cord transection and MK-801 on CGRP immunostaining in the rat urinary bladder.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that lesions in the CNS can alter the density of sensory nerve processes in peripheral organs. In the present study, rat spinal cords were transected at the second lumbar segmental level and the density of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the urinary bladder was examined. Additional rats had spinal cord transections followed by 12 days of treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, MK-801.

Galanin and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity in nerves of the rat uterus: localization, colocalization, and effects on uterine contractility.

Immunoreactivity to the neuropeptides galanin (GAL) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was examined in nerves in the rat uterus as a prelude to studying their effects on uterine contractility. With immunocytochemical techniques, GAL immunoreactivity (GAL-I) and CGRP-I were localized in myometrial nerves throughout the uterine horns and cervix, with nerves immunoreactive for CGRP being more numerous. Immunocytochemical double-labeling studies revealed GAL coexists with CGRP in a subpopulation of CGRP-I nerve fibers, i.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein inhibits stimulated uterine contraction in vitro.

The effect of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) fragments 1-34, 38-64, and 67-86 on acetylcholine-stimulated rat uterine contraction was examined in vitro. In addition, the possibility that PTHrP-(38-64) or (67-86) influenced relaxation caused by PTHrP-(1-34) was also investigated. Contraction of uterine horns was stimulated with 10(-6) or 10(-5) M acetylcholine.

Effects of MK-801 on rat primary afferent neurons and fibers.

Recent evidence suggests that glutamate and its N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor may participate in regulating neurite morphology and peptide expression. A previous study from this laboratory showed that treatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801, induced an apparent increase in the density of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive primary afferent fibers in the dorsal spinal cord of the rat. The present study was undertaken to extend this work by: 1) quantifying the MK-801-induced increase in CGRP immunostaining in the dorsal grey commissure/medial dorsal horn region and 2) examining the effect of MK-801 on the number of CGRP-immunoreactive primary afferent cell bodies in lumbar dorsal root ganglia.

Substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity in nerves of the rat uterus: localization, colocalization and effects on uterine contractility.

Immunoreactivity to the neuropeptides substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was examined in nerves in the rat uterus as a prelude to studying their effects on uterine contractility. With immunocytochemical techniques, SP immunoreactivity (SP-I) and CGRP-I were localized in myometrial nerves throughout the uterine horns, with nerves immunoreactive for CGRP being the more numerous. Immunocytochemical double labeling studies revealed SP coexisted with CGRP in a subpopulation of CGRP-I nerve fibers, i.

Effects of ethanol exposure on myelination and axon numbers in the L2 dorsal root of the neonatal rat.

Previous studies have demonstrated that exposure to ethanol during development delays the rate at which axons in certain central nervous system tracts acquire myelin. This delay appears to be related to an alteration in oligodendrocyte function and not to an aberrancy in axon size or number. The present study was designed to determine if alterations similar to those observed in the central nervous system also occur in peripheral nerves, specifically the L2 dorsal root.

MK-801-induced sprouting by CGRP immunoreactive primary afferent fibers in the dorsal spinal cord of the rat.

In the present study, rats received daily injections of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, MK-801, over 30 consecutive days. The effects of MK-801 on the distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive fibers in the dorsal spinal cord of the rat were subsequently examined. In addition to the normal immunostaining pattern in laminae I, II and lateral V, a dense network of CGRP-immunoreactive fibers was observed along the medial border of the dorsal horn and within the dorsal grey commissure.