Influence of sample manipulation on contaminant flux and toxicity at the sediment-water interface.

Toxicities of sediments from San Diego and San Francisco Bays were compared in laboratory experiments using sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) embryos exposed to pore water and at the sediment-water interface (SWI). Toxicity was consistently greater to embryos exposed at the SWI to intact (unhomogenized) sediment samples relative to homogenized samples. Measurement of selected trace metals indicated considerably greater fluxes of copper, zinc, and cadmium into overlying waters of intact sediment samples.

Evaluation and use of sediment toxicity reference sites for statistical comparisons in regional assessments.

Sediment reference sites were used to establish toxicity standards against which to compare results from sites investigated in San Francisco Bay (California, USA) monitoring programs. The reference sites were selected on the basis of low concentrations of anthropogenic chemicals, distance from active contaminant sources, location in representative hydrographic areas of the Bay, and physical features characteristic of depositional areas (e.g.

A large-scale categorization of sites in San Francisco Bay, USA, based on the sediment quality triad, toxicity identification evaluations, and gradient studies.

Sediment quality was assessed in San Francisco Bay, California, USA, using a two-tiered approach in which 111 sites were initially screened for sediment toxicity. Sites exhibiting toxicity were then resampled and analyzed for chemical contamination, recurrent toxicity, and, in some cases, benthic community impacts. Resulting data were compared with newly derived threshold values for each of the metrics in a triad-based weight-of-evidence evaluation.

Sediment quality in Los Angeles Harbor, USA: a triad assessment.

Sediment quality in the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor area of southern California, USA, was assessed from 1992 to 1997 as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board's Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Status and Trends Program. The assessment strategy relied on application of various components of the sediment quality triad, combined with bioaccumulation measures, in a weight-of-evidence approach to sediment quality investigations. Results of bulk-phase chemical measurements, solid-phase amphipod toxicity tests, pore-water toxicity tests with invertebrate embryos, benthic community analyses (presented as a relative benthic index), and bioaccumulation measures indicated that inner harbor areas of this system are polluted by high concentrations of a mixture of sediment-associated contaminants and that this pollution is highly correlated with toxicity in laboratory experiments and degradation of benthic community structure.

Recurrent trisomy 15 in a female carrier of der(15)t(Y;15)(q12;p13).

We report on a female carrier of der(15) t(Y;15)(q12;p13) who had two pregnancy losses with trisomy 15 and one with tetraploidy. Molecular analysis showed that both non-disjunction events resulting in the trisomy 15 pregnancies occurred in maternal meiosis I. This finding raises the possibility that there may be an increased risk for trisomy 15 in some carriers of unbalanced t(Y;15) which, if followed by trisomic zygote rescue, may lead to uniparental disomy (UPD).

Management of Tomato spotted wilt virus in Flue-Cured Tobacco with Acibenzolar-S-Methyl and Imidacloprid.

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) continues to be a major production constraint in flue-cured tobacco in Georgia. Pretransplant applications of acibenzolar-S-methyl (Actigard) and imidacloprid (Admire and Provado) were evaluated in field trials, singly and in combination, in four locations in 1999. Acibenzolar-S-methyl was also evaluated for its effect on growth and yield, potential phytotoxicity, and activity against tobacco blackshank incited by Phytophthora parasitica var.

Television campaigns and adolescent marijuana use: tests of sensation seeking targeting.

Objectives: This study evaluated the effectiveness of targeted televised public service announcement campaigns in reducing marijuana use among high-sensation-seeking adolescents.

Methods: The study used a controlled interrupted time-series design in 2 matched communities. Two televised antimarijuana campaigns were conducted in 1 county and 1 campaign in the comparison community.

Development and validation of the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS).

This article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS). Three studies were conducted to describe its development and refinement, examine its psychometric properties with 436 participants from 5 ethnic groups, and examine the robustness of the factor structure with a new sample. Exploratory factor analyses generated a 2-factor solution: ethnic society immersion and dominant society immersion.

Treatment of repeated unexplained in vitro fertilization failure with intravenous immunoglobulin: a randomized, placebo-controlled Canadian trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on pregnancy outcome in couples with repeated unexplained in vitro fertilization (IVF) failure.

Design: Prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Setting: A university-based and a free-standing IVF program.

The expression of cyclins D1 and E in predicting short-term survival in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

Cyclins D1 (cD1) and E (cE) are G1 phase cyclins believed to participate in the pathogenesis of malignancy. Overexpression of cD1 has been reported to influence prognosis in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the larynx, but was not significant in a limited study of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Altered expression of cE has been proposed as another potential prognostic marker in malignancy but its possible role in NSCLC has not been elucidated.

Prognostic implications of calbindin-D28k expression in lung cancer: analysis of 452 cases.

Calbindin D28k (Ca-D28k) acts as a buffering system to maintain cellular calcium homeostasis and is thought to play a role in inhibiting apoptosis. The goals of this study were to assess CA-D28k expression in lung carcinomas and to correlate these results with patient survival. A total of 452 lung carcinomas were immunostained with a monoclonal antibody specific for Ca-D28K using an avidin-biotin peroxidase technique.

Low-molecular-weight heparins in pregnancy.

We conducted a systematic review, with MEDLINE and Cochrane Library data base searches and bibliographic reviews, of English-language reports describing therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in pregnancy. Altogether 40 citations, excluding abstracts, were identified. When the quality of evidence was categorized according to the method outlined by the U.

Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Storm Water Outfalls Adjacent to Urban Areas and Petroleum Refineries in San Francisco Bay, California.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were analyzed in storm water collected from 15 outfalls in San Francisco Bay, California, considered representative of areas located adjacent to petroleum refineries and mixed urban/commercial/residential land uses. Storm water sampling was conducted hourly over a 12-h period at two outfalls located near the city of Oakland and the suburban community of Benicia, which represent urban and mixed urban/light industrial land uses, respectively. Sampling was conducted hourly to determine temporal changes in the concentrations and distributions of PCDD/Fs during the first major rainstorm event of the 1995/96 winter season.

Mononuclear-cell immunisation in prevention of recurrent miscarriages: a randomised trial.

Background: Couples with unexplained recurrent miscarriage may have an alloimmune abnormality that prevents the mother from developing immune responses essential for the survival of the genetically foreign conceptus. Immunisation with paternal mononuclear cells is used as a treatment for such alloimmune-mediated pregnancy losses. However, the published results on this treatment are conflicting.

Fear, threat, and perceptions of efficacy from frightening skin cancer messages.

Fear appeal messages were designed and tested to ascertain their effectiveness in promoting skin protective behaviors. Theoretically guided by the Extended Parallel Process Model, the fear appeal messages in this study conveyed the seriousness of exposed and unprotected skin for college students in the Southwestern United States, and recommended a series of behaviors that would protect individuals from serious sunburns. The results demonstrated that fear appeals are effective in promoting skin protective behaviors.

Using formative research to conceptualize and develop a marketing plan for student health services.

Conceptualization and development of a health services awareness campaign at the University of Kentucky followed the steps in a communication process called formative research. Preproduction surveys and subsequent testing of possible initiatives led to creation of a popular video featuring the university mascot that is being used in new-student orientation.

Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells express gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), GnRH receptor, and interleukin-2 receptor gamma-chain messenger ribonucleic acids that are regulated by GnRH in vitro.

The hypothalamic decapeptide, GnRH, plays a critical role in human reproduction. In addition to the well known effects of GnRH on pituitary cells, there is evidence supporting the presence of GnRH-binding sites in tissues other than pituitary cells, including lymphocytes. In addition, a GnRH-like substance has been found to be secreted from lymphoid cells.

Transmission disequilibrium of maternally-inherited CTLA-4 microsatellite alleles in idiopathic recurrent miscarriage.

To elucidate the mechanisms that facilitate tolerance at the maternal-fetal interface, we are investigating the role of genes that are involved in peripheral self-tolerance in couples with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage. CTLA-4 is a negative regulator of T-cell proliferation and has been associated with human autoimmune disease. An AT(n) polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of the human gene results in AT stretches that vary in length from 16 to 46 bp.

Artificial neural networks and logistic regression as tools for prediction of survival in patients with Stages I and II non-small cell lung cancer.

The prognosis of patients with Stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be estimated but cannot be definitively ascertained by use of current clinicopathologic criteria and tumor marker studies. The potential value of probabilistic neural networks (NNs) with genetic algorithms and multivariate logistic regression to predict the survival of NSCLC patients has not been previously evaluated. Multiple prognostic factors (age, sex, cell type, stage, tumor grade, smoking history, and immunoreactivity to c-erbB-3, bcl-2, Glut1, Glut3, retinoblastoma gene and p53 were correlated with 5-year survival in 63 patients with Stage I or II NSCLC, treated solely by surgical excision at Baylor Medical College, Houston, Texas.

C-TAK1 protein kinase phosphorylates human Cdc25C on serine 216 and promotes 14-3-3 protein binding.

Cdc25C is a dual-specificity protein kinase that controls entry into mitosis by dephosphorylating Cdc2 on both threonine 14 and tyrosine 15. Cdc25C is phosphorylated on serine 216 throughout interphase but not during mitosis. Serine 216 phosphorylation mediates the binding of 14-3-3 protein to Cdc25C, and Cdc25C/14-3-3 complexes are present throughout interphase but not during mitosis.

Regulated expression of cadherin-6 and cadherin-11 in the glandular epithelial and stromal cells of the human endometrium.

The cadherins are key morphoregulators. A switch in the cadherin subtype(s) expressed by a population of cells has been associated with the differentiation and formation of tissues during embryonic development. To date, the role(s) of the cadherins in the highly regulated remodeling processes which occur in the human endometrium in preparation for the implanting embryo remain poorly characterized.

Prevention of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion using intravenous immunoglobulin: a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Problem: The efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for treatment of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion was assessed in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled study.

Method Of Study: The study took place in a provincial recurrent pregnancy loss clinic, located in a tertiary/quaternary care academic center. The study subjects were women with a history of two or more documented consecutive spontaneous pregnancy losses under 20 weeks of gestation, excluding any associated with aneuploidy by karyotype analysis, and with no evidence of genetic, endocrine, infectious, anatomic, or autoimmune factors associated with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Absence of prognostic significance of bcl-2 immunopositivity in non-small cell lung cancer: analysis of 427 cases.

The bcl-2 gene product inhibits apoptosis and is thought to participate in oncogenesis. Association of bcl-2 immunopositivity with improved prognosis of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) is controversial. Although two studies have reported better survival in bcl-2-immunopositive NSCLCs, a third series has contradicted this finding.