Self-reported psychopathological symptoms in recreational ecstasy (MDMA) users are mainly associated with regular cannabis use: further evidence from a combined cross-sectional/longitudinal investigation.

Rationale: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) has become a widely used recreational drug among young people. This is of great concern, since MDMA is neurotoxic in animal studies and its use has been associated with psychological distress and a variety of self-reported psychiatric symptoms. However, exploring the origins of psychopathology in ecstasy users is hampered by the frequent polydrug use and by the cross-sectional design of all investigations, so far.

High-throughput TILLING for functional genomics.

Targeting-induced local lesions in genomes (TILLING) is a general strategy for identifying induced point mutations that can be applied to almost any organism. Here, we describe the basic methodology for high-throughput TILLING. Gene segments are amplified using fluorescently tagged primers, and products are denatured and reannealed to form heteroduplexes between the mutated sequence and its wild-type counterpart.

Spectrum of chemically induced mutations from a large-scale reverse-genetic screen in Arabidopsis.

Chemical mutagenesis has been the workhorse of traditional genetics, but it has not been possible to determine underlying rates or distributions of mutations from phenotypic screens. However, reverse-genetic screens can be used to provide an unbiased ascertainment of mutation statistics. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of approximately 1900 ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced mutations in 192 Arabidopsis thaliana target genes from a large-scale TILLING reverse-genetic project, about two orders of magnitude larger than previous such efforts.

CRS1 is a novel group II intron splicing factor that was derived from a domain of ancient origin.

Protein-dependent group II intron splicing provides a forum for exploring the roles of proteins in facilitating RNA-catalyzed reactions. The maize nuclear gene crs1 is required for the splicing of the group II intron in the chloroplast atpF gene. Here we report the molecular cloning of the crs1 gene and an initial biochemical characterization of its gene product.

Transcript map and comparative analysis of the 1.5-Mb commonly deleted segment of human 5q31 in malignant myeloid diseases with a del(5q).

Loss of a whole chromosome 5, or a del(5q), are recurring abnormalities in malignant myeloid diseases. In previous studies, we defined a commonly deleted segment (CDS) of 1.5 Mb between D5S479 and D5S500 in patients with a del(5q), and we established a P1 artificial chromosome-based contig encompassing this interval.

Molecular characterization of KLHL3, a human homologue of the Drosophila kelch gene.

The Drosophila kelch protein is a structural component of ring canals and is required for oocyte maturation. Here, we report the cloning and genomic structure of a new human homologue of kelch, KLHL3. At the amino acid level, KLHL3 shares 77% similarity with Drosophila kelch and 89% similarity with Mayven (KLHL2), another human kelch homolog.

Redox state changes in density-dependent regulation of proliferation.

The ability of certain transcription factors to bind to DNA has been demonstrated to be influenced by the redox environment. Therefore, fluctuations in the redox state of the cell may regulate the transcription of genes which control proliferation. To assess whether changes in the redox state may be related to proliferation, levels of oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH) glutathione, the primary modulators of the redox state, were measured in cultures of varying densities of normal human fibroblasts which exhibit contact inhibition of proliferation, as well as fibrosarcoma cells, which lack this mechanism of growth control.

A survey of inpatient antibiotic use in a teaching hospital.

To assess the appropriateness of inpatient antibiotic use, a 4-week prospective survey in medical, surgical and gynaecological wards was undertaken at Groote Schuur Hospital. A total of 224 prescriptions comprising 680 antibiotics were analysed. Of all patients in the medical, gynaecology and surgery wards, 27%, 26.