Structure of the m4 cholinergic muscarinic receptor gene and its promoter.

Cholinergic muscarinic receptor genes are members of the G-protein receptor gene superfamily. In this study we describe the structure of the gene and promoter of the rat m4 muscarinic receptor gene. A rat cosmid clone containing the coding region for the m4 gene and 25 kilobases of upstream sequence was isolated.

Amino acid sequence and the cellular location of the Na(+)-dependent D-glucose symporters (SGLT1) in the ovine enterocyte and the parotid acinar cell.

The Na(+)-dependent D-glucose symporter has been shown to be located on the basolateral domain of the plasma membrane of ovine parotid acinar cells. This is in contrast to the apical location of this transporter in the ovine enterocyte. The amino acid sequences of these two proteins have been determined.

A trauma centre in the UK: the Stoke experience.

This paper outlines the development of a pilot trauma centre in Stoke on Trent, UK, as part of the Department of Health Trauma Centre Evaluation Project. A historical background to the Evaluation Project is included along with details of the evolution of trauma services in North Staffordshire, UK. The authors draw upon their personal experiences of working in the pilot centre and provide an insight into how the Emergency Department, in particular, met the challenge.

World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) second edition of guidelines for evaluating the efficacy of anthelmintics in ruminants (bovine, ovine, caprine).

The first edition of the W.A.A.

Use of video recorders in auditing initial assessment times.

The Patient's Charter (Department of Health 1992) states that patients attending Accident and Emergency departments will 'be seen immediately' and have 'their need for treatment assessed'. This paper describes a research project aimed at gathering accurate and reliable information regarding initial assessment times in a busy Emergency department. The use of closed circuit cameras and video recordings will be described.

Longitudinal change of refractive error in infants during the first year of life.

Using cycloplegia, the change in ametropia of 113 infants was followed at 3 month intervals over the first year of life. Scatterplots of the spherical equivalent power show that the dioptric differences exhibit a significant myopic shift of -0.38 ds between 26 and 36 weeks and -0.

Binding and activation of the promoter for the neural cell adhesion molecule by Pax-8.

The neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), is expressed in definite spatiotemporal patterns during development. To identify factors that may influence place-dependent n-cam gene expression, we have studied the binding and activation of the n-cam promoter by Pax-8, a member of the Pax family of transcription factors. Pax-8 increased n-cam promoter activity 13.

Regulation in vitro of an L-CAM enhancer by homeobox genes HoxD9 and HNF-1.

Previous studies have shown that in vitro expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) can be regulated by the products of homeobox genes HoxB9, -B8, and -C6. N-CAM is a Ca(2+)-independent immunoglobulin-related CAM that plays an important role in neural development. In the present study, we investigated whether the liver cell adhesion molecule (L-CAM) a member of the Ca(2+)-dependent CAM family (cadherins) is also regulated by homeobox-containing genes.

Beyond the department's doors: pre-hospital emergency care.

This paper will define immediate care and outline its development in the UK. The training needs for Accident and Emergency (A & E) nurses involved in pre-hospital care will be discussed. The importance of personal safety will be emphasised as will the safety of the scene and that of the patient.

Cell adhesion alters gene transcription in chicken embryo brain cells and mouse embryonal carcinoma cells.

To determine whether changes in gene expression occur in embryonic cells as a consequence of changes in cellular aggregation, chicken embryo brain (CEB) cells isolated from 8-day embryos were allowed to aggregate or prevented from aggregating by treatment with anti-neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) Fab' fragments. A subtractive hybridization cloning strategy was employed to identify genes that might show different levels of expression in the two populations of cells. In addition, the transcription rates of a number of genes specifying CAMs and transcription factors were directly estimated by using nuclear run-off transcription assays.

Comparison of the techniques of videorefraction and static retinoscopy in the measurement of refractive error in infants.

Photorefraction has been suggested as a suitable method of screening for refractive error in infants. The relative performance of cycloplegic and non-cycloplegic videorefraction and cycloplegic retinoscopy was investigated on 150 infants. Under cycloplegic conditions the correlation between findings for spherical error (Rxy = 0.

The efficacy of injectable and pour-on formulations of moxidectin against lice on cattle.

The efficacy of one administration of moxidectin against natural infestations of the 3 common species of cattle lice in Australia: Linognathus vituli, Damalinia bovis and Haematopinus eurysternus, was determined. A high degree of control of L vituli (the long-nosed sucking louse) was achieved with both the cattle injection (96.7% and 100%) at 0.

Measurement of Friedmann Visual Field Analyzer tests in primary open-angle glaucoma.

A method is described to allow an IBM PC/AT compatible microcomputer program to compute a score from the visual field data collected from a standard Friedmann Visual Field Analyzer (FVFA) Mk II testing procedure. The method could, in principle, be applied to any visual field data which provide quantitative information on the sensitivity of different retinal locations. The score takes into account the depth of any defects, their position in the visual field, and the clustering of defects into scotomata.

The expression of the Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) gene in lamb small intestine during postnatal development.

We have shown previously that the activity and abundance of the intestinal Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) declines dramatically during the postnatal development of lambs, and that it can be restored in the intestine of ruminant sheep by intra-luminal infusion of D-glucose. The work presented in this paper has followed the expression of the SGLT1 gene along the vertical and horizontal axes of the ovine small intestine during early development, using quantitative in situ hybridisation histochemistry. Along the vertical axis, SGLT1 mRNA was first detectable just below the crypt-villus junction and rose rapidly to a peak level approx.

Dissecting the contributions of a specific side-chain interaction to folding and catalysis of Bacillus stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase.

X-ray crystallography predicts hydrogen-bonding interactions between the side chains of Thr198 and two other amino acid residues, Glu194 (adjacent to the catalytic His195) and Ser318 (on the alpha-H helix which rearranges on substrate binding). In order to investigate the contribution of this conserved amino acid residue, Thr198, two mutants of Bacillus stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase were created (Val198 and Ile198). The steady-state kinetic parameters for both mutant enzymes were very similar with increased substrate Km and reduced kcat when compared with the wild-type enzyme.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Structure-function relationships and the Pichia jadinii enzyme structure.

The primary structure of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from the yeast Pichia jadinii (formerly Candida utilis) has been determined. It consists of a 495-residue, N-terminally acetylated protein chain. The structure shows extensive differences from those of the corresponding mammalian, fruit fly, and bacterial enzymes (52-68% residue non-identities), but also from that of another yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (38%).

An evaluation of an oral formulation of moxidectin against selected anthelmintic-resistant and -susceptible strains of nematodes in lambs.

The efficacy of an oral formulation of the newly developed parasiticide, moxidectin, was tested against benzimidazole-resistant Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, and Nematodirus spathiger, levamisole-resistant Ostertagia circumcincta, and susceptible Cooperia curticei infections in weaned lambs. Thirty-two lambs were experimentally infected with mixed doses of the above strains of nematodes. They were allocated into four treatment groups by stratified randomisation using liveweights and faecal egg counts 28 days later.

The use of vacuum-molded polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene copolymer (PVAC.PE) for a handicapped patient.

This paper provides a survey of recent literature on the use of mouth sticks for patients who have little or no use of their limbs. Criteria for mouth stick design, types of appliances, and the fabrication of such devices are described. Details are given of a case of a young child with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, in whom a novel approach was used to allow the safe intra-oral retention of writing implements.