Viral pneumonia in children.

Viral pneumonia causes a heavy burden on our society. In the United States, more than one million cases of pneumonias afflict children under the age of 5 years, costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The majority of these infections are caused by a handful of common viruses.

Acne Vulgaris.

Adolescent acne appears with the onset of puberty and occurs in at least 85% of adolescents. Although many patients have only mild forms, acne that is left untreated can leave emotional and physical scars that last a lifetime. An understanding of the adolescent patient's psychological vulnerability and patient education maximize the effectiveness of any treatment program.

Structurally modified trimethine thiacarbocyanine dyes. Effect of N-alkyl substituents on antineoplastic behavior.

The effect of dye localization and dye distribution on the antineoplastic behavior of photosensitizers was investigated with a homologous series of trimethine thiacarbocyanine dyes in L1210 leukemia and A549 lung carcinoma cells. These dyes were synthesized with N-alkyl groups of different sizes (ethyl to octadecyl) to vary their lipophilic properties without compromising their photophysics. While dyes with smaller N-alkyl groups (ethyl to decyl) were already cytotoxic in the dark, longer chain cyanines exhibited antineoplastic activity only after exposure to light.

Thyroxine control of pancreatic amylase gene expression: modulation of PTF1 binding activity.

The role of pancreas specific transcription factor (PTF1) in thyroxine (T4) modulation of amylase gene expression in suckling rats was evaluated. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was used to determine the PTF1 binding activity by the amount of a synthetic oligonucleotide containing the amylase enhancer sequence bound by nuclear protein extracts. Nuclear protein from rat pancreata showed a developmental increase of PTFI activity correlated with age.