Crystal structure of 1-butyl-2,3-di-methyl-imidazolium dicarba-7,8-nido-undeca-borate.

In the title mol-ecular salt, C9H17N2 (+)·C2H12B9 (-), the carborane cage has a bridging B-H-B bond on the open B3C2 face. The butyl side chain of the cation adopts an extended conformation [C-C-C-C = 179.6 (1)°]. In the crystal, the imidazolium ring is almost coplanar with the open face of the carborane anion. The cations stack in the [010] direction and the dihedral angle between the imidazolium rings of adjacent cations is 68.45 (6)°. The butyl chains extend into the space between carborane anions.

Chloroplast diversity in the genus Malus: new insights into the relationship between the European wild apple (Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill.) and the domesticated apple (Malus domestica Borkh.).

To unravel the relationship between the European wild apple, Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill., and its domesticated relative M. domestica Borkh., we studied chloroplast DNA variation in 634 wild and 422 domesticated accessions originating from different regions. Hybridization between M. sylvestris and M. domestica was checked using 10 nuclear microsatellites and a Bayesian assignment approach. This allowed us to identify hybrids and feral plants escaped from cultivation. Sixty-eight genotypes belonging to 12 other wild Malus species, including 20 M. sieversii (Ledeb.) Roem. accessions were also included in the analysis of chloroplast diversity. Marker techniques were developed to type a formerly described duplication and a newly detected transversion in the matK gene. Chloroplast DNA variation was further investigated using PCR-RFLP (Polymerase Chain Reaction-Random Fragment Length Polymorphism), and haplotypes were constructed based on all mutational combinations. A closer relationship than presently accepted between M. sylvestris and M. domestica was established at the cytoplasmic level, with the detection of eight chloroplast haplotypes shared by both species. Hybridization between M. sylvestris and M. domestica was also apparent at the local level with sharing of rare haplotypes among local cultivars and sympatric wild trees. Indications of the use of wild Malus genotypes in the (local) cultivation process of M. domestica and cytoplasmic introgression of chloroplast haplotypes into M. sylvestris from the domesticated apple were found. Only one of the M. sieversii trees studied displayed one of the three main chloroplast haplotypes shared by M. sylvestris and M. domestica. This is surprising as M. sieversii has formerly been described as the main maternal progenitor of the domesticated apple. This study hereby reopens the exciting discussion on the origin of M. domestica.

Computed tomography of the urinary tract: optimalization of low-dose stone protocol in a clinical setting.

PURPOSE: To establish whether information would be lost if slice reconstruction thickness was increased from 3 to 5 mm, and whether this altered how difficult it was to interpret the examinations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-three consecutive patients referred with suspected or known urinary stones were included. All examinations were performed without intravenous contrast media. The original series, with effective mAs 50, were reconstructed with slice thickness 3 and 5 mm, respectively. All demographic and examination data were removed and the series reviewed in PACS by two independent radiologists. Objective findings, i.e. number and size of stones, signs of obstruction, and evaluation of interpretation difficulty, were registered. RESULTS: Identical findings were registered in 18 of the series of 3 mm (n=23) and 19 of the series of 5 mm (n=23). In two series reconstructed with 3 mm slice thickness and in one series with 5 mm slice thickness, the observers disagreed on the presence of urinary stones. Main reasons for interpretation difficulties were given as "lack of intra-abdominal fat" and "many phleboliths in the pelvic region", but never "disturbing noise". CONCLUSION: To determine the presence and size of urinary stones at low-dose computed tomography, 5 mm reconstruction algorithm seems equal to 3 mm. Patient-related factors influence the interpretation more than image quality.

[Bad shots--skin and soft tissue infections following intravenous drug abuse]. / Bomskudd--hud- og bløtdelsinfeksjoner i forbindelse med injeksjonsmisbruk.

Infection at the injection site following parenteral drug abuse is a well known complication. In Oslo, Norway's capital city with a population of 500,000, most of these infections are treated on an out-patient basis in the surgical department at Oslo Legevakt, a publicly funded primary health care facility. During the four last months of 1998, 179 patients were admitted with skin and soft tissue infections at the injection site compared to only 46 in the same period in 1993. This suggests that the problem is increasing. In this retrospective study these populations were analysed according to their age, sex, clinical appearance, and the treatment given. In 1998, 36 patients were admitted to hospital, the rest treated on an out-patient basis. A total of 112 patients were treated with simple incision and drainage, 63 of whom were given antibiotics. 37 patients were treated with antibiotics only. There were few complications; two patients with deep venous thrombosis and one in need of skin transplantation. We saw no development of life threatening infections among our patients. The article also gives suggestions for treatment.

Primary vasculitis in a Norwegian community hospital: a retrospective study.

Primary systemic vasculitic diseases are relatively rare. Untreated, they have a high morbidity and mortality. The introduction of steroids and cytotoxic drugs has dramatically reduced the mortality. In a retrospective study in a Norwegian community hospital, which serves a county with a population of 150,426 in 1996, 68 patients were found to have a primary vasculitis, 63 of whom fulfilled the ACR 1990 criteria. Patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura aged less than 16 years and patients with Kawasaki's disease were excluded. The overall prevalence was 43.9 per 100,000 inhabitants (Churg-Strauss syndrome 1.3, hypersensitivity vasculitis 2.7, Henoch-Schönlein purpura 3.3, polyarteritis nodosa 3.3, Wegener's granulomatosis 5.3 and temporal arteritis 27.9). In most cases, disease control was achieved with corticosteroids alone, or with the addition of cytotoxic drugs. Two patients had died in the latest 5-year period but of unrelated disorders. Biopsy plays a major role in diagnosing vasculitic diseases. In our study, 62 patients had a positive biopsy supporting the diagnosis.

[The effect of muscle training program for home care employees]. / Effekten af generel muskeltraening for ansatte inden for hjemmeplejen.

To assess the results of general muscle training for home helpers and home nurses we followed 40 women who completed a six month strength training program. All participants were employees at the home care district Skovgården Hjørring. The training program consisted of exercises for all parts of the body. It was a general rehabilitation program and consisted of a teeterboard, a rubberband and a weight bag adjustable from one to six kg. The duration of the program was one hour. All participants were instructed in the training program by author Ulla Willadsen. The period of training lasted six months and was performed twice a week.

[Acute organophosphate poisoning after spraying against dog fleas]. / Akut organofosfatforgiftning efter sprøjtning mod hundelopper.

A case of moderate organophosphate intoxication in a 49 year-old male who sprayed against dog-fleas in his home is presented. The patient had symptoms of cholinergic excess, presenting as gastrointestinal hyperactivity, salivation, sweating, muscle fasciculations and confusion after in-door spraying with windows and doors kept closed. He recovered after 4 mg of atropine. S-cholinesterase was 3900 U/l (normal range 3800-10,000 U/l) measured with an activity assay, and increased to 6700 U/l the following day.

Volume-homeostatic mechanisms in humans during graded water immersion.

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether a graded increase in cardiac distension induced by graded water immersion (WI) could be related to endocrine responses and renal sodium excretion (UNaV). On 3 separate days, nine healthy males were investigated in the upright seated position before, during, and after 3 h of WI to the midchest (CI) or to the neck (NI) or during control. Central venous pressure increased twice as much during NI as during CI. UNaV increased to the same extent during NI compared with CI, whereas urine flow rate, solute-free water clearance, and osmotic excretion increased more during the 2nd h of NI than during CI. During NI, the plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) increased twice as much as during CI. The plasma concentrations of aldosterone and norepinephrine were decreased in a similar manner during NI compared with CI. In conclusion, graded cardiac distension induced by graded WI and accompanied by a graded release of ANP was not accompanied by a graded increase in UNaV. Thus either a cardiac distension pressure of approximately one-half of that during NI is enough to induce a maximum UNaV during WI or other stimuli are important. Furthermore, aldosterone and norepinephrine are probably more important mediators of the natriuresis of WI in humans than is ANP.

Self-selection among diets differing in methionine content by chickens of different lines.

Two trials were conducted to compare the ability of chickens from different genetic lines to select among diets differing in methionine. In Trial 1, chicks from White Plymouth Rock (HW) and White Leghorn (HA) lines were offered a choice of diets containing .85, .58, or .44% methionine from 1 through 7 days of age. In Trial 2, a slow-growing line of White Plymouth Rocks (LW) was used in addition to the same lines used in Trial 1. A choice of the three diets was offered from 1 through 13 and from 20 through 23 days of age. During the period from 14 through 19 days of age, all chicks were fed the .44% methionine diet. In both trials, Line HW chicks first exhibited a dietary preference at 5 days of age. Line HA chicks did not discriminate among diets in either trial when given a choice from 1 day posthatch. They did, however, exhibit a preference starting on Day 20 in Trial 2 (after being fed the deficient diet). No dietary preferences were exhibited by chicks from Line LW. Results of these trials showed that selection among diets varying in methionine content was influenced by genotype, age, nutritional state of the chick, and their interactions.

Food intake adjustments of chicks: short term reactions of genetic stocks to deficiencies in lysine, methionine or tryptophan.

1. Growth, food intake, and food preference were measured in two experimental lines (White Rocks and White Leghorns) of chickens fed diets varying in content of lysine, methionine, or tryptophan. Diet A was balanced in all amino acids, while the remaining 6 diets were moderately (approximately 30%) or slightly (approximately 15%) deficient in either lysine, methionine, or tryptophan relative to NRC recommendations for broiler diets. 2. Body weight and food utilisation efficiency of White Leghorns at 10 d of age were not affected by diet, whereas the lower concentrations of lysine and methionine depressed these traits in White Rocks. 3. Tryptophan deficiency reduced food intake of White Leghorns, but not White Rocks. 4. With choice feeding of balanced and deficient diets from day 10 to 16, preferences between the diets were minimal for White Leghorns, whereas for White Rocks there was an almost immediate preference for the balanced diet, followed by lack of preference or preference for the deficient diet. 5. Apparently for some genetic stocks there is rapid adjustment to deficiencies in these amino acids with overconsumption, followed by compensation for preference of the balanced diet. The response, however, will vary depending on the deficient amino acid.

Responses of dwarf and normal chickens to feed restriction, Eimeria tenella infection, and sheep red blood cell antigen.

Relationships among stress responses, habituation to feed restriction, resistance to Eimeria tenella, and antibody response to SRBC were studied in dwarf and normal White Plymouth Rocks. Transfer of chicks at 22 days of age from starter to developer batteries resulted in an increase within 24 h of heterophil:lymphocyte (H:L) ratios of chicks of both genotypes. Restriction of feed intake from ad libitum (AL) to 60% of ad libitum reduced body weight and increased size of the crop-esophagus. As measured by H:L ratios, the effect of adapting to the 60% feed restriction dissipated between 12 and 16 days after initiation. Release of 60% restricted chicks to 80% of ad libitum also elicited a stress response as measured by H:L. These effects were noted in both dwarf and normal chicks. Time required for chicks on restriction to consume their daily allotment was curvilinear with a plateau occurring at a smaller value for dwarf than for normal chicks. Neither feeding regimen nor genotype had an effect on antibody response to SRBC. Resistance to E. tenella was greater in normal than dwarf chicks and greater for restricted than ad libitum chicks.

Research note: resistance of chickens to an outbreak of necrotic enteritis as influenced by major histocompatibility genotype and background genome.

An outbreak of necrotic enteritis occurred in chickens that were B13B13 or B21B21 at the MHC in sublines of lines selected for high (HA) and low (LA) antibody response to sheep erythrocytes. Percentage mortality and hen-day egg production, although similar for both background genomes, were different for MHC genotypes. Mortality was 6% for B21B21 and 15% for B13B13 types. Although hen-day egg production for both types declined from about 76 to 50%, the decrease occurred earlier but recovery of survivors was faster in B13B13 than in B21B21 pullets.

Correlated responses in lines of chickens divergently selected for fifty-six-day body weight. 2. Organ growth, deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, and protein content.

Growth of organs relative to body weight and cellular protein, RNA, DNA, and cell unit size of breast muscle, liver, and small intestinal tissue were measured in females from four lines of chickens. Two lines had undergone 32 generations of divergent selection for 56-day body weight, and the other two lines were derived by sampling the first two lines at Generation 28 and relaxing selection for the next five generations. The diet used in the present experiment was the same diet under which selection was practiced (20% crude protein and 2,685 kcal of ME/kg). Comparisons at common chronological ages and a common body weight revealed that supply organ weights, especially that of the small intestine, were associated with subsequent growth of demand organs. Although the upper gastrointestinal tract was also important in this respect, it was more susceptible to influences such as feed intake. Selection for juvenile body weight resulted in correlated changes in cell size of breast muscle but not liver and small intestine. Muscle increased posthatch as cells underwent hypertrophy but liver and small intestine grew chiefly by hyperplasia.

Correlated responses in lines of chickens divergently selected for fifty-six-day body weight. 3. Digestive enzymes.

Levels of amylase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and lipase in the pancreas and small intestinal chyme were measured in females from four lines of chickens. Two of the lines had undergone 32 generations of divergent selection for 56-day body weight, and in the other two lines selection for high or low weight had been relaxed for 5 generations. The diet used in the present experiment was that under which selection had been practiced (20% crude protein and 2,685 kcal of ME/kg). Comparisons between divergently selected lines at common ages revealed higher enzyme levels for high- than low-weight lines. When comparisons were made at a common body weight (80 +/- 5 g) there were no differences between lines. These results suggested that correlated responses in feed intake were mediating the regulation of digestive enzyme levels in the pancreas and in intestinal chyme of growth-selected lines of chickens. Chicks from high-weight lines had elevated enzyme levels after a mild feed restriction compared with those provided ad libitum access to feed. It was hypothesized that hyperphagia associated with the high-weight lines in combination with a mild feed restriction and the associated meal feeding stimulated synthesis and secretion of digestive enzymes.

Predicting marital satisfaction using prepare: a replication study*.

This study clearly replicated the previous findings which demonstrated the predictive validity of PREPARE. Like the previous study, this longitudinal study was a 3-year follow-up of 179 couples who took PREPARE during their engagement. As in the initial longitudinal study, PREPARE predicted, with about 80% accuracy, couples who got divorced from those that were happily married. Also, the same linear trend in PREPARE scores was found (highest to lowest scores): happily married, unhappily married, cancelled/delayed marriage, and separated/divorced. This study further indicates the importance of the premarital period as the foundation for marriage and the ability of PREPARE to identify high-risk premarital couples who could benefit from premarital counseling. Premarital counseling could potentially help these high risk couples develop a more satisfying marriage.

A tissue-specific transcriptional enhancer is found in the body of the HLA-DR alpha gene.

We mapped cis-acting regulatory elements in the HLA-DR alpha gene, which encodes the monomorphic subunit of the HLA-DR heterodimer. Genomic fragments of HLA-DR alpha were placed 5' or 3' to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene, the transcription of which was initiated from the Herpes simplex thymidine kinase promoter. In transient expression assays, fragments from the body of the HLA-DR alpha gene were able to increase chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity in a position-, orientation-, and promoter-independent yet tissue-specific fashion. These HLA-DR alpha cis-acting regulatory elements contain previously identified DNase I-hypersensitive sites and DNA sequences homologous to those found in other eukaryotic transcriptional enhancers.

Chromatin structure of the HLA-DR alpha gene in different functional states of major histocompatibility complex class II gene expression.

We utilized DNase I hypersensitivity mapping to study chromatin structure within the HLA-DR alpha gene. We found a single DNase I-hypersensitive site coinciding with the HLA-DR alpha gene promoter in all cells studied. Moreover, in cells that constitutively express HLA-DR, two additional DNase I-hypersensitive sites were observed. These lie within the first intron of the HLA-DR alpha gene and encompass DNA sequences that share homologies with regulatory loci of the immunoglobulin and immune response genes, as well as with core enhancer consensus sequences.