Comparative proteomics of Dehalococcoides spp. reveals strain-specific peptides associated with activity.

Anaerobic reductive dehalogenation by Dehalococcoides spp. is an ideal system for studying functional diversity of closely related strains of bacteria. In Dehalococcoides spp., reductive dehalogenases (RDases) are key respiratory enzymes involved in the anaerobic detoxification of halogenated compounds at contaminated sites globally. Although housekeeping genes sequenced from Dehalococcoides spp. are >85% identical at the amino acid level, different strains are capable of dehalogenating diverse ranges of compounds, depending largely on the suite of RDase genes that each strain harbors and expresses. We identified RDase proteins that corresponded to known functions in four characterized cultures and predicted functions in an uncharacterized Dehalococcoides-containing mixed culture. Homologues within RDase subclusters containing PceA, TceA, and VcrA were among the most frequently identified proteins. Several additional proteins, including a formate dehydrogenase-like protein (Fdh), had high coverage in all strains and under all growth conditions.

Transcription and mass-spectroscopic proteomic studies of electron transport oxidoreductases in Dehalococcoides ethenogenes.

Besides 19 potential reductive dehalogenase genes, the genome of Dehalococcoides ethenogenes strain 195 contains over 60 genes annotated as encoding oxidoreductases, including five hydrogenase complexes and a formate dehydrogenase (Fdh). Using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, we found that genes encoding a periplasmic Hup hydrogenase and the Fdh were the most highly expressed in batch-grown pure cultures, in which the H2 partial pressure was >0.1 atm, and in butyrate/tetrachloroethene-mixed cultures, in which H2 partial pressures were 10(-4)-10(-5) atm. Shotgun electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) tandem mass spectrometry were used to identify multiple peptides in pure culture membrane-enriched fractions matching several highly expressed respiratory enzymes, including three hydrogenases, two reductive dehalogenases, Fdh and DET1407, a 105.5-kDa protein we propose to be part of an S-layer cell wall. Both transcript and mass spectrometric approaches indicated that the putative Fdh was an important oxidoreductase in these cells; nevertheless, D. ethenogenes cultures could not use formate as an electron donor for reductive dechlorination. Analysis of the gene encoding the large subunit of Fdh indicated that while it was related to other Fdh proteins, its sequence encodes serine rather than cysteine or selenocysteine at a critical position, casting doubt on its function. Overall, genomic and proteomic approaches have provided novel insights into the metabolism of this difficult to culture organism.

Pirellula and OM43 are among the dominant lineages identified in an Oregon coast diatom bloom.

Although bacterioplankton and phytoplankton are generally perceived as closely linked in marine systems, specific interactions between discrete bacterioplankton and phytoplankton populations are largely unknown. However, measurements of bacterioplankton distributions during phytoplankton blooms may indicate specific microbial lineages that are responding to phytoplankton populations, and potentially controlling them by producing allelopathic compounds. Here we use a comprehensive molecular approach to identify, characterize and quantify bacterioplankton community responses to an Oregon coast diatom bloom. Total DAPI counts increased by nearly sevenfold in bloom samples, reaching 5.7 x 10(9) cells l(-1), and lineage-specific cell counts using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) indicated that Bacteria accounted for approximately 89% of observed increases. Several dominant members of the bacterial community present outside the bloom (SAR11 and SAR86) did not contribute significantly to observed increases in bloom samples. Clone library and FISH data indicated that uncultured planctomycetes most closely related to Pirellula, and members of the OM43 clade of beta proteobacteria, reached 0.5 x 10(8) and 1.2 x 10(8) cells l(-1), respectively, and were among the dominant lineages in bloom samples.

Prevalence of the Chloroflexi-related SAR202 bacterioplankton cluster throughout the mesopelagic zone and deep ocean.

Since their initial discovery in samples from the north Atlantic Ocean, 16S rRNA genes related to the environmental gene clone cluster known as SAR202 have been recovered from pelagic freshwater, marine sediment, soil, and deep subsurface terrestrial environments. Together, these clones form a major, monophyletic subgroup of the phylum Chloroflexi: While members of this diverse group are consistently identified in the marine environment, there are currently no cultured representatives, and very little is known about their distribution or abundance in the world's oceans. In this study, published and newly identified SAR202-related 16S rRNA gene sequences were used to further resolve the phylogeny of this cluster and to design taxon-specific oligonucleotide probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization. Direct cell counts from the Bermuda Atlantic time series study site in the north Atlantic Ocean, the Hawaii ocean time series site in the central Pacific Ocean, and along the Newport hydroline in eastern Pacific coastal waters showed that SAR202 cluster cells were most abundant below the deep chlorophyll maximum and that they persisted to 3600 m in the Atlantic Ocean and to 4000 m in the Pacific Ocean, the deepest samples used in this study. On average, members of the SAR202 group accounted for 10.2% (+/-5.7%) of all DNA-containing bacterioplankton between 500 and 4000 m.

Cultural ecology of Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) habitat management by farmers: field-boundary vegetation in lowland England.

Field-boundary structure, its use by territorial Whitethroats, and its management by farmers were investigated in southern Wiltshire using a combination of fieldwork and a questionnaire survey. Whitethroats favour wide herbaceous field boundary strips and low hedges. Long-term cultural and short-term economic interests combine to influence farmers' management decisions. Only farmers with game and conservation interests claimed to adopt field-boundary management that would benefit Whitethroats, but across all farms, intended and actual herbaceous strips were too narrow, and their management too imprecise, for Whitethroats and other wildlife. Agricultural advisors and magazines were the main influences on farmers' management decisions. Improving habitat for Whitethroats could have both agronomic and wider conservation benefits, and the provision of information that accommodates farmers' cultural and economic incentives could benefit both farmers and wildlife.

Cultural ecology of Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) habitat management by farmers: winter in farmland trees and shrubs in Senegambia.

The presence of Whitethroats and their potential invertebrate prey in farmland trees and shrubs was investigated. The management of this vegetation by farmers, and their motivation for that management, was explored using participatory techniques. Whitethroats were associated with Guiera senegalensis, the shrub species which supports most caterpillars and spiders. Farmers reported declines in trees and shrubs since the 1950s, loss of fallow areas, declines in soil fertility and crop yields, and increases in the use of fire for clearing fields. Trees are valued by people for their cultural and medicinal uses and some species used by Whitethroats and other birds have potential for restoring soil fertility, although this was not recognised by farmers. More sustainable use of savanna farmland could have both agronomic and wider conservation benefits, and the provision of information that accommodates farmers' cultural and economic incentives could benefit both farmers and wildlife.

The CFTR-mediated protein secretion defect: pharmacological correction.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mediates secretion of mucins and serous proteins. The aim was to correct pharmacologically the CFTR defect in protein secretion in airway gland cells and so to correct the viscous mucous secretions in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways and lungs. The strategies tested included direct activation of CFTR, bypass of CFTR-mediated protein secretion and movement of the mutated form of CFTR (DeltaF(508)-CFTR) to the cell membrane. Compounds related to 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), including a selective type-IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor and the adenosine receptor antagonists 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT) and 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (CPX), corrected the defective beta-adrenergic stimulation of mucin secretion in CFTR antibody-inhibited submandibular gland cells. CPT also corrected lactoferrin secretion in DeltaF(508)/DeltaF(508)-CFTR nasal gland cells. The data suggest that correction of CFTR protein secretion activity is not mediated by excessive increase in cyclic AMP, involves direct interaction with CFTR but does not require increase in CFTR Cl(-) channel activity. Regulated glycoprotein secretion was characterised in the airway gland cell line Calu-3 to investigate whether a CFTR bypass is present. Studies of DeltaF(508)-CFTR trafficking using confocal imaging showed that some DeltaF(508)-CFTR colocalised with the apical membrane protein CD59; however a large amount was mislocalised within the cell. The results showing pharmacological correction of the defective CFTR-mediated protein secretion afford promise for the development of a rational drug therapy for CF patients.

Detection of growth suppression in children during treatment with intranasal beclomethasone dipropionate.

OBJECTIVE: Intranasal beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) has generally been considered to have no systemic activity at recommended doses, but the potential for long-term effects on growth has not previously been evaluated. This study was undertaken to assess the effects of 1 year of treatment with intranasal BDP on growth in children. STUDY DESIGN: In this double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study, 100 prepubertal children 6 to 9 years old with perennial allergic rhinitis were treated with aqueous BDP 168 microg twice daily (n = 51) or placebo (n = 49) for 1 year. Subjects' baseline heights were required to be between the 5th and 95th percentile, and skeletal age as determined by left wrist radiograph was required to be within 2 years of chronological age. Washout periods for medications known to affect growth, including other forms of corticosteroids, were established, and these medications were prohibited during the study. However, short courses of oral prednisolone lasting no more than 7 days, and short courses of dermatologic corticosteroids lasting no more than 10 days, were allowed. Height was measured with a stadiometer after 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months of treatment. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis was assessed by measurements of 8 AM basal cortisol concentrations and response to. 25 mg cosyntropin stimulation. The primary safety parameter was the rate of change in standing height. Statistical analyses were based on all randomized subjects who received at least 1 dose of medication (intent-to-treat principle). The rate of change in standing height was analyzed for all subjects who entered the study and for those completing the full 12 months of treatment (n = 80). The rate of change in standing height over the 1-year study was calculated as the slope of a linear regression line fitted to each subject's height measurements over time. Because there was a statistically significant between-group difference in standing height at baseline, an analysis of covariance was performed for all analyses of standing height data. RESULTS: Of the 100 subjects enrolled, 90 completed the study. The 2 treatment groups were generally comparable at baseline; however, at baseline, mean age and mean height were significantly greater in the BDP treatment group that the in placebo treatment group. In both analyses, overall growth rate was significantly slower in BDP-treated subjects than placebo-treated subjects. The mean change in standing height after 1 year was 5.0 cm in the BDP-treated subjects compared with 5.9 cm in the placebo-treated subjects. The difference in growth rates was evident as early as the 1-month treatment visit, suggesting that the effect on growth occurred initially. The growth-suppressive effect of BDP remained consistent across all age and gender subgroups, and among subjects with and without a previous history of corticosteroid use. Use of additional exogenous corticosteroids during the study was similar in both groups and did not affect the results. Because there was a baseline imbalance in height, a supplemental analysis of the differences in prestudy growth rates was performed. This analysis found no baseline imbalance in prestudy growth rates. To determine whether the difference in growth rates during the study could be attributed to preexisting growth rates, a z score analysis was performed. The heights of both groups were normalized at baseline and at the end of the study using the US National Center for Health Statistics data for mean and standard deviations of height. This analysis confirmed that the difference in growth rates between the 2 groups was primarily attributable to the treatment rather than to any preexisting difference in growth. Additional analyses confirmed that the results were not influenced by outlier values. No significant between-group difference were found in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis assessments. No unusual adverse events were observed. (ABSTRACT

Heterogeneity studies identify a subset of sporadic colorectal cancers without evidence for chromosomal or microsatellite instability.

Two apparently independent mechanisms of instability are recognized in colorectal cancer, microsatellite instability and chromosomal instability. Evidence from colorectal cancer cell lines indicates the presence of either, or both, types of instability in the vast majority. Here, we sought to determine the prevalence of such instability in primary sporadic colorectal cancers. Microsatellite instability was established by demonstration of ovel clonal, nongerm-line alleles in at least two of four tested loci. Chromosomal abnormalities were identified by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and flow cytometric analysis of nuclear DNA content. Tumours harbouring chromosomal instability were distinguished from those with stable but aneuploid karyotypes by comparing chromosomal defects at multiple sites throughout each cancer. This analysis allowed assessment of both the number of chromosomal abnormalities and their heterogeneity throughout the tumour. The results confirm that microsatellite instability is consistently associated with multiple, repeated changes in microsatellites throughout the growth of the affected colorectal carcinomas. There were also several carcinomas in which major structural or numerical abnormalities in chromosomes had clearly continued to arise during tumour growth. However, a substantial subset of tumours showed neither microsatellite instability nor multiple, major chromosomal abnormalities. We suggest that the development of a proportion of colorectal cancers proceeds via a different pathway of carcinogenesis not associated with either of the currently recognized forms of genomic instability.

Trauma care fellowships: current status and future survival.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: To determine the current status and future direction of trauma care fellowships, a phone survey was conducted with the 45 program directors reporting information to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. RESULTS: Forty programs (89%) were operational, with 86 positions. The duration of the fellowship was 1 year for 16 (40%) and 2 or more years for 24 (60%). Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation (ACGME) (for surgical critical care) was held by 28 (70%). Mean salary was $39,600 at the first-year level. A funding shift from institutional to practice revenue sources is foreseen. Thirteen directors (32.5%) saw future recruitment potential as increasing and 11 (27.5%) saw it as decreasing. CONCLUSION: The essence, structure, and funding of trauma fellowships are changing. One-year exclusive trauma fellowships are being replaced by 1- to 2-year trauma or surgical critical care fellowships with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation increasingly seen as essential. The challenge for fellowships in an era of budgetary constraints will be to provide adequate training in the full spectrum of tramatology within a reasonable time frame supported by a predictable funding mechanism.

An evaluation of two management systems for rearing calves fed milk replacer.

In two experiments, 54 dairy calves were allotted to one of two management systems. One-half of the calves was raised under a conventional system that consisted of housing in separate calf hutches and manually feeding milk replacer twice daily until weaning at 7 to 8 wk of age. In this system, calves had ad libitum access to a starter diet. The remainder of the calves was housed in a single group pen and was fed via a computerized system that allowed controlled access to milk replacer and starter for 24 h/d. In both experiments, average daily gain and final body weight at weaning were similar between management systems. In Experiment 2, calves that were fed milk replacer via the automated system consumed more starter diet during the 2nd and 3rd wk, but consumed less starter during wk 6 and 7; however, total consumption of the starter diet prior to weaning was not different between treatments. Calves in the group pen had fewer days of medication than did those in hutches. The time needed to manage a calf in a hutch amounted to approximately 10 min per calf, but the time committed to management of a calf raised in the group pen was < 1 min/d. A 200-cow dairy herd with a 35% yearly cull rate and a mean calf mortality rate of 10% would regain costs of initial investment for the computer feeder by savings in labor within 2 to 3 yr.

Effect of chloride ion on the sedimentation volume and zeta potential of zinc insulin suspensions in neutral pH range.

When zinc insulin suspensions of different pH values were prepared in the presence of sodium chloride, an unusually high sedimentation volume was found at about pH 6.9. An experimental investigation was conducted in an effort to understand this phenomenon. The experiments involved measurements of electrophoretic mobilities to calculate zeta potentials and sedimentation volumes of zinc insulin suspensions prepared at different NaCl concentrations (0, 17, and 120 mM) and at various pH values from 5 to 8. The general trend observed was that the magnitude of the zeta potential increased with pH when it was higher than the isoelectric point of 5.3. When the sodium chloride concentration was 120 mM, a very rapid change in zeta potential was observed in the pH range of 6.6 to 7.2, with a maximum magnitude of zeta potential at about pH 6.9, the same pH that was observed to yield the largest sedimentation volume. Our experimental results indicate that the greatest adsorption of chloride ion on the zinc insulin suspension particles occurred in the same pH range, which appeared to be responsible for the rapid change of zeta potential in that pH range. The experimental data were interpreted by DLVO (Derjaguin, Landau, Vervey, and Overbeek) theory, which involves a comparison of the forces of electrostatic repulsion and of the van der Waals attraction.

The L6 muscle cell line as a tool to evaluate parenteral products for irritation.

A rat skeletal muscle cell line (L6) was evaluated for its utility in assessing cellular damage caused by parenteral administration of eight commercially available pharmaceuticals. The physical forms of the eight pharmaceuticals were diverse, including aqueous and non-aqueous suspensions and solutions. The L6 cells were exposed to therapeutic as well as diluted concentrations of methocarbamol, lorazepam, dimercaprol, phytonadione, menadiol sodium phosphate, penicillin G procaine, penicillin G benzathine, and iron dextran complex. Irritation assessment was based on the depletion of creatine phosphokinase (CK) from treated cultures versus untreated controls. The results obtained correlate well with reports of irritation and side effects noted in clinical use, and demonstrate the versatility of the model for testing suspensions and non-aqueous parenteral solutions. The L6 model is a useful tool to assist in determining the relative local irritancy of parenteral products.

Liquid chromatographic analysis of enviradene, a new antiviral agent, in plasma and its application in bioavailability studies in the dog.

A rapid and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay has been developed for the determination of enviradene, 1, at concentrations of 2-5 ng/mL in plasma. The drug was extracted from the samples using benzene. The benzene extract was evaporated and the residue dissolved in the mobile phase. The HPLC system consisted of a reversed-phase column and a 75% methanol:25% 0.2 M sodium acetate mobile phase. Either a UV detector set at 268 nm or an electrochemical (EC) detector set at a potential of +0.9 V (versus Ag/AgCl/3 M NaCl) was used to monitor the drug. A column-switching system was used to remove late-eluting plasma constituents that interfered in subsequent chromatograms. The limit of sensitivity was 2 ng/mL for the HPLC-EC procedure and 5 ng/mL for the HPLC-UV procedure. Recovery from plasma was approximately 97%; the procedure had a relative error of approximately 3% and a relative standard deviation of 4.5% over the range of 20-200 ng of 1/mL of plasma. Following intravenous administration of 1 or 2 mg/kg of 1 to dogs, the parent drug was quantitated in plasma for 24 h using this procedure. The terminal phase half-life in plasma was calculated to be 10 h. Oral administration to dogs of single 8 mg/kg doses of 1, formulated with povidone-30 or polysorbate 80 and microcrystalline cellulose, produced high and persistent plasma concentrations of drug. At doses below 2 mg/kg, plasma concentrations were found to be nonlinearly related to the amount of the dose administered. The bioavailability of the drug in dogs was found to be increased by the concomitant administration of food.

Magnetic targeting of microspheres in blood flow.

Magnetically responsive albumin microspheres can be targeted to the vasculature of specific organs, using extracorporeal magnetic sources. Experiments have been performed on targeting these microspheres to specific regions of normal and tumorous rat tails. This paper quantitatively analyzes the relationship between magnetic forces and the observed microsphere holding. The magnetic forces are determined by the magnetic responsiveness of the microspheres, and by the spatial field of the magnet; both of these are measured. The microsphere holding is defined as that fraction of the microspheres perfusing the tail which are held at a particular site; this is measured at various positions in the tail. The holding as a function of magnetic force is thereby established. To interpret the data, the dynamics of microspheres in blood flow is considered, including motion to a vessel wall, shear forces at the wall, and intersphere attraction. Overall, the method appears favorable for targeting therapeutic drugs to tumor sites in humans.

Selective targeting of magnetic albumin microspheres containing low-dose doxorubicin: total remission in Yoshida sarcoma-bearing rats.

Magnetically responsive albumin microspheres containing doxorubicin hydrochloride were selectively localized in Yoshida sarcoma tumors. Tumors were implanted subcutaneously in the tail of Holtzman rats and allowed to grow to at least 200 mm2 size before initiation of experimental treatment. Drug-bearing microspheres at a dose level of either 0.5 or 2.5 mg/kg were infused proximal to the tumor via the ventral caudal artery. A bipolar permanent magnet was placed adjacent to the tumor during the infusion to effect localization. Control animals were treated with free doxorubicin infused intra-arterially at 5.0 mg/kg or 0.5 mg/kg. In other test groups animals received placebo microspheres localized in the tumor via influence of the external magnetic field, or drug-containing microspheres were infused without utilization of the magnet to effect localization. Of the 22 animals receiving magnetically localized doxorubicin microspheres 17 had total histological remission of the tumor. The remaining animals demonstrated marked tumor regression representing as much as 500-600 mm2 decrease in tumor size. While no deaths or metastases occurred in the groups receiving localized drug, animals treated with free doxorubicin, placebo microspheres or non-localized doxorubicin microspheres exhibited a significant increase in tumor size with metastases and subsequent death in 90-100% of the animals. No significant differences were noted in tumor regression/remission data between the 0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg dose levels of magnetically localized doxorubicin spheres. These results represent a significant advance in targeted chemotherapy in that 77% of the animals in the magnetically localized doxorubicin microsphere treatment groups exhibited total remission after only one regimen of drug therapy.

Selective targeting of magnetic albumin microspheres to the Yoshida sarcoma: ultrastructural evaluation of microsphere disposition.

Magnetic albumin microspheres (1 micron average diameter) were selectively targeted to subcutaneous solid Yoshida sarcoma tumors (average size 450 mm2) in Holtzman rats. This was accomplished by placing an external magnet adjacent to the tumor while the microspheres were infused. Microspheres contained ultra-fine particles of Fe3O4 and no drug (placebo). Placebo microspheres were used due to the previously demonstrated rapid tumoricidal effect of targeted low-dose doxorubicin microspheres. Animals were killed 10 min, 60 min, 30 min, 24 hr and 72 hr after microsphere administration and tumors were examined by transmission electron microscopy to determine the in vivo disposition of the magnetically targeted microspheres. Using placebo microspheres, we have demonstrated microspheres endocytosed in endothelial cells as early as 10 min after infusion. By 30 min microspheres can be seen in the extravascular compartment, sitting adjacent to tumor cells and occasionally in tumor cells. By 24 hr the majority of microspheres have been endocytosed by tumor cells. Microspheres were still observed within tumor cells as late as 72 hr after administration. The rapid extravasation and cellular uptake of magnetically focused microspheres explains the extremely rapid tumoricidal effect previously observed when doxorubicin-containing microspheres were targeted to the tumor.