Estimating WAIS-R IQ from the Shipley Institute of Living Scale: a replication.

Zachary, Crumpton, and Spiegel (1985) introduced a linear regression and continuous norming procedure for estimating Full Scale WAIS-R IQ from the Shipley Institute of Living Scale. The present study replicated their method with 55 adult psychiatric inpatients and day hospital patients. A high correlation (r = .85), an extremely small mean difference in IQ (.8 points), and an acceptable average absolute difference (7.6 points) were found between estimated and obtained WAIS-R. Sines and Simmons tables (1959) for Shipley estimates of WAIS IQ produced a high correlation (r = .86), but large mean and average absolute differences (13.1 and 13.6 points, respectively). The study supports use of the Zachary et al. procedure for estimating WAIS-R IQ from Shipley scores in a psychiatric population.

Amphotericin B-induced changes in renal membrane permeation: a model of nephrotoxicity.

As part of an investigation into the nephrotoxic effects of the polyene antibiotic Amphotericin B we have studied its effects on the ion permeability of purified renal brush border membrane vesicles. Membrane potentials were measured using a potential sensitive carbocyanine dye, and ion permeabilities were calculated from the constant field equation. Amphotericin B significantly altered the ionic permeability sequence of isolated membranes and caused a selectivity for increasing the permeation of anions. Permeability changes induced by 2.0 micrograms/ml Amphotericin B resulted in an estimated hyperpolarization of the membrane from -50 mV to -72 mV. In addition, the kinetic parameters of Na+ dependent transport of organic metabolites were examined. The maximum change in fluorescence was decreased significantly in the presence of Amphotericin B. These results suggest that the ionic state of the renal cell membrane is significantly altered by the presence of Amphotericin B.

Differentiating the etiology of male erectile dysfunction using the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory and self-report measures.

This study examines the effectiveness of using the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory in conjunction with self-report measures of erectile dysfunction to classify the etiology of erectile dysfunction in males. Subjects were 70 males with erectile dysfunction. The results indicate that 47% of the subjects with psychogenic etiology, 65% with mixed etiology, and 71% of the subjects with organic etiology were correctly classified. These and previous findings indicate that the MBHI is an effective method of assessing the etiology of erectile dysfunction.

Nosocomial infections.

Hospital-acquired infections cause significant morbidity, mortality and expense. Surveillance and control programs are necessary to reduce the rate of these infections. Measures to control infection include handwashing, sterilization, use of sterile disposable items, closed urinary drainage, intravenous catheter care, non-touch dressing technique, proper care of respiratory equipment and perioperative chemoprophylaxis.

Effects of lidocaine on transport properties of renal brush-border membranes.

The effect of lidocaine was examined in membrane vesicles from rabbit renal brush borders. Changes in the ionic permeability and the kinetics of Na+-dependent metabolite transport were observed at different concentrations of anesthetic. Lidocaine was found to alter the membrane permeability of all inorganic cations examined (Li+, Rb+, K+, and Na+). At low lidocaine concentrations, there was a saturable decrease in permeability, whereas at higher concentrations (greater than 0.2 mM) there was a non-saturable general increase in cation permeability. Lidocaine (1.0 mM) inhibited Na+-coupled transport of all ten substrates examined (sugars, amino acids and Krebs cycle intermediates). The affinity for the substrate decreased in the presence of the anesthetic.

Specificity of intestinal brush-border proline transport: cyanine dye studies.

The ability of rabbit jejunal brush borders to transport inhibitors of the imino carrier was investigated in membrane vesicles by measuring their ability to depolarize the membrane potential. Membrane potentials were monitored using a voltage-sensitive cyanine dye. Piperidine and pyrrolidine carboxylic acids, which are potent inhibitors of Na+-dependent proline transport (Ki less than 0.5 mM) depolarize the potential in a Na+-dependent, saturable manner indicating transport. On the other hand, N-methylated amino acids, which are fair inhibitors (Ki 2-10 mM), do not depolarize the membrane to any significant extent, but they competitively inhibit the L-proline transport signal. This indicates that these analogs are nontransported inhibitors of the imino carrier. The poor inhibitors niacin and pipolinic acid (Ki greater than 60 mM) depolarize the membrane about twice as much as proline and with low Kf values. This suggests separate carriers for these substrates.

Electrophysiology of succinate transport across rabbit renal brush border membranes.

In rabbit renal brush border membrane vesicles, the membrane potential was monitored using a voltage-sensitive optical probe (diS-C3-(5)). The ionic dependence of the electrogenic Na+/succinate co-transporter was determined in the presence of monovalent anions and mono-, di-, and trivalent cations. Na+ and La3+ were the only cations capable of supporting a succinate-dependent membrane depolarization: Li+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, NH4+, Hg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+, Sr2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Cd2+, Be2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, Mn2+ and Co2+ did not. Succinate increased the Na+ permeability of the brush border membrane in a saturable manner: saturating succinate (3 mM) concentrations increased the Na+/K+ permeability (PNa/PK) ratio from 0.6 to 2.3. In the presence of Na+, Li+ and Hg2+ inhibit the succinate potential: cis-Li+ inhibition is competitive with an apparent Ki of 2 mM, while trans-Li+ is noncompetitive; cis-Hg2+ decreased the maximal depolarization with an inhibitor constant Ki of 8 microM, and this effect was irreversible. Cations having no effect included K+, Rb+, Cs+, NH4+, Ba2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Sr2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Be2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Mn2+, and La3+. It is concluded that succinate/Na+ co-transport produces a specific increase in the Na+ conductance of renal brush borders.

Ion permeability of rabbit intestinal brush border membrane vesicles.

The ion permeability of rabbit jejunal brush border membrane vesicles was studied by measuring unidirectional fluxes with radioactive tracers and bi-ionic diffusion potentials with the potential-sensitive fluorescent dye, diS-C3-(5). Tracer measurements provide estimates of the absolute magnitudes of permeability coefficients, while fluorescence measurements provide estimates of relative and absolute ion permeabilities. The magnitudes of the permeability coefficients for Na+, K+, Rb+, and Br- were approximately 5 nanoliters/(mg protein X sec) or 10(-5) cm/sec as determined by radioactive tracer measurements. The apparent selectivity sequence, relative to Na+, as determined by bi-ionic potential measurements was: F-, isethionate, gluconate, choline (less than 0.1) less than Na+(1.0) less than Cl-(1.5) = NO-3(1.5) less than Br-(2.3) less than K+(2.4) less than Rb+(2.5) less than Cs+(2.6) less than Li+(3.9) less than NH+4(12) less than I-(40). The origin of this selectivity sequence and its relationship to the ion permeability of the brush border membrane in the intact epithelium are discussed.

Kinetics of sodium-dependent solute transport by rabbit renal and jejunal brush-border vesicles using a fluorescent dye.

The kinetics of Na-coupled solute transport by renal and jejunal brush-border vesicles in the rabbit were examined using the potential-sensitive fluorescent dye diS-C3-(5). All organic solutes known to be transported across these membranes by Na-coupled mechanisms increase the fluorescence of the dye in the presence of Na, but not K. An increase in fluorescence (delta F) corresponds to a depolarization of the electrical potential difference (5-60 mV) across the brush-border membrane in the intact cell. delta F was independent of the valency of the transported solute. The fluorescence response was saturable, and for twelve solutes the Kf, i.e. the concentration of the substrate generating 50% of the maximal response, agreed quite closely with the Kt values reported from tracer studies. For six solutes increasing the Na concentration decreased Kf, and this agrees with the effect of Na on the kinetics of succinate transport in renal vesicles. We conclude that D-glucose, neutral amino acids and imino acids are co-transported with Na across both renal and jejunal brush-border membranes, and that carboxylic acids, beta-amino acids, and dibasic amino acids are co-transported with Na across the renal, but not jejunal, membranes.

Mapping a eukaryotic promoter: a DNA sequence required for in vivo expression of adenovirus pre-early functions.

This study defines a DNA sequence upstream from the mRNA cap site required for in vivo expression of the adenovirus 2 pre-early region. The adenovirus 2 pre-early region and flanking sequences were cloned in Escherichia coli plasmid pBR322. Derivatives of the plasmid lacking portions of the upstream viral DNA sequence were constructed. An assay was devised to test the ability of these plasmid DNAs to complement an adenovirus 5 mutant with a deletion in the pre-early region. Plasmids that retained at least 38 base pairs upstream from the mRNA cap site had complementing activity similar to that of the original plasmid, which contains 229 base pairs of upstream viral sequence. However, plasmids retaining 23 or fewer base pairs of viral sequence upstream from the cap site had significantly reduced complementing activity. These results indicate that a portion of the adenovirus 2 sequence between 23 and 38 base pairs upstream from the mRNA cap site is required for expression of the pre-early region. This interval includes the Goldberg-Hogness box-like sequence T-A-T-T-T-A-T-A.

Adenovirus terminal protein protects single stranded DNA from digestion by a cellular exonuclease.

Adenovirus 5 DNA-protein complex is isolated from virions as a duplex DNA molecule covalently attached by the 5' termini of each strand to virion protein of unknown function. The DNA-protein complex can be digested with E. coli exonuclease III to generate molecules analogous to DNA replication intermediates in that they contain long single stranded regions ending in 5' termini bound to terminal protein. The infectivity of pronase digested Adenovirus 5 DNA is greatly diminished by exonuclease III digestion. However, the infectivity of the DNA-protein complex is not significantly altered when up to at least 2400 nucleotides are removed from the 3' ends of each strand. This indicates that the terminal protein protects 5' terminated single stranded regions from digestion by a cellular exonuclease. DNA-protein complex prepared from a host range mutant with a mutation mapping in the left 4% of the genome was digested with exonuclease III, hybridized to a wild type restriction fragment comprising the left 8% of the genome, and transfected into HeLa cells. Virus with wild type phenotype was recovered at high frequency.