Soil surface temperatures reveal moderation of the urban heat island effect by trees and shrubs.

Urban areas are major contributors to air pollution and climate change, causing impacts on human health that are amplified by the microclimatological effects of buildings and grey infrastructure through the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Urban greenspaces may be important in reducing surface temperature extremes, but their effects have not been investigated at a city-wide scale. Across a mid-sized UK city we buried temperature loggers at the surface of greenspace soils at 100 sites, stratified by proximity to city centre, vegetation cover and land-use. Mean daily soil surface temperature over 11 months increased by 0.6 °C over the 5 km from the city outskirts to the centre. Trees and shrubs in non-domestic greenspace reduced mean maximum daily soil surface temperatures in the summer by 5.7 °C compared to herbaceous vegetation, but tended to maintain slightly higher temperatures in winter. Trees in domestic gardens, which tend to be smaller, were less effective at reducing summer soil surface temperatures. Our findings reveal that the UHI effects soil temperatures at a city-wide scale, and that in their moderating urban soil surface temperature extremes, trees and shrubs may help to reduce the adverse impacts of urbanization on microclimate, soil processes and human health.

The legacy of nitrogen pollution in heather moorlands: ecosystem response to simulated decline in nitrogen deposition over seven years.

Eutrophication and acidification of heather moorlands by chronic atmospheric nitrogen (N) pollution, is of major concern within these internationally important ecosystems. However, in the UK and Western Europe generally emissions of NO(y) and NH(x) peaked during the 20th century. Due to the history and scale of atmospheric N pollution, the legacy of these high levels of N deposition, through accumulation in soil, may hinder or prevent ecosystem recovery. Effects of N pollution on heather moorland were investigated throughout the ecosystem including; the dominant plant species, Calluna vulgaris, the bryophyte and lichen community and the soil system using a long-term experiment simulating wet N deposition. We observed an increase in C. vulgaris height, shoot extension and canopy density, litter mineral N, total N concentration, N:P and C:N ratios in response to N addition. Bryophyte species diversity, bryophyte and lichen frequency and the frequency of two individual bryophyte species (Lophozia ventricosa and Campylopus flexuosus) were significantly reduced by N addition. We developed an N recovery experiment, using a split-plot design, on the long-term N treatment plots to investigate ecosystem response to a simulated decline in N deposition. Two years after cessation of N treatment the only ecosystem component that responded to the recovery experiment was C. vulgaris shoot extension, however after seven years of recovery there were significant declines in litter total N concentration and mineral N and an increase in litter C:N ratio. Although bryophytes and lichens form a close relationship with atmospheric N deposition these organisms did not show a significant response to the N recovery experiment, two years after cessation of N treatment. These data indicate that low nutrient ecosystems, such as moorlands, have the capacity to respond to declines in N deposition however the accumulation of pollution may hinder recovery of sensitive organisms, such as bryophytes and lichens.

Bio-indicators of nitrogen pollution in heather moorland.

Heather moorlands are internationally important ecosystems that are highly sensitive to eutrophication and acidification by reactive atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. We used a long-term experiment simulating wet-deposition of N on heather moorland to identify potential bio-indicators of N deposition. These indicators were subsequently employed in a survey covering a N deposition gradient ranging from approximately 7 to 31kg N ha(-1) yr(-1), at selected sites throughout the UK. In this regional survey litter phenol oxidase activity and bryophyte species richness were negatively associated with N deposition. Calluna vulgaris N:P ratios and litter extractable N were positively correlated with N deposition. The use of the suite of four bio-indicators has the potential to provide rapid assessment of the extent of N saturation of heather moorland sites and moorland ecosystem functioning, and has significant advantages over reliance on single measures such as soil N status or an individual bio-indicator species.

Alfven waves in the solar corona.

Alfvén waves, transverse incompressible magnetic oscillations, have been proposed as a possible mechanism to heat the Sun's corona to millions of degrees by transporting convective energy from the photosphere into the diffuse corona. We report the detection of Alfvén waves in intensity, line-of-sight velocity, and linear polarization images of the solar corona taken using the FeXIII 1074.7-nanometer coronal emission line with the Coronal Multi-Channel Polarimeter (CoMP) instrument at the National Solar Observatory, New Mexico. Ubiquitous upward propagating waves were seen, with phase speeds of 1 to 4 megameters per second and trajectories consistent with the direction of the magnetic field inferred from the linear polarization measurements. An estimate of the energy carried by the waves that we spatially resolved indicates that they are too weak to heat the solar corona; however, unresolved Alfvén waves may carry sufficient energy.

Nephrolithiasis during pregnancy secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism.

Nephrolithiasis secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism infrequently complicates pregnancy. It can cause severe maternal and fetal complications. We present a case of a pregnant woman with nephrolithiasis and primary hyperparathyroidism. We reviewed the management of nephrolithiasis due to primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy. We believe that early recognition and timely intervention can significantly reduce the incidence of complications.

YAC transgene-mediated olfactory receptor gene choice.

In the mouse, individual olfactory neurons express one of a thousand distinct olfactory receptor genes. Furthermore, only one allele of the expressed gene is transcribed. This phenomenon, random allelic inactivation, along with the observation that the olfactory receptor genes reside in large chromosomal arrays, suggests a role for long-range gene regulation in olfactory receptor gene choice. We have constructed a 300-kb yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) transgene in which a single receptor gene is marked while maintaining its coding region. This 300-kb piece of DNA functions as an independent olfactory receptor gene locus in directing olfactory receptor gene choice in both the olfactory system and the accessory olfactory system (vomeronasal organ, VNO). Furthermore, the transgene, like endogenous olfactory receptor loci, is subject to allelic inactivation.

Life-threatening hypercalcemia associated with primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy: case report and review of literature.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of life-threatening hypercalcemia attributable to primary hyperparathyroidism in a pregnant patient and discuss the management of severe hypercalcemia during pregnancy. METHODS: We describe a 28-year-old pregnant woman who had life-threatening hypercalcemia (serum calcium level of 25.8 mg/dL). Primary hyperparathyroidism was diagnosed. The patient's management and the published medical literature on primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy are reviewed. RESULTS: Our patient had the highest reported serum calcium level that we could find attributable to primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy. After initial stabilization, parathyroidectomy was successfully performed during pregnancy. To our knowledge, this is the first report in which this profound degree of hypercalcemia did not result in an adverse maternal or fetal outcome. CONCLUSION: Although uncommon, primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy may be associated with severe maternal and perinatal complications. Life-threatening hypercalcemia due to primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy can be successfully managed surgically during pregnancy, with good maternal and fetal outcome.

"A satellite primer on tuberculosis:" a collaboration in distance education.

"A Satellite Primer on Tuberculosis" was offered as a distance-based certificate course on tuberculosis (TB) fundamentals to a national audience of over 5,000 individuals. The course was a collaborative effort of a school of public health, a state health department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Instruction was provided through print-based self-study modules that were complemented by live, interactive satellite conferences. Course completers, over 70 percent of whom were nurses and employees of public health departments, scored significantly higher on a course posttest than on a pretest, and the vast majority felt the course provided valuable training.

Disconnected phonology: a linguistic analysis of phonemic jargon aphasia.

This paper reports on indications of the nature of the neurolinguistic connection between phonological and lexical components of language, based on a case of phonemic jargon aphasia. Following bihemispheric embolic infarcts, the subject presented with severe fluent aphasia, characterized by fluent strings of phonemes, with virtually no intelligible utterances. Despite nearly total jargonized output, the fundamental phonological processes of speech were largely intact. Specifically she demonstrated: (1) English phonotactics and English stress-timed rhythmic principles, (2) aspirated stops word-initially and glottalized stops word-finally, (3) utterance final declination of pitch, and (4) stressed syllable vowel lengthening. Additionally, regional-specific (Southern American English) phonological processes, including monophthongization, in-gliding, and front vowel backing, were also preserved. Overall, the investigation reveals an example of an intact phonological rule system operating on a grossly disturbed input (lexical representation).

Visualizing an olfactory sensory map.

We have developed a genetic approach to visualize axons from olfactory sensory neurons expressing a given odorant receptor, as they project to the olfactory bulb. Neurons expressing a specific receptor project to only two topographically fixed loci among the 1800 glomeruli in the mouse olfactory bulb. Our data provide direct support for a model in which a topographic map of receptor activation encodes odor quality in the olfactory bulb. Receptor swap experiments suggest that the olfactory receptor plays an instructive role in the guidance process but cannot be the sole determinant in the establishment of this map. This genetic approach may be more broadly applied to visualize the development and plasticity of projections in the mammalian nervous system.

Influence of dietary protein, fat, and fiber on growth, blood chemistry, and tumor incidences in Fischer 344 rats.

Composition of diets may influence growth, diseases, tumor rates, and responses to chemical treatment. For two years, Fischer 344 rats were fed the NIH-07 open-formula nonpurified diet (approximately 23% protein, approximately 5% fat, and approximately 3.5% fiber) and nonpurified experimental diets (NTP-90, NTP-91, and NTP-92) containing lower protein and higher fat and fiber (14.6-15.3% protein, 7.2-8.5% fat, and 9.4-14% fiber) than the NIH-07 diet. Rats were evaluated for growth patterns, survival, hematology, serum chemistry, nephropathy, and tumor incidences. Growth patterns were similar in rats fed the experimental diets and in those fed the NIH-07 diet. However, in rats fed the experimental diets, the adult body weights were significantly (6-9%) lower and the survival at 110 weeks of age was significantly higher (15-20%) than in rats fed the NIH-07 diet. Lower protein content of experimental diets decreased the severity of nephropathy. Higher fat content of experimental diets appears to have decreased the incidence or delayed the development of leukemia and associated mortality in males. Higher fiber content of experimental diets appears to have delayed the development of mammary tumors and associated mortality in females. Higher fat and/or fiber of the experimental diets decreased the incidence of pheochromocytomas in males. The lower protein and higher fat and fiber contents of the experimental diets decreased the spontaneous tumor burden in two-year studies. These studies indicate that diets for rats in long-term studies could be modified to decrease the severity of nephropathy and to decrease/delay the development of spontaneous tumors.

Influence of diagnostic radioiodines on the uptake of ablative dose of iodine-131.

The uptakes of thyroablative doses of 131I by postoperative thyroid remnants and/or thyroid carcinoma metastases following diagnostic surveys with 131I or 123I were retrospectively compared by visual inspection. Only those patients with a diagnostic scan demonstrating functioning tissue, remnant, and/or metastasis, following thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid carcinoma, were evaluated. The 131I survey group (n = 26) had received a diagnostic dose of 3 to 10 mCi of 131I. The 123I group (n = 14) had received the usual diagnostic dose of 300 microCi of 123I. The age, sex, and tumor type in the two groups were not statistically different. The uptake of the ensuing thyroablative dose of 131I appeared, by visual inspection, to be impaired in 20 of 26 patients in the 131I group and in none of the 14 patients in the 123I group (p < 0.00003). In the 131I group there was suggestion of a dose-response, that is, the higher the administered activity of 131I for the diagnostic scan, the more reduced was the subsequent apparent uptake of the thyroablative dose (p = 0.0007). Thyroid remnants or cervical lymph node metastases appeared to be affected more frequently than were the distant (pulmonary or skeletal) metastases (p = 0.004). This study suggests that iodine uptake function may be suppressed by the absorbed radiation from the 3 to 10 mCi "diagnostic" scanning dose of 131I. In this regard, 123I may be a better initial diagnostic agent to be used prior to radioablation therapy.

Influence of dietary protein concentration on severity of nephropathy in Fischer-344 (F-344/N) rats.

Nephropathy is an age-related spontaneous disease of most rat strains, and protein content of diet may affect the severity. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a 15% protein nonpurified diet on body weight and severity of nephropathy in comparison to a 23% protein NIH-07 diet. Groups of 25 male and 25 female Fischer-344 (F-344) rats, 6 wk of age, were fed the 23 or 15% protein diet ad libitum for 2 yr. Rats were weighed at 1-4-wk intervals, and mean body weights were determined. Water consumption measurements and urinalysis were done at approximately 3-mo intervals during the second year of the study. At the end of the 2-yr study, kidneys from all rats, including those that died or were euthanatized after the eightieth week of the study, were examined by light microscopy and graded for severity of nephropathy as grades 1-4 (minimal, mild, moderate, marked). Growth patterns and the maximum body weights attained by each sex fed the 23 or 15% protein diet were not significantly different. The severity of nephropathy in male rats was significantly higher when fed the 23% protein diet (2.8 moderate to marked) compared to the 15% protein diet (1.3 minimal to mild). The severity of nephropathy in female rats increased slightly when fed the 23% protein diet (1.5 minimal to mild) compared to the 15% protein diet (1.0 minimal).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humoral hypercalcemia in seminomas.

Seminomas are germ cell tumors that are rarely associated with hypercalcemia. In this report, four cases of seminoma with concomitant hypercalcemia are presented and another three from the literature are reviewed. All seven patients exhibited hypercalcemia with a normal serum concentration of inorganic phosphorus and no evidence of skeletal metastases. The peripheral venous level of parathyroid hormone (PTH) was normal in four of the five patients in whom it was measured. The serum concentration of calcitriol was elevated in the two patients in whom it was measured. After systemic chemotherapy, the serum "corrected" total calcium concentration returned to normal and remained normal; the decrease in the levels temporally paralleled the decrease in tumor volume. Both patients with elevated calcitriol levels remained eucalcemic after treatment of the malignancy, suggesting that the increased serum calcitriol level was linked to the development of hypercalcemia as this humoral agent was inappropriately elevated by patients with this syndrome. In contrast to many forms of malignancy, the development of hypercalcemia did not adversely affect the prognosis of the patients with seminoma, since all seven patients entered complete remission. Hypercalcemia appears to be heretofore unrecognized paraneoplastic syndrome associated with seminoma.

Inactivation of rabbit muscle creatine kinase by hydrogen peroxide.

The effects of xanthine + xanthine oxidase-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) on rabbit muscle creatine kinase (CK) were studied. Xanthine (0.1 mM) + xanthine oxidase (30 mU/ml) inhibited activity of rabbit muscle CK (1.2 mU/ml). Catalase (100 U/ml), but not SOD (100 Uml), deferoxamine (100 microM) or mannitol (20 mM), protected CK from inactivation; suggesting that H2O2 was responsible for inactivation. These results were different from previously reported findings on bovine heart CK that superoxide radicals inactivate the enzyme. Thus, enzymes with homologous structures may have different reactivities to different ROS. H2O2-induced inactivation of rabbit muscle CK was accompanied by a decrease in its thiol group content, whereas no significant changes in the protein structure were detected by SDS-PAGE or carbonyl content. These results suggest that oxidation of -SH groups by H2O2 seems to be a major mechanism of activation of rabbit muscle CK by xanthine + xanthine oxidase. Such inactivation of CK by H2O2 may be important in ROS-induced pathology.

Monoclonal antibodies to periodontal ligament cells.

Ten mouse monoclonal antibodies were prepared against cultured bovine periodontal ligament cells to be used as reagents for the study of periodontal disease and wound healing. Using standard immunohistochemical methods, these antibodies were found to recognize cell surface antigens in formalin-fixed bovine periodontium. Three of the 10 monoclonal antibodies (i.e., PDL-1, PDL-2, and PDL-10) cross-reacted with cells found in primate periodontium. While the isolated monoclonal antibodies appeared to distinguish subpopulations of cells located in the supporting tissues of teeth, immunohistological examination of other organs (dermis, kidney, skeletal muscle, thyroid, and parotid gland) indicated that a number of cell types of mesenchymal origin share an antigen(s) found on periodontal cells. The monoclonal antibodies described in this report should prove to be useful in studies of periodontal disease and guided tissue regeneration by providing both analytical reagents and immunochemical methods for isolating selected cell populations of the periodontium.

Tissue reaction to an implantable identification device in mice.

Long-term toxicity and carcinogenicity studies require positive identification of animals. Due to the unreliability of traditional methods, it was necessary to investigate more dependable identification methods that can be read directly or by electronic means. A two-year study to determine the stability of and tissue reaction to a microchip glass-sealed device implanted in subcutaneous tissue of mice was conducted. Seventy B6C3F1 mice of each sex were anesthetized and implanted with the microchip. The devices were read by an electronic detector and palpated at periodic intervals. Ten mice of each sex were necropsied at 3 months and at 15 months with the remaining animals necropsied at 24 months. Of the 140 devices implanted, 3 were lost and 4 failed during the 24-month study. Devices were palpable and appeared to be fixed at one location with no obvious swelling due to inflammation or palpable masses around the implants for 24 months. At the 3, 15, and 24 month necropsies, implants were encapsulated by connective tissue. Light microscopic evaluation indicated that the capsule around the implants was thin and composed of fibrocytes and mature collagen fibers, with minimal to mild inflammation and occasional granulomatous reaction. Neoplastic changes were not observed in the tissue around the glass-sealed devices with polypropylene cap for up to 24 months.