Remote-control of the enantiomeric supramolecular recognition mediated by chiral azobenzenes bound to human serum albumin.

Three novel tyrosine-conjugated azobenzene molecules were designed and their ability to target a natural chiral host matrix (human serum albumin, HSA) was investigated. We found that the interplay between the spatial configuration of the chiral substituents and the change in local symmetry resulting from the photoisomerization process strongly affects the optical activity of the bound photochromes. In particular, the different signal amplification obtained upon binding of the photoswitches to the biopolymer enables obtaining a chirooptical system tunable over a wide range of wavelengths.

Response of body size and developmental time of Tribolium castaneum to constant versus fluctuating thermal conditions.

Temperature has profound effects on biological functions at all levels of organization. In ectotherms, body size is usually negatively correlated with ambient temperature during development, a phenomenon known as The Temperature-Size Rule (TSR). However, a growing number of studies have indicated that temperature fluctuations have a large influence on life history traits and the implications of such fluctuations for the TSR are unknown. Our study investigated the effect of different constant and fluctuating temperatures on the body mass and development time of red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum Herbst, 1797); we also examined whether the sexes differed in their responses to thermal conditions. We exposed the progeny of half-sib families of a T. castaneum laboratory strain to one of four temperature regimes: constant 30°C, constant 25°C, fluctuating with a daily mean of 30°C, or fluctuating with a daily mean of 25°C. Sex-specific development time and body mass at emergence were determined. Beetles developed the fastest and had the greatest body mass upon emergence when they were exposed to a constant temperature of 30°C. This pattern was reversed when beetles experienced a constant temperature of 25°C: slowest development and lowest body mass upon emergence were observed. Fluctuations changed those effects significantly - impact of temperature on development time was smaller, while differences in body mass disappeared completely. Our results do not fit TSR predictions. Furthermore, regardless of the temperature regime, females acquired more mass, while there were no differences between sexes in development time to eclosion. This finding fails to support one of the explanations for smaller male size: that selection favors the early emergence of males. We found no evidence of genotype × environment interactions for selected set of traits.

Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor: an indicator of pneumonia severity in children.

Enhanced level of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) level has been associated with activation of the immune system. It may be a novel biomarker for pneumonia severity, yet data on this subject are limited. In the present study we seek to determine the suPAR level in hospitalized children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), its correlation with pneumonia severity, and to compare the suPAR level between pneumonia and healthy conditions. The study encompassed a total of 596 children: 447 with pneumonia and 119 healthy. suPAR was measured in 227 out of the 447 pneumonia patients and in all healthy subjects. We used clinical indicators (fever, time for defeverscence, heart and breath rate, saturation, and length of antibiotic treatment and of hospitalization) and laboratory indicators (CRP, procalcitonin, white blood cell count, and sodium) to assess the CAP severity. The finding were that the suPAR concentration in children with pneumonia was significantly higher (median 7.11 ng/mL) than in healthy individuals (4.68 ng/mL). We found a positive correlation between the suPAR and the following factors: fever, time for defeverscence, length of hospital stay, and elevated CRP and procalcitonin levels. There was a reverse correlation with sodium concentration and capillary blood saturation. Moreover, the suPAR level was significantly higher in children with a severe course of pneumonia compared with those having non-severe pneumonia (7.79 vs. 6.87 ng/mL; p = 0.006). In conclusion, suPAR elevation is observed in pneumonia and may reflect its severity.

Soluble receptor for urokinase plasminogen activator in community-acquired pneumonia in children.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading single cause of mortality in children under 5 years of age. In search of new diagnostic markers, soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) seems to offer promise as a novel clinical tool. The goal of the present study was to assess the relation between suPAR and the severity of CAP. suPAR was measured in 74 (39 males, 35 females) patients aged from 1 month to about 15 years. Correlation between the level of suPAR and inflammatory markers (white blood cell, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein-CRP, and procalcitonin-PCT) was assessed by Spearmann's rank coefficient. We found that the median suPAR level in children with pneumonia was 8.29 ng/mL (range 2.44-18.31 ng/mL). In the multivariate logit model, age and CRP level were statistically important. The older children (age above the median value) had higher suPAR (above the median value) less frequently than the younger children (OR = 0.31), whereas the children with greater CRP values (above the median value) had higher suPAR levels than the children with lower CRP concentration (under the median value) (OR = 4.54). There was also a positive correlation between suPAR and PCT levels. In conclusion, we demonstrate a positive correlation between serum suPAR and the non-specific inflammatory markers CRP and PCT in the community acquired pneumonia in children.

[Tic disorders in children and youth - part I]. / Zaburzenia tikowe u dzieci I mlodziezy--czesc I..

The authors present the latest approach to the problem of etiopathology of tic disorders: the role of neurotransmitters and dopamine as well as the role of genetic and immunological factors. They present a classification of tic disorders according to American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edn. (1944) APA Washington. A general description of the clinical picture is given. Preliminary results of own investigations are discussed. Chronic tics were diagnosed in more then 50% of children under study whereas symptoms of Tourette syndrome were observed in 25% of patients. Children under treatment demonstrated the motoric tics which appeared independently or together with vocal ones. Tics were often associated with anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorders and with school problems.

Enhanced semantic priming in thought-disordered schizophrenic patients using a word pronunciation task.

Previous research on semantic priming in schizophrenia has produced contradictory findings. For the present study, it was intended to resolve some of the ambiguities in the literature. Using a semantic priming task with word pronunciation, evidence is provided that thought-disordered schizophrenic (TD) patients exhibit significantly increased semantic priming as compared to healthy and psychiatric controls. Results suggest that enhanced semantic priming is not confined to tasks that require lexical decision. Moreover, results indicate that TD schizophrenic patients suffer from a decay of hierarchical thinking, i.e. TD schizophrenics reveal a tendency to process the less meaningful rather than the dominant aspects of external information. Priming effects for the inferior meaning of homograph words (for example, 'dance' is an inferior, and 'game' is a superior associate of the word 'ball') were significantly greater compared to healthy controls and non-TD schizophrenics. Results were not moderated by sociodemographic background variables, psychomotor slowing and psychopathological symptoms other than thought disorder.

'Hyper-priming' in thought-disordered schizophrenic patients.

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have suggested that indirect semantic priming is enhanced in thought-disordered schizophrenics. However, research on direct semantic priming has produced conflicting results. The aim of the present study was to resolve some of the ambiguities of previous findings. METHODS: For the present study, 44 schizophrenic patients were split according to the presence of associative loosening into a positive thought-disordered (TD) and non-positive thought-disordered (NTD) group. Thirty healthy subjects and 36 psychiatric patients served as controls. RESULTS: Schizophrenics displayed increased indirect semantic priming compared with psychiatric controls. When subtyping the sample, TD-patients exhibited significantly enhanced indirect semantic priming compared with healthy and psychiatric controls as well as NTD-patients. Overall slowing was found to be independent of priming effects. Medication, age and chronicity of the schizophrenic illness did not modulate priming. CONCLUSIONS: In line with Spitzer and Maher it is inferred that disinhibited semantic networks underlie formal thought disorder in schizophrenia. For future research, it would be appropriate to: employ indirect semantic priming rather than direct semantic priming conditions; and, pay more attention to potential moderators of the priming effect, most importantly, the prime display duration and the length of the stimulus onset asynchrony.

[Secular growth trends in children and youth of Warsaw in the last twenty years]. / Trend sekularny wzrastania dzieci i mlodziezy warszawskiej w ciagu ostatnich dwudziestu lat.

The aim of the study was to preliminarly evaluate the secular trend in Warsaw children and youth during the last 20 years. Mean values of body height, weight and chest circumference and weight to height percentile curves of children and youth aged I month to 18 years, examined in Department of Growth and Development of Children and Youth of the Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw in 1976-80 and 1996-99, were compared. Secular changes in body height and weight and especially in chest circumference were observed in the studied population during the last 20 years. In children and youth growth acceleration occurred, but in infants a deceleration was observed. At all ages a slight tendency toward slimness was visible. The changes in the values of anthropometric growth indices, which occurred during the last 20 years have shown that there is a need for prospective growth monitoring and upgrading of growth standards.

[The pattern of variables predicting self-reported environmental behavior]. / Prädiktormuster selbstberichteten Umweltverhaltens.

Many of the changes observed in our environment today may be traced back to human action. In addition to a descriptive elaboration of possible predictor variables, the psychological analysis of environmental behavior is directed towards the identification of key variables and the structural relationships among these and behavior. Variables that are suitable to predict environmental behavior need to be identified. In this study, 215 subjects each were drawn from an urban and a rural sample; 85 further subjects were considered to be highly environmentally engaged. Thus the total sample population for this study included 515 subjects. Scales on acquisition of information, values, locus of control, attribution of responsibility, and environmental threat were administered to all subjects. A modified version of the protection-motivation theory formulated by Gardner and Stern (1996) served as a reference model. Simultaneous regression analysis revealed that scales specifically directed to the domain of environmental behavior are well suited to explain environmental actions, especially in the subset of highly engaged persons (R2 = .58). In contrast to both other groups, the acquisition of environmentally specific information was a strong predictor in this group. On the basis of these regression analyses, it is argued that additional predictors--along with the ones used in this study--must be taken into account in groups that do not display extraordinary engagement in environmental matters.

Varicella zoster infection in the immunocompromised child.

PURPOSE: To describe varicella zoster virus infection in the immunocompromised child and provide guidelines to decrease the risk of infection and complications for these children. POPULATION: Children infected with varicella zoster virus, particularly those with a compromised immune system. CONCLUSIONS: Varicella zoster virus infection can have serious consequences for children with malignancies and infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, as well as children on chronic steroid therapy. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The advanced practice nurse often is responsible for identifying those children at increased risk for VZV infection and its complications and for planning and implementing interventions to decrease the risks to the immunocompromised child.

Streptomyces coelicolor DNA homologous with acyltransferase domains of type I polyketide synthase gene complex.

An acyltransferase-homologous DNA fragment was amplified in a PCR reaction on a cosmid DNA template from the genomic DNA library of the soil bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). The putative amino acid sequence of the fragment resembles acyl-CoA:ACP acyltransferase domains from several bacterial enzymatic complexes of polyketide synthase. There is a high similarity with acyltransferase domains from so-called type I polyketide synthases. Such synthases catalyze production of the aglycone portion of macrolides and polyethers that are important as antibiotics or immunosuppressants. The amplified fragment is considered to be a part of a larger gene complex.

End joining of genomic DNA and transgene DNA in fertilized mouse eggs.

A linear 5.2-kb HS2/beta-globin construct with an upstream KpnI terminus (4-nucleotide (nt) 3' protruding single strand, PSS) and a downstream SalI terminus (4-nt 5' PSS) was microinjected into fertilized mouse eggs. The injected DNA fragments integrated into the mouse genome primarily as a head-to-tail tandem array. Chromosome/transgene junctions were obtained from seven of eight transgenic animals. All of the junctions occurred in the proximity of a transgene KpnI end; a maximum loss of 8 nt from the transgene terminus was observed. Two of these junctions completely preserved the 4-nt KpnI 3' PSS. Transgene/transgene junctions from two animals were analyzed. SalI/KpnI junctions that completely preserved both the SalI 5' PSS and the KpnI 3' PSS were found in each animal. These are the first examples of complete nt preservation at junctions formed between a 5' PSS terminus and a 3' PSS terminus in transgenic mice. The data are consistent with the fill-in model of Thode et al. [Cell 60 (1990) 921-928] in which alignment proteins juxtapose 5' PSS and 3' PSS termini; DNA polymerase then utilizes the recessed 3'-OH of the 5' PSS terminus as a primer to synthesize DNA across the gap. This mechanism results in the formation of junctions with no loss of sequence. The results described in the present paper suggest that this mechanism may be involved in the formation of junctions in transgenic mice.

Autonomous, erythroid-specific DNase I hypersensitive site formed by human beta-globin locus control region (LCR) 5' HS 2 in transgenic mice.

The human beta-globin locus control region (LCR) is composed of four erythroid-specific, DNase I hypersensitive (HS) sites that are located 6 to 18 kb upstream of the epsilon-globin gene. The beta-globin LCR appears to have two major functions. First, the sequences "open" a chromosomal domain that includes the epsilon-, gamma-, and beta-globin genes and, second, the LCR directs high-level, erythroid-specific expression of each globin gene family member. An LCR subfragment containing only 5' HS 2 can confer these properties on a linked beta-globin gene. To determine whether 5' HS 2 can form an erythroid-specific, DNase I hypersensitive site in the absence of a linked globin gene, a 1.9-kb DNA fragment containing this site was injected into fertilized mouse eggs and DNase I hypersensitivity was analyzed in the animals that developed. In 9 of 10 transgenic mouse lines, the human 5' HS 2 fragment formed a DNase I hypersensitive site in fetal liver but not in fetal brain. These results suggest that human 5' HS 2 can function autonomously to organize an open chromatin domain specifically in erythroid cells.

[Therapeutic examination of efficiency for vaccine desensitization with grass pollen catalet]. / Badania leczniczych wlasciwosci szczepionki odczulajacej z pylku roslin Catalet.

The results of a 5-year studies on the therapeutical efficiency of Catalet--desensitization vaccine containing grass pollen antigens adsorbed on aluminium hydroxide--are discussed. Catalet vaccine is manufactured by Sera and Vaccines Works in Kraków in the doses of 25 PNU/ml, 250 PNU/ml, 2500 PNU/ml, and 10,000 PNU/ml. It was found that Catalet possesses a strong antigenic properties and enables complete or partial intensivity to grass pollens in the majority of treated patients. Therapeutical efficiency of Catalet has markedly been different than that of placebo, and had expressed fully following a two- or three-year treatment.

[Clinical significance of intense signal foci in cerebral magnetic resonance tomography in neurofibromatosis--correction of a contribution by Mautner et al]. / Klinische Bedeutung signalintenser Herde in der zerebralen Magnetresonanztomographie bei Neurofibromatose--Richtigstellungen zu einer Veröffentlichung von Mautner et al.

The brief article is to correct errors of presentation and erroneous conclusions in the referred publication. It is shown that the neuropsychological resume drawn by the authors is invalidated by statistically significant findings already presented in the two diploma theses, upon which the previous authors drew.

Human beta-globin locus control region: analysis of the 5' DNase I hypersensitive site HS 2 in transgenic mice.

The human beta-globin locus control region (LCR) is essential for high-level expression of human epsilon-, gamma-, and beta-globin genes. Developmentally stable DNase I hypersensitive sites (designated HS) mark sequences within this region that are important for LCR activity. A 1.9-kilobase (kb) fragment containing the 5' HS 2 site enhances human beta-globin gene expression 100-fold in transgenic mice and also confers position-independent expression. To further define important sequences within this region, deletion mutations of the 1.9-kb fragment were introduced upstream of the human beta-globin gene, and the constructs were tested for activity in transgenic mice. Although enhancer activity was gradually lost with deletions of both 5' and 3' sequences, a 373-base-pair (bp) fragment retained the ability to confer relative position-independent expression. Three prominent DNase I footprints were observed in this region with extracts from the human erythroleukemia cell line K-562, one of which contained duplicated binding sites for transcription factor AP-1 (activator protein 1). When the 1.9-kb fragment containing an 18-bp deletion of the AP-1 binding sites was tested in transgenic mice, enhancer activity decreased 20-fold but position-independent expression was retained.

[State-trait characteristics of various measured variables of psychophysiologic activation, cognitive performance and mood in common everyday situations]. / Zur State-Trait-Charakteristik verschiedener Messvariablen der psychophysiologischen Aktivierung, der kognitiven Leistung und der Stimmung in Alltagssituationen.

The distinction between state and trait sources of variation in psychological variables, familiar in differential psychology ever since the work of Cattell, is translated into a linear model of state-trait analysis. On the basis of this model indices of relative state- and trait variance of a measure (independent of errors of measurement) and the psychometric reliability of the same measure (independent of true state variance) can be determined. The model is applied to a larger set of data from in-field research employing 149 male high-school students (average age 17 years) from the city of Hamburg. Following a time-sampling plan of data acquisition, subjects were requested over a period of three successive weeks and on the average twelve times a day to indicate (on a portable computerized behavioral data recorder) their current mood and feeling and had to answer short psychometric tests (in-field psychometrics); in addition, two peripheral psychophysiological measures of activation (heart rate, finger temperature) were recorded. The psychophysiological measures depended on state variations to about two thirds of their true score variance, the different cognitive tests to about 50 to 80 percent of their true score variance on trait variations. Different scales for recording current mood and feeling states gave different state-trait variance percentages. The method also allows for determining intraindividual psychometric state reliability coefficients. Fields of application of the method in different areas of psychology are indicated.

Aspects of personality in patients with pituitary adenomas.

In 24 patients suffering from pituitary tumours, aspects of personality as covered by the FPI (Freiburger Personality Inventory), the Giessen test and the STAI (State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory) were investigated in order to find out changes or problems which demand special treatment. The most interesting result concerns state- and trait-anxiety scores being increased pre-surgically and normalizing to some extent after treatment. Most of the other explored aspects did not show but tendencies which demand further investigation. Relationships between hormone levels and tumour size could not be shown. As a result of this investigation, special psychological treatment should be considered in acromegaly and Cushing's disease.