Role of CD4:CD8 ratio in predicting HIV co-infection in patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis.

Because of the clinical implications of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status on treatment of tuberculosis (TB) and in view of the low percentage of patients in whom HIV testing is performed, we evaluated immunological features of 54 patients with newly diagnosed TB and its ability to predict HIV co-infection. All 54 patients had initially unknown HIV status and had no other Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) defining illnesses. Twenty-two patients were found to be HIV seropositive and 32 were seronegative. The median CD4 and CD8 counts were statistically different between the HIV seropositive and seronegative patients, however, there was overlap between the two groups. The median CD4:CD8 ratio was 0.17 in HIV seropositive patients and 1.95 in the seronegative patients and had minimal overlap (p < 0.0001). A CD4:CD8 ratio < or = 0.7 gave a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 94%, positive-predictive value of 92% and a negative-predictive value of 100% in predicting HIV co-infection. In conclusion, HIV-co-infection in patients with newly diagnosed TB could be predicted on the basis of the CD4:CD8 ratio.

Transcription initiation sites for sorghum mitochondrial atp9 are positioned immediately 3' to trnfM.

Sorghum mitochondrial atp9 is polymorphic among male-sterile cytoplasms, but each cytoplasm is characterized by a major 650 nt transcript, regardless of fertility status. The gene is positioned 323 bp 3' to trnfM. Primer extension revealed multiple atp9 5' transcript termini, distributed from +1 to +28 3' to trnfM; the termini could be labeled with polynucleotide kinase, suggesting that they result from the maturation of trnfM. Guanylyltransferase experiments, however, showed that four of the termini were capable. The juxtaposition of a putative promoter 3' to trnfM results in a unique atp9 transcript population consisting of primary and processed transcripts.

Transcript processing internal to a mitochondrial open reading frame is correlated with fertility restoration in male-sterile sorghum.

A chimeric mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) configuration of the cytoplasmic male-sterile (cms) sorghum line IS1112C includes a 321 bp open reading frame designated orf107, encoding a predicted polypeptide product of 11.85 kDa. The open reading frame, similar to several other genes associated with cms, consists of amino-terminal sequences derived from an obligate gene. Unlike other examples to date, however, the carboxy-terminal sequences are highly similar to the carboxy terminus of an open reading frame implicated in cms of rice, orf79. The amino-terminal 31 residues of orf107 are 84% similar to atp9, and the carboxy-terminal 49 residues are 57% identical and 80% similar to the carboxy terminus of orf79. Transcripts of orf107 are edited, with four C-to-U changes that alter amino acids. Sorghum lines partially or fully restored to fertility exhibit a high-efficiency internal-orf107 transcript processing activity, precluding abundant whole-length transcripts, while male-sterile lines exhibit only a trace of the activity. Previous data on the abundance of a 12kDa in organello-synthesized polypeptide in male-sterile versus male-fertile lines are correlated with differential orf107 transcript processing activity of these lines. Examinations of backcross and F2 lines suggest a gametophytic mode of restoration, and indicate that enhanced transcript processing activity is necessary, but not sufficient, to restore full fertility. These novel observations indicate that mitochondrial open reading frames associated with cms in different species can include highly similar motifs, and that fertility restoration could involve a mechanism by which synthesis of a cms-associated gene product may be precluded through internal transcript cleavage.

Microcavities (alternative approach to the treatment of early class two lesions).

Microcavities are designed to minimize the destruction of sound tooth tissue by confining the preparation to the affected area, reducing the perimeter of the restoration with the purpose of preserving the marginal ridge, maintaining the integrity of the contact area, preventing damage to the soft tissue and decreasing the possibility of micro-leakage and recurrent caries.

Visual and auditory cortical lesions following acquisition of an intensity discrimination in rats fail to disrupt cross-modal transfer.

The effect of visual or auditory decortication on cross-modal transfer of an intensity discrimination was examined in rats. Twenty animals were first trained under either visual-auditory (V-A) or auditory-visual (A-V) cross-modal transfer (CMT) in a shuttlebox using a shock avoidance pardigm. Prior to the second training session, five of the A-V animals received auditory ablations and five V-A animals received visual ablations. The other 10 animals served as controls and received sham operations. The results reveal that CMT occurred in both experimental groups following cortical ablations. It is possible that information regarding stimulus intensity was transferred from a cortical region used during the original training session to the cortex used in the second or retraining session, prior to surgery. Alternatively, it may be that some subcortical structure (e.g. the amygdala, superior colliculus, or reticular formation) may be involved in CMT of intensity.

Editing of mitochondrial atp9 transcripts from two sorghum lines.

Genomic and cDNA sequences of the ATP synthase complex subunit 9 (atp9) genes from two sorghum lines were determined. Sequences of cDNAs revealed eight C to U transcript editing events resulting in six amino acid changes and a new stop codon which eliminated 12 carboxy-terminal residues, compared to the genomic sequence. Sorghum atp9 has a unique five-residue amino-extension relative to other higher plants. The resulting predicted 79-residue gene product has a molecular weight of 8.179 kDa. The predicted phe-val-phe carboxy-terminus is identical to that from cDNA sequences of wheat, Oenothera, and petunia. Partial editing of transcripts was detected in each sorghum line.