Estimate of excess uranium in surface soil surrounding the Feed Materials Production Center using a requalified data base.

A conservative estimate of the excess total uranium in the top 5 cm of soil surrounding the former Feed Materials Production Center was made using a data base compiled by the International Technology Corporation in 1986, and the requalification of that data base was completed in 1988. The results indicate that within an area of 8 km2, extending 2 km both northeast and southwest of the Feed Materials Production Center, the uranium concentration is between 2 and 5 times greater than average natural background radiation levels. More than 85% of this excess uranium is deposited within 1 km of the site boundary. The presence of any excess uranium outside of this area is indistinguishable from the natural background contribution.

A conserved region in the sea urchin U1 snRNA promoter interacts with a developmentally regulated factor.

The expression of the sea urchin L. variegatus U1 snRNA gene is temporally regulated during embryogenesis. Using a microinjection assay we show that a region between 203 and 345 nts 5' of the gene is required for expression. There are four conserved regions between two sea urchin species in the 345 nts 5' to the U1 gene. One region, located at about -300, binds a protein factor which is present in blastula but not gastrula nuclei. Three other potential protein binding sites within the first 200 nts 5' to the gene have been identified using a mobility shift assay and/or DNase I footprinting. Two of these regions bind factors which are not developmentally regulated and one binds a factor which is developmentally regulated. It is likely that the factor which binds at -300 is involved in expression and developmental regulation of the sea urchin U1 snRNA gene.

Rubidium and zinc fluctuations in selected tissues during the development of the BW7756 murine hepatoma.

In separate studies, radioisotopes 65Zn and 86Rb were used to monitor trace element fluctuations from normal in C57L/J mice throughout the progression of a murine hepatoma. Amounts too small to upset normal levels were injected directly into the blood stream. After an equilibration period, the whole mouse and various resected organs and tissues were counted. Compared to normal levels, rubidium in diseased mice was lower in kidney and blood, and elevated in skin and muscle. Diseased mice showed depressed levels of zinc in skin and muscle. Large fluctuations during different stages of tumor growth were observed for various other tissues and organs of diseased mice.

A substituent constant analysis of the interaction of substituted naphthalene monoimides with DNA.

In a continuing analysis of substituent effects in intercalator-DNA interactions, an unsubstituted naphthalene monoimide, with a 3-(dimethylamino)propyl group on the imide nitrogen has been prepared along with 3- and 4-nitro- and 3- and 4-amino-substituted derivatives. These derivatives allow an evaluation of the importance of the Hammett substituent constant and of the substituent position on the binding of naphthalene monoimides to DNA. Viscosity and spectrophotometric analyses indicate that all five compounds bind to DNA by intercalation. The 4-nitro compound gives a smaller viscosity increase and binds only approximately one-third as strongly as the 3-nitro derivative. It is postulated that this difference is due to the significant angle that the 4-nitro group makes with the intercalated monoimide ring system. The 3-NO2 group can assume a coplanar configuration with the monoimide ring system, allowing more favorable interactions with DNA base pairs, larger viscosity increases, and stronger binding to DNA. The binding constants of the 3-substituted monoimides are in the order 2 greater than 4 greater than 1 and, thus, do not follow a substituent constant pattern. The Tm values from thermal melting of DNA, on the other hand, are in the order 2 greater than 1 greater than 4, suggesting that the enthalpy contributions are significantly different for the binding of the three compounds to DNA. van't Hoff plots support this finding and indicate that both enthalpy and entropy contribute significantly to the binding free energy of 1 and 2 while the binding of 4 is primarily an enthalpic process. Plots of Tm and 65 degrees C log K values as a function of substituent constant for 1, 2, and 4 are linear. CPK model building studies suggest that 4 can form a hydrogen bond with the 5' diester oxygen of the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA in an intercalation complex. This would lead to more favorable energetics of binding but a loss of mobility and/or available binding configurations with a resulting enthalpy-entropy compensation in the binding free energy of 4. This series of compounds dramatically illustrates the steric and hydrogen bonding complexity that can arise in attempts to design drugs to favorably interact with a DNA intercalation site as a potential bioreceptor.

Patient and bystander response to medical emergencies.

This study of patient and bystander responses to medical emergencies revealed serious shortcomings in the public's ability to respond appropriately to such situations. Decision delays at least as long as ambulance response delays were found to be the result of confusion regarding the seriousness of the emergency, confusion regarding the appropriate reaction to the emergency, and a reluctance to burden the rescue service unnecessarily. A significant group of high-risk patients were identified who not only reacted slowly but who bypassed the emergency ambulance service entirely. A substantial fraction of these patients have had prior contact with the local medical care system for problems related or identical to the one causing the emergency.