Nutritional properties ofCorynebacterium laevaniformans

The nutritional profiles ofCorynebacterium laevaniformans and the other levan synthesizing coryneform organism isolated by Henis and Aschner (1954) have been studied.C. laevaniformans required biotin, thiamine and pantothenic acid for growth while the Henis and Aschner strain required the former two vitamins only. Two of the six strains ofC. laevaniformans had, in addition, a requirement for glutamate.C. laevaniformans has been shown to be able to degrade levan in growing cultures. Some properties of a cell-free levansucrase are described.

Main chain and segmental dynamics of semi interpenetrating based on polyisoprene and poly(methyl methacrylate)

Main chain and segmental dynamics of polyisoprene (PI) and poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) chains in semi IPNs were systematically studied over a wide range of temperatures (above and below T-g of both polymers) as a function of composition, crosslink density, and molecular weight. The immiscible polymers retained most of its characteristic molecular motion; however, the semi IPN synthesis resulted in dramatic changes in the motional behavior of both polymers due to the molecular level interpenetration between two polymer chains. ESR spin probe method was found to be sensitive to the concentration changes of PMMA in semi IPNs. Low temperature spectra showed the characteristics of rigid limit spectra, and in the range of 293-373 K.complex spectra were obtained with the slow component mostly arisingout of the PMMA rich regions and fast component from the PI phase. We found that the rigid PMMA chains closely interpenetrated into thehighly mobile PI network imparts motional restriction in nearby PI chains, and the highly mobile PI chains induce some degree of flexibility in highly rigid PMMA chains. Molecular level interchain mixing was found to be more efficient at a PMMA concentration of 35 wt.%. Moreover, the strong interphase formed in the above mentionedsemi IPN contributed to the large slow component in the ESR spectra at higher temperature. The shape of the spectra along with the data obtained from the simulations of spectra was correlated to the morphology of the semi IPNs. The correlation time measurement detected the motional region associated with the glass transition of PI and PMMA, and these regions were found to follow the same pattern of shifts in a-relaxation of PI and PMMA observed in DMA analysis. Activation energies associated with the T-g regions were also calculated. T-50G was found to correlate with the T-g of PMMA, and the volume of polymer segments undergoing glass transitional motion was calculated to be 1.7 nm(3).C-13 T-1 rho measurements of PMMA carbons indicate that the molecular level interactions were strong in semi IPN irrespective of the immiscible nature of polymers. The motional characteristics of H atoms attached to carbon atoms in both polymers were analyzed using 2D WISE NMR. Main relaxations of both components shifted inward, and both SEM and TEM analysis showed the development of a nanometer sized morphology in the case of highly crosslinked semi IPN. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First simultaneous measurement of the top quark mass in the lepton+jets and dilepton channels at CDF

We present a measurement of the mass of the top quark using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9fb^-1 of ppbar collisions collected at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV with the CDF II detector at Fermilab's Tevatron. This is the first measurement of the top quark mass using top-antitop pair candidate events in the lepton + jets and dilepton decay channels simultaneously. We reconstruct two observables in each channel and use a non-parametric kernel density estimation technique to derive two-dimensional probability density functions from simulated signal and background samples. The observables are the top quark mass and the invariant mass of two jets from the W decay in the lepton + jets channel, and the top quark mass and the scalar sum of transverse energy of the event in the dilepton channel. We perform a simultaneous fit for the top quark mass and the jet energy scale, which is constrained in situ by the hadronic W boson mass. Using 332 lepton + jets candidate events and 144 dilepton candidate events, we measure the top quark mass to be mtop=171.9 +/- 1.7 (stat. + JES) +/- 1.1 (syst.) GeV/c^2 = 171.9 +/- 2.0 GeV/c^2.

Critical phenomena in the coexistence curve of the binary liquid system

The coexistence curve of the carbondisulphide-acetic anhydride system has been measured. The shape of the curve in the critical region (Xc ≈ 70.89 mole % mole % CS2 and Tc ≈ 30.56° C) is determined by the equation |X′ - X″| = Bx (1 - T/Tc)β with the critical indices β = 0.34 ± 0.01 and Bx = 1.7 ± 0.1 over a range 10-6 < (Tc - T)/Tc < 10-2. The values of β and Bx agree with those of other systems and the theoretical predictions of the Ising model.

Oral health and menopause

Hormone therapy (HT) is widely used to relieve climacteric symptoms in order to increase the well-being of the women. The benefits as well as side-effects of HT are well documented. The principal menopausal oral symptoms are dry mouth (DM) and sensation of painful mouth (PM) due to various causes. Profile studies have indicated that HT users are more health-conscious than non-users. The hypothesis of the present study was that there are differences in oral health between woman using HT and those not using HT. A questionnaire study of 3173 women of menopausal age (50-58 years old) was done to investigate the prevalence of self-assessed sensations of PM and DM. Of those women participating in the questionnaire study, a random sample of 400 (200 using, 200 not using HT) was examined clinically in a 2-year follow-up study. Oral status was recorded according to WHO methods using DMFT and CPITN indices. The saliva flows were measured, salivary total protein, albumin and immunoglobulin concentrations and selected periodontal micro-organisms were analysed, and panoramic tomography of the jaws was taken. The patients filled in a structured questionnaire on their systemic health, medication and health habits. According to our questionnaire study there was no significant difference in the occurrence of self- assessed PM or DM between the HT users and non-users. According to logistic regression analyses, climacteric complaints significantly correlated with the occurrence of PM (p=0.000) and DM (p=0.000) irrespective of the use of HT, indicating that PM and DM are associated with climacteric symptoms in general. There was no difference between the groups in DMFT index values at follow up. The number of filled teeth (FT) showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in the HT group at follow-up. Periodontitis was diagnosed in 79% of HT users at baseline and in 71% at the follow-up. The values for non-HT users were 80% vs. 76%, respectively (Ns.). The mean numbers of ≥ 6 mm deep periodontal pockets were 0.9 ± 1.7 at baseline vs. 1.1 ± 2.1 two years later in the HT group, and 1.0 ± 1.7 vs. 1.2 ± 1.9, respectively, in the non-HT group. In a large Finnish national health survey, the prevalence of peridontitis of women of this age group was lower, but the prevalence of severe periodontitis seemed to be higher than in our study. Salivary albumin, IgG and IgM concentrations decreased in the HT group during the 2-year follow up (p<0.05), possibly indicating an improvement in epithelial integrity. No difference was found in any other salivary parameters or in the prevalence of the periodontal bacteria between or within the groups. In conclusion, the present findings showed that 50 to 58 year old women living in Helsinki have fairly good oral and dental health. The occurrence of PM and DM seemed to be associated with climacteric symptoms in general, and the use of HT did not affect the oral symptoms studied.

Painehaavapotilaille tehtyjen hoitointerventioiden määrä ja tulokset HYKS:n plastiikkakirurgian klinikassa

Keräsimme ICD-10 koodilla L89 HYKS:n plastiikkakirurgian klinikassa hoidetuista 401:stä potilaasta hoitotiedot vuosilta 2000-2008. Plastiikkakirurgiseen leikkaukseen ja hoidon arvioon päätyneiden potilaiden keski-ikä oli 60,3 (18-97v.). Painehaavan riskitekijät selvitettiin. Yksittäisistä riskitekijöistä yleisimpiä olivat paraplegia ( n=77; 17% ) ja diabetes/ASO tauti ( n=53; 12 % ). Yhteensä painehaavaleikkauksia tehtiin 347 , joista revisioleikkauksia 108 ja varsinaisia sulkuleikkauksia oli 239. Keskimäärin potilaat tarvitsivat 1.7 operaatiota. Leikatuista painehaavoista gradus III- haavoja oli 35,1% ; n= 84 ja gradus IV 25,5% ; n= 61, pinta-ala haavoilla oli keskimäärin 30,5 cm2. Istuinkyhmyjen ja sacrumin painehaavat olivat potilasaineistossamme yleisiä (20% ja 27% operoiduista painehaavoista). Gradus III haavoja leikattiin keskimäärin 1,6 kertaa ja gradus IV haavoja keskimäärin 2,0 kertaa. Postoperatiivisia poliklinikkakäyntejä tarvittiin keskimäärin 2,3, gradus III painehaavapotilailla 2,0 ja gradus IV potilailla 2,6 käyntiä. Leikkausmenetelmistä eri kielekerekonstruktiot olivat selkeästi eniten käytetty leikkausmenetelmä painehaavaleikkauksissa: 58 % rekonstruktioleikkauksista suoritettiin käyttäen jonkinlaista iho- lihaskielekettä. (134 sanaa)

Second order cone programming approaches for handling missing and uncertain data

We propose a novel second order cone programming formulation for designing robust classifiers which can handle uncertainty in observations. Similar formulations are also derived for designing regression functions which are robust to uncertainties in the regression setting. The proposed formulations are independent of the underlying distribution, requiring only the existence of second order moments. These formulations are then specialized to the case of missing values in observations for both classification and regression problems. Experiments show that the proposed formulations outperform imputation.

Expression of cyclin E in endomitotic silk-gland cells from mulberry silkworm

The silk glands of mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori are endoreplicating tissues in which the genomic DNA undergoes multiple rounds of replication without mitosis and nuclear division. In the absence of normal mitotic division, the cell cycle essentially alternates between the G1 and S phases. Cyclin E is crucial for the G1/S transition in both mitotic and endoreplicating cycles. We have cloned and characterized cyclin E (cyclin box) from B. mori, which is nearly identical to the Drosophila cyclin E box except for an insertion of 21 amino acids. Two distinct cyclin E transcripts (1.7 and 2.1 kb) were detected in the silk-gland cells of B. mori and in the B. mori-derived embryonic cell line, BmN. Using anti Cyclin E antibodies two protein bands of 52 and 44 kDa were detected in silk glands and BmN cells at Comparable levels. Both BmN- and the silk-gland cells showed the presence of the interacting kinase Cdk2. Transcripts of the mitotic cyclin, cyclin B, were barely detectable in the endoreplicating silk-gland cells and amounted to only 4-7% of that seen in the mitotically dividing BmN cells. The near absence of cyclin B transcripts and the abundant expression of cyclin E in the silk glands correlate well with the alternation of only G1 and S phases without the intervening mitosis in these cells. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

An unusual C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bond mediated reversal of polypeptide chain direction in a synthetic peptide helix

An unusual C-terminal conformation has been detected in a synthetic decapeptide designed to analyze the stereochemistry of helix termination in polypeptides. The crystal structure of the decapeptide Boc-Leu-Aib-Val-Ala-Leu-Aib-Val-(D)Ala-(D)Leu-Aib-OMe reveals a helical segment spanning residues 1-7 and helix termination by formation of a Schellman motif, generated by (D)Ala(8) adopting the left-handed helical (alpha(L)) conformation. The extended conformation at (D)Leu(9) results in a compact folded structure, stabilized by a potentially strong C-H ... O hydrogen bond between Ala(4) (CH)-H-alpha and (D)Leu(9)CO. The parameters for C-H ... O interaction are Ala(4) (CH)-H-alpha .. O=C (D)Leu(9) distance 3.27 Angstrom C-alpha-H .. O angle 176 degrees, and O .. H-alpha distance 2.29 Angstrom. This structure suggests that insertion of contiguous D-residues may provide a handle for the generation of designed structures containing more than one helical segment folded in a compact manner. (C) 2000 Academic Press.

Computer simulation of protein—carbohydrate complexes: application to arabinose-binding protein and pea lectin

The CCEM method (Contact Criteria and Energy Minimisation) has been developed and applied to study protein-carbohydrate interactions. The method uses available X-ray data even on the native protein at low resolution (above 2.4 Å) to generate realistic models of a variety of proteins with various ligands.The two examples discussed in this paper are arabinose-binding protein (ABP) and pea lectin. The X-ray crystal structure data reported on ABP-β-l-arabinose complex at 2.8, 2.4 and 1.7 Å resolution differ drastically in predicting the nature of the interactions between the protein and ligand. It is shown that, using the data at 2.4 Å resolution, the CCEM method generates complexes which are as good as the higher (1.7 Å) resolution data. The CCEM method predicts some of the important hydrogen bonds between the ligand and the protein which are missing in the interpretation of the X-ray data at 2.4 Å resolution. The theoretically predicted hydrogen bonds are in good agreement with those reported at 1.7 Å resolution. Pea lectin has been solved only in the native form at 3 Å resolution. Application of the CCEM method also enables us to generate complexes of pea lectin with methyl-α-d-glucopyranoside and methyl-2,3-dimethyl-α-d-glucopyranoside which explain well the available experimental data in solution.

Photocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzenes with combustion synthesized nano-TiO2

The photocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzene and substituted nitrobenzenes under UV exposure was investigated with combustion synthesized nano-TiO2 and commercial TiO2 catalyst, Degussa P-25. The experimental data indicated that the photodegradation kinetics was first order. The photocatalytic degradation rates were considerably higher when catalyzed with combustion synthesized TiO2 compared to that of Degussa P-25. The degradation rate coefficients followed the order: 1-chloro,14-dinitrobenzene similar or equal to 4-nitrophenot > 2-nitrophenol > 1-chloro.4-nitrobenzene > 3-niti-ophenol > 2,4-dinitrophenol > 1-chloro,2-nitrobenzene > nitrobenzene > 1,3-dinitrobenzene. Plausible mechanisms and reasons for the observation of the above order are discussed.

Multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties of core-shell CoFe2O4@BaTiO3 nanocomposites

Core-shell CoFe2O4@BaTiO3 nanoparticles and nanotubes have been prepared using a combination of solution processing and high temperature calcination. Both the core-shell nanostructures exhibit magnetic and dielectric hysteresis at room temperature and magnetoelectric effect. The dielectric constant of both the nanocomposites decreases upon application of magnetic field. The core-shell nanoparticles exhibit 1.7% change in magnetocapacitance around 134 K at 1 T, while the core-shell nanotubes show a remarkable 4.5% change in magnetocapacitance around 310 K at 2 T.(C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3478231].

Preterm birth and risk factors for chronic disease : Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults

Background: The improved prognosis of early preterm birth has created a generation of surviving very low birth weight (< 1500 g, VLBW) infants whose health risks in adulthood are poorly known. Of every 1000 live-born infants in Finland, about 8 are born at VLBW. Variation in birth weight, even within the normal range, relates to considerable variation in the risk for several common adult disorders, including cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Small preterm infants frequently exhibit severe postnatal or prenatal growth retardation, or both. Much reason for concern thus exists, regarding adverse health effects in surviving small preterm infants later lives. We studied young adults, aiming at exploring whether VLBW birth and postnatal events after such a birth are associated with higher levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis. Subjects and Methods: A follow-up study for VLBW infants began in 1978; by the end of 1985, 335 VLBW survivors at Helsinki University Central Hospital participated in the follow-up. Their gestational ages ranged from 24 to 35 weeks, mean 29.2 and standard deviation 2.2 weeks. In 2004, we invited for a clinic visit 255 subjects, aged 18 to 27, who still lived in the greater Helsinki area. From the same birth hospitals, we also invited 314 term-born controls of similar age and sex. These two study groups underwent measurements of body size and composition, function of brachial arterial endothelium (flow-mediated dilatation, FMD) and carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) by ultrasound. In addition, we measured plasma lipid concentrations, ambulatory blood pressure, fasting insulin, glucose tolerance and, by dual-energy x-ray densitometry, bone-mineral density. Results: 172 control and 166 VLBW participants underwent lipid measurements and a glucose tolerance test. VLBW adults fasting insulin (adjusted for body mass index) was 12.6% (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 25.8) higher than that of the controls. The glucose and insulin concentrations 120 minutes after 75 g glucose ingestion showed similar differences (N=332) (I). VLBW adults had 3.9 mmHg (1.3 to 6.4) higher office systolic blood pressure, 3.5 mmHg (1.7 to 5.2) higher office diastolic blood pressure (I), and, when adjusted for body mass index and height, 3.1 mmHg (0.5 to 5.5) higher 24-hour mean systolic blood pressure (N=238) (II). VLBW birth was associated neither with HDL- or total cholesterol nor triglyceride concentrations (N=332) (I), nor was it associated with a low FMD or a high cIMT (N=160) (III). VLBW adults had 0.51-unit (0.28 to 0.75) lower lumbar spine Z scores and 0.56-unit (0.34 to 0.78) lower femoral neck Z scores (N=283). Adjustments for size attenuated the differences, but only partially (IV). Conclusions: These results imply that those born at VLBW, although mostly healthy as young adults, already bear several risk factors for chronic adult disease. The significantly higher fasting insulin level in adults with VLBW suggests increased insulin resistance. The higher blood pressure in young adults born at VLBW may indicate they later are at risk for hypertension, although their unaffected endothelial function may be evidence for some form of protection from cardiovascular disease. Lower bone mineral density around the age of peak bone mass may suggest increased risk for later osteoporotic fractures. Because cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are frequent, and their prevention is relatively cheap and safe, one should focus on prevention now. When initiated early, preventive measures are likely to have sufficient time to be effective in preventing or postponing the onset of chronic disease.

Preterm birth and risk factors for chronic disease : Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults

Background: The improved prognosis of early preterm birth has created a generation of surviving very low birth weight (PIENEMPI KUIN 1500 g, VLBW) infants whose health risks in adulthood are poorly known. Of every 1000 live-born infants in Finland, about 8 are born at VLBW. Variation in birth weight, even within the normal range, relates to considerable variation in the risk for several common adult disorders, including cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Small preterm infants frequently exhibit severe postnatal or prenatal growth retardation, or both. Much reason for concern thus exists, regarding adverse health effects in surviving small preterm infants later lives. We studied young adults, aiming at exploring whether VLBW birth and postnatal events after such a birth are associated with higher levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis. Subjects and Methods: A follow-up study for VLBW infants began in 1978; by the end of 1985, 335 VLBW survivors at Helsinki University Central Hospital participated in the follow-up. Their gestational ages ranged from 24 to 35 weeks, mean 29.2 and standard deviation 2.2 weeks. In 2004, we invited for a clinic visit 255 subjects, aged 18 to 27, who still lived in the greater Helsinki area. From the same birth hospitals, we also invited 314 term-born controls of similar age and sex. These two study groups underwent measurements of body size and composition, function of brachial arterial endothelium (flow-mediated dilatation, FMD) and carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) by ultrasound. In addition, we measured plasma lipid concentrations, ambulatory blood pressure, fasting insulin, glucose tolerance and, by dual-energy x-ray densitometry, bone-mineral density. Results: 172 control and 166 VLBW participants underwent lipid measurements and a glucose tolerance test. VLBW adults fasting insulin (adjusted for body mass index) was 12.6% (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 25.8) higher than that of the controls. The glucose and insulin concentrations 120 minutes after 75 g glucose ingestion showed similar differences (N=332) (I). VLBW adults had 3.9 mmHg (1.3 to 6.4) higher office systolic blood pressure, 3.5 mmHg (1.7 to 5.2) higher office diastolic blood pressure (I), and, when adjusted for body mass index and height, 3.1 mmHg (0.5 to 5.5) higher 24-hour mean systolic blood pressure (N=238) (II). VLBW birth was associated neither with HDL- or total cholesterol nor triglyceride concentrations (N=332) (I), nor was it associated with a low FMD or a high cIMT (N=160) (III). VLBW adults had 0.51-unit (0.28 to 0.75) lower lumbar spine Z scores and 0.56-unit (0.34 to 0.78) lower femoral neck Z scores (N=283). Adjustments for size attenuated the differences, but only partially (IV). Conclusions: These results imply that those born at VLBW, although mostly healthy as young adults, already bear several risk factors for chronic adult disease. The significantly higher fasting insulin level in adults with VLBW suggests increased insulin resistance. The higher blood pressure in young adults born at VLBW may indicate they later are at risk for hypertension, although their unaffected endothelial function may be evidence for some form of protection from cardiovascular disease. Lower bone mineral density around the age of peak bone mass may suggest increased risk for later osteoporotic fractures. Because cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are frequent, and their prevention is relatively cheap and safe, one should focus on prevention now. When initiated early, preventive measures are likely to have sufficient time to be effective in preventing or postponing the onset of chronic disease.

Factor V Leiden as risk factor for pregnancy complications : Epidemiological study of Finnish women

Factor V Leiden (FV Leiden) is the most common inherited thrombophilia in Caucasians increasing the risk for venous thrombosis. Its prevalence in Finland is 2-3%. FV Leiden has also been associated with several pregnancy complications. However, the importance of FV Leiden as their risk factor is unclear. The aim of the study was to assess FV Leiden as a risk factor for pregnancy complications in which prothrombotic mechanisms may play a part. Specifically, the study aimed to assess the magnitude of the risk, if any, associated with FV Leiden for pregnancy-associated venous thrombosis, pre-eclampsia, unexplained stillbirth, and preterm birth. The study was conducted as a nested case-control study within a fixed cohort of 100,000 consecutive pregnant women in Finland. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service and by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. All participants gave written informed consent. Cases and controls were identified by using national registers. The diagnoses of the 100,000 women identified from the National Register of Blood Group and Blood Group Antibodies of Pregnant Women were obtained from the National Hospital Discharge Register. Participants gave blood samples for DNA tests and filled in questionnaires. The medical records of the participants were reviewed in 49 maternity hospitals in Finland. Genotyping was performed in the Finnish Genome Center. When evaluating pregnancy-associated venous thrombosis (34 cases, 641 controls), FV Leiden was associated with 11-fold risk (OR 11.6, 95% CI 3.6-33.6). When only analyzing women with first venous thrombosis, the risk was 6-fold (OR 5.8, 95% CI 1.6-21.8). The risk was increased by common risk factors, the risk being highest in women with FV Leiden and pre-pregnancy BMI over 30 kg/m2 (75-fold), and in women with FV Leiden and age over 35 years (60-fold). When evaluating pre-eclampsia (248 cases, 679 controls), FV Leiden was associated with a trend of increased risk (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.8-3.9), but the association was not statistically significant. When evaluating unexplained stillbirth (44 cases, 776 controls), FV Leiden was associated with over 3-fold risk (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2-11.6). When evaluating preterm birth (324 cases, 752 controls), FV Leiden was associated with over 2-fold risk (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.6). FV Leiden was especially associated with late preterm birth (32-36 weeks of gestation), but not with early preterm birth (< 32 weeks of gestation). The results of this large population-based study can be generalized to Finnish women with pregnancies continuing beyond first trimester, and may be applied to Caucasian women in populations with similar prevalence of FV Leiden and high standard prenatal care.