We have evaluated the accumulation of neutrophils in the gut and their infiltration into the intestinal extravascular spaces in rats subjected to a 25% total body surface area scald burn. The accumulation of neutrophils was assessed via measurements of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the intestinal homogenates, and the immunohistochemical localization of neutrophil NADPH oxidase component proteins (p47phox and p67phox) within the intestinal extravascular spaces determined neutrophil tissue infiltration. MPO measurements demonstrated a 12- and 21-fold increase above the control value in the intestinal tissue at day 1 and day 3 post-burn, respectively, suggesting that a substantial total tissue accumulation of neutrophils occurs in the gut after burn injury. The immunohistochemical staining procedures showed both a definitive presence of the neutrophil in the intestinal extravascular spaces and an enhanced immunore- activity in neutrophils accumulating in intestine after burn injury. There was no evidence of either the presence of neutrophils in the extravascular regions or any significant neutrophil immunoreactivity to NADPH oxidase component proteins in the intestines of sham control rats. These findings indicate that burn injury causes an enhanced migration of circulating neutrophils into the intestinal interstitial spaces and an upregulation of NADPH oxidase activity in the infiltrating neutrophils.
This paper reports on the use of business process review workshops to facilitate collaborative engagement for requirements gathering as part of a business transformation project. The workshops produced a visual output of the design of a ‘to-be’ data driven business process for application processing of international applicants in a university environment. The resulting visual artefacts defining the ‘to-be’ data driven business process would suggest that business stakeholders can contribute more to business transformation projects than they themselves may realise.
This study has shown that prevalence of dental caries in a rural section of a developing country is related to age, socioeconomic status, and specific location. Caries prevalence is also directly correlated with family consumption of sugar. No correlation could be found, however, with regard to sex. Further study should be conducted on the relationship of individual practices (sugar consumption and hygiene) to caries-prevalence. In particular, data could be collected on practices in the communities where the school surveys were conducted in order to define the factors underlying the high prevalence of caries in some and lower prevalence in the others. The fluoride levels in the drinking water and the possible effect of hypoplasia on caries-prevalence in primary teeth are topics for further research. The latter condition should be investigated to determine the cause of its high prevalence, which might be an important consideration in future dental health interventions. Dental health education should be directed as soon as possible to communities, such as those in this study, where dental caries prevalence and sugar consumption are still low. It is usually more successful to encourage the adoption of new behaviors and attitudes or redirect them in a similar direction than to ask people to give up a valued behavior. In this situation, it would be preferable to encourage continuation and effective use of traditional hygiene methods and the current low levels of sugar consumption than to wait until sugar consumption is likely to become entrenched at high levels and traditional hygiene practices abandoned.
The use of computers to distribute curricular materials has grown significantly with the advent of the Web [1–3]. Furthermore, as future clinicians, students will increasingly rely on computer medical systems for patient information and outcomes [4–6]. One consequence of network distribution of curricular materials has been the subsequent increased demand on printer resources, whether through libraries or university computer labs [7, 8], a phenomenon often referred to as the “printing problem.”
In 1993, the Web-based Loyola University Medical Education Network (LUMEN)‡ was developed to enhance the use of computer-aided instruction in the medical curriculum at the Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) and to distribute these resources freely to the health sciences community [9]. All the basic science courses at SSOM have traditionally distributed photocopy packets of course materials at the beginning of each course. In 2000, two freshman courses, “Structure of the Human Body” (SHB) and “Introduction to the Practice of Medicine” (IPM) elected to distribute course materials through the LUMEN Web server. Advantages of providing these materials through networks have been articulated [10, 11]. These included (1) enhanced availability to a wider audience of students, (2) ability to provide rapid updates, (3) inclusion of interactive materials, and (4) ability to evaluate utilization of the materials by analyzing server logs.
The present study was designed to obtain an objective, quantitative analysis of the costs associated with the transition to Web-based distribution of course materials. The study also sought to measure changes in the level of student access of the course materials.
Edited by Stephen W. Paddock, 446 pp, with illus, $99.50, Totowa, NJ, Humana Press, 1999Laser scanning confocal microscopy has become a powerful tool in cell biology because of its enhanced abilities to image fluorescent markers in both dead and living cells at high resolution in 3-dimensional data sets. The rapid pace of technological advances, particularly in computer interfaces, has brought confocal microscopy into the mainstream of biomedical research. Moreover, the user-friendliness of the newer instruments minimizes the training needed before novices can generate acceptable data from the microscope.This book, as part of the series Methods in Molecular Biology, J. M. Walker, editor aims “to take the researcher from the bench top, through the imaging process, to the journal page.” Toward that end, 24 contributions (chapters) from confocal microscopists around the world emphasize various biological applications from preparation of different tissues, to 3-dimensional analysis, to presentation of images for publication. Technical details concerning the microscope and its components were intentionally covered only superficially. The editor's decision to keep the technical jargon to a minimum makes for easy reading and will broaden the book's appeal to biologists in many different fields.The first 3 chapters provide a brief introduction to confocal imaging, some practical considerations for collecting images, and tips on the selection and use of fluorescent probes. Some highlights included a listing of Web sites for additional information, methods for testing resolution, and a fairly complete list of problems and solutions related to the use of fluorochromes, which is an area of rapid commercial development.Chapters 4 through 11 describe specific applications of confocal microscopy primarily on fixed tissues. The chapters include techniques for double and triple labeling of gene products, confocal microscopy of plant cells, yeast, sea urchin eggs, and frog embryos. The chapter on fluorescent in situ hybridization in Drosophila was particularly interesting. Each chapter followed a similar format, providing information on the equipment and reagents needed for the experiment and detailed, step-by-step instructions for preparation of the respective tissues.A similar format is adhered to in the following 8 chapters describing techniques for confocal imaging in living cells. Specific methods are described for morphogenetic cell tracing using vital dyes, imaging dynamic changes in intracellular proteins and ions (eg, Ca+2), and measuring cell volume in organ cultures by optical sectioning. Because larger explants are often used for these studies, a chapter that addresses methods for imaging thick tissues with the confocal microscope is included.The final 5 chapters deal with the parameters for obtaining measurements with the confocal microscope, information on databases for storing images, and techniques for presentation of digitized images (eg, stereoscopic presentations, morphing images).Overall, the book has much to offer biologists interested in learning about the broad applications (and limitations) of confocal microscopy. Even the experienced microscopist will find useful, practical information.
Dense‐cored vesicles (DCV) and synaptic ribbons (SR) were quantified in the pineal gland of the rat (Sprague‐Dawley) and mouse (Sasco/ ICR strain), and day/ night differences in frequency of these organelles correlated with levels of indoles determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There were significant day/night differences in levels of serotonin (5HT), 5‐hydroxyindole acetic acid (5HIAA), N‐acetyl‐5HT, and melatonin in the rat gland. Melatonin and N‐acetyl‐5HT were not detectable in the mouse gland sampled every 4 h over the light:dark cycle. The concentrations of 5HT and 5HIAA (ng/μg protein) were similar in light‐adapted rats and mice, but these indoles did not exhibit a circadian rhythm in the mouse gland. Correlative ultrastructural/biochemical results suggest that DCV do not contain physiologically important stores of 5HT since 1) the mouse gland contains the same number of DCV as the rat during the daytime, but only one‐tenth the levels of 5HT, 2) day/night 5HT levels do not vary in the mouse gland, but there is a significant nocturnal decline in DCV numbers, and 3) 5HT levels in the rat gland decline at night when DCV numbers increase. Numbers of SR were significantly elevated at night in the rat and mouse, and the frequency of this organelle was similar in both species. However, ribbon‐type SR predominated in rat pinealocytes, whereas SR in the mouse were almost exclusively spherical in shape. Day/night diffferences in SR numbers in the mouse gland suggest that cellular mechanisms regulating the frequency of this organelle do not involve factors related to indole metabolism. Because of the lack of photoperiodic effects on indole metabolism in the mouse pineal gland, this species is a potentially important model to study the functional relationship of pinealocyte organelles to cyclical changes in pineal products other than indoles (e.g., peptide/ protein factors).
The size of synaptic ribbons (SR) in photoreceptor cells of the goldfish pineal organ was quantified over 24‐h light:dark cycles of long (16:8) and short (10:14) photoperiods during summer and winter months, respectively. The amplitude of both rhythms was similar with peak values occurring toward the latter part of the photophase or early dark. When fish were entrained to the long photoperiod and exposed to continual light, SR size continued to increase during the expected dark time. The effect of extending the photoperiod into the expected dark time was diminished when fish were entrained to a short photoperiod and presented with 6 h of darkness at the end of the 24‐h period. The size increase in response to environmental lighting is believed to reflect a greater demand for either vesicle attachment sites or neurotransmitter storage sites since vesicles (neurotransmitter) have been hypothesized to accumulate in the synaptic pedicles during inhibition by light. From a comparative standpoint it is noteworthy that synaptic ribbons (vesicle‐crowned rods) in mammals react in a similar manner to both normal and experimental lighting conditions.
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