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Detection Of Chlamydia In The Peripheral Blood Cells Of Normal Donors Using In Vitro Culture, Immunofluorescence Microscopy And Flow Cytometry Techniques, Frances Cirino, Wilmore Webley, Corrie West, Nancy L. Croteau, Chester Andrzejewski Jr., Elizabeth S. Stuart

Wilmore C Webley

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) and Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) are medically significant infectious agents associated with various chronic human pathologies. Nevertheless, specific roles in disease progression or initiation are incompletely defined. Both pathogens infect established cell lines in vitro and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has detected Chlamydia DNA in various clinical specimens as well as in normal donor peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC). However, Chlamydia infection of other blood cell types, quantification of Chlamydia infected cells in peripheral blood and transmission of this infection in vitro have not been examined.

METHODS: Cp specific titers were assessed for sera from 459 normal human …

Interaction Of The Onset Of Spring And Elevated Atmospheric Co2 On Ragweed (Ambrosia Artemisiifolia L.) Pollen Production, Christine A. Rogers, P Wayne, E Macklin, M L. Muilenberg, C W. Wagner, P R. Epstein, F A. Bazzaz

Christine A. Rogers

Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide is responsible for climate changes that are having widespread effects on biological systems. One of the clearest changes is earlier onset of spring and lengthening of the growing season. We designed the present study to examine the interactive effects of timing of dormancy release of seeds with low and high atmospheric CO2 on biomass, reproduction, and phenology in ragweed plants (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.), which produce highly allergenic pollen. We released ragweed seeds from dormancy at three 15-day intervals and grew plants in climate-controlled glasshouses at either ambient or 700-ppm CO2 concentrations, placing open-top bags over inflorescences …

Tailor-Made Composite Functions As Tools In Model Choice: The Case Of Sigmoidal Vs. Bi-Linear Growth Profiles, Tobias I. Baskin, Winfried S. Peters

Tobias Baskin

Background Roots are the classical model system to study the organization and dynamics of organ growth zones. Profiles of the velocity of root elements relative to the apex have generally been considered to be sigmoidal. However, recent high-resolution measurements have yielded bi-linear profiles, suggesting that sigmoidal profiles may be artifacts caused by insufficient spatio-temporal resolution. The decision whether an empirical velocity profile follows a sigmoidal or bi-linear distribution has consequences for the interpretation of the underlying biological processes. However, distinguishing between sigmoidal and bi-linear curves is notoriously problematic. A mathematical function that can describe both types of curve equally well …

How Exposure To Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Outdoor Air Pollutants, And Increased Pollen Burdens Influence The Incidence Of Asthma, M I. Gilmour, M S. Jaakola, S J. London, A Nel, Christine A. Rogers

Christine A. Rogers

Asthma is a multifactorial airway disease that arises from a relatively common genetic background interphased with exposures to allergens and airborne irritants. The rapid rise in asthma over the past three decades in Western societies has been attributed to numerous diverse factors, including increased awareness of the disease, altered lifestyle and activity patterns, and ill-defined changes in environmental exposures. It is well accepted that persons with asthma are more sensitive than persons without asthma to air pollutants such as cigarette smoke, traffic emissions, and photochemical smog components. It has also been demonstrated that exposure to a mix of allergens and …