Life Sciences Commons^™

Defining Behavioral And Molecular Differences Between Summer And Migratory Monarch Butterflies, Haisun Zhu, Robert Gegear, Amy Casselman, Sriramana Kanginakudru, Steven Reppert

Robert J. Gegear

BACKGROUND: In the fall, Eastern North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) undergo a magnificent long-range migration. In contrast to spring and summer butterflies, fall migrants are juvenile hormone deficient, which leads to reproductive arrest and increased longevity. Migrants also use a time-compensated sun compass to help them navigate in the south/southwesterly direction en route for Mexico. Central issues in this area are defining the relationship between juvenile hormone status and oriented flight, critical features that differentiate summer monarchs from fall migrants, and identifying molecular correlates of behavioral state. RESULTS: Here we show that increasing juvenile hormone activity to induce summer-like …

Rna Recognition By The Caenorhabditis Elegans Oocyte Maturation Determinant Oma-1, Ebru Kaymak, Sean Ryder

Sean P. Ryder

Maternally supplied mRNAs encode proteins that pattern early embryos in many species. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a suite of RNA-binding proteins regulates expression of maternal mRNAs during oogenesis, the oocyte to embryo transition, and early embryogenesis. To understand how these RNA-binding proteins contribute to development, it is necessary to determine how they select specific mRNA targets for regulation. OMA-1 and OMA-2 are redundant proteins required for oocyte maturation--an essential part of meiosis that prepares oocytes for fertilization. Both proteins have CCCH type tandem zinc finger RNA-binding domains. Here, we define the RNA binding specificity of OMA-1 and demonstrate that …

Xk Aprosencephaly And Anencephaly In Sibs, Phillip Townes, Karen Reuter, E. Rosquete, B. Magee

B. Dale Magee

Recent studies have suggested a causal and pathogenetic relationship between holoprosencephaly and anencephaly. In support of the proposed relationship we report a sibship that includes anencephalic male twins and a female infant with a severe form of alobar holoprosencephaly, radial aplasia, and oligodactyly. The upper limb and brain malformations are considered to represent aprosencephaly syndrome. The coexistence of anencephaly and aprosencephaly within a sibship suggests that XK aprosencephaly syndrome may be an autosomal recessive disorder.

Knee Angle-Specific Emg Normalization: The Use Of Polynomial Based Emg-Angle Relationships, J Earp, R Newton, Prue Cormie, A Blazevich

Prue Cormie

The normalization of EMG signals to those recorded during a maximal voluntary contraction provides a valid construct for comparisons of relative muscle activity. However, the length dependence of muscle activation and purported, substantial, muscle translocation and changes in muscle architecture during dynamic movements presents a need for joint angle-dependent normalization processes. The purposes of the present study were to: (1) quantify variations in muscle activity across a large ROM, (2) determine the accuracy with which fitted EMG-joint angle curves accurately characterized these variations, and (3) compare peak (EMG-P) and average (EMG-A) EMG amplitudes obtained during a countermovement leg extension when …

The Capacity To Vote Of Persons With Alzheimer's Disease, Paul Appelbaum, Richard Bonnie, Jason Karlawish

Jason Karlawish

OBJECTIVE: The right to vote can be abrogated when persons become incompetent to cast a ballot. This applies particularly to people with Alzheimer's disease, who at some point will lose capacity. A 2001 federal court decision offered the first clear criteria ("Doe voting capacity standard") for determining voting competence, focused on understanding the nature and effect of voting and on the ability to choose. This article explores how persons with Alzheimer's disease perform on these criteria. METHOD: The Doe standard was operationalized in a brief questionnaire, along with measures of appreciation and reasoning about voting choices. Performance was assessed in …

Beneath The Surface: Discovering The Unvoiced Concerns Of Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Jennifer Tjia, Jane Givens, Jason Karlawish, A. Okoli-Umeweni, Frances Barg

Jason Karlawish

Emerging clinical guidelines recommend shared decision making to individualize drug regimens for older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. While the current health education campaign for diabetes in the United States recommends physician-initiated medication-related discussions about adherence and side effects, little emphasis is placed on soliciting patient concerns. This study's aim was to explore the concerns of older adults with diabetes about the complexity of their drug regimens and to determine whether they discussed medication-related concerns with their physician. Twenty-two patients with Type 2 diabetes age 65 years and older who used five or more medications were selected from an …

The Role Of Correctional Officers In Multidisciplinary Mental Health Care In Prisons, Kenneth Appelbaum, James Hickey, Ira Packer

Ira K Packer

Prisons have become the homes of thousands of inmates who have mental disorders. The stress of incarceration can cause morbidity among these individuals, resulting in more severe symptoms and more disruptive behavior. Effective treatment for such inmates often involves services provided by a multidisciplinary treatment team that includes correctional officers. Correctional officers can assist in observations and interventions, and they play a unique role on specialized housing units. Successful collaboration between correctional officers and treatment teams requires a foundation of mutual respect, shared training, and ongoing communication and cooperation. With these elements in place, correctional officers can assist the treatment …

Relationship Between Race And Ethnicity And Forensic Clinical Triage Dispositions, Debra Pinals, Ira Packer, William Fisher, Kristen Roy-Bujnowski

Ira K Packer

OBJECTIVE: Racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system have been widely reported, as have racial and ethnic disparities in diagnoses and certain aspects of clinical management. This study examined the association between race and ethnicity and dispositions for pretrial defendants who were referred for forensic mental health evaluations. METHODS: Available data were reviewed for all defendants in Massachusetts who were referred to a Massachusetts court clinic from 1994 to 2001 for a screening evaluation of their competence to stand trial, their criminal responsibility, or both. Logistic regression models were developed to assess the relationship between defendants' race and …

Use Of A State Inpatient Forensic System Under Managed Mental Health Care, William Fisher, Barbara Dickey, Sharon-Lise Normand, Ira Packer, Albert Grudzinskas, Hocine Azeni

Ira K Packer

OBJECTIVES: One of the goals of managed mental health care has been to lower the use of inpatient psychiatric treatment. In the past, interventions that have limited hospitalization for persons with severe mental illness have led to greater involvement of these individuals with the criminal justice and forensic mental health systems. The authors examined associations between Medicaid managed mental health care in Massachusetts and rates of admission to the inpatient forensic mental health service maintained by the state's mental health department. METHODS: A total of 7,996 persons who were receiving services from the department before and after the introduction of …

Another Armed Cd4(+) T Cell Ready To Battle Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Roniel Cabrera, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Short And Tall Stature In Children, Benjamin Nwosu, Mary Lee

Mary M. Lee

Children and adolescents whose heights and growth velocities deviate from the normal percentiles on standard growth charts present a special challenge to physicians. Height that is less than the 3rd percentile or greater than the 97th percentile is deemed short or tall stature, respectively. A growth velocity outside the 25th to 75th percentile range may be considered abnormal. Serial height measurements over time documented on a growth chart are key in identifying abnormal growth. Short or tall stature is usually caused by variants of a normal growth pattern, although some patients may have serious underlying pathologies. A comprehensive history and …

Developmental Expression Of A Candidate Mullerian Inhibiting Substance Type Ii Receptor, Jose Teixeira, Wei He, Paresh Shah, Nobuyuki Morikawa, Mary Lee, Elizabeth Catlin, Peter Hudson, John Wing, David Maclaughlin, Patricia Donahoe

Mary M. Lee

We have isolated a candidate Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) type II receptor complementary DNA from an embryonic rat urogenital ridge library and have studied its binding to MIS, its developmental pattern of expression and tissue distribution. By in situ hybridization with a full-length riboprobe, the receptor is expressed in the mesenchymal cells surrounding the Mullerian duct at embryonic days 14, 15, and 16 and in tubular and follicular structures of the rat fetal gonads. Expression of the messenger RNA was also seen in the granules cells and seminiferous tubules of pubertal gonads. Northern analysis revealed that the MIS type II …

Developmentally Regulated Polyadenylation Of Two Discrete Messenger Ribonucleic Acids For Mullerian Inhibiting Substance, Mary Lee, Richard Cate, Patricia Donahoe, Gerald Waneck

Mary M. Lee

Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) is a 140-kilodalton homodimeric glycoprotein that causes regression of the Mullerian ducts in male embryos, and may also have a role in both males and females in the regulation of germ cell maturation. We examined the ontogeny of MIS messenger RNA (mRNA) in rat testes from midgestation through adulthood and found two discrete MIS mRNA species that are developmentally regulated. The larger 2.0-kilobase species is abundant at embryonic day 14, then decreases in late gestation, and is barely detectable after birth. The smaller 1.8-kilobase species is first noted at embryonic day 18 and is the major …

Transient Hyperthyroidism In An Adolescent With Hydatidiform Mole, Madhusmita Misra, Lynne Levitsky, Mary Lee

Mary M. Lee

No abstract provided.

Mullerian Inhibiting Substance In Humans: Normal Levels From Infancy To Adulthood, Mary Lee, Patricia Donahoe, Tomonobu Hasegawa, Bernard Silverman, Gretchen Crist, Sharon Best, Yukihiro Hasegawa, Richard Noto, David Schoenfeld, David Maclaughlin

Mary M. Lee

Mullerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) is a gonadal hormone synthesized by Sertoli cells of the testis and granulosa cells of the ovary. To facilitate the use of MIS for the evaluation of intersex disorders and as a tumor marker in women with MIS-expressing ovarian tumors, we measured MIS in 600 serum samples from males and females. These data show that mean MIS values for males rise rapidly during the first year of life and are highest during late infancy, then gradually decline until puberty. In contrast, MIS values in females are lowest at birth and exhibit a minimal increase throughout the prepubertal …

Mullerian Inhibiting Substance In The Diagnosis And Management Of Intersex And Gonadal Abnormalities, Michael Gustafson, Mary Lee, Lara Asmundson, David Maclaughlin, Patricia Donahoe

Mary M. Lee

Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS), a gonadal hormone important in sexual differentiation, is high (10 to 70 ng/mL) in human male serum postnatally for several years before declining during the peripubertal period, but is undetectable in female serum until the onset of puberty. The sexually dimorphic secretion of MIS suggested possibilities for its use in several clinical settings. Thirty-one patients with intersex and gonadal anomalies from 17 institutions were therefore evaluated between 1989 and 1992 with an MIS enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum MIS levels correlated with the presence of testicular tissue in two patients with suspected anorchia, five patients with …

Campylobacter Meningitis In Childhood, Mary Lee, Robert Welliver, Leonard La Scolea

Mary M. Lee

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Serum Dioxin, Furan, And Pcb Concentrations Among Women From Chapaevsk, Russia, Olivier Humblet, Paige Williams, Susan Korrick, Oleg Sergeyev, Claude Emond, Linda Birnbaum, Jane Burns, Larisa Altshul, Donald Patterson, Wayman Turner, Mary Lee, Boris Revich, Russ Hauser

Mary M. Lee

Dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent and bioaccumulative toxic chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment. We assessed predictors of their serum concentrations among women living in a Russian town contaminated by past industrial activity. Blood samples from 446 mothers aged 23-52 years were collected between 2003-2005 as part of the Russian Children's Study. Serum dioxin, furan, and PCB concentrations were quantified using high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Potential determinants of exposure were collected through interviews. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify predictors of serum concentrations and toxic equivalencies (TEQs). The median total PCB concentrations and total …

Consensus Statement On The Use Of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analogs In Children, Jean-Claude Carel, Erica Eugster, Alan Rogol, Lucia Ghizzoni, Mark Palmert, Mary Lee

Mary M. Lee

OBJECTIVE: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs revolutionized the treatment of central precocious puberty. However, questions remain regarding their optimal use in central precocious puberty and other conditions. The Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society and the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology convened a consensus conference to review the clinical use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs in children and adolescents. PARTICIPANTS: When selecting the 30 participants, consideration was given to equal representation from North America (United States and Canada) and Europe, an equal male/female ratio, and a balanced spectrum of professional seniority and expertise. EVIDENCE: Preference was given to articles written in English with long-term …

The Role Of Mullerian Inhibiting Substance In The Evaluation Of Phenotypic Female Patients With Mild Degrees Of Virilization, Madhusmita Misra, David Maclaughlin, Patricia Donahoe, Mary Lee

Mary M. Lee

Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) is a sexually dimorphic gonadal hormone with proven efficacy in the evaluation of boys with cryptorchidism and children with intersex conditions. We examined the role of MIS determination in the evaluation of 65 phenotypic females with mild virilization. Among the 28 subjects with MIS values elevated above the normal female range, all had abnormal gonadal tissue: ovotestes in 11, testes in 7, dysgenetic gonads in 7, and MIS-secreting ovarian tumors in 3. Among the 37 children with serum MIS in the normal female range, 19 had detectable MIS and 18 had unmeasurable MIS. In the former …

The Influence Of Endocrine Disruptors On Pubertal Timing, Elka Jacobson-Dickman, Mary Lee

Mary M. Lee

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Overview of the effects of endocrine disruptors on pubertal timing. RECENT FINDINGS: Epidemiologic studies in humans support animal data demonstrating that exposures to endocrine-disrupting compounds have pronounced effects on pubertal timing and that the timing of endocrine-disrupting compound exposure and the specific agent causes different outcomes. Recent studies confirm subtle effects of lead, dioxins, and phytoestrogens on delaying onset of puberty and demonstrate an association of phthalates and polychlorinated biphenyls with earlier breast development and menarche, respectively. These studies, however, are complicated by mixed exposures of compounds which individually may have opposing actions on the reproductive axis. …

Alterations In The Pulsatile Mode Of Growth Hormone Release In Men And Women With Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, Christopher Asplin, Amilton Faria, Elizabeth Carlsen, Veronica Vaccaro, Richard Barr, Ali Iranmanesh, Mary Lee, Johannes Veldhuis, William Evans

Mary M. Lee

The mechanisms responsible for the elevated levels of circulating GH observed in diabetes mellitus (DM) remain incompletely defined. To assess the episodic fluctuations in serum GH as a reflection of hypothalamic-pituitary activity, we accumulated GH concentration-time series in a total of 48 adult men and women with and without insulin-dependent DM by obtaining serum samples at 10-min intervals over 24 h. Significant pulses of GH release were subsequently identified and characterized by an objective, statistically based pulse detection algorithm (Cluster) and fixed circadian (24-h) periodicities of secretory activity, resolved using Fourier expansion timeseries analysis. Compared to those in age-matched controls, …

Mullerian Inhibiting Substance As A Marker For Ovarian Sex-Cord Tumor, Michael Gustafson, Mary Lee, Robert Scully, Ashby Moncure, Toshio Hirakawa, Annekathryn Goodman, Howard Muntz, Patricia Donahoe, David Maclaughlin, Arlan Fuller

Mary M. Lee

No abstract provided.

Mullerian Inhibiting Substance Is Present In Embryonic Testes Of Dogs With Persistent Mullerian Duct Syndrome, Vicki Meyers-Wallen, Mary Lee, T. Manganaro, T. Kuroda, David Maclaughlin, Patricia Donahoe

Mary M. Lee

Mullerian Inhibiting Substance (MIS) causes regression of the Mullerian ducts during a critical period in embryonic development in male mammals. In Persistent Mullerian Duct Syndrome (PMDS), an autosomal recessive trait in humans and dogs, the Mullerian ducts fail to regress in otherwise normal males. Previously we reported that PMDS-affected dogs produce bioactive testicular MIS postnatally. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether PMDS-affected canine embryos appropriately express MIS mRNA and protein during the critical period for Mullerian duct regression. Homozygous (PMDS-affected) and normal canine embryos were removed from timed pregnancies. Gonadal sex and the degree of Mullerian …

Mis/Amh In The Assessment Of Cryptorchidism And Intersex Conditions, Mary Lee, Madhusmita Misra, Patricia Donahoe, David Maclaughlin

Mary M. Lee

Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS), also known as anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), causes Mullerian duct involution during male sexual differentiation and also has a postnatal regulatory role in the gonads. Serum MIS/AMH has a gonad specific pattern of expression and its concentrations are sexually dimorphic in children; hence measurement of serum MIS/AMH helps in the evaluation of children with gonadal disorders. In boys with cryptorchidism (non-palpable gonads), serum MIS/AMH correlates with testicular tissue. A measurable value is predictive of undescended testes while an undetectable value is highly suggestive of anorchia. In minimally virilized phenotypic females, MIS/AMH helps differentiate between gonadal and non-gonadal …

Insulin Pump Therapy In Toddlers And Preschool Children With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Jean Litton, Alan Rice, Nancy Friedman, Jon Oden, Mary Lee, Michael Freemark

Mary M. Lee

OBJECTIVE: To test whether glycemic control in young children could be achieved more effectively and safely by using continuous insulin infusions administered by insulin pumps.

STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed the effects of pump therapy in nine toddlers in whom type 1 diabetes developed between the ages of 10 and 40 months. After a mean of 13.7 months of therapy with multiple daily injections, patients were treated with insulin pumps for periods ranging from 7 to 19 months (mean, 12.7 months).

RESULTS: Before initiation of pump therapy, HbA1c levels averaged 9.5% +/- 0.4%, and patients had a mean of 0.52 episodes …

Androgen Profiles During Pubertal Leydig Cell Development In Mice, Xiufeng Wu, Ramamani Arumugam, Ningning Zhang, Mary Lee

Mary M. Lee

Postnatal Leydig cell (LC) development in mice has been assumed empirically to resemble that of rats, which have characteristic hormonal profiles at well-defined maturational stages. To characterize the changes in LC function and gene expression in mice, we examined reproductive hormone expression from birth to 180 days, and quantified in vivo and in vitro production of androgens during sexual maturation. Although the overall plasma androgen and LH profiles from birth through puberty were comparable to that of rats, the timing of developmental changes in androgen production and steroidogenic capacity of isolated LCs differed. In mice, onset of androgen biosynthetic capacity, …

Isolation Of The Rat Gene For Mullerian Inhibiting Substance, Christopher Haqq, Mary Lee, Richard Tizard, Mark Wysk, Janice Demarinis, Patricia Donahoe, Richard Cate

Mary M. Lee

Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS), a testicular glycoprotein also known as anti-Mullerian hormone, plays a key role in male sexual development by causing regression of the Mullerian duct, the anlagen of the uterus, the Fallopian tubes, and part of the vagina. MIS is also expressed in the postnatal ovary, but its precise function is still not known. We report here the complete nucleotide sequence of the rat MIS gene. Rat MIS is encoded in five exons and is synthesized as a precursor of 553 amino acids, containing a 24-amino-acid leader. Based on homology with human MIS, we predict that the rat …

Diagnostic Utility Of Mullerian Inhibiting Substance Determination In Patients With Primary And Recurrent Granulosa Cell Tumors, Andrew Lane, Mary Lee, Arlan Fuller, David Kehas, Patricia Donahoe, David Maclaughlin

Mary M. Lee

OBJECTIVES: In this study we evaluated changes in serum Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) concentration in a large number of patients with granulosa cell tumors (GCT) to determine whether MIS is elevated at the time of presentation and whether MIS is an index of successful surgical resection and management of recurrences. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed MIS levels from 17 subjects prior to tumor resection and studied serial MIS samples from 56 subjects following initial tumor resection. Clinical follow-up information was available for 36 of those with postoperative MIS values. Serum MIS was measured by an ELISA. MIS values were compared to …

Serum Adrenal Steroid Concentrations In Premature Infants, Mary Lee, Lakshmy Rajagopalan, Gregory Berg, Thomas Moshang

Mary M. Lee

To evaluate serum adrenal steroid concentrations in preterm infants, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), 17-hydroxypregnenolone, 11-deoxycortisol, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA sulfate, androstenedione, 18-hydroxycorticosterone, and aldosterone values were determined in 9 sick and 13 healthy premature infants. Serum steroid concentrations were compared to previously reported data from healthy full-term infants. 17-OHP, 11-deoxycortisol, and aldosterone values were higher in sick preterm infants than in healthy preterm infants. Compared to healthy full-term infants, the premature infants-had significantly higher 17-hydroxypregnenolone, 17-OHP, and DHEA sulfate concentrations. Cortisol values were not different between the sick and healthy preterm infants and were similar to full-term values. Aldosterone values were also …