In humans and terrestrial vertebrates, the kidney controls systemic pH in part by absorbing filtered bicarbonate in the proximal tubule via an electrogenic Na ؉ /HCO 3 ؊ cotransporter (NBCe1/SLC4A4). Recently, human genetics revealed that NBCe1 is the major renal contributor to this process. Homozygous point mutations in NBCe1 cause proximal renal tubular acidosis (pRTA), glaucoma, and cataracts (Igarashi, T., Inatomi, J., Sekine, T., Cha, S. H., Kanai, Y., Kunimi, M., Tsukamoto, K., Satoh, H., Shimadzu, M., Tozawa, F., Mori, T., Shiobara, M., Seki, G., and Endou, H. (1999) Nat. Genet. 23, 264 -266). We have identified and functionally characterized a novel, homozygous, missense mutation (S427L) in NBCe1, also resulting in pRTA and similar eye defects without mental retardation. To understand the pathophysiology of the syndrome, we expressed wild-type (WT) NBCe1 and S427L-NBCe1 in Xenopus oocytes. Function was evaluated by measuring intracellular pH (HCO 3 ؊ transport) and membrane currents using microelectrodes. HCO 3 ؊ -elicited currents for S427L were ϳ10% of WT NBCe1, and CO 2 -induced acidification was ϳ4-fold faster. Na ؉ -dependent HCO 3 ؊ transport (currents and acidification) was also ϳ10% of WT. Current-voltage (I-V) analysis reveals that S427L has no reversal potential in HCO 3 ؊ , indicating that under physiological ion gradient conditions, NaHCO 3 could not move out of cells as is needed for renal HCO 3 ؊ absorption and ocular pressure homeostasis. I-V analysis without Na ؉ further shows that the S427L-mediated NaHCO 3 efflux mode is depressed or absent. These experiments reveal that voltage-and Na ؉ -dependent transport by S427L-hkNBCe1 is unfavorably altered, thereby causing both insufficient HCO 3 ؊ absorption by the kidney (proximal RTA) and inappropriate anterior chamber fluid transport (glaucoma).

We assessed the validity and reliability of simple questions to assess outcome after stroke in a group of 60 patients. 100 consecutive patients admitted to hospital with acute stroke were prospectively studied, and survivors were randomised to follow-up either by postal questionnaire or telephone interview. The responses to the postal or telephone assessment from the 60 patients who could participate in the study were compared to the Barthel Index (BI) and Oxford Handicap Scale (OHS) obtained from a face-to-face interview by a trained nurse (who was ''blind'' to the postal or telephone responses). The response to the postal questionnaire or telephone interview item: ''In the last 2 weeks, did you require help from another person for everyday activities?'', had an accuracy of 75% in identifying patients with bad outcome (defined by a BI <20/20) and an accuracy of 83% when bad outcome was defined by an OHS category of 3,4 or 5. The answer to the item ''Do you feel that you have made a complete recovery from your stroke?'' had an accuracy of 90% when compared with an OHS category of 0 obtained at the nurse interview. The responses to the simple ''dependency'' and ''recovery'' questions obtained by postal questionnaire and telephone interview agreed well with the responses to the same questions administered by the nurse ĸ= 0.62 and 0.73, respectively). There was no difference between outcome assessed by postal or telephone methods, and no clinically important difference between self- or carer-completed questionnaires. These results suggest that very simple measures of outcome after stroke can be developed. The two simple questions were practical, valid, reliable and could be administered effectively by post or telephone, without the need for a face-to-face interview; this method would therefore be suitable for all types of very large-scale studies of outcome after stroke (e.g. randomised trials, observational studies and multicentre audits of stroke care).

A series of dimeric through octameric (1→5) amide-linked sialooligomers were prepared using solid-phase peptide methods on Rink resin with Fmoc protecting group chemistry. The oligomers were conjugated to ε-amino caproic acid in order to model membrane-bound conformations. The secondary structure of the oliogomers was probed with NH/ND exchange rates determined by NMR, and with circular dichroism. The combined structural studies show that a tetramer is required for ordered secondary structure, and that secondary structure is stabilized upon elongation to pentameric and hexameric species. Interestingly, the heptamer shows rapid NH/ND exchange rates; however, ordered secondary structure is restored in the octamer. These studies provide the first evidence that oligomers composed of constrained carbohydrate-derived amino acids form stable secondary structures in water.

Lasalocid sodium was accidentally introduced into the feed of several broiler breeder chicken farms at levels between 115 and 150 ppm. On one farm, leg weakness and ataxia were observed in a few cockerels. A reduction in egg production and a sharp decrease in fertility and hatchability were observed in all the flocks receiving the contaminated feed. Many piping chicks were unable to hatch and there was an increase in the number of weak ataxic chicks at the hatchery. Histological examination of the muscle tissues of the affected cockerels, the piping chicks unable to hatch and the one-day-old chicks with leg weakness and ataxia revealed severe muscle damage. Increasing levels of lasalocid were detected in the yolk of eggs collected from the affected flocks.

The objective of this study was to compare the nutritional performance of laying hens fed maize grain from event DP-Ø9814Ø-6 (98140; gat4621 and zm-hra genes) and processed soybean meal from soybeans containing event DP-356Ø43-5 (356043; gat4601 and gm-hra genes), individually or in combination, with the performance of hens fed diets containing nontransgenic maize and soybean meal. Healthy pullets (n = 216) placed in cages (3 hens/cage) were randomly assigned to 9 dietary treatments (8 cages/treatment): nontransgenic controls 1, 2, and 3 (comparable genetic background controls for 98140, 356043, and 98140 + 356043, respectively); reference 1, reference 2, and reference 3 (commercially available nontransgenic maize-soybean meal sources); and 98140 (test 1), 356043 (test 2), and 98140 + 356043 (test 3). The experiment was divided into three 4-wk phases (24 to 28 wk, 28 to 32 wk, and 32 to 36 wk of age), during which time hens were fed mash diets. Performance (BW, feed intake, and egg production) and egg quality data were collected. Data were analyzed using a mixed model ANOVA; differences between the control and respective test group means were considered significant at P < 0.05. Data generated from the reference groups were used only in the estimation of experimental variability and in generating the tolerance interval. Body weight and BW gain, egg production, and production efficiency for hens fed the test diets were similar to the respective values for hens fed the corresponding control diets. Haugh unit measures and egg component weights were similar between the respective test and control groups, and no differences were observed in quality grades or crack measures. All observed values of the control and test groups were within the calculated tolerance intervals. This research indicates that the performance and egg quality of hens fed diets containing 98140 maize grain, 356043 soybean meal, or a combination of the 2 was comparable with that of hens fed diets formulated with nontransgenic maize grain or soybean meal control diets with comparable genetic backgrounds.

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DP-3Ø5423-1 (305423) is a genetically modified soybean that was produced by biolistic insertion of the gm-fad2-1 gene fragment and gm-hra genes into the germline of soybean seeds. Expression of gm-fad2-1 results in greater concentrations of oleic acid (18:1) by suppressing expression of the endogenous FAD2-1 gene, which encodes an n-6 fatty acid desaturase enzyme that catalyzes desaturation of 18:1 to linoleic acid (18:2). The GM-HRA protein expressed by the gm-hra gene is a modified version of the soybean acetolactate synthase enzyme that is used as a selectable marker during transformation. A 42-d feeding trial was conducted with broiler chickens to compare the nutritional performance of 305423 soybeans with nontransgenic soybeans. Diets were prepared using processed fractions (meal, hulls, and oil) from 305423 soybean plants. For comparison, additional diets were produced with soybean fractions obtained from a nontransgenic near-isoline (control) and nontransgenic commercial Pioneer brand varieties (93B86, 93B15, and 93M40). Diets were fed to Ross x Cobb broilers (n = 120/group, 50% male and 50% female) in 3 phases. Starter, grower, and finisher diets contained 26.5, 23, and 21.5% soybean meal, respectively. Soybean hulls and oil were added at 1.0 and 0.5%, respectively, across all diets in each phase. No statistically significant differences were observed in growth performance (BW, mortality, feed efficiency), organ yield (liver and kidney), or carcass yield (breast, thigh, leg, wing, and abdominal fat) variables between broilers consuming diets prepared with isolated fractions from 305423 or near-isoline control soybean. Additionally, all performance and carcass variables from control and 305423 soybean treatment groups fell within tolerance intervals constructed for each response variable using data from broilers fed diets prepared with reference soybean fractions. Based on the results from this study, it was concluded that 305423 soybeans were nutritionally equivalent to non-transgenic control soybeans with a comparable genetic background.

An experiment using 216 Hy-Line W-36 pullets was conducted to evaluate transgenic maize grain containing the cry34Ab1 and cry35Ab1 genes from a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strain and the phosphinothricin ace-tyltransferase (pat) gene from Streptomyces viridochromogenes. Expression of the cry34Ab1 and cry35Ab1 genes confers resistance to corn rootworms, and the pat gene confers tolerance to herbicides containing glufosinate-ammonium. Pullets (20 wk of age) were placed in cage lots (3 hens/cage, 2 cages/lot) and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 corn-soybean meal dietary treatments (12 lots/treatment) formulated with the following maize grains: near-isogenic control (control), conventional maize, and transgenic test corn line 59122 containing event DAS-59122-7. Differences between 59122 and control group means were evaluated with statistical significance at P < 0.05. Body weight and gain, egg production, egg mass, and feed efficiency for hens fed the 59122 corn were not significantly different from the respective values for hens fed diets formulated with control maize grain. Egg component weights, Haugh unit measures, and egg weight class distribution were similar regardless of the corn source. This research indicates that performance of hens fed diets containing 59122 maize grain, as measured by egg production and egg quality, was similar to that of hens fed diets formulated with near-isogenic corn grain.