Categorical representation of visual stimuli in the primate prefrontal cortex.

The ability to group stimuli into meaningful categories is a fundamental cognitive process. To explore its neural basis, we trained monkeys to categorize computer-generated stimuli as "cats" and "dogs." A morphing system was used to systematically vary stimulus shape and precisely define the category boundary. Neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex reflected the category of visual stimuli, even when a monkey was retrained with the stimuli assigned to new categories.

Milk immunoglobulin with specific activity against purified colonization factor antigens can protect against oral challenge with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most commonly isolated pathogen responsible for travelers' diarrhea and the cause of up to 650 million cases of pediatric diarrhea per year in the developing world. As a safe alternative to the prophylactic use of antibiotics, a hyperimmune bovine milk antibody product with specific activity against purified colonization factor antigens (CFAs) was developed and evaluated in a human challenge study. Twenty-five healthy adult volunteers were challenged orally with 10(9) cfu of a virulent CFA/I-bearing ETEC. In the randomized double-blind trial, 7 of 10 volunteers receiving a lactose-free placebo developed clinical diarrhea after challenge, compared with only 1 of 15 cases in volunteers receiving active product (Fisher's exact test, P < .0017). It is concluded that antibodies against CFAs alone are sufficient for protection and that prophylaxis with milk-derived immunoglobulin is a feasible alternative to existing drug interventions.

A paradigm for improving effectiveness and efficiency of speech-language therapy.

This paper presents a paradigm that will help speech and language therapists learn how to improve their therapy and achieve the scientific goals of intervention more effectively and efficiently. The paradigm arises from the presenters' extensive clinical experience and represents a convergence of relatively diverse models of teaching and learning. Speech and language therapy which incorporates the critical characteristics from this paradigm is more stimulating and challenging for both the client and speech and language therapist.

Two more independent selectable markers for stable transfection of Leishmania.

Genetic transformation of Leishmania has relied upon two exogenous selectable markers, neo and hyg, encoding resistance to G418 and hygromycin B respectively. There is a need for multiple independent selectable markers, since Leishmania is diploid and experimental sexual crosses are not currently feasible. Here we report on the development of two additional markers: pac, conferring resistance to the glycopeptide antibiotic puromycin, and phleo, conferring resistance to the DNA-binding drug phleomycin. We constructed a set of four analogous shuttle vectors with these four markers, using DNA segments flanking the Leishmania major H region hmtxr gene to provide information required for expression. These constructs (pHM-NEO, pHM-HYG, pHM-PAC and pHM-PHLEO) were successfully transfected into L. major, mostly with efficiencies comparable to those observed with previous DHFR-TS-based neo and hyg-containing constructs. The exception was pHM-PHLEO, which transfected 30-fold less efficiently; this may be related to the nonenzymatic mechanism of resistance encoded by phleo. All four constructs were shown to replicate extra-chromosomally. Stable transfectants bearing all paired combinations of pHM constructs were obtained by a second round of transfection. These data show that the four markers are functionally independent and in conjunction with the Leishmania N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase gene, brings the number of selectable markers available in Leishmania to five.