Modeling forest management effects on water and sediment yield from nested, paired watersheds in the interior Pacific Northwest, USA using WEPP.

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was applied to seven paired, nested watersheds within the Mica Creek Experimental Watershed located in northern Idaho, USA. The goal was to evaluate the ability of WEPP to simulate the direct and cumulative effects of clear-cutting and partial-cutting (50% canopy removal) on water and sediment yield. WEPP was modified to better represent changes in the Leaf Area Index during post-harvest forest vegetative recovery. Good agreement between simulated and observed streamflow was achieved with minimal to no calibration over a 16-year (1992-2007) period. For the seven watersheds and the entire study period, the overall Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), Kling-Gupta efficiency (KGE), and deviation of runoff volume (DV) between observed and simulated daily streamflow ranged 0.58-0.71, 0.67-0.81, and -4% to 9%, respectively. Good agreement between predicted and observed suspended sediment yield was achieved through the calibration of a single channel critical shear stress parameter. For sediment yield, NSE, KGE, and DV ranged 0.62-0.97, 0.43-0.97, and -2% to 2%, respectively, for the calibration period, and 0.61-0.93, 0.42-0.95, and -24% to 13%, respectively, for the period of model performance assessment. Regression analysis of observed- and WEPP-simulated increase in water and sediment yield following clear-cut treatment was similar; however, the WEPP-simulated increase was lower compared to observations particularly from the partial-cut watershed. The variability in the critical shear parameter for different stream channels in the study watersheds was directly related to the observed mean particle size on the stream bed and suggests that applications of the WEPP model in ungauged basins could potentially set the critical shear parameter based on particle size. Overall, the simulated results demonstrate the potential of WEPP as a modeling tool for forestland watershed management, particularly for estimating the effects of forest harvest on hydrograph fluctuations and consequently, stream sediment transport.

CD28 T-cell costimulatory molecule expression in pemphigus vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: CD28 superfamily of immune costimulatory molecules could play an important role in autotolerance control. CD28 costimulation seems to be necessary for regulatory T cell (Treg) activation and successive suppressive activities involved in autoimmunity protection. This study investigates CD28 expression, especially inducible costimulator fraction, on T lymphocytes in pemphigus vulgaris (PV) patients. METHODS: CD28 expression on T lymphocytes was assessed in 16 PV patients during acute attack. All patients and 10 healthy control subjects were tested for lymphocyte populations, T-cell subpopulations (T-CD4+, T-CD8+), Treg and CD28 expression on T-cell subpopulations. RESULTS: T, B and natural killer cells average values in PV patients were close to the control group values. Compared with control group, PV values showed lower Treg (2.2% compared with 4.7%), slightly decreased CD4+ CD28+ T cells (91% compared with 95%), higher CD4+ CD28- T cells (9% compared with 5%), decreased CD8+ CD28+ T cells (57% and 73%, respectively) and significantly enhanced CD8+ CD28- T cells (43% compared with 27%). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that Treg-mediated suppressor T-cell effects could be diminished in PV, together with an abnormal or ineffective subsequent helper T-cell suppression. CD28 high expression on helper T cells and low expression on suppressor T cells are arguments for a potential CD28 role in PV autoimmune response mechanism.

Determination of the strong coupling constant α s ( m Z ) in next-to-next-to-leading order QCD using H1 jet cross section measurements: H1 Collaboration.

The strong coupling constant α s is determined from inclusive jet and dijet cross sections in neutral-current deep-inelastic ep scattering (DIS) measured at HERA by the H1 collaboration using next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD predictions. The dependence of the NNLO predictions and of the resulting value of α s ( m Z ) at the Z-boson mass m Z are studied as a function of the choice of the renormalisation and factorisation scales. Using inclusive jet and dijet data together, the strong coupling constant is determined to be α s ( m Z ) = 0.1157 ( 20 ) exp ( 29 ) th . Complementary, α s ( m Z ) is determined together with parton distribution functions of the proton (PDFs) from jet and inclusive DIS data measured by the H1 experiment. The value α s ( m Z ) = 0.1142 ( 28 ) tot obtained is consistent with the determination from jet data alone. The impact of the jet data on the PDFs is studied. The running of the strong coupling is tested at different values of the renormalisation scale and the results are found to be in agreement with expectations.

Decreased cortical activation in response to a motion stimulus in anisometropic amblyopic eyes using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: Motion perception abnormalities and extrastriate abnormalities have been suggested in amblyopia. Functional MRI (fMRI) and motion stimuli were used to study whether interocular differences in activation are detectable in motion-sensitive cortical areas in patients with anisometropic amblyopia. METHODS: We performed fMRI at 1.5 T 4 control subjects (20/20 OU), 1 with monocular suppression (20/25), and 2 with anisometropic amblyopia (20/60, 20/800). Monocular suppression was thought to be form fruste of amblyopia. The experimental stimulus consisted of expanding and contracting concentric rings, whereas the control condition consisted of stationary concentric rings. Activation was determined by contrasting the 2 conditions for each eye. RESULTS: Significant fMRI activation and comparable right and left eye activation was found in V3a and V5 in all control subjects (Average z-values in L vs R contrast 0.42, 0.43) and in the subject with monocular suppression (z = 0.19). The anisometropes exhibited decreased extrastriate activation in their amblyopic eyes compared with the fellow eyes (zs = 2.12, 2.76). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest motion-sensitive cortical structures may be less active when anisometropic amblyopic eyes are stimulated with moving rings. These results support the hypothesis that extrastriate cortex is affected in anisometropic amblyopia. Although suggestive of a magnocellular defect, the exact mechanism is unclear.

Selective binding of heat- and antigen-aggregated IgG to Blue-Sepharose. Radioimmunoassay of circulating immune complexes.

In an attempt to find a direct method for the determination of circulating immune complexes in pathological sera we studied the ability of Cibacron Blue 3GA covalently bound to Sepharose 4B to bind heat- or antigen-aggregated human IgG. Blue-Sepharose was found to bind significant amounts of aggregated IgG (about 1.5 mg/ml packed gel) but very low amounts of monomeric IgG (about 0.1 mg/ml gel). The ability of Blue-Sepharose to bind immune complexes was tested on human pathological sera containing variable amounts of circulating immune complexes. Using both a turbidimetric measurement and Barkas' method we found that Blue-Sepharose is able to remove a very high percent of circulating immune complexes (greater than 80%) from sera. Considering the above observations a new method is described for the direct determination of circulating immune complexes using Blue-Sepharose as serum adsorbent and either 125I-labeled protein A or 125I-labeled rabbit IgG anti-human IgG to demonstrate the binding of immune complexes.

Binding of immune complexes to IgA-sepharose 4B.

A method for the determination and removal of circulating immune complexes in pathological sera was developed using human secretory or dimeric myeloma IgA covalently bound to Sepharose 4B. IgA-Sepharose 4B was able to selectively bind heat or antigen-aggregated human IgG (circulating immune complexes) but not monomeric IgG. The absorbent was also able to remove a very high proportion (95%) of circulating immune complexes from pathological sera as determined by a turbidimetric technique. An immunoradiometric assay for the direct measurement of circulating immune complexes is described. The assay uses IgA-Sepharose 4B as an absorbent (for the binding of IgG immune complexes from sera) and 125I-rabbit anti-IgG antibody (for the quantitation of IgG immune complexes bound to IgA-Sepharose 4B). The mean value obtained for pathological sera (27.1 +/- 0.9) was significantly higher than that of normal sera (4.8 +/- 0.5).

Isolation of a rabbit IgG fraction with cytophilic properties.

About 15% of rabbit IgG loaded on a column of Con A-Sepharose 4B was found to be specifically bound to the column due to a structural variation in its carbohydrate moiety. The Con A-retained rabbit IgG contained a higher amount of neutral hexoses than the initial IgG but its molecular weight, antigenic structure and half-life were identical or similar. The Con A-retained rabbit IgG has an affinity for the Fc receptor-bearing homologous macrophages which is 10 times higher than that of the initial IgG. The IgG fraction not retained on Con A-Sepharose is practically devoid of binding ability. These results suggest that the Con A-bound IgG may represent the cytophilic fraction of monomeric IgG responsible for the binding of IgG to Fc receptor-bearing cells.

Selective affinity of protein A containing staphylococci for monomeric and polymeric IgG.

Protein A containing staphylococci were saturated with human monomeric IgG (mIgG) and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. The resulting material (SMG) preferentially bound aggregated IgG (aIgG) and soluble immune complexes (CIC). One milliliter of a 10% suspension of SMG bound approximately 30 micrograms of mIgG and 1000 micrograms of aIgG and CIC. The binding of aIgG to SMG was reduced to approximately 50% at a 20-fold excess of mIgG over aIgG. CIC and aIgG could be released from SMG by elution with 3 M KSCN. The results indicate that SMG can be used for identification and removal of CIC in patient plasma.

Similarities between rabbit hepatocyte membrane and nuclear envelope as regards the binding of homologous cytophilic IgG.

Nuclei isolated from rabbit liver are able to bind cytophilic monomeric and polymeric homologous IgG while non-cytophilic rabbit IgG are not bound by nuclei even after its aggregation. The present finding suggests that the rabbit hepatocyte nuclear envelope is similar to the liver cell membrane as regards the specific binding of monomeric cytophilic IgG via a selective binding site for the Fc fragment of IgG. Therefore, the Fc receptor is not restricted to the external membrane of the hepatocyte but exists also on the nuclear envelope.

[Esophageal stenosis and esophagotracheal fistula with concomitant gastric ulcer in "caustic soda" ingestion]. / Stenoza de esofag si fistula esotraheala însotite de ulcer gastric, în ingestia de "soda caustica".

The article deals with a special case through it's gravity and lesional complexity. A forty years old ill person with esophagus stenosis and postcaustic esophagotracheal fistula, having both a gastric ulcer on the date of surgery is operated in three stages: 1. Vagotomy, pyloroplasty and gastrotomy. 2. Esophagectomy with Kirschner-Nakayama gastric grafting. Posterior tracheorraphy with esophageal muscular patch. 3. Anastomotic cervical stenosis--plastic replacement (grafting) with a fat-less skin.

Prognostic significance of KRAS gene mutations in colorectal cancer--preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic significance of KRAS gene mutations, evaluated by using two methods in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study involving 58 patients diagnosed with CRC and treated between 2003 and 2010 in the General and Esophageal Surgery Clinic of "Sf. Maria" Hospital, Bucharest. The macroscopic and microscopic examination of the resected specimens was also processed for genetic analysis in NIRDPBS, where KRAS status was determined by using two methods: PCR-RFLP and pyrosequencing. RESULTS: The clinical and biological parameters of the patients were assessed for 72 months in average. A relapse in 21 patients and a 5-year survival rate of 79.3% was discovered. The genetic analyses of KRAS gene found mutations in 22 cases (45.3%): 17 cases had mutations in codon 12, 5 cases in codon 13. The survival rate analyses of patients with wild KRAS gene compared with the patients carrying the mutation on codon 12 /13 revealed a superposition of the survival curve. The statistical analysis based on the TNM stage revealed different survival curves in stage I and II, shorter survival period in patients with KRAS mutation on codon 13 than in those with wild type gene (stage I--p_value=0.015; stage II--p_value=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: It was not found that KRAS gene status had any prognostic significance. Nevertheless, for stage I and II patients, the mutation found on codon 13 determined a statistic significant shorter survival rate than for those with wild type. The results obtained by using the pyrosequencing method for the determination of KRAS gene status proved that it represented a reliable and reproducible method.

Long-term results of combined surgical and radiological intervention in complicated aortic dissection type-A. A case report.

We report the long-term results of combined surgical and radiological intervention in a patient with complicated aortic dissection, type-A. Following surgical graft-repair of a dissected part of the ascending aorta, embolization of the splenic artery, and stenting of the major abdominal arteries and of the left renal artery, was performed. The patient was able to return to normal active life, and all stented arteries remained patent after 32 months. A stent that was mispositioned across the aortic lumen did not cause any symptoms.

Binding of cytophilic rabbit IgG to homologous hepatocytes.

Rabbit liver cells were able to bind cytophilic monomeric and polymeric homologous IgG via their Fc receptor binding sites (FcR). On the other hand, non-cytophilic rabbit IgG did not bind to hepatocytes, even after its aggregation. The present findings suggest that FcR on rabbit liver cells are specific for cytophilic monomeric IgG but do not significantly bind non-cytophilic, polymeric IgG.

Nuclear inclusions and other ultrastructural aspects in the liver of animals treated with n-2-acetylaminofluorene.

In the course of two chronic experiments including the administration of N-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-A-AF) to male Wistar rats, alterations were observed in the fine structure of the nuclei isolated from the liver. After the first 3 to 4 months of ingestion of the carcinogen, the heterochromatin became uniformly distributed throughout the nucleus, with dissociation of the nucleolus-associated heterochromatin. At longer intervals (7 months) evidence was found in the nucleus of various types of inclusions, chiefly granular virus-like bodies. Subsequently, the frequency of inclusions diminished but the liver cell nucleus remained large, with numerous large nucleoli. This suggested the existence of a stage of metabolic activation of the liver cell nucleus in the course of experimental induction of hepatocarcinoma with N-A-AF, giving rise to an increase in the nuclear and nucleolar volume by accumulation of synthesis products and disorders in nucleo-cytoplasmic exchanges.

[The late results of intensive chemotherapy (9 months) in severe forms of tuberculosis in children]. / Rezultatele tardive ale chimioterapiei intensive (9 luni) în formele grave de tuberculoza la copil.

The short-course chemotherapy (9 months) in the severe forms of tuberculosis in children is a very modern item. It was very few approached on an international level and relatively short time ago in our country. There were applied the following therapeutical regimens: 3 HRZ2 6 HR2 (in the experimental group) and 3 HR/3 HR2/6 H2 (in the control group). In the granulias and the caseous forms the late results, at 5 years after treatment end, were very good in 100% of cases in both groups. In meningitis clinical very good results (without sequellae) presented a proportion of 70.1% in the experimental group and of 68.2% in the control group (difference statistically non significant). The main advantage of the intensive short course regimens (9 months) comparatively with the "classical" ones (of at least 12 months) consists in reaching finally the same good results but in at least 3 months shorter time interval.

[Assessment of the epidemiological parameters of the most widespread viral diseases in the Socialist Republic of Romania and in Sibiu County for period 1967-1986]. / Estimation des paramètres épidémiologiques des viroses les plus répandues en R.S. de Roumanie et dans le département de Sibiu pour l'intervalle 1967-1986.

Essential peculiarities of the kinetics of the morbidity evolution of most frequent virus diseases were explained using a determinant mathematical model. The main epidemiological parameters for the whole territory of the S.R. of Romania and of Sibiu County were evaluated for the 1967-1986 period.

[Acute rhinopharyngitis, acute interstitial pneumonia and parieto-frontal brain abscess with H. influenzae type B]. / Rinofaringita acuta, pneumonie acuta interstitiala si abces cerebral parieto-frontal cu H.influenzae tip B.

The paper deals with a parietal frontal cerebral abscess caused by HITB biotype I in a girl aged 8 months. First a meningitis is suspected, then a tuberculous meningitis unsuccessfully treated with ampicillin, biseptol, respectively INH, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, prednisone, phenobarbital and chloramphenicol. The patient died through a central respiratory standstill on the 17th day of disease. The anatomopathological examinations revealed a giant parietal frontal cerebral abscess. H.influenzae, (serum type B, biotype I) resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, Kanamycin, rifampicin and tetracycline but sensitive to erythromycin and neomycin was also found. A pharyngeal infection with HITB was presumably the origin of the abscess.

Na+ and K+ dependent ATP-ase and structural modifications in hypokinetic rats.

In rats the hypokinetic state obtained by restraint in special cages, produces after 30 days, a marked decrease in Na+ and K+ dependent ATP-ase in the skeletal muscle. After 15 days hypokinesia the enzymatic content of the investigated tissues did not change. In the left cardiac ventricular muscle Na+ and K+ dependent ATP-ase decreased after 15 days and particularly after 30 days hypokinesia. These changes were brought about by the hypofunctional state of both muscles, which also produced structural alterations. In the skeletal and cardiac muscles electron microscopy revealed fibrillar atrophy and mitochondrial alterations typical of an affected function. In the cardiac muscle, in which these changes were more accentuated, the dissociation of the intercalar disc was also noted, aspects partially described by others.