The role of the operating department practitioner on board Role 2 Afloat.

The Role 2 Afloat (R2A) is the Royal Navy (RN)'s Damage Control Resuscitation (DCR), including Damage Control Surgery, capability at sea. There are currently three operating department practitioners (ODP) in the deployed team. This article describes the role of the ODP in this team and the training which is required to fulfil this role.

The role of the operating department practitioner on board Role 2 Afloat.

The Role 2 Afloat (R2A) is the Royal Navy (RN)'s Damage Control Resuscitation (DCR), including Damage Control Surgery, capability at sea. There are currently three operating department practitioners (ODP) in the deployed team. This article describes the role of the ODP in this team and the training which is required to fulfil this role.

Purification and properties of the human placental uracil DNA glycosylase.

Human placental uracil DNA glycosylase was purified 3700-fold to apparent homogeneity as defined by SDS gel analysis. Its immunological characteristics were examined using three monoclonal antibodies prepared against partially purified human placental uracil DNA glycosylase. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that, even in crude isolates, only one glycosylase species of molecular weight 37,000 could be detected. Each of the three monoclonal antibodies quantitatively recognized the highly purified enzyme by ELISA. The glycosylase is a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 37,000 as defined by both Sephadex gel filtration and by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis. The enzyme is heat-stable, with a t 1/2 of greater than 30 min at 42 degrees C or at 45 degrees C. Surprisingly, inhibitor analysis demonstrated that the glycosylase was inhibited by preincubation with either 5-fluorouracil or 5-bromouracil. However, no significant inhibition was observed when either compound was added directly to the enzyme assay.

Purification and properties of the uracil DNA glycosylase from Bloom's syndrome.

Bloom's syndrome uracil DNA glycosylase was highly purified from two non-transformed cell strains derived from individuals from different ethnic groups. Their properties were then compared to two different highly purified normal human uracil DNA glycosylases. A molecular mass of 37 kDa was observed for each of the four human enzymes as defined by gel-filtration column chromatography and by SDS-PAGE. Each of the 37 kDa proteins was identified as a uracil DNA glycosylase by electroelution from the SDS polyacrylamide gel, determination of glycosylase activity by in vitro biochemical assay and identification of the reaction product as free uracil by co-chromatography with authentic uracil. Bloom's syndrome enzymes differed substantially in their isoelectric point and were thermolabile as compared to the normal human enzymes. Bloom's syndrome enzymes displayed a different Km, Vmax and were strikingly insensitive to 5-fluorouracil and 5-bromouracil, pyrimidine analogues which drastically decreased the activity of the normal human enzymes. In particular, each Bloom's syndrome enzyme required 10-100-fold higher concentrations of each analogue to achieve comparable inhibition of enzyme activity. Potential mechanisms are considered through which an altered uracil DNA glycosylase characterizing this cancer-prone human genetic disorder may arise.

Distinctive properties of mammalian DNA polymerases.

DNA polymerase-alpha and -beta can be distinguished from one another by the differential effects of N-ethylmaleimide, KCl, ara-CTP and temperature, as well as on the basis of sedimentation. The sensitivity of DNA polymerase-beta to elevated temperatures as compared to DNA polymerase-alpha provides a new means of distinguishing between these two enzymes even in crude extracts and a possible probe for determining their function. DNA polymerase-alpha and -beta share several properties in common, including the ability to readily incorporate dUTP in place of dTTP. The Km for dUTP varies from 10 to 30 micron with different preparations of DNA polymerase-alpha and -beta. Thus, in mammalian cells, dUMP could be incorporated into DNA, and if excised by an endonuclease, would lead to discontinuities. Initial analyses of fidelity in direct comparative studies indicate that beta-class DNA polymerases are highly accurate in base selection when copying poly[d(A-T)]. Less than one molecule of dGMP is incorporated for every 12 000-45 000 molecules of dAMP and dTMP polymerized. DNA polymerase-alpha is somewhat less accurate, making one mistake for every 4000-10 000 correct nucleotides incorporated. Since both polymerases lack an exonucleolytic activity, this accuracy must be the result of selectivity for the complementary nucleotide by the polymerase.

Detection and characterization of DNA polymerase from Trypanosoma brucei.

The predominant DNA polymerase activity has been isolated from the parasitic flagellated protozoan, Trypanosoma brucei. Like mammalian DNA polymerase-alpha the trypanosome DNA polymerase is of large molecular weight (S, 6--8), is resistant to thermal denaturation, is sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide, and is inhibited by high ionic strength. However, specific antisera that cross-react with mammalian DNA polymerase-alpha from different species fail to cross-react with the trypanosome polymerase.

A comparison of total white blood cell counts on the Technicon H6000 and Coulter Counter Model ZBI in an occupational health program.

White blood cell (WBC) counts obtained using a Technicon H6000 in a large occupational health program were compared with counts obtained on identical samples using a Coulter Counter Model ZBI. To assure quality control and to assess the comparability of results obtained on the two machines, a 25% systematic sample (N = 586) of analyses performed on the Technicon were performed independently and blindly on the Coulter Counter. The Pearson product-moment-correlation between WBC counts from the two machines was r = 0.94 (P less than or equal to 0.0001). The mean WBC count was 6,664 cells/mm3 for the Technicon and 6,790 cells/mm3 for the Coulter Counter. The estimated prevalence of leukopenia (WBC counts less than or equal to 4,500 cells/mm3) was 10.6% using the Technicon and 9.7% using the Coulter Counter. The results demonstrate that the two machines provide results that can be compared directly without corrections.

Hematologic evaluation of employees with leukopenia. Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, California.

Evaluation of 86 employees with a history of leukopenia at the Naval Weapons Center (NWC), China Lake, California, was done by exposure questionnaires, medical histories, physical examinations, peripheral blood smear, and bone marrow evaluations, including morphologic examination, stem cell culture, and cytogenetics. Forty-eight subjects were found to be leukopenic at the time of the study, and two subjects were found to have hairy cell leukemia. All subjects had positive exposure histories and were healthy at the time of the study. Review of peripheral smears identified the patients with marrow abnormalities. Bone marrow cultures revealed several patients with possible marrow suppression. Chromosome studies were not diagnostic. Five-year follow-up health questionnaires revealed no significant health problems; the two workers with hairy cell leukemia are alive and fully functional. Leukopenia in itself does not appear to be a risk factor for poor health, and it is unknown whether or not it may be a useful screening tool to identify workers at risk in toxic environments. Careful evaluation of blood cell counts and peripheral smears should be sufficient to identify people with potential marrow abnormalities.

Testicular tumor in patient with persistent müllerian duct syndrome.

A case of a yolk-sac tumor associated with an intra-abdominal testis in a patient with persistent müllerian duct syndrome is presented.

Immunological alteration of the Bloom's syndrome uracil DNA glycosylase in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human lymphoblastoid cells.

The immunological reactivity of the uracil DNA glycosylase was investigated in three Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human lymphoblastoid cell lines. Two were derived from normal human lymphocytes while the third was derived from a Bloom's syndrome patient. A panel of 3 anti-human placental uracil DNA glycosylase monoclonal antibodies (37.04.12, 40.10.09 and 42.08.07) was used. Immunological reactivity was determined in a double-blind enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); by inhibition of enzyme activity; and by immunoblot analysis. In the ELISA, the glycosylase from each lymphoblastoid cell line was recognized by glycosylase antibodies 37.04.12 and 42.08.07. In contrast, antibody 40.10.09 failed to recognize the glycosylase from the Bloom's syndrome cell line. Further analysis demonstrated that the 40.10.09 antibody was unable to inhibit catalysis by the Bloom's syndrome lymphoblast glycosylase. In contrast, the 40.10.09 antibody inhibited the activity of the two normal human lymphoblast enzymes. Denaturation of the Bloom's syndrome lymphoblast glycosylase rendered that protein immunoreactive with the 40.10.09 antibody. These results demonstrated that: (1) the immunological alteration in the Bloom's syndrome uracil DNA glycosylase was detected in hematopoietic cells; and (2) viral transformation did not affect the immunoreactivity of the enzyme from either normal human or Bloom's syndrome cells.

On the fidelity of DNA replication. Enzyme activities associated with DNA polymerases from RNA tumor viruses.

DNA polymerase from RNA tumor viruses ("reverse transcriptase") has been analyzed for activities which have been associated with other DNA polymerases. Homogeneous DNA polymerase from avian myeoblastosis virus catalyzes pyrophosphate exchange and pyrophosphorolysis. Pyrophosphate exchange is dependent on a template and is base-specific. With avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase, ribonucleotide templates are more efficient for synthesis while deoxyribonucleotide templates are more effective for pyrophosphate exchange. Synthesis, pyrophosphate exchange, and pyrophosphorolysis were inhibited by the chelating agent 1,10-phenanthroline, suggesting that enzyme-bound zinc is required for each of these reactions. The pyrophosphate exchange reaction was also demonstrated with the DNA polymerase from a mutant of Rous sarcoma virus that possesses a temperature-sensitive DNA polymerase. The pyrophosphate exchange reaction with the mutant polymerase is temperature-sensitive which demonstrates that pyrophosphate exchange is indeed catalyzed by the viral DNA polymerase and that the same mutation effects both DNA polymerase and pyrophosphatase activity. Unlike Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, the DNA polymerase from avian myeloblastosis virus fails to degrade polydeoxyribonucleotides or to convert deoxynucleoside triphosphates into monophosphates. This lack of hydrolytic activities in avian myeoblastosis DNA polymerase should facilitate kinetic studies on the mechanism of DNA synthesis by this enzyme.

Physical association of the human base-excision repair enzyme uracil DNA glycosylase with the 70,000-dalton catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase alpha.

A monoclonal antibody prepared against a partially purified human uracil DNA glycosylase was found, on further purification of the enzyme, to be inactive against the glycosylase. However, immunoreactivity was observed in other protein fractions that contained DNA polymerase activity. The immunoreactive protein was purified to homogeneity and identified as a catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase alpha by molecular mass, by aphidicolin sensitivity, and by recognition by a monoclonal antibody against human KB cell DNA polymerase alpha. Our monoclonal antibody had no effect on homogeneous human uracil DNA glycosylase activity but severely inhibited the activity of the homogeneous human DNA polymerase alpha catalytic subunit. The suspicion that the two proteins were physically associated was confirmed by finding that, on mixing the DNA polymerase alpha subunit with the glycosylase, the latter was strongly inhibited by our monoclonal antibody. These results demonstrate that this monoclonal antibody recognizes not only the DNA polymerase alpha subunit but also the uracil DNA glycosylase when it is physically attached to the polymerase subunit. These results contribute to the definition of relationships between those proteins that may comprise the human base-excision repair multienzyme complex.

Virus of Pekin ducks with structural and biological relatedness to human hepatitis B virus.

A virus found in the sera of Pekin ducks appears to be a new member of the human hepatitis B-like family of viruses. This virus had a diameter of 40 nm and an appearance in the electron microscope similar to that of human hepatitis B virus. The DNA genome of the virus was circular and partially single stranded, and an endogenous DNA polymerase associated with the virus was capable of converting the genome to a double-stranded circle with a size of ca. 3,000 base pairs. An analysis for viral DNA in the organs of infected birds indicated preferential localization in the liver, implicating this organ as the site of virus replication. In all of these aspects, the virus bears a striking resemblance to human hepatitis B virus and appears to be a new member of this family, which also includes ground squirrel hepatitis virus and woodchuck hepatitis virus.