Drinking water quality in the glacial aquifer system, northern USA.

Groundwater supplies 50% of drinking water worldwide, but compromised water quality from anthropogenic and geogenic contaminants can limit usage of groundwater as a drinking water source. Groundwater quality in the glacial aquifer system, USA (GLAC), is presented in the context of a hydrogeologic framework that divides the study area into 17 hydrogeologic terranes. Results are reported at aquifer-system scale and regional (terrane) scale. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of groundwater quality in the GLAC using data from numerous sources for samples collected 2005-2013, compared to health-based and aesthetic (non-health) benchmarks, and evaluated with areal and population metrics. Concentrations above a benchmark are considered high. Trace elements are widespread across the study area, with an estimated 5.7 million people relying on groundwater with high concentrations of one or more trace elements; manganese and arsenic are most often at high concentration. Nitrate is found at high concentration in 4.0% of the study area, serving about 740 thousand people. Organic compounds including pesticides and volatile organic compounds are high in 2.0% of the assessed study area, with about 870 thousand people relying on groundwater with high concentrations of an organic compound. High arsenic and manganese concentrations occur primarily in the terranes with thick, stratigraphically complex, fine-grained glacial sediment, coincident with groundwater under reducing conditions (indicated by iron concentrations >100 µg/L); high nitrate is uncommon in those same terranes. When nitrate is high in thick, fine-grained, complex terranes, though, it is much more commonly associated with groundwater under more oxidizing conditions. Common geogenic trace elements occur at high concentration due to characteristic geologic and geochemical conditions. Conversely, anthropogenic nitrate and organic compounds are introduced at or near the land surface. High concentrations of nitrate or organic compounds are generally limited to areas in proximity where people live and use the chemicals.

Early detection of Brucella canis via quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Canine brucellosis is a reportable zoonotic disease that can lead to canine reproductive losses and human infection through contact with infected urine or other genitourinary secretions. Although many locations require testing and euthanasia of positive dogs, current diagnosis is limited by the time required for seroconversion, for example, presence of B. canis-specific antibodies. The goal of this study was to determine the diagnostic ability of Brucella canis-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay to detect B. canis in field samples prior to serological positivity for faster diagnosis and prevention of transmission within kennels or in households. Two kennels, one of which was located in the owner's home, were sampled following observation of suggestive clinical signs and positive serology of at least one dog. Specimens obtained were comparatively analysed via serology and qPCR analysis. 107 dogs were analysed for B. canis infection via qPCR: 105 via whole-blood samples, 65 via vaginal swab, six via urine and seven via genitourinary tract tissue taken at necropsy. Forty-five dogs were found to be infected with canine brucellosis via qPCR, of which 22 (48.89%) were seropositive. A statistically significant number (P = 0.0228) of qPCR-positive dogs, 5/25 (20.00%), seroconverted within a 30-day interval after initial serologic testing. As compared to serology, qPCR analysis of DNA from vaginal swabs had a sensitivity of 92.31% and specificity of 51.92%, and qPCR analysis of DNA from whole-blood samples had a sensitivity of 16.67% and specificity of 100%. B. canis outer membrane protein 25 DNA qPCR from non-invasive vaginal swab and urine samples provided early detection of B. canis infection in dogs prior to detection of antibodies. This assay provides a critical tool to decrease zoonotic spread of canine brucellosis, its associated clinical presentation(s), and emotional and economic repercussions.

On modeling weak sinks in MODPATH.

Regional groundwater flow systems often contain both strong sinks and weak sinks. A strong sink extracts water from the entire aquifer depth, while a weak sink lets some water pass underneath or over the actual sink. The numerical groundwater flow model MODFLOW may allow a sink cell to act as a strong or weak sink, hence extracting all water that enters the cell or allowing some of that water to pass. A physical strong sink can be modeled by either a strong sink cell or a weak sink cell, with the latter generally occurring in low-resolution models. Likewise, a physical weak sink may also be represented by either type of sink cell. The representation of weak sinks in the particle tracing code MODPATH is more equivocal than in MODFLOW. With the appropriate parameterization of MODPATH, particle traces and their associated travel times to weak sink streams can be modeled with adequate accuracy, even in single layer models. Weak sink well cells, on the other hand, require special measures as proposed in the literature to generate correct particle traces and individual travel times and hence capture zones. We found that the transit time distributions for well water generally do not require special measures provided aquifer properties are locally homogeneous and the well draws water from the entire aquifer depth, an important observation for determining the response of a well to non-point contaminant inputs.

A homogeneous cell-based assay to measure nuclear translocation using beta-galactosidase enzyme fragment complementation.

Positional complementation describes the use of homogeneous assays using beta- galactosidase (beta gal) enzyme fragment complementation to detect cellular protein translocation. This phenomenon occurs when the protein of interest, recombinantly expressed as a fusion protein with a modified alpha fragment of beta gal, translocates to a cellular compartment expressing an enzyme acceptor fragment of the enzyme. When these fragments interact, high-affinity complementation occurs, and a signal is generated that is then detected upon cell lysis. In the present paper the use of positional complementation is exemplified by measuring nuclear translocation of the glucocorticoid receptor in Chinese hamster ovary-K1 cells. The approach thus provides for homogeneous protocols, in an endpoint microtiter plate assay format, without the use of either imaging or reporter gene techniques. Consequently, these characteristics suggest that the technique is suitable for automated instrumentation protocols used in high throughput screening campaigns designed to identify activators or inhibitors of nuclear translocation.

Bios data analyzer.

The Bios Data Analyzer (BDA) is a set of computer programs (CD-ROM, in Sabelli et al., Bios. A Study of Creation, 2005) for new time series analyses that detects and measures creative phenomena, namely diversification, novelty, complexes, nonrandom complexity. We define a process as creative when its time series displays these properties. They are found in heartbeat interval series, the exemplar of bios .just as turbulence is the exemplar of chaos, in many other empirical series (galactic distributions, meteorological, economic and physiological series), in biotic series generated mathematically by the bipolar feedback, and in stochastic noise, but not in chaotic attractors. Differencing, consecutive recurrence and partial autocorrelation indicate nonrandom causation, thereby distinguishing chaos and bios from random and random walk. Embedding plots distinguish causal creative processes (e.g. bios) that include both simple and complex components of variation from stochastic processes (e.g. Brownian noise) that include only complex components, and from chaotic processes that decay from order to randomness as the number of dimensions is increased. Varying bin and dimensionality show that entropy measures symmetry and variety, and that complexity is associated with asymmetry. Trigonometric transformations measure coexisting opposites in time series and demonstrate bipolar, partial, and uncorrelated opposites in empirical processes and bios, supporting the hypothesis that bios is generated by bipolar feedback, a concept which is at variance with standard concepts of polar and complementary opposites.

Sentinel node biopsy for the detection of head and neck melanoma: a review.

Worldwide incidence of malignant melanoma is on the rise. Early detection of this malignancy is key to survival, and in the case of more advanced malignancy, early and effective detection of micrometastatic disease is crucial for staging and therapy. Because melanoma spreads primarily via lymphatic drainage patterns, effective methods for tracing these pathways are of paramount importance. The authors summarize the efficacy of blue dye, gamma probe, and lymphoscintigraphy detection methods, both individually and combined; the "missed disease" (or false-negative) rate; and the clinical discordance between expected and actual location of metastatic disease in head and neck melanoma. A clinical meta-analysis of current studies in head and neck melanoma was used to evaluate clinical data. A success rate of 95% to 100% for detection of sentinel lymph nodes can be achieved when blue dye, gamma probe, and lymphoscintigraphy techniques are combined. This is associated with a false-negative rate of 7.7% to 10.4%. With respect to intermediate-depth melanomas of the head and neck, a significant discordance exists between expected and actual lymphatic drainage patterns. This problem is best addressed using a combination of lymphoscintigraphy, blue dye, and gamma probe localization, which yields a success rate of 95% to 100% for detection of sentinel lymph nodes and a low false-negative rate of 7.7% to 10.4%. In the instance of a failed study, one in which sentinel nodes are not detected by the aforementioned methods, elective node dissection is the treatment modality of choice.

Frequently co-occurring pesticides and volatile organic compounds in public supply and monitoring wells, southern New Jersey, USA.

One or more pesticides were detected with one or more volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in more than 95% of samples collected from 30 public supply and 95 monitoring wells screened in the unconsolidated surficial aquifer system of southern New Jersey, USA. Overall, more than 140,000 and more than 3,000 unique combinations of pesticides with VOCs were detected in two or more samples from the supply and monitoring wells, respectively. More than 400 of these combinations were detected in 20% or more of the samples from the supply wells, whereas only 17 were detected in 20% or more of the samples from the monitoring wells. Although many constituent combinations detected in water from the supply and monitoring wells are similar, differences in constituent combinations also were found and can be attributed, in part, to differences in the characteristics of these two well types. The monitoring wells sampled during this study yield water that typically was recharged beneath a single land-use setting during a recent, discrete time interval and that flowed along relatively short paths to the wells. Public supply wells, in contrast, yield large volumes of water and typically have contributing areas that are orders of magnitude larger than those of the monitoring wells. These large contributing areas generally encompass multiple land uses; moreover, because flow paths that originate in these areas vary in length, these wells typically yield water that was recharged over a large temporal interval. Water withdrawn from public supply wells, therefore, contains a mixture of waters of different ages that were recharged beneath various land-use settings. Because public supply wells intercept water flowing along longer paths with longer residence times and integrate waters from a larger source area than those associated with monitoring wells, they are more likely to yield water that contains constituents that were used in greater quantities in the past, that were introduced from point sources, and/or that are derived from the degradation of parent compounds along extended flow paths.

Flow cytometric analysis of colonic and small intestinal mucosal lymphocytes obtained by endoscopic biopsy in the healthy dog.

Flow cytometric analysis of the lymphocyte population of the gut could provide useful information on the immune cells present in the gut that would not be easily obtained in tissue sections. However, little is known of the normal lymphocyte population in the canine gut as determined by flow cytometry, which allows for simultaneous staining of multiple cell surface antigens and identification of specific lymphocytic subsets. Therefore, intraepithelial lymphocytes were obtained from biopsies of the healthy canine proximal small intestine and colon taken with an endoscope, and flow cytometric analysis was used to characterize the lymphocyte subsets present. Endoscopic biopsy of the intestine is a minimally invasive technique commonly used for diagnostic purposes. Although CD3+ lymphocytes were the most abundant subset in both colon and small intestine, CD3+/CD8- lymphocytes predominated in the proximal small intestine, whereas CD3+/CD8+ lymphocytes did in the colon. Canine CD8+ intraepithelial lymphocytes were predominantly CD8alphabeta+ in both small intestine and colon. CD4+ intraepithelial lymphocytes were always much less numerous than CD8+ intraepithelial lymphocytes. As in man, a majority of intraepithelial lymphocytes expressed the T-cell receptor, TCRalphabeta, but TCRgammadelta was expressed by a third of intraepithelial T-cells in the proximal small intestine, and approximately 15% of those in the colon. Very few CD21+ lymphocytes were detected in samples of healthy canine colon and small intestinal intraepithelial cells. We have showed that canine intraepithelial lymphocytes are regionally specialized, and that those from the small intestine are unique in comparison to those of other species such as man and rodents due to the large numbers of CD3+/CD8- intraepithelial lymphocytes. This study provides a baseline for comparison with intraepithelial lymphocytes obtained from canine patients with intestinal disease.

Nonlinear pharmacokinetics of efavirenz (DMP-266), a potent HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor, in rats and monkeys.

Efavirenz (EFV, Sustiva, Stocrin, DMP-266, L-743,726) is a potent and selective non-nucleoside inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Pharmacokinetics of EFV was studied in rats and monkeys, the safety assessment species. In rats, after 2 and 5 mg/kg i.v. administrations, the mean CLp, Vdss, and T1/2 were 67 ml/min/kg, 5.0 liters/kg, and 1 h, respectively. EFV was metabolized completely, and the products were excreted almost exclusively via bile. At the higher dose of 15 mg/kg, the CLp was reduced by 36%, implying saturation of metabolism processes. A similar phenomenon occurred in monkeys, where the CLp declined by 60% as the i.v. dose was increased from 5 to 15 mg/kg. After oral dosing, the bioavailability of EFV in rats (10 mg/kg) and monkeys (2 mg/kg) was 16% and 42%, respectively. Higher doses in both species led to disproportionate increases in the AUC and higher Tmax values, suggesting saturation of metabolism and/or prolongation of absorption. The delay in Tmax was more pronounced in monkeys where the plasma concentrations reached plateaus and were sustained for 4 to 20 h. In rats, the prolongation of absorption was due to delayed gastric emptying as demonstrated by >10-fold slower transit of [14C]polyethylene glycol through the stomach of EFV-pretreated animals. The delayed gastric emptying in monkeys also was observed when the animals dosed at 160 mg/kg exhibited emesis, 8 h postdose, which was found to contain a substantial portion of the dose. These results demonstrated that in rats and monkeys, both delayed gastric emptying and saturation of metabolic processes played significant roles in the nonlinear pharmacokinetics of EFV.

A simple mechanism for the avoidance of entanglement during chromosome replication.

The interphase nucleus of the human eukaryotic cell, before DNA replication, contains 46 linear DNA molecules, each of the order of centimeters in length, in a spherical nucleus with a diameter of 3-10 microns. How does the cell avoid topological entanglements between the 92 linear DNA molecules following replication? A model of chromosome replication is introduced, based on the assumption of the existence of a physical linkage between diverging growing forks during eukaryotic chromosome replication. This basic model is shown to be sufficient for the avoidance of DNA duplex entanglements during DNA replication. The model also suggests structural characteristics of chromosomes at various points in the cell cycle and provides a possible partial mechanism for chromosome condensation at the end of replication.

Species differences in the metabolism of a potent HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor L-738,372. In vivo and in vitro studies in rats, dogs, monkeys, and human.

In vivo and in vitro metabolism of 6-chloro-4(S)-cyclopropyl-3,4-dihydro-4-((2-pyridyl) ethynyl)quinazolin-2(1H)-one (L-738,372), a potent human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor, has been investigated in rats, dogs, and monkeys. Following 0.9 mg/kg iv and 9 mg/kg po doses, systemic blood clearance (CLB) and bioavailability (F) of L-738,372 were species-dependent and inversely related (CLB = 48, 15, and 3 ml/min/kg; F = 6, 62 and 94%, in dogs, rats, and monkeys, respectively). Incubation of L-738,372 with rat liver slices and liver microsomes from all species studied led to the formation of two hydroxylated metabolites, M1 and M2. Kinetic studies of the microsomal metabolism of L-738,372 indicated that M1 was formed by a much higher affinity, but lower capacity enzyme(s) than that which catalyzed M2 formation in rats, dogs, and monkeys. The total intrinsic clearance of metabolite formation (CL(int) total = CL(int) M1 + CL(int) M2) was highest in dogs, followed by rats and monkeys. In dogs, CL(int) total was caused almost exclusively by CL(int) M1. Extrapolation of the CL(int) total values to the hepatic clearances (19, 8.4, and 0.9ml/min/kg in dogs, rats, and monkeys, respectively) showed a similar rank order to the CLB observed in vivo. Good agreement between these in vivo and in vitro results suggests that the species differences in hepatic first-pass metabolism, and not the intrinsic absorption, contributed significantly to the observed differences in F.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Sweat gland carcinoma in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected patient.

Eccrine (sweat gland) carcinoma is a rare form of skin cancer that may be locally destructive. It is known to recur after resection and can metastasize to regional or distant lymph nodes. There have been two reported cases in association with patients immunocompromised as the result of organ transplantation (I. Penn: Prog Allergy. 37: 259, 1986). We report here the first case of sweat gland carcinoma in a patient infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

Metabolites of L-735,524, a potent HIV-1 protease inhibitor, in human urine.

L-735,524, N-[2(R)-hydroxy-1(S)-indanyl]-5-(2(S)-(1,1- dimethylethylaminocarbonyl)-4-[(pyridin-3-yl)methyl]piperazin++ +-1-yl)-4(S)- hydroxy-2(R)-phenylmethylpentanamide, is a potent and specific inhibitor of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease and is undergoing clinical evaluation. In an initial clinical study, noninfected male volunteers were administered single, 1000 mg oral doses of nonlabeled compound. Urine samples were collected over a period of 48 hr. Metabolic profile of the urine was determined by HPLC-UV comparison with that from a human liver slice incubation of radiolabeled L-735,524. Seven significant metabolites were isolated from pooled human urine, and were characterized by NMR, MS, and/or chromatographic comparisons with authentic standards. The major metabolic pathways were identified as: a) glucuronidation at the pyridine nitrogen to yield a quaternized ammonium conjugate, b) pyridine N-oxidation, c) para-hydroxylation of the phenylmethyl group, d) 3'-hydroxylation of the indan, and e) N-depyridomethylation. A minor product was identified as 2',3'-trans-dihydroxyindan analog. Urinary excretion of L-735,524 and its metabolites represented a minor pathway of elimination. The intact parent compound seemed to be the major component in the urine, whereas the level of each metabolite was relatively low.

Metabolism of 3-[2-(benzoxazol-2-yl)ethyl]-5-ethyl-6-methylpyridin-2 (1H)-one (L-696,229), an HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor, by rat liver slices and in humans.

Healthy subjects were administered single oral doses of 800 mg or 400 mg 3-[2-(benzoxazol-2-yl)ethyl]-5-ethyl-6-methylpyridin-2(1H)-o ne (L-696,229), a nonnucleoside inhibitor of the human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT). Plasma or urine samples were collected over a period of 48 hr. Pooled plasma (0.5-6 hr) and urine (0-24 hr) samples were analyzed by HPLC-UV and HIV-1 RT inhibition assay using poly rC.dG as a template primer. The parent compound and several common metabolites were detected in both samples. The metabolic profiles were also similar to those obtained from a rat liver slice incubation with [3H]L-696,229. The in vitro metabolites were identified by NMR and MS as 5 alpha-hydroxyethyl- (major), 5,6-dihydrodiol-, 6'-hydroxy-, 6-hydroxymethyl-, and 5-vinyl analogs, and a benzoxazole ring hydrolysis product. Most of the significant metabolites in human plasma and urine were found to be identical to the in vitro metabolites, as established by HPLC-UV and MS. Hydrolysis of the plasma and urine with beta-glucuronidase/sulfatase indicated the presence of significant amounts of conjugates of the parent compound and 5 alpha-hydroxyethyl metabolite. Most of the other primary metabolites were also present in conjugated forms, albeit in small quantities. In addition, two secondary metabolites were isolated and identified from the hydrolyzed urine as 5-acetyl-6'-hydroxy- and 5 alpha-hydroxyethyl-6-hydroxymethyl- analogs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biotransformation of 5-chloro-3-phenylthioindole-2-carboxamide (L-734,005) in rhesus monkeys and rat liver microsomes to a potent HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor.

Rhesus monkeys were dosed orally with 10 mg/kg 5-chloro-3-phenylthioindole-2-carboxamide (L-734,005), a nonnucleoside human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase inhibitor, in polyethylene glycol 300. Plasma samples from these monkeys demonstrated greater bioactivity in an HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition assay than anticipated from the parent compound concentrations as determined by an HPLC-UV assay. One major and three minor metabolites, as well as the parent compound, were detected in the plasma. One of the minor metabolites was determined to be several-fold more active, and the major metabolite one-half as active as the parent compound in the inhibition assay. Identical metabolites were formed during an incubation of L-734,005 with rat liver microsomes. The most active minor metabolite was identified as a sulfone analog (L-737,126) of the parent compound by NMR and MS analyses. The less active major metabolite and two relatively inactive minor metabolites were similarly identified as the sulfoxide, 4-hydroxythiophenyl and 6-hydroxyindole analogs of L-734,005. The synthetic sulfone analog was highly potent against HIV-1, with a 95% inhibitory concentration of 3.0 nM for the spread of virus infection in a cell culture.

5-chloro-3-(phenylsulfonyl)indole-2-carboxamide: a novel, non-nucleoside inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

A series of highly potent, structurally novel, non-nucleoside RT inhibitors has been described. Low nanomolar concentrations of 5-chloro-3-(phenylsulfonyl)-indole-2-carboxamide (1) inhibit the HIV-1 RT enzyme in vitro and HTLVIIIb viral spread in MT-4 human T-lymphoid cells. Good oral bioavailability was observed in rhesus monkeys upon oral dosing of 1 as a suspension in methocel. When compared to other non-nucleoside inhibitors (e.g. 15-18), 1 possesses improved inhibitory potency with respect to the wild-type RT, as well as the K103N and Y181C mutant enzymes. Additional studies within this class of inhibitors are in progress.

Metabolism of a new HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor, 3-[2-(benzoxazol-2-yl)ethyl]-5-ethyl-6-methylpyridin-2(1H)-one (L-696,229), in rat and liver slices.

L-696,229 is a potent and specific inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase and is currently undergoing clinical evaluation. In vivo metabolism in rats was investigated using an intravenous bolus dose of 5 mg/kg [3H]L-696,229. The amount of radioactivity eliminated in bile and urine over a period of 6 hr was 60 and 22%, respectively. Radiochromatographic analysis of the bile and urine showed that L-696,229 was metabolized rapidly and completely to several common metabolites. Sequential oxidation at the alpha-position of the 5-ethyl group to an acetyl moiety, aromatic hydroxylation of the benzoxazole group (position C4', C6', or C7'), and subsequent sulfate conjugation were the major metabolic pathways as determined by the application of enzymatic hydrolysis, FAB-MS, and 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopies. The in vitro metabolism of this 2-pyridinone derivative with rat liver slices resulted primarily in hydroxylation at the 6-methyl and 5-ethyl groups. The 6-hydroxymethyl- and 5-alpha-hydroxyethyl analogs were also inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Bone-marrow transplantation for congenital erythropoietic porphyria.

Congenital erythropoietic porphyria, a disorder of haem synthesis, is caused by uroporphyrinogen III synthase deficiency in bone-marrow normoblasts. Uroporphyrins and coproporphyrins accumulate and cause oxidative damage to cells exposed to sunlight. Uroporphyrin overproduction was greatly reduced and skin changes reversed in a girl who received a bone-marrow graft from an HLA-identical sibling at 10 years of age. The patient died 11 months after transplantation because of severe progressive pneumonitis and encephalopathy associated with cytomegalovirus infection, but the encouraging response up to 8 months after engraftment indicates a possible benefit of bone-marrow transplantation in the treatment of this rare but usually fatal inherited disease.