An innovative telemedical support system to measure physical activity in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

UNLABELLED: To assess physical activity in patients with type 1 diabetes an innovative telemedical support system has been developed. The aim of the feasibility trial was to prove its use in a clinical setting. PATIENTS/METHODS: 16 children/adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus aged 14.5 ± 2.2 years (diabetes duration 6.5 ± 3.6 years, HbA1c 8.8 ± 1.0%) were included in the study. During a period of 1-3 days all the patients received a telemedical assessment system. It consists of a sensor for physical activity integrated into a mobile phone (DiaTrace). Additionally it is combined with a system for continuous blood glucose monitoring (CGM). RESULTS: The technical system was highly accepted by all the 16 children and adolescents. Physical activity measured was 13.3 ± 5.5 AU/d, mean duration of total physical activity was 204.9 ± 66.5 min/d (walking 102.5 ± 62.5, running 7.4 ± 5.8, cycling 39.2 ± 32.7, driving 36.0 ± 18.6, non-specific physical activity 57.0 ± 29.7 min/d). Periods without activity lasted for 386.5 ± 187.2 min/d. Daily energy expenditure was 1,964.1 ± 185.5 kcal/d. Correlations between physical activity (measured with DiaTrace) and blood glucose profiles (measured with CGM) were calculated. Pearson's correlation coefficients ranged between 0.59 and 0.99 (median 0.91). Hence, these good correlation coefficients show the high and direct association between blood glucose values and activity units. The wide ranges in correlation coefficients demonstrate a huge variability of individualized reactions. CONCLUSIONS: Use of innovative electronic health technology is highly accepted by patients. It reveals an accurate, real-time assessment of an individual's physical activity. These information can use for insulin dose-adjustment.

CYGD: the Comprehensive Yeast Genome Database.

The Comprehensive Yeast Genome Database (CYGD) compiles a comprehensive data resource for information on the cellular functions of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and related species, chosen as the best understood model organism for eukaryotes. The database serves as a common resource generated by a European consortium, going beyond the provision of sequence information and functional annotations on individual genes and proteins. In addition, it provides information on the physical and functional interactions among proteins as well as other genetic elements. These cellular networks include metabolic and regulatory pathways, signal transduction and transport processes as well as co-regulated gene clusters. As more yeast genomes are published, their annotation becomes greatly facilitated using S.cerevisiae as a reference. CYGD provides a way of exploring related genomes with the aid of the S.cerevisiae genome as a backbone and SIMAP, the Similarity Matrix of Proteins. The comprehensive resource is available under http://mips.gsf.de/genre/proj/yeast/.

MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences.

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Martinsried, near Munich, Germany, continues its longstanding tradition to develop and maintain high quality curated genome databases. In addition, efforts have been intensified to cover the wealth of complete genome sequences in a systematic, comprehensive form. Bioinformatics, supporting national as well as European sequencing and functional analysis projects, has resulted in several up-to-date genome-oriented databases. This report describes growing databases reflecting the progress of sequencing the Arabidopsis thaliana (MATDB) and Neurospora crassa genomes (MNCDB), the yeast genome database (MYGD) extended by functional analysis data, the database of annotated human EST-clusters (HIB) and the database of the complete cDNA sequences from the DHGP (German Human Genome Project). It also contains information on the up-to-date database of complete genomes (PEDANT), the classification of protein sequences (ProtFam) and the collection of protein sequence data within the framework of the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database. These databases can be accessed through the MIPS WWW server (http://www. mips.biochem.mpg.de).

MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences.

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Martinsried near Munich, Germany, develops and maintains genome oriented databases. It is commonplace that the amount of sequence data available increases rapidly, but not the capacity of qualified manual annotation at the sequence databases. Therefore, our strategy aims to cope with the data stream by the comprehensive application of analysis tools to sequences of complete genomes, the systematic classification of protein sequences and the active support of sequence analysis and functional genomics projects. This report describes the systematic and up-to-date analysis of genomes (PEDANT), a comprehensive database of the yeast genome (MYGD), a database reflecting the progress in sequencing the Arabidopsis thaliana genome (MATD), the database of assembled, annotated human EST clusters (MEST), and the collection of protein sequence data within the framework of the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database (described elsewhere in this volume). MIPS provides access through its WWW server (http://www.mips.biochem.mpg.de) to a spectrum of generic databases, including the above mentioned as well as a database of protein families (PROTFAM), the MITOP database, and the all-against-all FASTA database.

Secretory cell types and cell proliferation of human bronchial epithelial cells in an organ-culture system.

To study the secretory products and the proliferation of cells of the human respiratory surface epithelium, we established a miniorgan-culture system of bronchial tissue. Biopsies of large airways were grown on agar-coated dishes immersed in a serum-enriched medium. As determined by light and transmission electron microscopy, between 1 and 3 weeks, the organ cultures were covered by a differentiated epithelium consisting of secretory, ciliated, and basal cells. Immunohistochemistry, using antibodies to mucin and lysozyme, and lectin histochemistry revealed both mucous and serous secretory cells in the epithelium. Cell proliferation was studied in situ using antibodies to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki-67. Whereas at the time of explantation the proliferation was low (2.5+/-1.7% of the epithelial cells were PCNA-positive, 1.7+/-0.6 were Ki-67-positive), at 24 h of cultivation, 30.4+/-5.1% or 25.2+/-4.9% of the epithelial cells were labeled with antibodies to PCNA or Ki-67. After 7 days, the number of dividing cells was low again. The results show that the organ-culture system of human respiratory surface epithelium produces a differentiated epithelium that is useful in the study of secretory processes, differentiation, and proliferation.

Sulphated polyanions in cytoplasm and nuclei of epithelial cells of Branchiostoma demonstrated by the cationic dye Cupromeronic Blue.

The intracellular occurrence and distribution of sulphated polyanions, interpreted to represent mucins, were studied in secretory epithelial cells in the primitive chordates Branchiostoma lanceolatum and B. floridae at the electron microscopical level by using Cupromeronic Blue (CMB). CMB-precipitates were mainly found within two potential types of mucin vesicles (apical and basal) and Golgi cisterns. The mucin vesicles form a distinct population of secretory granules different from another nonmucin granule population. Within the epidermal cells the staining intensity of the Golgi cisterns with CMB increased from the cis to the trans compartment. The pharyngeal mucous cells showed staining only in the trans Golgi compartment. These findings indicate, that CMB can be used for intracellular localization of mucins and that sulphation of the mucins in the investigated cells may occur within different compartments of the Golgi complex. Apparently the mucin is secreted apically but only in the epidermis it forms a dense layer covering the apical microvilli. In the Branchiostoma epidermal cells a layer of specialized basal vesicles occurred, containing unusually large and branched CMB-precipitates which possibly serve mechanical functions. In the nuclei CMB-precipitates were regularly demonstrated in the euchromatin of the cell types studied.