Splicing-associated chromatin signatures: a combinatorial and position-dependent role for histone marks in splicing definition.

Alternative splicing relies on the combinatorial recruitment of splicing regulators to specific RNA binding sites. Chromatin has been shown to impact this recruitment. However, a limited number of histone marks have been studied at a global level. In this work, a machine learning approach, applied to extensive epigenomics datasets in human H1 embryonic stem cells and IMR90 foetal fibroblasts, has identified eleven chromatin modifications that differentially mark alternatively spliced exons depending on the level of exon inclusion. These marks act in a combinatorial and position-dependent way, creating characteristic splicing-associated chromatin signatures (SACS). In support of a functional role for SACS in coordinating splicing regulation, changes in the alternative splicing of SACS-marked exons between ten different cell lines correlate with changes in SACS enrichment levels and recruitment of the splicing regulators predicted by RNA motif search analysis. We propose the dynamic nature of chromatin modifications as a mechanism to rapidly fine-tune alternative splicing when necessary.

Identification of novel hydroxy fatty acids in the barnacle Balanus balanoides.

The ability of the barnacle Balanus balanoides tissues to produce eicosanoid hatching factors from endogenous polyunsaturated fatty acids has been investigated. GC-MS analysis of an active HPLC fraction from the trihydroxy fatty acid band on TLC revealed the presence of a number of trihydroxy fatty acids and two compounds which were tentatively identified as chlorinated dihydroxy fatty acids. The identified trihydroxy fatty acids are 10,11,12-trihydroxy-5,8,14-eicosatrienoic acid, 10,11,12-trihydroxy-5,8,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid, 13,14,15-trihydroxy-5,8,11,17-eicosatetraenoic acid and 12,13,14-trihydroxy-4,7,10,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid. The tentatively identified chlorinated dihydroxy fatty acids are 9-chloro- and/or 11-chloro-8,12-dihydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid. The formation of these compounds is evidence of lipoxygenase activities in Balanus balanoides and their identification will facilitate the understanding of the roles eicosanoids play in barnacle physiology, especially with regard to the larval hatching process.

The effects of music therapy on a group of profoundly mentally handicapped adults.

An investigation of the effects of music therapy on profoundly mentally handicapped adults is reported. The therapy was directed at achieving specific objectives for individuals and the study compared the efficacy of music therapy and play activities in achieving these objectives. Four subjects out of the 12 included in the therapy groups were studied intensively. All subjects received both treatments in a reversal design with 20 weekly sessions of each treatment. Videotapes of the treatment sessions were analysed using a time-sampling method to record the occurrence of behaviour indicating the achievement of the individual treatment objectives. Staff behaviour in the treatment sessions was also observed to investigate the role of staff attention in mediating the treatment effects. The observations of staff behaviour showed that, overall, there was less individual attention given during music therapy than in play sessions, that there was a much greater role differentiation among the staff present in the music therapy groups and that individual clients in the groups received markedly unequal amounts of staff attention. For all four subjects studied in detail, some differences in behaviour were shown between the treatments and most, but not all, of these differences indicated greater effectiveness of music therapy. For one subject showing higher performance in play sessions than in music therapy, this could be attributed to a higher level of staff attention for this subject. The differences in favour of music therapy could not be accounted for in this way. It is concluded that music therapy is a useful treatment approach with profoundly handicapped people.

Retrogastric colon: CT demonstration of anatomic variations.

In a series of 9,400 body computed tomographic (CT) scans of adult patients, a retrogastric course of the transverse colon with interposition of colon between the pancreatic body-tail and stomach was identified in 18 patients (0.2%). Three other patients (0.03%) had retrosplenic, retrogastric colon with transverse colon interposed between the spleen and posterior diaphragm. Three of the 18 patients with pancreaticogastric interposition also had small bowel malrotation. Clinically, no symptoms attributable to retrogastric colon were found. Retrogastric colons probably result from mild embryologic abnormalities of bowel rotation and fixation. Radiologically, colon in the area of the lesser sac must be differentiated from the normal duodenojejunal flexure, a perforated viscus, and abscess.

Identification of the hatching factor of the barnacle Balanus balanoides as the novel eicosanoid 10,11,12-trihydroxy-5,8,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid.

Barnacle egg hatching factor which is released into the mantle cavity where the egg masses are brooded and stimulates embryonic musculature resulting in hatching and liberation of the larvae into the sea has been isolated in a purified form from a common barnacle Balanus balanoides. Derivatised hatching factor has been analysed by GC-MS and identified as 10,11,12-trihydroxy-5,8,14,12-eicosatetraenoic acid, a novel eicosanoid probably formed from endogenous eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5w3). Hatching factor activity is the first specific physiological function to be established for this type of compound.

Impact of Medicaid resources on core public health responsibilities of local health departments in Illinois.

With Illinois' plan to embark on a statewide Medicaid managed care program, the impact of Medicaid resources on core public health responsibilities of local health departments (LHDs) was assessed and found to be substantial. A reduction of $330,000 in core public health activities would likely accompany each $1 million in Medicaid resources lost by these LHDs. Only by actively participating in the planning and implementation of these conversions can public health agencies maintain high productivity and efficiency in addressing core public health responsibilities in their communities.