Although the AIDS epidemic in America began approximately three decades ago, much remains to be learned about the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in rural America. This study compared profiles of HIV patients at the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Mountain Home, TN to those seen at a university-based community HIV care clinic (COM) in Johnson City, TN.

This study investigated the effects of stress on the onset of chemically-induced diabetes mellitus in mice. Sixty male ICR mice were randomly divided into 6 groups of 10 mice. A factorial arrangement of 2 factors (streptozotocin (STZ) and stress) was used to produce 6 treatments. Three levels of STZ (0, 25 and 50 mg/kg bodyweight) and 2 levels of stress (stress and no-stress) were used. Stressed groups were exposed to restraint stress 6 hours daily for 18 days. Mice bodyweight, feed consumption and blood glucose levels were recorded regularly during the study period. At the end of the study period, all mice were euthanized and blood was collected and centrifuged to obtain serum for a corticosterone assay. The highest corticosterone levels occurred in the stressed mice that received the highest dose of STZ. There was no difference in corticosterone levels of the 0 STZ stress and no-stress groups. STZ was the significant factor in corticosterone level. The no-stress mice receiving the highest level of STZ showed the greatest increase in glucose levels, while the overall glucose levels of the other groups remained relatively constant. The findings suggest that restraint stress may delay the onset of chemically-induced diabetes mellitus in mice.

The effects of the microgravity of spaceflight are largely unexplored with regard to biological tissues. One particular area of interest is the possible effects microgravity could have on the production of mucins. To determine the possible effects of microgravity on mucin production in the urinary bladder, we examined the transitional epithelium of the urinary bladder from female mice that were flown on the space shuttle Endeavour for 12 days in August, 2007. The flight tissue was compared to tissues from two control groups of animals, ground control and baseline. This study utilized three sets of female mice, with each set consisting of 12 animals. The three sets were designated as Flight, Ground Control, and Baseline. The flight animals were flown in the Commercial Biomedical Testing Module-2 (CBMT-2) which was housed in the shuttle’s mid-deck locker area. Ground control animals were also housed in CBTM-2 units which were kept in environmentally controlled rooms at the Space Life Sciences Lab at Kennedy Space Center. Baseline animals were also housed at the Space Life Sciences Lab but were housed in standard rodent cages with ambient temperature and humidity, with a 12/12 light dark cycle. Bladder tissue was paraffin embedded, sectioned, mounted, and histologically stained using an Alcian Blue Periodic Acid Schiff staining procedure. The bladder tissue from the three treatment groups is being qualitatively analyzed for mucin thickness and types of mucins produced. To date the study indicates that the mucin layer of the Flight tissue is thinner than that of the Baseline or Ground Control tissue, but only significantly thinner than the Baseline tissue.

The method of training for long distance running has been to build up to the actual run distance and to keep similar volume. Although this is great for cardio it neglects the strength aspect of running. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine leg strength and compare it to running endurance (VO2) among male recreational runners, in order to determine any relationship. Methods: The subjects will be tested primarily on two pieces of equipment. The isometric mid-thigh clean pull apparatus which is used to measure a subject’s leg strength. The VO2 max machine will be used to determine a subject’s maximum oxygen consumption. BMI will be calculated to correlate it with time to exhaustion. The results of this study, when compared, will show how strength relates to endurance of runners. The subject’s characteristics and subject data were expressed in averages and standard deviations. Pearson Correlations were performed comparing the strength in relation to endurance (VO2) for total test duration. The Pearson Correlations were further broken into three stages that every subject finished. Stage 2, 3, and 4 were then analyzed to find relationships among strength and endurance among those stages. Finally, standard correlations will be done on subject data averages to find the relationship to time of exhaustion. Results: The average age of the 12 subjects that participated was 37.17 years with a standard deviation of 7.50 years. The average BMI (kg/m2) was 25.55 with a standard deviation of 3.13. The average time to exhaustion was 2 minutes and 03 seconds with a standard deviation of 4 minutes and 56 seconds. The strength in relation to endurance for total test duration is as followed. The strength IPF had a large positive correlation of 0.72 with max absolute VO2. The characteristic IPFkg had a large positive correlation of 0.60 with max relative VO2. The strength characteristics in relation to endurance characteristics that are broken up into the upper stages, which were completed by everyone, are as followed. In 2nd stage the subjects walked 2.5 mph with a 12% incline that lasted from the 3 to 6 minute marker. The IPF had a large positive correlation of 0.54 with absolute VO2 in this stage. The IPFkg on the other hand had a very small negative correlation of -0.03.During stage 3 the subjects walked 3.4mph with 14% incline that lasted from 6 to 9 minute marker. The IPF had a moderate positive correlation of 0.45 in relation to absolute VO2. The strength characteristic of IPFkg had a small negative correlation of -0.19 in relation to relative VO2kg. During stage 4 the subjects reached a jog at 3.4 mph with a 16% incline that lasted from the 9 to 12 minute marker. There was a large positive correlation of 0.65 when comparing IPF to absolute VO2. A small positive correlation was found among the subjects when comparing IPFkg to relative VO2kg. Body mass index (BMI) had a perfect negative correlation of-1.00 when correlated with time to exhaustion. Conclusion: Strength and Body Mass Index (BMI) has an effect on running endurance at walking speeds. This improvement during walking speeds is important because not every runner will be operating at maximal intensity during longer runners. The runner may actually be at a walk or slow jog which is a sub-maximal intensity, or sub-VO2.

The TonB-ExbB-ExbD complex is essential for the siderophore mediated acquisition of iron by Gram negative bacteria. The system provides energy from the proton motive force to the outer membrane in order for the iron siderophore complex to enter into the cell. The main protein involved in energy transduction, TonB, has been extensively studied in the species Escherichia Coli. It has been determined that the protein consists of 239 amino acids. In comparison, however, the TonB of Rhizobium leguminosarum consists of 457 amino acids with the same conserved regions. What is in question, therefore, is how the additional amino acids effect the structure of the C-terminal region of the protein and how such information can give insight into the way in which the proton motive force functions to provide energy to the outer membrane receptor. The protein regions of R. leguminosarum TonB chosen for study were 120 and 248 amino acids from the C-terminal end. Genomic DNA was isolated, primers were designed for each fragment, and polymerase chain reactions were performed. After appropriate restriction enzyme digestion, each DNA fragment was ligated into the plasmid pET-17b and then transformed into Escherichia Coli BL21 (DE3). Successful transformation of the 120 amino acid fragment was followed by expression via IPTG induction & extraction of protein. Afterwards, a T7-tag affinity column was attempted to collect the protein for analysis; however, a sufficient amount of protein was not eluted. The procedure will be repeated for obtaining sufficient protein for crystallization or NMR spectrometric analysis.

The clover leaf weevil, Hypera punctata (Fabr.), is a foreign pest introduced from Europe into New York, which first became noticeable in 1881. The insect has rapidly spread westward reaching Utah at least by 1912. Since this time several outbreaks have occured. In 1927 the injury to alfalfa, Medicago sativa, was severe in limited areas in Hooper, Weber County, and in 1927 and 1928 the infestation was very pronounced in certain parts of Salt Lake City.

Soil samples were screened for organisms which decompose tartaric acid as an energy source. Several microorganisms were isolated which were capable of metabolizing tartaric acid. The organism which grew best was identified as Aspergillus ficuum and used in this study. This organism, when grown in tartrate medium, resulted in a decrease in optical rotation and density of the culture medium. The pH of the culture filtrate increased with a concurrent increase in mycelial weight. Analysis of culture filtrates by gas chromatography indicate that the first intermediate compound detected in tartrate decomposition by A. ficuum is glycolic acid. The terminal metabolite is oxalic acid and there are undoubtedly others in the pathway, but they were not detectable by the methods employed. While working with the organism A. ficuum, it was found that the organism frequently failed to sporulate on various culture media. Sporulation was found to he related to the oxygen concentration to which the organism was exposed. It was found that A. ficuum could sporulate in 5% oxygen hut not in a 3% oxygen atmosphere.

NADP+-dependent 5-ketogluconate reductase (D-Gluconate:NAD(P)+ oxidoreductase E.C. 1.1.1.69) isozymes were detected in cell-free extracts of Gluconobacter suboxydans (American Type Cultures Collection, Bethesda, Maryland, strain 621). Cell-free enzyme extracts were prepared from cells grown in media which contained glucose, gluconate, glycerol, sorbitol, or mannitol as the sole carbon source in 2% concentration. The extracts were fractionated using analytical polyacrylamide disc-gel electrophoresis. Gels were stained specifically for 5-ketogluconate reductase. Three isozymes were present in each extract from cells grown on the five different carbon sources. Gels stained in a reaction mixture which contained glycerol exhibited two of the isozymes. An attempt was made to separate the three isozymes using anion-exchange chromatography. A stepwise anion-exchange procedure on DEAE Sephadex resulted in the separation of one of the isozymes from the other two and indicated that this isozyme might actually be two isozymes with the same electrophoretic mobility. Results fro linear gradient anion-exchange chromatography disproved this possibility. A comparison of results obtained from tracticelation by linear gradient anion-exchange of extracts which had been previously fractionated on Sephadex Gel-100 gel and those which had not, indicated that gel filtration did not improve separation of the isozymes.

Seven strains of Aspergillus fumigatus and five strains of Paecilomyces varioti known to produce trans-l-epoxysuccinic acid (ESA) in a fermentation medium were compared for total acid production. It was found that A. fumigatus NRRL 2327 accumulated the greatest concentration of total acid determined by titration for soluble calcium. Using a method of gas -liquid chromatography developed for this study, it was found that P. varioti NRRL 1123 accumulated significant quantities of ESA and succinic acid and a trace of an unidentified acid in a fermentation medium. The maximum accumulation of ESA was not reached by the 9th day of incubation although maximum growth had been reached by the 3rd day. Investigations on the effect of metallic cations on ESA production by P. varioti NRRL 1123 revealed that ions of copper and iron in combination were necessary for ESA production.

Ultraviolet light has previously been shown to cause viral induction in some SV40 transformed cell lines. The induction of this virus from an established line (clone E) of hamster kidney cells by monochromatic ultraviolet light was studied. Ten wavelengths in the region of 240 nm to 366 nm were tested. The induced viral titers were determined by the agar overlay plaque assay technique. A distinct wavelength dependence was shown for induction in this cell-virus system. A broad peak in induction efficiency extending from 260 nm to 280 nm was found. This indicates a DNA-protein interaction in the induction process.