Seed extracts from 18 varieties of legumes were tested for virus inhibitory activity against TMV. Unheated seed extracts fall into two categories. Those extracts which give 73-95% inhibition and includes G. max (soybean), and extracts in which inhibition is between 0-60%, for example P. vulgaris (French bean). Inhibition was decreased by heating some extracts such as G. max, whilst in other extracts, such as P. vulgaris, the percentage inhibition was increases by heating. P. vulgaris and G. max seed extracts were studied in detail. P. vulgaris was also inhibitory to TMV, whilst G. max was inhibitory to TMV and PVX. Dilution experiments confirmed the presence of inhibitors and not inactivators in both extracts. None of the inhibitors was nucleic acid. However, dialysis precipitation with alcohol or ammonium sulphate and disc electro-phoresis experiments suggested that the inhibitors are composed of proteins and glycoproteins stable to a wide range of ph. Sephadex G-100 gel filtration showed that G. max seed extracts inhibitors have molecular weights of about 158,500 and 17,780. On the other hand, P. vulgaris inhibitors have molecular weights of about 177,800 and 12,590. Seven fractions were obtained from DEAE chromatography of each of G. max (soybean) and P. vulgaris (French bean) seed extracts. Soybean contains three virus inhibitor fractions, one basic in nature and two acidic. None of the virus inhibitors agglutinated erythrocytes) however, the acidic inhibitors showed inhibition activity. French bean contains also three virus inhibitors as well as confounds reducing the effects of the inhibitors. These are termed masking compounds. Such masking compounds were agglutinins. The basic inhibitor also showed agglutination of erythrocytes whilst only one of the two acidic virus inhibitors showed trypsin inhibition. Plant lectins were also tested for virus inhibition and agglutination activity, and it was found that the situation is complex and although soybean and French bean seed extracts seemed to have surface effect on the susceptibility of the host, the mode of action of lectins and the virus inhibitors are different. The virus inhibitors seem either to affect the attachment of the virus to the infective centres or perhaps allow attachment but prevent entry of virus into the cells.

The hormone gastrin regulates gastric acid secretion and through its effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis also regulates gastric epithelial and enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell growth. The influence of various factors (host, bacterial and environmental) upon fasting serum gastrin concentrations and to what extent these factors interact to influence the progression of gastric preneoplastic pathology is not fully understood. Long standing hypergastrinaemia secondary to hypochlorhydria resulting from autoimmune gastritis can result in the development of ECL-cell hyperplasia. In some patients this progresses to type-1 gastric neuroendocrine tumour formation. The factors that influence this progression have not been fully characterised. The management of type-1 gastric neuroendocrine tumours is dependent on their size. However, there is still controversy regarding the optimal management of larger (> 1cm) tumours. Antrectomy is one option and the results of an octreotide suppression test (to determine gastrin dependency of type-1 gastric neuroendocrine tumours in order to predict response to antrectomy) have been reported in a single patient. This aims of this thesis were to assess: 1. The interaction between various factors (host, bacterial and environmental) that may influence fasting serum gastrin concentrations and the development of gastric preneoplastic pathology. 2. The roles of certain factors in the progression of ECL-cell hyperplasia to type-1 gastric neuroendocrine tumours. 3. The role of an octreotide suppression test in identifying patients with type-1 gastric neuroendocrine tumours who may benefit from antrectomy. In a large cohort of >1000 prospectively recruited patients, we demonstrated that in addition to H. pylori infection, the presence of a host factor (advancing age), a bacterial virulence factor (cagA) and elevated fasting serum gastrin concentrations (>100pM) were significantly associated with the presence of gastric preneoplastic pathology. Concurrent proton pump inhibitor therapy was however not associated with the presence of gastric preneoplastic pathology. The interactions between H. pylori infection, proton pump inhibitor use and the presence of gastric preneoplastic pathology in determining fasting serum gastrin concentrations were found to be complex. In addition, other host and environmental factors also influenced fasting serum gastrin concentrations. Although results from our study did not demonstrate any statistically significant associations, there did appear to be correlations between the presence of factors such as hypothyroidism, positive anti-gastric parietal and intrinsic factor antibodies and extent of gastric atrophy with the presence of more advanced degrees of gastric ECL-cell hyperplasia. Although a positive octreotide suppression test was associated with tumour regression following antrectomy in four patients with type-1 gastric neuroendocrine tumours, a fifth patient who had a positive test did not show tumour regression and needed additional surgery. In conclusion, gastrin appears to act as an important co-factor in the pathogenesis of epithelial and neuroendocrine neoplasia in the stomach, but interactions with other factors are complex.

Background: Development of ultra-short chemotherapy for tuberculosis (TB) is thwarted by drug-tolerant bacillary persistence and a lack of surrogate endpoints to predict outcome from early clinical studies. Characterising bacillary elimination amongst TB patients may provide important new information. Bacilli harbouring intra-cytoplasmic lipid bodies (LBs) may represent a drug-tolerant phenotype, responsible for delayed bacterial clearance. Methods: Malawian adults with pulmonary TB were treated with standard 6 month therapy. Two quantitative sputum culture methods were used to model bacillary elimination during the first 2 months; serial sputum colony counting (SSCC) and time to positivity (TTP) in BACTEC MGIT broth. Fluorescence microscopy was used to assess the proportion of LB positive bacilli on sputum smears. Plasma concentrations of anti-TB drugs were assayed at day 14 or 21. Patients were followed until one year post-treatment. Outcomes were defined as favourable (stable cure) or unfavourable (failure/relapse). The effect of microbiological and pharmacological factors on outcome was assessed. Results: 169 patients (59% with HIV co-infection) were recruited. Of 133 final outcomes, 15 (11%) were unfavourable. Partial likelihood non-linear mixed effects (NLME) modelling of SSCC data from 86 (64%) patients showed biphasic bacillary elimination; slow late-phase eradication of persisters was associated with unfavourable outcome (p=0.001). Linear mixed effects (LME) modelling of TTP data from 124 (93%) patients showed that a slower MGIT Bacillary Elimination Rate (MBER) was associated with unfavourable outcome (p=0.007). 28% (range 0-79%) of acid-fast bacilli in baseline sputum samples were LB positive. During the first month there was a trend towards higher LB counts in patients who went on to have unfavourable vs. favourable outcomes (p=0.085). Low plasma rifampicin and isoniazid concentrations were reported in 87% and 50% patients respectively. A lower isoniazid AUC(0-6hr) exposure was associated with unfavourable outcome (p=0.035). Conclusions: The two main findings were: 1. Modelling of bacillary elimination during the first 2 months of TB therapy predicted long-term outcome. The MBER, in particular, could be calculated for 93% of patients and should be considered as a surrogate marker for early clinical trials. 2. The observation of a higher proportion of LB positive bacilli in later sputum samples from patients with unfavourable outcomes suggests that these may be drug-tolerant persister cells, with negative implications for treatment efficacy.

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Over the past twenty years, there seems to have been an increased interest on the topic of adolescent personality pathology among researchers and clinicians in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology. There have been many contentious debates on the topic, the most prominent being around the possibility of diagnosing a personality disorder or variant thereof in adolescence. With this in mind, the researcher attempted to understand some of the most pertinent debates as well as investigate some of the hypotheses proposed in the arguments. The main focus of the study was on the possibility of diagnosing personality pathology in adolescence and whether or not this was being achieved in an inpatient psychiatric ward. The present study quantitatively investigated the prevalence of personality pathology as well as the extent to which health care professionals in South Africa are diagnosing various personality pathologies among adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric ward. The data collected has been analysed using the statistical study of frequencies and correlations, in order to assess whether there were positive correlations between genders, Axis I disorders, a set of reported problematic or pathological behavioural symptoms and having an Axis II diagnosis. The results reveal that clinicians are cautiously diagnosing personality pathology in an inpatient adolescent psychiatric ward, with the borderline personality pathology being the most prevalent.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 1996 / The NPM-ALK fusion gene, formed by the t(2;5)(p23;q35) in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma encodes a 75kDa hybrid protein that contains the amino-terminal 118 amino acid residues of the nucleolar phosphoprotein nucleophosmin (NPM) joined to the entire cytoptasmic portion of the receptor tyrosine kinase, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). The transforming ability of NPM-ALK is demonstrated and it is shown that oncogenesis by the chimaeric protein requires the activation of its kinase function as a result of oligomerisation mediated by the NPM segment. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive, syntactic, and pragmatic language skills of school age children. Subjects were chosen from sixth and ninth grades and randomly placed in one of two interaction paradigms. A common task, construction of a geometric puzzle, was presented to a group of subjects by the examiner and those subjects then taught the task to their peers. / In the first interaction paradigm subjects were asked to answer three question strategies; definitive, empirical and evaluative. In the second interaction paradigm the subjects teaching the task asked questions of their own design with the evaluative questions being asked by the examiner upon completion of the puzzle task. Each subject also gave a narrative three to five minutes in length. Cognition was measured by the reasoning cluster of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery. / Responses to questions were analyzed descriptively for all subjects for differences in function using a pragmatic taxonomy developed for this study. Narratives were analyzed descriptively for differences in syntax using the Language Assessment Remediation Screening Procedure. Narratives were analyzed statistically for differences in T-unit length, clause length and clause usage. Correlations were drawn between cognitive test scores with T-unit length, clause length and clauses per T-unit. / Findings indicated statistically significant differences between groups in the words per T-unit and the words per clause used in the narratives. Descriptive differences were found between groups in the use of response and question strategies. Differences were also found in the type, but not the number of verb extensions between groups. Correlations between language and cognitive test scores were not statistically significant. The implications of the results in the evaluation and treatment of the language disordered child were discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, Section: B, page: 0689. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The Radioear B70A and Siemens Fonator electromechanical vibrators were coupled separately to the fingertip of 72 normal young adults. Tactual thresholds were obtained with (a) pure tones in octave and half-octave intervals from 125 through 1,000 Hertz and (b) phonemes comprising the Ling Five Sound Speech Test. / Threshold measurements served as a sensation level reference for tactual stimuli used in a subsequent visual-tactual communication task. Subjects used a television monitor to observe a videotaped speaker uttering sentences from the CID Everyday Sentences Lists. The tape soundtrack drove a respective vibrator at predetermined suprathreshold levels. Subjects failed to demonstrate statistically significant differences in speechreading performance as a function of systematic changes in the intensity of tactual stimuli with either electromechanical vibrator. Statistically significant differences were observed as a function of speechreading the same sentences twice. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-09, Section: B, page: 2866. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The primary purpose of this study was to explore speech reactions to normal auditory feedback (NAF) and delayed auditory feedback (DAF), with reference to three factors: (1) speech-confidence, (2) gender, and (3) the duration of DAF. Male and female subjects were divided into speakers of high speech-confidence (HM and HF respectively) and speakers of low speech-confidence (LM and LF respectively). Speech reactions of these four groups to the speech stress of delayed auditory feedback were examined. Measurements of speech included speech errors, rate of speech, total talking time, intensity of speech, and fundamental frequency. In general, results indicated that the speech responses of high- and low-confident speakers could not be differentiated. With regard to gender however, for two of the outcome variables, i.e., speech errors and upward intensity range, males and females responded to the experimental conditions differentially. Finally, findings confirmed that delayed auditory feedback will generally disrupt normal speech production. However, data were inconclusive regarding the effects of specific durations of DAF on speech production. / A secondary goal of the study was to examine the scores obtained from the Inventory of Communication Attitudes with reference to the similarities and differences among the four subject groups. A significant difference was found in the self-reported speech-confidence levels of LM and LF subjects. In contrast, the speech-confidence scores of HM and HF subjects were not significantly different. / A final objective of the study was to investigate how listeners perceived the speech-confidence level of speakers. In general, it was determined that the ability of listeners to detect the same level of speech-confidence as that reported by the speakers was relatively difficult. Results also showed that listeners perceived females as being "Confident" and "Very Confident" speakers more often than they did males. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: B, page: 5671. / Major Professor: Richard Ham. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

Unit-by-unit identification of stuttering is a commonly used clinical technique. Although widely used in the clinical process, investigations have revealed low agreement levels when comparing the unit-by-unit identifications made by different judges. Previous studies have attributed some of this disagreement to characteristics of the judges making the decisions. Only cursory factors (age and gender of judges) have been identified thus far. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between selected characteristics of judges and number of stuttering units identified by those judges, and secondly, to relate the same selected characteristics to the number of stuttering units in agreement with pooled judgements of stuttering made by experienced speech-language pathologists. Characteristics of judges studied were musical training, foreign language experience, singing experience (obtained through survey), musical aptitude (obtained from the Seashore Measures of Musical Abilities) academic success (obtained from grade point averages) and success on academic achievement tests (obtained from S.A.T. and G.R.E. scores). / Forty judges listened to audio recordings of 100 sentences (five repetitions of 20 sentences) which were read by confirmed stutterers. Judges marked where stuttering occurred on a script which would allow stuttering identification on a word or in the space between words. Number of stuttering units marked by judges and number of stuttering units marked in agreement with experienced clinicians were tabulated for all judges. / Spearman correlation coefficients beyond the.05 level of significance were calculated for total number of stuttering units identified by judges and 2 G.R.E. subtests (analytic and quantitative scores). Number of stuttering units identified by judges which were in agreement with experienced clinicians were positively correlated beyond the.05 level with G.R.E quantitative score, G.R.E. analytic score and total G.R.E. score and negatively correlated beyond the.05 level with self judged foreign language competency. / These findings should be treated cautiously due to large confidence interval calculated for this sample size. Trends in the data distribution, future research directions and implications for student selection into graduate programs are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-09, Section: B, page: 4631. / Major Professor: Richard E. Ham. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.