Saint Louis University

About: Saint Louis University is a education organization based out in St Louis, Missouri, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 18927 authors who have published 34895 publications receiving 1267475 citations. The organization is also known as: SLU & St. Louis University.

Management of Influenza in Households: A Prospective, Randomized Comparison of Oseltamivir Treatment With or Without Postexposure Prophylaxis

Abstract: We determined the efficacy of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and treatment of ill index cases with oseltamivir, in an attempt to prevent influenza transmission in households, in a study conducted in 277 households with 298 index cases (62% with laboratory-confirmed influenza) and 812 contacts aged ≥1 year. Contacts were randomized by household to receive treatment (5 days; n = 402), if illness developed, or PEP for 10 days (n = 410), and the number of households with at least 1 contact developing laboratory-confirmed influenza was measured. PEP provided a protective efficacy of 58.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.6%-79.6%; P =.0114) for households against proven influenza and 68.0% (95% CI, 34.9%-84.2%; P =.0017) for individual contacts, compared with treatment of index cases alone. No oseltamivir-resistant variants were detected in treated index cases or contacts. PEP of household contacts of those with influenza reduces the secondary spread of influenza in families when the initial household case is treated.

Sex, race, age, and beauty as factors in recognition of faces

Abstract: Three hundred Ss, black and white, male and female, at four age levels were tested for their recognition of 12 photographed faces: black, white, male, female, child, adolescent, and adult. Females recognized female faces more frequently than the male faces, while male Ss recognized the male and female faces with equal facility. Whites recognized the white faces more frequently than the black faces, while black Ss recognized the black and white faces with equal facility. Incorrect identifications of 24 faces not actually seen before were treated separately. Male faces and black faces were misidentified more than white faces and female faces. The number of false identifications of faces decreased as Ss increased in age. Perceived beauty in a face facilitated recognition. There was evidence of large differences in memorability among individual faces.

A region in the C-terminus of adenovirus 2/5 E1a protein is required for association with a cellular phosphoprotein and important for the negative modulation of T24-ras mediated transformation, tumorigenesis and metastasis.

Abstract: We have examined a series of small deletion mutants within exon 2 of the adenovirus 2/5 E1A oncogene product, the 243R protein, for immortalization, ras cooperative transformation, tumorigenesis and metastasis. Compared with wild-type 243R, various deletion mutants located between residues 193 and 243 cooperated more efficiently with ras to induce large transformed foci of less adherent cells that were tumorigenic and metastatic. However, the greatest enhancement of transformation (comparable to that obtained with a deletion of the C-terminal 67 amino acids) was observed with a mutant carrying a deletion of residues 225-238. This mutant was also more defective in immortalization. These results suggest that this 14 amino acid region may contain a function that is important for immortalization and negative modulation of tumorigenesis and metastasis. To identify cellular proteins that may associate with the exon 2-coded region of E1A (C-terminal half) and modulate its transformation potential, we constructed a chimeric gene coding for the C-terminal 68 amino acids of E1a fused to bacterial glutathione-S-transferase (GST). This fusion protein was used to purify cellular proteins that bind to the C-terminal region of E1a. A 48 kDa cellular protein doublet (designated CtBP) was found to bind specifically to the GST-E1a C-terminal fusion protein as well as to bacterially expressed full-length E1a (243R) protein. It also co-immunoprecipitated specifically with E1a. Analysis of a panel of GST-E1a C-terminal mutant proteins indicates that residues 225-238 are required for the association of E1a and CtBP, suggesting a correlation between the association of CtBP and the immortalization and transformation modulating activities of exon 2. CtBP is a phosphoprotein and the level of phosphorylation of CtBP appears to be regulated during the cell cycle, suggesting that it may play an important role during cellular proliferation.

Adolescent alcohol use is a risk factor for adult alcohol and drug dependence: evidence from a twin design.

Abstract: Background. Early alcohol use is associated with abuse and dependence of licit and illicit substances later in life. The role of genetic and environmental factors in this association is not conclusive.Method. In 1992, data on substance use, abuse/dependence and psychiatric disorders were collected from 8169 male twin members of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. The interview obtained age of onset of regular drinking (one drink/month for 6 or more months). Regression analyses of twin pairs discordant for early alcohol use tested whether the association between early drinking (before age 17) and adult substance use and abuse/dependence remained after controlling for genetic factors, family environment and covariates. Twin models tested for common genetic and/or environmental influences on early drinking and adult alcohol dependence and ever use and abuse/dependence on marijuana and other drugs.Results. Co-twin analyses suggested the association between early regular alcohol use and adult alcohol dependence, marijuana and other drug use, and marijuana and other drug abuse/dependence could not be entirely explained by common genetic and shared family environmental factors. Genetic contributions to early regular drinking were significantly correlated with those on use of marijuana (rA=0·59), use of other drugs (rA=0·64), alcohol dependence (rA=0·54) and abuse/dependence of marijuana and other drugs (rA=0·63 and 0·66). Small but significant unique environmental correlations (rE range 0·11–0·22) indicated that familial factors could not entirely explain the association between early alcohol use and later substance use, abuse and dependence.Conclusions. Early regular drinking is associated with later alcohol dependence and use, abuse/dependence on drugs. The association is not entirely explained by genetic or shared family environmental factors. This suggests unique environmental factors contribute to transitions from early regular alcohol drinking to use, abuse and dependence on alcohol and other substances.