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Possible Occurrence (possible + occurrence)
Selected AbstractsImmunophenotypic discrepancies between granulocytic and erythroid lineages in peripheral blood of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuriaEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Kriangsak Pakdeesuwan Abstract: In paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH), somatic mutation of the PIG-A gene is thought to result in altered expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins. This study was performed to determine if there were any heterogeneities of cellular phenotypes between two major peripheral blood cells, erythrocytes and granulocytes. Using CD59-based immunocytometry, the patterns of CD59 expression were shown to be conserved in the circulating erythroid cells (reticulocytes and mature erythrocytes) in all 29 patients with PNH. Twenty-one patients had distinct combinations of PNH type I, II, and III cells in different lineages. Only eight patients exhibited similar patterns of CD59 expression between the two lineages. Approximately one third of the patients had PNH type II cells in either or both of the two lineages indicating variable lineage involvement. The proportion of abnormal granulocutes was higher than those of abnormal reticulocytes and erythrocytes. In patients with appropriate erythropoietic responses to haemolysis (RPI>2.0), shift reticulocytes display predominantly PNH phenotypes. These immature erythroid cells with altered expression of GPI-anchored proteins may dominate the peripheral blood during periods of increased marrow activity resulting in greater phenotypic mosaicism in such patients. Discrepancies in expression of GPI-anchored proteins in PNH which are highly variable between the two lineages may be the result of their different life spans and the influence of complement-mediated cytolysis. The phenomena also indicated the possible occurrence of more than one PNH clones with variable clonal dominance. [source] Lesion of the anterior branch of axillary nerve in a patient with hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsiesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 5 2000S. Simonetti We report the case of a 30-year-old woman affected by hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP), who developed a painless left axillary neuropathy after sleeping on her left side, on a firm orthopaedic mattress, in her eighth month of pregnancy. Electromyography (EMG) showing neurogenic signs in the left anterior and middle deltoid, and normal findings in the left teres minor, posterior deltoid and other proximal upper limb muscles, demonstrated that the lesion was at the level of the axillary anterior branch. A direct compression of this branch against the surgical neck of the humerus seems the most likely pathogenic mechanism. This is the first documented description of an axillary neuropathy in HNPP. Knowledge of its possible occurrence may be important for prevention purposes. [source] An improved force-restore method for soil temperature predictionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008Z. Gao Summary The force-restore method originally developed to enable soil temperature predictions assumes that soil is uniform with depth (i.e. the vertical gradient of thermal diffusivity is zero in soil) and that thermal conduction is the only heat transfer mechanism necessary for prediction of soil temperature. These assumptions hamper the applicability of the force-restore method to many natural soil conditions. The main objective of this study is to revise the force-restore method by extending it to include the possibility of soil heterogeneity with depth (i.e. non-zero vertical gradient of thermal diffusivity in soil) and to include the possible occurrence of convective heat transfer as well as conductive heat transfer in soil. Soil temperatures calculated by the current and the revised force-restore methods for a shallow soil layer were compared with measured soil temperatures at a bare soil site in the China Loess Plateau from 22 to 26 July 2005. Results showed that the revised method improved on the current force-restore method, which overestimated either the diurnal amplitude or the phase shift for the shallow soil layer. These results indicate that the revised force-restore method is more applicable than the current force-restore method for predicting soil temperatures in naturally occurring non-uniform soil. The revised force-restore method has potential application within many land-atmosphere numerical models. [source] ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION OF ASEXUAL POPULATIONS UNDER MULLER'S RATCHETEVOLUTION, Issue 7 2004Doris Bachtrog Abstract We study the population genetics of adaptation in nonequilibrium haploid asexual populations. We find that the accumulation of deleterious mutations, due to the operation of Muller's ratchet, can considerably reduce the rate of fixation of advantageous alleles. Such reduction can be approximated reasonably well by a reduction in the effective population size. In the absence of Muller's ratchet, a beneficial mutation can only become fixed if it creates the best possible genotype; if Muller's ratchet operates, however, mutations initially arising in a nonoptimal genotype can also become fixed in the population, since the loss of the least-loaded class implies that an initially nonoptimal background can become optimal. We show that, while the rate at which adaptive mutations become fixed is reduced, the rate of fixation of deleterious mutations due to the ratchet is not changed by the presence of beneficial mutations as long as the rate of their occurrence is low and the deleterious effects of mutations (sd) are higher than the beneficial effects (sa). When sa>sd, the advantage of a beneficial mutation can outweigh the deleterious effects of associated mutations. Under these conditions, a beneficial allele can drag to fixation deleterious mutations initially associated with it at a higher rate than in the absence of advantageous alleles. We propose analytical approximations for the rates of accumulation of deleterious and beneficial mutations. Furthermore, when allowing for the possible occurrence of interference between beneficial alleles, we find that the presence of deleterious mutations of either very weak or very strong effect can marginally increase the rate of accumulation of beneficial mutations over that observed in the absence of such deleterious mutations. [source] Overview of adverse reactions to nefopam: an analysis of the French Pharmacovigilance databaseFUNDAMENTAL & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2007G. Durrieu Abstract Nefopam is widely used for the relief of moderate acute pain. Its safety profile remains to be specified. The objective of the study was to review adverse reactions to nefopam spontaneously reported to the French Pharmacovigilance system. All cases of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with nefopam, registered in the French Pharmacovigilance database from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2004, were reviewed. For each reported ADR, information about patient (age, gender, medical history), drug exposure (suspected and concomitantly used drugs), characteristics of ADRs (imputability score, time of onset, seriousness, outcome) were collected. A total of 114 ADRs with an imputability rated from ,plausible' (I2) to ,likely' (I3) and ,very likely' (I4) was analysed. The most frequent ADRs included ,expected' ADRs such as sweating, nausea, tachycardia, malaise or vomiting; 61 ADRs were ,unexpected. No overdose was reported; 26 ADRs (23%) were considered as ,serious'. Most of them were ,unexpected', including neuropsychiatric (hallucinations, convulsions) or cutaneous (pruritus, erythema, urticaria) ADRs. Six cases of anaphylactic ADRs (two angioedema and four anaphylactic shocks) were reported, all occurring shortly after use of nefopam during the post-operative period. Physicians should be aware of the possible occurrence of some serious ADRs when using nefopam such as convulsions and anaphylactic shocks, especially when the drug is used in special medical conditions, like post-operative periods. [source] Shear wave splitting changes associated with the 2001 volcanic eruption on Mt EtnaGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2006Francesca Bianco SUMMARY The time delays and polarizations of shear wave splitting above small earthquakes show variations before the 2001 July 17,August 9 2001 flank eruption on Mt Etna, Sicily. Normalized time delays, measured by singular value decomposition, show a systematic increase starting several days before the onset of the eruption. On several occasions before the eruption, the polarization directions of the shear waves at Station MNT, closest to the eruption, show 90°-flips where the faster and slower split shear waves exchange polarizations. The last 90°-flip being 5 days before the onset of the eruption. The time delays also exhibit a sudden decrease shortly before the start of the eruption suggesting the possible occurrence of a ,relaxation' phenomena, due to crack coalescence. This behaviour has many similarities to that observed before a number of earthquakes elsewhere. [source] Impact of Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapy on Histologic Change in the Distal EsophagusHELICOBACTER, Issue 4 2006Masanori Toyoda Abstract Background:, Although cases of reflux esophagitis (RE) developing after treatment to eradicate Helicobacter pylori have been discussed in some detail, no reports are available concerning the histologic examination of RE both before and after eradication therapy. Materials and methods:, Sixty-one patients and 111 specimens were investigated using endoscopic and histologic techniques. The histologic findings including basal zone height, papillar height, Ki-67 labeling index, and COX-2 expression before and after treatment for H. pylori infection were compared with those in normal controls and patients with endoscopic RE. Results:, Twelve months after eradication therapy, the incidence of newly developed endoscopic RE was 20% (5/25). Basal zone height and papillar height had increased at 1 month, but had returned to pretreatment levels after 12 months of eradication therapy. The Ki-67 labeling index was significantly increased 1 and 12 months after eradication therapy compared to values before treatment. COX-2 expression gradually increased after the treatment. The phenomena linked to esophagitis appeared after eradication therapy. However, the severity and extent of these signs were not so high after the treatment of H. pylori than those in patients with overt reflux esophagitis. Focusing on the patients with hiatal hernia, papillar height and Ki-67 labeling index increased significantly after eradication therapy, values being almost the same as those in the patients with endoscopic RE. Conclusions:, Hiatal hernia plays an important role in the possible occurrence of hidden RE after treatment for a H. pylori infection. [source] Mental rotation of random lined figuresJAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001Fumio Kanbe The present study investigated the possible occurrence of mental rotation in judgments of whether pairs of line figures were identical. The feasibility of two discrete cognitive explanations based on holistic transformation and on feature computation was examined with varied levels of complexity controlled by the numbers of lines in a figure. In the experiment, participants were required to judge whether simultaneously presented pairs of figures were the same or different. When the participants' data were collapsed for regression analyses, evidence for mental rotation was not detected at any level of complexity, but reanalysis of the data revealed that some participants employed mental rotation in the cognition of complex figures. A monotonous increase in reaction times as a function of the number of lines was evident in identical pairs of figures but not in nonidentical pairs. It is argued that the feature computation explanation would better account for these results than would the holistic transformation explanation. [source] Interpreting interactions between treatments that slow agingAGING CELL, Issue 1 2002David Gems Summary A major challenge in current research into aging using model organisms is to establish whether different treatments resulting in slowed aging involve common or distinct mechanisms. Such treatments include gene mutation, dietary restriction (DR), and manipulation of reproduction, gonadal signals and temperature. The principal method used to determine whether these treatments act through common mechanisms is to compare the magnitude of the effect on aging of each treatment separately with that when two are applied simultaneously. In this discussion we identify five types of methodological shortcomings that have marred such studies. These are (1) submaximal lifespan-extension by individual treatments, e.g. as a result of the use of hypomorphic rather than null alleles; (2) effects of a single treatment on survival through more than one mechanism, e.g. pleiotropic effects of lifespan mutants; (3) the difficulty of interpreting the magnitude of increases in lifespan in double treatments, and failure to measure and model age-specific mortality rates; (4) the non-specific effects of life extension suppressors; and (5) the possible occurrence of artefactual mutant interactions. When considered in the light of these problems, the conclusions of a number of recent lifespan interaction studies appear questionable. We suggest six rules for avoiding the pitfalls that can beset interaction studies. [source] Molecular and Biochemical Evidence for Phenylpropanoid Synthesis and Presence of Wall-linked Phenolics in Cotton FibersJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Ling Fan Abstract The mature cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fiber is a single cell with a typically thickened secondary cell wall. The aim of this research was to use molecular, spectroscopic and chemical techniques to investigate the possible occurrence of previously overlooked accumulation of phenolics during secondary cell wall formation in cotton fibers. Relative quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that GhCAD6 and GhCAD1 were predominantly expressed among seven gene homologs, only GhCAD6 was up-regulated during secondary wall formation in cotton fibers. Phylogenic analysis revealed that GhCAD6 belonged to Class I and was proposed to have a major role in monolignol biosynthesis, and GhCAD1 belonged to Class III and was proposed to have a compensatory mechanism for monolignol biosynthesis. Amino acid sequence comparison showed that the cofactor binding sites of GhCADs were highly conserved with high similarity and identity to bona fide cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenases. The substrate binding site of GhCAD1 is different from GhCAD6. This difference was confirmed by the different catalytic activities observed with the enzymes. Cell wall auto-fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and chemical analyses confirmed that phenolic compounds were bound to the cell walls of mature cotton fibers. Our findings may suggest a potential for genetic manipulation of cotton fiber properties, which are of central importance to agricultural, cotton processing and textile industries. [source] Cervical insufficiency following cesarean delivery after prolonged second stage of labor: Experiences of two casesJOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2010Shinsuke Koyama Abstract Cervical insufficiency is a known risk factor for preterm birth and miscarriage. The etiology of cervical insufficiency has not been fully recognized and the association between it and prior cesarean delivery is unknown. We experienced two similar characteristic cases of cervical insufficiency following term cesarean delivery. Interestingly, both cesarean sections were uneventfully performed after the prolonged second stage of labor. Our experience and recent literature strongly support the idea that an unintentional incision into the uterine cervix during a previous cesarean section may cause cervical insufficiency in subsequent pregnancies. It is important for obstetricians to take into account the possible occurrence of cervical insufficiency depending on the circumstances of previous deliveries. Our report highlights the need to alert obstetricians to take more care with their cesarean section technique. [source] Rhythmic diel movements of pandalid shrimps in the western Mediterranean continental shelf and upper slopeJOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 4 2007J. Aguzzi Abstract In marine ecosystems, information on diel rhythmic movements of species is of importance to characterize temporal changes in the community structure. In this sense, patterns of bottom trawl catches of the pandalid caridean shrimps Chlorotocus crassicornis, Plesionika gigliolii and Plesionika martia were analysed, as a proxy of the timing and duration of their presence on the seabed, close to the autumn equinox (October) and the summer solstice (June) on the continental shelf (100 m) and the upper slope (400 m). The size structure of catches was also studied for each species to assess the possible occurrence of a modulation of rhythmic movements during ontogeny. Data showed marked diel patterns of catchability on the bottom in association with light intensity cycles in both sampling seasons and depths. Chlorotocus crassicornis on the shelf showed nocturnal peaks in catches. On the slope, Pl. gigliolii showed mainly a higher catchability at dusk and dawn, whereas the catchability of Pl. martia was mainly higher during the day time. Juveniles and adults of Pl. gigliolii and Pl. martia showed ontogenetic differences in their occurrence patterns. This phenomenon is discussed by comparing the reported catchability patterns with those of some prey species that also show rhythmic behaviour in association with the day,night cycle. [source] Can Nutritional Label Use Influence Body Weight Outcomes?KYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 4 2009Andreas C. Drichoutis SUMMARY Many countries around the world have already mandated, or plan to mandate, the presence of nutrition related information on most pre-packaged food products. Health advocates and lobbyists would like to see similar laws mandating nutrition information in the restaurant and fast-food market as well. In fact, New York City has already taken a step forward and now requires all chain restaurants with 15 or more establishments anywhere in US to show calorie information on their menus and menu board. The benefits were estimated to be as much as 150,000 fewer obese New Yorkers over the next five years. The implied benefits of the presence of nutrition information are that consumers will be able to observe such information and then make informed (and hopefully healthier) food choices. In this study, we use the latest available dataset from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005,2006) to explore whether reading such nutrition information really has an effect on body weight outcomes. In order to deal with the inherent problem of cross-sectional datasets, namely self-selection, and the possible occurrence of reverse causality we use a propensity score matching approach to estimate causal treatment effects. We conducted a series of tests related to variable choice of the propensity score specification, quality of matching indicators, robustness checks, and sensitivity to unobserved heterogeneity, using Rosenbaum bounds to validate our propensity score exercise. Our results generally suggest that reading nutrition information does not affect body mass index. The implications of our findings are also discussed. [source] Mitochondrial DNA sequences reveal extensive cryptic diversity within a western American springsnailMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 10 2003Hsiu-Ping Liu Abstract We analysed cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and NADH dehydrogenase subunit I sequence variation among 29 populations of a widely ranging southwestern springsnail (Pyrgulopsis micrococcus) and 18 regional congeners. Cladistic analyses of these sequences depict P. micrococcus as a polyphyletic composite of five well-supported clades. Sequence divergences among these clades and subclades imply the possible occurrence of as many as seven or eight cryptic species in addition to P. micrococcus. Our finding that P. micrococcus contains multiple, genetically distinct and geographically restricted lineages suggests that diversification within this highly speciose aquatic genus has been structured in large part by the operation of terrestrial barriers to gene flow. However, these sequence data also indicate that recent dispersal among hydrographically separated areas has occurred within one of these lineages, which we attribute to passive transport on migratory waterbirds. [source] Identification of the Rdl mutation in laboratory and field strains of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 12 2004Chris Bass Abstract In many insect species, resistance to cyclodiene insecticides is caused by amino acid substitutions at a single residue (A302) within the M2 transmembrane region of the ,-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor sub-unit termed Rdl (resistance to dieldrin). These mutations (A302S and A302G) have also been shown to confer varying levels of cross-resistance to fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide with a similar mode of action to cyclodienes. To investigate the possible occurrence of these mutations in the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), a 176-bp fragment of the cat flea Rdl gene, encompassing the mutation site, was PCR amplified and sequenced from nine laboratory flea strains. The A302S mutation was found in eight of the nine strains analysed, although the relative frequency of the mutant allele varied between strains. Only one strain (R6) was found to be homozygous for the S302 allele in all the individuals tested, and this correlated with previous reports of low-level fipronil resistance in this strain. A PCR-based diagnostic assay, capable of screening individual fleas for this mutation, was developed and used to survey a range of fleas collected at random from veterinary clinics in the UK and USA. The A302S mutation was present at a high frequency in these domestic pet populations. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Rheology of polyurethane solutions with different solventsPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2002L de Vasconcelos Abstract Hard segment hydrogen bonding interactions in a particular polyurethane segmented copolymer have been analysed through a viscometric approach to determine the behaviour of polyurethane solutions with different solvent compositions. Analysis of log,,spversus log c[,] master curves (solely comprising dilute and semidilute regimes) showed that these systems could be differentiated by the slope of the first part of the curve (dilute regime), the characteristic reduced concentration c*[,], and the slope of the second part of the curve (semidilute regime), differences which were related to a possible occurrence of polymer aggregates. Experiments with solutions in the concentrated regime, at different temperatures, were used to relate non-Newtonian behaviour to hydrogen bonding. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Blue Nevi of the Sinonasal Mucosa: A Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 2 2007Wen-Yu Chuang MD Abstract Blue nevi are uncommon melanocytic proliferations. They occur mostly in the skin and occasionally in mucosae. Blue nevi of the sinonasal mucosa are extremely rare with only two cases reported to date. We report two more cases and review the literature. Compared with sinonasal malignant melanomas, which usually present as symptomatic tumors, sinonasal blue nevi are asymptomatic lesions found incidentally. A biopsy is required for a definitive diagnosis. Although none of the four cases had recurrence, given a rare but possible occurrence of malignant transformation in cutaneous blue nevi, complete excision with follow up should be the treatment of choice. [source] Mumps: Not an Innocent Bystander in Solid Organ TransplantationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 9 2009M. C. Baas Recently two major outbreaks of mumps have occurred: in the UK more than 56,000 cases were notified between 2004 and 2005, and in the United States, 6,584 cases were reported in 2006. Most patients were young healthy adults, in whom mumps normally has a benign course. Little is known about mumps in the immunocompromised patient. Here, we report a case of a 56-year renal transplant recipient who developed acute irreversible transplant failure due to interstitial nephritis caused by mumps. RNA of the mumps virus was detected in the urine as well as in a renal biopsy. In view of the ongoing presence of the mumps virus in the population, one should be aware of the possible occurrence of this infection in immunocompromised patients. [source] Oscillations in growth of multicellular tumour spheroids: a revisited quantitative analysisCELL PROLIFERATION, Issue 4 2010A. S. Gliozzi Objectives:, Multicellular tumour spheroids (MTS) provide an important tool for study of the microscopic properties of solid tumours and their responses to therapy. Thus, observation of large-scale volume oscillations in MTS, reported several years ago by two independent groups (1,2), in our opinion represent a remarkable discovery, particularly if this could promote careful investigation of the possible occurrence of volume oscillations of tumours ,in vivo'. Materials and methods:, Because of high background noise, quantitative analysis of properties of observed oscillations has not been possible in previous studies. Such an analysis can be now performed, thanks to a recently proposed approach, based on formalism of phenomenological universalities (PUN). Results:, Results have provided unambiguous confirmation of the existence of MTS volume oscillations, and quantitative evaluation of their properties, for two tumour cell lines. Proof is based not only on quality of fitting of the experimental datasets, but also on determination of well-defined values of frequency and amplitude of the oscillations for each line investigated, which would not be consistent with random fluctuation. Conclusions:, Biological mechanisms, which can be directly responsible for observed oscillations, are proposed, which relates also to recent work on related topics. Further investigations, both at experimental and at modelling levels, are also suggested. Finally, from a methodological point of view, results obtained represent further confirmation of applicability and usefulness of the PUN approach. [source] Obesity in girls and penetrative sexual abuse in childhoodACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 1 2009Orit Pinhas-Hamiel Abstract Aim: To assess the relationship between childhood obesity and penetrative sexual abuse in girls. Methods: All obese girls referred to a hospital based pediatric endocrine unit were interviewed by a social worker or psychologist. Questions aimed to elicit any history of physical, emotional and sexual abuse are included. Overweight was defined as BM >95th percentile for age and gender. Body mass index (BMI) Z score (BMIZ) was calculated as measured BMI minus mean BMI for age and gender divided by standard deviation. Penetrative abuse was defined if a history was elicited of forced intercourse with any form of oral, vaginal or anal penetration. Results: A history of penetrative abuse was elicited in 5 out of 145 (3.5%) obese girls, their mean ± SD age was 11.9 ± 3.1 years. Abused girls were significantly more obese than the remainder of the patients (BMIZ 4.76 ± 1.34 vs. 3.39 ± 1.28 p = 0.02). Forty-two of all girls had BMI Z scores ,4, and of these four (9.5%) had been abused. All girls had changes in normal daily behaviour including seductive behaviour, seclusion, self-mutilation and new onset day enuresis. Conclusion: In the evaluation of girls with marked obesity, particularly if associated with behavioural changes and failure to respond to therapy, the possible occurrence of penetrative sexual abuse should be considered. [source] Women in a Man's World: Gender Differences in Leadership at the Military AcademyJOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 12 2004Matthew J. Morgan This study responds to a deficiency of research on military leadership gender differences in spite of widespread interest in women in the military in policymaking and academic circles of various fields. Although scholarship in the field of women's leadership in recent years has asserted that there are stylistic differences between male and female leaders, there were few major differences in this study of 12 specific areas of leadership rated by 3 types of raters. Of the 36 possible occurrences of a statistically significant gender difference, only 6 manifested themselves in the cadet leader ratings. As a whole, evidence supports minimal gender differences in leadership performance or style in the West Point Class of 1998. [source] Studies on codon usage in Thermoplasma acidophilum and its possible implications on the occurrences of lateral gene transferJOURNAL OF BASIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005S. K. Gupta Codon usage studies have been carried out on the coding sequences of Thermoplasma acidophilum, which is an archaeon and grows at very low pH and high temperature. Overall codon usage data analysis indicates that all the four bases are almost equifrequent at the third position of codons, which is expected (since genomic GC % of this genome is about 46%). However, multivariate statistical analysis indicates that there are two major trends in the codon usage variation among the genes in this organism. In the first major trend it is observed that genes having G and C ending codons are clustered at one end while, A and T ending ones are clustered at the other end. We have also found a significant positive correlation between the expressivities of genes and GC contents at the synonymous third codon positions. In the second major trend, it is seen that the genes are clustered into three distinct parts. A comparative analyses of codon usage data of T. acidophilum and Sulfolobus solfataricus reveals that one of the three clusters of genes of T. acidophilum is very similar to a considerable number of S. solfataricus genes, suggesting possible occurrences of lateral gene transfer between these two microorganisms as reported by earlier workers. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||