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Background Crepidiastrum denticulatum (CD) is a well-known, traditionally consumed vegetable in Korea, which was recently reported to contain bioactive compounds with detoxification and antioxidant properties. Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major problem after renal transplantation. Furthermore, inflammatory responses to IRI exacerbate the resultant renal injury. In the present study, we investigated whether CD extract exhibits renoprotective effects against IR-induced acute kidney injury in mice. Materials and methods Renal IRI was induced in male C57BL/6 mice by bilateral renal pedicle occlusion for 30 minutes followed by reperfusion for 48 hours. CD extract (75 mg/kg) was administered orally 5 days before IRI. Results Treatment with CD extract significantly decreased blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels as well as kidney tubular injury. CD also prevented IRI-induced renal glutathione depletion and increased malondialdehyde levels. Western blotting and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction indicated that CD extract significantly attenuates inducible nitric oxide synthase and toll-like receptor 2/4 protein levels 48 h after IRI. The expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β was significantly decreased in the CD extract treatment group. Conclusion CD extract improved acute renal IRI through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These findings suggest that CD extract is a potential therapeutic agent for acute ischemia-induced renal damage.

In-vessel cryo-pump (IVCP) of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) has been designed, fabricated, and installed in the vacuum vessel for effective particle control by pumping through a divertor gap. For the final engineering design of the IVCP supports to withstand all external forces, a structure analyses were performed for two cases. The first is the thermal stress due to cool-down from room temperature to operating temperature (cryo-panel: 4.4 K, thermal shield: 77 K), and the other is the electro-magnetic stress due to the induced eddy currents during plasma disruptions. When the plasma disrupts, the maximum stress and displacement on the supports were estimated to be 849 MPa and 5.36 mm, respectively. These results were taken into account in the support design. The IVCP system was fabricated in two half-sectors and a pre-assembling test was successfully completed in the factory. Final installation of the IVCP in the vacuum vessel was fulfilled in parallel with a pressurization test (thermal shield: 30 bar, cryo-panel: 10 bar), a helium leak test, and a thermal shock test using liquid nitrogen. As a result, the IVCP system was successfully installed in the vacuum vessel.

It is possible to detect the presence of small field errors in a tokamak with an electron beam. This was demonstrated earlier on T-15 and TEXTOR. This paper discusses the concept, past experience on these tokamaks, calculations for the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device, an electron beam source, measurement devices for these measurements, and some results. It is shown that small toroidally averaged field errors can be detected by this method. A low voltage electron beam (e-beam) gun and fluorescent screen were mounted in a vertical port and inserted into the vacuum vessel at the end of the KSTAR 2nd campaign plasma experiments. A camera with a narrow field of view was mounted in midplane port in a tube tangent to the field lines at R ∼ 1.3 m and photographed the beam striking the screen. The poloidal field (PF) currents were held constant during the camera exposure period. Many shots with various PF coils energized were made and the deflections of the e-beam were measured. The measurements were made with a camera integration time of 300 ms because of the low light intensity. The results show that there are large field errors that diminish as the PF currents are raised. There appears to be no significant up–down asymmetry for static fields. Measurements with a 7 PF coil scenario with a calculated field null located at e-beam radial position show much larger fields than calculated. KSTAR was constructed with Incoloy 908 conduit using cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) in 10 of the 14 PF coils and all 16 of the toroidal field (TF) coils. Incoloy 908 has a relative magnetic permeability, μ, of about 10. The field errors appear to be largely due to Incoloy 908.

This paper studies the effect of mesostructured materials in the stereo-selective hydrogenation of 3-hexyne at 298 K and 40 psig pressure of H 2 over Pd-supported catalysts at different substrate:palladium (S:Pd) molar ratios. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation using a toluene solution of Pd(acac) 2 to obtain a metal content close to 1 wt.% over SBA-15 with one-dimensional hexagonal structure, MCM-48 silica with cubic structure and three-dimensional pore system and MSU-γ alumina with a lathlike particle morphology. All the supports were characterised by nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms at 77 K, TEM, XRD and H 2 chemisorption and TEM measurements. The reactions were found to be zero order with respect to 3-hexyne concentration. The starting 3-hexyne produces primarily cis -3-hexene, which subsequently is either hydrogenated to hexane or isomerized to trans -3-hexene and 2-hexenes that are found in very small amounts depending on the nature of the support used. Palladium catalysts supported on SBA-15 was the most active and selective catalyst.

Background: Data on the relation between vitamin D status and body fat indexes in adolescence are lacking. Objective: The objective was to identify factors associated with vitamin D status and deficiency in obese adolescents to further evaluate the relation of body fat indexes to vitamin D status and deficiency. Design: Data from 58 obese adolescents were obtained. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was measured by computed tomography. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure total bone mineral content, bone mineral density, body fat mass (FM), and lean mass. Relative measures of body fat were calculated. Blood tests included measurements of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin, type I collagen C-telopeptide, hormones, and metabolic factors. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25(OH)D 65 ng/mL. Results: The mean (±SD) age of the adolescents was 14.9 ± 1.4 y; 38 (66%) were female, and 8 (14%) were black. The mean (±SD) body mass index (in kg/m2) was 36 ± 5, FM was 40.0 ± 5.5%, and VAT was 12.4 ± 4.3%. Seventeen of the adolescents were vitamin D deficient, but none had elevated PTH concentrations. Bone mineral content and bone mineral density were within 2 SDs of national standards. In a multivariate analysis, 25(OH)D decreased by 0.46 ± 0.22 ng/mL per 1% increment in FM (β ± SE, P = 0.05), whereas PTH decreased by 0.78 ± 0.29 pg/mL per 1% increment in VAT (P = 0.01). Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, our results show for the first time that obese adolescents with 25(OH)D deficiency, but without elevated PTH concentrations, have a bone mass within the range of national standards (±2 SD). The findings provide initial evidence that the distribution of fat may be associated with vitamin D status, but this relation may be dependent on metabolic factors. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00209482","term_id":"NCT00209482"}}NCT00209482, NCT00120146.

During the ICP (inductively coupled plasma) process, a very high self-bias voltage is induced along the coil, which can cause sputtering of dielectric materials covering the coil. This problem can be solved by installing a capacitor between the coil end and ground. The effect of the capacitance termination was investigated by measuring the voltages at both of coil ends, plasma parameters and the impurity contents on the Si substrate after Ar plasma treatment at different ICP powers. The voltages at the coil ends decreased by half and the induced self-bias voltage approached zero under resonance conditions. The capacitance was approximately 200 pF, with both coil inlet and outlet voltages the same. In the range of this critical capacitance of 200 pF, the harmonics between coil and plasma decreased and the plasma density increased to 120–250% by controlling pressure and power compared to that with the grounded coil end. When the pressure was 1 and 5 mTorr, the plasma density doubly increased. Impurity concentrations were also suppressed drastically by the capacitance termination.

The ability of Loligo opalescens paralarvae to resist and recover from starvation was examined by measuring their survival, growth rate and RNA/DNA ratios during starvation and refeeding. Paralarvae were fed Artemia sp. nauplii, zooplankton and mysid shrimp. Fourteen days after hatching they were separated into five feeding treatments: a control treatment (food was always available) and treatments starved for 2, 3, 4 and 5 days, and then refed. Each day, 5–7 paralarvae from each treatment were anesthetized to measure mantle length and wet weight (WW), and then RNA and DNA were extracted using an ethidium bromide fluorometric technique. Paralarvae did not survive 4 and 5 days of starvation, showing that at 15 days of age and at 16 °C the limit to recovery was 3 days of starvation. Paralarvae starved for 2 and 3 days showed compensatory growth that mitigated the effects of starvation, in that at the end of the experiment (10 days), they attained mean final body weights similar to the control treatment. Differences in the RNA/DNA ratios between control and starved paralarvae were detected within 2 days of food deprivation. For paralarvae starved 2 and 3 days, it took 1 day after refeeding to attain RNA/DNA ratios not significantly different from the control treatment. Additionally, RNA/DNA ratios were highest during the day (0800, 1200, 1600 h) and lowest at night (0000, 0400 h), suggesting daytime feeding activity. Growth rates ranged from − 14% to 21% WW day− 1 and the resulting equation between RNA/DNA ratio and growth rate (GR) of paralarvae was GR = 1.74 RNA/DNA − 11.79 (R2 = 0.70). After starvation, there was a reduction in growth variability in all starved treatments, while growth variability remained high in the control treatment. Findings from the present study indicate that nucleic acids are a valid indicator of nutritional condition and growth in squid paralarvae.

Carbon nitride films were deposited on a Si (100) wafer by an inductively coupled plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) at room temperature. A mixture of N 2 and C 2 H 2 were used as the precursor. Additional r.f. power (13.56 MHz) was applied to the substrate with various negative self bias voltages ( V self =0 to −60 V), and the effect of the substrate bias on the structure and properties of the films was investigated. The composition and chemical bonding of the films were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface roughness of films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that nitrogen content of films were in the range of 13.5–21.4 at.%, decreased with increasing bias voltage. As the bias voltage was increased, the deposition rate decreased due to resputtering and the substrate temperature increased as a result of the energetic ions. The film hardness increased with increasing bias voltage up to 30 GPa at −60 V. The results from Raman and XPS analyses showed that the amount of sp 3 C C or sp 3 C N bonds increased with increasing bias voltage, while the number of the C H, N H and sp 2 C N bonds decreased.

Carbon nitride films were deposited on (100) silicon substrates by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)–CVD using a gas mixture of Ar, C 2 H 2 , and N 2 . During deposition, an rf bias was applied to the substrate to increase the ion bombardment energy. The results of the microhardness test and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the films showed abrupt changes in their hardness and bonding characteristics when the rf bias voltage was >−40 V. The ion energy at −40 V was estimated to be 50 eV from the IEA measurement. Such changes were attributed to the structural and compositional modifications of the growing film as a result of the bombarding ions. The bombardment of high-energy ions removed hydrogen atoms from the adsorbed C x H y radicals on the growing surface. At >50 eV, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data show the chemical bonding changes from sp 2 C N to sp 3 C–C and sp 3 C–N bondings. The abrupt increase in hardness was caused by the increased number of sp 3 bonds in the carbon nitride coating.

Strong red photoluminescence (PL) spectra appeared at porous silicon (PS) samples prepared by a chemical anodization of Fe-contaminated Si substrates. The Fe1000 sample with Fe contamination of 1000 ppb showed a ten times stronger red PL than that of the reference PS sample without any Fe contamination, and this sample also showed the higher thermal stability for PL spectra as compared with the reference PS sample. Furthermore, the PL intensity from the PS with Fe contamination is linearly proportional to the Fe-related trap concentrations of Si substrates obtained from DLTS. Especially, all the PS samples exhibit the same PL peak position regardless of Fe contamination concentrations, as compared with that of the reference PS. This means that there is no significant effect such as the variation of size distribution of nanocrystalline Si in PS layer formed on Fe-contaminated Si substrate. Based on the results of PL and DLTS, we found that the PL efficiency depends strongly on the Fe-related trap concentration in Si substrates.

(Ti 1− x Al x )N films were deposited on M2 high-speed steel (HSS) and α-Al 2 O 3 substrates by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, and the change in hardness and the phase transformation of the coatings after heat treatment were examined. The hardness of the (Ti 1− x Al x )N coatings deposited on HSS increased with increasing heat treatment time at 1100 °C, reaching a maximum hardness. Further increases in heat treatment time led to a decrease in hardness. However, the hardness of the (Ti 1− x Al x )N coatings deposited on alumina substrates decreased slightly after heat treatment. XRD and TEM analysis indicated that the hardness change of the (Ti 1− x Al x )N coatings after heat treatment is related to the precipitation of a stable wurzite AlN phase from the metastable NaCl-(Ti 1− x Al x ) phases. Moreover, this precipitation effect depends on the Al content and the grain size of the as-deposited coating.

Temperature-dependent resistivity measurements were carried out on bamboo-shaped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) grown by thermal chemical vapor deposition. They were deposited on Al2O3/Ti and SiO2/Ti substrates using cobalt and iron catalysts, respectively. As a result, a metallic conductivity, i.e. resistivities with a positive temperature slope, was observed for the MWNTs grown on the SiO2/Ti substrates. The different temperature behaviors of the resistivity for the MWNTs grown on different substrates are discussed in view of the substrate morphology and crystallinity.

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of crowding (stocking density) on food consumption and growth of juvenile Sepia officinalis reared at 17 and 25 °C. Two groups of 75 cuttlefish each were reared in closed seawater systems with water temperatures of 17 and 25 °C. Each group was subdivided into two treatments (three replicates per treatment): low-density (equivalent to 100 Sepia m−2) and high-density (equivalent to 400 Sepia m−2). Food consumption was measured daily and live wet body weight (g) was measured weekly over a 5-week study. The 25 °C treatment resulted in significantly higher growth rates and food consumption compared to the 17 °C treatment. Stocking density had no statistically significant effect on food consumption, gross growth efficiency (GGE), or weight at either temperature. However, the high-density treatments had slightly lower GGE values overall and growth in weight at 25 °C was slightly but consistently lower in the high-density treatment suggesting that stocking densities of 400 Sepia m−2 may be approaching levels that impact feeding and growth.

A combination of chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques was used to evaluate the extent and distribution of glycation within the glycated hemoglobin (GHb) molecule. Studies on quantification of hemoglobin (Hb) glycation by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ES-MS) of intact globins employed specimens from 10 diabetic individuals and five normal controls. Detailed structural analysis of the phenylboronate affinity chromatography/ion-exchange (IE) HPLC-separated sub-populations of GHb was performed on a specimen carrying 13.7% GHb. An efficient protocol for mapping glycation sites within alpha and beta globins was developed, e.g., Glu-C/Asp-N proteolytic digestion followed by LC-ES-MS. Relative site occupancy within discrete components of GHb was evaluated. A correlation between the degree of glycation measured at Hb level (by affinity chromatography) and at globin level (measured by ES-MS) was carried out. The above studies led us to conclude that during the process of phenylboronate chromatography GHb dimers, rather than tetramers, are bound to the affinity resin so a fraction of glycated dimers rather than tetramers is measured. This finding implies that a process of glycation affects a much higher number of native Hb tetramers than was previously contemplated. No glycation sites appear to be missed by phenylboronate affinity chromatography. We have found no evidence of the presence of multiple glycations within a single globin chain. While glycation of both globins within a dimer cannot be excluded, it is unlikely to be a significant phenomenon. According to ES-MS data, an equivalent of about one globin per alphabeta dimer of the affinity chromatography-isolated GHb carried glycation.

A closed, recirculating seawater system with a denitrification process was designed for the culture of black tiger shrimp broodstock. The system comprised a circular rearing tank (9 m3 volume), a nitrifying biofilter (6 m3 volume) and denitrification process. The denitrification process comprised a deoxygenation column, a bacterial substrate column (143 L volume) and a re-aeration column connected to the biofilter. The experimental period was 81 weeks, consisting of 3 sequential trials using different substrates, bacterial inoculates and carbon sources: Trial 1- porous plastic balls for substrate, mangrove soil for inoculant and ethanol for the carbon source; Trial 2- crushed oyster shell for substrate, a strain of laboratory cultured bacteria for inoculant and ethanol for the carbon source; and Trial 3- crushed oyster shell for the substrate, no inoculant and methanol for the carbon source. The nitrifying biofilter controlled ammonium-N and nitrite-N within acceptable ranges ( 160 to

Quantification of the acid-labile subunit (ALS) has to date been restricted to immunoassays utilizing polyclonal antibodies. By immunization with N-terminal and C-terminal specific ALS oligopeptides, we generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target ALS-specific sequences outside the nonspecific leucine-rich repeats in the ALS molecule. For mAb selection, a special screening method was developed. Monoclonal antibody 5C9, which targets the N-terminus of ALS, is immobilized and the anti-ALS mAb 7H3, directed against the C-terminus, is biotinylated and used as tracer Ab. Due to the extreme pH-lability of ALS, changes in immunorecognition of ALS were investigated after acidification for protein unfolding in different pH ranges and in a time-dependent manner. It was determined that acidification of the serum samples to pH 2.7 for 30 min, followed by neutralization and dilution to 1:100 was the optimal acid-neutralization method. For standardization purposes, a serum pool derived from healthy volunteers was assigned the value 1 U/ml ALS. The sandwich assay has a working range with a linear dose-response curve in a log/log system between 0.005 and 10 U/ml. ALS levels in seven acromegalic patients ranged from 2.0 to 4.2 U/ml, and in 12 untreated growth hormone deficient patients from 0.036 to 0.986 U/ml (mean=0.45 U/ml). After 12 months of growth hormone therapy, ALS levels increased significantly to 1.18+/-0.45 U/ml (mean+/-SD; p0.0006). The increase ranged from 0.48 to 1.4 U/ml. The change in ALS with growth hormone (GH) therapy correlated closer with the change in IGF-I (r=0.798, p=0.0057; Spearman rank correlation) than with the change in insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP3; r=0.549, p=0.057). This specific sandwich assay for the measurement of ALS provides a potentially valuable indicator of growth hormone secretory status. With this mAb-based immunofluorometric assay, the nonspecific detection of other proteins containing leucine-rich repeat sequences can be excluded.

Short stature, decreased muscle mass (hypotonia), increased body fat, decreased bone mineral density and other somatic abnormalities are major causes of morbidity and social limitation in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome. Detailed studies indicate that two major endocrine pathologies may account for many of these somatic abnormalities. A true deficiency of the growth hormone (GH)-insulin-like growth factor axis is a principal cause of the short stature and is probably a major contributor to the decreased muscle mass and osteopenia. Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is the probable primary cause of osteopenia and osteoporosis. No other endocrine abnormalities have been specifically identified in Prader-Willi syndrome, although there may be increased risks of premature adrenarche and type 2 diabetes mellitus, both secondary to obesity. GH replacement therapy is effective in normalizing linear growth and also has positive effects on muscle mass and function, and on bone mineralization. Judicious gonadal steroid replacement may be effective in treating the osteopenia and preventing osteoporosis. GH and gonadal steroid replacement therapy should be considered for all patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.

We have studied molecular beam epitaxial growth of high-quality ZnSSe on GaAs substrates. From the results obtained by pyrometric oscillation behavior and X-ray rocking curve simulation, a new technique, called a three-step temperature correction method, is introduced. In this method, the temperature correction region is divided into T1 for compensating the heating effect by radiation, T2 for connecting the inverse gradient of temperature in T1 and T2, and T3 for compensating the temperature drop during ZnSxSe1 − x growth. Applying this method to ZnSxSe1 − x epitaxial layer growth on GaAs substrates, layers with better crystallinity are reproducibly grown as evaluated by the full-width at half-maximum of the double-crystal X-ray rocking curves, etch pit density, and photoluminescence. An etch pit density of ⩽ 5 × 103 cm−2 and photoluminescence broadening of about 1.8 meV at 4.2 K could be obtained for ZnSxSe1 − x with x = 0.06.

Modulation of growth factors by growth hormone in children with chronic renal failure. Anthropometric measurements and circulating growth factors were studied serially in 44 prepubertal children with growth failure and chronic renal failure (GFR = 10 to 40 ml/min/1.73m2) who were randomized to receive either recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH; N = 30) or no treatment (N = 14). RhGH was given as Nutropin, 0.05 mg/kg/day, and the studies were carried out at baseline and after 3 and 12 months. At baseline, serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-1 and -2 levels were, while IGFBP-3 levels were not, higher than those of children with normal renal function. In addition, height SDS at baseline correlated inversely with serum IGFBP-2 levels (r = -0.461, P = 0.0016), but did not correlate significantly with any other factor. After 12 months of study, the 30 children receiving rhGH showed: (i) greater increase in height (9.1 ± 2.8 vs. 5.5 ± 1.9 cm, P < 0.0001); (ii) increases in serum levels of IGF-I, IGF-II, free IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and acid labile subunit (ALS); (iii) a greater decrease in serum IGFBP-1 levels; and (iv) no significant difference in serum IGFBP-2 levels, when compared to the 14 control patients. The change in height SDS after 12 months of rhGH (+ 0.8) in the 30 treated children correlated significantly and positively with serum ALS, IGFBP-3, total IGF, IGF-I, IGF-II and free IGF-I levels measured during treatment. These observations suggest that, in children with growth failure associated with chronic renal failure: (i) IGFBP-2, and not IGFBP-3, is likely to be a growth inhibitor; (ii) rhGH stimulates catch-up growth in part by increasing serum levels of IGF peptides; and (iii) linear growth is influenced by the balance between growth stimulating IGFs and growth inhibitory IGFBPs.

In hepatocytes, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) levels are increased by glucocorticoids and by agents that raise intracellular cAMP levels such as glucagon, theophylline, forskolin, and cAMP analogues. In contrast, insulin lowers IGFBP-1 levels, an effect dominant over the glucocorticoid and cAMP effects. Previous studies showed that dibutyryl cAMP (Bt2cAMP) and theophylline increase IGFBP-1 promoter activity in HEP G2 human hepatoma cells and that insulin abolishes this increase. In studies reported here, HEP G2 cells were used to further evaluate the role of cAMP in stimulating IGFBP-1 expression. Initial studies found that either 0.5 or 5.0 mM Bt2cAMP alone, or the combination of 0.5 mM Bt2cAMP and 2 mM theophylline, increased IGFBP-1 protein levels, mRNA levels, and promoter activity, but that the addition of theophylline to Bt2cAMP was required to give a approximately 5-fold increase in promoter activity. Deletion mutations of the IGFBP-1 promoter were used to show that much of the effect of Bt2cAMP and theophylline was conferred by the region between 269 and 246 base pairs (bp) 5' of the IGFBP-1 mRNA cap site. DNase I protection assays showed that HEP G2 nuclear extract footprinted the region from 273 to 249 bp 5' of the cap site; this region, designated P2, has a central CGTCA motif common to cAMP-responsive elements (CREs). Mutating the CGTCA motif in the 1205-bp IGFBP-1 promoter construct to TAGCA led to a 51% decrease in the ability of Bt2cAMP and theophylline to stimulate IGFBP-1 promoter activity above control levels. In addition, cotransfection of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) with the native 1205-bp IGFBP-1 promoter construct stimulated IGFBP-1 promoter activity 3.9-fold, but the TAGCA mutation decreased by 73% the ability of PKA to stimulate IGFBP-1 promoter activity above control levels. Mutating the CGTCA motif to TAGCA also blocked the ability of both crude HEP G2 nuclear extract and recombinant CRE-binding protein to bind to the P2 element. These data suggest that the P2 element is a CRE that confers at least part of the stimulatory effect of cAMP on the human IGFBP-1 promoter.

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) is one of several related proteins that bind and modulate the actions of IGFs. The liver is the primary source of IGFBP-1, and insulin is a major regulator of hepatic IGFBP-1 production. We report five sets of investigations that further define the characteristics of hepatic IGFBP-1 response to insulin. In normal subjects, a continuous high-dose insulin infusion caused a rapid decrease in plasma IGFBP-1 concentrations, with a rate of 0.24 ± 0.04 μg/L·min−1 and a t 1 2 of 89 ± 4 minutes. Conversely, a 3-hour somatostatin (SRIF) infusion caused a 4.5-fold increase in plasma IGFBP-1 levels. SRIF plus low-dose insulin infusion (to inhibit break-through insulin secretion) resulted in a plateau in IGFBP-1 concentrations at 5 to 8 hours, with a t 1 2 to achieve steady state of 60 to 75 minutes. Under similar conditions, a stepped increase in plasma glucose level from 5 to 9 mmol/L had no effect on the rate of IGFBP-1 increase in plasma, indicating that an acute increase in glucose concentration within a physiologic range has no independent inhibitory effect on IGFBP-1 production in the presence of a nonsuppressive insulin level. Using SRIF plus sequential graded insulin infusions, the threshold peripheral (=portal) plasma insulin concentration for IGFBP-1 suppression was between 65 and 172 pmol/L. Subjects with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) showed a similar dose-response pattern, suggesting that insulin regulation of IGFBP-1 may be normal in IDDM. The rapid and sensitive response of IGFBP-1 to insulin is consistent with its postulated role to modulate IGF bioaction in relation to substrate availability. Moreover, measurement of plasma IGFBP-1 concentrations may serve as a useful marker of hepatic insulin sensitivity.

A recurrence relation is derived for expansion coefficients in a power series of the nome q = exp [ -π K(k') K(k) ]=⩞a m λ 4m+1 , where K(k) is the complete elliptic integral of the first kind, k'=(1-k 2 ) 1 2 , and λ= 1 2 (1-k' 1 2 ) /(1+k' 1 2 ) . A simple numerical method based on the recurrence relation is developed for calculation of the coefficients am. Analysis of errors arising from truncation of the power series for q suggests that numerical evaluation of q from this series is more useful than other known methods, except when k is very close to unity.

We examined the relationships between 4 glycated protein assays and home blood glucose monitoring (HBGM) in 26 children with poorly-controlled insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) during a period of improved management. At 2 week intervals for 6 visits (12 weeks in total), HBGM records were collected and a blood sample was obtained for measurement of glycated proteins and glucose. Assays included glycated hemoglobin (GHb) and glycated serum proteins (GP) by boronate affinity chromatography, hemoglobin A 1 C by PolyCAT A high performance liquid chromatography (HAC) and fructosamine (FA). All 4 glycated protein levels declined significantly over the 12 week period. Significant correlations between the glycated proteins and HBGM were observed over 2 week intervals. None of the 4 assays were affected by the glucose level in the sample. Changes in mean HBGM readings over 2 week intervals were correlated with both FA and GP with wide prediction intervals. Over cumulative 2 week intervals, which may more accurately reflect longitudinal trends, all 4 glycated proteins were correlated with mean HBGM readings. At each cumulative interval, GHb and GP showed the largest variation with MBG, while FA showed the least variation with MBG. Our data indicate that of the 4 assays tested, FA has limited clinical value as compared to other glycated protein assays, whereas assays based on boronate affinity chromatography (GHb and GP) provide the most useful clinical indicators of short-term changes in glycemic control. The clinical utility of a new HPLC method for determination of glycated hemoglobins is also demonstrated.

Insulin rapidly lowers serum insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) levels in vivo. In studies reported here, HEP G2 cells were used as a model system to investigate how insulin achieves this effect. When HEP G2 cells were incubated with 100 nM insulin for 6, 14, or 24 h, IGFBP-1 protein levels in conditioned medium fell to approximately 50% of control values. This apparently was due to a fall in the rate of IGFBP-1 protein synthesis, since HEP G2 cells incorporated 46% less [35S]methionine into IGFBP-1 during a 4-h incubation with 100 nM insulin. IGFBP-1 mRNA levels were similarly affected by 100 nM insulin, falling to 45% of control values after 2 h, and to 9% of control values after 4 h of incubation with this hormone. The fall in IGFBP-1 mRNA level is consistent with data from nuclear transcription assays. HEP G2 nuclei isolated from cells that were incubated with 100 nM insulin for 2 h synthesized only approximately 1/3 the number of IGFBP-1 transcripts as did control nuclei. Further evidence that insulin decreases IGFBP-1 gene transcription comes from transient transfections using chimeric IGFBP-1 promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene constructs. IGFBP-1 promoter activity fell to approximately 50% of control values when HEP G2 cells transfected with a construct containing the first 1205 base pairs of the IGFBP-1 promoter were incubated with 100 nM insulin for 6, 14, or 24 h. Insulin lowered both IGFBP-1 protein levels and promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner. A half-maximal effect was found at approximately 1 nM insulin and a maximal effect was found at approximately 10 nM insulin in each instance. Transfections with constructs containing smaller IGFBP-1 promoter fragments showed that the region spanning from 103 to 529 base pairs 5' to the IGFBP-1 mRNA cap site was necessary to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of insulin. These studies indicate that insulin lowers IGFBP-1 protein levels, at least in part, by rapidly decreasing the rate of IGFBP-1 gene transcription, and suggest that this insulin-mediated fall in transcription is conferred through a specific region of the IGFBP-1 promoter.

An approximation method based on the use of theta functions is shown to be efficient and useful in the numerical evaluation of complete elliptic integrals of the first and second kinds, K ( k ) and E ( k ), respectively. The integrals are expressed in terms of power series of the form Σ a n q n 2 , 0⩽ q q is the nome determined uniquely from a given value of the argument k . The series converge very rapidly, except for small domains near | k | = 1, where they either converge slowly or fail to converge. When applied on Cray 2 computers for 0 ⩽ k 2 ⩽0.995, the procedure is found to be more efficient than both the Chebyshev approximations of the Hastings form and the standard Gauss arithmetic-geometric mean process. Numerical results that demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the approximation method are presented.

Purpose: Ureteroscopic stone removal is frequently used to remove ureteral stones. Mucosal edema and bleeding are the two most important obstacles to a successful operation. This study analyzed relationships between unenhanced computed tomography (UECT) findings and ureteroscopic findings to determine whether ureteroscopic results could be predicted preoperatively by using UECT imaging. Materials and Methods: From January 2009 to July 2011, 675 patients were diagnosed with ureteral stones through UECT. Among them, we retrospectively reviewed 92 cases of patients who underwent ureteroscopy (URS). We identified findings such as hydronephrosis, rim sign, periureteral fat stranding, and perinephric fat stranding on the UECT and then categorized these findings into four categories (none, mild, moderate, and severe) according to their severity. We also divided the URS findings of mucosal edema and bleeding into four categories (none, mild, moderate, and severe) and compared these findings with the UECT images. Results: A total of 92 study patients were included in this study: 59 were male and 33 were female patients. According to the location of the stone, 31 cases were classified as upper ureteral stones, 15 were midureteral stones, and 46 were lower ureteral stones. Hydronephrosis identified with UECT was correlated with the mucosal edema severity observed during URS (p=0.004). The rim signs identified with UECT were proportional to the grade of mucosal edema (p=0.010). Conclusions: Hydronephrosis and rim signs observed during UECT can be used as a predictive factor for intraoperative mucosal edema in patients undergoing URS.

Background TH-302 is a hypoxia targeted prodrug with a hypoxia-triggered 2-nitroimidazole component designed to release the DNA alkylator, bromo-isophosphoramide mustard (Br-IPM), when reduced in severe hypoxia. A randomized Phase 2B study (NCT01144455) was conducted to assess the benefit of G + T to standard dose G as first-line therapy of PAC. Materials and methods An open-label multi-center study of two dose levels of TH-302 (240 mg/m2 or 340 mg/m2) in combination with G versus G alone (randomized 1:1:1). G (1000 mg/m2) and T were administered IV over 30-60 minutes on Days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Patients on the G could crossover after progression and be randomized to a G + T arm. The primary efficacy endpoint was a comparison of progression-free survival (PFS) between the combination arms and G alone (80% power to detect 50% improvement in PFS with one-sided alpha of 10%). Summary PFS outcome has previously been reported; more detailed PFS as well as the initial overall survival (OS) data are presented. Results 214 pts were treated; 164 (77%) Stage IV and 50 (23%) Stage IIIB. Median age 65 (range 29-86); 126 M/88 F; 40% ECOG 0/60% ECOG 1. Receiving 6 or more cycles: 32% G; 45% G + T240; 55% G + T340. Median PFS was 3.6 mo in G vs 5.5 mo in G + T240 (p = 0.031) and 6.0 mo in G + T340 (p = 0.008). Poorer prognostic factors (older age, poorer performance status, reduced albumin) were associated with larger treatment effect. Median OS was 7.0 mo in G vs 9.0 in G + T240 and 9.5 mo in G + T340. RECIST best response was 12% in G vs 17% in G + T240 and 27% in G + T340. CA19-9 decreases were significantly greater G + T340. A >50% CA19-9 decrease was 52% with G vs 50% with G + T240 and 70% with G + T340. AEs leading to discontinuation were: 16% G, 15% G + T240 and 11% G + T340. Rash (45% in G + T340) and stomatitis (36% in G + T340) were greater in combination, 4 pts Grade 3 rash. Grd 3/4 thrombocytopenia were 11% G, 39% G + T240 and 59% G + T340 and Grd 3/4 neutropenia were 28% G, 56% G + T240 and 59% G + T340. Conclusions The combination of G plus TH-302 improved the efficacy of G. A TH-302 dose of 340 mg2 was identified for future studies. Skin and mucosal toxicity and myelosuppression were the most common TH-302 related AEs with no increase in treatment discontinuation. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

A new code, MOMCON (spectral moments code with constraints), is described that computes three-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibria in a fixed toroidal domain using a Fourier expansion for the inverse coordinates ( R, Z ) representing nested magnetic surfaces. A set of nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations for the spectral coefficients of ( R, Z ) is solved using an accelerated steepest descent method. A stream function, λ, is introduced to improve the mode convergence properties of the Fourier series for R and Z . The convergence rate of the R - Z spectra is optimized on each flux surface by solving nonlinear constraint equations relating the m ≥ 2 spectral coefficients of R and Z .

18,54-SF cells, which secrete rat insulin-like growth factor II (rIGF-II), have abundant type 2 IGF receptors. We have purified the type 2 receptor from these cells by solubilization of crude membranes in Triton X-100, followed by chromatography on agarose-immobilized rIGF-II. A partially purified receptor preparation, obtained by chromatography of solubilized membranes over wheat germ agglutinin, was used to immunize a rabbit. The antibody generated both immunoprecipitates the type 2 receptor, and specifically inhibits IGF-II binding to a variety of rat tissues, including 18,54-SF cells, BRL-3A cells and placenta. The presence of abundant type 2 receptors on an rIGF-II-secreting cell line is consistent with an autocrine role for IGF-II in select cells.

Plasma samples from 68 growth hormone (GH)-deflclent children (provocative serum GH level

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)II is a mitogenic polypeptide which circulates in association with a binding protein(s). Immunoblotting studies were performed in human serum and indicate that:(1)a approximately 200 kDa covalently-linked IGF-II/binding protein complex is antigenically related to the 30 kDa binding protein, (2)IGF-II prohormone is associated with this complex, and (3)a major portion of the IGF-II prohormone immunoreactivity in human serum is present in fractions which would not be detected by standard radioimmunoassay methods. Our data provide insight regarding the inter-relationships of IGF-II and its binding protein, and direct evidence for the presence of IGF-II prohormone in human serum.

Several approximate forms of the three-particle distribution function p(3)(1,2,3) (Kirkwood superposition pK, convolution pc, Abe pA) are studied in relation to the accuracy with which they fulfill the sequential relation connecting two- and three-particle distribution functions. In a generalized Abe form, four conditions are imposed on six parameters by the sequential relation. In the uniform limit the radial distribution function g(r) differs little from its asymptotic value. The parameter α = g(o) − 1 can then be used as an ordering parameter in cluster expansions which represent physical quantities as functionals in the radial distribution function. The Abe-type correction factor to pK is determined by a cluster expansion procedure through terms of order α3. The corresponding error term in the sequential relation is also of order α3. Two rules are stated which eliminate infinite classes of diagrams from a diagrammatic representation of the correction factor and, in a particular approximation (in conjunction with the sequential relation), determine three out of four parameters at the values fixed by the cluster-expansion procedure. In the uniform limit, the Abe form for p(3) and the BBGKY relation yield the hypernetted-chain connection between the two-particle correlation function u [Eq. (13)] and the radial distribution function g with an explicit correction term of order α3. The p(3) function for a pure state is subject to a dynamical consistency condition. The condition is developed in both coordinate and momentum spaces and partially evaluated for both pK and pc using g(r) computed from the observed liquid structure function of liquid 4He. In configuration space the condition singles out certain straight line and equilateral triangular configurations for which pK is apparently most seriously inadequate. An Appendix exhibits a four-point distribution function pc(1,2,3,4) which generates pc(1,2,3) in the sequential relation connecting p(4) and p(3). A second Appendix discusses the application of the hnc connection between g(r) and u(r) to compute the ground state energy of a boson system in the uniform limit.

Meigs' syndrome is a rare entity in women under age 30 years. It is characterized by a benign fibrous ovarian tumor, ascites, and hydrothorax. Complete resolution of symptoms occurs with removal of the tumor. The case of a 20-year-old woman with a fibroma and dermoid cyst is presented and the literature reviewed. The etiology of the fluid accumulations remains unclear, although it appears to be related to lymphatic obstruction. Presenting symptoms may include abdominal distension and pain, menstrual irregularities, cough, pleuritic chest pain, and weight gain. Meigs' syndrome and pseudo-Meigs' syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis in young women presenting with a pleural effusion. Resolution of the fluid accumulation usually occurs within 2 weeks of tumor removal.

Two substantially different perturbation methods are used to obtain two equivalent exact results for the leading correction to the Bogoliubov formula for the energy spectrum of an elementary excitation in a boson fluid.

Generality of the uniform-limit formalism is demonstrated for several typical many-boson model systems in the weak coupling limit.