Search

Sixty patients with symptomatic duodenal ulcer were randomized to receive either omeprazole (20 mg each morning) or famotidine (40 mg at night time) for 2-4 weeks in a double-blind parallel group clinical trial. Healing rates were higher with omeprazole in comparison with famotidine after 2 weeks (77% vs. 40%, P0.001) and 4 weeks (93% vs. 80%, P = 0.2) of treatment. Assessment of daily diary cards completed by all patients revealed that omeprazole rapidly relieved ulcer-related day pain and nocturnal pain in comparison to famotidine. Treatment with omeprazole for 2 weeks was also associated with lower cumulative antacid intake (P0.05) and reduced absenteeism from work. Helicobacter pylori infection was present in all patients and remained unaffected by treatment with either of the drugs. None of the drugs produced any significant adverse effects. During 6 months follow-up of all the patients after ulcer healing (without maintenance therapy), ulcer relapse was seen in 40% of omeprazole- and 37% of famotidine-treated patients (P0.1). The duration of ulcer-free period following initial healing of ulcer was also similar in both the groups (median time: 22 weeks for omeprazole, 21 weeks for famotidine). We conclude that omeprazole is superior to famotidine in rapidly healing duodenal ulcers and achieving more rapid pain relief, but does not influence subsequent ulcer relapse.

International audience; Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) and ash content (ma) have been proposed as indirect selection criteria for grain yield in wheat. The associations between Δ, ma and grain yield were found, however, to depend highly on the environmental conditions, the organ sampled and the time of sampling. In this study, carried out in the warm conditions of the Peninsular Zone of India, the relationship between Δ, ma and yield was studied in 30 bread and durum wheat cultivars under residual soil moisture stress (RSMS), post-anthesis water stress (PAWS) and well-watered (WW) conditions. Both Δ and ma were analysed in young seedlings (four-leaf stage), leaves at anthesis and grain at maturity. Ash content was also evaluated in leaves at booting stage and maturity. Grain Δ was lower under PAWS and RSMS than under WW, while seedling and leaf Δ did not significantly differ among water regimes. Grain yield was positively correlated to grain Δ under PAWS and negatively correlated to grain ma under RSMS. A significant positive correlation was noted under RSMS and WW treatments between maLm and grain yield. Ash content in leaf at maturity consequently appears to be a useful indirect selection criterion in environments where Δ does not show any correlation with yield. The results highlight the potential of Δ and ma as indirect selection criteria for wheat yield in the conditions of the Peninsular Zone of India

Vinyl acetate/(VAc)-butyl acrylate/(BuA) copolymer latex films of various copolymer compositions were investigated for their morphological properties by electron microscopy techniques, and for their mechanical properties by dynamic mechanical spectroscopy (DMS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile strength measurements. Batch copolymer latex films showed domains of PBuA dispersed in PVAc matrix; the domain sizes were increased with increased BuA content. Semicontinuous latex films were homogeneous in composition. Glass transition temperatures Tg determined from DMS and DSC indicated the presence of two, low and high, transition temperatures for batch latex films. The two temperatures approached the individual homopolymers, with increased PBuA content up to 51 mol %. Semicontinuous latex films showed only one single Tg. Tensile properties of the batch copolymer films showed a higher ultimate tensile strength, higher Young's modulus, and lower percent elongation to break compared to semicontinuous latex films. These differences were found to reflect the effect of mode of monomer addition during the emulsion copolymerization process on the particle morphology, and confirmed earlier data on bulk, colloidal, and surface properties of the same copolymer latexes.