Search

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cricoid and paralaryngeal force for oesophageal entrance occlusion during induction of anaesthesia. Seventy-four patients were included in this randomised, crossover study. The relative position of the glottis and outer anteroposterior diameter of the upper oesophageal entrance were assessed at baseline, after the application of 30 N cricoid and paralaryngeal force, and after induction of anaesthesia. The occlusion rate of the oesophageal entrance with cricoid and paralaryngeal force was assessed during direct laryngoscopy. The relative position of the upper oesophageal entrance to the glottis changed in 45 out of 74 patients after induction of anaesthesia and during direct laryngoscopy compared with the awake state. The application of cricoid and paralaryngeal force decreased the mean (SD) diameter of the upper oesophageal entrance to a similar degree in awake (8.5 (2.1) mm to 6.4 (1.7) mm and 6.5 (1.6) mm, respectively; p < 0.001) and anaesthetised (8.7 (2.2) mm to 6.5 (1.7) mm and (6.7 (1.9) mm, respectively; p < 0.001) states. During direct laryngoscopy, the occlusion rate of the oesophageal entrance was greater with cricoid compared with paralaryngeal force (46/74 vs. 26/74, respectively; p = 0.002). The relative position of the upper oesophageal entrance to the glottis may change after induction of anaesthesia and during direct laryngoscopy. Cricoid and paralaryngeal force both decrease the diameter of the upper oesophageal entrance in awake and anaesthetised states. Occlusion of the oesophageal entrance is achieved more frequently with cricoid force compared with paralaryngeal force during direct laryngoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical oxidation of humic acid has been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the process for the destruction of high-molecular-weight (HMW) compounds. Experimental results show that the destruction of humic acid obtained by the electrolysis supported by chloride ion is much better than that obtained by sulfate ion. Accordingly, HMW compound such as humic substance is suggested to be resistant to directly anodic oxidation, but to be readily destroyed by an indirect oxidation of chlorine/hypochlorite during an electrochemical treatment process. The effects of operating parameters, including anode material, current density, electrolyte concentration, have been investigated in this study. A tertiary-oxide of Sn, Pd, Ru coated titanium (SPR) anode with high electrocatalytic activity was found to have high efficiency for humic acid destruction, and the destruction efficacy of humic substance increased with increasing current density and chloride concentration. In this study, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and adsorptive organic halide (AOX) had been performed to examine the variation of organic characteristics during the electrochemical oxidation of humic acid. The results from GPC and AOX show that HMW organic compounds could be effectively destroyed by electrochemical oxidation process, and the process also produced less undesirable chlorinated byproducts than the chlorination process. From the above results, the electrochemical oxidation conducted by indirect oxidation effect of chlorine/hypochlorite could be concluded to be a feasible method for the destruction of HMW compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the long-term stability of KEtX/Cu(OH)2 matrix under early-period and late-period landfill leachates was evaluated using semi-dynamic leaching test (SDLT), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. The results of SDLT after 60-day periods of extraction indicated that the cumulative leaching of Cu was only 0.72% and 3.34% of the total Cu in the KEtX/Cu(OH)2 matrix under early-period and late-period landfill leachates, respectively. The investigation of crystallinity and functional groups between the leached KEtX/Cu(OH)2 matrices after 1-day and 60-day periods of extraction using XRD and FTIR indicated that the KEtX/Cu(OH)2 matrices were perfectly unaffectedby the extraction using early-period and late-period landfill leachates during the 60-day leach time. Consequently, the KEtX/Cu(OH)2 matrix had a stabilizing behavior extracted in landfill leachates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refractory pollutants, including lignin, tannic acid, chlortetracycline, and EDTA, were destroyed by an electrochemical oxidation method to evaluate the applicability of this method for industrial wastewater pretreatment. Operation parameters, such as supporting electrolyte,current density, and electrolyte concentration, have been investigated for their influences on COD removal efficiencies during electrolysis. In addition, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Microtox test. and total organic halogen (TOX) analyses were performed to monitor the changes of organic characteristics of these refractory pollutants. Experimental results show that, among sulfate, nitrate, and chloride,chloride was the best supporting electrolyte, and during electrolysis, both COD and color removal efficiencies were improved by increasing current density and chloride concentration. From GPC analysis results, the electrochemical oxidation process readily destroys high-molecular-weight (HMW) organics. Microtox test results also show that the process can reduce the toxicity of these refractory organic compounds. In addition, TOX concentrations were found to increase at the beginning but then decline during the electrolysis. The above results suggest that the electrochemical oxidation process, which has good efficacy for detoxification and destruction of refractory pollutants, is a promising method for wastewater pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaching and stabilizing characteristics of synthetic copper diethyl dithiocarbamate (Cu-DDTC) under 1 N acetic acid solution were characterized using semi-dynamic leaching test (SDLT), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-visible), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), and scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM) techniques. The analyses of leached species of leaching solution by SDLT and UV-visible indicated that the degree of degradation of various elements from the Cu-DDTC complex could be classified as: N (25%) > S (20%) > Cu (0.7%) and no dithiocarbamate speciesin the liquid phase were detected. The copper species of insoluble Cu-DDTC complexes were much more stable than those of copper solidification in cementitious matrix. The investigation of crystallinity showed that there were two unidentifiable peaks present in the XRD pattern of the leached Cu-DDTC complex that might be attributed to new chemical interactions. The spectra obtained by FTIR analyses obviously showed that the major functional groups, such as C-N, S-C-S, C=S, Cu-S,and C-H groups, were both present in the unleached and leached Cu-DDTC complex. Thus, it was suggested that the leaching and stabilizing characteristics of the insoluble Cu-DDTC complexes consisted of the dissolution and decomposition of Cu-DDTC and the chelating reaction between copper and NDDTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the electrolytic foam separation process was used to treat metal-chelate solutions at varying pH values and with varying surfactant chelating agent to metal (S/M) ratios. The ionic competition characteristics of the metal-chelate systems and the partitioning of chelates during the electrolytic foam separation process were also investigated by the 1H FT-NMR method. Results of the 1H FT-NMR analysis showed that, in the Ni-citrate-NDDTC(sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate) system with an S/M ratio of 4, the Ni-NDDTC chelate formation efficiencies for pH values of 4, 7, and 10 were 87%, 100%, and 93%, respectively. These results were consistent with measurements of efficiency of Ni removal following 90 minutes of flotation including that the efficiency of Ni removal in the Ni-citrate-NDDTC system was highest at pH=7 (95%), and was lower at pH=4 (38%) and pH=10 (74%). This investigation demonstrates that both the pH value and the S/M ratio are critical parameters for metal removal from the metal-citrate(EDTA)-NDDTC(KEtX) system. The study also shows that the 1H FT-NMR can be used successfully to understand the nature of ionic competition and chelatepartitioning in these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiments were carried out with 16 mixtures of cement, fly ash, slag, and shell-lime; each of these mixtures was blended with water. The research also evaluated an optimal S/S process designed to encapsulate inorganic hazardous wastes (heavy metals) within cement, pozzolanic materials, and the accelerators which are Na2S, NH4Cl, FeSO4, and water glass, thereby creating a non-hazardous product. Characteristics of the stabilized/solidified product, including compressive strength and metal concentration in theleachate, were evaluated. The compressive strength of 146 kg/cm2 is attainable for solidification additives alone cured at 23 deg. C for 28 days. Optimal mixtures are those which contain 14 % of slag, 55 % of fly ash, 14 % of shell-lime, and 17 % of cement. The optimal mixtures with the accelerator formulations are effective in solidifying electroplating and tanning waste sludges, alone with respectto reducing leachability. Consequently, the formulations are effective both with respect to the achievement of acceptable compressive strength and the reducing leachability after the increase of cement and the decrease of water-cement ratio. Appropriately blended mixture of the pozzolanic materials can serve as binding agents for solidifying wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) has established clinical activity in acute promyelocytic leukaemia and has pre-clinical data suggesting activity in lymphoid malignancies. Cell death from As(2)O(3) may be the result of oxidative stress. Agents which deplete intracellular glutathione, such as ascorbic acid (AA), may potentiate arsenic-mediated apoptosis. This multi-institution phase II study investigated a novel dosing schedule of As(2)O(3) and AA in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoid malignancies. Patients received As(2)O(3) 0.25 mg/kg iv and AA 1000 mg iv for five consecutive days during the first week of each cycle followed by twice weekly infusions during weeks 2-6. Cycles were repeated every 8 weeks. The primary end point was objective response. In a subset of patients, sequential levels of intracellular glutathione and measures of Bcl-2 and Bax gene expression were evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during treatment. Seventeen patients were enrolled between March 2002 and February 2004. The median age was 71, and the majority of enrolled patients had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (12/17). Sixteen patients were evaluable, and one patient with mantle cell lymphoma achieved an unconfirmed complete response after five cycles of therapy for an overall response rate of 6%. The trial, which had been designed as a two-stage study, was closed after the first stage analysis due to lack of activity. Haematologic toxicities were the most commonly reported events in this heavily pre-treated population, and comprised the majority of grade 3 and 4 toxicities. Intracellular depletion of glutathione was not consistently observed during treatment. As(2)O(3) and AA in this novel dosing strategy was generally well tolerated but had limited activity in patients with relapsed and refractory lymphoid malignancies., (Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A multiple regression analysis was used to develop two predictive models of lower heating value (LHV) for municipal solid waste (MSW), using 180 samples gathered from cities and counties in Taiwan during 2001-2002. These models are referred to as the original proposed model (OPM) and the simplified model (SM). The coefficients of multiple determinations for the OPM and SM were 0.983 and 0.975, respectively. To verify the feasibility of the models, a demonstration program based on sampling of MSW in Kaohsiung City was conducted. As a result, the OPM showed superior precision in terms of relative percentage deviation (RPD) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), when compared to the conventional models based on the proximate analysis, physical composition and ultimate analysis. The SM was derived by neglecting the three minor physical components used in the OPM. The resulting SM was less precise when compared to the OPM, but it was still acceptable, with a precision level better than the conventional models. It was concluded that the predictability of empirical models could be improved significantly through selection of the appropriate physical components and multiple regression analysis.

Fly ash is a particulate substance containing metal oxides, carbon and other microelements. In this study, fly ashes with different quantities of carbon and minerals prepared by a thermal process in the laboratory were used as adsorbents to investigate the contribution of precipitation and adsorption to the removal of aqueous Cu(II). Experimental results showed that the specific surface area of fly ash increased linearly with the quantity of carbon. The specific surface areas of the carbon and mineral fraction were 60 m2/g and 0.68 m2/g, respectively. The specific adsorption capacities of carbon ranged from 2.2 to 2.8 mg Cu/g carbon, while those for mineral were only about 0.63 to approximately 0.81 mg Cu/g mineral. Consequently, the carbon fraction in fly ash was important in the removal of Cu(II) at pH 5. However, Cu(II) removal owing to precipitation increases with a decreasing carbon fraction and the contribution of copper precipitation was estimated to be approximately 23% to approximately 82% of total removal, depending on the carbon fraction of fly ash.

Rat prolactin in the dense cores of secretory granules of the pituitary gland is a Lubrol-insoluble aggregate. In GH(4)C(1) cells, newly synthesized rat prolactin and growth hormone were soluble, but after 30 min about 40% converted to a Lubrol-insoluble form. Transport from the endoplasmic reticulum is necessary for conversion to Lubrol insolubility, since incubating cells with brefeldin A or at 15 degrees C reduced formation of insoluble rat (35)S-prolactin. Formation of Lubrol-insoluble aggregates has protein and cell specificity; newly synthesized human growth hormone expressed in AtT20 cells underwent a 40% conversion to Lubrol insolubility with time, but albumin did not, and human growth hormone expressed in COS cells underwent less than 10% conversion to Lubrol insolubility. del32-46 growth hormone, a naturally occurring form of growth hormone, and P89L growth hormone underwent conversion, although they were secreted more slowly, indicating that there is some tolerance in structural requirements for aggregation. An intracellular compartment with an acidic pH is not necessary for conversion to Lubrol insolubility, because incubation with chloroquine or bafilomycin slowed, but did not prevent, the conversion. GH(4)C(1) cells treated with estradiol, insulin, and epidermal growth factor accumulate more secretory granules and store more prolactin, but not more growth hormone, than untreated cells; Lubrol-insoluble aggregates of prolactin and growth hormone formed to the same extent in hormone-treated or untreated GH(4)C(1) cells, but prolactin was retained longer in hormone-treated cells. These findings indicate that aggregation alone is not sufficient to cause retention of secretory granule proteins, and there is an additional selective process.

Purpose: To identify the growth conditions that would favor the development of a functional primary culture of pigmented rabbit corneal epithelial cells on a permeable support comparable to the intact tissue in bioelectric properties., Methods: Rabbit corneal epithelial cells were isolated and cultured on precoated fibronectin/collagen/laminin permeable filters. Cells were grown at an air-interface with supplemented DMEM/F12 medium. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy techniques, respectively, were used to confirm cornea-specific marker and morphological features. Permeability of the cell layers to model polar compounds was evaluated using 14C-mannitol, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran of 4,000 molecular weight (FD4)., Results: We found that culturing the epithelial cells at an air-interface (AIC) was a critical factor in the formation of tight cell layer and that omitting fetal bovine serum and keeping the concentration of epidermal growth factor at 1 ng/ml were equally important. Phenotypically, the AIC cell layers were found to express cornea-specific 64 kD keratin. Compared with cells cultured under the liquid-covered (LCC) condition, those cultured under AIC exhibited a significantly higher peak transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) of up to 5 kOhm x cm2, a higher potential difference (PD) of up to 26 mV, and an estimated short-circuit current (Ieq) of 5 microA/cm2 after 7-8 days of culture. These values were comparable to those in the excised cornea. Consistent with the TEER, the AIC cell layers were 4-40 times less permeable to paracellular markers than their LCC counterpart., Conclusions: The AIC model merits further characterization of drug transport mechanisms as well as drug, formulation, physiological, and pathological factors influencing corneal epithelial drug transport.

Tsutsugamushi Disease is an acute febrile illness caused by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, which enters into the human bloodstream through the bite of leptotrombidium. It is characterized by eschar, fever and cutaneous rash. Pericardial effusion in Tsutsugamushi Disease is not a common manifestation, although a high rate of effusion was reported in autopsy in those who had died of the disease. Here, we report a case of Tsutsugamushi pericarditis documented by indirect immunofluorescent test of pericardial fluid, and give a brief review of the literature.

The ability of amphotericin B (AmB) to form ion-permeable channels in cholesterol containing lipid bilayers was studied by UV/visible absorbance, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Stable liposomes composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, distearoylphosphatidylglycerol, and AmB were prepared so that a wide range of AmB concentrations in the bilayer could be studied. Singular value decomposition analysis (Henry & Hofrichter, 1992) of the circular dichroism spectra of AmB at different AmB/lipid ratios suggests that AmB exists primarily in only two states in the bilayer, a "monomeric" state and an "aggregated" state. The transition from the "monomeric" to the "aggregated" state begins to occur at a critical concentration of 1 AmB per 1000 lipids in the membrane and coincides with the appearance of channel activity. The data support the recent theoretical conclusions of Weakliem et al. (1995) which predict that pore formation in the lipid bilayer will occur when the drug molecule concentration exceeds a critical value. At this critical concentration, it is calculated that a minimum number of 16 AmB molecules per liposome are required to observe channel activity. The results are consistent with the sterol-dependent AmB channel models proposed by de Kruijff and Demel (1974), Andreoli (1974), and Khutorsky (1992). To further elucidate the effects of sterol on AmB-mediated channel formation, liposomes were prepared with varying ratios of cholesterol and AmB. At cholesterol mole percentages greater than 1, channel activity was observed to occur at AmB concentrations just above the critical value. Previous reports show that cholesterol forms "tail-to-tail" dimers at mole percentages greater than 2 (Harris et al., 1995). This suggests that formation of the bilayer-spanning channels by AmB is initiated most efficiently when the tail-to-tail dimer of cholesterol is present. Although the structural nature of the AmB channel could not be unambiguously determined, these experiments provide further evidence in support of the widely held view that AmB's primary mechanism of killing fungal cells occurs by forming ion-permeable channels.

Comparative nucleotide sequence studies of a 2.4-kb cDNA fragment (nt -49 to 2361) of Korean-type hepatitis C virus (HCV) were carried out. The nt sequences of the Korean HCV isolates have stronger sequence homologies with type II HCV (Japanese HCV-BK) than with types I (HCV-1) or III (HCV-6). In addition, the net sequences of a part of the core region of ten different samples confirmed that prevalent HCV in Korea belongs to type II with the exception of one sample which belongs to type III. The nt sequence of a cDNA fragment of E2/NS1 region of HCV, from six different serum samples, which comprises the hypervariable regions-1 (HVR-1) and -2 (HVR-2), revealed sequence heterogeneity with type II HCV (75.4 to 80.7% nt homology and 75.5 to 79.7% amino acid homology). However, it was relatively well conserved among the Korean isolates, in fact, aa sequences of HVR-2 as well as HVR-1, converged into two groups. Also we found consensus sequences (T.V.G..AGRTT.G..SLE......K) in HVR-1. Thus, we propose that the conserved patterns in HVR-1 and -2 are characteristics of the six different Korean isolates.

The characteristics of the degradation of cellulose, soluble starch, and glucose in the acidogenic phase and the effects of the substrate loading rate and biological solids retention time on the methanogenic phase of anaerobic digestion were investigated. The results obtained from continuous experiments using laboratory-scale anaerobic chemostat reactors elucidated the true rate-limiting step of anaerobic digestion. The specific rate of substrate utilization decreased in the following order: glucose, soluble starch, acetic acid, and cellulose. The rate of the hydrolysis of cellulose was so low that this was shown to be the rate-limiting step in overall anaerobic digestion. Among methanogenic bacteria Methanosarcina would provide a higher substrate utilization rate than Methanothrix, and the maximum allowable substrate loading rate in the methanogenic phase was 11.2 g acetic acid/L day.

Experimental conditions were defined that determined the synthesis of dextran-hemoglobin complexes through the alklation of hemoglobin by N-bromoacetylaminoethylaminodextran. Using appropriate concentrations of the two reactants, over 90% yield of dextran-hemoglobin was obtained for dextrans of average molecular weight of 200 000 110000, 70000, 400000, and 20000. Extensive viscosity increase due to crosslinking could be avoided, and a large molar excess of dextran over hemoglobin made unnecessary, under the optimal conditions.