Efficacy of interferons in treating children with chronic hepatitis C

Twenty-two children with chronic hepatitis serologically positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) were treated with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha). Liver biopsy showed chronic active hepatitis in 13 and chronic persistent hepatitis in 9 patients. A sustained clearance of HCV was observed in 8/22 children 12 months after the administration of IFN-alpha for 26 weeks, associated with normalization of HCV core antibody. Of these eight patients six had HCV genotype III and two HCV genotype II or IV. Hepatitis relapsed in seven other patients after completion of IFN-alpha with an increase in HCV core antibody titre, five with HCV genotype II, and two with HCV genotype III or IV. A second course of IFN-alpha suppressed the reactivation of HCV in all seven patients. Three of seven responders who relapsed after the first course remained negative for HCV RNA 12 months after their second course of IFN-alpha. However, the remaining four patients with HCV genotype II again relapsed after completing their second course of IFN-alpha. Seven children with the HCV genotype II resistant to IFN, including 8 weeks of IFN-beta administration, and showed no significant reduction in HCV core antibody titre. CONCLUSION: The genotype of HCV (III) and a reduction in the core antibody titre appear to be useful parameters for predicting the response to IFN-alpha therapy.     

Compatibility of alkaline earth metal (Mg, Ca, Sr)-doped lanthanum chromites as separators in planar-type high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

The mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of alkaline earth metal (Mg, Ca and Sr)-doped LaCrO₃ have been examined as separators in planar-type high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. The maximum three-point bending strength at 1000°C in air was measured and found to be 186 MPa for LaCr_0.9Mg_0.1O₃, 36 MPa for La_0.9Ca_0.1CrO₃ and 77 MPa for La_0.9Sr_0.1CrO₃. The La_0.8Sr_0.2CrO₃ separator placed in both an oxidizing and a reducing environment at 1000°C showed almost the same electrical conductivities of the H₂ atmosphere, and the conductivity was independent of sample thickness in the range 0.5–3.0 mm. For all the doped LaCrO₃ perovskites, a difference between the thermal expansion behaviours of air and the H₂ atmosphere was observed. In particular, the thermal expansion slope for the first heating cycle under the H₂ atmosphere showed a marked change. The volume changes were due to the formation of oxygen defects in the perovskite structure. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

High-dose intravenous steroid pulse therapy in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy

MIcrospheres containing diclofenac sodium (DS) were prepared using carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as the main support material (1.0, 2.0, 3.0% (w/v)) and aluminum chloride as the crosslinker. Drug to polymer ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:4 were used to obtain a range of microspheres. The microspheres were then coated with an enteric coating material, Eudragit S-100, efficiency, % yield value, particle sizes an in-vitro dissolution behaviour were investigated. The surface of the enteric coated microspheres seemed to be all covered with Eudragit S-100 from scanning electron microscopy observation. It was also observed that increasing the CMC concentration led to an increase in the encapsulation efficiency, % yield value and particle size and decreased the release rate. Eudragit S-100 coating did not significantly alter the size but the release rate was significantly lower even when the lower concentration solution was used.     

Metabolism of tetramethrin isomers in rat: II. Identification and quantitation of metabolites

1. To examine the metabolic fate of (1RS, trans)- or (1RS, cis)-tetramethrin [3, 4, 5, 6-tetrahydrophthalimidomethyl (1RS, trans)- or (1RS, cis)-chrysanthemate], rat was administered a single oral dose of trans- or cis-[alcohol-14C]tetramethrin at dose levels of 2 or 250 mg/kg. 2. The radiocarbon was almost completely eliminated from rat within 7 days after administration in all groups. 14C-recoveries (expressed as percentages relative to the dosed 14C) in faeces and urine were 38-58 and 42-58% respectively in rat administrated trans-[alcohol-14C]tetramethrin, and in faeces and urine were 66-91 and 9-31% respectively in rat administered cis-[alcohol-14C]tetramethrin. 3. Fourteen metabolites found in excreta were purified by using several chromatographic techniques and identified by spectroanalyses (nmr and MS). Five sulphonate derivatives and three dicarboxylic acid derivatives were found. 4. The main metabolites were sulphonate derivatives in the faeces, and in the urine, alcohols, dicarboxylic acid and reduced metabolites derived from the 3,4,5,6-tetrahydrophthalimide moiety.     

Stabilization of high-impact polystyrene/ polyethylene blends

Commercial poly(styrene-b-butadiene) copolymers (SBS) can act as effective compatibilizers in blends between high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) and polyethylene (PE), allowing a fine dispersion of PE in the polystyrene matrix, with a good balance of stiffness and impact strength. However, when processed under more severe conditions (e.g. in multiple extrusions, which simulate customer's product scrap recovery), the above blends show rather poor stability and their useful properties are rapidly lost. That undesirable effect is mainly due to cross-linking of SBS, which thus looses its compatibilizing activity. A correlation has been found between the time-to-cross-linking of SBS rubber in a Brabender mixer and the rapid decay of mechanical properties. The analysis of the mixing process and the morphology examinations of the final blend sample by TEM seem to support the above hypothesis. A significant reduction of block copolymer degradation has been achieved by means of a suitable stabilization.     

Parallel simulated annealing for power system decomposition

This paper proposes a parallel optimization approach to power system decomposition for voltage control. In this paper, a parallel simulated annealing (PSA) technique is developed to decompose power systems so that subsystems are equally separated in terms of the number of nodes and control variables. System decomposition is one of difficult discrete number combinatorial problems. The PSA technique provides better solutions than the conventional SA because of searching a solution near a global minimum over a wide range. The proposed method is tested in IEEE 30, 57, and 118 node systems     

KGa-priderite and related compound for the selective reduction of nitrogen monoxide with propylene

The catalytic activity of KGa-priderite, K_1.6Ga_1.6Ti_6.4O₁₆, and its related compound KGa₈Ga₉Ti₁₅O₅₆ was investigated for the selective reduction of nitrogen monoxide (NO) with propylene (C₃H₆) in the presence of high oxygen concentrations. The KGa-priderite showed significant activity during this reaction, but the related compound showed only a little activity. These compounds are quite different from the conventional catalysts for NO_x selective reduction and are characterized by the fact that their properties are free from the effects of solid acidity and support metals. This difference was attributable to the NO desorption rate at the surface of these compounds. It has become clear that the KGa-priderite catalyst remarkably adsorbed NO, and it is suggested that the amount of NO adsorbed and the amount of catalytic activity are able to be increased by the design of priderite structure.     

Changes in cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism related to magnetic resonance imaging white matter hyperintensities in Alzheimer's disease

We studied changes in cerebral perfusion and oxygen metabolism to elucidate the pathophysiological nature and clinical significance of white matter hyperintensities in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Sixteen AD patients (age 71.6 +/- 3.1 yr) whose T2-weighted MR images showed white matter hyperintensities, and 16 age-matched AD patients (age 71.0 +/- 4.3 yr) without white matter hyperintensities were compared. Regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen metabolism (CMRO2) and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) were measured by using (15)O steady-state method and PET. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in cognitive impairment between the two groups. Compared to the patients without white matter hyperintensities, those with them had significantly low CBF values and significantly high OEF values in all cortical and white matter regions. However, there were no significant differences in CMRO2 values between the two groups. Severity of white matter hyperintensities correlated with the mean cortical and mean white matter OEF. CONCLUSION: In AD patients, white matter hyperintensities on T2-weighted MR images represent ischemic changes in which oxygen metabolism and function are fairly compensated. These changes are not disease-specific but are age-associated coincidences, as in normal aging with or without vascular risk factors.     

Westernized food habits and concentrations of serum lipids in the Japanese

It has recently been reported that there exists a new 'RING-finger' protein family among the zinc-finger (Zf) proteins. Previously, we had isolated the mouse Mel-18 cDNA (mMel-18) encoding the nuclear RING-finger protein that exhibits an ability to bind to a nonspecific DNA column. Here, we have isolated and characterized the human Mel-18 cDNA (hMel-18) using the mMel-18 cDNA as a probe. The deduced hMel-18 protein contains 344 amino acids (38 kDa) with a RING-finger motif, a helix-loop-helix (HLH)-like structure and a Pro/Ser-rich region. The hMel-18 gene is conserved among vertebrates. Its mRNA is highly expressed in placenta, lung and kidney, but the level is low in liver, pancreas and skeletal muscle. Using in situ hybridization, we mapped hMel-18 to band q22 of chromosome 12. It is possible that the Mel-18/bmi-1 gene family represents a mammalian homologue of the Drosophila polycomb gene group.     

Current density limitation and diffusion boundary layer calculation using CFD method

The knowledge of limiting current density and thickness of diffusion boundary layer is particularly important in improving space-time-yield of electrolysis and especially of high current-density electrolysis. Both natural and forced convection of electrolyte flow are considered in the presented computational fluid dynamics model for calculation of these values. Natural convection is modeled by implementation of a source term at the cathode surface for copper concentration according to Faraday’s law, which allows calculation of electrolyte density for each volume cell of the grid. Forced convection is considered as flow of electrolyte through the cell generated by electrolyte inlet and outlet. By variation of current density, the limiting current density can be calculated with a copperion concentration of zero at the cathode surface after reaching the steady-state conditions in electrolyte. Time dependency of diffusion boundary layer thickness is shown for a chosen cell geometry. Literature data and measured and calculated values of both quantities are in good agreement.