波兰:最大的新兴市场

波兰是一个中等国家,拥有发达的装饰涂料工业.激烈的市场竞争迫使所有涂料生产商以少的成本生产更多的产品.波兰的装饰市场已经达到欧洲的高水平,其未来的发展将会比较稳定.工业涂料市场远远落后于装饰涂料市场.事实上,只有一家优势的国内企业的涂料(Polifarb Cieszyn-Wroclaw)可以与进口的竞争.可以预见在不远的将来,这种情形将会改变,在工业涂料界会出现中等规模的投资.这意味着波兰的专业涂料和高质量的涂料产品还有一定的市场空间.     

Angiodysplasia in a jejunal diverticulum as an unusual cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding

Recent findings of indoor exposure studies of chlorpyrifos indicate that young children are at higher risks to the semivolatile pesticide than had been previously estimated [Gurunathan et al., Environ Health Perspect 106:9-16 (1998)]. The study showed that after a single broadcast use of the pesticide by certified applicators in apartment rooms, chlorpyrifos continued to accumulate on children's toys and hard surfaces 2 weeks after spraying. Based on the findings of this and other research studies, the estimated chlorpyrifos exposure levels from indoor spraying for children are approximately 21-119 times above the current recommended reference dose of 3 microg/kg/day from all sources. A joint agreement reached between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the registrants of chlorpyrifos-based products will phase out a number of indoor uses of the pesticide, including broadcast spraying and direct uses on pets. While crack and crevice treatment of insects (such as cockroaches and termites) by chlorpyrifos will still continue, it appears prudent to explore other insect control options, including the use of baits, traps, and insect sterilants and growth regulators. To ensure global protection, adequate dissemination of appropriate safety and regulatory information to developing regions of the world is critical, where importation and local production of chlorpyrifos-based products for indoor uses may be significant.     

The 13C-methacetin breath test for quantitative noninvasive liver function analysis with an isotope-specific nondispersive infrared spectrometer in liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cytochrome-P450-dependent liver function can be measured with the 13C-methacetin breath test (MBT). This has heretofore been done with the use of a mass-spectrometer. This study was undertaken to evaluate the MBT (NDIRS) done with the isotope-selective nondispersive infrared spectrometer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 20 healthy volunteers (ten women, ten men, aged 22-76 years) and 16 patients (ten women, six men, aged 48-71 years) with histologically confirmed liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh stage A [n = 7], B [n = 5] or C [n = 4]) were given 13C-methacetin in 100 ml of tea after a 12-hour fasting period. Breath tests were performed before the test drink and 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150 and 180 min thereafter. The ratio of 13C to 12C was determined, as delta (/1000), and from it the maximal percentage rate (PDRmax) calculated, as well as the cumulative rate (cPDRmax) after 30, 60, 120 and 180 min (Median and 5th and 95th percentiles). RESULTS: For patients with liver cirrhosis there were significantly lower values for cPDRmax and cPDR after 30, 60, 120 and 180 min than in the healthy subjects (P < 0.002): PDR [%]/h: 3.9 (0.7-15.9) vs. 36.5 (23.1-50.0); cDPR 30 min [%]: 1.1 (-0.2-6.0) vs. 12.4 (7.6-17.1); cDPR 3 h [%]: 9.8 (-2.3-27.5) vs. 36.0 (29.9-45.1). There were significant differences among the patients, depending on their Child-Pugh staging. CONCLUSION: The MBT with the cost-effective NDIRS can reliably and noninvasively distinguish between healthy subjects and patients with liver cirrhosis. The test is therefore suitable for the quantitative analysis of liver functions.     

Invertebrate communities of former southern moravian floodplains (Czechoslovakia) and impacts of regulation

The natural hydrobiological conditions of southern Moravian floodplains have been drastically altered by regulation of the lower Dyje river and its tributaries. Natural floodplains were characterized by temporary pools and swamps, each inhabited by a typical community of aquatic invertebrates, and permanent water bodies (rivers and abandoned channels). Some aquatic taxa migrated onto ‘terrestrial’ localities during flood periods. Following regulation, floods were eliminated and most of the wet floodplain habitats disappeared, together with their typical species. The results of faunistic studies carried out in different permanent and temporary water bodies of the floodplains are reviewed. Altogether 188 taxa of planktonic and 206 taxa of benthic and semiplanktonic animals have been recorded. Of the planktonic community, rotifers (96 taxa) and copepods (41 taxa) have very favourable conditions for their development, especially in the spring. The main season for cladocera (53 taxa) development (summer) is less favourable due to the short duration of flooding (in flooded meadows) or poor oxygen conditions (in temporary pools with a high content of decaying organic matter). Among the zoobenthos, mainly facultative aquatic macroinvertebrates (larvae of insects) appear in these localities.     

A prospective evaluation of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in patients with suspected bile duct obstruction

The occurrence of mutations in peripheral myelin protein 22 is one of the genetic mechanisms associated with Dejerine-Sottas neuropathy (DSN). On direct sequencing 2 of such patients we have found the first mutation in the third transmembrane domain associated with this neuropathy and the fourth Ser72Leu. We propose that the Ser72 may be a "hot spot" for DSN and that this should be considered for molecular analysis.     

Identification of Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors by Metal-binding Pharmacophore Screening

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a human mononuclear Zn²⁺ metalloenzyme that converts adenosine to inosine. ADA is a validated drug target for cancer, but there has been little recent work on the development of new therapeutics against this enzyme. The lack of new advancements can be partially attributed to an absence of suitable assays for high-throughput screening (HTS) against ADA. To facilitate more rapid drug discovery efforts for this target, an in vitro assay was developed that utilizes the enzymatic conversion of a visibly emitting adenosine analogue to the corresponding fluorescent inosine analogue by ADA, which can be monitored via fluorescence intensity changes. Utilizing this assay, a library of ∼350 small molecules containing metal-binding pharmacophores (MBPs) was screened in an HTS format to identify new inhibitor scaffolds against ADA. This approach yielded a new metal-binding scaffold with a K_i value of 26±1 μM.     

Titanium foam made with saccharose as a space holder

In this work we show a very promising method of titanium foam preparation with saccharose crystals (table sugar) as a space holder particles. The mixture of Ti and sugar particles was compacted to form a green compacts. In the next step the saccharose crystals were dissolved in the water, leaving open spaces surrounded by metallic scaffold. The sintering of the scaffold leads to foam with typical morphology and porosity. We found that 1:1 Ti/sugar ratio leads to porosities of about 72 % with pore diameter of about 0.8–1.0 mm, when we used 0.8–1.0 mm diameter sugar crystals. The foams morphology was investigated by SEM, porosity and internal structure was investigated using computed tomography and the structure was shown using XRD. The foam morphology pointed theirs potential applications in medical as well as catalyst devices.