Development of a colon delivery capsule and the pharmacological activity of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) in beagle dogs

A peroral dosage form was examined to deliver recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) to the colon in beagle dogs. A new gelatin capsule with its inside surface coated with ethylcellulose was prepared for this purpose. RhG-CSF was dissolved with propylene glycol and was filled in the capsule. Several kinds of ethylcellulose-gelatin capsules with an ethylcellulose layer of thickness 46 to 221 mm were used. The capsule was filled with propylene glycol solution containing fluorescein as an absorption marker, castor oil derivative and citric acid. The hardness of the capsule was tested after the gelatin layer was dissolved using a hardness tester and was dependent on the thickness of the ethylcellulose layer of the capsule. The time, Tmax, at which plasma fluorescein level reaches its maximum following oral administration of ethylcellulose capsules was used as a parameter for the in-vivo disintegration time of the ethylcellulose capsule into the colon. Capsules of thickness 84 mm with a Tmax of 4-6 h were filled with rhG-CSF solution containing fluorescein and were administered to dogs. After administration, blood samples were collected for 96 h and the blood total leucocyte (BTL) counts were measured as a pharmacological index of rhG-CSF. The maximum BTL count appeared at 10 h then gradually decreased and returned to its normal level at 48 h. These results suggest the usefulness of ethylcellulose capsules for the delivery of rhG-CSF to the colon and the possibility of a new oral rhG-CSF dosage form has been elucidated.     

Relationship between the dose of lidocaine administered endotracheally in small children and the serum lidocaine level--recommended dose prior to endotracheal intubation

To determine the optimum dose of lidocaine administered in the trachea prior to endotracheal intubation, we divided 102 surgical patients 3-5 years of age into 3 groups, i.e., group 1; 1 mg.kg-1 was sprayed in the trachea, group 2; 2 mg.kg-1 was sprayed in the trachea, group 3; 1 mg.kg-1 was sprayed in the trachea, and 1 mg.kg-1 in the pharynx and the oral cavity simultaneously. The venous serum concentration of lidocaine was measured two times either 1.5, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 or 45 min after the spray in each case. In group 1, the mean concentration of lidocaine reached the maximum of 1.05 micrograms.ml-1 at 5 min and decreased gradually after that with a small inter-individual variation. In group 2, after reaching the mean maximum concentration of 3.51 micrograms.ml-1 at 3 min, the serum level dropped quickly and then gradually decreased. There were a few cases where serum level was over 7 micrograms.ml-1. In group 2, after reaching the mean maximum concentration of 1.38 micrograms.ml-1 at 5 min, the serum level decreased more slowly, suggesting a slow absorption from the pharynx and/or the oral cavity. We conclude that the recommended dose of lidocaine for endotracheal administration is less than 2 mg.kg-1.     

Feedback control of decoupled bending and torsional vibrations of flexible beams

In this article, we consider a flexible beam with a rigid body, of which the bending vibration and the torsional vibration are decoupled. Therefore we need two control motors to suppress the vibrations. Each set of dynamic equations is treated in the form of an appropriate Hilbert space. A stabilizing feedback control law of each rotation motor will be established on the basis of modal analysis. A set of experiments has been carried out, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the dynamic model and the proposed control law. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Right atrial contractile performance in patients with myocardial infarction

To evaluate right atrial (RA) contractile performance in patients with myocardial infarction, we validated a cineangiographic method of RA volume measurement, and investigated RA volume change in 'normal' individuals and patients with a previous myocardial infarction. Sixteen silicone rubber RA casts made from human cadavers were filmed in the postero-anterior and left lateral projections. The cast volumes calculated following Simpson's rule were in good agreement with those measured by water replacement (r = 0.992, P < 0.01). At cardiac catheterization, biplane RA cineangiography was performed in 19 'normal' individuals (N group), in 14 patients with a previous antero-septal infarction (AMI group) and in seven patients with a previous inferior infarction (IMI group). The RA volume-time curve was constructed at 20-40 ms intervals for one cardiac cycle. RA volume at the beginning of the atrial contraction (RAVd), which was defined as the 'preload' of the RA, tended to be larger in both the AMI and IMI groups compared with 'normal' individuals. The RA ejection volume was significantly larger in both the AMI (18.4 +/- 2.1 ml.m-2, P < 0.01) and IMI groups (19.4 +/- 2.8, P < 0.01) than in the N group (14.5 +/- 1.9), even for a comparable level of RAVd (range from 26 to 36 ml.m-2) (18.6 +/- 2.1, P < 0.01, 18.2 +/- 2.0, P < 0.01, 14.7 +/- 1.9, respectively). These results suggest that RA contraction increases in patients with myocardial infarction by increasing both the 'preload' and 'contractility' of the RA.     

Designing and experimentally demonstrating automatic OPS/OCS/OpenFlow network control driven by ChoiceNet provider

Interconnection between our existing optical packet and circuit integrated network (OPCInet) and an ecosystem for network service provisioning named ChoiceNet enables network service providers to provide diverse services and realize control driven by the providers. In this paper, we design and implement control interfaces for the interconnection, which enables each ChoiceNet provider to explicitly control both OPCInet- and OpenFlow-based networks by use of a single common interface with proprietary/easily modifiable message formats for all control functions. We construct an experimental setup between the USA and Japan, and demonstrate that the OPCInet and an OpenFlow-based network placed in Japan are successfully controlled by request from the ChoiceNet provider installed in the USA. We also show that the time required to complete Telnet access to the OPCInet C-plane for each control is no more than 150 ms over the long distance from the USA to Japan.     

ARCOR,a new photolithography technique with antireflective coating on resist

The multiple interference effect is one of the major causes of the fluctuation in critical dimension control (CD) and in mark detection for alignment. Suppressing this effect is critical for future photolithography. We propose a new photolithography technique called anti reflective coating on resist (ARCOR), which improves linewidth accuracy and overlay accuracy by suppressing multiple interference. ARCOR consists of relatively simple processes: A clear antireflective film is spun onto the resist prior to the mark detecting for alignment and exposure. The film is subsequently removed and the resist developed in the conventional way. ARCOR differs from ARC, which suppresses the reflection at the resist/substrate interface. ARCOR suppresses the reflection at the air/resist interface. ARCOR allows mark detection and exposure without light intensity-loss and multiple interference. The experiments mainly examine polysiloxane and perfluoroalkylpolyether as ARCOR materials. It is shown that linewidth accuracy can be improved from 0.3 to 0.03 μm. The signal-to-noise ratio of the alignment signal is drastically improved, and the overlay error is about half that of the conventional method. ARCOR is also effective for directly measuring the reflectivity at the resist/substrate interface, which is a key parameter of the multiple interference effect and the halation. Using ARCOR and a thin resist film, the measured ratio of reflected light to incident light indicates the reflectivity at the resist/substrate interface. Because, the probe light does not reflect off the resist surface and the intensity-loss at the resist surface is suppressed. With perfluoroalkylpolyether film, the measurement error is ～ 1.5%.     

Intermediate hydrocarbon species for the CO2-CH4 reaction on supported Ni catalysts

By using pulse surface reaction rate analysis (PSRA), the detailed structure of the intermediate hydrocarbon species was revealed by measuring the dynamic behavior of both CO and H₂ produced from the CO₂-CH₄ reaction on supported Ni catalysts. It was found that the number of hydrogen atoms involved in the intermediate was different from one catalyst support to another: 2.7 for MgO, 2.5 for ZnO, 2.4 for Al₂O₃,1.9 for TiO₂, and 1.0 for SiO₂.     

Polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membranes containing negatively charged groups for permeation and separation of dextran and dextransulfate

Ultrafiltration membranes of poly(acrylonitrile-co-sodium styrenesulfonate) [P(AN-co-SSS)] were prepared by casting the copolymer solution into water. The ultrafiltration rate of P(AN-co-SSS) membranes was controlled by adding poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of various molecular weights to the casting solution. The effect of the PEG addition on the membrane properties was examined. By using the P(AN-co-SSS) membranes, which possess various molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) properties, the permeation behaviors of dextran (D) and dextransulfate (DS) were compared. The P(AN-co-SSS) membranes markedly restricted the permeation of DS, owing to electrostatic barrier of the negatively charged groups in the membrane. The electrostatic sieve separation of DS and D, each having similar molecular size, with the membranes was also investigated. The membrane having negatively charged groups effectively rejected to DS with a high permselectivity. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Oxidation kinetics for <Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>-9,<Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis>-11 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis>-10,<Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>-12 isomers of CLA

The autoxidation processes of the cis-9,trans-11 (c9,t11) and trans-10,cis-12 (t10,c12) isomers of CLA were separately observed at ca. 0% RH and different temperatures. The t10,c12 CLA oxidized faster than the c9,t11 isomer at all tested temperatures. The first half of the oxidation process of t10,c12 CLA obeyed an autocatalytic-type rate expression, but the latter half followed first-order kinetics. On the other hand, the entire oxidation process of c9,t11 CLA could be expressed by the autocatalytic-type rate expression. The apparent activation energies and frequency factors for the autoxidation of the isomers were estimated from the rate constants obtained at various temperatures based on the Arrhenius equation. The apparent activation energies for the CLA isomers were greater than those for the nonconjugated n−6 and n−3 PUFA or their esters. However, the enthalpyentropy compensation held during the autoxidation of both the CLA and PUFA. This suggested that the autoxidation mechanisms for the CLA and PUFA were essentially the same.     

Anionic polymerization of styrene in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran: temperature dependence of the field effect

Kinetics of living anionic polymerizations of styrene was investigated for lithium, sodium, and potassium salts in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran at 35, 25, 0, and ?70°C in the presence and absence of a high intensity electric field. At 35 and 25°C, a field acceleration effect was observed whereas no effect was found at 0 and ?70°C. The propagation rate constant of ion pairs was almost independent of gegen ions and their temperature dependence was smaller than that of free anions. The free ions seem to be more strongly solvated as the temperature decreases.