Pertussis in Massachusetts, 1981-1991: incidence, serologic diagnosis, and vaccine effectiveness

Massachusetts provides diphtheria-tetanus toxoid-pertussis (DTP) vaccine, and since 1980 has monitored pertussis with a statewide diagnostic service. The incidence of bacteriologically confirmed pertussis was 104.5 per 100,000 person-years in 1-month-old infants and declined progressively thereafter. Infants < 6 months old experienced disproportionate morbidity: 44% of bacteriologically confirmed pertussis, 64% of hospitalizations, and 71% of hospital days. Most children with pertussis had received < 3 DTP doses during childhood, whereas 87% of adolescents with pertussis had received > or = 4 doses. Serodiagnosis by single serum anti-pertussis toxin antibody ELISA increased the incidence of confirmed pertussis in persons 11-19 years old from 3.0 to 12.9 per 100,000 and in persons > or = 20 years old from 0.16 to 0.56 per 100,000. Bacteriologic methods underestimate pertussis incidence, but a single serum anti-pertussis toxin antibody ELISA is a practical method for population-based diagnosis in adolescents and adults.     

Biomimetic engineering of non-adhesive glycocalyx-like surfaces using oligosaccharide surfactant polymers

The external region of a cell membrane, known as the glycocalyx, is dominated by glycosylated molecules, which direct specific interactions such as cell-cell recognition and contribute to the steric repulsion that prevents undesirable non-specific adhesion of other molecules and cells. Mimicking the non-adhesive properties of a glycocalyx provides a potential solution to the clinical problems, such as thrombosis, that are associated with implantable devices owing to non-specific adsorption of plasma proteins. Here we describe a biomimetic surface modification of graphite using oligosaccharide surfactant polymers, which, like a glycocalyx, provides a dense and confluent layer of oligosaccharides. The surfactant polymers consist of a flexible poly(vinyl amine) with dextran and alkanoyl side chains. We show that alkanoyl side chains assemble on graphite through hydrophobic interaction and epitaxial adsorption. This constrains the polymer backbone to lie parallel to the substrate, with solvated dextran side chains protruding into the aqueous phase, creating a glycocalyx-like coating. The resulting biomimetic surface is effective in suppressing protein adsorption from human plasma protein solution.     

Comparison of an effect-model-law-based method versus traditional clinical practice guidelines for optimal treatment decision-making: application to statin treatment in the French population

Healthcare authorities make difficult decisions about how to spend limited budgets for interventions that guarantee the best cost-efficacy ratio. We propose a novel approach for treatment decision-making, OMES—in French: Objectif thérapeutique Modèle Effet Seuil (in English: Therapeutic Objective–Threshold–Effect Model; TOTEM). This approach takes into consideration results from clinical trials, adjusted for the patients'' characteristics in treatment decision-making. We compared OMES with the French clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the management of dyslipidemia with statin in a computer-generated realistic virtual population, representing the adult French population, in terms of the number of all-cause deaths avoided (number of avoided events: NAEs) under treatment and the individual absolute benefit. The total budget was fixed at the annual amount reimbursed by the French social security for statins. With the CPGs, the NAEs was 292 for an annual cost of 122.54 M€ compared with 443 with OMES. For a fixed NAEs, OMES reduced costs by 50% (60.53 M€ yr⁻¹). The results demonstrate that OMES is at least as good as, and even better than, the standard CPGs when applied to the same population. Hence the OMES approach is a practical, useful alternative which will help to overcome the limitations of treatment decision-making based uniquely on CPGs.     

Captopril and its synthesis from chiral intermediates

Captopril is an antihypertensive agent that inhibits the angiotensin‐converting enzyme of the renin–angiotensin system. Chiral intermediates are used in the synthesis of the drug. These intermediates are obtained by resolution of racemic compounds or by chemical, biocatalytic methods and or by asymmetric synthesis by biocatalytic process. This article reviews the various chemical and biochemical processes involved in the synthesis of the chiral drug, including the pharmacological action of captopril. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

An axiomatic characterization of the ranking based on the h-index and some other bibliometric rankings of authors

In the last few years, many new bibliometric rankings or indices have been proposed for comparing the output of scientific researchers. We propose a formal framework in which rankings can be axiomatically characterized. We then present a characterization of some popular rankings. We argue that such analyses can help the user of a ranking to choose one that is adequate in the context where she/he is working.     

Learning to fall: Designing low damage fall sequences for humanoid soccer robots

A methodology for the analysis and design of fall sequences of robots that minimize joint/articulation injuries, and the damage of valuable body parts is proposed. These fall sequences can be activated/triggered by the robot in case of a detected unintentional fall or an intentional fall, which are common events in humanoid soccer environments. The methodology is human-based and requires the use of a realistic simulator as development tool. The obtained results show that fall sequences designed using the proposed method produce less damage than standard, uncontrolled falls.     

Charged-Spray Deposition Characteristics Within Cereal Crops

Fluorescent tracer studies experimentally quantified the spatial distribution of droplet mass transfer and charge transfer characterizing three modes of electrostatic pesticide spraying onto barley-weed-soil target arrays. Droplet charging in the 1.5-4.5 mC/kg range provided significant deposition increases on all plant surfaces while beneficially reducing residues on underlying soil. With the intense space-charge spray clouds utilized (e.g., 10 μC/m3), externally applied driving fields as great as 37 kV/m provided no significant deposition increases but instead exacerbated gaseous charge exchange between the spray cloud and the target via undesirable leaf-tip coronas. Nonuniformity characterized deposition of both uncharged and charged sprays throughout the target array, with no improvement provided by spray-entrainment air velocities as great as 2 m/s. Results will guide prototype design by establishing the relative importance of the space charge, the applied field, and the aerodynamic force components for selectively targeting specific sites within living-plant arrays.     

Xenobiotic metabolism in rat, dog, and human precision-cut liver slices, freshly isolated hepatocytes, and vitrified precision-cut liver slices

Human, rat, and dog phase I and phase II xenobiotic metabolism in precision-cut liver slices and freshly isolated hepatocytes was compared using a range of substrates. Carbamazepine (50 microM) and styrene (2 mM) were used as probes to study the maintenance of cytochrome P450 and epoxide hydrolase-mediated metabolism in male Sprague-Dawley rat, precision-cut liver slices and hepatocytes. Carbamazepine metabolism in both models resulted in the formation of the bioactive 10,11-epoxide (KM = 766 microM and Vmax = 2.5 pmol/min/mg protein in precision-cut slices). Epoxide formation was higher (2.4-fold) in hepatocytes than slices. Styrene was deactivated to styrene diol at a higher rate in hepatocytes (9.7-fold) than slices. The lower rate of metabolism in slices compared with hepatocytes confirms our previous observations using testosterone, 7-ethoxycoumarin, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and 2-(5'-chloro-2'-phosphoryloxyphenyl)-6-chloro-4-(3H)-quinazolinone in the rat. Testosterone 6 beta-hydroxylation in human liver slices was similar to cultured hepatocytes, but lower than in freshly isolated hepatocytes. 7-Ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation was higher in freshly isolated human hepatocytes, as was the ratio of glucuronide to 7-hydroxycoumarin. Testosterone hydroxylations, 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation, and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene conjugation were also lower in male beagle dog slices, compared with freshly isolated hepatocytes. Attempts at long-term preservation of dog liver slices using vitrification and storage for up to 9 days at -196 degrees C resulted in the retention of phase I and phase II metabolism, although conjugation was lower than in freshly prepared slices. Xenobiotic metabolism in short-term incubations is consistently lower in dog and rat precision-cut slices than in freshly isolated hepatocytes; whereas, in humans, this quantitative difference is partly hidden by the large interindividual variation.