Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia serotype 2--effects on the interferon-alpha production of porcine leukocytes in vivo and in vitro

This article focuses on the study of an age-structure model for the disease transmission dynamics of tuberculosis in populations that are subjected to a vaccination program. We first show that the infection-free steady state is globally stable if the basic reproductive number R0 is below one, and that an endemic steady state exists when the reproductive number in the presence of vaccine is above one. We then apply the theoretical results to vaccination policies to determine the optimal age or ages at which an individual should be vaccinated. It is shown that the optimal strategies can be either one- or two-age strategies.     

Structural characterisation of N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides derived from interferon-alpha2b and interferon-alpha14c produced by Sendai-virus-induced human peripheral blood leukocytes

We have previously isolated and partially characterised the components of a highly purified interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) preparation produced by Sendai-virus-induced human peripheral blood leukocytes. Nine IFN-alpha species were identified, and two of these were found to be glycosylated [Nyman, T. A., T?l?, H., Parkkinen, J. & Kalkkinen, N. (1998) Identification of nine interferon-alpha subtypes produced by Sendai-virus-induced human peripheral blood leukocytes, Biochem. J. 329, 295-302]. Here, we isolated the N-linked oligosaccharides of IFN-alpha14c and the O-linked chains of IFN-alpha2b, and the glycans were characterised by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and by specific glycosidase digestions monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry. The IFN-alpha14c N-glycans were shown to exhibit core-fucosylated biantennary glycans, with about 10% carrying an additional alpha1,3-linked fucose unit at the antennae. The IFN-alpha2b was shown to carry about 50% core type-1 disialyltetrasaccharides, 30% core type-1 monosialyltrisaccharides and 20% core type-2 monosialylpentasaccharides.     

Interferon-alpha 2 produced by normal human leukocytes is predominantly interferon-alpha 2b

Peripheral blood leukocytes, isolated from the buffy coats of greater than 10,700 normal healthy donors, were induced with Sendai virus to produce biologically active interferon alpha (IFN-alpha). The IFN-alpha was purified to near homogeneity by immunoaffinity chromatography, followed by size-exclusion chromatography. The resultant product, IFN-alpha n3, is reproducibly > or = 98% pure (to be reported elsewhere). The different IFN-alpha proteins in IFN-alpha n3 were separated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and the identity of the IFN-alpha 2 isolated by HPLC was determined by amino-terminal sequencing. IFN-alpha 2 was found to migrate as two closely eluting peaks on RP-HPLC, and they have been designated as peaks 1.1 and 1.2. Distinction among the three possible variants of IFN-alpha 2, i.e., IFN-alpha 2a, IFN-alpha 2b, and IFN-alpha 2c, was determined by amino-terminal sequencing of the first 35 amino acids in peaks 1.1 and 1.2. Protein sequence data showed that the discriminating amino acids found at positions 23 and 34 are Arg and His, respectively. The presence of Arg and not Lys at amino acid position 23 and His at amino acid position 34 argues that IFN-alpha 2b is the major component in the Sendai virus-induced leukocyte IFN-alpha 2 and that IFN-alpha 2a is not present. These findings were verified by subjecting RP-HPLC peaks 1.1 and 1.2 to CNBr cleavage, followed by separation of the fragments by RP-HPLC and sequencing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Benefit from visual cues in auditory-visual speech recognition by middle-aged and elderly persons

The benefit derived from visual cues in auditory-visual speech recognition and patterns of auditory and visual consonant confusions were compared for 20 middle-aged and 20 elderly men who were moderately to severely hearing impaired. Consonant-vowel nonsense syllables and CID sentences were presented to the subjects under auditory-only, visual-only, and auditory-visual test conditions. Benefit was defined as the difference between the scores in the auditory-only and auditory-visual conditions. The results revealed that the middle-aged and elderly subjects obtained similar benefit from visual cues in auditory-visual speech recognition. Further, patterns of consonant confusions were similar for the two groups.     

Vitamin supplementation therapy in the elderly

Vitamin supplementation in large dosages is increasingly common in the older population. Often, such supplementation is used in an attempt to improve an individual's health status. There have been claims that the effects of vitamins halt the normal aging process or prevent and cure disease. However, several recent studies have failed to demonstrate the efficacy of vitamin supplementation in preventing several types of cancer. In moderate dosages, supplementation with vitamin E (tocopherols) shows promise as a lipid antioxidant, and may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. However, before vitamin E becomes an accepted medical therapy, further long term studies must be undertaken to examine the safety and efficacy of such therapy. An adequate intake of vitamins should be ensured by adherence to a well balanced diet. However, the elderly are prone to circumstances that may prevent them from eating a balanced diet. In addition, there are several age-related medical conditions that may predispose individuals to dietary and vitamin deficiencies. To prevent vitamin deficiency diseases and their associated morbidity, modest vitamin supplementation may be necessary. However, supplementation should be reserved for individuals with documented deficiency or who are at risk of developing such deficiencies, especially those who are homebound or institutionalised. Vitamins taken in large dosages should be considered as drugs. These medicines, which are obtainable over-the-counter, should be carefully regulated to prevent toxicity.     

Assistive devices used by home-based elderly persons with arthritis

OBJECTIVE: This article examines assistive device use by home-based elderly persons with arthritis. METHOD: Sixty-six persons were interviewed for the State University of New York at Buffalo (University at Buffalo) Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center Consumer Assessment Study, which sought information on need for and current use of assistive devices. Subjects were assigned to a moderate or a severe arthritis group according to the impact of arthritis on their activities. RESULTS: Subjects in the severe arthritis group had more chronic diseases, a higher level of pain, and a lower level of independence in self-care activities than subjects in the moderate arthritis group. Similarities between the groups included relatively poor health, high rate of medication use, depression, use of a high number of assistive devices (about 10 per person), and an expressed need for additional devices, such as reachers, magnifiers, grab bars, jar openers, and hearing aids. Generally, there was a high rate of satisfaction with the assistive devices used. Most subjects missed being able to participate in at least one activity; most of these activities were active and many related to leisure time. CONCLUSION: Findings also revealed that subjects had inadequate information on assistive devices, which suggests the importance of more occupational therapy involvement with elderly persons in selecting devices.     

The use of microwave ovens by elderly persons with disabilities

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effectiveness of microwave ovens in assisting elderly persons with disabilities with cooking food. METHOD: The participants were five elderly persons who had gross motor, fine motor, or vision impairments but no cognitive impairments. Before the study, none of the participants owned or operated a microwave oven. In this single-subject design of four phases (ABAB), training in microwave oven use was provided between the first A (baseline) and first B (intervention) phases. Participants had access so the microwave oven in their homes only during the B phases. Each phase lasted for 3 weeks, for a total of 12 weeks. The frequency of using cooking appliances, the number of food items prepared, and the time spent preparing meals were recorded through daily self-reports. RESULTS: All participants showed an increase in the frequency of using cooking appliances for at least one of the two B phases, although they showed different patterns. The number of food items prepared increased in the B phases, except for two participants who were ill. With the introduction of the microwave oven, time spent preparing meals decreased for all five participants, and their participation in meal preparation increased. Although not measured as a study variable, results suggest that the quality of diet also improved with microwave oven use. CONCLUSION: Occupational therapy practitioners who serve elderly clients might consider recommending microwave ovens for those who do not have cognitive impairments but who are having difficulty with cooking because of vision impairments or physical disabilities.     

废杂Cu冶炼烟尘碱法工艺制备高活性Zn粉

采用清洁工艺回收再生Cu烟尘中的金属资源,并副产高附加值的产品。工艺流程包含微波碱浸、净化除杂和电解等工序。在浸出环节,通过微波(30 s×4循环)辅助,利用浓度为200 g/L的Na OH可浸取出约83%(质量分数)的Zn,而大部分Cu留在浸出渣中;微波辐射促进了Zn溶出,提高了溶液中Zn2+的相对浓度,并且降低了Na OH的使用量。在净化阶段,采用Na2S粉作为净化剂,使得杂质金属残留浓度低于100 mg/L。电解净化后的碱液,可获得Zn粉;最佳电解条件为:反应温度35℃,电流密度1 000~1 500 A/m2,Zn2+浓度30~40 g/L,Na OH浓度180~220 g/L。采用扫描电镜、X射线衍射仪和马尔文激光粒度仪来表征产品Zn粉。此清洁工艺投资成本低,设计简单,在工业危险废物Zn回收领域具有良好前景。     

Effect of human and murine interferon-alpha on steroid production by rat ovarian cells

The effect of interferon on the rat ovarian cell function was investigated. Cells from the ovary of juvenile rats were used as a model to investigate the effect of IFN-alpha on the secretion of estradiol and testosterone. In addition the effect of human IFN-alpha (hIFN-alpha) on the secretion of testosterone by the rat adult testis was studied. Present results show that leukocyte hIFN-alpha decreased the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) stimulated secretion of estradiol and testosterone by ovarian cells, and the production of testosterone by testis cells. Basal secretion of steroids was affected later and in less proportion than the hCG-dependent production. The IFN-alpha obtained from murine leukocytes, also inhibited the response of ovarian cells to the hCG stimulus.The nature of this effect in the secretion of the steroids is dose and time-dependent. The incubation of hIFN-alpha with an specific antibody completely blocked the effect of the cytokine on ovarian cells.     

Clinico-epidemiologic study of the mental state of a group of elderly persons from the general population

A clinico-epidemiological study of a representative group of individuals older than 60 years of age from the general city population demonstrated that by far not all mental disorders of old age come into contact with a psychiatrist. A study of 1020 individuals (361 males and 659 females) detected 23 patients (2.3% of the studied population), who suffered from psychotic conditions and who were not registered in the neurophsychiatric dispensary: 6(0.6%) with schizophrenia, 6 (0.6%) -- with delusional psychoses of old age, 9 (0.9%) -- with vascular and senile psychoses and 2 (0.2%) -- with exogenous -- organic psychoses. Besides, in 29 cases (2.8%) there were signs of expressed organic dementia. In 38.9% of the studied individuals there were different mental abnormalities not attaining a psychotic level (initial weakly pronounced and mild psychoorganic conditions).     

Demand for insurance by elderly persons: private purchases and employer provision

Studies of the demand for health insurance by elderly persons often inadequately address the distinctions between those who receive insurance through a former employer and those who purchase insurance on their own. The failure to distinguish these two modes of supplementing Medicare can lead to an inability to identify the effects of important independent variables. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation this paper examines the demand for employer provided health insurance among retired pensioners using a bivariate probit model with partial observability and compares these results to other models of insurance demand among elderly persons. The results indicate that unobserved factors reducing the probability of being offered employer provided insurance are associated with increased acceptance. A comparison of the employer provided results with results from other models of the demand for privately purchased insurance indicates that different independent variables may determine the probability of having these types of insurance. Previous studies of insurance that have not distinguished between these two types of insurance may not provide reliable estimates of the relationship between independent variables and the probability of insurance coverage.     

用D2EHPA从硫酸介质中萃取锌

以低品位硫化矿的资源综合利用为背景,研究了D2EHPA和D2EHPA-TOA两个不同体系萃锌的适宜条件.实验结果表明,D2EHPA-TOA协萃体系在萃取与反萃取的难易程度以及经济效益等方面均优于单独D2EHPA体系.在此基础上,提出了从细菌浸出液中回收锌的工艺.     

Release of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from the bone marrow by interleukin-8

Several studies have shown that interleukin-8 (IL-8) causes a rapid granulocytosis with the release of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from the bone marrow (BM) partially responsible for the granulocytosis. This study was designed to quantitate the release of PMN from the BM by IL-8 and measure the transit time of PMN through the marrow after IL-8 administration. The thymidine analogue, 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), was used to label dividing PMN in the marrow and follow their release into the circulation after intravenous IL-8. This allowed us to calculate the transit time of PMN through the mitotic and postmitotic pools of BM. BrdU was infused intravenously into rabbits 24 hours before IL-8 (2.5 microg/kg). IL-8 caused a rapid, transient granulocytopenia (5.9 +/- 0.4 at baseline v 0.2 +/- 0.06 x 10/9L at 5 minutes, P < .05) followed by granulocytosis (8.4 +/- 0.1 at 30 minutes, P < .05) associated with an increased number (0.3 +/- 0.1 at baseline v 1.2 +/- 0.6 x 10(9)/L at 30 minutes, P < .05) and percentage of band cells (P < .05), as well as a rapid increase in the number of BrdU-labeled PMN (PMNBrdU) in the circulation (0.09 +/- 0.05 at baseline to 1.5 +/- 0.6 x 10(9)/L at 60 minutes, P < .05). The transit time of PMN through both the mitotic and postmitotic pools of BM was not affected by IL-8. To determine the marrow compartment from which the PMN were mobilized by IL-8, we quantitated PMN movement from the hematopoietic and sinusoidal compartments into the circulation. The fraction of PMNBrdU in both compartments was higher than in the circulating blood (P < .05) and the fraction and number of PMNBrdU in the sinusoids decreased with IL-8 treatment (P < .05). We conclude that the pool of PMN residing in the BM venous sinusoids are rapidly released into the circulation after administration of IL-8.     

Root caries in a sample of elderly persons

With the anticipated increase in the aged adult population and the associated gingival recession, the prevalence of root caries is expected to increase. The purpose of this study was to determine the experience and distribution of root caries in a group of aged adults living in Kayelitsha. All non-institutionalized elderly black adults participating in a community geriatric programme were examined. Root caries was recorded using visual and tactile criteria and expressed as the root caries index (RCI) rate. The mean age of the subjects was 65.2 years, the mean number of teeth present was 17.3 and the mean RCI rate was 2.2 per cent. All subjects had gingival recession while only 23.8 per cent had root caries. No surfaces with restored root caries lesions were found. In the maxilla the highest RCI rate was observed on the interproximal surfaces of the posterior teeth (4.4 per cent) but in the mandible the buccal surfaces of the posterior teeth had the highest RCI rate (4.2 per cent). In both the maxilla and the mandible the lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth showed no root caries. Maxillary teeth did not have a significantly higher root caries attack rate than mandibular teeth. Root caries does not appear to be a public health problem in the sampled population.     

Therapy of congestive heart failure in elderly persons

LVEF should be measured in all elderly persons with CHF Underlying causes and precipitating causes of CHF should be treated. Persons with CHF associated with abnormal LVEF should be treated with a low sodium diet, diuretics, and ACE inhibitors. If CHF persists, digoxin should be added. If CHF still persists, isosorbide dinitrate plus hydralazine should be added. If CHF still persists, a beta blocker should also be added. However, calcium channel blockers should not be used. Persons with CHF associated with normal LVEF should be treated with a low sodium diet, diuretics, and ACE inhibitors. If CHF persists, a beta blocker, isosorbide dinitrate plus hydralazine, or a calcium channel blocker should be added to the therapeutic regimen. If sinus rhythm is present, digoxin should not be used. Persons with CHF and abnormal or normal LVEF unable to tolerate ACE inhibitors should be treated with losartan.     

分时供电长周期锌电积实验经济性探讨

考虑到大工业用电分时计价,通过控制锌电积生产在用电峰时段、谷时段和平时段采用不同的电流密度组合,进行长周期锌电积试验,考察了分时供电对锌电积阴极锌质量、电流效率、直流电单耗及电费的影响。研究结果与工业生产实际进行对比分析,对于年产12万t锌锭的生产企业,在锌电积生产过程将节约电费支出上千万元,为锌冶炼企业带来较好的经济效益。     

Variants of progressive dementias in middle-aged and elderly persons

Today, dental assistants are becoming more aware that a professional image is necessary for putting dental professionals in the best light in the changing health care society. Not only must dental assistants know how to work in the system and how to effectively care for dental patients, but attention to matters such as personal grooming, dress, and body language is necessary if dental assistants are to be a powerful and proud profession in today's society. How you look and act will make a difference in how others treat you. When you act like a professional, others will react to you as one.     

多级逆流洗涤回收锌精矿直浸渣中水溶锌的研究

采用洗涤型隔膜压滤机和多级逆流洗涤工艺,研究电解锌直浸渣中水溶性锌的洗涤回收。结果表明,采用三级逆流洗涤回收工艺,清水用量为渣(湿)重的30%,在连续7个试验周期中,直浸渣中水溶锌含量由原工艺的4.98%降低至0.60%的稳定效果,高浓度的含锌洗出液可返回生产系统,不会影响生产系统水平衡。