Intraconazole--a new oral antifungal agent with a very broad spectrum of activity in superficial and systemic mycoses

Itraconazole is a triazole-derivative antifungal agent with an extremely broad spectrum of action in vitro, in experimental animals in vivo and in clinical trials. When taken orally, itraconazole achieves high and sustained levels of active drug in many tissues, including skin, nail and most deep organs. Its clinical value has been proved in all forms of mycosis affecting the skin and mucous membranes and in onychomycosis. In systemic infections, clinical trials have led to recommendations that itraconazole is the current drug of choice for blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis, chronic disseminated aspergillosis and many cases of phaeohyphomycosis. It is also finding application in deep-seated Candida infections and in cryptococcosis. Its safety profile is extremely good, with very few non-trivial adverse experiences noted in a large series of patients treated and monitored. Itraconazole therefore represents a useful therapeutic advance for the management of most forms of fungal infection.     

A simple and safe technique for closure of trocar wounds using a new instrument

An easy and safe method for closing trocar wounds with a new hook-type instrument is presented. The procedure is performed quickly without the need for pneumoperitoneum or a video camera and is done under direct vision.     

Functional results and survival probability of tumor patients after reconstruction of the mouth cavity and oropharynx using a microvascular radial forearm flap

In tumor surgery of the oral cavity and oropharynx function and quality of life should be maintained and large resection margins to avoid recurrences. For these purposes the radial forearm flap has proved to be a versatile tissue transfer since it is thin and pliable and has a long vascular pedicle. From 1987 to 1991 we used the radial forearm flap in performing 70 reconstructions of the oral cavity and oropharynx after resection of squamous cell carcinomas. Forty-six patients had carcinomas of the oropharynx, while 24 patients had carcinomas of the oral cavity. The indications for these reconstructions were tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx greater than T2 which after resection were not suitable for primary closure of the defect. Thirty-seven patients died during the follow-up period, with 36% dying within the first 2 years after operation. Fifty-five percent of these patients died of recurrences, 17% of metastases and 11% of intercurrent diseases. In 17% of cases the cause of death was unknown. The 2-year survival probability was 52% (Kaplan Meier). Our results show that reconstructions with the radial forearm flap do not improve survival rates when compared to the general survival rate in these cases despite a possibly larger resection margin allowing a more radical tumor resection. Thirty-one of the 33 patients still alive underwent following examinations. Forty-six percent of the patients with tumors of the oropharynx and 57% of the patients with tumors of the oral cavity had severe difficulties in swallowing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Feasibility of megavoltage portal CT using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and a multi-level scheme algebraic reconstruction technique (MLS-ART)

Although electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) are efficient tools for radiation therapy verification, they only provide images of overlapped anatomic structures. We investigated using a fluorescent screen/CCD-based EPID, coupled with a novel multi-level scheme algebraic reconstruction technique (MLS-ART), for a feasibility study of portal computed tomography (CT) reconstructions. The CT images might be useful for radiation treatment planning and verification. We used an EPID, set it to work at the linear dynamic range and collimated 6 MV photons from a linear accelerator to a slit beam of 1 cm wide and 25 cm long. We performed scans under a total of approximately 200 monitor units (MUs) for several phantoms in which we varied the number of projections and MUs per projection. The reconstructed images demonstrated that using the new MLS-ART technique megavoltage portal CT with a total of 200 MUs can achieve a contrast detectibility of approximately 2.5% (object size 5 mm x 5 mm) and a spatial resolution of 2.5 mm.     

A comparison of common and new methods to determine martensite start temperature using a dilatometer

This paper analyses the start of the martensitic transformation in 4140 steel from the point of view of six definitions, and discusses in detail the implications based on the better understanding of progression of the transformation. The application of two relatively new techniques (cooling curve analysis-CCA and dilation curve analysis-DCA) is among the methods studied. These new techniques allow for a more rigorous quantification of microstructural constituents at each step of the transformation. Experiments consisted of dilatometric analysis of 12 samples of 4140 steel with prior austenite grain sizes from 16 to 44?µm that were rapidly quenched in the dilatometer to form martensite. The results indicate that DCA and CCA are superior to traditional methods used to determine the martensite start temperature. The practical choice of 10% martensite fraction in CCA and DCA yielded M_s values statistically undistinguishable from ASTM A1033 or the tangent method. The practical choice of 1% martensite fraction in CCA and DCA yielded M_s values comparable to the offset method. The important implication of this finding is that M_s values determined with empirical methods should not be confused with the temperature of first appearance of martensite; instead, they correspond to martensite fractions of the order of 10%.     

In vitro activity of Bay 12-8039, a new 8-methoxyquinolone, compared to the activities of 11 other oral antimicrobial agents against 390 aerobic and anaerobic bacteria isolated from human and animal bite wound skin and soft tissue infections in humans

The in vitro activity of Bay 12-8039, a new oral 8-methoxyquinolone, was compared to the activities of 11 other oral antimicrobial agents (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, sparfloxacin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, amoxicillin clavulanate, penicillin, cefuroxime, cefpodoxime, and doxycycline) against 250 aerobic and 140 anaerobic bacteria recently isolated from animal and human bite wound infections. Bay 12-8039 was active against all aerobic isolates, both gram-positive and gram-negative isolates, at < or = 1.0 microg/ml (MICs at which 90% of isolates are inhibited [MIC90s < or = 0.25 microg/ml) and was active against most anaerobes at < or = 0.5 microg/ml; the exceptions were Fusobacterium nucleatum and other Fusobacterium species (MIC90s, > or = 4.0 microg/ml) and one strain of Prevotella loeschii (MICs, 2.0 microg/ml). In comparison, the other quinolones tested had similar in vitro activities against the aerobic strains but were less active against the anaerobes, including peptostreptococci, Porphyromonas species, and Prevotella species. The fusobacteria were relatively resistant to all the antimicrobial agents tested except penicillin G (one penicillinase-producing strain of F. nucleatum was found) and amoxicillin clavulanate.     

Leaching of niobium and tantalum from a low-grade ore using a KOH roast–water leach system

A new process is proposed for the leaching and recovery of niobium and tantalum from a low-grade refractory niobium–tantalum ore after adding pure Nb₂O₅ to adjust the niobium to tantalum ratio. The ore was roasted and decomposed with KOH then leached with water. Experiments were carried out to study the effect of the Nb₂O₅-to-Ta₂O₅ mass ratio, decomposition temperature, alkali-to-ore mass ratio and decomposition time on the leaching of niobium and tantalum, as well as the associated impurity elements, such as titanium, iron, manganese, silicon and tin. The optimal conditions were determined to be: Nb₂O₅-to-Ta₂O₅ mass ratio 2.33:1; KOH-to-ore mass ratio 2:1; reacting for 60 min at 400 °C. Leaching with water extracted ~ 95% Nb and 94% Ta together with about 80% Si and Sn, 50% Ti and < 20% Fe and Mn. The niobium and tantalum was recovered as high purity (Nb,Ta)₂O₅ (99.3%) through evaporation, crystallization and phase transformation processes.     

Dry Granulation of Molten Slag using a Rotating Multi‐Nozzle Cup Atomizer and Characterization of Slag Particles

Blast furnace slag is the main byproduct in the ironmaking process, which contains large amounts of sensible heat. In addition, it's the major raw material for cement. However, the sensible heat is wasted not only without any recovery in the traditional water granulation process at this present. The main challenge is to granulate the slag at a high cooling rate while the heat is also being recovered. This paper describes the hot experiments where a rotating multi‐nozzle cup atomizer (RMCA) is used to atomize the molten blast furnace slag without water impingement. The atomization process shows good agreement with Rayleigh's mechanism. The particle size of the slag particle is strongly controlled by the rotating speed and the nozzle diameter, and the higher rotating speed and smaller nozzle diameter are beneficial for obtaining smaller and more uniform slag particles. Moreover, the slag particle still has a high content of glass, which is suitable for cement manufacture.     

Study of Penetration Depth and Droplet Behavior in the Case of a Gas Jet Impinging on the Surface of Molten Metal using Liquid Ga–In–Sn

To study the penetration depth in the case of a gas jet impinging on the surface of liquid steel, cold model experiments were carried out using a liquid alloy Ga–In–Sn, which had similar physical properties as liquid steel. A HCl solution was used to simulate the top slag. The top phase was found to have appreciable effect on the penetration depth. Comparison of the experimental data with the predictions of the existing models indicated that most the model predictions deviated from the experimental results at higher lance heights and gas flow rates. New model parameter was suggested based on the present experimental data. The observation of the formation and movement of metal droplets generated by the gas jet was also made. The velocity of the droplet was found to be at a level only about 1% of the terminal velocity. This low velocity suggested that the turbulent viscosity played important role and the droplets could have long resident time in the slag.     

2-(5-硝基-4-甲基-2-吡啶偶氮)-5-二甲氨基苯胺激光热透镜光谱法测定钴的研究及其应用

在pH 4.0~7.0的HAc-NaAc缓冲介质中,并在50%乙醇存在下,Co(Ⅱ)与新试剂2-(5-硝基-4-甲基-2-吡啶偶氮)-5-二甲氨基苯胺(5-NO₃-4-CH₃-PADMA)反应形成紫红色配合物;钴配合物形成后,当以强酸酸化,提高酸度至1.8 mol/L H₂SO₄介质,可转变为另一种具有较高吸收特性的绿蓝色质子化形体,最大吸收波长位于622 nm处,与所用He-Ne激光器的输出激光波长(632.8 nm)能较好匹配,据此建立了激光热透镜光谱法测定痕量钴的新方法。钴质量浓度在3~100 ng/mL范围内与分析信号呈良好的线性关系,检出限为1.0 ng/mL。常见金属离子不干扰钴的测定,特别是与钴伴生的铁、镍和铜等元素有较高的允许量,150倍量的Fe³⁺和Ni²⁺、5倍量的Cu²⁺等不干扰钴的测定。实验方法应用于矿石中痕量钴的测定,结果与推荐值(原子吸收光谱法测定结果)一致,相对标准偏差在0.46%~1.46%之间。