降低生铁成本的途径

降低生铁成本是降低钢铁企业成本，提高企业竞争力的关键。降低生铁成本可以在降低原燃料费用，改善烧结生产，合理喷煤，改进高炉冶炼技术，合理投入，加强管理等方面采取措施。     

Ways of reducing the cost of steelmaking

The ferrous metallurgy sector is currently growing both by modernizing existing plants and by building new facilities — mainly mini-mills. The chief raw material for such mills consists of scrap and ferrous-metal wastes formed by metallurgical operations carried out within the given region. By using less costly types of scrap, preheating the scrap before charging, and using melted chips (which also increases productivity), it is possible to lower the production cost of semifinished products by 17–21% without adversely affecting their quality or the quality of the finished products. This will in turn make it possible to produce reinforcement bars and wire rod that will be competitive in the marketplace.     

Testing for carcinogenicity of pharmaceuticals

When two-layered artificial teeth are used, acrylic resin occlusal parts can be removed from base parts and used directly as resin patterns for casting, which facilitates fabrication of metal occlusal surfaces. Because these teeth were made of acrylic resin, it was easy to modify occlusal morphology before converting to metal. Application of two-layered artificial teeth to achieve lingual contact occlusion brought about sufficient masticatory forces and denture stability and resulted in patient satisfaction.     

Estimates of the chromium(VI) reducing capacity in human body compartments as a mechanism for attenuating its potential toxicity and carcinogenicity

Cathepsin L was purified from carp hepatopancreas by a method involving ammonium sulfate precipitation and a series of column chromatographies, in which the enzyme had an affinity toward Concanavalin A and Cibacron Blue F3GA. Its homogeneity was established by Native-PAGE, but two protein bands corresponding to molecular masses of 30,000 (single chain) and 24,000 (heavy chain) migrated on SDS-PAGE. The enzyme exhibited a maximum activity for carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanyl-L-arginyl-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide (Z-Phe-Arg-MCA) at pH 5.5-6.0 and 50 degrees C and the remarkable stability at pH 5.0-6.5 and below 40 degrees C. All tested cysteine protease inhibitors and TLCK and chymostatin markedly inhibited its activity, whereas the other serine protease inhibitors and a metalloprotease inhibitor negligibly affected it. In addition, several metal compounds reduced either its activity or stability to differing extents. Although EDTA alone caused an only marginal activation of the enzyme, its maximum activation required both 2 mM cysteine and 1 mM EDTA. The enzyme had an ability to hydrolyze three peptidyl-MCA substrates including Z-Phe-Arg-MCA, but all kinetic constants indicate that Z-Phe-Arg-MCA is the optical substrate to the enzyme.     

The carcinogenicity of metals in humans

Epidemiologic evidence on the relation between exposure to metals and cancer is reviewed. Human exposure to metals is common, with wide use in industry and long-term environmental persistence. Historically, the heaviest metal exposures occurred in the workplace or in environmental settings in close proximity to industrial sources. Among the general population, exposure to a number of metals is widespread but generally at substantially lower levels than have been found in industry. The carcinogenicity of arsenic, chromium, and nickel has been established. Occupational and environmental arsenic exposure is linked to increased lung cancer risk in humans, although experimental studies remain inconclusive. Experimental studies clearly demonstrate the malignant potential of hexavalent(VI) chromium compounds, with solubility being an important determining factor. Epidemiologic studies of workers in chromium chemical production and use link exposure to lung and nasal cancer. Experimental and epidemiologic data show that sparingly-soluble nickel compounds and possibly also the soluble compounds are carcinogens linked to lung and nasal cancer in humans. Some experimental and epidemiologic studies suggest that lead may be a human carcinogen, but the evidence is inconclusive. Although epidemiologic data are less extensive for beryllium and cadmium, the findings in humans of excess cancer risk are supported by the clear demonstration of carcinogenicity in experimental studies. Other metals, including antimony and cobalt, may be human carcinogens, but the experimental and epidemiologic data are limited.     

The carcinogenicity of environmental tobacco smoke

Male strain A/J mice were exposed for 6 h a day, 5 days a week to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) generated from Kentucky 1R4F reference cigarettes. Chamber concentrations were 87 mg/m3 of total suspended particulate matter (TSP), 246 p.p.m. of CO and 16 mg/m3 of nicotine. After 5 months, 33% of the ETS exposed and 11% of the control animals had one or several lung tumors; the difference was statistically not significant. A second group of animals exposed for 5 months to ETS was allowed to recover for another 4 months in filtered air. When they were killed, 85% of the ETS animals had lung tumors (average number per lung: 1.4 +/- 0.2), whereas in the control group 38% had lung tumors (average number of lung tumors in all animals 0.5 +/- 0.2). The differences in tumor incidence and multiplicity were statistically significant. More than 80% of all tumors were adenomas, the rest adenocarcinomas. When animals were pretreated with a carcinogen, lung tumor multiplicity was lower in the ETS exposed animals after 5 months compared with controls injected with a carcinogen and kept in air. However, after an additional 4 month recovery period in air, lung tumor multiplicities were the same in ETS plus carcinogen exposed mice as in carcinogen-treated air-exposed controls. Histopathologic and morphometric analysis of the lung tissue failed to reveal any differences between ETS exposed and control animals. However, immediately after ETS exposure, immunohistochemistry revealed increased staining for CYP1A1 in airway epithelia and lung parenchyma; following recovery in air, the staining disappeared again. Analysis of cell kinetics showed an initial burst of increased DNA synthesis in the epithelial cells of the airways and a smaller early positive response in the parenchyma. Feeding of butylated hydroxytoluene during ETS exposure did not modulate lung tumor development. It was concluded that ETS is a pulmonary carcinogen in strain A/J mice.     

Prevention of carcinogenicity of anticancer drugs by metallothionein induction

We examined the efficacy of metallothionein induction in the prevention of the carcinogenic action of cis-platinum and melphalan administered repeatedly to mice over a relatively long period. The increased pulmonary metallothionein induced by bismuth or zinc compounds during the period of chemotherapy with cis-platinum or melphalan protected the mice from carcinogenesis of these drugs in the lung. These results suggested the efficacy of metallothionein inducers in suppression of carcinogenicity considered as a secondary effect of anticancer agents in cancer chemotherapy.     

Examples of MAK values and carcinogenicity classification for mixtures

The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (MAK Commission) generally sets MAK values for single pure substances. MAK values for mixtures are only established after specific toxicological evaluation of the particular mixture. In practice, there are a few cases in which a common MAK value for the sum of all components was set, such as for mixtures of isomers (e.g. xylenes) or mixtures of related compounds (e.g. Kathon), in which the components of the mixture show comparable toxicological effects. For mixtures of isomers with different toxicological potentials, different MAK values for the single isomers are usually established. The only exception is for the isomer mixture of alpha- and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, for which a mathematically calculated MAK value was proposed. A safe threshold cannot be established for mixtures containing substances with a genotoxic and carcinogenic potential. These mixtures are categorized either according to the proven carcinogenicity of the mixture, such as alpha-chlorinated toluenes, or according to the carcinogenic substances included, as for pyrolysis products such as coal tars.     

Ethylene thiourea-a study of possible teratogenicity and thyroid carcinogenicity

Clinical and genetic investigations were performed on seven members of a family suffering from multiple hereditary fibromatosis. These studies indicate that the responsible gene appears to be coupled and transmitted with that of the rhesus system, located at chromosome one. The diagnosis, differential diagnosis and therapy, as well as histological alterations are pointed out and the importance of hormonal factors is discussed.     

Ways of knowing

BACKGROUND: Although it has become clear that habitual exercise in older individuals can partially offset age-associated cardiovascular declines, it is not known whether the beneficial effects of exercise training in older individuals depend on their prior fitness level. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten sedentary men (S), age 60.0 +/- 1.6 years (mean +/- SEM), who were carefully screened to exclude cardiac disease underwent exercise training for 24 to 32 weeks, and eight age-matched endurance-trained men (ET) stopped their exercise training for 12 weeks. All underwent treadmill exercise and rest and maximal cycle exercise upright gated blood pool scans at baseline and after the lifestyle intervention. Before the intervention, the treadmill maximum rate of oxygen consumption (Vo2max) was 49.9 +/- 1.9 and 32.1 +/- 1.4 mL.kg-1.min-1 in ET and S, respectively. During upright cycle exercise at exhaustion, although heart rate did not differ between groups, cardiac index, stroke volume index, ejection fraction, and left ventricular contractility index (systolic blood pressure/end-systolic volume index) all were significantly higher, and end-systolic volume index, diastolic blood pressure, and total systemic vascular resistance all were significantly lower in ET versus S. After the partial deconditioning of ET men, Vo2max fell to 42 +/- 2.2 mL.kg-1.min-1, and training of S increased Vo2max to 36.2 +/- 1.6 mL.kg-1.min-1. Training of S had effects on cardiovascular function that were similar in magnitude but directionally opposite those of detraining ET. All initial differences in cardiovascular performance at peak work rate between S and ET were abolished with the intervention. Across the broad range of fitness levels encountered before and after change in training status (Vo2max of 26 to 58 mL.kg-1.min-1), cardiac index, stroke volume index, end-systolic volume index, ejection fraction, and the left ventricular contractility index were all linearly correlated with Vo2max. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise training or detraining of older men results in changes in left ventricular performance that are qualitatively and quantitatively similar, regardless of the initial level of fitness before the intervention.