Plasma viscosity and the risk of coronary heart disease: results from the MONICA-Augsburg Cohort Study, 1984 to 1992

Plasma viscosity is determined by various macromolecules, eg, fibrinogen, immunoglobulins, and lipoproteins. It may therefore reflect several aspects involved in cardiovascular diseases, including the effects of classic risk factors, hemostatic disturbances, and inflammation. We examined the association of plasma viscosity with the incidence of a first major coronary heart disease event (CHD; fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction and cardiac death; n=50) in 933 men aged 45 to 64 years of the MONICA project of Augsburg, Germany. The incidence rate was 7.23 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.37 to 9.53), and the subjects were followed up for 8 years. All suspected cases of an incident CHD event were classified according to the MONICA protocol. There was a positive and statistically significant unadjusted relationship between plasma viscosity and the incidence of CHD. The relative risk of CHD events associated with a 1-SD increase in plasma viscosity (0.070 mPa x s) was 1.60 (95% CI, 1.25 to 2.03). After adjustment for age, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, blood pressure, and body mass index, the relative risk was reduced only moderately (1.42; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.86). The relative risk of CHD events for men in the highest quintile of the plasma viscosity distribution in comparison with the lowest quintile was 3.31 (95% CI, 1.19 to 9.25) after adjustment for the aforementioned variables. A large proportion of events (40%) occurred among men in the highest quintile. These findings suggest that plasma viscosity may have considerable potential to identify subjects at risk for CHD events.     

Effect of Pre-coated Vs. Added Coupling Agents on the Vulcanization of Silica-filled Polyisoprene

Solid-state ¹³C NMR was utilized in analysis of the crosslink structure in silica-filled polyisoprene. Samples containing either a pre-coated coupling agent, a coupling agent added in the mixing process, or polyethylene glycol (PEG) were vulcanized and the type and density of crosslinking determined. The precoated coupling agent sample gave lower %swelling, lower extraction amounts, and a lower T ₂ relaxation than the mixed coupling agent, indicating increased crosslinking or increased filler –rubber interaction. The precoated also showed less cis –trans isomerization than the mixed, which may be due to its more uniform coating effect on the silica. The PEG sample yielded a ¹³C spectrum similar to an unfilled sample indicating decreased silica adsorption of vulcanization agents. Neither coupling agent significantly decreased the total sulfurization nor the percent monosulfidic crosslinks from that of a silica-filled sample without coupling agent.     

The Study of a 231 French Patient Cohort Significantly Extends the Mutational Spectrum of the Two Major Usher Genes MYO7A and USH2A

Usher syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital hearing loss combined with retinitis pigmentosa, and in some cases, vestibular areflexia. Three clinical subtypes are distinguished, and MYO7A and USH2A represent the two major causal genes involved in Usher type I, the most severe form, and type II, the most frequent form, respectively. Massively parallel sequencing was performed on a cohort of patients in the context of a molecular diagnosis to confirm clinical suspicion of Usher syndrome. We report here 231 pathogenic MYO7A and USH2A genotypes identified in 73 Usher type I and 158 Usher type II patients. Furthermore, we present the ACMG classification of the variants, which comprise all types. Among them, 68 have not been previously reported in the literature, including 12 missense and 16 splice variants. We also report a new deep intronic variant in USH2A. Despite the important number of molecular studies published on these two genes, we show that during the course of routine genetic diagnosis, undescribed variants continue to be identified at a high rate. This is particularly pertinent in the current era, where therapeutic strategies based on DNA or RNA technologies are being developed.     

'Electrodes minces de CdO préparées par pulvérisation réactive (‘spray’) ou par oxydation de cadmium déposé par metallisation sous vide. I. Préparation des films de CdO

Résumé On prépare des films d'oxyde de cadmium de quelques microns d'épaisseurs sur des supports en verre plans. Ces films sont obtenus par pulvérisation réactive de brouillard de nitrate de cadmium (spray) ou par oxydation thermique à l'air de films de cadmium métallique préparés par evaporation sous vide. L'analyse cristallographique montre que le produit obtenu est de l'oxyde de cadmium de structure cubique. Dans le cas des films préparés par pulvérisation réactive, on analyse l'influence de la température des supports en verre, de la concentration et du volume des solutions pulvérisées sur la morphologie des dépôts.

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We have prepared cadmium oxide films a few microns thick on glass substrates. These films are obtained by reactive spraying or by thermal oxidation of vacuum deposited metallic films. Crystallographic analysis shows that the product is the pure cubic cadmium oxide. In the case of films prepared by reactive spraying, we studied the influence of the temperature of the substrates and of the concentration and volume of the reactive solutions on the morphology of the films.

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ERA au CNRS No. 468 Electrochimie des Dérivés Metallo-minéraux et Métallo-organiques.     

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Images (NMRI) of In Situ Epoxy Curing Behavior in Anodized and Untreated Aluminum Bonded Joints

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI) was used to analyze the curing behavior of epoxy adhe-sives in the presence of anodized and chemically-treated aluminum surfaces. The proton images of epoxy between untreated AI plates are characterized by large amounts of inhomogeneities (fine texture of high and low mobility regions) finely distributed throughout the sample. Large uncured domains of epoxy were found aggregated and near the center of the bonded adhesive sample. Dispersion of uncured material during curing is observed through redistribution of intensity in the images with cure time. The anodized aluminum-epoxy samples, on the other hand, showed very small contrast and coarse texture images. However, the onset of curing was clearly shown with increases in contrast and texture. Large amounts of uncured material were seen near the anodized surfaces. This effect was more pronounced in the chromic acid anodized aluminum samples (CAA).     

Features that distinguish the smooth-pursuit eye-tracking performance of schizophrenic, affective-disorder, and normal individuals.

Examined the eye-tracking records of 25 schizophrenic (mean age 37.6 yrs), 25 unipolar (mean age 37.9 yrs), 24 bipolar (mean age 36 yrs), and 46 medical control (mean age 35 yrs) patients. All the psychiatric patients were in symptom remission. All three psychiatric groups produced more oscillations than controls, and spiky tracking was correlated with poor performance as indexed by the production of large saccades. Schizophrenics did, however, produce smaller saccades and tracked with more phase lag than did each of the other groups. Results suggest that the smooth-pursuit system of schizophrenics is functionally different from that of normal people. Use of the phase lag as a potential marker of schizophrenia is discussed. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)