Hepatic cholesterol metabolism in experimental nephrotic syndrome

Hypercholesterolemia is a consistent feature of the nephrotic syndrome. However, the mechanisms underlying this perturbation are unclear. In the present work, we have investigated different factors that influence hepatic cholesterol metabolism using the nephrotic rat as a model. The induction of nephrosis resulted in a severe and sustained hypercholesterolemia. However, no effect on the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, could be detected. Further, plasma lathosterol/cholesterol ratio, a measure of cholesterol synthesis, was not altered. Also, plasma levels of mevalonate, both a substrate for cholesterogenesis beyond the rate-limiting step and a marker for cholesterol synthesis, did not differ between control rats and those with established hypercholesterolemia. There was no detectable change in the expression of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor between the two experimental groups. We conclude that the early increase in cholesterol synthesis reported after the induction of nephrosis is not necessary for the maintenance of hypercholeserolemia. Established hypercholesterolemia of the nephrotic syndrome seems to represent a steady state in which neither enhanced hepatic cholesterol synthesis nor retarded LDL cholesterol clearance is of major importance.     

Fabrication and photosensitivity of AgInSe2/III-VI isotypic heterojunctions

AgInSe₂ thin films on glass substrates have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Rectifying heterojunctions with a pronounced photovoltaic effect have been fabricated for the first time by placing such films in optical contact with layered III-VI (InSe, GaSe) semiconductors. The maximum photosensitivity of such heterostructures is 10–10³ V/W. It is concluded that the prepared structures can be used as wideband selective photoreceivers. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 33, 1205–1208 (October 1999)     

Visualization in process control

The problem of analytical assessment of visualization is separated into a problem of information mapping and a problem of cognitive and perceptual support. These problems are analyzed and discussed in this article. It is argued that presentational modalities (i.e., semantic invariants) must be identified to be able to construct a taxonomy of graphical displays and their potential to visualize certain types of information. The problem of assessing displays analytically is illustrated by two new displays developed for a water treatment plant. In these displays, one graphical type is embedded into another. Common graphical modalities are identified from displays used in the process industry in general. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Feasibility of using digital speckle correlation in the study of seal contacts

This paper presents studies of the contact between a soft rubber specimen and glass counterface using the Digital Speckle Correlation method, which provides information of displacements and structural similarities between recorded images. The setup is designed with a real contact and changes in the contact can be varied. Microscopic images using laser light illumination for different displacements are recorded and correlated. The results show that the contact area can be identified both for dry and lubricated contacts. The method can be applied on different geometries, surface roughness and lubricants. Influences of scars and contaminations, e.g. wear particles, may also be analysed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling nonspecific toxicity of organic compounds to the fathead minnow fish by means of chromatographic systems

The performance of chromatographic systems to mimic aquatic toxicity to the fathead minnow fish is evaluated taking into account the factors that contribute to the variance of biological-chromatographic correlations. These factors are the precision to measure the fathead minnow toxicity, the precision of the surrogate chromatographic system, and the error from the dissimilarity between the fathead minnow and chromatographic systems. The precisions are estimated through the characterization of the systems by the solvation parameter model. Several chromatographic systems as well as the common reference octanol-water partition system have been selected to test their ability to model the nonspecific toxicity to the fathead minnow by means of the proposed approach. Predictions and experimental tests show that the micellar electrokinetic chromatography system of sodium taurocholate and chromatographic measurements using an immobilized artificial membrane column provide the most precise estimations of this biopartitioning property. The octanol-water partition system, the conventional C18 high-performance liquid chromatography systems, and the micellar electrokinetic chromatography system of sodium dodecylsulfate show worse performances.     

Estimation of biological properties by means of chromatographic systems: evaluation of the factors that contribute to the variance of biological-chromatographic correlations

The performance of chromatographic systems to emulate biological systems is evaluated in terms of the precision that can be achieved. The variance obtained when biological parameters are correlated against physicochemical ones can be decomposed in three terms: the variance of the biological data, the variance of the physicochemical data, and the variance caused by the dissimilarity between the two correlated systems (biological and physicochemical). The three terms contribute to the overall variance observed when measurements in chromatographic systems are correlated with experimental biological properties. The Abraham linear free energy relationships (LFERs) provide a very good approach to characterize biological and physicochemical systems and thus the variance of the analyzed data and the similarity/dissimilarity between them. The contribution of the three variances to the precision of the biological parameter estimated in this way is evaluated from the characterization of the biological and chromatographic systems by means of the Abraham model. The proposed method is able to estimate the goodness of chromatographic systems to predict particular biological properties. In particular, this method is illustrated by comparison of toxicity data (-log LC(50)) for the fish fathead minnow with retention data (log k) in several micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) systems and also by correlations between retention data (log k) in the sodium taurocholate (STC) MEKC system and data of several biological systems.     

Endothelium-dependent vasodilator and antioxidant properties of a novel enzymatic extract of grape pomace from wine industrial waste

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the vascular effects of an enzymatic extract of grape pomace (GP-EE) on isolated arteries, focusing our attention on endothelium-derived relaxation and on its antioxidant properties. Grape pomace derived from wine making was extracted by an enzymatic process and its composition of polyphenols was evaluated by HPLC and ESI-MS/MS, detecting kaempferol, catechin, quercetin and procyanidins B1 and B2, trace levels of resveratrol and tracing out gallocatechin and anthocyanidins. GP-EE induced endothelium- and NO-dependent vasodilatation of both rat aorta and small mesenteric artery (SMA) segments and reduced Phe-induced response in aortic rings. Both ORAC and DPPH assays confirmed antioxidant scavenging properties of GP-EE, which also prevented O(2)(·-) production (assessed by DHE fluorescence) and contraction elicited by ET-1. These results provide evidence that GP-EE possesses interesting antioxidant and protective vascular properties and highlight the potential interest of this extract as a functional food.     

Effects of dietary rosemary extract on lamb spoilage under retail display conditions

A dietary rosemary extract (RE) was tested to extend the shelf life of raw lamb meat. Lambs were supplemented with 0.6 mg kg⁻¹ RE during fattening (from 13 to 25 kg live weight). Meat spoilage (total viable counts, psycrophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, molds and yeasts), TBARS, CIE L*a*b* color and the sensory traits of lamb cuts were analyzed on days 0, 7, 14 or 21 under retail display conditions (70/30 O₂/CO₂ atmosphere, 2 °C temperature and 1600 lx lighting). Supplementation of the lamb diet with RE was effective (P < 0.05) in prolonging the time chilled-packed lamb cuts could be kept under retail display conditions. Dietary rosemary clearly inhibited lipid oxidation and rancidity, and was moderately efficient in preventing sensory deterioration and microbial spoilage. Although the results concerning meat preservation were limited, the dietary use of rosemary extracts in lambs seems to be promising as a nutritional strategy for improving meat quality.     

Photosensitivity of ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Mo thin-film solar cells fabricated on various substrates

The results of measuring the first spectra of relative quantum efficiency for photoconversion in thin-film ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂/Mo solar cells fabricated on rigid (glass) and flexible (polyimide) substrates are reported. The character of interband transitions has been studied and the values of the band gap for direct and indirect transitions in thin Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ films are determined. It is found that a shift of the maximal photosensitivity for the obtained solar cells to shorter wavelengths is observed as rigid substrates are replaced by flexible ones. It is concluded that thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ structures can be used as broad-band photoconverters of solar radiation.