Postintubation subglottic stenosis and cor pulmonale

In rats exposed to 400 revolutions (during 6 min and 40 sec) in rotating Noble-Collip drums essentially the same increase of the active form of hepatic glycogen phosphorylase as in animals studied 6 min and 40 sec after epinephrine (50 microgram/kg) or glucagon (100 microgram/kg), both i.v., was observed. However, in rats injured daily for 6 days, on day 7 this enzyme response was substantially blunted.     

Rolling and recrystallisation textures in Cu–Al,Cu–Mn and Cu–Ni alloys

The development of strongly cube textured Cu based substrates is important in the cost effective production of long lengths of high temperature superconducting cables. The present paper reports textures (deformation and recrystallisation) development in pure Cu, Cu–Al, Cu–Mn (with a solute content of 1–3 at.%) and Cu–35 at.% Ni alloys.     

Preparation and characterization of crosslinked chitosan microspheres for the colonic delivery of 5-fluorouracil

In this work, we attempted to develop a simple and inexpensive colon specific pulsatile drug-delivery system using chitosan microspheres loaded with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) using an enteric-coated soft gelatin capsule. Chemical crosslinking by glutaraldehyde and interactions between the polymer and the drug were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectral study. Scanning electron microscopy of the microspheres revealed spherical shapes with smooth surfaces. Differential scanning calorimetry studies confirmed the molecular dispersion of the drug in the polymer matrix. Three different formulations (i.e., F1, F2, and F3) were prepared by the variation of the amount of 5-FU. Encapsulation efficiencies of 5.5, 10.8, and 17.9% for drug loadings of 10, 20, and 50%, respectively, were obtained. In vitro release studies were conducted at pH 1.2 and pH 7.4 (to simulate actual gastrointestinal fluid and gastrointestinal tract conditions, respectively). The results indicate that chitosan microspheres released 5-FU in both acidic (60%) and basic pH (40%) conditions, whereas the capsule (filled with chitosan microspheres) showed only 8–10% release in acidic media and nearly 90% in basic media within 12 h. The newly designed pulsatile capsule device could be used for targeting 5-FU to the colon. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

PEDB: the Prostate Expression Database

Naloxone is generally considered to be a pure antagonist, but it may produce several behavioral effects, such as hyperalgesia or stimulation of respiration. We studied the effect of naloxone on gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit in rats. Six to eight Wistar rats (200-250 g) were used for each experiment. Either saline or naloxone (0.01-10 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally at 0 min. At 30 min, radiolabeled saline or milk 1 mL was infused into the stomach. At 60 min, gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit were calculated by measuring the radioactivity in the gastrointestinal tract. Naloxone significantly inhibited gastric emptying of saline (P = 0.002) and of milk (P < 0.05), but not the gastrointestinal transit of either (P > 0.05). Gastric emptying of saline showed a significant peak (P < 0.05) in the dose-response curve at 0.7 mg/kg. Therefore, naloxone significantly inhibits gastric emptying of saline and milk, but not the gastrointestinal transit of either. IMPLICATIONS: Although naloxone is generally considered to be a pure opioid receptor antagonist, it delays gastric emptying of saline or milk, as does morphine in the rat. However, it is uncertain from our results whether naloxone inhibited gastric emptying by antagonizing the effects of endogenous opioids.     

A Comparative Study of Methods of Clock Ensemble Development

An ensemble of clocks is the first step towards the realization of a timescale. A timescale is the estimate of phase and frequency of the “perfect” clock derived from the phase and frequency of the clocks which participate in the ensemble. Three methods of clock ensembling viz. a Kalman filter based formulation, a multi-scale ensemble timescale based on minimizing the ADEV and an ensemble using artificial neural networks have been discussed in this paper and a comparative study has been performed.     

Deformation of concrete and cement paste loaded at constant temperatures from 140 to 724°C

Constant temperature creep of unsealed pure cement paste, gravel and lightweight concretes obtained under constant uniaxial compressive load are reported for temperatures between 140°C and 724°C. The work suggests that it is possible, within certain limits, to uncouple the time, stress and temperature functions of constant high temperature creep, which can be represented mathematically by a simple multiple of the three functions. The time functions of all three mixes were best represented by a power law with an exponent slightly influenced by temperature. It is suggested that the temperature function may not be sufficiently described by the Arrhenius relation during first heating. The temperature function indicated a sharp increase in creep for gravel concrete above 350°C caused by break-up of the aggregate. However, the sharp increase in creep for both lightweight concrete and cement paste above 600°C is seated in the cement paste and appears to be a function of “current” temperature. A rheological criterion therefore limits the structural usefulness of Portland cement concretes to temperatures below 600°C. Similarities in constant high temperature creep behaviour with other materials have been noted.     

Human Myt1 is a cell cycle-regulated kinase that inhibits Cdc2 but not Cdk2 activity

Activation of the Cdc2.cyclin B kinase is a pivotal step of mitotic initiation. This step is mediated principally by the dephosphorylation of residues threonine 14 (Thr14) and tyrosine 15 (Tyr15) on the Cdc2 catalytic subunit. In several organisms homologs of the Wee1 kinase have been shown to be the major activity responsible for phosphorylating the Tyr15 inhibitory site. A membrane-bound kinase capable of phosphorylating residue Thr14, the Myt1 kinase, has been identified in the frog Xenopus laevis and more recently in human. In this study, we have examined the substrate specificity and cell cycle regulation of the human Myt1 kinase. We find that human Myt1 phosphorylates and inactivates Cdc2-containing cyclin complexes but not complexes containing Cdk2 or Cdk4. Analysis of endogenous Myt1 demonstrates that it remains membrane-bound throughout the cell cycle, but its kinase activity decreased during M phase arrest, when Myt1 became hyperphosphorylated. Further, Cdc2. cyclin B1 was capable of phosphorylating Myt1 in vitro, but this phosphorylation did not affect Myt1 kinase activity. These findings suggest that human Myt1 is negatively regulated by an M phase-activated kinase and that Myt1 inhibits mitosis due to its specificity for Cdc2.cyclin complexes.