Effect of sex hormones on rat liver cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase activity

A large public service organization was concerned with protection of its customers against hazards associated with furniture tipping in public use concourses. Because no injury experience was available for analysis, hazard patterns for tipping accidents were developed from an observational study of public interaction with the furniture. For each hazard pattern, anthropometric models were used to find the probability of the furniture being safe from tipping, for different age and gender combinations. A safety criterion was developed from this modeling, and used to change the weights of some furniture items to resist tipping. These modifications have now been implemented and are in widespread use. Implications for broader application of these models to the development of valid tipping standards for furniture are discussed.     

Mechanical stretch induces hypertrophic responses in cardiac myocytes of angiotensin II type 1a receptor knockout mice

Many lines of evidence have suggested that angiotensin II (AngII) plays an important role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy through AngII type 1 receptor (AT1). To determine whether AngII is indispensable for the development of mechanical stress-induced cardiac hypertrophy, we examined the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family and the expression of the c-fos gene as hypertrophic responses after stretching cultured cardiac myocytes of AT1a knockout (KO) mice. When cardiac myocytes were stretched by 20% for 10 min, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs) were strongly activated in KO cardiomyocytes as well as wild type (WT) myocytes. Both basal and stimulated levels of ERKs were higher in cardiomyocytes of KO mice than in those of WT mice. Activation of another member of the MAPK family, p38(MAPK), and expression of the c-fos gene were also induced by stretching cardiac myocytes of both types of mice. An AT1 antagonist attenuated stretch-induced activation of ERKs in WT cardiomyocytes but not in KO cardiomyocytes. Down-regulation of protein kinase C inhibited stretch-induced ERK activation in WT cardiomyocytes, whereas a broad spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor (genistein) and selective inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (tyrphostin, AG1478, and B42) suppressed stretch-induced activation of ERKs in KO cardiac myocytes. Epidermal growth factor receptor was phosphorylated at tyrosine residues by stretching cardiac myocytes of KO mice. These results suggest that mechanical stretch could evoke hypertrophic responses in cardiac myocytes that lack the AT1 signaling pathway possibly through tyrosine kinase activation.     

Hyperperfusion syndrome following carotid endarterectomy: evaluation using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging--case report

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological evidence suggests that resistance to insulin is the common nexus of the accumulation of factors in patients at high cardiovascular risk. To find a test which enables resistance to insulin to be identified in large populations will allow preventive and therapeutic measures to be taken. DESIGN: Crossover. SETTING: Carrascosa del Campo and Cuenca Health Centres. PARTICIPANTS: 408 patients (154 men and 254 women), all the non-diabetic obese patients at the two health centres, were studied. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and uric acid were measured. Patients were medically examined, and blood pressure, waist and hip measurements, toxic habits and cardiovascular history were found. They were classified by pathology and normograms. The O'Sullivan and microalbuminuria tests were performed, and all the statistical associations with biochemical and medical characteristics were studied. The O'Sullivan test was significantly associated (p < 0.01) with cardiovascular risk and insulin-resistance factors such as hypercholesterolaemia (RR 1.63), hypertension (RR 1.92), hypertriglyceridaemia (RR 2.47), hyperuricaemia (RR 1.80), with the Berglund resistance index (RR 1.52) and the microalbuminuria test (RR 1.83). The association was more consistent when there were a number of factors combining. There was no relationship with the waist/hip index found. CONCLUSION: The O'Sullivan test, on its own or with the microalbuminuria test, seems very useful for identifying obese subjects with resistance to insulin.     

Arterial oxygen desaturation during non-sedated diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

We studied oxygen saturation (SaO2) using a pulse oximeter in 120 patients undergoing non-sedated diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The baseline SaO2 was 98.3 +/- 1.0%. During the procedure, absence of oxygen desaturation (SaO2 > or = 95%) was found in 56%, mild oxygen desaturation (95% > SaO2 > or = 90%) in 35%, and severe oxygen desaturation (SaO2 < 90%) in 9%. Age (p = 0.56), gender (p = 0.47), smoking (p = 0.35), hemoglobin level (p = 0.52), body mass index (p = 0.27), or total endoscopy time (p = 0.72) was not related to the degree of oxygen desaturation. These results suggest that oxygen desaturation is frequently observed during non-sedated diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy although severe oxygen desaturation, which may induce rare but serious cardiopulmonary events, is not common. Furthermore, we cannot predict in which patients desaturation will occur. We therefore recommend continuous monitoring of arterial oxygenation in all patients during the procedure.     

Formation of an amorphous phase in thermally sprayed WC-Co

A WC-Co coating was sprayed by the high-velocity oxyfuel process using a feedstock of tungsten carbide clad with cobalt. The structure of the sprayed coating was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). It was found that an amorphous phase of Co-W-C ternary alloy observed as a large, broad peak in the XRD pattern can be formed in the as-sprayed WC-Co coating. The DSC, DTA, and XRD analyses revealed that the amorphous phase crystallized at a temperature of around 873 K to metallic cobalt, Co₆W₆C, and tungsten with appreciable precipitation of free carbon. The heat treatment of as-sprayed WC-Co coating at a high temperature of 1173 K suggests that annealing at a temperature higher than about 1104 K will promote the reaction of tungsten and cobalt with carbon to form the complex carbide C₀₆W₆C.     

Copolymerization of methylmethacrylate on a ball-milled surface of coal at 77 K

The ball-milling of coal with methylmethacrylate monomer was carried out under vacuum at 77 K and at room temperature and in air. The e.s.r. and i.r. spectra of ball-milled material showed that a copolymer of coal and methylmethacrylate was formed on the surfaces of coal created by ball-mining. Oxygen is an inhibitor to this process.     

Role of Acetic Acid Added to the Reaction Media for the Enantio-differentiating Hydrogenation of Methyl Acetoacetate Over a Tartaric Acid-modified Nickel Catalyst

The role of acetic acid added to the reaction media for the enantio-differentiating hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate over a (R,R)-tartaric acid-in-situ-modified nickel catalyst was studied from the viewpoint of the hydrogenation rate during repeated runs. The hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate on the “enantio-differentiating sites” of a tartaric acid-modified nickel catalyst was specifically accelerated by the acetic acid added to the reaction media to increase the enantio-differentiating ability of the catalyst. In order to increase the enantio-differentiating ability, the addition of acetic acid to the reaction media was required in each run during the repeated use of the catalyst.     

Carbonization and liquid—crystal (mesophase) development. 19. Co-carbonization of oxidized coals with model organic compounds

This study examines further the phenomena of the modification of coal carbonizations by organic additives. Anthracene, pyrene and chrysene modify the carbonization in a closed system of coking coals as observed from increases in the size of optical textures of resultant cokes. Weakly caking coals are unaffected. Chrysene is the most efficient modifier probably because of its lowest calculated free valence. The co-additives tetralin and hydrogenated anthracene oil further enhance the modification processes so obviating the necessity to use hydrogenated additives. Co-carbonizations of oxidized coking and caking coals with decacyclene are effective in removing the effects of mild oxidation. Increased rates of carbonization enhance the sizes of optical textures of resultant cokes.     

Fibrous support for immobilization of enzymes

A poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fiber support incorporating various aminoacetal functional groups has been developed for immobilizing enzymes. The aminated PVA fiber seems to adsorb enzymes with electrostatic force of attraction; thus the immobilization procedure is simple. By the use of this fiber having immobilized enzymes, the reaction between enzymes and substrates is nearly independent of the size of subtstrates. This newly developed type of fiber, which is formed by a mass superfine fibers (SFF), each measuring 1 μm or less in diameter, permits much more increased surface area than the conventional enzyme immobilization supports. Our studies of the properties of the fiber for immobilization of enzymes show the following results: (1) SFF has a greater ability for the immobilization of invertase than ordinary fibers; (2) dimethyl-aminated SFF has the best performance for the immobilization of invertase. From these results, it is concluded that the dimethyl-aminated SFF is an excellent support for the immobilization of invertase.