Laboratory simulated slipstream testing of novel sulfur removal processes for gasification application

The Wabash River Integrated Methanol and Power Production from Clean Coal Technologies (IMPPCCT) project is investigating an Early Entrance Coproduction Plant (EECP) concept to evaluate integrated electrical power generation and methanol production from coal and other carbonaceous feedstocks. Research, development and testing (RD&T) that is currently being conducted under the project is evaluating cost effective process systems for removing contaminants, particularly sulfur species, from the generated gas which contains mainly synthesis gas (syngas), CO₂ and steam at concentrations acceptable for the methanol synthesis catalyst. The RD&T includes laboratory testing followed by bench-scale and field testing at the SG Solutions Gasification Plant located in West Terre Haute, Indiana. Actual synthesis gas produced by the plant was utilized at system pressure and temperature for bench-scale field testing.     

Gastrointestinal lavage reduces total body water

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to measure changes in total body water (TBW) in surgical patients after gastrointestinal lavage. METHODS: In a prospective, controlled study we used bioelectrical impedance to calculate the change in TBW in two groups of general surgical patients in the pre-operative period: the colonic lavage group consisted of patients fasted overnight who received 3 L of gastrointestinal lavage solution (GLS; n = 30), and the control group consisted of patients fasted overnight only (n = 30). Total body water was measured before and after either lavage and fasting (lavage group) or fasting alone (control group). RESULTS: The lavage group had a mean TBW loss of 729 mL +/- s.e. 217 and the control group a mean loss of 84 mL +/- s.e. 93 (P < 0.01 unpaired t-test). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that GLS results in a net loss of TBW. Although this fluid loss is modest, it may be important in surgical patients who have minimal cardiovascular reserve.     

Is prostate specific antigen density an important prognostic indicator for patients with prostate cancer treated with external beam therapy?

The purpose of this study was to determine if prostate specific antigen density (PSAD) is a predictor of outcome following external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer, and to compare it with other prognostic factors. Between January 1990 and December 1993, 205 patients with T1-T3 adenocarcinoma of the prostate received a radical course of external beam irradiation, with no prior or adjuvant hormonal therapy. All patients had pre- and post-treatment serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) evaluation. They were followed up for at least 24 months. PSAD was defined as the ratio of pre-treatment serum PSA to the prostate volume, as determined from CT treatment planning scans. Prostate volumes were calculated using the prostate ellipse formula. Median PSA density was 0.37, with a range 0.01-6.7. Biochemical failure was defined as three consecutive rises in serum PSA, regardless of the magnitude of elevation. 4-year biochemical disease-free survival (BDFS) for patients with PSAD < or = 0.3 was 60%, compared with 22% for patients with PSAD > 0.3 (p = < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, pre-treatment PSA (p = < 0.001), Gleason score (p = 0.002), and stage (p = 0.03) were independent predictors of BDFS, while PSAD was not an important prognosticator (p = 0.62). Pre-treatment serum PSA is the most important prognosticator of BDFS, following external beam radiotherapy, for patients with prostate cancer. PSA density did not predict treatment outcome.     

Evidence for McKusick''s hypothesis of deficient collagen cross-linking in patients with homocystinuria

Fractionation of the venom of the spider Phoneutria nigriventer revealed that it was a mixture of several neurotoxic peptides. The peptides so far characterized either inhibited or induced neurotransmitter release. These effects were mediated by Ca2+ channels or increasing Na+ permeability through voltage sensitive Na(+)-channels, respectively. The pooled toxic components (fraction P4) showed stimulatory effects on acetylcholine release from brain cortical slices. In addition, a component of the observed effects resembling that of alpha-latrotoxin was identified, which was characterized by the ability to provoke release of acetylcholine (ACh) at low temperature and in a manner independent of extracellular Ca2+ and of voltage sensitive Na(+)-channels.     

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor worsens the outcome of experimental Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumonia through direct interaction with the bacteria

Besides its well-established effects on granulocytopoiesis, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been shown to have direct effects on the recruitment and bactericidal ability of neutrophils, resulting in improved survival of experimentally infected animals. We studied the effect of G-CSF on the course of experimental pneumonia induced by Klebsiella pneumoniae, an important gram-negative bacillary pulmonary pathogen. Using a highly reproducible murine model, we here show the paradoxical finding that mortality from infection was significantly increased when animals received G-CSF before induction of pneumonia. Administration of G-CSF promoted replication of bacteria in the liver and spleen, thus indicating an impairment rather than an enhancement of antibacterial mechanisms. By contrast, a monoclonal antibody against Klebsiella K2 capsule significantly reduced bacterial multiplication in the lung, liver, and spleen, and abrogated the increased mortality caused by G-CSF. In vitro studies showed a direct effect of G-CSF on K pneumoniae resulting in increased capsular polysaccharide (CPS) production. When bacteria were coincubated with therapeutically achievable concentrations of G-CSF, phagocytic uptake and killing by neutrophils was impaired. Western blot analysis showed three binding sites of G-CSF to K pneumoniae. Binding of 125I-G-CSF to K pneumoniae was displaced by an excess of unlabeled G-CSF, whereas an unrelated cytokine, interleukin-1alpha, did not compete with G-CSF binding to the bacteria. Thus, in this model, the direct effect of G-CSF on a bacterial virulence factor, CPS production, outweighed any beneficial effect of G-CSF on recruitment and stimulation of leukocytes.