Ten-year survey of quinolone resistance in Escherichia coli causing urinary tract infections

Two patients with central nervous system manifestations of Langerhans cell histiocytosis, both with brain stem involvement, are reported. The onset of symptoms was at an age when the diagnosis might not have been considered.     

Effect of nicardipine on essential tremor: brief report

The effects of nicardipine, a calcium channel blocker (CCB), were investigated in 11 patients with essential tremor (ET). In a placebo controlled study, a single oral dose of 30 mg of nicardipine was administered, followed by 1 month of sustained treatment (60 mg/day). Tremor was assessed by accelerometric recording. A single oral dose of nicardipine reduced the tremor amplitude respect baseline (p = 0.003) and placebo (p = 0.008). After 1 month of chronic treatment, nicardipine still reduced the tremor amplitude (30.78% +/- 17.13 SE from baseline), but failed to sustain the initial statistical improvement. A single oral dose of nicardipine is effective in reducing ET.     

Safety of the maternal-infant zidovudine regimen utilized in the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trial Group 076 Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety of the zidovudine (ZDV) regimen utilized in the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) 076 study. DESIGN: ACTG 076 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial which demonstrated that a ZDV regimen could prevent mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission. Infants were followed through 18 months of age and women were followed through 6 months postpartum. METHODS: Maternal complications, pregnancy outcomes, growth and development of the uninfected infants, and HIV-1 disease progression in the women were monitored prospectively. RESULTS: Maternal therapy was well tolerated. There was no serious pattern of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with ZDV use. Amongst the ZDV-exposed infants, the only recognized toxicity was anemia within the first 6 weeks of life; the risk for anemia was not associated with premature delivery, duration of maternal treatment, degree of maternal immunosuppression, or maternal anemia. ZDV treatment was not associated with an increased incidence of newborn structural abnormalities. At 18 months of age, uninfected infants did not differ in growth parameters or immune function. No childhood neoplasias were reported in either group. In the women, at 6 months postpartum, there were no differences in clinical, immunologic, or virologic disease progression. CONCLUSION: There were no identified problems that would alter current recommendations for the routine use of ZDV for the prevention of mother-child HIV-1 transmission.     

Antioxidative activity of microcapsules with beetroot juice using gum Arabic as wall material

The antioxidative activity of encapsulated natural beet root juice was evaluated during storage at different water activities. In microcapsules of beetroot obtained by spray drying and stored at water activities of 0.110, 0.326 and 0.521 there were no significant differences in betalain concentration, color, antioxidant activity and redox potential during 45 days. However, the samples stored at a_ws of 0.748 and 0.898 showed significant differences compared to those stored at 0.110, 0.326 and 0.521, but no difference was shown among the constituents of each group. In the samples stored at 0.748 and 0.898 the antioxidant activity increases, whereas the betalain concentration decreases due to the compounds that are formed while degradation of the betalains occurs. Water adsorption influences the stability of the product during storage.     

Regional Cities In The Australian Urban System, 1961-1991

This paper examines change in the economic functions of Australia's regional cities and the relationship between industry structure and growth rates. It considers the role of regional cities within the national economy and suggests that they are becoming a more significant part of the national urban system. Labour force and population data indicate that while regional cities are growing more quickly than Australia as a whole, there are substantial variations between cities. The paper goes on to discuss functional classifications of Australia's regional cities based on the 1961, 1976 and 1991 Censuses and highlight the emergence of new functions over this period. It is argued that while the highest rates of growth have occurred amongst cities with economies founded on tourism, retirement and recreation, development has not been limited to these centres. The paper also considers the reasons why this research presents a picture of change within the urban system that is at odds with the views of other writers.     

Separation and concentration processes of solutions of Co(II), Ni(II), Cr(III), Fe(III) and Mn(II) by extraction with toluene-dissolved rosin

The extraction and stripping of Co(II), Ni(II), Cr(III) and Fe(III) from aqueous solutions by rosin dissolved in toluene has been investigated. Results obtained show that rosin is better extractant than abietic or n-lauric acids under comparable conditions. From these results, and the data of Mn(II) solvent extraction studied previously under the same conditions, a separation and concentration process for these five cations in aqueous solutions has been designed. Saturated solutions of Fe(III), Cr(III), Mn(II) and finally Co(II) and Ni(II) have been obtained successively by extraction and stripping, by addition of ammonium hydroxide to obtain the appropriate pH value, and by modifying adequately the organic phase/aqueous phase volume ratio.     

An Approximate Innovation Method For The Estimation Of Diffusion Processes From Discrete Data

Abstract. In this paper, an approximate innovation method is introduced for the estimation of diffusion processes, given a set of discrete and noisy observations of some of their components. The method is based on a recent extension of local linearization filters to the general case of continuous–discrete state–space models with multiplicative noise. This filtering method provides adequate approximations for the prediction and filter estimates that are required by the innovation method in the estimation of the unknown parameters and the unobserved component of the diffusion process. The performance of approximate innovation estimators is illustrated by means of numerical simulations.     

A Rapid Ion-Pair HPLC Procedure for the Determination of Tyramine in Dairy Products

A rapid high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of tyramine in dairy products was developed. The amine was extracted from foods with warm methanol, separated by ion-pair reversed phase chromatography and quantitatively determinated after o-phthalaldehyde post-column derivatization with a fluorescence detector. The calibration curve for tyramine in the range of 20–400 ng was linear and reproducible. The overall recovery rates were satisfactory.     

The bilinear transformation in microwaves: a unified approach

Probably the first encounter of a student of microwave circuits with a bilinear transformation takes place when he studies impedance transformation and matching. Later, when he advances in the study of high frequencies, he will find this kind of transformation in issues like synthesis of signal separation structures and n-port reflectometer calibration and measurement. However, for each appearing transformation, there is generally an individual treatment with no connection to the others, and with a minimum interpretation of its geometrical significance, which impedes a thorough appraisal of generalized transformation attributes. In order to give a global perspective of bilinear transformation uses in microwaves, this paper presents a unified notion and includes geometrical exegesis for some particular applications. In this way, the bilinear transformations between parameters, parameter matrices, and matrix eigenvalues related to microwaves are presented in a congruous and connected form. These transformations are single-valued functional relations of a complex variable between immittance (impedance and admittance) and reflection coefficient parameters, reflection coefficient and power parameters, and immittance and scattering parameters