ACAT inhibitors derived from hetero-Diels-Alder cycloadducts of thioaldehydes

Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) is the enzyme largely responsible for intracellular cholesterol esterification. A systemic inhibitor of ACAT is believed to be able to slow or even reverse the atherosclerotic process. Towards that goal, a series of cyclic sulfides, derived from the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of thioaldehydes with 1,3-dienes, and bearing carboxamide substituents, were prepared and evaluated for in vitro (in several tissues and species) and ex vivo ACAT inhibition. Minor changes in subsequent structure were found to have a significant effect in optimization of the biological activity of this series of compounds.     

The lived experience of nursing students in caring for suffering individuals

Most nursing school curricula address the pathologic nature of illness, the nursing care of clients who are ill, the prevention of illness, and the promotion of health. There seems to be minimal discussion, however, both in nursing curricula and in textbooks, of the alleviation of suffering or of how nurses know that someone is suffering. The article describes a phenomenologic analysis of 12 nursing students' lived experiences of caring for individuals who were suffering. The voices of the students as they chronicled their experiences are exemplars of clinical scholarship as described in the literature.     

Effect of repositioning of rhodium direct-charge detectors in a RBMK-1000 reactor on fuel and emitter-material burnup coefficients

Scientific-Technical Center “Atomtekhénergo.” Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant. N. V. Sultanov Institute of Nuclear Reactors, Russian Scientific Center “Kurchatovskii institut.” Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 76, No. 6, pp. 470–473, June, 1994.     

Pulse surface wave generator of millimeter band wavelength

Theoretical and experimental studies of high-power, relativistic surface-wave microwave Cherenkov generators are briefly considered. Some simulation and experiment results included, the experimentation being made in mm-wave region.     

Physiology of spinal anaesthesia and practical suggestions for successful spinal anaesthesia

There are numerous physiological effects of spinal anaesthesia. This chapter focuses on the physiological effects that are of clinical relevance to the anaesthesiologist, and provides suggestions for successful management of this simple and popular technique. The mechanisms and clinical significance of spinal-anaesthesia-induced hypotension, bradycardia and cardiac arrest are reviewed. The increasing popularity of ambulatory spinal anaesthesia requires knowledge that long-acting local anaesthetics, such as bupivacaine, impair the ability to void far longer than short-acting local anaesthetics, such as lidocaine. The importance of thermoregulation during spinal anaesthesia, and the clinical consequences of spinal-anaesthesia-induced hypothermia are reviewed. Effects of spinal anaesthesia on ventilatory mechanics are also highlighted. Lastly, the sedative and minimum-alveolar-concentration-sparing effects of spinal anaesthesia are discussed to reinforce the need for the judicious use of sedation in the perioperative setting.     

Germanium Nanoclusters in Germanosilicate Glass Heat-Treated in Hydrogen

The formation of Ge nanoclusters in bulk and thin-film germanosilicate glass samples prepared by vapor deposition techniques and then heat-treated in molecular hydrogen at 800°C was studied by Raman scattering and optical spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that the formation of Ge nanoclusters is accompanied by a substantial increase in the concentration of oxygen-deficient germanium centers and the formation of OH groups. A mechanism of nanocluster formation is proposed. The effects of different process parameters on nanocluster growth in the course of preform fabrication and fiber drawing are examined.     

Change of foot size with weightbearing. A study of 2829 children 3 to 18 years of age

The change of foot length and width with age has been reported in a few anthropometric studies in the literature. However, the relationship with body height rarely is reported, and the dynamic effect of weightbearing on foot size has not been documented. In this series, 2829 children 3 to 18 years of age of equal gender distribution were included in the study. The foot length and width on weightbearing and nonweightbearing were measured with a special precision electronic caliper. The foot length and width were found to increase linearly from the age of 3 years until 12 years in girls and 15 years in boys. This was followed by a phase during which the increase plateaued. The foot length and width increased significantly on weightbearing at all ages in both genders with a mean of 2.1 to 4.4 mm or 3.1% to 4.8%, respectively. The foot length and width also were found to correlate significantly with the body height in both genders, with a correlation coefficient of 0.96 to 0.98. No significant differences were found between the sizes of the dominant and nondominant foot in either gender.     

Haemolytic activity of Aeromonas species isolated in Libya

Twenty seven Aeromonas strains (5A. hydrophila, 8A. sobria and 14A. caviae) isolated from children with diarrhoea and 34 Aeromonas strains (9A. hydrophila, 7A. sobria an 18A. caviae) isolated from children without diarrhoea were tested from haemolysin production. The results obtained showed that haemolysin production using human, horse or sheep erythrocytes was significantly associated with A.hydrophila and A sobria but not with A.caviae, regardless of whether these strains were isolated from children with or without diarrhoea. Human or horse rather than sheep erythrocytes are recommended for use in the haemolysin assay.     

Inhibition of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone mouse lung tumorigenesis by arylalkynes, mechanism-based inactivators of cytochrome P450

Arylalkynes such as 4-phenyl-1-butyne (PBY), 5-phenyl-1-pentyne (PPY) and 2-ethynylnaphthalene (2-EN) are suicide inhibitors of cytochrome P450 enzymes. Arylalkyl isothiocyanates such as 6-phenylhexyl isothiocyanate (PHITC) are structurally related to arylalkynes and are known to inhibit the cytochrome P450 mediated metabolic activation and tumorigenicity of a tobacco-specific lung carcinogen, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). In this study, we compared the ability of PBY, PPY, 2-EN and PHITC to inhibit A/J mouse lung tumorigenesis by NNK. Groups of 20 female mice were gavaged with 5 mumol of arylalkyne or PHITC in corn oil. Two hours later they were given a single i.p. injection of 10 mumol NNK. The mice were killed 16 weeks later. PPY and PHITC were both potent inhibitors of tumorigenesis by NNK, reducing lung tumor multiplicity from 8.35 tumors per mouse to 0.40 and 0.35 respectively. PBY and 2-EN also significantly inhibited tumor multiplicity. The results of this study demonstrate that arylalkynes and PHITC are potent inhibitors of NNK induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice, consistent with the hypothesis that inhibition of specific cytochrome P450 enzymes is involved in inhibition of tumorigenesis.     

The percutaneous endoscopic treatment of staghorn nephrolithiasis

Hyperferremia is shown to affect antioxidant system of the body, oxidation-reduction reactions in the cells seen as shifts in lymphocyte chemiluminescence. Dynamic changes in lymphocyte chemiluminescence reflect the level of hyperferremia.