Attitudes toward production pressure and patient safety: a survey of anesthesia residents

The detection and measurement of somatic cell mutation in vivo is an important subject of research for the assessment of human cancer risk induced by various environmental genotoxic factors. The possible mechanisms which influence the persistence of mutant cells of the hematoimmune system in the peripheral blood are presented. The erythroid system is a system which accumulates mutational lesions and so stably generates red blood cells with various phenotypic changes.     

Histomorphometric, physical, and mechanical effects of spaceflight and insulin-like growth factor-I on rat long bones

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide and vasoactive intestinal peptide belong to the same neuropeptide family. Both peptides are present in nerve fibers in the gastric wall and are thought to be involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes. Experimental ulcers were induced in the rat gastric mucosa by local application of acetic acid. During the healing process we examined the PACAP and VIP innervation by means of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. The ulcer area was examined from day 1 to day 15 after ulcer induction. There was a marked depletion of PACAP in nerve fibers at the ulcer margin from day 1 and onwards. On day 10 and day 15, PACAP-immunoreactive nerve fibers could again be visualized at the ulcer margin. In contrast, VIP immunoreactive nerve fibers were present at the ulcer margin at all time points studied. From day 10 following ulcer induction PACAP- and VIP- immunoreactive nerve fibers were increased in frequency in the smooth muscle beneath the ulcer. An upregulation of VIP and PACAP mRNA was also demonstrated in the myenteric ganglia adjacent to ulcer. The present results indicate that neuronal PACAP and VIP react differently to the inflammation at the ulcer margin but similarly in the smooth muscle during the ulcer healing.     

Mobilization of lead by calcium versenate and dimercaptosuccinate in the rat

1. Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (CaNa2 EDTA) and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) individually and in permutation-combination in various doses (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mmol/kg bodyweight) were investigated for their efficacy to mobilize lead from vital tissues into urine and faeces and to restore the lead-sensitive biochemical parameters in lead pre-exposed rats with a view to develop the most acceptable treatment regimen for lead poisoning with a minimal loss of endogenous essential elements. 2. The combined therapy was more effective than a single chelator treatment. 3. The combination of 0.2 mmol/kg CaNa2EDTA + 0.4 mmol/kg DMSA caused a lower depletion of zinc, calcium and iron but possessed almost equal capability to that of 0.4 mmol/kg CaNa2EDTA + 0.4 mmol/kg DMSA to produce urinary as well as faecal excretion of lead, to reduce the tissue burden of lead, including that of the brain, and to reverse lead-induced biochemical alterations. 4. The combination of 0.2 mmol/kg CaNa2EDTA + 0.4 mmol/kg DMSA has shown a definite improvement over previously reported combinations in terms of removal of lead from tissues, particularly the brain, restoration of urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid levels and a decrease in the loss of body zinc and is, therefore, recommended for the treatment of lead intoxication.     

Nuclear proteins from liver and kidney bind a 37 bp sequence in the 5' upstream region of the mGAT1 gene

The mouse GABA transporter (mGAT1) gene has been shown to be exclusively expressed in brain by Northern and Western blot analyses. The interactions between the 5' flanking region of the mGAT1 gene and nuclear proteins from different mouse tissues were studied by means of gel-shift assay. Our results show that nuclear protein factors from non-nervous tissues can specifically recognize a 37 bp sequence that is conserved in the 5' flanking region between the human and mouse GAT1 genes. Similar nuclear protein factors were also found to exist in rat, rabbit and pig.     

Increasing productivity and protein content using early-maturing rices and efficient nitrogen management

Germplasm with shorter duration than that of the currently grown varieties is being generated to maximize productivity of irrigated rice. However, short-duration varieties often produce yields lower than the medium- and long-duration varieties. Experiments were conducted during the 1980–82 dry and wet seasons to increase productivity through the use of very early-maturing rices and the improved management of nitrogen (N) fertilizers.Results over three years showed that IR58 and IR9729-67-3 (growth duration 100 ± 5 days) yield as well as or higher than IR36 although earlier maturing. They generally had a higher productivity (kg ha^–1 day^–1) than IR36 (110 ± 5 days).Three years' data suggest that the improved timing of broadcast applications of urea in split doses increased grain yield comparable with the basal incorporation of slow-release sulfur-coated urea (SCU) or deep point-placement of urea supergranules (USG).Results on elite breeding lines showed that the early-maturing IR9729-67-3 produced higher protein yield ha^–1 than longer duration varieties such as IR8 and IR42 in the dry season. Furthermore, contrary to earlier results, single basal incorporation of slow-release SCU increased the protein yield of rice by 53 kg ha^–1 and deep point-placement of USG by 43 kg ha^–1 over split application of prilled urea.     

Proteomic analysis of sera of asymptomatic,early‐stage patients with Wilson's disease

Wilson's disease (WD) is characterized by excessive accumulation of intracellular copper in liver and extrahepatic tissues, leading to significant oxidative stress and tissue damage. To date, several diagnostic biomarkers for WD such as serum ceruloplasmin, serum or urine copper levels and copper content in liver have been identified. However, these biomarkers may not be convincing for the diagnosis in some WD patients. To identify additional novel diagnostic biomarkers, we compared the serum protein profiles of asymptomatic childhood WD patients (n=20), without neurologic manifestation or liver cirrhosis, with normal controls (n=13). Fourteen spots, five up‐regulated and nine down‐regulated (>2‐fold), were differentially expressed in WD patients in comparison to normal control on 2‐DE. Among them, three spots were down‐regulated in both male and female WD. MS/MS analysis revealed that the three spots were complement component C3, complement factor B and alpha‐2 macroglobulin. By comparative proteome analysis, complement component C3, complement factor B and alpha‐2 macroglobulin, which are related to oxidative stress and inflammation, turned out to be good candidates for novel diagnostic biomarkers for early stages of WD.     

Reversible inactivation of purified leukocyte integrin CR3 (CD11b/CD18, alpha m beta 2) by removal of divalent cations from a cryptic site

Integrins exhibit reversible changes in their ability to bind ligands and these changes enable transient cell adhesion. We recently showed that leukocyte integrin CR3 (complement receptor type three, CD11b/CD18, alpha m beta 2) may be purified in a form that is either capable or incapable of binding soluble, monomeric ligand and that "inactive" CR3 may be rendered capable of binding ligand by addition of an anti-CR3 mAb known as KIM-127 (Cai and Wright, JBC. 270: 14358, 1995). Here, we demonstrate that active CR3 may be rendered inactive by treatment of immobilized receptor with EDTA. EDTA-treated CR3 failed to bind ligand even in the presence of mM Ca2+ and Mg2+, suggesting that EDTA-treatment caused a change in the receptor that is not readily reversed. EDTA-treated receptor did, however, bind ligand upon addition of KIM-127 plus Mg2+ with an affinity (17.8 +/- 4.5 nM) similar to untreated, active receptor (12.5 +/- 4.7 nM). EDTA-treated CR3 thus exhibits the properties of inactive CR3, in which the ligand binding site is cryptic but subject to exposure by KIM-127. A candidate for the cryptic ligand binding site is the I-domain, a Mg2+-binding region in the alpha chain of CR3. We found that monomeric C3bi binds directly to recombinant I-domain in a Mg(2+)-dependent fashion with an affinity of 300 +/- 113 nM. These results thus suggest that CR3 may be inactivated by removing tightly bound divalent cation from a cryptic site in CR3.     

Fast Li+ Transport via Silica Network-Driven Nanochannels in Ionomer-in-Framework for Lithium Metal Batteries

For the development of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (LMBs), a high-porous silica aerogel (SA)-reinforced single-Li⁺ conducting nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (NPE) is prepared via two-step selective functionalization. The mesoporous SA is introduced as a mechanical framework for NPE as well as a channel for fast lithium cation migration. Two types of monomers containing weak-binding imide anions and Li⁺ cations are synthesized and used to prepare NPEs, where these monomers are grafted in SA to produce SA-based NPEs (SANPEs) as ionomer-in-framework. This hybrid SANPE exhibits high ionic conductivities (≈10⁻³ S cm⁻¹), high modulus (≈10⁵ Pa), high lithium transference number (0.84), and wide electrochemical window (>4.8 V). The resultant SANPE in the lithium symmetric cell possesses long-term cyclic stability without short-circuiting over 800 h under 0.2 mA cm⁻². Furthermore, the LiFePO₄|SANPE|Li solid-state batteries present a high discharge capacity of 167 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C, good rate capability up to 1 C, wide operating temperatures (from −10 to 40 °C), and a stable cycling performance with 97% capacity retention and 100% coulombic efficiency after 75 cycles at 1 C and 25 °C. The SANPE demonstrates a new design principle for solid-state electrolytes, allowing for a perfect complex between inorganic silica and organic polymer, for high-energy-density LMBs.     

Redox and pH Dual Responsive Polymer Based Nanoparticles for In Vivo Drug Delivery

Responsive nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates as drug delivery vehicles in order to address biomedical diseases such as cancer. In this work, polymer‐based responsive nanoparticles prepared by a supramolecular approach are loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) for the cancer therapy. The nanoparticles contain disulfide bonds within the polymer network, allowing the release of the DOX payload in a reducing environment within the endoplasm of cancer cells. In addition, the loaded drug can also be released under acidic environment. In vitro anticancer studies using redox and pH dual responsive nanoparticles show excellent performance in inducing cell death and apoptosis. Zebrafish larvae treated with DOX‐loaded nanoparticles exhibit an improved viability as compared with the cases treated with free DOX by the end of a 3 d treatment. Confocal imaging is utilized to provide the daily assessment of tumor size on zebrafish larva models treated with DOX‐loaded nanoparticles, presenting sustainable reduction of tumor. This work demonstrates the development of functional nanoparticles with dual responsive properties for both in vitro and in vivo drug delivery in the cancer therapy.