Inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by ribozymes that cleave c-myb mRNA

Proliferation of injured smooth muscle cells contributes to the reocclusion or restenosis of coronary arteries that often occurs following angioplasty procedures. We have identified and optimized nuclease-resistant ribozymes that efficiently cleave c-myb RNA. Three ribozymes targeting different sites in the c-myb mRNA were synthesized chemically and delivered to rat aortic smooth muscle cells with cationic lipids; all three inhibited serum-stimulated cell proliferation significantly. RNA molecules with two base substitutions in the catalytic core that render the ribozyme catalytically inactive had little effect on smooth muscle cell proliferation. Ribozymes with scrambled binding arm sequences also failed to affect cell cycle progression of vascular smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, inhibition of rat smooth muscle cell proliferation correlated with a reduction in intact c-myb mRNA. Efficacy of the chemically-modified ribozyme was compared directly to phosphorothioate antisense oligodeoxynucleotides targeting the same site in the c-myb RNA; the ribozyme had superior efficacy and showed greater specificity than the antisense molecules. Exogenously delivered ribozymes also inhibited porcine and human smooth muscle cell proliferation effectively. Ribozymes targeting c-myb or other regulators of smooth muscle cell proliferation may represent novel therapeutics for the treatment of restenosis after coronary angioplasty.     

The effect of etomidate induction on plasma cortisol levels in children undergoing cardiac surgery

Loyalty to one's extended family, a well-known Japanese tradition, has broken down following World War II. Child rearing in Japan, therefore, has been changing gradually and clearly. Traditionally, child rearing was taught to young mothers by the grandmothers. However, recently young couples are no longer living with their parents. Therefore, there are no advisers nor consultants available at home for their child rearing. Commercialism has certainly invaded the field of child rearing, including too many guidebooks and even baby-sitting companies. Children's lives have become much more competitive, busy and unnatural in comparison with those of 20-30 years ago. This might be one cause of the increased incidence of bullying, school phobia and psychological disorders in children.     

Ozonation of synthetic versus natural textile tannins: recalcitrance and toxicity towards Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

A sound in-plant pollution control strategy can only be defined by paying due attention to bio-recalcitrance and toxicity. In this context the levels of toxicity and inert COD introduced to textile dyebath discharges by two alternative auxiliary chemicals, namely natural tannin (NT) and synthetic tannin (ST), were investigated. The effect of 40 minutes ozonation at 1,000 mg h(-1) at pH 3.5 on the segregated effluent streams containing the above-mentioned tannin formulations was evaluated in terms of changes in toxicity and recalcitrance. The effect of ozonation on the COD distribution of raw and ozonated NT and ST samples according to their molecular weight cut-offs was also assessed. Both untreated tannin formulations exerted high acute toxicity towards marine microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Moderate decrease in the toxicity levels of both tannins was observed upon ozonation. The raw NT formulation with a COD content more than twice that of its alternative raw ST had an initially inert soluble COD content of only 25 mg/L, while the initially inert COD was 135 mg/L for ST. As the initially inert soluble COD content of NT was considerably lower, this textile auxiliary did not need chemical pretreatment to improve its biodegradability. On the other hand, the initially inert soluble COD content of ST was reduced by 70% by ozone pretreatment. In terms of residual COD contents achievable after passing through a biological treatment system, raw NT and pretreated ST formulations yielded 100 and 95 mg/L COD, respectively. The highest proportion of COD (46% for NT and 88% for ST) was found in the <1 kDa range. The same fraction increased to 93% for NT after ozonation, while for ST no significant change was observed in the COD distribution of the molecular weight cut-offs after ozonation.     

Mixed-mode fracture performance of fibre reinforced concrete under impact loading

A test procedure developed to determine the mixed-mode impact resistance of fibre reinforced concrete materials is described. Results are presented from a series of experiments using a repeated drop-weight impact apparatus for the impact resistance of both polypropylene and steel fibre reinforced concrete. The behaviour of the mixed-mode specimen geometry was investigated under impact loading condition. The effect of the fibre types and contents on the impact fracture energy of the specimens was investigated. A close investigation was made of the positions and formations of the crack patterns. The fracture performance of the plain and fibre reinforced concrete was investigated with the proposed geometry using 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0% by weight in the case of steel fibre, and 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% by weight in the case of polypropylene fibre.

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Resume Aux charges statiques auxquelles les structures en béton sont soumises s'ajoutent souvent des charges dynamiques, parfois significatives, qu'il convient de prendre en compte dans le calcul. Cet article décrit un mode opératoire visant à déterminer la résistance au choc en mode mixte de béton renforcé de fibres (FRC). On y présente les résultats d'une série d'essais utilisant une machine d'essai au choc à répétition (mouton) pour évaluer la résistance de béton renforcé de fibres d'acier et de fibres de polypropylène. On a mis au point une géométrie d'éprouvettes en mode mixte qu'on a soumises à des essais au choc, et on a étudié l'effet des types et des pourcentages de fibres sur la résistance des éprouvettes à la rupture par choc. On s'est aussi livré à une étude précise des emplacements et de la formation des fissures. On a examiné la résistance à la rupture de béton ordinaire et de béton de fibres dans la géométrie proposée avec des pourcentages de 1, 2 et 3% en poids de fibres d'acier, et de 0,1, 0,2 et 0,3% pour les fibres de polypropylène.

     

Anodic behaviour of silver in alkaline formaldehyde

Steady state potentiostatic polarization studies on the system Ag/HCHO, KOH reveal that the mechanism of anodic process is potential dependent. Direct oxidation of free formaldehyde (obtained as a result of the dissociation of hydrated formaldehyde) occurs at high anodic potentials range resulting in a limiting current plateau. Near the base potential region, on the other hand, the rate controlling electrochemical step appears to be the oxidation of the silver which is followed by a chemical reaction in which formaldehyde is oxidized. Results obtained from the accelerated Tafel plots on the mechanism in the base potential region are in agreement with Vielstich's earlier observations.     

Purification and characterisation of a polyphenol oxidase from Boletus erythropus and investigation of its catalytic efficiency in selected organic solvents

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was purified from Boletus erythropus using a Sepharose 4B-L-tyrosine-p-amino benzoic acid affinity column. Optimum pH and temperature were found to be 8.0 and 20 °C, respectively, using 4-methylcatechol as a substrate. The enzyme was extremely stable between pH 3.0 and 9.0 after 24 h incubation at 4 °C. B. erythropus PPO was also quite stable between 10 and 30 °C after 4 h incubation. The K_m and V_max values were calculated as 2.8 mM and 1430 U/mg protein by Lineweaver–Burk curve, respectively. The enzyme activity was inhibited by sodium metabisulfite, ascorbic acid, sodium azide and benzoic acid. It was seen that the mushroom PPO was an effective biocatalyst in selected organic solvents, such as dichloromethane, dichloroethane and toluene, when catechin was used as a substrate. All data support that B. erythropus has a highly active PPO, possessing similar biochemical and kinetic characteristics to other plant PPOs.     

Fundamental limits on time delay estimation in dispersed spectrum cognitive radio systems

In this paper, fundamental limits on time delay estimation are studied for cognitive radio systems, which facilitate opportunistic use of spectral resources. First, a generic Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) expression is obtained in the case of unknown channel coefficients and carrier-frequency offsets (CFOs) for cognitive radio systems with dispersed spectrum utilization. Then, various modulation schemes are considered, and the effects of unknown channel coefficients and CFOs on the accuracy of time delay estimation are quantified. Finally, numerical studies are performed in order to verify the theoretical analysis.     

Automated techniques for blood vessels segmentation through fundus retinal images: A review

Retina is the interior part of human's eye, has a vital role in vision. The digital image captured by fundus camera is very useful to analyze the abnormalities in retina especially in retinal blood vessels. To get information of blood vessels through fundus retinal image, a precise and accurate vessels segmentation image is required. This segmented blood vessel image is most beneficial to detect retinal diseases. Many automated techniques are widely used for retinal vessels segmentation which is a primary element of computerized diagnostic systems for retinal diseases. The automatic vessels segmentation may lead to more challenging task in the presence of lesions and abnormalities. This paper briefly describes the various publicly available retinal image databases and various machine learning techniques. State of the art exhibited that researchers have proposed several vessel segmentation methods based on supervised and supervised techniques and evaluated their results mostly on publicly datasets such as digital retinal images for vessel extraction and structured analysis of the retina. A comprehensive review of existing supervised and unsupervised vessel segmentation techniques or algorithms is presented which describes the philosophy of each algorithm. This review will be useful for readers in their future research.     

Metal–organic frameworks for electronics: emerging second order nonlinear optical and dielectric materials

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively studied over the past decade because they represent a new category of hybrid inorganic–organic materials with extensive surface areas, ultrahigh porosity, along with the extraordinary tailorability of structure, shape and dimensions. In this highlight, we summarize the current state of MOF research and report on structure–property relationships for nonlinear optical (NLO) and dielectric applications. We focus on the design principles and structural elements needed to develop potential NLO and low dielectric (low-κ) MOFs with an emphasis on enhancing material performance. In addition, we highlight experimental evidence for the design of devices for low-dielectric applications. These results motivate us to develop better low-dielectric and NLO materials and to perform in-depth studies related to deposition techniques, patterning and the mechanical performance of these materials in the future.