Short-duration nocturnal hypoxemia and persistent pulmonary hypertension

Can daily short-duration hypoxemia (4-8 hours) induce pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy? A clinical model of this type of hypoxemia does exist: isolated nocturnal hypoxemia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). By investigating the pulmonary hemodynamics of these patients, it should be possible to determine whether nocturnal hypoxemia alone can induce pulmonary hypertension. Although nocturnal hypoxemia (in OSAS as well as in COPD) can induce acute episodes of pulmonary hypertension, it would not appear that nocturnal hypoxemia alone would be sufficient to provoke permanent diurnal pulmonary hypertension. This is the conclusion of recent studies concerning diurnal pulmonary hemodynamics in OSAS and COPD patients exhibiting minimal hypoxemia during the day but significant nocturnal desaturation. The therapeutic consequences of these data, particularly in COPD are important: current evidence is insufficient to treat with nocturnal oxygen therapy COPD patients who have minimal diurnal hypoxemia but significant nocturnal desaturation.     

Two novel probes reveal tubular and vascular Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) binding sites in the ischemic rat kidney

The structure of a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from the calcareous red alga Corallina pilulifera was studied by methylation analysis before and after desulfation or Smith degradation, as well as by 1D and 2D 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The polysaccharide was shown to consist of D-galactose, L-galactose, 2-O-methyl-L-galactose, 3-O-methyl-L-galactose, 6-O-methyl-D-galactose, D-xylose, and sulfate in a molar ratio of 29:20:5:2:1:20:23. Its agaran-like backbone built up of alternating 3-linked beta-D-galactopyranose and 4-linked alpha-L-galactopyranose residues bears single beta-D-xylopyranosyl substituents at position 6 of beta-D-galactose residues, whereas sulfate and O-methyl groups occupy positions 2 and 3 of alpha-L-galactose and position 6 of beta-D-galactose residues.     

Facilitating effects of humor on creativity.

Investigated the influence of listening to humor on the scores of adolescents on creativity tests. 282 10 graders were divided into 4 groups and were given the Torrance Verbal Test of Creative Thinking in a Solomon-type design. The humorous record used in the experiment was chosen for the high laughter response (amplitude and duration). It was found that those adolescents who listened to the record performed significantly better on a creativity test than control groups. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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A General-Purpose System for Data Acquisition and Instrument Control

Sophisticated laboratory equipment, ground-based instruments and scientific instruments produced for space flight require ground support equipment (GSE) systems for instrument checkout and data analysis. The increasing complexity of flight instruments and the short time scales proposed for Shuttle instrument development, integration and flight require a fresh approach to instrument GSE systems design. Several groups throughout NASA have proposed that the GSE system should accompany each flight instrument throughout its life as an instrument specific integration support, control center support, and post-launch quick-look data analysis system. Such a system has been developed at the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics of the Goddard Space Flight Center. It consists of a minicomputer system with a modular hardware interface and a standardized modular software system and console language which are easily adaptable to a wide range of flight instruments. This paper relates thehistory of that effort, states the basic objectives of the system and describes the hardware and software which were developed to meet these objectives. The Experiment Command Interactive Language (ECIL) used to configure and control the instrument is described, and an example is given of its use.