Echocardiographic evaluation of tricuspid valve endocarditis: an M mode and two dimensional study

To investigate the reflex mechanisms of sighs (spontaneous large breaths) (VT greater than 2 X control VT) in infants, recordings of respiratory flow and tidal volume (VT) were made during sleep. The frequency of sighs was greater at 1 than at 5 days of age, while respiratory frequency and control VT did not change. Most sighs (93%) had a biphasic pattern of inspiratory flow characterized by an inspiratory duration nearly twice that of control breaths, with an abrupt change in flow rate halfway through inspiration. Interruption of ventilation (3-7 s of airway occlusion) appeared to generate a stimulus for biphasic sighs, since sighs occurred during the first breath after termination of airway occlusion more frequently after long than after brief occlusions. However, a biphasic inspiratory pattern in airway pressure was rarely observed while the airways were occluded, regardless of occlusion duration. This suggests that increase in lung volume during the initial part of the biphasic inspiration following occlusion is a stimulus for the second part. Thus the underlying reflex mechanism of sighs in human infants appears to be the same as occurs in the so-called Head's paradoxical response to lung inflation.     

Flexural behavior of ECC hollow beams incorporating different synthetic fibers

Twelve ECC beams with three different fiber types, along with four normal concrete beams, were tested in this study to evaluate the influence of cross-sectional hollowing on their flexural performance. The fiber types used were nylon monofilament (NM), low-cost untreated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polypropylene (PP). Three different square hole sizes of 60, 80, and 100 mm with cross-sectional hollowing ratios of 0.16, 0.28, and 0.44, respectively, were adopted for each group of beams in addition to a solid beam. All beams were tested under four-point loading using a displacement-controlled testing machine. The test results showed that ECC beams can mostly withstand higher cracking and ultimate loads compared to their corresponding normal concrete versions. The results also showed that both the ductility and toughness of the ECC beams are higher than those of the normal concrete beams and that the ductility values of the hollow beams with a hole size of 60 mm are higher than those of the corresponding solid beams. Moreover, hollow ECC beams with hole sizes of 60 and 80 mm exhibited a higher ductility than a solid normal concrete beam.     

In vitro evaluation of a novel bioreactor based on an integral oxygenator and a spirally wound nonwoven polyester matrix for hepatocyte culture as small aggregates

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The development of custom-made bioreactors for use as a bioartificial liver (BAL) is considered to be one of the last challenges on the road to successful temporary extracorporeal liver support therapy. We devised a novel bioreactor (patent pending) which allows individual perfusion of high density cultured hepatocytes with low diffusional gradients, thereby more closely resembling the conditions in the intact liver lobuli. METHODS: The bioreactor consists of a spirally wound nonwoven polyester matrix, i.e. a sheet-shaped, three-dimensional framework for hepatocyte immobilization and aggregation, and of integrated hydrophobic hollow-fiber membranes for decentralized oxygen supply and CO2 removal. Medium (plasma in vivo) was perfused through the extrafiber space and therefore in direct hepatocyte contact. Various parameters were assessed over a period of 4 days including galactose elimination, urea synthesis, lidocaine elimination, lactate/pyruvate ratios, amino acid metabolism, pH, the last day being reserved exclusively for determination of protein secretion. RESULTS: Microscopic examination of the hepatocytes revealed cytoarchitectural characteristics as found in vivo. The biochemical performance of the bioreactor remained stable over the investigated period. The urea synthesizing capacity of hepatocytes in the bioreactor was twice that of hepatocytes in monolayer cultures. Flow sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that the bioreactor construction ensured medium flow through all parts of the device irrespective of its size. CONCLUSIONS: The novel bioreactor showed encouraging efficiency. The device is easy to manufacture with scale-up to the liver mass required for possible short-term support of patients in hepatic failure.     

Affinities of dopamine analogs for monoamine granular and plasma membrane transporters: implications for PET dopamine studies

Affinities of dopamine (DA) analogs to both granular and plasma membrane uptake transporters were measured in vitro by inhibition of [3H]DA uptake in bovine chromaffin granule ghosts and C6 glial cells transfected with cDNA for the rat presynaptic dopamine transporter, respectively. Five amines were studied: DA, 6-fluorodopamine (6FDA), m-tyramine (MTA), 6-fluoro-m-tyramine (6FMTA), and beta-fluoromethylene-m-tyramine (FMMTA). Direct uptake of 18F labeled 6FDA and 6FMTA was also measured in the chromaffin granule system and compared with [3H]DA uptake. Results show that the transporter affinities of 6FDA and MTA were similar to that of DA in both transport systems while affinities of 6FMTA and FMMTA were lower. Furthermore while the direct uptake of DA and FDA in chromaffin granules were essentially identical and significantly reserpine-inhibitable, the direct uptake of 6FMTA was about 15-fold less and only minimally sensitive to reserpine pretreatment. Thus, although vesicular protection and reuptake may influence the turnover of FDA in 6-fluoroDOPA studies, they are unlikely to be important determinants of the kinetics of the slowly clearing components in studies with either 6-fluoro-m-tyrosine (6FMT) or 6-fluoro-beta-fluoro-methylene-m-tyrosine (6FFMMT), the bioprecursors of 6FMTA and 6-fluoro-FMMTA, respectively. These results are consistent with the finding that the longterm component in 6FMT PET studies is 6-fluoro-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (6FHPAC), which can be explained by the lack of vesicular protection of 6FMTA from MAO oxidation.     

L-ornithine vs. L-ornithine-L-aspartate as a treatment for hyperammonemia-induced encephalopathy in rats

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The effect of L-ornithine (ORN) and L-ornithine-L-aspartate (OA) therapy on "extracerebral" nitrogen metabolism, brain metabolism and neurotransmission has been investigated in portacaval shunted rats with hyperammonemia-induced encephalopathy. METHODS: One day before ammonium-acetate infusion, a portacaval shunt was performed in three experimental groups: 1-control rats, 2-ORN-treated rats and 3-OA-treated rats. Ammonium-acetate was given as an intravenous bolus injection (0.4 mmol.kg bw-1) followed by a constant infusion (1.9 mmol.kg bw-1.h-1) so that steady-state blood ammonia concentrations (500-800 microM) were obtained in the course of 5 h. After 1 h, ammonium-acetate infusion, either L-ornithine or L-ornithine-L-aspartate, was infused for the next 4 h (3.0 mmol.kg bw-1.h-1) in the treated groups. The following parameters were measured: clinical grade of encephalopathy, EEG activity (n = 10 - 20/group), amino acids in plasma (n = 10 - 20/group) and brain dialysate (n = 5 - 9/group), and brain metabolites obtained by in vivo cerebral 1H-MRS (n = 4 - 6/group). RESULTS: ORN and OA treatment resulted in significantly lower blood (34% and 39%) and brain (42% and 22%) ammonia concentrations, significantly higher urea production (39% and 86%) and significantly smaller increases in brain glutamine and lactate concentrations than in controls. These changes were associated with a significantly smaller increase in clinical grade of encephalopathy in ORN- and OA-treated rats, and a significant improvement in EEG activity in ORN-treated rats. OA-treated rats showed a significant increase in aspartate and glutamate concentrations in brain dialysate. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effects of both treatments on the manifestations of hyperammonemia-induced encephalopathy can be explained by a reduction in blood and brain ammonia concentrations. It is suggested that when OA is administered, the effect of ornithine is partly counteracted by aspartate, inducing high brain extracellular concentrations of the two excitatory amino acids glutamate and aspartate, and perhaps causing overstimulation of NMDA receptors.