Algebra of algorithms and Kaluzhnin's graphschemas

This research was supported under project No. 6.02.02/128-93 as part of the state scientific-technical program on future information technologies and systems by the Ukrainian State Committee, of Science and Technology.     

Cholesterol and vascular disease. Study of pravastatin

Variations in lipid profile and incidence of vascular events were evaluated. Group 1 had a 29.3% reduction of total and a 38.3% reduction of LDL cholesterol as against reductions of 9% and 9.6% respectively in group 2. No significant difference was observed between the two groups as far as the vascular events considered were concerned. Pravastatin is an effective and safe drug. The lack of influence on the evolution of vascular disease would appear to be correlated to the small number of subjects studied and the short follow-up.     

Genetic aspects of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. Empirical risk of recurrence and case presentation

Nutrient uptake by the hindlimb was investigated utilising the arteriovenous difference technique in 5 Thoroughbred horses fed to maintenance a diet of 100% roughage or 52% oat grain and 48% roughage. Arterial blood was obtained from a catheter inserted into the carotid artery while venous blood was simultaneously collected from a catheter placed into the iliac vein via the medial saphenous vein. The arteriovenous difference for glucose was significant and represented a mean extraction of 10 +/- 1% with no effect of diet. If fully oxidised, glucose uptake (corrected for lactate and pyruvate arteriovenous difference) was sufficient to account for 78 +/- 13% or 107 +/- 15% of the oxygen consumed by the hindlimb in horses fed a roughage or 52% oat grain diet respectively. Acetate was also a major metabolite of the hindlimb, showing a 39 +/- 5% extraction with no effect of diet. However, the 52% oat grain diet did induce a significant decline in the concentration of acetate in arterial blood. The potential contribution to oxidation in the hindlimb was significantly reduced from 32 +/- 4% in horses fed roughage to 21 +/- 3% when fed 52% oat grain. D-3-Hydroxybutyrate uptake could account for 9 +/- 1% of the oxidation by the hindlimb with no effect of diet. The technique for measuring nutrient uptake across the hindlimb using the arteriovenous difference is relatively simple and would be valuable in investigating fuel use by muscle during exercise.     

Effect of Freezer Programs on Real-Time Storage Results of Dissolution Profiles

Carstensen and Rhodes¹ have suggested that when, in stability programs, assays cannot be performed immediately after the protocol-designated storage time, then freezing them until such a time when assays can be performed would be a reasonable manner to retain the protocol schedule. They caution, however, that such a procedure may not be valid for dissolution data. The article to follow deals with real-time data showing that such a process is feasible for Nalidixic Acid tablets (and presumably for other tablets as well), and that, furthermore, the dissolution pattern would seem to be “frozen” as well.     

Insertional re-activation of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase misfolding mutant protein

The deletion of nine residues from the C-terminus of the bacterialchloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) results in depositionof the mutant protein in cytoplasmic inclusion bodies and lossof chloramphenicol resistance in Escherichia coli. This foldingdefect is relieved by C-terminal fusion of the polypeptide withas few as two residues. Based on these observations, efficientpositive selection for the cloning of DNA fragments has beendemonstrated. The cloning vector encodes a C-terminally truncatedCAT protein. Restriction sites in front of the stop codon allowthe insertion of target DNA, resulting in the production ofproperly folded CAT fusion proteins and regained chloramphenicolresistance. The positive selection of recombinants is accomplishedby growth of transformants on chloramphenicol-containing agarplates. The method appears particularly convenient for the cloningof DNA fragments amplified by the PCR because minimal informationto restore CAT folding can be included in the primers. The cloningof random sequences shows that the folding defect can be relievedby fusion to a wide variety of peptides, providing great flexibilityto the positive selection system. This vector may also contributeto the determination of the role of the C-terminus in CAT folding.     

Deformation and fracture of glass bead/ CTBN-rubber/epoxy composites

Carboxyl-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile-rubber decreases modulus and yield stress of the studied epoxy but increases fracture toughness. The addition of glass bead compensates for the loss in modulus but has little effect on yield stress. However, it significantly contributes to the fracture toughness by providing additional mechanisms for toughening of both the unmodified and rubber-modified epoxy. For the toughened epoxies studied, fracture surfaces gave only limited information on fracture mechanisms since significant energy absorption also occurs in the material below the fracture surface. Suggestions for suitable material compositions for fiber composite matrices are given.