Mechanical stretch induces hypertrophic responses in cardiac myocytes of angiotensin II type 1a receptor knockout mice

Many lines of evidence have suggested that angiotensin II (AngII) plays an important role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy through AngII type 1 receptor (AT1). To determine whether AngII is indispensable for the development of mechanical stress-induced cardiac hypertrophy, we examined the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family and the expression of the c-fos gene as hypertrophic responses after stretching cultured cardiac myocytes of AT1a knockout (KO) mice. When cardiac myocytes were stretched by 20% for 10 min, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs) were strongly activated in KO cardiomyocytes as well as wild type (WT) myocytes. Both basal and stimulated levels of ERKs were higher in cardiomyocytes of KO mice than in those of WT mice. Activation of another member of the MAPK family, p38(MAPK), and expression of the c-fos gene were also induced by stretching cardiac myocytes of both types of mice. An AT1 antagonist attenuated stretch-induced activation of ERKs in WT cardiomyocytes but not in KO cardiomyocytes. Down-regulation of protein kinase C inhibited stretch-induced ERK activation in WT cardiomyocytes, whereas a broad spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor (genistein) and selective inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (tyrphostin, AG1478, and B42) suppressed stretch-induced activation of ERKs in KO cardiac myocytes. Epidermal growth factor receptor was phosphorylated at tyrosine residues by stretching cardiac myocytes of KO mice. These results suggest that mechanical stretch could evoke hypertrophic responses in cardiac myocytes that lack the AT1 signaling pathway possibly through tyrosine kinase activation.     

Hyperperfusion syndrome following carotid endarterectomy: evaluation using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging--case report

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological evidence suggests that resistance to insulin is the common nexus of the accumulation of factors in patients at high cardiovascular risk. To find a test which enables resistance to insulin to be identified in large populations will allow preventive and therapeutic measures to be taken. DESIGN: Crossover. SETTING: Carrascosa del Campo and Cuenca Health Centres. PARTICIPANTS: 408 patients (154 men and 254 women), all the non-diabetic obese patients at the two health centres, were studied. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and uric acid were measured. Patients were medically examined, and blood pressure, waist and hip measurements, toxic habits and cardiovascular history were found. They were classified by pathology and normograms. The O'Sullivan and microalbuminuria tests were performed, and all the statistical associations with biochemical and medical characteristics were studied. The O'Sullivan test was significantly associated (p < 0.01) with cardiovascular risk and insulin-resistance factors such as hypercholesterolaemia (RR 1.63), hypertension (RR 1.92), hypertriglyceridaemia (RR 2.47), hyperuricaemia (RR 1.80), with the Berglund resistance index (RR 1.52) and the microalbuminuria test (RR 1.83). The association was more consistent when there were a number of factors combining. There was no relationship with the waist/hip index found. CONCLUSION: The O'Sullivan test, on its own or with the microalbuminuria test, seems very useful for identifying obese subjects with resistance to insulin.     

Arterial oxygen desaturation during non-sedated diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

We studied oxygen saturation (SaO2) using a pulse oximeter in 120 patients undergoing non-sedated diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The baseline SaO2 was 98.3 +/- 1.0%. During the procedure, absence of oxygen desaturation (SaO2 > or = 95%) was found in 56%, mild oxygen desaturation (95% > SaO2 > or = 90%) in 35%, and severe oxygen desaturation (SaO2 < 90%) in 9%. Age (p = 0.56), gender (p = 0.47), smoking (p = 0.35), hemoglobin level (p = 0.52), body mass index (p = 0.27), or total endoscopy time (p = 0.72) was not related to the degree of oxygen desaturation. These results suggest that oxygen desaturation is frequently observed during non-sedated diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy although severe oxygen desaturation, which may induce rare but serious cardiopulmonary events, is not common. Furthermore, we cannot predict in which patients desaturation will occur. We therefore recommend continuous monitoring of arterial oxygenation in all patients during the procedure.     

Formation of an amorphous phase in thermally sprayed WC-Co

A WC-Co coating was sprayed by the high-velocity oxyfuel process using a feedstock of tungsten carbide clad with cobalt. The structure of the sprayed coating was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). It was found that an amorphous phase of Co-W-C ternary alloy observed as a large, broad peak in the XRD pattern can be formed in the as-sprayed WC-Co coating. The DSC, DTA, and XRD analyses revealed that the amorphous phase crystallized at a temperature of around 873 K to metallic cobalt, Co₆W₆C, and tungsten with appreciable precipitation of free carbon. The heat treatment of as-sprayed WC-Co coating at a high temperature of 1173 K suggests that annealing at a temperature higher than about 1104 K will promote the reaction of tungsten and cobalt with carbon to form the complex carbide C₀₆W₆C.     

Role of Acetic Acid Added to the Reaction Media for the Enantio-differentiating Hydrogenation of Methyl Acetoacetate Over a Tartaric Acid-modified Nickel Catalyst

The role of acetic acid added to the reaction media for the enantio-differentiating hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate over a (R,R)-tartaric acid-in-situ-modified nickel catalyst was studied from the viewpoint of the hydrogenation rate during repeated runs. The hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate on the “enantio-differentiating sites” of a tartaric acid-modified nickel catalyst was specifically accelerated by the acetic acid added to the reaction media to increase the enantio-differentiating ability of the catalyst. In order to increase the enantio-differentiating ability, the addition of acetic acid to the reaction media was required in each run during the repeated use of the catalyst.     

Enantio-differentiating hydrogenation of prochiral ketones over modified nickel

This article reviews the enantio-differentiating hydrogenation of prochiral ketones over a asymmetrically modified catalyst, focusing on the hydrogenation of simple prochiral alkanones. The parameters affecting catalytic activity and enantiodifferentiating ability are considerable in number, and each parameter should be optimized in order to attain a highperformance enantio-differentiating catalyst. Optimization of the parameters and the mode of enantio-differentiation are discussed and compared with the enantio-differentiating hydrogenation of β-ketoesters.     

Plasma etching durability of poly(methyl methacrylate)

The decomposition of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), as a positive resist, in CF₄/O₂ plasma etching has been studied in the thin film state in order to clarify the factors influencing the dry etching durability of resists. It becomes clear that the major PMMA decomposition in CF₄/O₂ plasma etching proceeds by the mechanism of random chain scission because very small kinetic chain lengths are estimated from the gel permeation chromatography data. The Arrhenius plots for the plasma etching rate of PMMA bend above about the glass transition temperature (T_g), where rapid increase of the etching rate and remarkable pattern deformation are observed. Activation energy of the PMMA etching rate which is changed by oxygen concentration and rf power indicates various values from 3.1 to 6.5 kcal/mol below about T_g. The result of molecular weight variation in the cross section of the film suggests that the active species permeate into the film with fairly large speed and the PMMA decomposition occurs not only at the film surface but also at deep layer of the film.     

Relation between crystal structure and lattice oxygen content of sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride

When reaction-bonded silicon nitride containing MgO/Y₂O₃ additives is sintered at three different temperatures to form sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride (SRBSN), the thermal conductivity increases with sintering temperature. The β-Si₃N₄ (silicon nitride) crystals of SRBSN ceramics were synthesized and characterized to investigate the relation between the crystal structure and the lattice oxygen content. The hot-gas extraction measurement result and the crystal structure obtained using Rietveld analysis suggested that the unit cell size of the β-Si₃N₄ crystal increases with the decrease in the lattice oxygen content. This result is reasonable considering that the lattice oxygen with the smaller covalent radius substitutes nitrogen with the larger one in the β-Si₃N₄ crystals. The lattice oxygen content decreased with increasing sintering temperature which also correlated with increase in thermal conductivity. Moreover, it is noteworthy from the viewpoint that it may be possible to apply the lattice constant analysis for the nondestructive and simple measurement of the lattice oxygen content that deteriorates the thermal conductivity of the β-Si₃N₄ ceramics.     

Adsorption of four perfluorinated acids on non ion exchange polymer sorbents

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have attracted global concern due to their ubiquitous distribution and properties of persistence, bio accumulation and toxicity. The process of adsorption has been identified as an effective technique to remove PFCs in water. Different non ion-exchange polymeric adsorbents were tested with regard to their sorption kinetics and isotherms at low PFCs concentrations. Selected PFCs were perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and the tested polymers were three types of Dowex optopores (V-493, V503, and L493), Amberlite XAD-4, and Filtrasorb 400 (Granular Activated Carbon-GAC). We observed the selective adsorption of PFCs on synthetic polymers. For PFDA, Amberlite XAD-4 gave the Freundlich adsorption constant of 2,965 (microg PFCs/g sorbent)(microg PFCs/L)(-n), which was higher than that of GAC (121.89 (microg PFCs/g sorbent) (microg PFCS/L)(-n)). In the case of PFBA, GAC showed better performance (13.36) (microg PFCs/g sorbent) microg PFCS/L)(-n) than synthetic polymers (0.62-5.23) (microg PFCs/g sorbent) (microg PFCS/L)(-n). Adsorption kinetics of all adsorbents were well described (R2 = 0.85-1) by pseudo-second order kinetic model. Sorption capacity was influenced by initial PFCs concentration for all adsorbents. GAC reached the equilibrium concentration within 4 hours, Amberlite XAD 4 reached it within 10 hours and other polymers took more than 70 hours.