Oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis: a cause of dysphagia in a 10-year-old boy

We report a 10-year-old boy who presented with a piece of chicken stuck in his throat. He had similar episodes in the past that resolved spontaneously. The foreign body was removed and oesophagoscopy revealed no abnormality. Post-operative barium swallow showed oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis.     

Ozone therapy of diffuse peritonitis in the early postoperative period

The functional status of the oxidative-antioxidative system was studied in 72 patients after vast cancer operations. Traditional surgical treatment and its combination with intraoperative irradiation were shown to lead to tense antioxidative defense and to suppressed T-cell immunity and to call for antioxidative and immunomodulating therapy. High intraoperative blood loss complicated by hemorrhagic shock injured the oxidative-antioxidative system greatly. The magnitude of this damage correlated with the rate of prehypoxia. Addition of the potent antioxidant Ceruloplasmin to the drug regimen normalized a recovery period, helped to correct posthypoxic multiorgan insufficiency, to recover oxidative-antioxidative balance, and to decrease the incidence of pyoinflammatory complications. Patients with endogenous intoxication showed activated lipid peroxidation, decreased functional activity of antioxidative defense components and of T-cell immunity in homeostasis. The use of Ceruloplasmin and Laprot had pronounced antiinflammatory and detoxifying effects on the patient's body and activated its antioxidative defense.     

Categorization of Lung Morphology Based on FRC and Height: Computer Simulations of Aerosol Deposition

The aim of this study was to compare the human subject experimental measurements of particle deposition within the lungs using the aerosol bolus technique with the results of analytical modeling as a basis for assessing the influence of lung morphology on inhaled particle deposition patterns. A methodology for scaling the lung morphology, based on a classic symmetric dichotomous model, as a function of both functional residual capacity and height of the investigated population is presented. Because of the availability of deposition data for male and female lung morphologies, these were used as an example to address the importance of adjusting lung morphology in calculating the aerosol deposition rates. In order to represent the 2 groups based on gender enrolled in the experimental study, 2 lung morphologies have been built. An analytical and mechanistic model was used to mimic the bolus delivery technique and simulate the aerosol deposition in each of the 2 groups. Predicted results were compared with experimental data for both total deposition fraction and bolus recovery (fraction of exhaled particles compared with inhaled particles) for 3 flow rates and 3 particle sizes. Good agreement was found between theoretical and measured data, showing the primary importance of the differentiation of the lung morphology to predict the aerosol deposition within human lungs. This study presents a morphological lung model that is adaptable to specific populations (e.g., gender or race), groups (e.g., a clinical study population), or even individuals.

Copyright 2012 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Lipids in infant formulas: Current and future innovations

Lipids in infant formulas are designed to mimic the composition of human milk and/or approximate the performance of the breastfed infant. Human milk lipids exhibit a complex, highly variable nature, varying by population, dietary intake, time of day, length of feeding and others. Continued understanding and characterization of human milk lipids has led to infant formula innovations aimed at a better comparison to human milk and/or improved dietary lipid utilization in the formula‐fed infant. The underlying aim of such innovation is the generation of outcomes as comparable to human milk feeding as possible. The present paper briefly reviews the current understanding of human milk lipid composition, with a focus on how this knowledge drives current and future innovations in the area of infant formula lipids.     

Effect of betaine supplementation on cycling sprint performance

Purpose

To examine the effect of betaine supplementation on cycling sprint performance.

Methods

Sixteen recreationally active subjects (7 females and 9 males) completed three sprint tests, each consisting of four 12 sec efforts against a resistance equal to 5.5% of body weight; efforts were separated by 2.5 min of cycling at zero resistance. Test one established baseline; test two and three were preceded by seven days of daily consumption of 591 ml of a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage as a placebo or a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage containing 0.42% betaine (approximately 2.5 grams of betaine a day); half the beverage was consumed in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. We used a double blind random order cross-over design; there was a 3 wk washout between trials two and three. Average and maximum peak and mean power were analyzed with one-way repeated measures ANOVA and, where indicated, a Student Newman-Keuls.

Results

Compared to baseline, betaine ingestion increased average peak power (6.4%; p < 0.001), maximum peak power (5.7%; p < 0.001), average mean power (5.4%; p = 0.004), and maximum mean power (4.4%; p = 0.004) for all subjects combined. Compared to placebo, betaine ingestion significantly increased average peak power (3.4%; p = 0.026), maximum peak power max (3.8%; p = 0.007), average mean power (3.3%; p = 0.034), and maximum mean power (3.5%; p = 0.011) for all subjects combined. There were no differences between the placebo and baseline trials.

Conclusions

One week of betaine ingestion improved cycling sprint power in recreationally active males and females.     

Extracellular breakdown of collagen by mice decidual cells. A cytochemical and ultrastructural study.

The interaction of antimesometrial decidual cells and collagen fibrils was studied by light microscopy and ultrastructural cytochemistry in fed and acutely fasted mice on days 9-11 of pregnancy. Fibrillar elements in the extracellular space consisted of collagen fibrils and filamentous aggregates (disintegrating collagen fibrils). Intracellular vacuoles exhibited typical collagen immersed in electron-translucent material (clear vacuoles) and faint cross-banded collagen immersed in electron-opaque material (dark vacuoles). Fibrillar elements showed extracellular acid phosphatase activity which was stronger in the region of mature decidua than in predecidual cells region in all animals; it was conspicuous in mature decidua of fasted animals. Intracellular acid phosphatase activity was observed in dark vacuoles and lysosomes, and was absent in clear vacuoles in all cells studied. Since acid phosphatase activity reflects the presence of lysosomal hydrolases in general, the results indicate that breakdown of extracellular collagen occurs by release of lysosomal enzymes by decidual cells and also by internalization of collagen for intracellular degradation in fed and fasted mice. Collagen breakdown may be part of the process of tissue remodeling in mature and predecidual regions, however, in mature decidua, collagen breakdown is enhanced and may therefore contribute to nutrition of the fetus, specially in acutely fasted mice.     

Chip geometry and cutting force prediction in gear hobbing

This paper presents a tri-dexel geometric engine integrated simulation model for the gear hobbing operation. The process kinematics are modeled and validated using CNC signals from a Liebherr LC500 hobbing machine. Workpiece geometry updating and cutter-workpiece engagement (CWE) calculations are efficiently realized in the tri-dexel engine. 3D force contributions at discretized nodes along the hob's cutting edges are computed considering the localized principal cutting directions, and rake and inclination angles. To measure cutting forces, a rotary dynamometer is successfully adapted and used alongside a Kalman filter to compensate for structural dynamics. The predicted forces agree well with their experimental counterparts.     

Boolean logic gates that use enzymes as input signals

Biochemical systems that demonstrate the Boolean logic operations AND, OR, XOR, and InhibA were developed by using soluble compounds, which represent the chemical "devices", and the enzymes glucose oxidase (GOx), glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), alcohol dehydrogenase (AlcDH), and microperoxidase-11 (MP-11), which operated as the input signals that activated the logic gates. The enzymes were used as soluble materials and as immobilized biocatalysts. The studied systems are proposed to be a step towards the construction of "smart" signal-responsive materials with built-in Boolean logic.     

Impact of natural organic matter on monochloramine reduction by granular activated carbon: the role of porosity and electrostatic surface properties

Steady-state monochloramine reduction in fixed-bed reactors (FBRs) was quantified on five types of granular activated carbon (GAC) using two background waters-one natural source water (LAW) containing 2.5-3.5 mg/L organic carbon and one synthetic organic-free water (NW). While more monochloramine was reduced at steady-state using NW compared to LAW for each GAC and empty-bed contact time studied, the differences in removal varied considerably among the GACs tested. Physical characterization of the GACs suggested that the degree of interference caused by natural organic matter (NOM) increased with increasing GAC surface area contained within pores greater than 2 nm in width. Acid/base and electrostatic properties of the GACs were not found to be significant in terms of NOM uptake, which indicated that size exclusion effects of the GAC pores overwhelmed the impact of the GAC surface chemistry. Therefore, selection of GAC to limit the impact of NOM on monochloramine reduction in FBRs should be based on pore size distribution alone, with the impact of NOM decreasing with decreasing mesoporosity and macroporosity.