Establishment of a protocol for testing antimicrobial activity in southern African macroalgae

Six southern African seaweeds, two Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta, were used to test for antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter Iwoffi and Escherichia coli. Extracts were prepared using a range of organic solvents (acetone, chloroform, diethyl ether, 80% ethanol and methanol), by soaking ground seaweed samples in the extraction solvent, evaporating to dryness, and redissolving in the respective solvent. In addition, milled and ground samples were boiled in 80% ethanol for 4 h. Crude extracts were tested for antibacterial activity using three application techniques, viz paper discs, direct spotting and wells, and onto three types of agar plates, viz seeded agar, bacterial lawns and overlay agar. Inhibition zone diameters were measured and analysed by multifactorial analysis of variance. Boiling milled seaweeds in 80% ethanol, with application of the extracts into 6.1 mm wells in overlay agar constituted the test protocol which yielded the highest activity indices.     

Algorithm of the noninvasive diagnosis method on the atherosclerosis by ultrasonic Doppler effect

Previously we proposed Acoustical Imaging and Processing Method to measure the viscoelastic property of the blood vessels of a canine and the related materials using Ultrasonic Doppler Effect Measurement. Furthermore, its theoretical foundation was presented. In this paper, this method is applied to measure the viscoelastic mechanical property, that is, the mechanical degradation of human blood vessels by a percutaneous noninvasive method. Based on these results, we proposed the algorithm of the noninvasive estimation method on the viscoelastic mechanical property of the blood vessel by using Doppler Effect Sensor. This method makes it possible to discriminate the blood vessel with arteriosclerosis from a normal blood vessel. Clinical applications were successfully performed using our developed computer software based on our proposed algorithm.     

Hypoxia triggers neuroprotective alterations in hippocampal gene expression via a heme-containing sensor

Sublethal ischemia or hypoxia triggers adaptive changes that protect the brain against future hypoxic/ischemic damage. Preexposure of in vitro hippocampal slices to brief periods of hypoxia increases the resistance of Schaffer collateral-CA1 synaptic potentials to further, longer periods of hypoxia that would otherwise cause an irreversible loss of synaptic transmission. Since hypoxia has been shown to cause alterations in the patterns of protein synthesis, we hypothesized that newly-expressed proteins might mediate hypoxia-induced neuroprotection. We report here that the induction of neuroprotection by hypoxic preconditioning in rat hippocampal slices is blocked by either cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, or by Actinomycin D, an inhibitor of RNA synthesis. In contrast, pharmacological blockade of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtypes of glutamate receptors did not prevent the induction of neuroprotection by hypoxia. Carbon monoxide (CO), which can lock heme moieties in their oxygenated configurations, did prevent hypoxia from inducing neuroprotection. We conclude that hypoxia activates protective mechanisms via deoxygenation of a heme moiety, triggering expression of gene products which protect synaptic function from subsequent hypoxic damage.     

Vasectomy and vasovasostomy. II. A comparison of two methods of vasovasostomy: silastic versus chromic stents

Twelve adult, bilaterally vasectomized dogs were used to compare two different procedures for reuniting the severed vas deferens. Approximately 5 months postvasectomy six dogs had vasovasostomies utilizing Silastic stents and the vasa deferentia of six additional dogs were rejoined with intravasal chromic stents. Ejaculates were subsequently obtained at 2-week intervals and evaluated for sperm count, motility, viability, and seminal ion concentrations. All of the dogs in which Silastic had been utilized as the stent had sperm reappear in the ejaculate, whereas only 40% of the dogs in which chromic catgut had been utilized had reappearance of spermatozoa. The over-all quality of the ejaculate was also better in the animals in which Silastic had been utilized. Testicular and epididymal histology was normal in most dogs of both groups, but three of the dogs with chromic stents in which the anastomosis had not been a success had abnormal histology, with reduced numbers of spermatocytes, spermatids, and spermatozoa. The data suggest that Silastic stents are better than chromic stents for vas reanastomosis. They also suggest that some dog testes react negatively to vasectomy and do not recover by 1 year postvasectomy when vas patency is not reversed.     

Use of the Beck Anxiety Inventory with adolescent psychiatric outpatients

The Beck Anxiety Inventory was administered to 105 outpatients between 13 and 17 years old who were diagnosed with various types of psychiatric disorders. A principal factor analysis was performed, and two factors were found representing subjective and somatic symptoms of anxiety. The item compositions of these factors were comparable to those previously described for adolescent inpatients. The results are discussed as supporting the use of the inventory for evaluating self-reported anxiety in outpatient adolescents.