Combined Stress Effects on Growth of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii from an Intermediate Moisture Papaya Product

Stress factors studied included 0.95 a_w adjusted with sucrose and glycerol, pH (4.0, 3.5, and 3.0), potassium sorbate (0, 500, 1000, and 1500 ppm) and sodium bisulfite (0, 100, and 150 ppm). These were tested on a strain of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii isolated from an intermediate moisture (IM) papaya product. Z rouxii was very sensitive to SO₂. A combination of 100 ppm SO₂, 500 ppm sorbate and pH 4.0 is recommended to prevent spoilage of IM fruits by Z. rouxii. The minimum a_w for growth in sucrose-glycerol broth was between 0.62 and 0.64 in the absence of antimicrobials and in the range of optimal pH for this yeast.     

Amizon in the treatment of nervous system involvement in herpes zoster

The authors submit results of treatment of patients having suffered from postherpetic pain syndrome (herpetic ganglionitis of the cervical, thoracic, lumbosacral localization, postherpetic intercostal neuralgia, ganglionitis of the trigeminal nerve). In viral diseases, amizone has marked analgetic, antiinflammatory, and immunomodulating effects. The drug is well tolerated by patients, is not associated with side effects under prescribed doses (0.25-0.75 as one dose on a three- or four-times daily schedule during the course of treatment lasting three or four weeks). The drug preparation in question is less effective in the treatment of chronic recurring post-therapeutic intercostal neuralgias, radiculalgia.     

Identification of the mechanical impedance at the human finger tip

The present study evaluates the potential of smokeless tobacco to modify the chemopreventive efficacy of minor dietary constituents, including garlic, mace or black mustard, via modulating the competing pathways of hepatic detoxication system and antioxidant defense mechanism in murine system. Garlic (100 mg/kg b.w. per day) by gavage and mace (1% w/w) or black mustard (1% w/w) in diet induced a significant increase in the levels of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), acid-soluble sulfhydryl (-SH), cytochrome b5 (Cyt.b5) and cytochrome P-450 (Cyt.P-450) in murine liver. The hepatic levels of GST and -SH were significantly depressed whereas microsomal Cyt.b5, Cyt.P-450 and MDA levels were elevated in groups treated with smokeless tobacco (50 or 100 mg/kg b.w. per day). The data revealed the inhibitory potential of smokeless tobacco on garlic-induced hepatic GST/GSH system besides the significant augmentation by smokeless tobacco on garlic or mace or black mustard-induced microsomal cytochromes. The possible implications of modulation in competing bioactivation and detoxication pathways in the process of chemical carcinogenesis are discussed.     

Hip-Arg-Phe-, Hip-Phe-Arg- and Hip-His-Leu-cleaving dipeptidyl carboxypeptidases in human adrenal tumors

Hip-Arg-Phe-, Hip-Phe-Arg- and Hip-His-Leu-cleaving dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase activities were measured in the supernatant (S2) and pellet (P2) fractions obtained by ultracentrifugation of human adrenal tumor preparations. Negligible enzyme activity was found in cortical tumor whereas highly significant activities were present in the P2 fractions of the two pheochromocytoma specimens. The hydrolysis rates, expressed in terms of the percent of added substrate were 58-66%/60 min for Hip-Phe-Arg, 55-58%/60 min for Hip-Arg-Phe and 19-30%/60 min for Hip-His-Leu. The angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, differentially inhibited the enzyme splitting Hip-His-Leu versus the one cleaving Hip-Arg-Phe; Hip-Phe-Arg is probably the substrate of both. It is concluded that the Hip-Arg-Phe-cleaving enzyme in adrenomedullary tumor is probably identical to the purportedly novel dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase that we detected earlier in rabbit ear artery wall, which converts (Met5)-enkephalin-Arg6,Phe7 to (Met5)-enkephalin.     

Sublingual midazolam premedication in children: a dose response study

Regarding the development of a centrifugal blood pump to be connected directly with small diameter tubings for pediatric use while minimizing hemolysis, we have studied the inlet port side configurations of a pump using both a hemolysis test and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. We have conducted a hemolysis test on 2 models. The tapered shape inlet has proven to be lower in the index of hemolysis (IH) than the straight shape. CFD analyses utilizing expanded flow paths indicated that the flow velocity decreased as the fluid path became larger within the tapered nozzle. When entering the pump chamber, the flow rushed in at a greater velocity through the straight nozzle due to its small diameter. The straight shape showed an abrupt change in pressure around the entrance of the pump chamber while the tapered shape did not. The flow inlet angle of the straight model was observed to be larger than that of the tapered model because of its smaller turning radius.     

An Apparatus for Measuring the Electric Conductivity and Thermal EMF of Semiconductors and Their Melts

An apparatus for investigating the thermoelectric characteristics of semiconductors and chemically corrosive semiconductor melts inclined to evaporation and decomposition in a wide temperature range of 300–1300 K is developed and constructed. In contrast to the devices used earlier for this purpose, the electric conductivity and thermal emf are measured in hermetically sealed autoclaves, which, after being evacuated to a pressure of 1.33 × 10^–2 Pa, are filled with spectrally pure argon for preventing the oxidation, evaporation, or decomposition of the substance under study. The errors of the electric-conductivity and thermal-emf measurements at 1000 K do not exceed 4 and 6%, respectively.