Clearance of iohexol, chromium-51-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and creatinine for determining the glomerular filtration rate in pigs with normal renal function: comparison of different clearance techniques

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: We wanted to improve determination of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with plasma clearance techniques because the alternative-renal clearance techniques-may involve inaccurate urine sampling or risk of urinary tract infection when bladder catheterization becomes necessary. Therefore, we compared the renal and plasma clearances of iohexol and chromium-51-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (51Cr-EDTA), as well as endogenous creatinine clearance, in 19 normal pigs using different techniques. METHODS: After an intravenous bolus injection of the GFR markers, 16 plasma samples were used to plot the marker concentrations versus time for 4.5 hr. Urine was collected during nine 30-min periods. Plasma clearance was calculated by dividing the dose of marker with the area under the plasma concentration curve (AUC) from the time of injection to infinity using one-compartment (ClAUC-slope) and three-compartment (ClAUC-3comp) models. The renal clearance was calculated by dividing the amount of marker excreted in the urine in a period with the AUC in the same period. This AUC was determined by integrating the total area in the period (Clren adv)--our reference method representing the "true" GFR--or by using the arithmetic mean of the plasma concentrations of the marker at the beginning and end of the urine collection period (Clren simple). Creatinine clearance was determined according to Clren simple. RESULTS: Renal clearances of iohexol and 51Cr-EDTA were significantly higher than creatinine clearance (P = .0002). There was no significant difference between the renal clearances of iohexol and 51Cr-EDTA or between their plasma clearances. The two mathematical methods of calculating the renal clearance of iohexol were highly correlated (rs = .99), as were the two methods of calculating its plasma clearance (rs = .95). Because of the extrarenal clearance of the markers, the plasma clearance methods for iohexol and 51Cr-EDTA always overestimated the true GFR. ClAUC-3comp was the method closest to the true GFR. For iohexol, the median overestimation of the GFR was higher with ClAUC-slope when early plasma samples (30-120 min) after injection of the marker were used (5.5 ml.min-1.10 kg-1) than when late samples (180-270 min) were used (4.0 ml.min-1.10 kg-1). After subtracting the median extrarenal clearances of iohexol and 51Cr-EDTA (previously determined in nephrectomized pigs) from their plasma clearances (ClAUC-3comp), the median overestimation of the true GFR was reduced from 2.0 to 1.1 ml.min-1.10 kg-1 with iohexol and from 2.1 to 1.3 ml.min-1.10 kg-1 with 51Cr-EDTA. CONCLUSION: GFR determination with plasma clearance techniques can be improved in three- and one-compartment models by taking late plasma samples and by subtracting the extrarenal plasma clearance of the species. One-compartment models can be improved by determining a correction formula in the species for the early parts of the decay curve of the plasma concentration of the marker.     

Adaptive control system for car parking

In the paper, the first results of the work on the development and implementation of an adaptive control system for car parking are presented. The proposed approach to construction of a car control system differs from the commonly accepted approach [1–3] and is based on the autonomous adaptive control method [4] developed by the research team headed by A.A. Zhdanov. In the framework of this method, car control and training and retraining of the control system are implemented in one process with satisfaction of all necessary conditions and constraints. This allows the control system to adjust to parameters of a particular car and to automatically readjust if these parameters vary in the course of the car usage. In the paper, a program modeling car parking based on the principles developed in this study is described. Examples of parking a car for some particular cases of mutual location of obstacles and the desired slot in the parking place are presented.     

Structure and evolutionary implications of a "cysteine-rich" Campoletis sonorensis polydnavirus gene family

For successful parasitization, the female Campoletis sonorensis endoparasitic wasp injects a polydnavirus into its host, Heliothis virescens, during oviposition. Viral gene expression induces immunosuppression and alters development of the host. We report here that three abundantly expressed genes, VHv1.1, WHv1.0, and WHv1.6, describes a polydnavirus "cysteine-rich" gene family which may be important in inducing these host manifestations. These genes have a similar primary gene structure and their proteins contain cysteine motifs characteristic of snail ion-channel ligands, the omega-conotoxins. Like the omega-conotoxins, the intercysteine amino acid residues are hypervariable with only three identical amino acids in all motifs. The conservation of this domain in the three viral genes may reflect an important functional role for these viral proteins in the parasitization of H. virescens. The three genes also contain introns similar in sequence at comparable positions in their 5' untranslated leaders and coding sequences. VHv1.1 contains two cysteine motifs, and each motif is interrupted by an intron at the same position as in the cysteine motifs of WHv1.0 and WHv1.6. Intron 2 sequences of WHv1.0 and WHv1.6 are 92% identical, while the immediately flanking exon sequences encoding the cysteine motifs are only 76% identical. This provides an example of nuclear pre-mRNA introns which are more conserved than flanking exons among members of a gene family.     

Early assessment of diaphragmatic dysfunction in children in the ITU: chest radiology and phrenic nerve stimulation

Diaphragmatic dysfunction is a common postoperative complication of cardiac surgery in children, with important effects on respiratory morbidity. Its early diagnosis, followed by prompt surgical intervention, has been shown to reduce morbidity. However, the commonest method of diagnosis, based on hemi-diaphragmatic elevation on the chest radiograph, may be less accurate than direct techniques for assessing phrenic nerve function. We have compared electrophysiological and radiological diagnoses of diaphragmatic abnormality in 100 children (aged 3 days to 17.5 yrs) undergoing cardiac surgery, looking at respiratory morbidity as assessed by the duration of ventilation, the time spent on the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU), and the requirement for reintubation. Despite showing good reproducibility, radiological diagnosis was neither sensitive nor specific in identifying patients with electrophysiological phrenic nerve damage. Analysis of the measures of outcome supported the electrophysiological technique. Patients with electrophysiological evidence of damage had a longer duration of ventilation, spent longer on the CICU, and had a greater incidence of reintubation than either radiologically abnormal or "normal" patients. Chest X-rays are not a good method for diagnosing phrenic nerve damage in the early postoperative period in children. If early diagnosis is needed, then direct assessment of phrenic nerve function, such as the measurement of phrenic latency, may be a better technique.     

Heat denaturation of hemocytocardiotoxin from the venom of the Central Asian cobra

It has been stated that boiled for three hours haemocytocardiotoxin (HT) from cobra poison loses "direct" hemolytic activity and is unable to potentiate a haemolytic effect of phospholipase A. Surface activity of HT does not change. It is shown that in the course of heat denaturation the aggregation of toxin molecules to dimers and trimers takes place and electrophoretic mobility is decreased. The fluorescence of HT tyroxin residues supported the fact of its irreversible heat denaturation.     

Nitrous oxide "analgesia": resemblance to opiate action

Nitrous oxide produced a dose-related "analgesia" in mice (median effective dose, 55 percent). The analgesia was evaluated by means of a phenylquinone writhing test. Narcotic antagonists or chronic morphinization reduced nitrous oxide analgesia. Either nitrous oxide releases an endogenous analgesic or narcotic antagonists have analgesic antagonist properties heretofore unappreciated.     

Accuracy of a Bellows vacuum meter with an LC-generator

Errors of pressure measurement are considered. The error as a function of the pressure for a vacuum gauge rated at up to 1000 Pa is calculated as an example. It is 0.15 ≤ δp/p ≤ 0.2% over a pressure range of 14 ≤ p ≤ 1000 Pa and it increases hyperbolically up to 100% with p = 0.01 Pa. The parametric reliability of the instrument and its immunity to an accidental increase in pressure the atmospheric level is substantiated. __________ Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 9, pp. 37–41, September, 2006.     

Effect of Relative Reduction on Property of Steel-Mushy Cu-Graphite Composite

The rolling treatment of steel-mushy QTi3.5-3.5 graphite composite was conducted under different relative reduction at room temperature. The effect of room-temperature rolling on interfacial mechanical property of steel-mushy QTi3.5-3.5 graphite composite was studied and the relationship between interfacial shear strength and relative reduction was established. The results show that, for steel-mushy QTi3.5-3.5 graphite composite, which consists of 1.2 mm-thick 08AI steel plate and 2.8 mm-thick QTi3.5-3.5 graphite layer, there is a nonlinear relationship between interfacial shear strength and relative reduction in graphite layer. When relative reduction is smaller than 1.1%, interfacial shear strength increases with increasing the relative reduction. When relative reduction is larger than 1.1%, interfacial shear strength decreases with increasing the relative reduction. When relative reduction is 1.1%, the largest interfacial shear strength of 145.2 MPa can be obtained.     

CVT中阻尼器的研究

阐述了电容式电压互感器的各种阻尼器的优缺点,并对速饱和阻尼器设计进行了详述,提出了CVT设计速饱和阻尼器应注意的事项。     

常温生长类金刚石薄膜的实验研究

利用射频等离子体增强化学气相沉积(RFPECVD)工艺在常温下实现在不锈钢、硅片、玻璃等基底上大面积沉积类金刚石(DLC)膜.薄膜表面光滑致密,与衬底的结合力较高.用Raman,FTIR,SEM,EDX研究了薄膜的形貌、结构与组分.用栓-盘摩擦磨损试验机测试了薄膜的摩擦系数.通过优化沉积参数,所沉积的DLC膜在与100Cr6钢球对磨时摩擦系数低于0.01.在摩擦过程中DLC膜的磨损机制借助SEM进行了研究.