Antioxidant application for the correction of endogenic intoxication in patients with complex abdominal hernia

To say that enrolled nurse Liz Roberts is dedicated to her work with continuing care patients at Palmerston North Hospital is an understatement. Her care for them extends even to her days off.     

Current issues in the diagnosis and therapy of diabetic nephropathy

Significant increases in serum levels of IgE have often been observed in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation patients and have generally been thought to be diagnostic of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), rather than an agent involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Experimental murine GVHD models have also indicated associations of hyper-IgE activity, yet the role of IgE in GVHD pathogenesis has never been tested directly. In the current study, we have tried to address this issue by using recently developed peptide analog antagonists for the interaction of IgE with the Fc epsilon RI receptor, which is necessary for triggering mast cells and other cell types when cross-linked by antigens. A synthetic cyclized 13-amino acid peptide was previously designed from the modeled C-C' loop region of the Fc epsilon RI alpha-chain and was found to act as a competitive inhibitor of IgE-Fc epsilon RI alpha binding. The peptide was generated in two forms, a cyclic L-(L-IgEtide) and retro D-amino acid composition (rDIgEtide), the latter to increase resistance to protease degradation for in vivo applications. These two inhibitor peptides were then used to test the hypothesis that IgE could be involved in the pathogenesis of acute GVHD, in the B10.D2-->DBA/2 (900 cGy) strain combination, with GVHD directed to minor histocompatibility antigens. Both peptides demonstrated significant inhibition of the development of lethal GVHD, supporting the involvement of IgE at some level of disease pathogenesis.     

Food extrusion

Extrusion processing has become an important food process in the manufacture of pasta, ready‐to‐eat cereals, snacks, pet foods, and textured vegetable protein (TVP). An extruder consists of a tightly fitting screw rotating within a stationary barrel. Preground and conditioned ingredients enter the screw where they are conveyed, mixed, and heated by a variety of processes. The product exits the extruder through a die where it usually puffs and changes texture from the release of steam and normal forces. Mathematical models for extruder flow and torque have been found useful in describing extrusion operations. Scale‐up can be facilitated by the application of these models. A variety of food extruder designs have developed. The differences and similarity of design are discussed. Pertinent literature on the extrusion of cereal/snack products, full‐fat soy, TVP, pet foods (dry and semi‐moist), pasta, and beverage or other food bases are discussed. In many of these applications, the extruder is a high temperature, short time process which minimizes losses in vitamins and amino acids. Color, flavor, and product shape and texture are also affected by the extrusion process. Extrusion has been widely applied in the production of nutritious foods. Emphasis is placed on the use of extrusion to denature antinutritional factors and the improvement of protein quality and digestibility.     

CLASS: A standardized in-class program for acting-out children: II. Field test evaluations.

Two experiments evaluated the effects of a packaged teacher-consultant-mediated intervention program (CLASS) for modifying acting-out behavior in the regular classroom. Consultants were instructed (a) as part of an 8-wk course by 2 briefly trained college instructors, or (b) in a 2–4 day workshop by the program's developers. 27 experimental and 27 control Ss (from kindergarten through 2nd grade) from 3 school districts were involved. Results indicate that the experimentals, in contrast to the controls, significantly increased their proportion of appropriate behavior postintervention in the next academic year (Exp II) and required fewer remedial services and special class placements up to 3 yrs later. The program's external generalizability and cost-effective service-delivery strategy are discussed. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

THE MECHANISMS OF TRANSPORT OF WATER AND N-PROPANOL THROUGH PULP AND PAPER

Measurements have been made of transport rates of water, n-propanol, and mixtures of the two through samples of kraft pulp and filter paper. Comparison of the rates for the two components and the measured effects of temperature and relative humidity provide insight into the rate-limiting mechanisms of transport within these materials. Results show that gas-phase transport within pores and interstices dominates the mass-transfer process. Condensed-phase transport also occurs for water at high moisture contents, more so for paper than for pulp. The lesser contribution of condensed-phase transport for pulp may reflect the substantially lower bulk density of pulp. The dominance of gas-phase transport for pulp is also borne out by results of a second experiment, wherein pressure drops for gas permeation through pulp were measured following step changes in the humidity of the permeating gas.     

Performance analysis of optimum combining in antenna array systems with multiple interferers in flat Rayleigh fading

In this letter, we examine the statistical distribution of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the optimum combining (OC) technique in receive-antenna diversity systems. We decompose the SINR into two components by projection onto the interference subspace for systems with more antennas than interferers. For the case when the number of interferers is larger than the number of antennas, upper and lower bounds on performance are provided.     

Clinical studies with a low dose estrogen-progestogen combination

Clindamycin, tinidazole (a parent compound to metronidazole), and doxycycline were compared in vitro against 376 anaerobic bacteria isolated from clinical specimens. Bacteriostatic tests indicated that clindamycin was the most active drug, on a weight basis, against these strains except for Clostridium species. The three drugs were compared as therapies for anaerobic wound infections in cancer patients. In a randomized double-blind study, no statistically significant differences between clindamycin and tinidazole could be documented. Doxycycline was less active presumably because of the lack of clinical response in three out of four patients infected with doxycycline-resistant strains. No major untoward effects were observed. The bactericidal dilution of the serum was predictive of the clinical outcome.