Determinants of graft survival after renal transplantation

We studied multiple determinants of graft survival at a single center and the effects of nonimmunologic graft loss on transplant survival. This retrospective study examined the results of 589 cadaver donor transplants performed between 1986 and 1992. Graft survival rates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimates for both overall graft survival (all causes of graft loss) and immunologic graft survival (function lost due to acute or chronic rejection and noncompliance). Cadaver graft survival was significantly poorer with an increasing degree of DR mismatch (P=0.02). An analysis of pretransplant variables showed graft loss risk was highest with greater DR mismatches, two B-antigen mismatch, higher donor serum creatinine, and younger recipient age. After transplantation, acute rejection was the most significant factor associated with long-term graft survival. Our data demonstrate a significant advantage for zero DR and one DR mismatch cadaver donor transplants, with excellent immunologic graft survival. This study suggests that a combination of immediate graft function, prevention of acute rejection by appropriate early immunosuppressive therapy, and acceptable DR match enhances cadaveric graft survival.     

Home environment and cognitive development in the first 3 years of life: A collaborative study involving six sites and three ethnic groups in North America.

Attempted to examine the generalizability of environment/development relationships among 3 ethnic groups across the first 3 years of life. Social status did not show a consistent relationship to either quality of home environment or children's developmental status across the various groups. Results indicated a fairly consistent relationship between HOME scores and children's developmental status, although there were some ethnic and social status differences in the relationship. Measures of specific aspects of the child's home environment, such as parental responsivity and availability of stimulating play materials, were more strongly related to child developmental status than global measures of environmental quality such as SES. When the child's developmental status and early home environment were both very low, the likelihood of poor developmental outcomes was markedly increased compared with cases when only one was low. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preformulation the Role of Moisture in Solid Dosage Forms

Moisture plays an important role in the individual stages of preformulation studies for solid dosage forms. Examples are given to demonstrate this

The first stage involves chemical tests with the pure active substance using a reliable storage scheme. Then compatibility testing between active and inactive substances is performed. Under the general heading of sorption tests, the determination of sorption isotherms using special apparatus and their correlation with the physical and chemical changes which occur in the samples are discussed. With the results of these tests it is often possible to influence the sorption properties of the finished dosage form, for example by selection of the excipients and the salt form of the active substance, or by deferring the point of ansorption

Finally, as an example of special tests used in pre-formulation, the development of compound preparations is described and the galenical pre-stages are discussed     

Virtual cystoscopy based on helical CT scan datasets: perspectives and limitations

The purpose of the study was to simulate cystoscopy based on three-dimensional helical CT scan datasets in real-time in patients with tumours of the urinary bladder. A helical CT scan with double detector technology was carried out pre-operatively in 11 patients with histologically confirmed carcinoma of the urinary bladder and one patient with chronic cystitis. A non-enhanced scan was first performed, followed by an examination in the early phase of contrast medium enhancement. Further images were acquired after adequate filling of the bladder with contrast medium, approximately 30 min after injection. These data were transferred to a separate graphic computer workstation and reconstructed. The results were then compared with the cystoscopic and histopathological findings. All tumours of the urinary bladder identified at fibreoptic cystoscopy were shown on virtual cystoscopy. The best reconstruction results were obtained from data acquired 30 min after injection of contrast medium. The ureteric orifices were not visualized at virtual cystoscopy. These data lead us to conclude that, at present, virtual cystoscopy has not reached the quality of fibreoptic examination and remains restricted to use in specific cases, for example patients with urethral strictures.     

Total homocysteine levels in plasma: high-performance liquid chromatographic determination with electrochemical detection and glassy carbon electrode

The suitability of the vacancy affinity capillary electrophoretic method (VACE) for study of displacement of a target drug from a protein by simultaneously administered drugs was investigated. As test system, the displacement of warfarin from bovine serum albumin (BSA) by furosemide and phenylbutazone was selected. It appears that the displacement can be observed well from the shift of the actual mobility of warfarin when a displacer drug is added. Also, the competitive action of the displacer drugs (affinity for BSA) is clearly visible. The VACE method seems to be attractive for rapid assessment of information about the competitive properties of coadministered compounds.     

Selective activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase type I inhibits rat natural killer cell cytotoxicity

The present study examines the expression and involvement of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) isozymes in cAMP-induced inhibition of natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Rat interleukin-2-activated NK cells express the PKA alpha-isoforms RIalpha, RIIalpha, and Calpha and contain both PKA type I and type II. Prostaglandin E2, forskolin, and cAMP analogs all inhibit NK cell lysis of major histocompatibility complex class I mismatched allogeneic lymphocytes as well as of standard tumor target cells. Specific involvement of PKA in the cAMP-induced inhibition of NK cell cytotoxicity is demonstrated by the ability of a cAMP antagonist, (Rp)-8-Br-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate, to reverse the inhibitory effect of complementary cAMP agonist (Sp)-8-Br-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate. Furthermore, the use of cAMP analog pairs selective for either PKA isozyme (PKA type I or PKA type II), shows a preferential involvement of the PKA type I isozyme, indicating that PKA type I is necessary and sufficient to completely abolish killer activatory signaling leading to NK cell cytotoxicity. Finally, combined treatment with phorbol ester and ionomycin maintains NK cell cytotoxicity and eliminates the cAMP-mediated inhibition, demonstrating that protein kinase C and Ca2+-dependent events stimulate the cytolytic activity of NK cells at a site distal to the site of cAMP/PKA action.     

Vorkommen von β-Phenylethylamin und seinen Derivaten in Kakao und Kakaoerzeugnissen

Zusammenfassung -Phenylethylamin wurde aus Kakaokernen und Schokoladen extrahiert und anhand GC/MS als Trifluoracetamid analysiert. Seine Konzentration steigt bei der Fermentation des Kakaos und sinkt während der Röstung und des Alkalisierens. Der Gehalt in Schokoladen hängt vom fettfreien Kakaoanteil ab. In Kakaopulver wurden erstmals Aldimine aus der Kondensation von Phenylethylamin mit Aldehyden gefunden, deren Hauptprodukt das N-Benzyliden--phenylethylamin (CAS 3240-95-7) darstellt.

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Occurrence of 2-phenylethylamine and its derivatives in cocoas and chocolates

Summary 2-Phenylethylamine was extracted from cocoa nibs and chocolates and analysed by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The amine concentration increases in fermentation of cocoa and decreased during roasting and alkalization. Its concentration in chocolates is dependent on non-fat cocoa contents. Previously unreported aldimines were found in cocoa powders, which arise from the condensation of phenylethylamine and aldehydes. The main component of these products isN-phenylmethyl-N-phenylmethylene amine (CAS 3240-95-7).

     

Real-Time Intensity-Image Reconstruction for Event Cameras Using Manifold Regularisation

Event cameras or neuromorphic cameras mimic the human perception system as they measure the per-pixel intensity change rather than the actual intensity level. In contrast to traditional cameras, such cameras capture new information about the scene at MHz frequency in the form of sparse events. The high temporal resolution comes at the cost of losing the familiar per-pixel intensity information. In this work we propose a variational model that accurately models the behaviour of event cameras, enabling reconstruction of intensity images with arbitrary frame rate in real-time. Our method is formulated on a per-event-basis, where we explicitly incorporate information about the asynchronous nature of events via an event manifold induced by the relative timestamps of events. In our experiments we verify that solving the variational model on the manifold produces high-quality images without explicitly estimating optical flow. This paper is an extended version of our previous work (Reinbacher et al. in British machine vision conference (BMVC), 2016) and contains additional details of the variational model, an investigation of different data terms and a quantitative evaluation of our method against competing methods as well as synthetic ground-truth data.     

Die Mikroflora des Sauerteiges

Zusammenfassung Die aus Reinzuchtsauern isolierten homo- and heterofermentativen Milchsdurebakterien der UntergattungThermobacterium, Streptobacterium undBetabacterium wurden im Säuerungsversueh vergleichend überprüft. Ihre Anwendung erfolgte nach Anreicherung in Roggenkleie-Extrakt-Bouillon (30 °C/24 Std) und Vorkultur in einem Roggenmehlteig mit einer Teigausbeute von 200 (30 °C/24 Std). Unter den gegebenen Versuchsbedingungen (Dreistufensauer-Führung, Detmolder Einstufensauer-Führung, Berliner Kurzsauer-Führung) erwiesen sich die Sauerteigbakterien verschiedener Artzugehörigkeit von unterschiedlicher Wirkung. In jedem Falle ließen sie jedoch einen vom spontan gesäuerten Teig abweichenden Säuerungsverlauf erkennen. Der vom Reinzuchtsauer ausgehenden Säuerung (pH-Erniedrigung, Anstieg des Säuregrades) entsprachen unter allen Führungsbedingungen die Sauerteigbakterien der ArtLactobacillus brevis var. lindneri. Unter den Bedingungender Detmolder Einstufensauer-Führung bedingten ebenfallsL. brevis undL. fructivorans eine hinreichende Säuerung des Sauerteiges. Bei der Heranführung der Sauerteige als Berliner Kurzsauer gelangte nebenL. brevis var. lindneri einzigL. fructivorans in ausreichendem Maße zur Entwicklung.[/p]

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The microflora of sourdoughIX. Communication: Comparative investigations over the performance of lactic acid bacteria (Genus Lactobacillus Beilerinck) occuríng in starter cultures (Reimuchtsauer)

Summary The homo- and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria of the subgenusThermobacterium, Streptobacterium andBetabacterium, isolated from startercultures (Reinzuchtsauer), were examined by comparing them in an acidification test. They were used in this test after enrichment in a rye-bran-extract broth (30 °C/24 h) and preculture in a rye flour dough with a dough yield of 200 (30 °C/24 h). Under the given conditions (three-stage-sour-dough-method, Detmolderone-stage-sour-dough-method, Berliner short-sour dough method) the sour dough bacteria of different types showed varying effects. But they all differed in the acidification process from the spontaneously leavened dough. The sour dough bacteria of the genusLactobacillus brevis var.linderi produced acidification equivalent to the starter culture Reinzuchtsauer under all sourdough conditions (in pH lowering as well as dough acidity increase). Under conditions of the Detmolder one-stage-sour-dough-methodL. brevis andL. fructivorans also produced sufficient acidification. When preparing the sour-dough as the Berliner short-sour dough, besideL. brevis var. linderi onlyL. fruttivorans showed sufficient acid development.

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Nr. 4678 der Veröffentlichungen der Bundesforschungsanstalt für Getreide- und Kartoffelverarbeitung, Detmold

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Diese Untersuchungen wurden ermöglicht durch eine finanzielle Förderung seitens des Bundesministeriums für Forschung und Technologie im Rahmen des Programms Biologie und Technik     

Mechanical properties and morphologies of PP/mPE/filler composites

Because of the poor impact behavior of polypropylene (PP) at low temperatures, the blending of PP with metallocene‐polymerized polyethylene (mPE) elastomers was investigated in this study. However, a reduced modulus of the overall blend was inevitable because of the addition to elastomers. To obtain a balance of the properties, we introduced rigid inorganic fillers to PP/mPE blends. The performance of the composites was characterized with tensile and Charpy notched impact tests, and the fracture morphology was examined with scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the effects of fillers in a brittle matrix and in a ductile matrix were quantitatively different. For PP/mPE/filler ternary composites, the dependence of Young's modulus and yield strength on CaCO₃ content was not significant compared with that of PP/filler binary composites, whereas the elongation at break and tensile toughness at room temperature for PP/mPE/filler systems were more improved. The impact strength of the PP/mPE blends filled with untreated glass beads and CaCO₃ at a low temperature was lowered because of the weak interfacial bond. However, the values of the impact strength of the PP/mPE/filler composites at a low temperature remained at a high level compared with that of pure PP. In particular, a PP/mPE blend filled with surface‐treated kaolin had a higher low‐temperature impact toughness than the unfilled blend. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 3029–3035, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.2333