Surface chemistry of wood‐based phosphoric acid‐activated carbons and its effects on adsorptivity

The surface oxygen content of selected wood‐based phosphoric acid‐activated carbons was quantified using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and correlated with the residual bulk phosphate levels of the carbons and their adsorptivity in solution. The adsorption of Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, and para‐chlorophenol, respectively, from water decreased as a function of increasing surface oxygen content of the carbons. When the carbon of lowest surface oxygen content was oxidized with ozone to impart a surface oxygen content comparable to that of a carbon with a much higher phosphate level, adsorption of Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, and para‐chlorophenol from water decreased proportionally. The increase in polarity of the carbon surface was accompanied by a decrease in pH and appeared to be the dominant factor with respect to the adsorption of the target species from water. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Genomic characterization of the coding region of the human type II 5''-deiodinase gene

The conserved residue Asp477 in yeast transketolase is located in the substrate channel of the enzyme and forms a hydrogen bond with the C2-hydroxyl group of the acceptor substrate. The significance of this interaction for the recognition of the preferred acceptor substrates, D-alpha-hydroxyaldehydes was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. In the wild-type enzyme the kcat/KM values are by three to four orders of magnitude lower for 2-deoxyaldoses or substrates with L-configuration at the C2-atom. In the Asp477 Ala mutant, the kcat/KM values for D-alpha-hydroxyaldehydes are decreased by a thousandfold, while the kcat/KM values for substrates with L-configuration or 2-deoxyaldoses are similar to wild-type enzyme. These results indicate that Asp477 is involved in determining the enantioselectivity of transketolase.     

Primary gamma delta cell clones can be defined phenotypically and functionally as Th1/Th2 cells and illustrate the association of CD4 with Th2 differentiation

The division of CD4+ alpha beta T cells into Th1 and Th2 subsets has become an established and important paradigm. The respective activities of these subsets appear to have profound effects on the course of infectious and autoimmune diseases. It is believed that specific programs of differentiation induce the commitment of an uncommitted Th0 precursor cell to Th1 or Th2. A component of these programs is hypothesized to be the nature of MHC-peptide antigen presentation to the alpha beta T cell. It has heretofore remained uncertain whether a Th1/Th2 classification likewise defines, at the clonal level, gamma delta T cells. Such cells do not, as a general rule, express either CD4 or CD8 alpha beta, and they do not commonly recognize peptide-MHC. In this report, gamma delta cell clones are described that conform strikingly to the Th1/Th2 classification, both by cytokine expression and by functional activities of the clones in vitro and in vivo. Provocatively, both the gamma delta cell clones and primary gamma delta cells in vivo showed a strong association of the Th2 phenotype with CD4 expression. These results are discussed with regard to the immunoregulatory role that is increasingly emerging for gamma delta cells.     

Vascularized fascial patch for repair of suboccipital dural defect

The capabilities of current protein structure prediction methods have been assessed from the outcome of a set of blind tests. In comparative modeling, many of the numerical methods did not perform as well as expected, although the resulting structures are still of great practical use. The new methods of fold identification ('threading') were partially successful, and show considerable promise for the future. Except for secondary structure data, results from traditional ab initio methods were poor. A second blind prediction experiment is underway, and progress in all areas is expected.     

Glucose may induce cell death through a free radical-mediated mechanism

It has been reported that glucose may autooxidize generating free radicals which have been hypothesized to induce important cellular abnormalities. To investigate the cell damage induced by glucose-dependent oxidative stress, the FRTL5 cell strain was incubated in 10 or 20 mM glucose, either alone or in the presence of buthionine-sulfoximine, a transition state inhibitor that blocks glutathione synthesis. We found indeed that buthionine-sulfoximine greatly inhibited glutathione production and increased malondialdehyde (a marker of oxidative cell damage) levels, especially in 20mM glucose. We also found that, when glutathione production was inhibited, 10mM glucose induced apoptosis and 20 mM glucose induced necrosis. These data show that the glucose-dependent cell damage is a function of glutathione production. They also show that such glucose-dependent free radical production may be critical for determining cell damage, even for small variations as the ones we tested (from 10 to 20 mM glucose).     

Agreement between face-to-face and telephone-administered mood ratings in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Clinical trials have demonstrated that high dose radiation therapy and daily cisplatin (CDDP) could increase local control and survival in carcinoma from various sites. The present phase I-II study has combined high dose radiation therapy and daily CDDP at escalating dosages. METHODS: From August 1994 to December 1995, 23 patients with non-resectable carcinoma of the pancreas were enrolled in a phase I-II multicentric, pilot study to test the toxicity and the effectiveness of high dose radiotherapy and daily cisplatin (CDDP) at escalating dosages. A dose of 6 mg/sqm/day of CDDP was selected for the phase II step since no grade IV toxicity occurred in any patient in the phase I step. RESULTS: Toxicity was considered fairly acceptable. At the time of analysis, the 23 patients who entered the study had clear evidence of evolutive disease either locally or distantly in the liver. It is suggested that high dose radiotherapy (60 Gy continuously) and daily CDDP have little effect on local control of the tumor and survival, and only a moderate effect on pain. CONCLUSIONS: In unresectable, apparently non-metastatic cancers of the pancreas, there is an urgent need for new agents or new combinations of agents to be tested.