Coronary stenting in cardiac allograft vasculopathy

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate acute angiographic success, in-hospital complications and long-term outcome after intracoronary stenting in patients with cardiac allograft vasculopathy. BACKGROUND: The application of conventional interventional modalities to treat discrete lesions in patients with cardiac allograft vasculopathy is associated with higher procedural morbidity, mortality and higher restenosis compared to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Elective coronary stenting has been shown to lower restenosis rates and improve long-term outcome in selected patients with native coronary artery disease; however, its safety and efficacy in reducing restenosis in patients with cardiac allograft vasculopathy is unknown. METHODS: Ten patients with 19 discrete lesions in a major coronary artery without diffuse distal disease underwent intracoronary stenting using Palmaz-Schatz stents. The average stent size was 3.4 mm, and the stent/artery ratio was 0.99+/-0.07. Eight of ten (80%) patients received antiplatelet therapy (aspirin plus ticlopidine) only. RESULTS: Procedural success was 100% with no in-hospital stent thrombosis, Q-wave myocardial infarction or death. Minimal luminal diameter increased from 0.83+/-0.38 mm to 3.23+/-0.49 mm after stenting. Diameter stenosis decreased from 74.91+/-11.52% to 5.90+/-4.09% after stenting. Follow-up angiography was performed in 8 of 10 (80%) patients and 16 of 19 (84%) lesions. Target lesion revascularization was required in 2 of 10 (20%) patients and 3 of 16 (19%) lesions. Allograft survival was 7 of 10 (70%) at the end of 22+/-11 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Intracoronary stenting can be performed safely with excellent angiographic success in selected patients with cardiac allograft vasculopathy. The restenosis rate appears to be low despite the aggressive nature of the disease. A multicenter study with a larger number of patients is required to assess its efficacy in reducing restenosis and improving allograft survival.     

Studies on Bancroftian filariasis in Liberia, West Africa. IV. Notes on side effects observed during a diethylcarbamazine treatment campaign in a rural area endemic for Wuchereria bancrofti and Onchocerca volvulus

464 persons of whom 189 proved to be infected with microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti and/or Onchocerca volvulus were examined for adverse reactions due to diethylcarbamazine, which was administered during a filariasis control campaign. Persons older than 20 years of age were significantly more affected than younger persons and men showed distinctly more side effects than women. The most frequent complaints were skin reactions followed by gastrointestinal complications. The significantly highest rate of adverse reactions was observed in persons being infected with microfilariae of O. volvulus, whereas no significant difference was registered between side effect rates of bancroftian microfilaria carriers and non-infected persons. It is concluded that in areas where both filarial species are endemic, infections with O. volvulus are a limiting factor for the control of bancroftian filariasis by means of mass treatment with diethylcarbamazine.     

Role of the charged tail in localization of a surface protein antigen of Streptococcus mutans

To make clear the role of the C terminus of a surface protein antigen (PAc) of Streptococcus mutans, stepwise truncations beginning at the C terminus of PAc were performed by utilizing site-directed mutagenesis. A remarkable increase in the amount of cell-free PAc was observed upon deletion of four or more amino acid residues at the C terminus. On the other hand, the amount of cell surface PAc gradually decreased when increasing numbers (four or more) of amino acid residues were deleted at the C terminus, and deletion of six amino acids involving both the total charged tail and Leu, an amino acid residue immediately upstream of the charged tail, resulted in a drastic reduction in the amount of cell surface PAc. These results indicate that the cytoplasmic charged tail and Leu residue are required for cell surface localization of PAc in S. mutans.     

Supporting multiple classes of services in IP over WDM ring network

In reference [1-2], the authors proposed a novel cartier preemption MAC protocol based on cartier sense multiple access schemes has been designed to supporting IP packets over all optical WDM MAN ring networks. Since the traditional IP provides the best effort service only, the issue of supporting IP packets with QoS transfer has become a crucial issue for multimedia transmission. We do so by addressing the priority-aware QoS model.     

Rett syndrome, classical and atypical: genealogical support for common origin

AIMS OF THE STUDY: By using genealogical methods in atypical females with Rett syndrome (RS) we looked for support for the assumption that atypical RS cases are true variants of classical RS. SUBJECTS: We selected from the Swedish national RS series the "milder" RS cases, 10 years of age and older, fulfilling the criteria for the "forme fruste" (FF) type of RS. For 32 FF cases we were able to carry out complete genealogical analyses on 61 parental lines. The pedigrees contained details of about 3200 ancestors. COMMON GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGINS: Eleven (34%) of the FF females could be traced to a previously defined "Rett area" and no fewer than six females had their origin in the same homestead as another previously examined classical RS patient. ANCESTRY: In four pedigrees, two each contained one FF and two classical RS and two each contained one FF and one classical RS, all 10 being descendants of the same four couples who lived several generations ago. CONSANGUINITY: Consanguinity in four grandparents (6.6% (SD 3.2%)) is probably a higher frequency than in the average Swedish population and supported our findings from a series of classical RS. TRANSMISSION: The data indicate that transmission starts with a premutation that over generations can result in a full mutation giving rise to RS. Both the X chromosomes and a pair of autosomes may be involved. CONCLUSION: Many, or most, atypical FF cases are true variants of RS.     

Nonuniform cooling in multifilament melt spinning of polypropylene fibers: Cooling air speed limits and fiber-to-fiber variations

The cooling of the spinning stage in a commercial compact-spinning line has been studied. A rectangular fiber bundle is extruded from the spinneret and cooled by air entering from one side. The speed of the cooling air is considerably reduced through the fiber bundle. There are practical lower and upper limits for the cooling air entrance speed, corresponding to filament breakage at the leeward and windward sides, respectively. These limits are functions of the material and processing parameters. Due to the nonuniform cooling, fibers sampled at the windward side generally have higher molecular orientation, lower amorphous fraction, higher density, and higher tensile modulus and strength. For most combinations of spinning and material parameters, the structure is either bimodally oriented α-crystalline or uniaxially oriented mesomorphic at all spinneret positions. Fibers with different structure types show opposite windward/leeward side trends with regard to local order and melting behavior. The structure may be mesomorphic at the leeward side and α-crystalline at the windward side, if the average spin-line stress is close to a critical value for orientation-induced crystallization, and the air speed difference across the spinneret is large. The cooling air speed affects the spin-line stress. Hence, the fiber-to-fiber variations due to nonuniform cooling are discussed in terms of the molecular orientation in the melt and the effective time available for arranging molecules into ordered structures. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cell surface antigens in a rat colon cancer model: correlation with inhibition of tumor growth

Chemically induced bowel tumors in Wistar/Furth (W/F) rats possess surface antigens analogous to those demonstrated in humans with colon carcinoma. To determine if these in vitro tumors markers have any in vivo significance, tumor isograft challenge experiments were performed. Groups of animals received three immunizing doses of 10(7) cells from chemically induced colon carcinomas NG-W1, DMH-W49, or DMH-W9 or small-bowel adenocarcinoma DMH-W7. Control rats were immunized with a noncross-reacting, virally induced mammary fibroadenoma A9-W1. Six weeks after immunization, all animals were challenged with 1 X 10(5) or 3 X 10(4) colon carcinoma NG-W1 cells. None of the NG-W1-immunized animals developed tumors after either NG-W1 challenge dose. In contrast to this strong protection by "private" tumor rejection antigen (TRA), protection by common or "tissue type specific" antigens was evident only if tumor volumes were measured. Twenty-two days after low-dose NG-W1 challenge, mean tumor volume (m) in animals immunized with colon tumor DMH-W9 (m=0.25 cu cm) and DMH-W49 (m=0.17 cu cm) were less (p less than 0.05) than in animals untreated (m=1.0 cu cm) or immunized with mammary fibroadenoma A9-W1 (m=0.9 cu cm). Embryonic antigens also may function as weak TRAs. NG-W1 challenge tumor volumes in fetal-gut-immunized (m=0.9 cu cm) and whole embryo-immunized animals (m=0.9 cu cm) were less (p less than 0.05) than in fetal-kidney-immunized (m=2.5 cu cm) or adult-colon-immunized animals (m=1.8 cu cm). Low-dose NG-W1 challenge tumor volumes were less (p less than 0.01) in multiparous females (m=0.3 cu cm) than in either untreated (m=1.2 cu cm) or age-matched virgins (m=1.4 cu cm). In vitro tumor markers in this model may serve an important function in vivo as TRAs.     

Relationships between the properties of fibers and thermally bonded nonwoven fabrics made of polypropylene

Typical polypropylene fibers for use in light nonwoven fabrics were produced in a full scale compact-spinning line. Molecular weight distribution (MWD), extrusion temperature, draw-down ratio, and draw ratio were varied. The fibers were thermally bonded (welded) into nonwoven fabrics, at different bonding temperatures, using a pilot calender line. The tensile properties of the fabrics are influenced by the MWD and the processing conditions of the fibers, and the effects of these fiber parameters increase with increasing bonding temperature. The fabric strength increases with increasing M_w/M_n, decreasing draw ratio, and increasing extrusion temperature, while in all these cases the fiber strength generally follows the opposite trend. Furthermore, the fabric strength, as well as the fiber strength, have a maximum as a function of draw-down ratio. The tensile properties of the fabrics seem to be governed by the bonding properties of the constituent fibers, not the fiber strength per se. Bond characteristics are discussed in terms of skin-core structures. Some details of the macroscopic fracture mechanisms of fabrics were revealed by scanning electron microscopy and the shape of load-elongation curves. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Stromal cell-independent maturation of IL-7-responsive pro-B cells

The proliferation, survival, and differentiation of B cell progenitors in primary hematopoietic tissues depends on extracellular signals produced by stromal cells within the microenvironment. IL-7 is a stromal-derived growth factor that plays a crucial role in B lineage development. We have shown that in the presence of IL-7, pro-B cells proliferate and differentiate to a stage in which they are responsive to stromal cells and LPS, leading to terminally differentiated IgM-secreting plasma cells. In this report, we examine in detail the role of stromal cells in the transition from the IL-7-responsive pro-B cell stage to the mature LPS-responsive B cell stage. We demonstrate that this transition fails to occur, even in the presence of stromal cells and LPS, if constant exposure to IL-7 is maintained. The transition from the large pro-B cell stage to the small cmu+ pre-B cell stage occurs independent of stromal cells. Moreover, the "stromal cell-dependent" maturation that occurs subsequent to the expression of surface IgM leading to responsiveness to B cell mitogens can also be accomplished in the absence of stromal cells if pre-B cells are cultured in proximity to each other or at high cell concentrations. Together these results suggest that stromal cells mediate B cell differentiation by providing the necessary growth requirements (i.e., IL-7) to sustain the development of pre-B cells. The progeny of these pre-B cells can then differentiate through as yet unidentified homotypic interactions, leading to the production of LPS-responsive B cells.