The use of the hypoglycemic preparation gliquidone in patients with digestive organ diseases combined with diabetes mellitus

A peroral sugar-reducing preparation gliquidone (glurenorm) was tried in treatment of 66 patients with digestive diseases (peptic ulcer, chronic pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver), presenting with diabetes mellitus. The results of the studies made showed glurenorm to be a highly effective preparation in term of both its sugar-reducing effect and its capability to improve energy processes in gastric and duodenal mucosa, pancreacytes, hepatocytes, besides which, it appear to dispel metabolic disturbances and stimulate reparative processes in body organs, improves protein-synthetic processes in the liver, pancreas, mucosa of the gastroduodenal region.     

131I dose-dependent thyroid autoimmune disorders in children living around Chernobyl

The nucleotide sequence of 35,400 bp at approximately 10 kb from the right telomere of chromosome VII was determined. The segment contains the MAL1 locus, one of the five unlinked loci sufficient for maltose utilization. Until now, each of these loci was considered to contain three genes (for regulator, permease and alpha-glucosidase), but a fourth gene, presumably an extra alpha-glucosidase gene, was found at MAL1 adjacent to the usual cluster of three genes. The two glucosidase genes are present in opposite orientation, forming an inverted repeat structure. In addition to the four genes at MAL1, there are 11 complete, non-overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) longer than 300 bp in the sequence presented here. A new ABC transporter gene (YGR281w), required for oligomycin resistance was found (YOR1; Katzman et al., 1995), and the previously sequenced BGL2 (YGR282c), ZUO1 (YGR285c) and BIO2 (YGR286c) genes were located. The sequence of BIO2, a biotin synthetase gene, required substantial correction and the size of Bio2p is 375, rather than 356, amino acids. Two ORFs show rather weak similarities to animal genes: YGR278w to an unknown ORF of Caenorhabditis elegans and YGR284c to the murine Surf-4, a member of a cluster of at least four housekeeping genes. The remaining five ORFs do not encode known functions, but three of these show weak to high similarities to other ORFs in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome and one (YGR280c) codes for a particularly lysine-rich protein.     

The characteristics of disorders of intracardiac hemodynamics and hemorheology in pulmonary heart failure

Overall ninety patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis presenting with signs of varying degree cardiopulmonary insufficiency (CPI) were evaluated by radionuclide ventriculography with technetium pertechnetate as well as by rotational viscosimetry of blood. The degree of hemorheological derangements tended to get higher with CPI severity (light, moderately severe, severe) being accompanied by progressing impairement of systolic and diastolic functions of both ventricles of the heart. Mechanisms of compensation of endocardiac hemodynamics were realized as a result of increase in end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes of both ventricles together with changes in amplitude and time characteristics of processes of ventricular ejection and filling. Forecast of the probable course of the condition may rely upon the functional state of right as well as left ventricle of the heart.     

Widely dispersed p53 mutation in respiratory epithelium. A novel mechanism for field carcinogenesis

Individuals with one aerodigestive tract malignancy have a high incidence of second primary aerodigestive tumors. The mechanism for this field effect has not been determined. We studied an individual with widespread dysplastic changes in the respiratory epithelium but no overt carcinoma. The entire tracheobronchial tree obtained at autopsy was embedded in paraffin, and bronchial epithelial cells were isolated by microdissection. DNA extracted from the microdissected cells was analyzed for point mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene. A single, identical point mutation consisting of a G:C to T:A transversion in codon 245 was identified in bronchial epithelium from 7 of 10 sites in both lungs. Epithelium at sites containing the p53 mutation was morphologically abnormal, exhibiting squamous metaplasia and mild to moderate atypia. No invasive tumor was found in the tracheobronchial tree or any other location. Cells from peripheral blood, kidney, liver, and lymph node exhibited no abnormality in the p53 gene. The widespread presence of a single somatic p53 point mutation in the bronchi of a smoker suggests that a single progenitor bronchial epithelial clone may expand to populate broad areas of the bronchial mucosa-a novel mechanism for field carcinogenesis in the respiratory epithelium that may be of importance in assessing individuals for risk of a second primary tumor as well as in devising effective strategies for chemoprevention of lung cancer.     

A new technology for fish preservation by combined treatment with electrolyzed NaCl solutions and essential oil compounds

This study was undertaken to establish a new technology, using pre-treatment with electrolyzed NaCl solutions and essential oil compounds, to extend the shelf-life of carp fillets. Samples of skinless carp fillets were treated with 100-fold (by weight) of electrolyzed NaCl solutions [cathodic solution, EW(−) and/or anodic solution, EW(+)] and 1% oil (0.5% carvacrol + 0.5% thymol) [1%(C + T)]. Then chemical [pH, volatile basic nitrogen, peroxide value, and thiobarbituric acid], microbiological (total viable count) and sensory analyses were used to evaluate the preservative effect of this new technology during storage at 5 and 25 °C. Our results from the chemical assays indicated that EW(−), followed by EW(+) and subsequently 1%(C + T) [EW(−)/EW(+)/1%(C + T)], significantly suppressed the lipid oxidation compared with other treatments. Data from sensory evaluation and microbiological assay showed that treatment with EW(−)/EW(+)/1%(C + T) extended the shelf-life of carp fillets to 16 and 1.3 days compared with 4 and 0.3 days for the control samples during storage at 5 and 25 °C, respectively.     

Author's reply [to comments on "Flash memory under cosmic and alpha irradiation"]

The authors thank G. Cellere and A. Paccagnella for their comments (see ibid., vol.5, no.2, p.296-7, June 2005) and for taking the time to thoroughly review their paper (see ibid., vol.4, no.3, p.371-6, Sep. 2004). The original intent of the experiment and paper was to measure and report the overall susceptibility of flash memory to upsets caused by neutron and proton irradiation. They did not care to speculate on root cause(s) because the failure rate was small relative to other elements of an electronic system (SRAM, random logic, etc).     

Microwave-specific heating of crystalline species in nuclear waste glass

The microwave heating of a crystal-free and a partially trevorite-crystallized nuclear waste glass simulant was evaluated. Our results show that a 500-mg monolith of partially crystallized waste glass can be heated from room temperature to above 1600°C within 2 minutes using a single-mode, highly focused, 2.45-GHz microwave, operating at 300 W. Using X-ray diffraction measurements, we show that trevorite is no longer detectable after irradiation and thermal quenching. When a crystal-free analog of the same waste glass simulant composition was exposed to the same microwave radiation, it could not be heated above 450°C regardless of the heating time. The reduction in crystalline content achieved by selectively heating spinels in the presence of glass suggests that microwave-specific heating should be further explored as a technique for remediating crystal accumulation in a glass melt.