Oxidation behavior of single-crystal Al2O3-fiber-reinforced Ni3Al-based composites

A series of single-crystal Al₂O₃-fiber-reinforced Ni3Al-based intermetallic matrix composites were fabricated by pressure casting. The matrices employed were binary Ni₃Al, Ni₃Al-0.5 at. pct Cr, and Ni₃Al-0.34 at. pct Zr. The development of microstructure upon oxidation in air at either 1100 °C or 1200 °C was investigated by optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. In air-oxidized binary Ni₃Al, some of the fibers were fully or partially covered with a layer of oxide. A weak fiber/matrix bond in this system, which led to fiber debonding during composite processing, is believed to be responsible for the ingress of O into the composite and oxidation of the matrix in the debonded regions at the fiber/matrix interface. Addition of Cr to Ni₃Al resulted in an almost threefold increase in fiber/matrix bond strength. No oxidation of the interface was observed. A thick layer of oxide was formed around all the fibers when the composite was thermally cycled prior to isothermal annealing. Addition of Zr to Ni₃Al resulted in the formation of a layer of ZrO₂ on the surface of the fibers during composite processing. The ZrO₂ layer provided a fast path for the diffusion of O, which led to the formation of a rootlike oxide structure around the fibers. The rootlike structure consisted of a network of Al₂O₃-covered ZrO₂.     

Disturbance of continuous, pump administration of cardiovascular drugs by hydrostatic pressure

Administration of highly concentrated, highly potent, and therefore highly dangerous drugs with syringe pumps is common in modern anaesthesia as well as in intensive care and emergency medicine. Because of their exact flow rates down to < 1 ml/h, these pumps are predestined for delivery of drugs with short half-lives, such as catecholamines and vasodilators. But intravenous application of drugs with syringe pumps is not without problems. While it is well known that syringes not fixed correctly into the pump can empty themselves by the influence of gravity, it seems not to be known that hydrostatic pressure can influence the flow rate of a correctly connected system even during continuous infusion. In this situation a change of height of the syringe pump in relation to the patient's position can have tremendous effects on hemodynamics due to unintended acceleration or deceleration of the flow rate. This case report demonstrates that the elevation of a connected epinephrine pump while moving a cardiac surgery patient after ACB operation from the operation table into his bed led to critical increases of heart rate, blood pressure and left atrial pressure. In order to quantify the problem we repeated the situation experimentally. It could be demonstrated that the elevation of the syringe pump by 80-100 cm delivers an additional bolus of 4-5 drops as the central venous catheter outlet. Lowering the pump consecutively leads to the opposite effect. In the case reported, the accidentally administered bolus of epinephrine was 12-15 micrograms (we use a concentration of 60 micrograms/ml epinephrine for continuous infusion with syringe pumps). From this accidental observation the following conclusion can be drawn: The change of height, in relation to the patient's position, of a running syringe pump during continuous infusion of highly concentrated cardiovascular drugs may cause considerable, even life-threatening hemodynamic disorders. Even in a closed infusion system (syringe-extension-central venous catheter), hydrostatic pressure influences infusion rate. Elevation of the pump leads to unintended bolus administration, and lowering of the pump is followed by an interruption of the infusion. In the knowledge of this phenomenon, unexpected hemodynamic reactions during transport of critically ill patients cannot always be interpreted as a result of inadequate anesthesia or volume load, but may be a consequence of incorrect handling of the syringe pumps as described in this report.     

Global folds of highly deuterated, methyl-protonated proteins by multidimensional NMR

The development of 15N, 13C, 2H multidimensional NMR spectroscopy has facilitated the assignment of backbone and side chain resonances of proteins and protein complexes with molecular masses of over 30 kDa. The success of these methods has been achieved through the production of highly deuterated proteins; replacing carbon-bound protons with deuterons significantly improves the sensitivity of many of the experiments used in chemical shift assignment. Unfortunately, uniform deuteration also radically depletes the number of interproton distance restraints available for structure determination, degrading the quality of the resulting structures. Here we describe an approach for improving the precision and accuracy of global folds determined from highly deuterated proteins through the use of deuterated, selectively methyl-protonated samples. This labeling profile maintains the efficiency of triple-resonance NMR experiments while retaining a sufficient number of protons at locations where they can be used to establish NOE-based contacts between different elements of secondary structure. We evaluate how this deuteration scheme affects the sensitivity and resolution of experiments used to assign 15N, 13C, and 1H chemical shifts and interproton NOEs. This approach is tested experimentally on a 14 kDa SH2/phosphopeptide complex, and a global protein fold is obtained from a set of methyl-methyl, methyl-NH, and NH-NH distance restraints. We demonstrate that the inclusion of methyl-NH and methyl-methyl distance restraints greatly improves the precision and accuracy of structures relative to those generated with only NH-NH distance restraints. Finally, we examine the general applicability of this approach by determining the structures of several proteins with molecular masses of up to 40 kDa from simulated distance and dihedral angle restraint tables.     

Dyspnea resulting from phrenic nerve paralysis after interscalene brachial plexus block in an obese male--a case report

While current psychiatric taxonomies recognise a classification of amphetamine dependence, derived from the notion of an alcohol dependence syndrome, little research has validated that such a condition exists for this drug. Current amphetamine users (N = 331), were interviewed using the World Health Organization operationalisation of DSM-III-R substance dependence criteria, and a measure of the psychological components of dependence. Structural analyses indicated that a unidimensional dependence syndrome as assessed by DSM-III-R and DSM-IV criteria exists for amphetamine, and that physiological, psychological and behavioural indicators were all important in accounting for the variance in responses. It was demonstrated that the concept of a dependence syndrome is applicable to amphetamine, and that the inclusion of the amphetamine dependence syndrome in DSM-III-R and DSM-IV is valid.     

Prenatal diagnosis of an extensive fetal lymphangioma using ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging and cytology

An unusual case of fetal lymphangioma diagnosed before delivery is reported in a second trimester pregnant woman. The lymphangioma was suspected at 28 weeks on the basis of the ultrasound appearances and progression of the lesions with advancing gestation. MRI was used to evaluate the extent and the tissue characteristics of the lesions. Cytology of the fluid aspirated from the cystic lesions showed abundant lymphocytes and macrophages, confirming the diagnosis of a lymphangioma. The parents opted for a pregnancy termination because of the rapid growth of the lesions and the poor prognosis. It is suggested that the combination of these tests could enable the early diagnosis of these tumours at a stage when the lesion is relatively limited and accessible to therapy in utero.     

Metabolic factors have a major impact on kidney allograft survival

BACKGROUND: At the present time, late graft loss is the major cause of kidney failure after transplantation. However, the influence of metabolic factors on this process is ill-defined. METHODS: To identify the impact of lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, and blood pressure and their prognostic value for graft survival, data for all recipients of a kidney allograft with a potential graft survival of >15 years and a minimum graft survival of 1 month were analyzed retrospectively. Recipients of kidney grafts functioning more than 15 years (n=32) were compared with those with a graft function of less than 10 years (n=152, controls) and evaluated in a multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Low levels of serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose, before and after transplantation, were accompanied by a prolonged graft survival. Prognostic factors for early graft failure included serum triglycerides >300 mg/dl, cholesterol >250 mg/dl before transplantation, serum creatinine >4.0 mg/dl 1 month after transplantation, and donor age above 45 or less than 10 years. Additionally, systolic and, particularly, diastolic blood pressure was lower in the group with a prolonged graft function as compared with controls immediately before and after transplantation. In addition, the incidence of primary graft function was lower and the incidence of acute rejection episodes higher in controls. Cold and warm ischemic time, body mass index, recipient age, and gender did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that metabolic parameters play an important role in the process of late graft loss after kidney transplantation.