Lipoprotein metabolism disorders in hypertension with a cerebral syndrome and their diagnostic value for medico-occupational expertise

On the basis of a profound clinico-biochemical study of 182 patients with hypertensive disease the authors established that the development of chronic insufficiency of cerebral circulation in this disorder is accompanied by quantitative and physico-chemical changes in the lipoprotein metabolism. These indices do not change significantly following short sessions of heparinotherpy and comprehensive treatment. Their diagnostical significance for medico-occupational examinations is discussed.     

Structural characterization of two synthetic catalysts based on adipocyte lipid-binding protein

Adipocyte lipid-binding protein (ALBP) is a small (14.5 kDa) 10- strandedbeta-barrel protein found in mammalian fat cells. The crystal structures ofvarious holo-forms of ALBP have been solved and show the fatty acid ligandbound in a large (approximately 400 A3) cavity isolated from bulk solvent.Examination of the cavity suggests that it would be a good site for thecreation of an artificial catalyst, as numerous well defined crystalstructures of ALBP are available and past studies have shown theconformation to be reasonably tolerant to modification and mutagenesis.Previous work has shown ALBP to be a good protein scaffold for exploringenantio- and stereoselective reactions; two constructs, ALBP attached toeither a pyridoxamine or a phenanthroline group at C117, have beenchemically characterized. Both modified proteins have been crystallized andtheir structures solved and refined. The X-ray models have been used toexamine the origin of the chiral selectivity seen in the products. It isapparent that these covalent adducts reduce the internal cavity volume,sterically limiting substrate interactions with the reactive groups, aswell as solvent access to potential intermediates in the reaction pathway.     

Fabrication of and performance studies on a low cost solar cooker having an inclined aperture plane

A low cost box-type solar cooker made of two paper carton boxes with crumpled newspaper balls as insulation has been fabricated with a tilted aperture plane. Comparative tests of this cooker have been conducted against a normal type costlier solar cooker with 1000 ml load of water in each of the cookers. It has been observed that on a sunny day water temperature initially increases more rapidly in the new cooker compared to the normal type cooker. But at temperatures higher than 90°C both the cookers perform similarly. Two figures of merit F₁ and F₂ have also been found to be satisfactory. An arrangement of low cost auxiliary heating using a 100w electric bulb inside a blackened metal casing allows the carton box cooker to reach cooking temperatures under cloudy conditions with ease when the normal type solar cooker fails. The cost of materials for the new cooker is within US $10 and has been observed to be as effective as the normal type solar cooker which requires between US $40 and $65 to fabricate.     

The Effect of Non-Equilibrium Condensation on Supersonic Air Flows over Rectangular Cavities

Numerical simulations have been carried out for a supersonic two-dimensional flow over open,rectangular cavi-ties(length-to-depth ratios are L/D=1.0 and 3.0)in order to investigate the effect of non-equilibrium condensa-tion of moist air on supersonic internal flows around the cavity for the flow Mach number 1.83 at the cavity en-trance.In the present computational investigation,a condensing flow was produced by an expansion of moist airin a Laval nozzle.The computational results showed that the upstream traveling compression waves becomeweaker than those without the condensation.Consequently,the weaker compression waves cannot excite theshear layer strongly and amplitudes of oscillation in the cavity became smaller than those without the condensa-tion.The occurrence of the non-equilibrium condensation in case of L/D=1.0 affected strongly the amplitude andfrequency of oscillation in the cavity compared with L/D=3.0.     

Sertraline induced parkinsonism. A case report and an in-vivo study of the effect of sertraline on dopamine metabolism

We report a patient with a parkinsonian syndrome induced by sertraline (Zoloft), an SSRI antidepressant, whose symptoms resolved after the drug was discontinued. This case prompted us to investigate the effect of sertraline on dopamine metabolism in animals. Sertraline (30 mg/kg, i.p.) or placebo (vehicle) was administered to two groups of six normal, anesthetized rats and using cerebral microdyalisis extracellular striatal levels of dopamine, the dopamine metabolites (HVA and DOPAC), as well as the serotonin metabolite 5-HIIA were monitored. In animals pre-treated with sertraline, DOPAC, HVA, and 5-HIAA levels were significantly decreased compared to control animals (p < 0.01). These data indicate that sertraline has an effect on dopamine metabolism, which may alter function in the striatum and induce a parkinsonian syndrome.     

Prostate-specific antigen values and their clinical significance in renal transplant recipients

BACKGROUND: In the diagnosis of prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the most clinically useful tumor marker. Its utility in renal transplant patients is unclear. We hypothesized that PSA values might be affected by the renal function, immunosuppression, or proteinuria. METHODS: Three hundred four PSA values were measured in 166 patients >40 years (53.5 +/- 7.2 years, mean +/- SD, range 44.4 to 76.2). Charts were reviewed for 24-hour creatinine clearance, 24-hour urinary protein, cyclosporine use, age at the time of each PSA test, and evaluation done in response to the PSA result. Analyses used the Mann-Whitney U test and simple regression model. RESULTS: Twenty-five values in 13 patients were >4.0 ng/mL. Of these, 6 patients (6 values) had normal repeat PSA values; 3 patients (11 values) had negative evaluations for prostate cancer; and 4 patients (8 values) were diagnosed with prostate cancer. The latter 4 patients were excluded from the denoted normal group leaving 294 PSA values in 162 patients. The mean normal PSA was 1.3 +/- 1.8 ng/mL, range 0.1 to 20.2. The pretreatment mean PSA for recipients with prostate cancer was 302 +/- 800, range 8.0 to 2,281. An elevated PSA value was associated with a 31% incidence of prostate cancer. There was no association of PSA levels with cyclosporine use, 24-hour creatinine clearance, or 24-hour urinary protein, but there was with age. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate-specific antigen values in renal transplant recipients are similar to those in the general population and are not influenced by cyclosporine or by renal function. We recommend routine measurement of PSA in male transplant recipients.