Leaching and primary biodegradation of sulfonated naphthalenes and their formaldehyde condensates from concrete superplasticizers in groundwater affected by tunnel construction

Sulfonated naphthalenes and their formaldehyde condensates (SNFC) are used as concrete superplasticizers fortunnel construction through aquifers.This paperdiscusses their primary biodegradation in groundwater affected by construction activities. The analyses of groundwater samples collected 5 m away from a construction site clearly indicated that components of the applied SNFC product leached into the groundwater. A maximum total concentration of these compounds of 233 microg/L was found, and it was shown that only the monomeric sulfonated naphthalenes andthe condensates uptothetetramerleached in substantial amounts. The decrease in concentration of several monomeric components could not be explained by mere dispersion but rather indicates a biological transformation in the aquifer. This was confirmed at a second field site and by laboratory degradation experiments with piezometer material as inoculum. Lag phases for the individually degradable sulfonated naphthalenes ranged from 0 to 96 d. Naphthalene-1,5-disulfonate and the oligomeric components were neither degraded in the aquifer nor in the laboratory experiments within an observation time of up to 195 d. This clearly indicates their persistence in subsurface waters.     

Non occlusive mesenteric ischemia: a late complication of cardiogenic shock

The case of a diabetic 62-year-old man with a past history of myocardial infarction, developing a cardial arrest followed by successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is reported. In the late clinical course, the patient displayed abdominal signs related to mesenteric ischaemia. The pathophysiology of non-occlusive mesenteric ischaemia is discussed. Risk factors such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hemodialysis, the use of digoxine or alpha-adrenergic drugs are listed. Non-occlusive mesenteric ischaemia is not an infrequent complication of cardiac failure in high risk patients.     

Convection-enhanced delivery of macromolecules in the brain

For many compounds (neurotrophic factors, antibodies, growth factors, genetic vectors, enzymes) slow diffusion in the brain severely limits drug distribution and effect after direct drug administration into brain parenchyma. We investigated convection as a means to enhance the distribution of the large and small molecules 111In-labeled transferrin (111In-Tf; M(r), 80,000) and [14C]sucrose (M(r), 359) over centimeter distances by maintaining a pressure gradient during interstitial infusion into white matter to generate bulk flow through the brain interstitium. The volume of distribution (Vd) containing > or = 1% concentration of infusion solution increased linearly with the infusion volume (Vi) for 111In-Tf(Vd/Vi, 6:1) and [14C]sucrose (Vd/Vi, 13:1). Twenty-four hours after infusion, the distribution of 111In-Tf was increased and more homogeneous, and penetration into gray matter had occurred. By using convection to supplement simple diffusion, enhanced distribution of large and small molecules can be obtained in the brain while achieving drug concentrations orders of magnitude greater than systemic levels.     

Energy transfer (deazaflavin-->FADH2) and electron transfer (FADH2-->T <> T) kinetics in Anacystis nidulans photolyase

DNA photolyases catalyze the photocycloreversion of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. The enzyme from the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans contains two chromophores, 1,5-dihydroflavin adenine dinucleotide (FADH2) and 7,8-didemethyl-8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin (8-HDF). The photophysical/photochemical reactions leading to DNA repair were investigated by using time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that the excited singlet state of 8-HDF transfers energy to FADH2 at a rate of 1.9 x 10(10) s-1 and a quantum yield of 0.98. Using the Forster equation for long-range energy transfer and assuming random orientations of the donor and acceptor the interchromophore distance was calculated to be 15 A. The excited singlet FADH2 which forms either by energy transfer from 8-HDF or by direct absorption of a photon has a lifetime of 1.8 ns in the absence of substrate and 0.14 ns in the presence of the photodimer indicating electron transfer from the FADH2 excited singlet state to the dimer at a rate of 6.5 x 10(9) s-1 and quantum efficiency of 92%.     

Study of solid-gas-suspensions used for direct absorption of concentrated solar radiation

Suspensions of solid particles of the appropriate diameter in gases have interesting selective absorption properties, as they absorb solar radiation, whereas the emmissivity in the IR range is low. For the numerical evaluation of the important factors governing this absorption, the absorption cross section obtained by Mie Theory was substituted in Beer-Lambert relation for different conditions. For a given concentration and optical depth, the absorption was found to be dependent on the imaginary part, n₂, of the complex index of refraction, n = n₁ − in₂, of the material used. It is also dependent on the size of the particle d (represented by the diameter in case of spherical particles). For solar spectrum (0,2–3 μ) and spherical particles, the recommended values are n₂ 0,6 and d = 0.5 μ. These values may be satisfied by spherical particles of graphite.     

Effects of furosemide on glomerular filtration rate and clearance of practolol, digoxin, cephaloridine, and gentamicin

Furosemide was shown to decrease inulin clearance in 20 of 27 normal subjects. The depression in inulin clearance occurred in both water-loaded and non-water-loaded subjects. The renal clearance of practolol, but not digoxin, was reduced when furosemide was given. The average total plasma clearances of gentamicin and of cephaloridine over a 6-hr period were decreased after furosemide. The reduced clearances of the antibiotics were associated with higher plasma levels, the increase in antibiotic concentration being as much as 100% at 1 hr after an intravenous bolus injection.     

A fast spot segmentation algorithm for two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis

An important issue in the automation of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis image analysis is the detection and quantification of protein spots. A spot segmentation algorithm must detect, define the extent of, and measure the integrated density of spots under a wide variety of actual gel image conditions. Besides these functions, the algorithm must be memory efficient to be able to process very large gel images and do this in a reasonable amount of computation time on low-cost computers, such as workstations and personal computers. We have developed a fast spot segmentation algorithm, extending the GELLAB-II segmenter, which extracts spots in a single raster scanning pass through the gel image. The performance analysis of the algorithm will be given in the paper as well as a discussion of the algorithm.     

Tumorigenicity by human papillomavirus type 16 E6 and E7 in transgenic mice correlates with alterations in epithelial cell growth and differentiation

The human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) E6 and E7 oncogenes are thought to play a role in the development of most human cervical cancers. These E6 and E7 oncoproteins affect cell growth control at least in part through their association with and inactivation of the cellular tumor suppressor gene products, p53 and Rb. To study the biological activities of the HPV-16 E6 and E7 genes in epithelial cells in vivo, transgenic mice were generated in which expression of E6 and E7 was targeted to the ocular lens. Expression of the transgenes correlated with bilateral microphthalmia and cataracts (100% penetrance) resulting from an efficient impairment of lens fiber cell differentiation and coincident induction of cell proliferation. Lens tumors formed in 40% of adult mice from the mouse lineage with the highest level of E6 and E7 expression. Additionally, when lens cells from neonatal transgenic animals were placed in tissue culture, immortalized cell populations grew out and acquired a tumorigenic phenotype with continuous passage. These observations indicate that genetic changes in addition to the transgenes are likely necessary for tumor formation. These transgenic mice and cell lines provide the basis for further studies into the mechanism of action of E6 and E7 in eliciting the observed pathology and into the genetic alterations required for HPV-16-associated tumor progression.