Antilipid a monoclonal antibody HA-1A: immune complex clearance of endotoxin reduces TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 production

When the projecting point of saphenous nerve in second somatosensory cortex (S II) of cat was stimulated, the evoked potentials elicited by C-fiber inputs of saphenous nerve recorded in the primary somatosensory cortex (C-CEP) might be either inhibited or facilited according to whether the superficial and/or the deeper layer of the cortex was stimulated. The inhibition was expressed as a decrease of amplitude and prolongation of latency of C-CEP; while the facilitation, as an increase of amplitude and duration of C-CEP. When the superfaicial layer of S II was stimulated by weaker current, both inhibitory and facilitatory effects could be observed, but only inhibitory effect was observed, when the deep layer was stimulated. With the same intensity of stimulation, inhibitory effect was more pronounced when the deep layer rather than the superficial layer was stimulated. It is suggested that S II may play a role in the modulation of C-CEP of S I.     

Interweaving genetic programming and genetic algorithm for structural and parametric optimization in adaptive platform product customization

An adaptive product platform offers high customizability for generating feasible product variants for customer requirements. Customization takes place not only to product platform structure but also to its relevant parameters. Structural and parametric optimization processes are interwoven with each other to achieve the total optimality. This paper presents an evolutionary method dealing with interwoven structural and parametric optimization of adaptive platform product customization. The method combines genetic programming and genetic algorithm for handling structural and parametric optimization, respectively. Efficient genetic representation and operation schemes are carefully adapted. While designing these schemes, features specific to structural and parameter customization are considered for the simplification of platform product management. The experimental results show that the performance of the proposed algorithm outperforms that of the tandem evolutionary algorithm in which a genetic algorithm for parametric optimization is totally nested in a genetic programming for structural optimization.     

Deformation,residual stress,and constitutive relations for quenched W319 aluminum

A study of the development of deformation and transient and residual stresses during quenching in aluminum alloy W319 is presented. Rapid tension tests were performed on W319 in the super-saturated solution state at several temperatures and strain rates. A material model following the mechanical threshold stress (MTS)-Voce formulation is developed and implemented in both a simple one-dimensional code and a fully three-dimensional form as a user material subroutine in ABAQUS. The results of the tension tests are used to determine the parameters in the thermomechanical constitutive model. Unidirectional beam quenching experiments are performed to test the applicability of the constitutive model. Residual stresses in the beams are measured using a groove removal technique upon completion of the quenching process. Residual stress and deformation results from beam quenching experiments compare well to the analytical results computed using the constitutive model.     

Evolutionary variants of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 V3 region characterized by using a heteroduplex tracking assay

Syncytium-inducing (SI) variants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are evolutionary variants that are associated with rapid CD4+ cell loss and rapid disease progression. The heteroduplex tracking assay (HTA) was used to detect evolutionary V3 variants by amplifying the V3 sequences from viral RNA derived from 50 samples of patient plasma. For this V3-specific HTA (V3-HTA), heteroduplexes were formed between the patient V3 sequences and a probe with the subtype B consensus V3 sequence. Evolution was then measured by divergence from the consensus. The presence of evolutionary variants was correlated with SI detection data on the same samples from the MT-2 cell culture assay. Evolutionary variants were correlated with the SI phenotype in 88% of the samples, and 96% of the SI samples contained evolutionary variants. In most cases the evolutionary V3 variants represented discrete clonal outgrowths of virus. Sequence analysis of the six discordant samples that did not show this correlation indicated that three non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) samples had V3 sequences that had evolved away from the consensus sequence but not toward an SI genotype. A fourth sample showed little evolution away from the consensus but was SI, which indicates that not all SI variants require basic substitutions in V3. The other two samples had SI-like genotypes and NSI phenotypes, suggesting that V3-HTA was able to detect SI emergence in these samples in the absence of their detection in vitro. V3-HTA was also used to confirm SI variant selection in MT-2 cells and to examine the possibility of variant selection during virus culture in peripheral blood cells.     

The domain of function: who''s got it? Who''s competing for it?

We report on two patients with sulbactam/ampicillin (SBT/ABPC)-induced pneumonitis. Both patients were being treated with SBT/ABPC for respiratory-tract infections. Following the initiation of SBT/ABPC chemotherapy, however, chest X-ray films showed a shift of shadow in patient 1 and new pulmonary infiltration shadows in patient 2. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) findings showed a marked increase in the total cell count and percentage of eosinophils in patient 1 and of lymphocytes in patient 2. The results of lymphocyte stimulation tests were SBT/ABPC positive for both patients. SBT/ABPC therapy was therefore discontinued and corticosteroid therapy started. Both patients were subsequently relieved of their symptoms demonstrated significantly lower and pulmonary infiltrate levels. Based on these findings, both patients were given a diagnosis of SBT/ABPC-induced pneumonitis. It has been widely reported that CD 4/CD 8 ratio in BALF decreases in cases of drug-induced pneumonitis. However, some reports have cited increase in the CD 4/CD 8 ratio. In our two patients as well, the CD 4/CD 8 ratio increased. These results, together with the findings from several other case reports, indicate that the CD 4/CD 8 ratio may not be good basis for diagnosing drug-induced pneumonitis. Recently, the incidence of drug-induced pneumonitis has been rising. To our knowledge this is the first report documenting cases of SBT/ABPC-induced pneumonitis.     

Health and education: alternative courses for the development of nursing personnel

The disposition behavior of trientine, a selective copper-chelating drug for Wilson's disease, and its metabolites in normal patients with Wilson's disease and rats were studied. A high concentration of metabolites appeared in blood samples of patients and rats in the early stage after administration of trientine. Furthermore, large amount of trientine metabolites were excreted into the urine of patients. These results suggest that trientine is remarkably subjected to a first-pass effect. The drug concentration area under the curve (AUC) of the unchanged form and the metabolites of trientine in patients was not dependent on the administered dosage. It seems that the absorption process is an important factor for the disposition behavior of trientine, we have also investigated the uptake characteristics of trientine by rat intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles. The uptake characteristics of trientine were similar to the physiological polyamines, spermine and spermidine. The uptake rate of trientine was dose-dependently inhibited by spermine and spermidine. Moreover, spermine competitively inhibited the uptake of trientine with a Ki value of 18.6 muM. This value is very close to the Km value for spermine (30.4 muM). These data suggested that the uptake mechanism of trientine in rat small intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles was almost identical to that of spermine and spermidine, and that the physiological polyamines seem to have the ability to inhibit the absorption of trientine from the gastrointestinal tract.     

Preparation and evaluation of slow-release pan-coated indomethacin granules

Granules containing indomethacin crystals are coated with Eudragit solutions of different RL/RS ratios using a pan coating technique. The process is reproducible with regard to drug content, inexpensive and the formed granules were directly compressed into tablets. In vitro release of indomethacin from coated granules, tablets and capsules was studied as a function of different ratios of Eudragit RL/RS in the coating solution. The release of the drug was significantly reduced by the coating process in comparison with a formulation made from uncoated granules, prepared using 10 per cent gelatin solution as a binder. Release data were found to follow a diffusion-controlled model.