Activity-dependent changes in voltage-dependent calcium currents and transmitter release

The use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for clinically relevant assays is attractive since it often presents many advantages over contemporary methods. The small-diameter tubing that holds the separation medium has led to the development of multicapillary instruments, and simultaneous sample analysis. Furthermore, CE is compatible with a wide range of detectors, including UV-Vis, fluorescence, laser-induced fluorescence, electrochemistry, mass spectrometry, radiometric, and more recently nuclear magnetic resonance, and laser-induced circular dichroism systems. Selection of an appropriate detector can yield highly specific analyte detection with good mass sensitivity. Another attractive feature of CE is the low consumption of sample and reagents. However, it is paradoxical that this advantage also leads to severe limitation, namely poor concentration sensitivity. Often high analyte concentrations are required in order to have injection of sufficient material for detection. In this regard, a series of devices that are broadly termed 'analyte concentrators' have been developed for analyte preconcentration on-line with the CE capillary. These devices have been used primarily for non-specific analyte preconcentration using packing material of the C18 type. Alternatively, the use of very specific antibody-containing cartridges and enzyme-immobilized microreactors have been demonstrated. In the current report, we review the likely impact of the technology of capillary electrophoresis and the role of the CE analyte concentrator-microreactor on the analysis of biomolecules, present on complex matrices, in a clinical laboratory. Specific examples of the direct analysis of physiologically-derived fluids and microdialysates are presented, and a personal view of the future of CE in the clinical environment is given.     

Effect of preoperative supplementation with alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid on myocardial injury in patients undergoing cardiac operations

Augmentation of antioxidant defenses may help protect tissues against ischemia-reperfusion injury associated with operations involving cardiopulmonary bypass. In this study we examined the effect of pretreating patients with alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or placebo on injury to the myocardium. Seventy-six subjects undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting participated in a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial, receiving either placebo or both 750 IU dl-alpha-tocopherol per day for 7 to 10 days and 1 gm ascorbic acid 12 hours before the operation. Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations, raised fourfold by supplementation, fell by 70% after the operation in the supplemented group and to negligible levels in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to release of creatine kinase MB isoenzyme over 72 hours, nor in the reduction of the myocardial perfusion defect determined by thallium 201 uptake. Electrocardiography provided no evidence of a benefit from antioxidant supplementation. Thus the supplementation regimen prevented the depletion of the primary lipid soluble antioxidant in plasma, but provided no measurable reduction in myocardial injury after the operation.     

Arthroscopic reduction and fixation of bony avulsion of the posterior cruciate ligament of the tibia

Bony avulsion fractures of the posterior cruciate ligament of the tibia have commonly been treated by open reduction and internal fixation using the posterior approach. However, this approach, using the prone position, makes it difficult to investigate and treat other combined injuries of the knee joint. We report a case of posterior cruciate ligament avulsion of the tibia that was arthroscopically reduced and firmly fixed with two cannulated screws. The posterior sag was absent after the operation and the result was excellent. By arthroscopy, we got rigid fixation of the avulsed fragment for early rehabilitation, and detection of a concomitant injury was also possible.     

Epidemiological study of hypertension and its determinants in an urban population of North India

OBJECTIVES: To determine age-specific prevalence of hypertension and blood pressure (BP) levels in relation to diet and lifestyle factors in North Indians. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional survey in 20 randomly selected streets in Moradabad, North India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 1806 subjects from North India (904 males and 902 females) age range 25-64 years. The survey methods were as follows: dietary diaries for 7 days food intake record; BP measurements; physician administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Diagnosis of hypertension was based on new World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) criteria. Risk factors were assessed based on WHO guidelines. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension according to WHO/ISH criteria was 23.7% and by old WHO criteria 13.3%. In the WHO/ISH hypertensive group, isolated diastolic hypertension was present in 47.3% males and 40.6% females. Males have a slightly higher prevalence than females in the young age group, however, the prevalence rates are comparable in the older age groups. In both sexes, the prevalence rates and BP level increased with older age. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, higher body mass index, central obesity and higher socioeconomic status were independently and strongly associated with hypertension in both sexes. Higher dietary fat and salt intake and lower physical activity were weakly but significantly associated with hypertension. CONCLUSION: Association of higher socioeconmic status, higher body mass index and central obesity in North Indian adults with higher fat intake, lower physical activity and higher prevalence and level of hypertension indicate that these populations may benefit by decreasing the dietary fat intake and increasing physical activity, with an aim to decrease central obesity for decreasing hypertension in North Indians.     

Coronary bypass in vascular patients: a relatively high-risk procedure

A premise of cardiac risk stratification is that the added risk of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is offset by the improved safety of subsequent vascular reconstruction (VR). We questioned if elective CABG is patients with severe peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a relatively high-risk procedure. A cohort study of 680 elective CABG patients from January 1993 to December 1994 was performed using three mutually exclusive outcomes of complication-free survival, morbidity, and mortality. Patient characteristic, operative, and outcome data were prospectively collected. Retrospective review determined that 58 patients had either a standard indication for or a history of VR. Overall CABG mortality was 2.5%, with statistically similar but relatively higher rates for PVD as compared to non-PVD patients. In contrast, major morbidity occurred at rates 3.6-fold higher in PVD patients (39.7%) than in disease-free patients (16.7%) after adjustment for the effects of patient and operative variables (odds ratio [OR] 3.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.93-6.99). CABG morbidity in the PVD patient was most likely in those patients with aortoiliac (OR 9.51, CI 3.20-28.27) and aortic aneurysmal (OR 5.24, CI 1.28-21.41) disease types. CABG in PVD patients is associated with significant major morbidity. Such morbidity may preclude or alter the timing of subsequent VR.     

PES News

This paper presents a new method for the generation of a reference voltage for a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR). These voltages, when injected in series with a distribution feeder by a voltage source inverter, can tightly regulate the voltage at the load terminal against imbalance or harmonics in the source side. It is stipulated that the DVR does not supply any real power in the steady state. The reference voltage generation scheme is validated through digital computer simulation studies.     

Effect of copper additions in directly quenched titanium–boron steels

The present study concerns the effect of copper additions on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of directly quenched Ti–B steels. Ti and B are added as microalloying elements with an aim of achieving adequate austenite hardenability and Cu is added to retard the austenite (γ) → ferrite (α) transformation. Therefore, the microalloying and Cu additions together allow the transformation of austenite to occur at a lower temperature, resulting in a finer microstructure containing martensitic constituents. The direct-quenching route is adopted with an aim of facilitating the nucleation of the constituent phases from the deformed austenite. In order to circumvent the hot-shortness due to the Cu addition, 0.79 wt% Ni has been added to one of the 1.5 wt% Cu microalloyed steels. The present study has demonstrated that the Ni-containing 1.5Cu–Ti–B steel is capable of providing an attractive combination of strength and ductility comparable to the high strength varieties of HSLA steels in directly quenched condition.     

Cavitation in Superfluid Helium Possibly Arising from Penning Ionization of Dimers

We have perforated a series of experiments to study cavitation in superfluid helium into which electrons are injected by field-emission from a sharp tip. The injected electrons force open small cavities in the liquid (“electron bubble”). These objects explode at a critical negative pressure P _c, and in previous experiments we have studied the cavitation that resugts from these explosions. In the present experiments we have detected cavitation events that occur before a negative pressure as large as P _c is reached. We suggest that these events may arise from a process in which two neutral helium dimers interact and an electron is injected into the liquid through Penning ionization.