The effect of the new nootropic dipeptide GVS-111 in different functional disorders of the escape reaction

Endothelium protector SOFTEL is developed by Ekran firm and Institute of Eye Diseases, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The drug was used in 157 patients aged 28-79 years. Perforating keratoplasty for corneal leukoma and keratoconus was carried out in 46 patients, cataract extraction with implantation of intraocular lens (IOL) in 94, and cataract extraction without IOL implantation in 17 patients. Two patients developed slight hypertension in the postoperative period, which resolved within 24 h, and four patients developed moderate corneal edema persisting for 1-2 days postoperation. The protective effect of softel is compatible with that of its foreign analog Healon. The drug is effective in cataract extractions with IOL implantation and perforating keratoplasty.     

Neutron off-plane scattering of aligned membranes. I. Method Of measurement

We describe a method of measuring neutron scattering of aligned membranes with the momentum transfer oriented parallel or partly perpendicular to the plane of the membranes. The method obtains the complete information for the structures within fluid membranes obtainable by scattering. Data from alamethicin- and magainin-induced pores are presented. Although the in-plane scattering curves of these two peptides are similar to each other, their off-plane scattering patterns are strikingly distinct. Magainin pores exhibit intermembrane correlations.     

Donor liver selection. The South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation Liver Committee

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of noninvasive (face mask) versus invasive (endotracheal tube) equal pressure values on blood gases and respiratory pattern and to evaluate the feasibility of using mask ventilation after the short term physiologic study. DESIGN: Open, prospective, physiologic study and uncontrolled clinical study. SETTING: Intensive care unit of a trauma center. PATIENTS: 22 intubated trauma patients were studied. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were intubated and ventilated in a pressure support mode (IPSV) of 13.5 +/- 1.5 cmH2O and a post end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 5.8 +/- 2.57 cmH2O. After a T-piece trial to assess patient's ability to breath spontaneously, patients were switched over to noninvasive pressure support (NIPSV). The pressure levels were set as during IPSV. Blood gases and respiratory parameters were measured during IPSV, during the T-piece trial, and after 1 h of NIPSV. After the physiologic study, all patients were asked if they wished to continue on NIPSV. The patient's subjective compliance with IPSV and NIPSV was measured by means of an arbitrary score. A successful outcome was defined as no need for reintubation. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: IPSVand NIPSV showed no statistical differences for blood gas and respiratory parameters by using the same values of PSV (13 +/- 5 vs 12.8 +/- 1.7 cmH2O, NS) and PEEP (5.8 +/- 2.5 and 5.2 +/- 2.2 cmH2O NS). The median length of time on NIPSV was 47 h (range 6 to 144). All patients wished to continue on NIPSV, but 9 patients (40.9%) were reintubated after 54 +/- 54 h. Six of them died after 36 +/- 13 days while still on mechanical ventilation. There was no statistically significant difference in compliance score between IPSVand NIPSV. CONCLUSIONS: NIPSV is comparable to IPSV in terms of blood gases and respiratory pattern. The clinical uncontrolled study indicates that NIPSV could be used in selected trauma patients.     

Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax circumsporozoite proteins in anophelines (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in eastern Thailand

In total, 414 anophelines, consisting of Anopheles karwari (James), An. splendidus Koidzumi, An. dirus Peyton & Harrison, and An. barbirostris Van der Wulp were collected in 2 provinces in eastern Thailand and tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the presence of circumsporozoite proteins. Plasmodium vivax CS protein was detected in 3.4% (2/54) of An. karwari and 4.8% (2/42) of An. barbirostris specimens. Both P. vivax phenotypes, Pv247 and Pv210, were found in An. karwari, whereas only Pv247 was detected in An. barbirostris. Plasmodium falciparum CS protein was detected only in 0.3% (1/276) of An. dirus. Results indicate that An. barbirostris may play a role in the transmission of P. vivax in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand.     

Development and evaluation of a predictive model for the effect of temperature and water activity on the growth rate of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

The growth rates of four strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were measured and compared in a model broth system. The results for the fastest growing strain, based on 77 combinations of temperature and water activity (aw) using NaCl as the humectant, were summarised in the form of a predictive mathematical model. The model, of the square-root type includes a novel term to describe the effects of super-optimal water activity, and can be used to predict generation times for the temperature range (8-45 degrees C) and water activity range (0.936-0.995) which permit growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Predicted generation times from the model were compared to literature data, using bias and accuracy factors, for both laboratory media and foods. The model was shown to give realistic growth estimates, with a bias value of 1.01, and an accuracy factor of 1.38.     

An algorithm for numerical calculation of the k-space data-weighting for polarly sampled trajectories: application to spiral imaging

Image reconstruction of data sampled into a non-uniform k-space grid requires appropriate data weighting and, for spiral-scan raw data, this weighting is usually calculated analytically under the assumption of uniform radial k-space sampling. This paper presents a simple and efficient algorithm for explicit numerical calculation of the data weighting for generalised polarly sampled k-space trajectories. The algorithm has been tested against both simulated data and data from experimental spiral-scan imaging and clearly provides significant improvements in image reconstruction when the radial uniformity of the k-space trajectory is poor.