Chemoprevention of pulmonary carcinogenesis by aerosolized budesonide in female A/J mice

This investigation is part of a continuing effort to develop effective chemoprevention for carcinogenesis of the lung. The present study explores the use of aerosol administrations for this purpose. The agent selected for initial study was the synthetic glucocorticoid budesonide. This selection was based on previous work in which budesonide added to the diet was found to inhibit pulmonary adenoma formation in female A/J mice. However, high dose levels were required, i.e., of the order of 300 microg/kg, of body weight [L. W. Wattenberg and R. D. Estensen, Carcinogenesis (Lond.), 18: 2015-2017, 1997]. For aerosol administration of budesonide, a nose-only technique has been developed that entails nebulization of the compound dissolved in ethanol and subsequent stripping off of the solvent (less than 3 microl ethanol/liter of air remaining at the site of inhalation). The budesonide particles produced by the apparatus had a mass median aerodynamic diameter of less than 1 microm. An experiment has been carried out in which the inhibitory effects of aerosolized budesonide, given for 1 min six times a week, were studied. Concentrations of budesonide of 26, 81, and 148 microg/liter of air (calculated doses of 23, 72, and 126 microg/kg of body weight) were used. The aerosols were started 1 week after three oral administrations of benzo(a)pyrene (2 mg/20 g of body weight) to female A/J mice. All three doses of budesonide resulted in more than 80% inhibition of pulmonary tumor formation compared to the aerosol control and 90% or greater compared to mice not exposed to aerosol. The difference in inhibition is due to the aerosol procedure itself, which produces a reduction in tumor formation. A decrease in splenic weight (evidence of a systemic effect) occurred at all doses of budesonide. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published effort at the use of aerosol administration to prevent neoplasia of the respiratory tract. The results of the present study show that administration of a potential chemopreventive agent by aerosol at a low dose can inhibit the occurrence of pulmonary carcinogenesis in female A/J mice.     

Internet-Telefonie — Ein Überblick

Voice telephony in the internet is of increasing importance since more than one year. The reason is the availability of powerful voice codecs operating on a personal computer and of new application software products. Interworking Units between the public telephone network and the internet are acelerating this trend. This article is giving an overview of history, technology, standards and future prospects of this new type of voice telephony.     

Nonopioid analgesics shorten the duration of postoperative ileus

Morphine inhibits propagating and stimulates nonpropagating colon contractions in monkeys and humans. The use of morphine or other opioids that inhibit propulsive contractions prolongs postoperative ileus. In contrast, ketorolac tromethamine, a nonsteroidal analgesic, has no effect on colon contractions in monkeys. In 14 patients having elective abdominal operations, bipolar electrodes were implanted on the right (n = 13) and left (n = 10) colon. Group A (n = 8) received ketorolac, 30 mg IM q6h, for pain relief. Group B (n = 6) needed supplemental morphine, 2-10 mg IV or IM, plus ketorolac to control their pain. Myoelectric activity was recorded from each subject on postop Days 1-5 and analyzed by computer for electrical control activity (ECA), short and long electrical response activity (ERA), and propagation of long ERA. There was a difference between the two groups in return of propagated long ERA bursts that correlated with clinical recovery from postoperative ileus. Postoperative analgesia with ketorolac resulted in faster resolution of ileus compared to morphine plus ketorolac because opioid-induced motor abnormalities in the colon were avoided.     

Prüfmittelüberwachung und-verwaltung im Qualitätsmanagement — leistungsfähig und flexibel durch Rechnereinsatz

Inspection, measuring and testing instruments are influencing the quality in modern production. Therefore the confirmation of this equipment is an essential quality requirement for the entire production especially at the increasing demands of micro and nanotechnology. Thereby the large expense of the confirmation can be reduced essentially through computer assistance. For this purpose a special method has been developed at the Department for Interchangeable Manufacturing and Industrial Metrology, with which an increase of the flexibility level and efficiency of a system for the management and confirmation of the inspection, measuring and test equipment can be achieved.     

Retinal cholinergic system: characterization of rat retinal acetyltransferases using specific inhibitors of choline- and carnitine-acetyltransferases

Choline acetyltransferase catalyzes the synthesis of acetylcholine from choline and acetylcoenzyme A (ACoA) in both nervous and non-nervous tissues. Carnitine acetyltransferase occurs in several tissues and transfers acetyl groups from ACoA to carnitine forming acetylcarnitine and exhibits weak choline acetyltransferase activity. Several haloacetylcholines and haloacetylcarnitines were synthesized to develop selective inhibitors of choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase. Acetylcholine is a transmitter for some presynaptic neurons and/or amacrine cells in retina. Selective inhibitors of choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase were used in the evaluation of choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase activities in the rat retina. Choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase activities were assayed by transferring of [14C]acetyl group from [14C]ACoA to choline or carnitine and estimating [14C]-acetylcholine or [14C]acetylcarnitine. This study gave the following results: (a) Bromoacetylcholine (BrACh) was a selective inhibitor of purified choline acetyltransferase (I50, 2.2 microM); (b) (R)-bromoacetylcarnitine [(R)-BrACa] was more potent for inhibiting purified carnitine acetyltransferase (I50, 4 microM) than purified choline acetyltransferase (I50, 46 microM); (c) Rat retinal sonicate gave choline acetyltransferase activity of 98 +/- 6 nmol of ACh formed/mg/10 min. When the carnitine acetyltransferase was completely inhibited by (R)-BrACa, the activity for choline acetyltransferase decreased to 47 +/- 1 nmol, and this decrease was possibly due to the formation of some [14C]acetylcholine by carnitine acetyltransferase. The net retinal choline acetyltransferase activity was 51 nmol acetylcholine/mg protein/10 min; (d) Rat retinal sonicate contained carnitine acetyltransferase activity of 102 +/- 7 nmol acetylcarnitine formed/mg protein/10 min. This was not altered by inhibition of choline acetyltransferase with BrACh. This means that choline acetyltransferase did not use carnitine as a substrate. Choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase activities did not change after dialysis of retinal sonicates at 4 degrees C for 24 hrs. These observations suggest that BrACh and (R)-BrACa are useful for assessing the correct values for choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase activities in retinal tissues.     

The deamination of L-arginine and the synthesis of active nitrogen compounds in Yersinia pestis

The investigations of authors concerning infants and their families were generalized on the basis of the observations of infants and their parents with some psychological problems in families. The principles of psychotherapeutic work in above-mentioned groups were formulated. Besides the methods of the diagnosis of psychical deviations development in first year infants as well as peculiarities of alterations in mother-baby system and the main forms of psychic disturbances correction in infants were also described.