Plasma amino acid profile in relation to arterial ketone body ratio in surgical patients

A total of 357 plasma amino acid profiles from 93 surgical patients were statistically analyzed in relation to the changes in arterial ketone body ratio, which reflects the hepatic mitochondrial redox state. When the arterial ketone body ratio was above 0.7, all plasma amino acid levels were within the normal range. When it was between 0.7 and 0.4, plasma levels of aspartate, glutamate, valine, isoleucine, leucine, ornithine, and arginine decreased, and plasma levels of tyrosine, phenylalanine, proline, and methionine increased. Furthermore, when it was below 0.4, almost all plasma amino acids markedly increased. These results indicate that arterial ketone body ratio accurately reflects the alterations in plasma amino acid profile, and can serve as an indicator for providing nutritional support by amino acid supplement in surgical patients.     

Dural-pial arteriovenous malformation after sinus thrombosis

BACKGROUND: We report an unusual case of acquired dural-pial arteriovenous malformation (AVM) following sinus thrombosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: Initial angiography performed in a 39-year-old man showed thrombosis of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) and the right transverse sinus (TS) but no vascular malformations. Follow-up angiography 29 months later revealed recanalization of the SSS and the TS, retrograde cortical venous drainage which suggested that thrombosis of the sinuses probably propagated into the adjacent parietal cortical veins, and development of a dural-pial AVM at or near the site of thrombi in more than one cortical vein. Complete surgical excision of the lesion was accomplished without neurological deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: The present case suggests the possibility that the pial AVM is not only a congenital condition but also may develop as an acquired lesion.     

Detection of norovirus RNA in bivalve molluscs by using bacteria-culture-employed method (A3T method)

Norovirus (NV) RNA has rarely been detected in foods despite the use of highly sensitive methods such as RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR. In the modified method (A3T method) reported previously, a bacterial culture process was introduced into the standard protocol for NV detection to remove some inhibitor(s) present in food ingredients. To confirm the efficiency of the A3T method and to examine NV contamination in bivalve molluscs, we tried to detect NV RNA in bivalve molluscs on the market and in oyster samples associated with foodborne outbreaks by using the standard method and the A3T method. NV RNAs were detected in 20 samples (18.0%) of 111 bivalve molluscs, including oysters, on the market by use of the A3T method, while only one sample (0.9%) was positive according to the standard method. NV RNA was also detected in 10 of 35 oyster samples related to foodborne outbreaks by the A3T method. Those results show that the A3T method is suitable for the detection of NV in bivalve molluscs in general laboratories.     

Radiochemical analysis of rubble and trees collected from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

To characterize the rubble and trees contaminated by radionuclides released by the recent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the radiochemical analysis protocols were modified using those developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for the waste generated by research, industrial, and medical facilities. The radioactivity concentrations of gamma-ray-emitting nuclides ⁶⁰Co, ⁹⁴Nb, ¹⁵²Eu, and ¹⁵⁴Eu, and beta-particle-emitting nuclides ¹⁴C, ¹²⁹I, ³⁶Cl, ⁷⁹Se, and ⁹⁹Tc were successfully applied by the modified analytical method. In contrast, the radioactivity concentrations of ³H, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs, and alpha-particle-emitting nuclides were applied by the conventional method. Unfortunately, ³⁶Cl, ⁹⁴Nb, ¹²⁹I, ¹⁵²Eu, ¹⁵⁴Eu, and alpha-particle-emitting nuclides were below the detection limit of the conventional method. The measured radioactivity concentrations, except for that of ³H, were not uniform in the area but depended on the reactor unit. Although the radioactivity concentrations were varied widely, this analysis successfully clarified the characteristics of the radioactivity concentrations of the rubble and trees.     

Bubble behavior in vertical tube banks installed in a fluidized bed

Fluidized bed combustion is one of the advantageous technologies for coal and/or incineration firing especially with respect to the environmental protection of emissions, such as NO_x/SO_x. Bed material movement in such a fluidized bed has a prime importance in the heat transfer process. Thus, quantitative measurement of the bed material movement and the void fraction are indispensable for better understanding of the fluidized bed. In this investigation, neutron radiography is applied to visualize the bed material movement in a simulated fluidized bed heat exchanger installed with vertical tubes. Bubble behavior and void fraction profile are obtained by the image processing technique. Bubble movement is highly restrained by these vertical tubes, so that the bubbles rise up along the tube. The bubble diameter is well correlated by the modified Mori and Wen's correlation taking into account the pitch of the tube arrangement. The bubble rise velocity and void fraction are well correlated by applying the drift‐flux model. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(8): 727–739, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10127     

Synthesis and surface properties of N-long chain alkyl dihydroxy monoazacrown ethers

A series of N-alkyl dihydroxy monoazacrown ethers (1) was synthesized, and their surface properties were investigated compared to those of N-alkyl monoazacrown ethers (2) and open chain oxyethylenated long chain alkylamines (3). The complexation ability of1 toward alkali metal cations, a distinguished characteristic of crown compounds, was deduced to work even in the aqeuous solution from the values of T_CP, although it is weaker than typical monoazacrown ethers (2). The presence of two hydroxyl groups contributes to the large increase in hydrophilicity of monoazacrown ring and to the large surface excess of the surfactant molecule (1). A small occupation area to the solution surface is noted as a characteristic feature of the title coumpound (1).     

Living cationic polymerization of vinyl monomers by organoaluminum halides

Summary Well-defined living polymers of isobutyl vinyl ether were obtained in the polymerization initiated with ethylaluminum dichloride (EtAlCl₂) in conjunction with a stoichiometric excess of dioxane (5–10 vol%) in n-hexane at 0°C. Under these conditions, the number-average molecular weight of the polymers increased in direct proportion to monomer conversion, while the molecular weight distribution stayed narrow (M_w/M_n = 1.1–1.25). In sharp contrast, the EtAlCl₂-initiated polymerization in the absence of dioxane led to non-living polymers with a broad molecular weight distribution. It was concluded that the propagating carbocation is stabilized not by the counteranion but by an externally added basic compound (dioxane) that strongly interacts with the active end.     

Intake of different eicosapentaenoic acid-containing lipids and fatty acid pattern of plasma lipids in the rats

The ethyl ester of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is the only pure EPA-containing lipid available in bulk for oral administration. However, there is doubt as to whether EPA ethyl ester can efficiently increase the plasma levels of EPA in comparison with the ability of other kinds of EPA-containing lipids to do so. Therefore, two other kinds of EPA-containing lipids were prepared to study the efficiency of oral administration of those lipids for increasing the EPA content in plasma phospholipids and cholesteryl esters. EPA-containing lipids which were investigated were [A], 1,2,3-trieicosapentaenoyl-glycerol, [B] 2-eicosapentaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine and [C] ethyl ester of EPA. An adjusted amount of lipids [A], [B] and [C] was administered to rats through a gastric tube for 4 days (the first experiment) or for 10 days (the second experiment), and the fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids and cholesteryl esters was determined. In the first experiment, there were no significant differences in the efficiency for increasing EPA levels in either phospholipids or cholesteryl esters among the lipids. In the second experiment, the EPA levels of both plasma phospholipids and cholesteryl esters of rats administered ethyl ester of EPA were significantly higher than those of rats administered 2-eicosapentaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine. The EPA levels of the rats administered 1,2,3-trieicosapentaenoylglycerol were between the levels of the two groups mentioned above, but the differences in the EPA levels were not significant. Although an ethyl ester-type molecule is not a naturally occurring lipid, ethyl ester of EPA is equal to 1,2,3-trieicosapentaenoyl-glycerol and appears to be superior to 2-eicosapentaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine as to the efficiency for increasing EPA levels in total plasma phospholipids and plasma cholesteryl esters.