Effects of cationic liposome-DNA complexes on pulmonary surfactant function in vitro and in vivo

Cationic liposome-DNA complexes are being evaluated as potential gene therapy agents for the lung. Cations have strong effects on the biophysical functions of lung surfactant. Therefore, we assessed whether cationic liposomes [composed of N-(1-(2,3-dioleyloxy) propyl)-N,N,N-trimethyl-ammonium chloride and dioleylphosphatidylethanolamine] with or without DNA affect behavior of four types of surfactant in vitro. Experiments were carried out using a modified Wilhelmy surface balance. The ability of surfactants that contain protein and anionic lipids to lower surface tension was inhibited in the presence of cationic liposomes. Inactivation was less when DNA was preincubated with cationic liposomes. Surfactant that contained neither protein nor anionic lipids was not inactivated. Mechanical properties of the lung were studied to assess in vivo surfactant function after intratracheal instillation of a cationic liposome-DNA complex into adult rats. Pressure-volume deflation curves were shifted by 18% compared with those from normal (untreated) animals, but this effect was transient and not different from that observed in animals who received a similar volume of saline. These findings indicate that cationic liposomes alone may have deleterious effects on behavior of some surfactants possibly by disrupting charge interactions between negatively charged phospholipids and surfactant proteins. When DNA is added to liposomes before exposure to surfactants, the adverse charge interactions may be obviated by charge neutralization of liposomes by DNA.     

Multichromic conducting copolymer of 1-benzyl-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrole with EDOT

Despite the significant progress made in the field of electrochromic polymers, the multichromic facility of current knowledge is restricted. Therefore, as previously proven, electrochemical copolymerization of 1-benzyl-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrole (SNBS) and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) was used as a strategy to achieve desired multichromic properties, where the resultant copolymer displayed distinct color changes between claret red, yellow, green, and blue colors with short switching times and high optical contrast. As an application, absorption/transmission type electrochromic device with indium tin oxide (ITO)/copolymer/gel electrolyte PEDOT/ITO configuration was constructed, where copolymer and PEDOT functioned as the anodically and the cathodically coloring layers, respectively. Results implied the successive use of this copolymer in electrochromic device applications, since the device exhibited short switching times with a wide color variation upon applied potential.     

Occurrence, oral exposure and risk assessment of volatile organic compounds in drinking water for Izmir

Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured in the drinking water in Province of Izmir, Turkey, and associated health risks due to ingestion of these compounds were investigated using population weighted random samples. A total of 100 houses were visited in different districts of Izmir and drinking water samples were collected from consumers' drinking water source. Questionnaires were administered to one participant in each house to determine demographics and drinking water consumption rates. Oral exposure and risks were estimated for each participant and Izmir population by deterministic and probabilistic approaches, respectively. The four trihalomethane (THM) species (i.e., chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform), benzene, toluene, p-xylene, and naphthalene were the most frequently detected VOCs with concentrations ranging from below detection limit to 35 microg/l. The risk estimates were found to be less than the values reported in the literature with few exceptions. Noncarcinogenic risks attributable to ingestion of VOCs for Izmir population were negligible, whereas the mean carcinogenic risk estimates for bromodichloromethane and dibromochloromethane were above the de minimis level of one in a million (10(-6)). For all VOCs, the concentrations measured in metropolitan area were greater than those in other districts. All THM species were detected in higher concentrations in tap water, whereas nontap water contained more benzene, toluene, p-xylene, and naphthalene. Therefore, the concentrations of the latter four compounds and associated risks increased with increasing income and education level since bottled water was used in larger proportions within these subgroups. The results of this study showed that oral exposure to drinking water contaminants and associated risks may be higher than the acceptable levels even if the concentrations fall below the standards.     

A survey on location estimation techniques for events detected in Twitter

Detection of events using voluntarily generated content in microblogs has been the objective of numerous recent studies. One essential challenge tackled in these studies is estimating the locations of events. In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art location estimation techniques used in the localization of events detected in microblogs, particularly in Twitter, which is one of the most popular microblogging platforms worldwide. We analyze these techniques with respect to the targeted event type, granularity of estimated locations, location-related features selected as sources of spatial evidence, and the method used to make aggregate decisions based on the extracted evidence. We discuss the strengths and advantages of alternative solutions to various problems related to location estimation, as well as their preconditions and limitations. We examine the most widely used evaluation methods to analyze the accuracy of estimations and present the results reported in the literature. We also discuss our findings and highlight important research challenges that may need further attention.     

Unusual US and CT findings in hepatoblastoma: a case report

Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary hepatic tumor in young children and its radiological findings have been well described. We report ultrasound and computer tomography findings in a case of hepatoblastoma diffusely involving the entire liver and presenting as inhomogeneity and numerous cystic lesions in the hepatic parenchyma.     

Extrinsic compression of the left atrium as an infrequent and fatal form of type B aortic dissection: value of ECG]

We present an infrequent case of extrinsic compression of the left atrium caused by a type B aortic dissection diagnosed by echocardiography. The transthoracic echocardiography showed the obliteration of the left atrium by a heterogeneous mass with two circular images of low echogenicity. The TEE study identified the mass as a huge hematoma surrounding the true and false lumen of the aneurysm. The case demonstrated the value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of type B aortic dissection.     

Graph Searching, Elimination Trees, and a Generalization of Bandwidth

The bandwidth minimization problem has a long history and a number of practical applications. In this paper we introduce a natural extension of bandwidth to partially ordered layouts. We consider this extension from three main viewpoints: graph searching, tree decompositions, and elimination orderings. The three graph parameters pathwidth, profile, and bandwidth related to linear layouts can be defined by variants of graph searching using a standard fugitive. Switching to an inert fugitive, the two former parameters are extended to treewidth and fill-in, and our first viewpoint considers the analogous tree-like extension that arises from the bandwidth variant. Bandwidth also has a definition in terms of ordered path decompositions, and our second viewpoint extends this in a natural way to ordered tree decompositions. In showing that both extensions are equivalent we employ the third viewpoint of elimination trees, as used in the field of sparse matrix computations. We call the resulting parameter the treespan of a graph and prove some of its combinatorial and algorithmic properties.     

Interdialytic blood pressure obtained by ambulatory blood pressure measurement and left ventricular structure in hypertensive hemodialysis patients

Unlike in subjects with normal renal function, the relationship between hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients is still being debated. In order to clarify this issue, we performed 44-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM) during the interdialytic period in a group of 164 hypertensive patients, the blood pressure (BP) control based on conventional antihypertensive strategy previously, on chronic hemodialysis treatment in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. These results were then compared with their echocardiographic data. This is a cross-sectional analysis. The mean ABPM during 44 hours was close to the manually measured predialysis value, but there was a gradual increase in the ABPM values in the interdialytic period. When divided into a group with mild or no left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (45 patients) and severe LVH (119 patients), the latter had significantly higher BP levels in all separate periods, while the difference in predialysis BP was not significant. Patients with severe LVH had larger left atrium and left ventricular diameters, and consumed more antihypertensive drugs. Systolic BP during the night before dialysis showed the strongest relation to LVH, but interdialytic weight gain was also independently related to LVH. Yet, 56% of the patients with systolic BP <135 had severe LVH. There is not only an association between BP and presence of LVH, but it is shown that volume expansion is also an important independent determinant of LVH. This may explain the difficulty in identifying hypertension as a cardiac risk factor in these patients.