Allergic and Irritant Glove-related Diseases in Health Care Workers and Their Prevention

A simulation study of distal interlocking of an intramedullary nail was performed using newly devised, portable stereo fluoroscopy. Two intramedullary nails in which ten holes were drilled perpendicular to the long axis and at various angles to the diameter were inserted into a femoral and a tibial bone model. Ten drill bits were drilled freehand into the holes in the nail with the aid of the stereo fluoroscope. All twenty drill bits were seated in the holes in the first attempt. This instrument provides a three-dimensional view in real time, which enables the surgeon to appreciate the three-dimensional relationship between the drill bit and the hole in the nail in the bone model. Distal interlocking of the intramedullary nail is facilitated with the aid of this stereo fluoroscope.     

Design criteria for an angle resolved electron spectrometer of novel toroidal geometry

A charged particle analyser based on the use of polar trajectories in a toroidal sector is described in which a large number of particle emission angles are detected simultaneously. An analysis of the trajectories of particles in this class of analyser is presented and we develop transfer matrices which enable the imaging properties of such devices to be determined analytically. Expressions for the axial and radial magnification and for the energy resolving power are also derived. The analysis and the derived properties are compared with a numerical simulation and with all available published data.     

Plasma kinetic behavior in hyperlipidemic subjects of a lipidic microemulsion that binds to low density lipoprotein receptors

It was previously reported that a protein-free microemulsion (LDE) with structure roughly resembling that of the lipid portion of low density lipoprotein (LDL) was presumably taken up by LDL receptors when injected into the bloodstream. In contact with plasma, LDE acquires apolipoproteins (apo) including apo E that would be the ligand for receptor binding. Currently, apo were associated to LDE by incubation with high density lipoprotein (HDL). LDE-apo uptake by mononuclear cells showed a saturation kinetics, with an apparent K _m of 13.1 ng protein/mL. LDE-apo is able to displace LDL uptake by mononuclear cells with a K _i of 11.5 ng protein/mL. LDE without apo is, however, unable to displace LDL. The uptake of ¹⁴C-HDL is not dislocated by increasing amounts of LDE-apo, indicating that HDL and LDE-apo do not bind to the same receptor sites. In human hyperlipidemias, LDE labeled with ¹⁴C-cholesteryl ester behaved kinetically as expected for native LDL. LDE plasma disappearance curve obtained from eight hypercholesterolemic patients was markedly slower than that from 10 control normolipidemic subjects [fractional clearance rate (FCR)=0.02±0.01 and 0.12±0.04 h⁻¹, respectively; P<0.0001]. On the other hand, in four severely hypertriglyceridemic patients, LDE FCR was not significantly different from the controls (0.07±0.03 h⁻¹). These results suggest that LDE can be a useful device to study lipoprotein metabolism.     

Plasma selenium levels of the general population of an area in northern Italy.

Plasma selenium (Se) levels of 293 subjects (160 males and 133 females) living in Desio (a small town near Milan) were determined. Analyses were performed by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry with Zeeman background correction. Plasma samples were not subjected to any treatment before analysis and serum samples containing a certified Se content were used as reference materials to control the quality of the analytical determinations. Plasma Se levels were found to be distributed normally with an average value of 118.8 micrograms/l and a S.D. of 27.2 (95% of the subjects lie between 64.4 and 173.2 micrograms/l). No statistically significant difference was found between males and females, and no correlation was found between plasma Se levels and age or smoking habits.