Estimating phonation threshold pressure

Phonation threshold pressure (PTP) is the minimum subglottal pressure required to initiate vocal fold oscillation. Although potentially useful clinically, PTP is difficult to estimate noninvasively because of limitations to vocal motor control near the threshold of soft phonation. Previous investigators observed, for example, that trained subjects were unable to produce flat, consistent oral pressure peaks during/pae/syllable strings when they attempted to phonate as softly as possible (Verdolini-Marston, Titze, & Druker, 1990). The present study aimed to determine if nasal airflow or vowel context affected phonation threshold pressure as estimated from oral pressure (Smitheran & Hixon, 1981) in 5 untrained female speakers with normal velopharyngeal and voice function. Nasal airflow during /p/occlusion was observed for 3 of 5 participants when they attempted to phonate near threshold pressure. When the nose was occluded, nasal airflow was reduced or eliminated during /p/;however, individuals then evidenced compensatory changes in glottal adduction and/or respiratory effort that may be expected to alter PTP estimates. Results demonstrate the importance of monitoring nasal flow (or the flow zero point in undivided masks) when obtaining PTP measurements noninvasively. Results also highlight the need to pursue improved methods for noninvasive estimation of PTP.     

Pegylated peptides. V. Carboxy-terminal PEGylated analogs of growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) display enhanced duration of biological activity in vivo

In the present study, human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF) and analogs were successfully pegylated at the carboxy-terminus using a novel solid- and solution-phase strategy. Following synthesis, these pegylated hGRF analogs were evaluated for in vitro and in vivo biological activity. Specifically, hGRF (1-29)-NH2, [Ala15]-hGRF (1-29)-NH2, [desNH2Tyr1, D-Ala2, Ala15]-hGRF(1-29)-NH2 and [His1, Val2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27]-hGRF(1-32)-OH were each C-terminally extended using a Gly-Gly-Cys-NH2 spacer (previously demonstrated not to alter intrinsic biological activity), and then monopegylated via coupling to an activated dithiopyridyl-PEG reagent. PEG moieties of 750, 2000, 5000 or 10,000 molecular weight (MW) were examined to determine the effect of polymer weight on activity. Initial biological evaluations in vitro revealed that all C-terminally pegylated hGRF analogs retained high growth hormone (GH)-releasing potencies, regardless of the MW of PEG polymer employed. Two of these pegylated hGRF analogs, [desNH2Tyr1, D-Ala2, Ala15]-hGRF (1-29)-Gly-Gly-Cys(NH2)-S-Nle-PEG5000 and [His1, Val2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27]-hGRF(1-32)-Gly-Cys(NH2)-S-Nle-PEG5000, were subsequently evaluated in both pig and mouse models and found to be highly potent (in vivo potency range = 12-55-fold that of native hGRF). Relative to their non-pegylated counterparts, these two pegylated hGRF analogs exhibited enhanced duration of activity.     

Is there a direct relationship between oral astringency and human salivary protein binding?

For decades, it is believed that astringency is due to the polyphenol-induced complexation of proline-rich salivary proteins in the oral cavity. In order to compare for the first time the human sensory threshold concentrations and the salivary protein binding activity of a series of astringent stimuli, human saliva protein was incubated for 5 min at 37 °C in the presence of astringent food-derived compounds and, after micro-centrifugation, the amount of the target molecules in the supernatant was quantitatively determined by HPLC-UV/Vis. Significant protein binding was observed for (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, (−)-gallocatechin-3-gallate, (+)-gallocatechin, and (−)-catechin-3-gallate, all of which containing at least one galloyl moiety in the molecule and exhibiting rather high sensory thresholds of more than 200 μmol/L. In comparison, (+)-catechin and procyanidin B2, both lacking in any galloyl function, showed only comparatively low binding activity and, most interestingly, quercetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranoside and 3-carboxymethyl-indole-1-N-β-d-glucopyranoside did not show any protein binding at all, although the later N- and O-glycosides exhibited extraordinarily low sensory threshold concentrations of less than 0.001 and 0.0003 μmol/L, respectively. The data give some first evidence that the quantity of the non-bound, “free” astringent stimulus in the saliva liquid might be more closely related to the sensory perception of astringency than the amount complexed or precipitated by proteins. It is therefore questionable as to whether oral perception of astringency is related to the complexation and/or precipitation of salivary proteins.     

Slip Control System for a Deep-Sea Mining Machine

Tracked vehicles capable of locomotion in the deep sea are used for manganese nodule mining. This requires specific technical solutions in various respects. Locomotion in the soft sea bed is one of them. For the Crawler to safely maneuver, an automatic drive mode with slip control of the driving tracks is essential. Based on experimental studies at IKS, University of Siegen, slip control for the NIOT-IKS mining machine has been developed and implemented. The experimental setup for the development of the slip control along with the logic of the automatic driving mode is described. The system is critically discussed and the test results and future work are briefly outlined. Note to Practitioners-The work is carried out as part of the polymetallic nodule mining program of the Government of India. The technique of slip control is a specific requirement for a tracked vehicle used in the deep sea. Slip is common in many vehicles-tracked and otherwise. Examples are steam engines in the early days and ordinary cars while negotiating slush or snow/ice and dozers working in soft soil. While these are manually controlled by drivers who have firsthand knowledge of the environmental conditions, in the case of a mining machine in deep sea, it has to be completely automatic and, hence, is challenging. The knowledge generated in this work could be effectively used by practitioners in other related areas of automobile engineering for updating their expertise. Also, similar techniques may be used for maneuvering vehicles sent to other planets     

Renal gunshot wounds: methods of salvage and reconstruction

Over the past 14 years, 2079 patients have been seen at our institution with renal trauma. Of these, 84 sustained gunshot wounds (81 unilateral, 3 bilateral; a total of 87 renal units). We evaluated this group to characterize the nature of their injuries and establish a methodology for renal salvage and reconstruction. Preoperative radiographic staging was performed with excretory urography (IVP) or computed tomographic (CT) scanning. The injuries were classified into five categories: 16 contusions (18.4%), 12 minor lacerations (13.8%), 44 major lacerations (50.5%), six vascular injuries (6.9%), and nine combination laceration and vascular injury (10.3%). Most patients had multiple organ injuries, with 79 requiring associated surgical procedures (94%). The mean injury Severity Score (ISS) was 26.7 (range, 4-59). Based on radiographic and clinical staging criteria, 69 renal injuries were surgically explored (79.3%), and 12 patients underwent nephrectomy (13.8%). Forty-six renal units were reconstructed (66.6%) by various methods, including renorrhaphy, omental pedical flaps, mesh or peritoneal patch grafts, partial nephrectomy, and vascular repair. Overall, 75 renal units were salvaged (86.2%). Early renal vascular control was achieved in all patients who underwent renal exploration. Follow-up functional studies were done in 24 (28.5%): none had delayed nephrectomy or postinjury hypertension. Overall, 79 patients survived (94%); however, mortality was not related to renal injury. These findings suggest that aggressive radiographic staging coupled with early vascular control and careful selection of reconstructive techniques can ensure a high renal salvage rate in patients with renal gunshot injuries.