Enhanced inflammatory response to coronary angioplasty in patients with severe unstable angina

BACKGROUND: Systemic markers of inflammation have been found in unstable angina. Disruption of culprit coronary stenoses may cause a greater inflammatory response in patients with unstable than those with stable angina. We assessed the time course of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A protein (SAA), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) after single-vessel PTCA in 30 patients with stable and 56 patients with unstable angina (protocol A). We also studied 12 patients with stable and 15 with unstable angina after diagnostic coronary angiography (protocol B). METHODS AND RESULTS: Peripheral blood samples were taken before and 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours after PTCA or angiography. In protocol A, baseline CRP, SAA, and IL-6 levels were normal in 87% of stable and 29% of unstable patients. After PTCA, CRP, SAA, and IL-6 did not change in stable patients and unstable patients with normal baseline levels but increased in unstable patients with raised baseline levels (all P<0.001). In protocol B, CRP, SAA, and IL-6 did not change in stable angina patients after angiography but increased in unstable angina patients (all P<0.05). Baseline CRP and SAA levels correlated with their peak values after PTCA and angiography (all P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that plaque rupture per se is not the main cause of the acute-phase protein increase in unstable angina and that increased baseline levels of acute-phase proteins are a marker of the hyperresponsiveness of the inflammatory system even to small stimuli. Thus, an enhanced inflammatory response to nonspecific stimuli may be involved in the pathogenesis of unstable angina.     

Visual evaluation of cattle cleanliness and correlation to carcass microbial contamination during slaughtering

The aim of the study was to establish whether the visual cleanliness of cattle slaughtered was correlated to hide and carcass contamination as indicated by aerobic colony count (ACC), Enterobacteriaceae count (EC) and Escherichia coli count (ECC). Cattle in a slaughterhouse were visually inspected and assigned to a category from 1 (very clean) to 5 (very dirty) based on cleanliness. Fifteen animals for each category were randomly selected, hide and carcass sampled and analyzed for ACC, EC and ECC. Results showed that increasing dirt on cattle was associated with higher ACC, EC and ECC on hide and carcasses. Carcass ACC and ECC belonging to animals classified in cleanliness categories 3, 4 or 5 have a higher probability of exceeding the limits set by the Reg. EU 2073/2005. The study supports the conclusion that the pre-slaughter visual evaluation of animal cleanliness and application of corrective actions can be an effective aid to reduce carcass contamination.     

Localization and quantitation of the vitamin D binding protein (Gc-globulin) in human neutrophils

Plasma-derived vitamin D binding protein (DBP) is an important physiologic regulator of the neutrophil chemotactic response to activated complement. A cell-associated form of DBP has been observed in numerous cell types. We now report that mature, circulating human neutrophils also contain cell-associated DBP. Immunofluorescence studies of normal untreated neutrophils showed the presence of DBP on the cell surface. Western blotting of detergent-soluble neutrophil lysates with a polyclonal anti-DBP showed two major immunoreactive bands, one with an apparent molecular weight of 56 Kd (identical to purified plasma-derived DBP) and a second less prominent band at 12 to 14 Kd. Quantitation of the immunoreactive bands by video densitometry indicated that normal human neutrophils contain 1.5 +/- 0.8 ng DBP/10(6) cells (n = 9). Immunoprecipitation of detergent-soluble lysates with the polyclonal anti-DBP showed only the 56-Kd form by Western blotting. In contrast, a monoclonal anti-DBP immunoprecipitated the 12 to 14 Kd form of DBP from lysates of surface-radioiodinated cells. Western blots of subcellular fractions showed that immunoreactive bands were found in the specific (secondary) granule and plasma-membrane fractions. In addition, pretreatment of neutrophils with 10 nmol/L phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) resulted in approximately a 50% reduction in the amount of DBP in both the specific granule and plasma-membrane fractions. Finally, analysis of the cell-free supernates showed that DBP was spontaneously released into the extracellular milieu: moreover, this release was enhanced if the cells were first stimulated with C5a, formyl-norleucyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fNLP) or PMA.     

A Model Study of Ti(OBu)4 Catalyzed Reactions during Reactive Blending of Polyethylene (PE) and Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)

Summary: The effect of metal catalysts in promoting the formation of the comb copolymer between a very low density polyethylene (VLDPE) grafted with diethyl maleate and PET has been studied in this paper following a model study based on low molecular weight molecules resembling the local structure of the reactive groups in the reference macromolecules. Ti(OBu)₄ was used as the catalyst and the reactions were carried out under the same conditions as in the case of the macromolecules species. The model mixtures have been analyzed by FT‐IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and GC‐MS and evidence of the degradation of ester bonds, deactivation of hydroxyl terminals of PET and the possible crosslinking of functionalized polyolefin have been observed. The molecular model process agrees with results obtained for the macromolecular system blending PET and VLDPE grafted with diethyl maleate in a Brabender mixer in the presence of Ti(OBu)₄, as evaluated by mixer torque values and selective extraction results. Therefore, the present model study allows us to both obtain information about reaction mechanism in the complex melt biphasic system and to suggest new strategies to optimize the process.

Brabender torque/time graphics of PET in presence of different amounts of Ti(OBu)₄.     

Kinetics of citric acid fermentation from n-paraffins by yeasts

In this work, yeast of the genus Candida was screened by means of shaken-flask and jar fermentations. Two strains, Candida lipolytica Cooper and ATCC 8661, were selected. Their citric acid productivity was 0.79 and 0.67 g g^?1 of n-paraffins consumed, respectively, and their citric: total citric and isocitric acid ratios ranged from 0.82 to 0.93, respectively. The experimental results (cell growth and total citric and isocitric acid formation) were described by using an unstructured kinetic model which has been proposed previously (standard error was less than 10%). Moreover, each independent kinetic parameter was correlated with the aeration rate of the culture medium by means of empirical regressions. Aeration of the culture medium showed a large influence on the product yield. For instance, the strain C. lipolytica Cooper exhibited the highest productivity among the examined strains, associated with the largest air consumption.     

Experimental analysis and modeling of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells proliferation

In order to develop effective cell based therapies for treating several human diseases, it is necessary to increase the limited number of stem cells harvested from a single patient to be used in autologous transplantation. Along these lines, mathematical modeling may represent a useful tool for interpreting and rationalizing the in vitro expansion techniques, thus helping to find the optimal operative conditions. Specifically, this work addresses the mathematical simulation of the proliferation kinetics of sheep bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (phenotypic characterized by flow-cytometric analysis), as model similar to the human one, seeded at different initial concentrations in petri dishes and expanded up to confluence. The sigmoidal temporal profiles of total counts obtained through classic hemocytometry are quantitatively interpreted by a novel model based on population balance approach capable to take into account the contact inhibition at confluence. First, the adjustable parameters of the proposed model are fitted against experimental data on population expansion starting from one single seeding concentration. Then, the reliability of the mathematical model is successfully tested through the prediction of cell proliferation kinetics carried out starting from different seeding concentrations.     

Global adaptive learning control of robotic manipulators by output error feedback

This paper addresses the problem of designing a global, output error feedback based, adaptive learning control for robotic manipulators with revolute joints and uncertain dynamics. The reference signals to be tracked are assumed to be smooth and periodic with known period. By developing in Fourier series expansion the input reference signals of every joint, an adaptive, output error feedback, learning control is designed, which ‘learns’ the input reference signals by identifying their Fourier coefficients: global asymptotic and local exponential stability of the tracking error dynamics are obtained when the Fourier series expansion of each input reference signal is finite, while arbitrary small tracking errors are achieved otherwise. The resulting control is not model based and depends only on the period of the reference signals and on some constant bounds on the robot dynamics. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Differential suppression of thromboxane biosynthesis by indobufen and aspirin in patients with unstable angina

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported aspirin failure in suppressing enhanced thromboxane (TX) biosynthesis in a subset of episodes of platelet activation during the acute phase of unstable angina. The recent discovery of a second prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS-2), inducible in response to inflammatory or mitogenic stimuli, prompted us to reexamine TXA2 biosynthesis in unstable angina as modified by two cyclooxygenase inhibitors differentially affecting PGHS-2 despite a comparable impact on platelet PGHS-1. METHODS AND RESULTS: We randomized 20 patients (15 men and 5 women aged 59+/-10 years) with unstable angina to short-term treatment with aspirin (320 mg/d) or indobufen (200 mg BID) and collected 6 to 18 consecutive urine samples. Urinary 11-dehydro-TXB2 was extracted and measured by a previously validated radioimmunoassay as a reflection of in vivo TXA2 biosynthesis. Metabolite excretion averaged 102 pg/mg creatinine (median value; n=76) in the aspirin group and 55 pg/mg creatinine (median value; n=99) in the indobufen group (P<.001). There were 16 samples (21%) with 11-dehydro-TXB2 excretion >200 pg/mg creatinine among patients treated with aspirin versus 6 such samples (6%) among those treated with indobufen (P<.001). In vitro and ex vivo studies in healthy subjects demonstrated the capacity of indobufen to largely suppress monocyte PGHS-2 activity at therapeutic plasma concentrations. In contrast, aspirin could only inhibit monocyte PGHS-2 transiently at very high concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in unstable angina, episodes of aspirin-insensitive TXA2 biosynthesis may reflect extraplatelet sources, possibly expressing the inducible PGHS in response to a local inflammatory milieu, and a selective PGHS-2 inhibitor would be an ideal tool to test the clinical relevance of this novel pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism in this setting.     

Adaptive Learning Control of Nonlinear Systems by Output Error Feedback

This paper addresses the problem of designing an output error feedback control for single-input, single-output nonlinear systems with uncertain, smooth, output-dependent nonlinearities whose local Lipschitz constants are known. The considered systems are required to be observable, minimum phase with known relative degree and known high frequency gain sign: linear systems are included. The reference output signal is assumed to be smooth and periodic with known period. By developing in Fourier series expansion a suitable periodic input reference signal, an output error feedback adaptive learning control is designed which ldquolearnsrdquo the input reference signal by identifying its Fourier coefficients: bounded closed loop signals and exponential tracking of both input and output reference signals are obtained when the Fourier series expansion is finite, while arbitrary small tracking errors are exponentially achieved otherwise. The resulting control is not model based, is independent of the system order and depends only on the relative degree, the reference signal period and the high frequency gain sign.     

Growth of Listeria monocytogenes on vacuum-packaged horsemeat for human consumption

In order to investigate the likelihood of Listeria monocytogenes (serotype 4b, ATCC 19115) growth on vacuum-packaged horsemeat at refrigeration temperature, fourteen horsemeat surface/volume homogeneous 150 g weight pieces were superficially inoculated with serotype 4b L. monocytogenes and vacuum packaged. The samples were stored at 4 ± 1 °C. Two pieces (one for pH determination and one for L. monocytogenes counts) were examined at days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42. Surface pH did not show significant variations during the experiment. The average L. monocytogenes initial contamination level was 1.77log₁₀ CFU/g. A lag phase of 7 days was recorded. The exponential growth rate between day 7 to day 35 was 0.125log₁₀ CFU/day, corresponding to 3.51log₁₀ CFU/g in 28 days. At the end of the experiment the mean L. monocytogenes log₁₀ CFU/g was 5.78.