Memory training for remembering names: initial results in the healthy elderly

It has been known since the 1940s that nail polishes contain allergenic ingredients. The aim of this study was to clarify whether the nail polishes on the market today contain significant amounts of allergens, and what the solvents are. The following ingredients were determined: toluene, toluene sulfonamide formaldehyde resins, free formaldehyde, acrylates, methacrylates and certain organic solvents. The study comprised 20 brands and 42 samples. All the nail polishes analysed contained allergenic toluene sulfonamide formaldehyde resins (TSFR), in concentrations from 0.08 to 11.0%. The concentration of total formaldehyde varied from 0.02% to 0.5%. The more TSFR a nail polish contained, the higher was its formaldehyde content. Probably not only TSFR-allergic but also formaldehyde-allergic persons may get dermatitis from many of the nail polishes studied. The concentrations of acrylates and methacrylates were so small that they are of practical significance only to those previously sensitized to acrylates. Of the organic solvents, toluene was still widely used, whereas xylene was found in only 1 product. The nail polishes on the market today are not safe for all consumers. However, according to the regulations of the European Union, the packaging labeling of all cosmetic products must be supplied with a list of ingredients from the beginning of 1998. This will help the consumer to avoid allergenic products. A better alternative could, however, be to substitute the most allergenic ingredients with substances possessing minor allergy potency.     

Analysis and evaluation of filter cartridge extractables for validation in pharmaceutical downstream processing

This paper describes a comprehensive approach for the extractables analysis of filter cartridges used in pharmaceutical production processes. For the extraction of the cartridges, two model solvents (water and ethanol) and worst case conditions are used. The extracts of 8 cartridges from various filter manufacturers are analysed both in the original and the concentrated form to gain data about the high and low concentrated contaminants, implementing standard analytical techniques such as GC-MS, RP-HPLC, GPC and FT-IR. Degradation products and additives of the filter cartridge polymers are found to be the source of most of the extracted compounds. The concentrations of extractables are determined in the range of ppm to ppb per cartridge under the applied extraction conditions. The effect of rinsing the cartridges prior to use was studied, showing a reduction of the extractables even after small flush volumes.     

The detection of the organic extractables in a biotech product by liquid chromatography on-line with electrospray mass spectrometry

We illustrated the ability of electrospray mass spectrometry (MS) to identify extractables from stoppers in biotech products. The advantages of using electrospray mass spectrometry (MS) as compared to the use of other traditional methods were also demonstrated, particularly, the capability of detecting the extractables from the mixtures of a peptide drug with its formulated excipients. MS alone could detect the antioxidant extractable, Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), to the 0.5 ppm level. By using liquid chromatography (LC) on-line with MS, the detection of BHT improved at least to 0.1 ppm, depending on the LC column dimensions and injection volumes. Following aqueous buffer extraction, there were no detectable extractables nor chemical modifications of the peptide drug. When acetonitrile was used as the extraction solvent, we detected trace amounts of BHT (0.14 to 1.7 ppm) and a polymer with a molecular weight of 355 plus 44 mass unit extensions from the stopper. This unexpected polymer coeluted with BHT in LC could not be detected without on-line with MS. This incidence of coelution proved that the multidimensional approach, LC on-line with MS, is a powerful tool to characterize the extractables from the stopper and at the same time to assure the integrity of the drug substance.     

Fixation point offsets facilitate endogenous saccades

The influence of light on the antipsoriatic drug dithranol was investigated. A Suntest CPS with xenon lamp and liquid cooling was used as light source for the test. Solutions of dithranol in different organic solvents and in therapeutical concentrations in excipients for the preparation of topical formulations were tested under defined conditions. The extent and rate of photodegradation was determined and compared with the degradation of light-protected solutions. The drug content in the solutions was measured by HPLC. Degradation products were characterised and identified by diode array technique and HPLC-mass spectrometry coupling. The results showed a strong dependency of the photodegradation on the excipient or solvent used.     

Grapefruit juice-terfenadine single-dose interaction: magnitude, mechanism, and relevance

Effective management of human health and ecological hazards in the manufacturing and maintenance environment can be achieved by focusing on the risks associated with these operations. The NDCEE Industrial Health Risk Assessment (IHRA) Program is developing a comprehensive approach to risk analysis applied to existing processes and used to evaluate alternatives. The IHRA Risk-Based Tiered Approach (RBTASM) builds on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) effort to remediate underground storage tanks. Using readily available information, a semi-quantitative ranking of alternatives based on environmental, safety, and occupational health criteria was produced. A Rapid Screening Assessment of alternative corrosion protection products was performed on behalf of the Joint Group on Acquisition Pollution Prevention (JG-APP). Using the RBTASM in pollution prevention alternative selection required higher tiered analysis and more detailed assessment of human health risks under site-specific conditions. This example illustrates the RBTASM for a organic finishing line using three different products (one conventional spray and two alternative powder coats). The human health risk information developed using the RBTASM is considered along with product performance, regulatory, and cost information by risk managers downselecting alternatives for implementation or further analysis.     

High throughput assay for inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor-associated tyrosine kinase

We have developed a colorimetric assay for the examination of inhibitors of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor-associated tyrosine kinase in intact cells. EGF receptor from cells treated with inhibitors is captured by an anti-EGF receptor antibody and the phosphotyrosine content is measured by an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody. The quantitative assay does not use radioactive substances and is configured for a high-throughput format. Since it is performed in intact cells, substances lower the phosphotyrosine content on the receptor by different mechanisms will be identified. One distinct feature of the assay is that it uses the natural substrate inside the cell as compared to others using artificial substrates in an unphysiological environment. This assay is easy to perform, is reproducible, and is compatible with many organic solvents and tissue culture media. Thus, it is useful for the discovery of EGF receptor kinase inhibitors from natural products or synthetic compounds and is particularly suitable for large-scale screening.     

Migration testing with olive oil in a microwave oven

A study was carried out to compare the overall migration from packaging materials into olive oil during heating in a microwave oven, and the overall migration from the same materials into olive oil but applying time and temperature conditions stipulated in the current EC and Dutch legislation on food packaging. Application of additional test conditions (e.g. 30 min and 1 h in combination with test temperatures exceeding 121 degrees C, and a test temperature of 130 degrees C) have demonstrated the need for extension of the test conditions mentioned in existing food packaging regulations to enable realistic migration testing of microwave packaging materials under conventional test conditions. It is concluded that the overall migration into olive oil from packaging materials intended for microwave oven use, including susceptor materials, can be judged on the basis of migration testing using conventional heating. For testing film or susceptor materials in a microwave oven by one-sided contact, a migration cell transparent to microwaves was developed and used up to 200 degrees C. In conventional high-temperature tests applying hot-filling of trays or migration cells, a temperature drop was observed, while handling oil at temperatures of 150 degrees-175 degrees C may be considered perilous. To prevent problems of this kind it is proposed to start migration tests at room temperature and to heat the simulant rapidly to the final test temperature. This procedure is comparable to migration tests carried out with aqueous food simulants at 121 degrees C in an autoclave.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Laser microprobe mass spectrometry: principle and applications in biology and medicine

Laser microprobe mass spectrometry (LMMS) is an interesting technique for micro- and surface analysis. It employs local ionization by a focused laser under high power density conditions and subsequent mass analysis of the generated ions. This paper surveys the main LMMS instruments and their operational principles. Sample preparation is discussed in the context of biological materials. The problem of quantification is addressed. Selected examples show the way that precise information on the molecular composition can be deduced from the detected signals. Both inorganic and organic substances can be identified, even without reference spectra, from in-situ analysis with a lateral resolution in the order of 1 to 5 micrograms.     

低锌的铅锌混合矿制取纳米氧化锌的生产实践

直接使用低品位铅锌混合矿作原料,采用一新颖、简便工艺生产纳米氧化锌,建立了工业生产线,产成品性能优异,在橡胶等制品上可减量使用。     

Fluoxetine-induced desensitization of somatodendritic 5-HT1A autoreceptors is independent of glucocorticoid(s)

The stability of cefaclor monohydrate drug substance and formulated products was studied under accelerated conditions in order to provide a rapid indication of differences that might result from a change in manufacturing process or source of the sample. The USP stability-indicating related substances assay was used to assess the extent of sample degradation. An Arrhenius study of drug substance stability from 45 to 70 degrees C predicted a degradation rate consistent with that observed in room-temperature studies. Qualitative degradation profiles of samples held at 65 degrees C for 2 weeks were also very similar to those of samples held at room temperature for 2 years. Based on these results, additional studies were conducted at 65 degrees C for 2 weeks on drug substance and formulated product samples. Stability differences were observed among some capsule formulations that had also exhibited real time differences. In some studies, rapid degradation after 5 days was observed at 65 degrees C followed by a slower rate from 5 to 15 days. Similar behavior was observed for cefaclor monohydrate containing high amounts of amorphous cefaclor, suggesting that differences in amorphous content could be an explanation for stability differences observed in various samples. The accelerated conditions were shown to differentiate samples and can provide a rapid indication of relative stability.     

Analysis of the transformation of nitroaromatic compounds in wastewater by bacteria using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A rapid micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatographic method is described for the analysis of nitroaromatic and nitramine explosives using sodium dodecyl sulfate-borate buffer with application to analyze specifically the biodegradation products of trinitrotoluene. The method is fast, in expensive, offers better resolution, and saves on the consumption of organic solvents used in a comparable reversed-phase HPLC method.     

Trypsin-catalyzed peptide synthesis and various p-guanidinophenyl esters as acyl donors

Trypsin-catalyzed peptide synthesis has been studied by using p-guanidinophenyl esters of N alpha-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)amino acid and peptide as acyl donor components. The reaction conditions were optimized for organic solvents, pH, and concentration of acceptor. The method was especially useful for the preparation of various peptides containing D-amino acids. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the resulting products was negligible.     

Metal separations of interest to the Chinese metallurgical industry

IBC Advanced Technologies’ Molecular Recognition Technology(MRT) SuperLig products selectively and rapidly bind with target species enabling their selective removal from solutions.The MRT process can produce a high purity separation product of maximum added value at a competitive cost.SuperLig products have high selectivity for many target species which can include metal ions,anions,and neutral molecules.In operation,the SuperLig product is first placed in a packed column.A solution containing a mixture of the target species and other chemical species is then passed through the column.The target species is removed selectively by the SuperLig product,the column is washed to remove residual feed solution,and the target species is recovered by a minimal quantity of eluent.The result is a pure and concentrated species that can be kept for its value or disposed of safely.The process is environmentally and ecologically friendly with no organic solvents being used.This paper provides a review of some examples of applications of MRT to separations of interest to the Chinese metallurgical industry.Included are several applications of MRT,including Pd separations from Pt metal refinery streams and low-grade spent catalyst wastes,Rh recovery from spent auto catalyst and other feeds,Re removal from selected impurity ions,Cd removal from Co electrolyte,Bi removal from Cu electrolyte,In and Ge separations from difficult matrices,and removal of bivalent first transition series and other metal ions from acid mine drainage(Berkeley Pit,Montana).Finally,the potential application of MRT to separations involving the recovery of rare earth metals and Li from low-level waste solutions and end-of-life products is discussed.     

高盐有机废液焚烧炉用耐火材料研究现状与展望

高温焚烧法是处理化工高盐废液的有效途径,具有处理彻底、二次污染小和适应性强等显著优势.然后高盐有机废液组成复杂,工况下高温炉渣易侵蚀焚烧炉耐火材料,耐火炉衬的损毁给焚烧炉稳定运行造成巨大的安全隐患与经济损失.本文介绍了高盐有机废液焚烧炉用耐火材料的类型及其侵蚀机理.根据有机废液焚烧过程的特点,本文对焚烧炉用耐火材料的抗蚀提出了一些建议措施,可为延长耐火材料使用寿命提供理论与技术基础.     

In vitro packaging of adeno-associated virus DNA

We have developed an in vitro procedure for packaging of recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV). By using AAV replicative-form DNA as the substrate, it is possible to synthesize an infectious AAV particle in vitro that can be used to transfer a marker gene to mammalian cells. The packaging procedure requires the presence of both the AAV Rep and capsid proteins. Two kinds of in vitro products can be formed which facilitate DNA transfer. Both are resistant to heat and have a density in cesium chloride gradients that is indistinguishable from that of the in vivo-synthesized wild-type virus. This indicates that the particles formed have the appropriate protein-to-DNA ratio and a structure that shares the heat resistance of mature AAV particles. The two types of particles can be distinguished by their sensitivity to chloroform and DNase I treatment. The chloroform-resistant product is, by several criteria, an authentic AAV particle. In addition to having the correct density and being resistant to treatment with chloroform, DNase I, and heat, this particle is efficiently synthesized only if the AAV genome contains intact terminal repeats, which are known to be required for AAV packaging. It is also precipitated by a monoclonal antibody that recognizes mature virus particles but not bound by an antibody that recognizes monomeric or denatured capsid proteins. The chloroform-resistant species is not made when aphidicolin is present in the reaction mixture, suggesting that active DNA replication is required for in vitro packaging. In contrast, the chloroform-sensitive product has several features that suggest it is an incompletely assembled virus particle. It is sensitive to DNase I, does not require the presence of AAV terminal repeats, and is capable of transferring DNA that is theoretically too large to package. Sucrose gradient centrifugation of the in vitro-synthesized products reveals that the particles have sedimentation values between 60S and 110S, which is consistent with partially assembled and mature AAV particles. The in vitro packaging procedure should be useful for studying the mechanism by which a human icosahedral DNA virus particle is assembled, and it may be useful for producing recombinant AAV for gene therapy. The chloroform-sensitive particle may also be useful for transferring DNA that is too large to be packaged in mature recombinant AAV.     

The solubility of drugs in lipoid vehicles

A method for determination of drug substances solubility in lipophilic solvents is presented. The solubility was determined in lipophilic suppository bases meltings, in pharmaceutical lipoids as Oleum Ricini, Oleum Arachidis, Cera perliquida, Paraffinum perliquidum and in chemically defined lipoids as n-hexadecane, 1-hexadecane, cetylic alcohol, palmitic acid, cetylpalmitate. Consequences from chemical constitution of substances for solubility are discussed, also consequences from chemical constitution and dielectric constants of lipoidic solvents for their solution behavior. For the substances investigated, the apparent partition coefficients in the two-phase systems lipoid/phosphate buffer pH 7,4 and n-octanol/phosphate buffer pH 7,4 were determined, also the solubility in phosphate buffer. The results show, that connections between partition coefficients and solubility in lipophilic or aqueous phases do not exist. On the other hand, an indirect proportionality between water solubility and lipoid solubility also does not exist. In consequence, interpretations of drug release from lipophilic systems have to be proceeded from exact knowledge of partition behavior and solubilities in both the lipophilic and aqueous phase.     

Chitin-based poly(urea-urethane)s

Chitins of various origins in DMA-LiCl solution have been reacted with excess 1,6-diisocyanatohexane (three or twelve equivalents per repeating unit) for 4-20 h. The resulting solutions were exposed to water vapor for 2 days and flexible and opaque materials were produced, which upon drying yielded powders whose main characteristics were insolubility in aqueous and organic solvents, remarkable crystallinity, typical infrared spectrum, high N/C ratio (0.287), and a high degree of substitution (0.29). Under the SEM structural features reminiscent of chitin were absent but no thermoplastic behavior was found by differential scanning calorimetry. Chitosan was similarly treated under heterogeneous conditions in anhydrous pyridine, and yielded reaction products with a lower degree of substitution (0.17). With partially hydrolysed chitosan, highly crystalline products were obtained.     

Latex allergies and adverse reactions: a review of the literature

In the last few years, the allergenic potential of latex has been receiving greater attention. While latex allergies have been widely reported in the literature, the prevalence and severity have rapidly increased in the last few years. The role of rubber in the prevention of HIV infection has played a part in recognizing the allergenic potential, as with increased emphasis on infection control in the dental office has come an increase in complaints of adverse reactions to surgical gloves. A review of the literature reveals latex allergy problems to be not confined to gloves, but to articles of clothing, rubber dam material, and other latex-containing materials. Life-threatening cases have been reported. Little information in the literature concerns the extent of the problem among dental personnel. The dental professional may be faced with not only discomfort for the dental staff, but also compromising reactive possibilities in certain patients. There is a need for development of alternative protective products for the dental office, since elimination of barrier protection is not a viable alternative to infection control.     

二硫化钼的生产应用和发展前景

二硫化钼的生产工艺主要是酸浸、烘干、粉碎、包装。生产过程实现了绿色文明生产,产品可用于润滑、工程材料、摩擦材料等领域。在纳米材料的新领域也逐渐得到应用。