Characterization of Aluminum Foam Impact Response

Strength of Materials - The paper addresses the investigation of high-strain rate compressive behavior of Al foams subjected to impact at the intermediate striking velocity ranged from 40 to...     

Failure to cure Mycobacterium gordonae peritonitis associated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are increasingly recognized as important pathogens in peritonitis associated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Mycobacterium gordonae rarely causes human infection and is the least likely mycobacterium to produce clinical infection in CAPD patients. We describe a patient with persistent M. gordonae peritonitis acquired while undergoing CAPD. During 18 months of treatment, clinical improvement occurred but a microbiological cure could not be achieved. Principles of therapy for mycobacterial peritonitis developing during CAPD are reviewed, and potential explanations for our patient's failure to respond to therapy are discussed.     

The murine immune response to the male-specific antigen mouse testicular cytochrome c

Male and female A/J mice were examined for their ability to elicit T lymphocyte and antibody (Ab) responses to the male-specific Ag, mouse testicular cytochrome c (Mt cyt). T lymphocytes from both male and female mice primed in vivo responded to the Ag in in vitro proliferation assays, and the dose-response curves were statistically indistinguishable. In addition, similar levels of Ab to Mt cyt were observed in immunized male and female mice. The B cells producing the Ab had switched isotypes to IgG1 and IgG2a, indicating that the self-reactive T helper (Th) cells in male mice were functional. Thus, male mice do not appear to be immunologically tolerant to Mt cyt, at least at the Th and B lymphocyte levels. No evidence for disease was found in male mice primed with Mt cyt. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-positive antigen-presenting cells are present in the testes and these were shown in vitro to process and present Mt cyt to a T cell hybridoma specific for the synthetic peptide Mt cyt 93-104. However, the hybridoma was not activated in the absence of exogenous Mt cyt 93-104 or Mt cyt, indicating that endogenous Mt cyt is not normally processed in sufficient quantity to effectively load MHC class II molecules with this particular Mt cyt-derived peptide. Notwithstanding any immunologic privilege of the testes, the lack of tolerance to Mt cyt and its failure to elicit an autoimmune disease could extend from the low levels of processed Mt cyt Ag available for T cell recognition. The T cell response elicited by Mt cyt contrasts the lack of response to mouse somatic cytochrome c which differs from Mt cyt at 13 amino acid residues and is expressed in most tissues and at higher levels.     

Identification of cysteine pairs within the amino-terminal 5% of apolipoprotein B essential for hepatic lipoprotein assembly and secretion

There is growing evidence that the amino-terminal globular domain of apolipoprotein B (apoB) is essential for lipoprotein particle formation in the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum. To identify the structural requirements for its function in lipoprotein assembly, cysteine (Cys) pairs required to form the seven disulfide bonds within the amino-terminal 21% of apoB were replaced in groups or individually by serine. Substitution of Cys pairs required for formation of disulfide bonds 1-3 or 4-7 (numbered from amino to carboxyl terminus) completely blocked the secretion of apoB28 in transfected HepG2 cells. To identify the specific disulfide bonds required for secretion, Cys pairs were mutated individually. Substitution of Cys pairs required for disulfide bonds 1, 3, 5, 6, or 7 had little or no impact on apoB28 secretion or buoyant density. In contrast, individual substitution of Cys pair 2 (amino acid residues 51 and 70) or 4 (218 and 234) severely inhibited apoB28 secretion and its capacity to undergo intracellular assembly with lipid. The same assembly and secretion defects were observed when these mutations were expressed as part of apoB50. These studies provide direct evidence that the ability of the internal lipophilic regions of apoB to engage in the recruitment and sequestration of lipid during translation is critically dependent upon a structural configuration contained within or affected by the amino-terminal 5% of the protein.     

Pretreatment with somatostatin analog SMS 201-995 potentiates growth hormone (GH) responsiveness to GH-releasing factor in short children

Previous studies in children have shown inconsistent, poorly reproducible GH responses to exogenous GH-releasing factor (GRF), with wide individual variability. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that prior administration of the long-acting somatostatin analog, SMS 201-995 (SMS), will enhance GH responsiveness to a subsequent GRF challenge. Two study protocols were employed in 37 children with short stature [M = 31, F = 6, ages 11.8 +/- 1.6 yr (mean +/- SEM), height -2.25 +/- 0.55 SDS (SD scores)]. In both studies, each subject served as his/her own control. In the first study, which was designed to determine optimal SMS dose and regimen, SMS, in doses ranging from 0.8-2.2 micrograms/kg sc, was randomly administered or omitted at 0800 h after an overnight fast, and a GRF bolus (50 micrograms, iv) was given 4 h later. In the second study, we employed a protocol identical to study 1 except for the use of standard doses of SMS (1 microgram/kg, sc) and GRF (1 microgram/kg, iv) and an additional 1-h delay of the GRF injection. Plasma GH levels were measured every 20 min from 0800 h until 2 h after the GRF injection in both studies. In study 1 (n = 12; M = 10, F = 2), SMS significantly suppressed spontaneous GH secretion (expressed as the mean +/- SEM GH AUC during the 4-h SMS-GRF interval, AUC 1:2.2 +/- 0.4 vs. 6.2 +/- 0.9 micrograms/L.h; P < 0.001), GH responsiveness to GRF (GH AUC during the 2 h after the GRF injection, AUC 2: 41.5 +/- 7.8 vs. 85.0 +/- 13.5 micrograms/L.h; P < 0.001), and the GH peak response (17.4 +/- 3.1 vs. 36.0 +/- 6.2 micrograms/L; P < 0.001), compared to control tests. In contrast, in study 2 (n = 25; M = 21, F = 4), whereas spontaneous GH secretion was still suppressed during the 5-h SMS-GRF interval (AUC 1:3.8 +/- 0.4 vs. 7.4 +/- 1.1 micrograms/L.h; P < 0.001), both the GH peak response (56.7 +/- 5.5 vs. 30.5 +/- 3.0 micrograms/L; P < 0.0001) and the GH AUC (AUC 2: 103.7 +/- 10.3 vs. 77.5 +/- 6.8 micrograms/L.h; P < 0.05) after GRF administration were significantly augmented by pretreatment with SMS, compared to control tests. Taken together, these results indicate that a priming SMS dose of 1 microgram/kg has a significant permissive effect on GH responsiveness to exogenous GRF administered 5 h later.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Treatment and prognosis of secondary glaucoma in Fuchs' heterochromic iridocyclitis

After reviewing the records of 111 patients with Fuchs' heterochromic iridocyclitis, we studied the therapy and prognosis of secondary glaucoma in 30 of these 111 patients (27%) who had glaucoma or could be considered glaucoma suspects. Maximal medical therapy was unsuccessful in 22 of the 30 patients (73%). Surgical intervention (mostly trabeculectomies, half with 5-fluorouracil) successfully controlled intraocular pressure (< or = 21 mm Hg with or without medication) in 13 of the 18 operated-on patients (72%) after a mean follow-up of 26 months. All successfully operated-on patients retained a visual acuity of 20/80 or better. We had favorable results, possibly because of modern surgical techniques (use of 5-fluorouracil, sodium hyaluronate) or earlier surgical intervention, or both.     

Photoinduced recovery of gamma-irradiated fluoride glasses

Radiation-induced changes in the optical properties of fluoride glasses (FGs) were studied on samples of zirconium fluoride and aluminum fluoride based compositions gamma-irradiated to a total dose of 1.2 MGy. Upon exposure, the fundamental absorption edge smears and shifts toward longer wavelengths. The FGs studied exhibit self-recovery of the optical properties, whereby the radiation-induced absorption decreases in the course of storage without action of any external factors. Photostimulated recovery of the optical properties of the gamma-irradiated FGs was studied in the range of light wavelengths from 400 to 1200 nm at a light intensity of 1–3 mW/cm². The maximum rate of recovery for both zirconium and aluminum fluoride based glasses was observed for the photoannealing at 600 nm.     

Precision Spectrometric Determination of Th and Pu in Solutions with Arsenazo III Using Internal Standardization

A spectrophotometric procedure with internal standardization was suggested for precision determination of the concentrations of Th and Pu in the form of colored complexes with arsenazo III in nitric acid solutions. The sensitivity of the method was significantly improved owing to the use of colored complexes. The optical density optimum (0.3-0.5) of the solutions for spectrophotometric measurements can be achieved at concentrations in solution of the element analyzed as low as (2-3) ×10^-6 M, at the arsenazo and HNO₃ concentrations of 1 ×10^-4 and 6 M, respectively. With this composition of the solution, the relative rms deviation of the results for a single run is no greater than 0.15 and 0.3% for thorium and plutonium, respectively.