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PubMed2005

Improved interstage mortality with the modified Norwood procedure: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Modification of the Norwood procedure has been reported to improve immediate postoperative mortality compared with the classic Norwood. Interstage mortality has not been shown to be improved with the modified Norwood probably because of the small number of patients from each institution. The goal of this study was to determine if meta-analysis would provide sufficient data to prove statistical difference in interstage mortality for the modified Norwood procedure. METHODS: PubMed was searched using six different terms individually for articles from January 2003 to October 2004. Manuscripts that compared the classic to modified Norwood were reviewed. Mantel-Haenszel analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between treatment method and mortality stratified across hospitals. The Breslow-Day procedure tested homogeneity of odds ratio across hospitals. Separate analyses were performed for inpatient and interstage periods. RESULTS: A total of 4,545 citations was screened. Five manuscripts met the criteria. Seventy-two patients undergoing classic Norwood and 84 patients undergoing modified Norwood survived to initial hospital discharge. The Breslow-Day statistic supported homogeneity of odds ratios for survival across hospitals (chi2 = 2.09, df = 4, p = 0.72). Odds of interstage death was 11.6 times greater (2.2 to 62.1, 95% CI) for the classic Norwood compared with the modified Norwood procedure. This difference was statistically significant by the Mantel-Haenszel chi2 (11.0, p = 0.001). The Breslow-Day statistic supported homogeneity of the odds ratios across hospitals (chi2 = 3.1, df = 4, p = 0.53). CONCLUSIONS: The modified Norwood procedure has a significantly lower interstage mortality compared with the classic Norwood procedure. A large randomized study is needed to determine whether these results remain consistent.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2006

Amperometric detection of insulin at renewable sol-gel derived carbon ceramic electrode modified with nickel powder and potassium octacyanomolybdate(IV).

A renewable three-dimensional chemically modified carbon ceramic electrode (CCE) containing nickel powder and K4[Mo(CN)8] was constructed by sol-gel technique. The electrochemical properties and stability of modified electrode was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry in pH range 4-10. The redox couple of [Mo(CN)8] (4-/3-) was shown both as a solute in electrolyte solution and as a component of a carbon based conducting composite electrode. The apparent electron transfer rate constant (ks) and transfer coefficient (alpha) were determined by cyclic voltammetry and they were about 17.1 and 0.57 s(-1), respectively. The catalytic activity of the modified CCE toward insulin oxidation was investigated at pH range of 3-8 by cyclic votammetry. The modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward insulin electroxidation at physiological pH value. The modified electrode was used for insulin detection chronoamperometrically at pH 7. Under optimized condition in amperometry method, the concentration calibration range, detection limit and sensitivity were 0.5-500 nM, 0.45 nM and 6140 nA/microM, respectively. Flow injection amperometric determination of insulin at pH 7.4, at this modified electrode yielded a calibration curve with the following characteristics, linear dynamic range 100-500 pM; sensitivity 8.1 nA/nM and detection limit 40 pM (based on S/N = 3). The inherent stability at wide pH range, high sensitivity, low detection limit, low cost and ease of preparation are of advantageous of this insulin sensor. This sensor indicates great promise for monitory insulin in chromatographic effluents.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Strain background effects and genetic modifiers of hearing in mice.

Genetic modifiers can be detected in mice by looking for strain background differences in inheritance or phenotype of a mutation. They can be mapped by analyses of appropriate linkage crosses and congenic lines, and modifier genes of large effect can be identified by positional-candidate gene testing. Inbred strains of mice vary widely in onset and severity of age-related hearing loss (AHL), an important consideration when assessing hearing in mutant mice. At least 8 mapped loci and a mitochondrial variant (mt-Tr) are known to contribute to AHL in mouse strains; one locus (ahl) has been identified as a variant of the cadherin 23 gene (Cdh23(753A/G)). This variant also was shown to modify hearing loss associated with the Atp2b2(dfw-2J) and Mass1(frings) mutations. The hearing modifier (Moth1) of tubby (Tub(tub)) mutant mice was shown to be a strain variant of the Mtap1a gene. Human hearing modifiers include DFNM1, which suppresses recessive deafness DFNB26, and a nuclear gene that modulates the severity of hearing loss associated with a mitochondrial mutation. Recently, a variant of the human ATP2B2 gene was shown to exacerbate hearing loss in individuals homozygous for a CDH23 mutation, similar to the Atp2b2(dfw-2J)-Cdh23(753A/G) interaction affecting hearing in mice. Because modifier genes and digenic inheritance are not always distinguishable, we also include in this review several examples of digenic inheritance of hearing loss that have been reported in both mice and humans.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Removal and pre-concentration of phenolic species onto beta-cyclodextrin modified poly(hydroxyethylmethacrylate-ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate) microbeads.

Poly(Hydroxyethylmethacrylate-Ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate), poly(HEMA-EGDMA), microbeads with 150-200 microm in size, was prepared by suspension polymerization. Beta-cyclodextrin was modified onto the polymeric microbeads using glutaraldahyde activation in an acidic medium at pH=2.5. FT-IR and TGA were used for the characterization of modified polymers and the determination of the nature of the interaction between phenolic compounds and the modified polymeric microbeads. Plain and beta-cyclodextrin modified microbeads were used in adsorption-desorption studies of phenolic species in single solution. Adsorption capacities of the phenolic species onto the plain microbeads were found to be 28.2, 17.0, 14.3, 9.8, and 1.92 mg/g polymer for o-chloro phenol, p-nitro phenol, p-chloro phenol, o-nitro phenol, and phenol, respectively. However, for beta-cyclodextrin modified microbeads, adsorption capacity of phenolic species was determined as 274, 365, 128, 182, and 87 mg/g for phenol, o-nitro phenol, p-nitro phenol, o-chloro phenol, and p-chloro phenol, respectively. Desorption ratio for the phenolic species was more than 90%, except for o-nitro phenol. Detection limits of the phenolic species were improved at least 500-fold for UV-Vis spectrophotometric detection, after the pre-concentration of all phenolic species used in this study. Adsorption time for the phenolic species onto beta-cyclodextrin-modified poly(HEMA-EGDMA) microbeads was found to be reasonable short (10-60 min) and suitable for the applications. Also, synthesized microbeads were useful for the repeated use for the removal and pre-concentration of phenolic species.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

Compressive strength and surface characterization of glass ionomer cements modified by particles of bioactive glass.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine compressive strength, Young's modulus of elasticity, and Vickers' surface hardness, of conventional cure and resin-modified glass ionomer cements after the addition of bioactive glass (BAG) particles into the cements. METHODS: Experimental glass ionomer cement (GIC)-BAG materials were made by mixing 10- or 30-wt% of BAG particles with conventional cure and resin-modified GIC powders. Materials were processed into cylindrical specimens and immersed in water for 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 180 days before mechanical tests. SEM and EDS analysis was used to characterize the changes in surface topography and the main elemental composition. RESULTS: The compressive strength of the test specimens decreased with the increasing amount of BAG. The compressive strength of resin-modified GIC increased during the immersion, but remained at a lower level than that of the other materials. The conventional cure GIC-based materials had on average 55% higher surface microhardness than the resin-modified materials. In the elemental composition, more Ca was detected in the BAG-containing materials than in the pure GICs. The amount of F was significantly higher (p < 0.001) on all resin-modified materials, being highest on resin-modified GIC with 30-wt% of BAG after 180d of immersion. SIGNIFICANCE: The addition of BAG to GIC compromises the mechanical properties of the materials to some extent. Thus, their clinical use ought to be restricted to applications where their bioactivity can be beneficial, such as root surface fillings and liners in dentistry, and where high compressive strength is not necessarily needed.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

A technical feasibility study of surfactant-free drug suspensions using octenyl succinate-modified starches.

Many new drugs exhibit poor wetting behaviour and low aqueous solubility. This is particularly an issue for preclinical studies like toxicological trials, in which considerably higher doses and volumes are being administered compared to clinical studies. Preclinical vehicles typically contain high levels of surfactants that can exert biological effects. However, the biological inertness of vehicles is pivotal for the application in preclinical studies stressing the need in finding new excipients to solve formulation problems of today's drug discovery. The present study investigated the technical feasibility of surfactant-free suspensions using a new poorly soluble drug as model. It was shown that octenyl succinate-modified starches adequately wetted the drug and homogenous tasteless suspensions were obtained. The polymer xanthan gum was identified as macroscopically compatible gelling agent. Concentration effects of xanthan, drug and different modified starches were studied in a D-optimal design with respect to rheological properties. The suspensions were also tested in an analytical centrifuge using NIR transmission profiles to obtain a measure of sedimentation stability under accelerated conditions. The modified starches exhibited only little influence on the viscosity as well as on the yield point in contrast to the rheological effects of xanthan gum. This gelling agent was the main stabilising excipient as the modified starches hindered to a lesser extent sedimentation. The most stable suspensions displayed convenient flow properties. The viscosity at 100 s(-1) and 25 degrees C was in technically acceptable range of 120-140 mPa s in view of a application via gavage or a syringe in animal studies. The results demonstrated that surfactant-free drug suspensions with excellent technical performance can be obtained using octenyl succinate-modified starches. The vehicles were tasteless and based on the experience of modified starches in the food industry, the vehicles should exhibit good tolerability. The future use of such surfactant-free drug suspensions in toxicological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies will have to determine their advantage in terms of biological inertness.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗
PubMed2004

Modified particle swarm optimization algorithm for variable selection in MLR and PLS modeling: QSAR studies of antagonism of angiotensin II antagonists.

A version of modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm has been proposed. The PSO algorithm has been modified to adopt to the discrete combinatorial optimization problem and reduce the probability of sinking into local optima. In the modified PSO algorithm, the velocity represents the probability of element in each particle taking value 1 or 0. The modified discrete PSO algorithm is proposed to select variables in MLR and PLS modeling and to predict antagonism of angiotensin II antagonists. The modified C(p) is employed as fitness function. The results were compared to those obtained by GAs. Experimental results have demonstrated that the modified PSO is a useful tool for variable selection which converges quickly towards the optimal position.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2003

Modified CLIP using PIVKA-II for evaluating prognosis after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIMS: The new staging system proposed by the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for both liver dysfunction and tumour characteristics. The present study was designed to analyze UICC TNM stage, CLIP and modified CLIP in 91 patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC. METHODS: In the modified CLIP, scoring of AFP was replaced by that of protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA-II; predictive value, > or = 400 mAU/ml). RESULTS: After hepatic resection, 54 patients developed recurrent tumours. High PIVKA-II was a significant determinant of recurrence (p<0.05). However, a high score of the modified CLIP as well as those other staging systems did not correlate with tumour-recurrence rate. Univariate analysis showed that high TNM score, CLIP score and our modified CLIP score were significant predictors of poor prognosis. Multivariate Cox's analysis revealed that high PIVKA-II and high modified CLIP score were associated with higher risk for disease-free and overall survival as well as high TNM stage. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the original CLIP, our modified CLIP was a better predictor of prognosis of HCC patients who underwent hepatic resection.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A proposal of the modified liver damage classification for hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the two common classifications for assessing liver function; the Child-Pugh classification and the liver damage classification. We also examined the feasibility of the modified liver damage classification. METHODS: A total of 2306 HCC patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2002 were categorized according to the three classifications. The modified liver damage classification is calculated by summation of the scores for five variables (serum bilirubin level, serum albumin level, prothrombin activity, ICG retention rate at 15min, ascites) of the liver damage classification and classified patients into grades A-C in the similar manner as the Child-Pugh classification. The differences in distribution and survival rate of the patients in each group were compared. RESULTS: With respect to the patient distribution, 1787 (77.5%) and 469 (20.3%) patients were categorized into Child-Pugh grades A and B, respectively, whereas 1187 (51.5%) and 962 (41.7%) patients were categorized into liver damage grades A and B, respectively. As a result of this disproportionate distribution, survival rates of Child-Pugh grades A and B were lower than those of the liver damage grades A and B. Furthermore, some discrepancies were found in the distribution of patients between the liver damage classification and the modified liver damage classification. One hundred and forty-one patients of the 1187 liver damage grade A patients were categorized into grade B by the modified liver damage classification and 71 patients of the 962 liver damage grade B patients were categorized into grade C by the modified liver damage classification. The survival rates of these subgroups were similar to those of the liver damage grades B and C, respectively. CONCLUSION: The modified liver damage classification appears to be the best available tool for assessing residual liver function, for estimating the survival of Japanese HCC patients and for making decisions concerning the treatment of these patients.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

The usefulness of the modified laryngoscopic blade for training novice laryngoscopists.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified Macintosh blade for reducing the chances of directly contacting the teeth and providing a satisfactory laryngoscopic view during laryngoscopies by novice laryngoscopists. DESIGN: This is a prospective clinical comparison study. SETTING: The study took place at an operating room of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy-two patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical statuses I and II, aged 16 to 64 years, who were scheduled for elective surgery requiring general anesthesia with endotracheal tube placement participated in this study. INTERVENTIONS: Laryngoscopy was performed twice on each patient, once with a regular Macintosh no. 3 blade and once with a blade in which the flange was partially removed. MEASUREMENTS: As an indirect parameter for anticipating potential dental injury during laryngoscopy, the perpendicular distance from the tip of the maxillary central incisor to the flange of each blade (the blade-tooth distance) was measured when a novice laryngoscopist lifted up the laryngoscope and visualized the glottis. We compared the blade-tooth distances, the chances of directly contacting the tooth, laryngoscopic views, and the subjective feeling of difficulty in handling the laryngoscope between the 2 blades. MAIN RESULTS: Blade-tooth distance varied significantly between the 2 blades: the median/interquartile range was 1.2/2.3 mm vs 3.0/4.3 mm for the regular Macintosh no. 3 and the modified blade, respectively (P<.01). The modified blade was associated with decreased chances of directly contacting the teeth (P<.05). In addition, the modified blade provided a better laryngoscopic view than did the regular blade (P<.01). Most novice laryngoscopists felt that laryngoscopy with the modified blade was significantly easier than that with the regular Macintosh blade (P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: The modified Macintosh blade used in this study proved to be a useful device for training novice laryngoscopists with respect to procedure effectiveness and patient safety.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Retention of a resin-modified glass ionomer adhesive in non-carious cervical lesions. A 6-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical retention of a new resin-modified glass ionomer cement based adhesive combined with a hybrid resin composite or a poly-acid modified resin composite in non-carious cervical lesions during a 6-year period. METHODS: The resin-modified glass ionomer adhesive (Fuji Bond LC), was placed in 73 cervical lesions, 36 with a universal hybrid resin composite (Tetric Ceram) and 37 with a poly-acid modified resin composite (Hytac). Fifty-one in lesions with sclerotic dentin and 22 in non-sclerotic ones. Of the sclerotic lesions 38 were slightly roughened with a diamond bur before conditioning. The restorations were evaluated with slightly modified USPHS criteria every six months during a 6-year period. RESULTS: All except six restorations were evaluated during the 6 years. Twelve (17.9%) were lost, four Tetric Ceram (11.8%) and eight Hytac (24.2%) (p<0.05). Four were found in non-sclerotic lesions (20.0%) and eight in sclerotic lesions (17.0%). The differences between the sclerotic and non-sclerotic and the roughened and non-roughened lesions were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The resin-modified glass adhesive showed a superior clinical retention combined with the resin composite material, with an annual failure rate of 2%.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Amperometric determination of hydrazine at manganese hexacyanoferrate modified graphite-wax composite electrode.

Fabrication, characterization and application of a manganese hexacyanoferrate (MnHCF) modified graphite-wax composite electrode are described. The MnHCF mixed with graphite powder was dispersed into molten paraffin wax to yield a conductive composite, which was used as electrode material to construct a renewable three-dimensional MnHCF modified electrode. The characterization of the modified electrode has been studied by electrochemical techniques. The cyclic voltammogram of the MnHCF modified graphite-wax composite electrode prepared under optimum composition, showed a well-defined redox couple due to Fe(CN)(6)(4-)/Fe(CN)(6)(3-) system. The electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine by MnHCF modified graphite-wax composite electrode has been investigated in an attempt to develop a new sensor for its determination. It was found that the mediator catalyzed the oxidation of hydrazine. The electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine was also studied under hydrodynamic and chronoamperometric conditions. The anodic current increases linearly with increase in the concentration of hydrazine in the range of 3.33x10(-5)M to 8.18x10(-3)M. The detection limit was found to be 6.65x10(-6)M (S/N=3). The modified electrode can also be used for on-line detection of hydrazine. The proposed method has also been applied for the determination of hydrazine in photographic developer solution.

Electrochemistry↗
PubMed2006

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of the adsorption of lead (II) ions onto phosphate-modified kaolinite clay.

This study is on the kinetics and thermodynamics of the adsorption of Pb(2+) onto phosphate-modified and unmodified kaolinite clay obtained from Ubulu-Ukwu in Delta State of Nigeria. Increasing initial Pb(2+) concentration increased the rate of Pb(2+) adsorbed with increase in initial Pb(2+) concentration from 300 to 1000 mg/L. Increasing Pb(2+) concentration also increased the initial sorption rate h, from 1.404 to 13.11 mgg(-1)min(-1) for phosphate-modified kaolinite clay and 1.04-3.48 for unmodified kaolinite clay as Pb(2+) concentration. Increase in temperature was found to increase the initial sorption rate of Pb(2+) adsorption onto phosphate-modified adsorbent from 3.940 to 8.85 and 2.55 to 4.16 mgg(-1)min(-1) for the unmodified adsorbent. The overall sorption rate k, increased only slightly from 5.1x10(-2) to 9.7x10(-2)gmg(-1)min(-1) for phosphate-modified adsorbent, 3.8x10(-2) to 5.4x10(-2)gmg(-1)min(-1) for unmodified adsorbent. The adsorption reaction on both adsorbents was found to be chemically activated reaction and endothermic with energy of activation, E, at 500mg/L of Pb(2+) in solution as 19 and 10.68 kJmol(-1) for phosphate-modified and unmodified adsorbents, respectively. The positive values of both DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees obtained suggest an endothermic reaction and in increase in randomness at the solid-liquid interface during the adsorption of Pb(2+) onto the adsorbents. DeltaG degrees values obtained were all negative indicating a spontaneous adsorption process. The presence of Cd(2+) decreased both initial sorption rate and the amount of Pb(2+) adsorbed on phosphate-modified and unmodified adsorbents at equilibrium. The adsorption process follows a pseudo-second-order reaction scheme.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2006

Failure of surface-modified bypass circuits to improve platelet function during pediatric cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Surface-modified cardiopulmonary bypass circuits have been shown to improve platelet function and decrease postoperative bleeding after heart surgery in adults. Two surface-modified cardiopulmonary bypass circuits are approved and commercially available for pediatric cardiac surgery. There have been few studies demonstrating the efficacy of these modifications for children. We performed a prospective, randomized trial comparing surface-modified cardiopulmonary bypass circuits to a standard unmodified circuit in pediatric cardiac surgery. METHODS: Sixty-nine children (median 6 months old) undergoing first-time cardiac surgery were enrolled and randomized to an uncoated circuit or one of the two commercially available surface modified circuits for their operation. Blood samples were collected at baseline, on cardiopulmonary bypass, at the end of rewarming, after protamine, and at 18 to 24 postoperative hours. Platelet count, beta-thromboglobulin, and thromboelastography with and without abciximab were measured. Postoperative chest tube outputs and blood product utilization were also analyzed. RESULTS: The platelet counts, beta-thromboglobulin levels, thromboelastographic measures of platelet function, and postoperative bleeding were not significantly different between the surface-modified cardiopulmonary bypass circuit groups and the control group. CONCLUSION: Currently available surface-modified cardiopulmonary bypass circuits do not significantly improve platelet function or clinical outcomes after routine pediatric cardiac surgery.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed2003

Validation of a modified commercial assay for the detection of rubella-specific IgG in oral fluid for use in population studies.

Matching serum and oral fluid (saliva) samples were collected from 369 subjects in Tunisia in 2002, from a city in the north and a rural district in the south. Rubella-specific IgG was detected in sera by commercial ELISA (Dade Behring) and in matching oral fluids by two methods, a previously described IgG-capture ELISA (GACELISA) [J. Clin. Microbiol. 37 (1999) 391] and the Dade Behring ELISA with the assay protocol modified for use with oral fluids. Total IgG concentration of oral fluids was also measured. Rubella-specific IgG was detected in 289 (78.3%) sera overall. Differences in the age distribution of the study population in the north and south led to a higher prevalence being found in the north (86.2%) than in the south (71.8%). This difference was reflected in the oral fluid rubella-specific IgG results. With GACELISA, rubella-specific IgG was detected in 79.4% of oral fluids from the north and 69.7% from the south and with the modified Dade Behring assay, in 81.4% of oral fluids from the north and in 64.9% from the south. The sensitivity and specificity of GACELISA in comparison to results from the matching sera were 92.4 and 93.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the modified Dade Behring ELISA were 89.8 and 92.0%, respectively. Total IgG concentration in oral fluid showed a weak correlation (r=0.19) with the modified Dade Behring results and with samples where total IgG was >7.5 mg/l, the sensitivity and specificity were 94.4 and 90.0%, respectively. Twenty-nine oral fluids, which gave false negative rubella-specific IgG results with the modified Dade Behring ELISA, had a lower mean total IgG concentration than 256 oral fluids which gave concordant positive results (7.0mg/l versus 15.8 mg/l, P<0.001). The study validated the modified Dade Behring ELISA, providing an alternative to the GACELISA for assessing levels of rubella immunity for population studies using oral fluid samples.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

An investigation of the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) from a new substrate of silver-modified silver electrode by magnetron sputtering.

'Pure' silver nanoparticles on silver electrode were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The silver-modified silver electrode has good stability and the silver nanoparticles on silver electrode have homogeneous size distribution. Compared with the silver colloid modified silver electrode, there were no any extraneous component ions on the electrode, for the modified silver nanoparticles are prepared by magnetron sputtering. Synchronously, we obtained much higher quality SERS spectra of adenine molecules on the silver electrode modified by magnetron sputtering (SEMMS), and the study of the adsorption behavior of adenine on the silver-modified silver electrode by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) indicated that the silver-modified silver electrode was highly efficient substrates for SERS investigation. From the rich information on the SEMMS obtained from high-quality potential-dependent SERS, we may deduce the adsorption behavior of adenine and the probable SERS mechanism in the process. The probable reasons are given.

Adenine↗
PubMed2004

Sorption of ionizable organic compounds on HDTMA-modified loess soil.

A natural loess soil was modified using a cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) bromide. Sorption of ionizable organic compounds (IOCs), 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), p-nitroaniline (NA) and benzoic acid (BA), on the modified soil was determined under different pH conditions. The objective of this study was to examine the sorptive characteristics of IOCs on HDTMA-modified loess soil as a function of pH in an attempt to establish the sorptive models and mechanisms for predicting the sorptive behaviors of IOCs on the HDTMA-modified loess soil. The sorption isotherms of DCP, NA and BA with the soil were obtained using the batch equilibration method. Results indicated that the sorption isotherms of IOCs, regardless of ionic or neutral forms, were non-linear and obeyed to the Freundlich equation. A model describing the sorption of IOCs on the HDTMA-modified loess soil was derived from the experimental data. The model well predicted the sorption of DCP from individual sorption of both ionic and neutral species of the IOC. In binary solute systems, sorption of NA was reduced in the presence of DCP or BA, which indicated that DCP and BA had a competitive effect on the sorption of NA on the HDTMA-modified loess soil. The effect of DCP on the sorption of NA gradually increased with decreasing pH from 10.8 to 6.7, suggesting a stronger effect of neutral DCP than that of the ionic species on the sorption of NA. Modification of loess soil may effectively immobilize ionizable organic contaminants in soil environment.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of modified Taguchi and Bricker ureteral reimplantation techniques after radical cystectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To present our experience with the modified Taguchi "single-stitch" ureteral reimplantation technique in patients undergoing radical cystectomy with urinary diversion compared with a traditional Bricker reimplantation technique. Improved techniques are continually sought for ureteroenteric anastomoses during urinary diversion. The modified Taguchi "single-stitch" ureteral reimplantation is reportedly a time-efficient technique that preserves anastomotic integrity. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 75 consecutive patients with bladder cancer who underwent cystectomy and urinary diversion between October 1, 1999 and March 31, 2001. The ureteroenteric anastomosis was performed using a reinforced single-stitch modified Taguchi technique in the first 36 patients and an interrupted two-layer Bricker technique in the subsequent 39 patients during the creation of 47 orthotopic neobladders and 28 ileal conduit diversions. Ureteral stents were not routinely used. The demographic and perioperative clinical parameters were evaluated in each cohort, with particular attention to ureteral complications. RESULTS: Modified Taguchi and Bricker ureteral anastomoses were performed in 48% and 52% of patients, respectively. Patient age, sex, and body mass indexes were similar between groups. Apart from pathologic stage, univariate analysis did not demonstrate statistically significant differences between the groups in the demographic, intraoperative (estimated blood loss, diversion type, operative time) or postoperative (length of stay, rate of complications) parameters. Ureteral complications occurred in 8% of the Bricker group and 15% of the modified Taguchi group (P = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: Either technique can be performed safely and in a timely fashion. However, the increased number of ureteral leaks in the modified Taguchi cohort combined with no advantage in procedure time, prompted our return to the Bricker technique exclusively.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗