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Quantitative analysis of multiple PAH's in the coal conversion atmosphere.

The development of synfuel technology has focused attention on the determination and control of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the work and general environments. As a group, PAH are perhaps the most important family of compounds of concern to the industrial hygienist in the synfuel industry. The resolution and detection of PAH present in an environmental sample remain challenging analytical tasks. This paper describes refinements in the analytical scheme and detection of multiple PAH by a combined HPLC and GC/MS approach in samples collected over several months in various areas of a coal conversion facility. The method has been proven to be a rapid, more sensitive, and less expensive approach than GC/MS alone, and has been applied successfully to a large number of samples collected in the real coal conversion environment.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

Genetic control of chlorophyll biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas. Analysis of mutants at two loci mediating the conversion of protoporphyrin-IX to magnesium protoporphyrin.

In this report we describe two nonallelic Mendelian protoporphyrin accumulating mutants br(s)-1 and br(c)-1. Results of experiments with these mutants lead us to postulate that porphyrin biosynthesis branches into light and dark steps between protoporphyrin-IX and magnesium protoporphyrin. We hypothesize that the br(c) locus controls a dark step while the br(s) locus either controls a step in the main pathway before the branch or mediates the preparation of the magnesium ion for its insertion into protoporphyrin-IX. The br(s)-1 mutant is thought to be light sensitive because a block prior to the branch point in the porphyrin pathway prevents chlorophyll formation in either the light or the dark. The br(c)-1 mutant, which also accumulates protoporphyrin in the dark, forms chlorophyll and chloroplast lamellae when transferred to the light, showing that function of the porphyrin pathway is normal in the light.

Cell Count↗

Conversion of an infrared densitometer for radiochromic film analysis.

By the simple incorporation of a high intensity red LED into a typical infrared film densitometer, radiochromic film can be analysed using existing detectors and scanning software. Results show an accurate dose measurement using radiochromic film and this system compared to conventional detectors for percentage depth dose and penumbral measurements in high and low energy x-ray beams. A small circuit including a red Light Emitting Diode (LED) was positioned inside the film densitometer which does not obscure the infrared source. The red and infrared diodes work independently. For 6 MV x-rays, the 80%/20% penumbral width at 15 mm depth for a 10 x 10 cm field at 100 cm SSD was measured to be 3.5 mm with radiochromic film as compared to 3.3 with corrected diode measurements. Percentage depth doses were measured to within +/- 3% of ionisation chamber data at 6MV and within +/- 2% for 250 kVp x-ray with the film placed parallel to the beam direction in both cases.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

High-speed conversion of cytosine to uracil in bisulfite genomic sequencing analysis of DNA methylation.

Bisulfite genomic sequencing is a widely used technique for analyzing cytosine-methylation of DNA. By treating DNA with bisulfite, cytosine residues are deaminated to uracil, while leaving 5-methylcytosine largely intact. Subsequent PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis permit unequivocal determination of the methylation status at cytosine residues. A major caveat associated with the currently practiced procedure is that it takes 16-20 hr for completion of the conversion of cytosine to uracil. Here we report that a complete deamination of cytosine to uracil can be achieved in shorter periods by using a highly concentrated bisulfite solution at an elevated temperature. Time course experiments demonstrated that treating DNA with 9 M bisulfite for 20 min at 90 degrees C or 40 min at 70 degrees C all cytosine residues in the DNA were converted to uracil. Under these conditions, the majority of 5-methylcytosines remained intact. When a high molecular weight DNA derived from a cell line (containing a number of genes whose methylation status was known) was treated with bisulfite under the above conditions and amplified and sequenced, the results obtained were consistent with those reported in the literature. Although some degradation of DNA occurred during this process, the amount of treated DNA required for the amplification was nearly equal to that required for the conventional bisulfite genomic sequencing procedure. The increased speed of DNA methylation analysis with this novel procedure is expected to advance various aspects of DNA sciences.

Base Sequence↗

Meth-DOP-PCR: an assay for the methylation profiling of trace amounts of DNA extracted from bodily fluids.

Cancer cells release their DNA into the patient's bodily fluids and cancer-specific signatures can be recognized in the circulating DNA. The aberrant methylation of CpG-rich regions in gene promoter sequences is an early marker of cell transformation whose specificity and optimal sensitivity can be achieved by assessing the methylation status of multiple genes ('methylation profiling'). Most of the current technologies for methylation analysis rely upon the combination of chemical conversion of the DNA and PCR analysis for the detection of methylated and unmethylated alleles. However, the small amount of circulating DNA, and its fragmentation, dramatically reduces the template DNA molecules making difficult the methylation profiling. To overcome this limitation, we have developed the Meth-DOP-PCR assay, a combination between a modified degenerate oligonucleotide primed PCR (DOP-PCR) and methylation-specific PCR (MSP), for the high-throughput methylation analysis of trace-amount of circulating DNA. We have demonstrated the concordance between Meth-DOP-PCR and MSP and shown the application of this technique for the methylation analysis of DNA extracted from the serum of lung cancer patients. We have estimated that through this procedure it is possible to obtain at least a 25-fold increase of the number of determinations allowing the methylation profiling from less than 1 ml of serum. Thus, Meth-DOP-PCR appears as a simple, cost-effective and efficient technique, for the development of novel methylation-based diagnostic assays.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗

New ortho-para conversion mechanism in dense solid hydrogen.

Analysis of recent measurements of striking changes in the rate of ortho-para conversion of solid H(2) up to 58 GPa shows that the conversion mechanism must differ from that at ambient pressure. A new conversion mechanism is identified in which the emerging excitations are coupled to the converting molecules via electric quadrupole-quadrupole rather than nuclear spin-spin interactions. The latter only initiates conversion while the coupling enhancement associated with the new mechanism is ensured by high compression and a gap closing, with the conversion energy diminishing strongly with increasing pressure.

Journal Article↗

DC-conversion of atrial fibrillation after mitral valve operation. An analysis of the long-term results.

In a prospective study comprising 43 patients with atrial fibrillation after mitral valve surgery, an evaluation was made of the prognostic significance of clinical, radiological, haemodynamic and operative factors for the maintenance of sinus rhythm after DC-conversion. Atrial fibrillation with a duration of less than 12 months proved to be the only single factor of significance for sustained sinus rhythm after 12 months and it is suggested as a simple clinical criterion for selection of patients for DC-conversion after mitral valve operation.

Adult↗

[Multi-drug resistant lung tuberculosis due to double infection of MDR strain].

The case is 47-year-old, homeless man. He was diagnosed as cavitary, sputum smear positive pan-sensitive lung tuberculosis, and admitted to TB ward of our hospital. At the age of 4-year-old he had tuberculous hilar lymphadenopathy and took medicine. He had no other associated disease, and HIV test was negative. He started standard chemotherapy and 2 months later his sputum culture was converted to negative. His adherence to medicine was thought to be good. But about 2 weeks after the sputum conversion, his sputum culture was re-converted to positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thereafter, during and after the completion of standard chemotherapy, his sputum culture had been intermittently positive. The drug sensitivity tests of the strain after re-conversion showed multi-drug resistance. RFLP analysis revealed that the strain before conversion was totally different strain from the strain after re-conversion to positive. The case was considered to be caused by the double infection of MDR strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during the course of treatment for tuberculosis due to a sensitive strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Antitubercular Agents↗

[Infection as a metaphor for the fear of pollution].

Not only nurses, but all kinds of professional helpers find it difficult to talk about their experiences with "filth" and "dirtiness", both terms used in the figurative and in the literal scene. They feel such a subject questions both the ideal of their profession als well as their behaviour as professionals. However, if they fail to refer to these experiences as a subject, they run the risk of not being able to reflect their relationship to the patient and consequently various techniques of dissociation become necessary. But this is not enough to get rid of the feeling of filth and dirtiness, as it is shown on the example of people working in a ward for patients with AIDS. It is conspicuous that the nurses working in this ward consider the risk to get infected with AIDS very low. Nevertheless most of them regularly have an HIV-test made. This fact seems to imply that the test has a very important function in the sense of a social-self-assurance. The study, of which a small excerpt is presented here, is based on depth-psychology interviews. The analysis of these interviews orients itself on the respective latent conflict matters or on given subject matters. The interpretation is based on scenic understanding and the analysis of the course of the conversation. Concerning the latently expressed experiences, the analysis of metaphors was of major importance.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Stereotactic statistical imaging analysis of the brain using the easy Z-score imaging system for sharing a normal database.

Statistical brain imaging analysis has good objectivity and reproducibility. In Japan, statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections (3D-SSP) are used nationwide as statistical imaging analysis with standard brain coordinates. They often help to interpret brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images by avoiding possible pitfalls (e.g., effects of aging, atrophy) with which clinicians are unfamiliar. However, this type of analysis presents a problem: statistical processing requires many normal subject images. The easy Z-score imaging system (eZIS) is one of the statistical analysis methods that uses SPM processing in normalization and smoothing, and it has the function of image conversion leading to statistical analysis without a control database. Therefore, statistical analysis can be used in clinical practice by sharing a prepared normal database. By unifying the image quality by processing a shared database, this program has great potential for sharing patient imaging data in many hospitals. It is expected that the eZIS will help perform detailed analysis in many functional diseases in collaborative studies. This article describes the interpretation of brain SPECT images and suggests the usefulness and potential of eZIS.

Aging↗

Laparoscopic splenectomy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

We conducted a retrospective multicenter study by questionnaire to evaluate the results of laparoscopic splenectomy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Between 1991 and 1998, 209 patients with a mean age of 41.2 years (range, 10-83) had a laparoscopic splenectomy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Preoperatively, 178 patients (85%) underwent medical treatment aimed at achieving a satisfactory platelet count. Twenty-nine patients were obese, with a body mass index greater than 30%, and 14% were HIV-seropositive. The so-called hanging spleen technique in the right lateral decubitus position was used most often. The average duration of surgery was 144 minutes (45-360). This was significantly longer in cases of conversion (170 minutes; P < 0.01). The factors influencing the duration of laparoscopy were operator experience and patient obesity (P < 0.01). A conversion was necessary in 36 cases (17.2%) because of hemorrhage. The conversion rate varied from 5.3% to 46.7%, depending on the surgical team. A multivariate analysis of factors disposing to conversion identified two causes: obesity and operator experience. One or more accessory spleens were found in 34 patients (16.2%). The average weight of the spleens was 194.2 g. There were no deaths. There were no complications in 187 patients (89.5%), with a mean hospital stay of 6.1 days. Patients who did not require a conversion had a significantly earlier return of intestinal transit, used less analgesic, and had a shorter length of hospitalization. Overall morbidity was 10.5% (22 cases), due to subphrenic collections (7 cases), abdominal wall complications (6 cases), re-intervention for actual or suspected hemorrhage or pancreatitis (3 cases), pneumopathology (2 cases) and others (4 cases). A multivariate analysis about morbidity shows a statistically significant difference in conversions (P < 0.05) but not in obesity or in surgeon's experience. Normal activity was achieved on average by the twentieth postoperative day--earlier if conversion was not required (18.4 versus 33.9 days). The average preoperative platelet count was 92.7 x 10(9)/L (range, 3 to 444). Twenty patients had a count of less than 30 x 10(9)/L and in this group the conversion rate was 30% (6 cases). Ninety-six patients were seen in the outpatient clinic, with an average follow-up time of 16.2 months (3 to 72 months), and the average platelet count was 242 x 10(9)/L (6 to 780). Eight patients (8.3%) were failures with a platelet count of <30 x 10(9)/L. In the 20 patients with a preoperative platelet count <30 x 10(9)/L, there were 3 early failures and 5 late relapses. There were 2 late deaths: chest infection at 3 months in an HIV seropositive patient and one case of pulmonary embolus at 6 months. Laparoscopic splenectomy constitutes a real alternative to conventional splenectomy for the treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. It is associated with fewer postoperative complications, a shorter duration of hospitalization and an earlier return to normal activity. The limiting factors are the experience of the operator and patient obesity. The long-term results are identical to those of conventional splenectomy, with a better than average success rate in patients that have failed preoperative medical treatment.

Adolescent↗

Emergency conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass during attempted off-pump revascularization results in increased morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate outcomes and predictors of emergency conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass during attempted off-pump coronary bypass surgery. METHODS: From January 1999 through July 2002, 1678 consecutive isolated coronary artery bypass operations were performed at Lenox Hill Hospital, with the intention to treat all patients with off-pump coronary bypass surgery. Fifty (2.97%) patients required urgent conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass. All the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were collected and analyzed in accordance with the New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine predictors for conversion. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality and major morbidity were significantly lower in the nonconverted group compared with the converted patients (mortality: 1.47% [n = 24] vs 12% [n = 6], P = .001; stroke: 1.1% [n = 18] vs 6% [n = 3], P = .02; renal failure: 1.23% [n = 20] vs 6% [n = 3], P = .02; deep sternal wound infection: 1.54% [n = 25] vs 8% [n = 4], P = .009; respiratory failure: 3.75% [n = 61] vs 28% [n = 14], P < .0001; nonconverted vs converted patients, respectively). The annual incidence of conversion decreased during the study period. There was a significant reduction in the incidence of conversion after routine use of a cardiac positioning device to performing lateral and inferior wall grafts (4.2% [n = 27] vs 2.3% [n = 23], P = .04). None of the preoperative variables were independent predictors of conversion on multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Because emergency conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass during attempted off-pump coronary bypass surgery results in significantly higher morbidity and mortality, studies comparing off-pump coronary bypass surgery with conventional coronary artery surgery should include converted patients in the off-pump group. In our experience, emergency conversion is an unpredictable event. The incidence of conversion decreases with increasing experience of surgeons in performing off-pump coronary surgery and use of a cardiac positioning device.

Adult↗

Stable renal transplant recipients can be safely converted from MMF to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium tablets: Interim results of a multicenter Latin American study.

Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) is designed to reduce mycophenolate acid (MPA)-related upper gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs). A multicenter, open-label, Latin American study in stable renal transplant patients is ongoing to assess the safety of the conversion from mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to EC-MPS. An interim analysis was performed when 93 patients had completed 3 months. Prior to conversion, they had received MMF at a dose of 2 g/d, with the exception of eight adult patients who were receiving an average daily dose of 1.25 g. All adult patients were converted to EC-MPS (1.44 g/d; 0.450 g/m(2) bid for children). After conversion, the reported total incidence of AEs was 40.9%, including 28% infections, 1.1% hematologic, 19.4% GI, including 10.8% upper-GI AE (all mild) and 5.4% diarrhea. No patient discontinued the study medication due to adverse events. Only six patients (6%) required a dose adjustment. There were no episodes of acute rejection, death, or graft loss. During the period of analysis, the conversion from MMF to EC-MPS was safe, the enteric-coated tablet formulation prevented release of MPA in the upper GI tract, and only one patient had to reduce the dose due to an upper GI AE, concomitant with diarrhea. EC-MPS offers transplant physicians and their patients an alternative MPA therapy that is as effective and safe as MMF, but in a formulation that may provide GI tolerability benefits.

Administration, Oral↗

Counseling for depression by primary care providers.

OBJECTIVE: Primary care providers (PCPs) deliver a significant amount of depression care, yet little is known about the content of clinical encounters with depressed patients. We describe the extent to which PCP's encounters with depressed and non-depressed patients involve psychotherapeutic counseling relative to other types of counseling during primary care visits. METHOD: Cross-sectional evaluation of audiotaped office visits between October 1997 and September 1998 with 154 patients of 27 PCPs at three Veterans' Health Administration clinics in California. Using the Roter Interaction Analysis System, we coded conversation into mutually exclusive talk categories and developed specific measures of depression counseling coded for sequences of depression talk. Analysis of variance and covariance was used to evaluate differences in counseling by depression type adjusted for encounter length, previous depression treatment, patient characteristics, and provider clustering. RESULTS: PCPs delivered significantly more depression care (assessed using coded audiotapes of patient visits) to their patients with major depression compared with patients who had no depression or symptoms but no disorder. However, counseling using psychotherapeutic techniques did not differ by depression level and was equivalent for patients with major depression and subthreshold relative to non-depressed. Encounters with patients who had major depression included more talk about depression, devoted more time to discussing depression, and included more depression talk per minute. PCP encounters with depressed patients also included less biomedical talk compared to other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that PCPs do provide depression counseling to their patients who need it the most. Whether counseling is associated with appropriate treatment and subsequent outcomes will require additional research.

Adult↗

Multiscaling comparative analysis of time series and a discussion on "earthquake conversations" in California.

Time series are characterized by complex memory and/or distribution patterns. In this Letter we show that stochastic models characterized by different statistics may equally well reproduce some pattern of a time series. In particular, we discuss the difference between Lévy-walk and fractal Gaussian intermittent signals and show that the adoption of complementary scaling analysis techniques may be useful to distinguish the two cases. Finally, we apply this methodology to the earthquake occurrences in California and suggest the possibility that earthquake occurrences are described by a colored ("long-range correlated") generalized Poisson model.

Journal Article↗