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PubMed2005

Comparison of CD-Rom and Internet access to clinical information.

INTRODUCTION: The New Zealand National Poisons Centre has developed an extensive clinical poisons information database, TOXINZ. This resource was originally provided on a CD-Rom, and in 2002 made accessible solely via the Internet (www.toxinz.com). It was unknown whether users would prefer the CD-Rom or Internet version to access the same information. METHODS: In September 2003 a total of 100 questionnaires were mailed to the emergency departments of 15 hospitals to be answered by medical and nursing staff utilizing the Internet version of TOXINZ. The results were then compared with a nearly identical questionnaire conducted in the same way in the same hospitals when only the CD-Rom database version was available. RESULTS: There was a 79% response rate with both medical and nursing staff rating the poisons management recommendations highly when accessed both on CD-Rom and Internet. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05, Mann-Whitney U-test) identified the Internet accessed database as: supplying better visual aids, being more repetitive, harder to search, and more difficult to print. CONCLUSION: Those developing Internet accessible databases for a healthcare environment are encouraged to incorporate robust search functionality, mobility solutions, and an ability to integrate with other healthcare applications.

CD-ROM↗
PubMed2006

Fuzzy support vector machines for adaptive Morse code recognition.

Morse code is now being harnessed for use in rehabilitation applications of augmentative-alternative communication and assistive technology, facilitating mobility, environmental control and adapted worksite access. In this paper, Morse code is selected as a communication adaptive device for persons who suffer from muscle atrophy, cerebral palsy or other severe handicaps. A stable typing rate is strictly required for Morse code to be effective as a communication tool. Therefore, an adaptive automatic recognition method with a high recognition rate is needed. The proposed system uses both fuzzy support vector machines and the variable-degree variable-step-size least-mean-square algorithm to achieve these objectives. We apply fuzzy memberships to each point, and provide different contributions to the decision learning function for support vector machines. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the proposed method elicited a higher recognition rate than other algorithms in the literature.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2003

Perceived health and physical functioning in postpoliomyelitis syndrome: a 6-year prospective follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: To study prospectively the health status, and especially the physical functioning, of polio survivors with and without postpoliomyelitis syndrome (PPS), and to identify prognostic determinants of change in physical functioning. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study; measurements at baseline and after 1, 2, and 6 years. SETTING: University hospital in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-six subjects with PPS and 27 without PPS. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) physical mobility category. RESULTS: Subjects with PPS had significantly poorer health status than subjects without PPS. No significant differences in mean NHP physical mobility scores between baseline and 6 years were found; both groups had improved after 1 year, after which there was a slow decline over the next 5 years. During the first 2 years, strength measurements showed little decline that was not related to changes in NHP physical mobility score. A physical performance test revealed no mean change in the first 2 years, but the subgroup with a decline above the 75th percentile eventually deteriorated 10.5+/-16.3 points on the NHP physical mobility category (P=.01) at 6 years from baseline. This subgroup had more extensive paresis than the other subjects, although it was not significant (P=.07). The extent of paresis at baseline was the only prognostic determinant for an increase in NHP physical mobility problems after 6 years. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with and without PPS did not differ with regard to changes in health status in a 6-year period. The fact that the extent of paresis was a prognostic factor for a decline in physical functioning is in accord with a (slow) decline in muscle mass, as a late effect of polio, that may lead to a decline in physical functioning as the reduced muscle capacity becomes less able to meet the demands of daily physical activities.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2002

NPY modulates epinephrine-induced leukocytosis via Y-1 and Y-5 receptor activation in vivo: sympathetic co-transmission during leukocyte mobilization.

Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation mobilizes blood leukocytes. Under these circumstances, both epinephrine (EPI) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are released. Therefore, we investigated a possible interaction between these transmitters during leukocyte mobilization, using intravenous catheterization of male adult Lewis rats. Intravenous application of NPY followed by EPI, dose-dependently facilitated, intensified and inhibited EPI-induced leukocytosis with subset-specificity for NK-cells, monocytes, and B-lymphocytes. Pharmacological assessment of NPY receptors involved revealed a Y-1R-mediated inhibition and a Y-5R-mediated facilitation. RT-PCR on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) detected Y-1R mRNA only, suggesting direct Y-1R-mediated effects on leukocytes and indirect effects via the Y-5R. Thus, via a specific Y-1R/Y-5R interplay, NPY acts as a neuroimmune co-transmitter in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Mitochondrial DNA-depleted neuroblastoma (Rho degrees) cells exhibit altered calcium signaling.

To investigate the role of chronic mitochondrial dysfunction on intracellular calcium signaling, we studied basal and stimulated cytosolic calcium levels in SH-SY5Y cells and a derived cell line devoid of mitochondrial DNA (Rho degrees ). Basal cytosolic calcium levels were slightly but significantly reduced in Rho degrees cells. The impact of chronic depletion of mitochondrial DNA was more evident following exposure of cells to carbachol, a calcium mobilizing agent. Calcium transients generated in Rho degrees cells following application of carbachol were more rapid than those in SH-SY5Y cells. A plateau phase of calcium recovery during calcium transients was present in SH-SY5Y cells but absent in Rho degrees cells. The rapid calcium transients in Rho degrees cells were due, in part, to increased reliance on Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange activity at the plasma membrane and the plateau phase in calcium recovery in SH-SY5Y cells was dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium. We also examined whether mitochondrial DNA depletion influenced calcium responses to release of intracellular calcium stores. Rho degrees cells showed reduced responses to the uncoupler, FCCP, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin. Acute exposure of SH-SY5Y cells to mitochondrial inhibitors did not mimic the results seen in Rho degrees cells. These results suggest that cytosolic calcium homeostasis in this neuron-like cell line is significantly altered as a consequence of chronic depletion of mitochondrial DNA.

Calcium↗
PubMed1992

Spinal trauma. Pathophysiology and management of traumatic spinal injuries.

Spinal trauma can originate from internal or external sources. Injuries to the spinal cord can be classified as either concussive or compressive and concussive. The pathophysiologic events surrounding spinal cord injury include the primary injury (compression, concussion) and numerous secondary injury mechanisms (vascular, biochemical, electrolyte), which are mediated by excessive oxygen free radicles, neurotransmitter and electrolyte alterations in cell membrane permeability, excitotoxic amino acids, and various other biochemical factors that collectively result in reduced SCBF, ischemia, and eventual necrosis of the gray and white matter. Management of acute spinal cord injuries includes the use of a high-dose corticosteroid regimen within the initial 8 hours after trauma. Sodium prednisolone and methylprednisolone, at recommended doses, act as oxygen radical scavengers and are anti-inflammatory. Additional considerations are the stability of the vertebral column, other conditions associated with trauma (i.e., pneumothorax), and the presence or absence of spinal cord compression, which may warrant surgical therapy. Vertebral fractures or luxations can occur in any area of the spine but most commonly occur at the junction of mobile and immobile segments. Dorsal and dorsolateral surgical approaches are applicable to the lumbosacral and thoracolumbar spine and dorsal and ventral approaches to the cervical spine. Indications for surgical intervention include spinal cord compression and vertebral instability. Instability can be determined from the type of fracture, how many of the three compartments of the vertebrae are disrupted, and on occasion, by carefully positioned stress studies of fluoroscopy. Decompression (dorsal laminectomy, hemilaminectomy, or ventral cervical slot) is employed when compression of the spinal cord exists. The hemilaminectomy (unilateral or bilateral) causes less instability than dorsal laminectomy and therefore should be used when practical. The preferred approach for atlantoaxial subluxation is ventral, and the cross pinning, vertebral fusion technique is used for stabilization. Fracture luxations of C-2 are repaired with small plates on the ventral vertebral body. The thoracic and upper lumbar spine is stabilized with dorsal fixation techniques or combined dorsal spinal plate/vertebral body plate fixation. Several methods of fixation can be used with lower lumbar or lumbosacral fractures, including the modified segmental technique and the combined dorsal spinal plate/Kirschner-Ehmer technique.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Diffusion and perfusion MRI: basic physics.

Diffusion and perfusion MR imaging are now being used increasingly in neuro-vascular clinical applications. While diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging exploits the translational mobility of water molecules to obtain information on the microscopic behaviour of the tissues (presence of macromolecules, presence and permeability of membranes, equilibrium intracellular-extracellular water, ellipsis), perfusion weighted imaging makes use of endogenous and exogenous tracers for monitoring their hemodynamic status. The combination of both techniques is extremely promising for the early detection and assessment of stroke, for tumor characterisation and for the evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases. This article provides a brief review of the basic physics principles underlying the methodologies followed.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗
PubMed2001

Elongated conformers of charge states +11 to +15 of bovine ubiquitin studied using ESI-FAIMS-MS.

Recent advancements in high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) have led to significant improvements in the application of this technology to the study of protein conformers. Compared with previous work, the maximum value of the separation voltage (i.e., the dispersion voltage) has increased, thereby enabling multiple, elongated conformers of individual charge states of bovine ubiquitin to be separated in the gas phase (e.g., four conformers of each of the +11 and +12 charge states were separated). The use of a carrier gas mixture of 40% nitrogen and 60% helium changed the separation selectivity compared with pure nitrogen and enhanced the signal intensity, especially for the +14 and +15 charge states (the latter was not detected in a nitrogen carrier gas). Conformer cross sections were determined using the FAIMS/energy-loss method and found to be similar within a given charge state. The cross sections for conformers of charge states +13, + 14, and +15 plateau at about 2000 A2 suggesting that the structure of bovine ubiquitin is essentially unfolded after the addition of the 13th proton.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1999

Compression wraps for venous ulcer healing: a review.

Compression to the lower extremities is used to increase healing of venous stasis ulcers by improving the blood supply and reducing edema and distension. Compression wraps are available in elastic or non-elastic and in single to multilayer systems requiring varying types of application and exerting different levels of compression. Elimination of edema is so basic and important to venous ulcer healing that the most effective level of compression should be used. Controversy exists regarding the most effective sub-bandage pressure (ranging from 20 mm Hg to 45 mm Hg) for timely healing. Because of differences in compression wraps, selection of the most effective and efficient wrap can be difficult. The purpose of this integrated review was to determine healing rates of venous ulcers with various wraps. The studies reviewed provide reasonable evidence that venous ulcers can be healed with the use of compression wraps and that various wraps are effective when used with correct assessment, application, and fit by the caregiver, along with compliance and mobility of the patient.

Bandages↗
PubMed2005

Direct analysis of pharmaceutical drug formulations using ion mobility spectrometry/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with desorption electrospray ionization.

A novel approach to the rapid analysis of pharmaceutical drug formulations using hyphenated ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ToF-MS) that requires no sample pretreatment or chromatographic separation is described. A modified quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer containing an ion mobility drift cell was used for gas-phase electrophoretic separation of ions prior to ToF-MS detection. The generation of sample ions directly from tablets and cream formulations was effected by desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) using a modified electrospray ion source. The analysis of a range of over-the-counter and prescription tablet formulations is described, including histamine H2 receptor antagonist (ranitidine), analgesic (paracetamol), opiate (codeine), and aromatase inhibitor anticancer (anastrozole) drugs. The successful determination of active drugs from soft formulations, such as an antiseptic cream (chlorhexidine) and a nicotine-containing skin patch, is also presented. Limits of detection for the active drugs using the DESI/IMS/ToF-MS method fell within the high-picomole to nanomole range. In all cases, the use of ion mobility drift tube separation showed increased selectivity for active drug responses (present as low as 0.14% w/w) over excipient responses such as poly(ethylene glycol). Tandem mass spectrometric analysis of precursor ions separated by IMS allowed positive confirmation of active drugs with little loss of ion mobility efficiency. The ability to analyze hard or soft pharmaceutical formulations directly by DESI combined with ion mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry in approximately 2 min demonstrates the potential applicability of this novel method to pharmaceutical screening of low-molecular-weight drug formulations with high selectivity over the formulation vehicle.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗
PubMed1997

Representing primary electrophoretic data in the 1/time domain: comparison to representations in the time domain.

A plot of absorbance vs 1/time (the "1/time domain") is a more useful representation of the primary data in capillary electrophoresis than traditional plots of absorbance vs time (the "time domain") in a wide set of circumstances, especially when comparing electropherograms in which the rate of electroosmotic flow is not precisely the same. The quantity that is of fundamental interest in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is the electrophoretic mobility of an analyte. The electrophoretic mobility of a species is nonlinearly proportional to time and, therefore, not linearly represented in the time domain: that is, the distance between two peaks along the time axis is not linearly related to the difference in their electrophoretic mobilities. In contrast, the electrophoretic mobility is linearly proportional to 1/time, and the distance between two peaks along the 1/time axis is linearly related to the difference in electrophoretic mobilities. Plots in the 1/time domain are similar to the familiar plots in the time domain (each analyte is represented by a peak, and the order of peaks corresponds to the order in which these analytes reach the detector), but the spacing between the peaks corresponds linearly to differences in mobility. This article derives this useful, visually appealing, and broadly applicable plotting strategy and illustrates common situations in which these plots are more useful than plots in the time domain.

Absorption↗
PubMed2000

A family of single-isomer, sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin chiral resolving agents for capillary electrophoresis. 1. Octakis(2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfato)-gamma-cyclodextrin.

The first member of the single-isomer, sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin family, the sodium salt of octakis(2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfato)-gamma-cyclodextrin (ODAS-gamma CD) has been synthesized, analytically characterized, and used to separate, by capillary electrophoresis, a variety of neutral, acidic, basic, and amphoteric enantiomers in low pH background electrolytes. The anionic effective mobilities of the neutral and anionic analytes were found to increase with the concentration of ODAS-gamma CD. For weakly binding cationic analytes, the effective mobilities went from cationic high values, through zero, to increasingly larger anionic values as the concentration of ODAS-gamma CD was increased. For the strongly complexing cationic analytes, the effective mobilities became anionic even at very low ODAS-gamma CD concentrations and became smaller as the ionic strength of the background electrolyte increased with the increasing ODAS-gamma CD concentration. Separation selectivity followed the predictions of the charged resolving agent migration model: for neutral analytes it decreased as the concentration of ODAS-gamma CD was increased. For cationic analytes, selectivities were found to increase as the cationic effective mobilities approached zero, then decreased as the concentration of ODAS-gamma CD was increased further. The extent of peak resolution that could be realized with ODAS-gamma CD strongly depended on the magnitude of separation selectivity and the normalized electroosmotic flow mobility. ODAS-gamma CD proved to be a broadly applicable chiral resolving agent.

Cyclodextrins↗
PubMed2003

Use of copper shavings to remove mercury from contaminated groundwater or wastewater by amalgamation.

The efficacy of copper shavings (Cu(0)) for the removal of Hg2+ from aqueous solution by amalgamation is demonstrated. Two kinds of copper shavings were investigated: (a) chemically processed shavings (Fluka) and (b) recycled shavings from scrap metal. Batch sorption experiments yielded very high retardation coefficients of 28 850-82 830 for the concentration range studied (1-10 000 microg/L Hg2+ dissolved in distilled water or in a 0.01 M CaCl2 matrix solution). Sorption data were well-described bythe Freundlich isotherm equation. Kinetic batch sorption experiments showed that 96-98% of Hg2+ was removed within 2 h. Column experiments were performed with a mercury solution containing 1000 microg/L Hg in a 0.01 M CaCl2 matrix with a flow rate of 0.5 m/d. No mercury breakthrough (c/c(0) = 0.5) could be detected after more than 2300 percolated pore volumes, and the high retardation coefficients determined in the batch studies could be confirmed. Copper was released from the shavings due to the amalgamation process and to copper corrosion by oxygen, resulting in concentrations of mobilized copper of 0.2-0.6 mg/L. Due to their high efficiency in removing Hg2+ from aqueous solution, the use of copper shavings for the removal of mercury from contaminated water is suggested, employing a sequential system of mercury amalgamation followed by the removal of mobilized copper by an ion exchanger such as zeolites. Possible applications could be in environmental technologies such as wastewater treatment or permeable reactive barriers for in situ groundwater remediation.

Copper↗
PubMed2004

Measurement of five dipolar couplings from a single 3D NMR multiplet applied to the study of RNA dynamics.

A new three-dimensional NMR experiment is described that yields five scalar or dipolar couplings from a single cross-peak between three spins. The method is based on the E.COSY principle and is demonstrated for the H1'-C1'-C2' fragment of ribose sugars in a uniformly 13C-enriched 24-nucleotide RNA stem-loop structure, for which a complete set of couplings was obtained for all nonmodified nucleotides. The values of the isotropic J couplings and the 13C1' and 13C2' chemical shifts define the sugar pucker. Once the sugar pucker is known, the five dipolar couplings between C1'-H1', C2'-H2', H1'-H2', C1'-H2', and C2'-H1', together with C1'-C2', C3'-H3', and C4'-H4' available from standard experiments, can be used to derive the five unknowns that define the local alignment tensor, thereby simultaneously providing information on relative orientation and dynamics of the ribose units. Data indicate rather uniform alignment for all stem nucleotides in the 24-nt stem-loop structure, with only a modest reduction in order for the terminal basepair, but significantly increased mobility in part of the loop region. The method is applicable to proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates, provided 13C enrichment is available.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular↗
PubMed2006

7-Dialkylamino-1-alkylquinolinium salts: highly versatile and stable fluorescent probes.

7-Dialkylamino- and 7-alkylsulfenyl-1-alkylquinolinium salts have been synthesized using a novel synthetic approach. The key intermediate, 7-fluoro-1-methylquinolinium iodide, was shown to possess high reactivity toward nitrogen and sulfur nucleophiles, and the kinetics of this nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction was investigated. A wide variety of compounds were synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. High fluorescence quantum yields were observed, and this was attributed to the rigid molecular architecture. The thermal and photochemical stability of a number of compounds was investigated, and it was demonstrated that 7-dialkylamino-1-methylquinolinium salts have superior stability compared to a number of hemicyanine dyes and rigid charge-transfer probes. Based on the high quantum yields, the large Stokes shifts, and in particular, the high thermal and photochemical stability, it is concluded that 7-dialkylamino-1-methylquinolinium salts are excellent color-shifting, mobility-sensitive fluorescent probes for polymer characterization and other demanding applications.

Fluorescent Dyes↗
PubMed1991

Inositol trisphosphate-dependent periodic activation of a Ca(2+)-activated K+ conductance in glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta-cells.

Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion is associated with the appearance of electrical activity in the pancreatic beta-cell. At intermediate glucose concentrations, beta-cell electrical activity follows a characteristic pattern of slow oscillations in membrane potential on which bursts of action potentials are superimposed. The electrophysiological background of the bursting pattern remains unestablished. Activation of Ca(2+)-activated large-conductance K+ channels (KCa channel) has been implicated in this process but seems unlikely in view of recent evidence demonstrating that the beta-cell electrical activity is unaffected by the specific KCa channel blocker charybdotoxin. Another hypothesis postulates that the bursting arises as a consequence of two components of Ca(2+)-current inactivation. Here we show that activation of a novel Ca(2+)-dependent K+ current in glucose-stimulated beta-cells produces a transient membrane repolarization. This interrupts action potential firing so that action potentials appear in bursts. Spontaneous activity of this current was seen only rarely but could be induced by addition of compounds functionally related to hormones and neurotransmitters present in the intact pancreatic islet. K+ currents of the same type could be evoked by intracellular application of GTP, the effect of which was mediated by mobilization of Ca2+ from inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3)-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. These observations suggest that oscillatory glucose-stimulated electrical activity, which is correlated with pulsatile release of insulin, results from the interaction between the beta-cell and intraislet hormones and neurotransmitters. Our data also provide evidence for a close interplay between ion channels in the plasma membrane and InsP3-induced mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ in an excitable cell.

Animals↗