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PubMedDate not supplied

Bronchial responsiveness to methacholine in swine confinement building workers.

Bronchial responsiveness to methacholine was measured in 60 swine confinement building workers selected from 461 subjects who participated in a recent epidemiologic survey on the respiratory impact of exposure to this environment. Subjects were divided into the following four groups: group 1, asymptomatic with normal spirometry (n = 16); group 2, asymptomatic with forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1.0/FVC) < 95% predicted (n = 17); group 3, presence of chronic bronchitis with normal respiratory function (n = 13); and group 4, both symptomatic and FEV1.0/FVC < 95% predicted (n = 14). Each subject answered a questionnaire and had a physical examination, PA and lateral chest films, lung volumes and DLCO measurements, and a methacholine bronchoprovocation test. Ages were similar in each group. Physical examination, chest x-rays, and DLCO were normal in all subjects. Values of total lung capacity (TLC) for subjects in group 4 were higher than those of subjects in group 3, and respiratory volume (RV) values of group 4 subjects were higher than those found for all other groups. The provocation dose of methacholine (PC20) was lower for group 4, and the number of subjects with PC20 < 16 mg/ml was greater in this group than in the other groups. We conclude that only swine confinement building workers with both symptoms of chronic bronchitis and abnormal spirometry have an increased bronchial responsiveness to methacholine; however, it is uncertain whether the bronchial responsiveness demonstrated is directly related to the subjects' employment.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The self-organization of speech sounds.

The speech code is a vehicle of language: it defines a set of forms used by a community to carry information. Such a code is necessary to support the linguistic interactions that allow humans to communicate. How then may a speech code be formed prior to the existence of linguistic interactions? Moreover, the human speech code is discrete and compositional, shared by all the individuals of a community but different across communities, and phoneme inventories are characterized by statistical regularities. How can a speech code with these properties form? We try to approach these questions in the paper, using the "methodology of the artificial". We build a society of artificial agents, and detail a mechanism that shows the formation of a discrete speech code without pre-supposing the existence of linguistic capacities or of coordinated interactions. The mechanism is based on a low-level model of sensory-motor interactions. We show that the integration of certain very simple and non-language-specific neural devices leads to the formation of a speech code that has properties similar to the human speech code. This result relies on the self-organizing properties of a generic coupling between perception and production within agents, and on the interactions between agents. The artificial system helps us to develop better intuitions on how speech might have appeared, by showing how self-organization might have helped natural selection to find speech.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed2001

Recommendations for renovating an operating theater at an emergency obstetric care facility.

The importance of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) in reducing maternal mortality has focused attention on both the skills of the clinicians to provide high quality care and on the health facilities in which the care is provided. Essential elements of EmOC include the capacity to perform cesarean sections for which an operating theater is needed. This article focuses on renovation of existing operating theaters to meet the necessary standards. While building, adding to, or renovating operating theaters can be expensive, this article emphasizes appropriate materials that are likely to be locally available and relatively inexpensive. The importance of proper maintenance is discussed.

Emergency Service, Hospital↗
PubMed2000

Water-soluble dendritic unimolecular micelles: their potential as drug delivery agents.

To explore the potential of dendritic unimolecular micelles in drug delivery systems, dendritic unimolecular micelles with a hydrophobic core surrounded by a hydrophilic shell were prepared by coupling dendritic hypercores with poly(ethylene glycol) [PEG] mesylate. The monomer selected to build the dendritic cores was 4, 4-bis(4'-hydroxyphenyl) pentanol as this large monomer unit provides flexibility to the dendritic structure while contributing to the "container" capacity of the overall structure. Four generations of dendritic hypercores with six, 12, 24, and 48 phenolic end groups were prepared. Subsequent coupling reactions with PEG mesylate afforded four generations of dendritic unimolecular micelles. The micelles were characterized by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), 1H-NMR and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). The "container" property of micelles was demonstrated by solubilizing pyrene in aqueous solution. Entrapment of the model drug indomethacin in the dendritic micelles was achieved at 11 wt.% loading level, and preliminary in vitro release tests showed that sustained release characteristics were achieved.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗
PubMed2006

Myeloperoxidase metabolizes thiocyanate in a reaction driven by nitric oxide.

We examined the potential physiological relevance of myeloperoxidase (MPO)-nitric oxide (NO) interactions as they may relate to the cosubstrate, pseudo halide thiocyanate (SCN(-)), and substrate switching. Direct spectroscopic and rapid kinetics studies revealed that SCN(-) interaction with MPO facilitates formation of the MPO catalytic intermediate Compound II, limiting overall activity. However, a physiological NO concentration (2 microM or less) dramatically influences the build-up, duration, and decay of the steady-state level of MPO Compound II during the metabolism of SCN(-), allowing the enzyme to function at full capacity. At higher NO concentrations, we observed significant increases in the rate of MPO Compound II formation, along with proportional increases in its duration as determined by the time elapsed during catalysis. Surprisingly, the decay rate of MPO Compound II remained unaltered as NO concentrations were increased. Computer simulations were carried out to model the kinetics of MPO Compound II formation, duration, and decay during the metabolism of SCN(-) as a function of NO concentration. These simulation traces closely approximate what was observed experimentally and support the involvement of a conformational intermediate of MPO Compound II complex decay, altering the overall capacity of MPO to promote two electrons versus one-electron oxidation reactions during steady-state catalysis. Collectively, the present studies reveal that (patho)physiologically relevant levels of NO have significant effects on MPO Compound II accumulation. Thus, NO affects the overall rate of peroxidation of substrates and the overall ability of the peroxidase to execute one- versus two-electron oxidation reactions.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1978

The regulation of extramitochondrial free calcium ion concentration by rat liver mitochondria.

The mechanism whereby rat liver mitochondria regulate the extramitochondrial concentration of free Ca(2+) was investigated. At 30 degrees C and pH7.0, mitochondria can maintain a steady-state pCa(2+) (0) (the negative logarithm of the free extramitochondrial Ca(2+) concentration) of 6.1 (0.8mum). This represents a true steady state, as slight displacements in pCa(2+) (0) away from 6.1 result in net Ca(2+) uptake or efflux in order to restore pCa(2+) (0) to its original value. In the absence of added permeant weak acid, the steady-state pCa(2+) (0) is virtually independent of the Ca(2+) accumulated in the matrix until 60nmol of Ca(2+)/mg of protein has been taken up. The steady-state pCa(2+) (0) is also independent of the membrane potential, as long as the latter parameter is above a critical value. When the membrane potential is below this value, pCa(2+) (0) is variable and appears to be governed by thermodynamic equilibration of Ca(2+) across a Ca(2+) uniport. Permeant weak acids increase, and N-ethylmaleimide decreases, the capacity of mitochondria to buffer pCa(2+) (0) in the region of 6 (1mum-free Ca(2+)) while accumulating Ca(2+). Permeant acids delay the build-up of the transmembrane pH gradient as Ca(2+) is accumulated, and consequently delay the fall in membrane potential to values insufficient to maintain a pCa(2+) (0) of 6. The steady-state pCa(2+) (0) is affected by temperature, incubation pH and Mg(2+). The activity of the Ca(2+) uniport, rather than that of the respiratory chain, is rate-limiting when pCa(2+) (0) is greater than 5.3 (free Ca(2+) less than 5mum). When the Ca(2+) electrochemical gradient is in excess, the activity of the uniport decreases by 2-fold for every 0.12 increase in pCa(2+) (0) (fall in free Ca(2+)). At pCa(2+) (0) 6.1, the activity of the Ca(2+) uniport is kinetically limited to 5nmol of Ca(2+)/min per mg of protein, even when the Ca(2+) electrochemical gradient is large. A steady-state cycling of Ca(2+) through independent influx and efflux pathways provides a model which is kinetically and thermodynamically consistent with the present observations, and which predicts an extremely precise regulation of pCa(2+) (0) by liver mitochondria in vivo.

Acetates↗
PubMed1984

View through a window may influence recovery from surgery.

Records on recovery after cholecystectomy of patients in a suburban Pennsylvania hospital between 1972 and 1981 were examined to determine whether assignment to a room with a window view of a natural setting might have restorative influences. Twenty-three surgical patients assigned to rooms with windows looking out on a natural scene had shorter postoperative hospital stays, received fewer negative evaluative comments in nurses' notes, and took fewer potent analgesics than 23 matched patients in similar rooms with windows facing a brick building wall.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Multiple testing and data adaptive regression: an application to HIV-1 sequence data.

Analysis of viral strand sequence data and viral replication capacity could potentially lead to biological insights regarding the replication ability of HIV-1. Determining specific target codons on the viral strand will facilitate the manufacturing of target-specific antiretrovirals. Various algorithmic and analysis techniques can be applied to this application. In this paper, we apply two techniques to a data set consisting of 317 patients, each with 282 sequenced protease and reverse transcriptase codons. The first application is recently developed multiple testing procedures to find codons which have significant univariate associations with the replication capacity of the virus. A single-step multiple testing procedure (Pollard and van der Laan 2003) method was used to control the family wise error rate (FWER) at the five percent alpha level as well as the application of augmentation multiple testing procedures to control the generalized family wise error (gFWER) or the tail probability of the proportion of false positives (TPPFP). We also applied a data adaptive multiple regression algorithm to obtain a prediction of viral replication capacity based on an entire mutant/non-mutant sequence profile. This is a loss-based, cross-validated Deletion/Substitution/Addition regression algorithm (Sinisi and van der Laan 2004), which builds candidate estimators in the prediction of a univariate outcome by minimizing an empirical risk. These methods are two separate techniques with distinct goals used to analyze this structure of viral data.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Decision analysis in the clinical and imaging diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.

The importance of clinical, laboratory and imaging data in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis (AC) was studied in 825 patients with right upper quadrant pain hospitalized in the Surgical Clinic of the Fundeni Hospital--Bucharest, between January 1, 1986 and June 30, 1988. A number of 21 parameters were analysed in each case. Of these 825 patients, 259 were considered after surgery as AC. These 259 cases were divided, after the microscopical examination of the surgically-obtained specimens, into two groups: 1) pathologically confirmed AC (137 cases) and 2) pathologically non-confirmed AC (122 cases). The importance of every parameter in establishing a histologically confirmed diagnosis of AC was determined by the diagnostic probability calculated according to Bayes'theorem. The hierarchy of the value of parameters in the diagnosis of AC was based on their capacity to distinguish between the cases histologically confirmed and those detected on surgery, but without microscopically demonstrated changes of AC. The same decision criterion was used in building the decision trees in the exploration of the cases of presumed AC. In the 825 cases with right upper quadrant pain, the main and most frequent cause was chronic calculous cholecystitis (31.8%), followed by AC pathologically confirmed (16.6%), AC non-confirmed (14.7%) and chronic acalculous cholecystitis (12.4%). The most useful parameters in distinguishing between pathologically confirmed AC and pathologically non-confirmed AC were: 1) sudden onset of pain; 2) mild resistance to abdominal palpation; 3) frank peritoneal irritation; 4) stone impacted in the gallbladder neck (ultrasonography); 5) fever; 6) palpable gallbladder; 7) lithiasis (ultrasonography); 8) gallbladder wall with double outline (ultrasonography). Ultrasonography supplied a diagnostic probability of 85% for the correct diagnosis of AC in cases without a clinical picture suggestive for AC. The decision tree analysis supported the same conclusion: only ultrasonography gives a good distinction between pathologically confirmed AC and pathologically non-confirmed AC.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1975

[Computer experience and further developments in the respiratory function laboratory (author's transl)].

Reported is on satisfactory results obtained with a small-size computer consisting of punching and scanning device, as well as plain writing machine in the respiratory function laboratory. Developed in on- as well as off-line processing by an own technical staff, a diagnostic and teaching program was established for all respiratory function routine methods with the advantages of a large number of cases examined, elimination of sources of error, considerable supply of data and information, automatic documentation and filing, plain writing, interpretation and evaluation of findings. In continuation of such works also the blood gas analysis has been included. These values as the total of disturbances of the pathophysiological acid-base status are considered and interpreted. Clinical correction is forced in this man-machine dialogue by automatic stops of the whole machinery before going on. Subsequently and in addition are computer alveolar-arterial oxygen pressure gradient, venous shunt and oxygen saturation and expressed utilizing the capacity of the small-size computer. Further developments in the respiratory function diagnostic- and teaching program for small-size computers--not too expensive in the building block principle - are intended.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1981

Workshop series cuts planning time and costs.

The planning process involves a number of people with divergent needs whose conflicts frequently inhibit quick and sensible solutions. Although there are many approaches to developing a major complex building program, the workshop format proved to be a successful model for organizing and focusing planning efforts. Because participants were presented with graphic materials (plans, diagrams, charts), workshop leaders were able to rapidly define and expand concepts related to hospital design. Information-sharing meetings resulted in flexible solutions that met immediate needs and opened avenues for future growth. By structuring normally sequential tasks into a simultaneous process, hospitals can encourage participation in a building improvement project while reducing planning time and cost.

Group Processes↗