Volumetric and Viscometric Behaviour of some Amino Acids and their Group Contributions in Aqueous Tetramethylammonium Bromide at Different Temperatures

Densities, ρ and viscosities, η for L-serine, L-threonine, L-glutamine, L-lysine, L-arginine and L-histidine (0.05–0.25 m) in 0.20 m aqueous tetramethylammonium bromide were determined at 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, and 313.15 K. The density data was used to compute apparent molar volume, φ v . The partial molar volume, φ v 0, at infinite dilution and experimental slope, S v * were obtained from Masson´s equation and interpreted in terms of solute-solvent and solute-solute interactions, respectively. The φ v 0 values are found to vary with temperature as a power series of temperature. The structure-making/-breaking ability of solute were discussed using Hepler´s criterion. The partial molar volumes of transfer, φ v 0 (tr) of amino acid from aqueous to aqueous tetramethylammonium bromide solution were interpretedin the light of cosphere overlap model. The viscosity data was utilized to determine A- and B-coefficients of viscosity, free energy of activation of viscous flow, Δμ 1 0 * and Δμ 2 0 *, per mole of solvent and solute, respectively, and ΔH * and ΔS * were also evaluated. The linear variation of φ v 0 and B-coefficient with the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain of amino acids was utilized to determine the respective contributions of (NH3 +, COO–) and CH2 groups to φ v 0 and B-coefficient, respectively.

Hormonal, biochemical, and hematological profiles in female camels (Camelus dromedarius) affected with reproductive disorders

The aim of this study was to assess the blood profiles in female camels affected with common reproductive disorders. Estradiol-17beta (E(2)), progesterone (P(4)), thyroxin (T(4)), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, total protein, albumin, globulin, hematocrite, and total and differential white blood cell counts (WBC) were determined in blood of female camels affected with endometritis (n=15), vaginal adhesions (n=15), and ovarian cysts (n=15). Normal cyclic animals were used as controls (n=15). Diagnosis of reproductive disorders was based on transrectal palpation, ultrasonographic examination, and exploration of the vagina. Increased WBC counts (P=0.03) and a tendency for neutrophelia (P=0.05) were noted in female camels with vaginal adhesions. These animals were also characterized by having higher concentration of serum P(4) (P=0.0001), T(4) (P=0.001) and total protein (P=0.007), in comparison with female camels with endometritis, ovarian cysts, or controls. Animals having ovarian cysts with thin walls and homogenous hypoechogenic contents had greater serum E(2) (P=0.001) and P(4) (P=0.0001) than those having ovarian cysts with thick walls and non-homogenous echogenic contents. Animals with endometritis, vaginal adhesions, and ovarian cysts revealed lower serum Zn concentration than that of control group (P=0.003). Other blood parameters did not differ significantly compared to controls. In conclusion, this is the first report characterizing blood constituents in female camels with various reproductive disorders. These profiles may be valuable in clarifying the etio-pathogenesis of these disorders.

The utility of tracheal aspirate cultures in the immediate neonatal period

OBJECTIVE

Determine the contemporary incidence of pathogenic tracheal aspirate (TA) cultures when obtained within 12 h of birth, and to associate TA culture results with specific clinical conditions that increase the risk of infection.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective study over a 6-month period of admissions to a single outborn neonatal intensive care unit when a TA sample was collected within 12 h of birth (n=139).

RESULT

In total, 9 of 139 (6.5%) TA cultures were positive for pathogenic bacterial growth. Maternal fever (relative risk (RR)=7.7, P<0.04) and clinical chorioamnionitis (RR=6.4, P<0.02) were significantly associated with pathogenic TA culture results. Infants with a pathogenic TA culture had lower white blood cell counts (7,500 vs 13,900 mm(-3), P<0.05) when compared with infants with a negative culture. In eight of the nine patients with pathogenic cultures, either the mother or the infant received antibiotics before TA sample collection.

CONCLUSION

Early TA culture is a helpful tool in diagnosing pneumonia, especially in certain clinical scenarios, including maternal fever, clinical chorioamnionitis and leukopenia. Administration of antibiotics before sample collection does not seem to preclude culture growth.

Treatment of myasthenia gravis: a surgical profile

Twenty three cases of thymectomy were performed in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) from 2004-2006 for myasthenia gravis, age ranging from 18 to 65 years, male were 16 and female 07. Out of these cases 09 had thymoma of which 03 have shown features of malignancy. There was no pre-operative or post operative mortality. Thymectomy in myasthenia gravis was considered when there was clinical feature of drooping eye lids, difficulty in deglutition, nasal voice, generalized weakness etc. All patients received medical treatment before and after surgery. Medical treatment usually given at BSMMU anticholinesterase such as mastinon, if the patient is improved and well tolerated, this regime is continued. Although, role of steroid and immunosuppressive agents for the treatment of myasthenia gravis is controversial, steroid used in few cases of type II & type III. No steroid used in ocular variety. Patients were followed for one year and showed significant improvement after surgery.

HER-2/neu expression in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)

e13035

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a disease in which very few cytotoxic chemotherapy agents have been shown to have activity. This is partly due to their inability to cross the blood brain barrier. Trials with bevacizumab, a VEGF inhibitor that disrupts tumor angiogenesis, have demonstrated activity against this otherwise chemotherapy resistant disease. This has led to interest in other biologic agents that target angiogenic pathways for the treatment of GBM. Over-expression of HER-2/neu by human tumor cells is closely associated with increased angiogenesis and expression of VEGF. Lapatinib is a recently available low molecular weight immunotherapeutic agent that targets HER-2/neu proteins. In a recent study, breast cancer patients treated with lapatinib and capcitabine had decreased brain metastases indicating that lapatinib may cross the blood brain barrier and thus have potential in the treatment of malignant gliomas. Limited studies have evaluated HER-2/neu gene expression in GBM and the results are inconsistent. We evaluated the expression of Her-2/neu protein in 41 consecutive GBM cases to explore the potential utility of targeting this pathway. Methods: Archival histopathologic sections from 41 patients (age 26–89 years) with a diagnosis of GBM from 2004–2008 were reviewed. The diagnosis was confirmed and optimal sections were selected. Immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections using the primary antibody against HER-2/neu (clone 4B5, Ventana). The results were evaluated by three independent investigators. Interpretation was performed using the semi-quantitative criteria (Score 0 to 3+) currently used for primary breast carcinomas. Results: 38 out of 41 cases showed no immunohistochemical staining with HER-2/neu antibody (score 0). Three cases demonstrated weak, incomplete membrane staining of rare tumor cells (score 1+) and were interpreted as negative. The positive and negative controls worked properly. Conclusions: Our study indicates that there is no significant immunohistochemical over-expression of HER-2/neu protein in GBM. This suggests that HER-2/neu over-expression is not a significant oncogenic pathway in GBM, and therefore may not be a potential therapeutic target in this disease.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Treatment and outcome of patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

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Background: The prognosis of patients with brain metastases from NSCLC is generally poor. However, some reports suggest that the outlook of patients with brain metastases at the time of diagnosis may be similar to that of patients with advanced NSCLC without brain metastases. We undertook a retrospective review of NSCLC patients with brain metastases to examine the outcomes of care for patients with brain metastases from NSCLC. Methods: All new lung cancer patients seen in our institution between July 2005 and June 2007 were assessed for the development of brain metastases. Baseline characteristics, treatment and outcome data were extracted from the chart. The primary outcome of interest was a comparison of survival of patients with brain metastases at diagnosis compared with patients who developed brain metastases later. Results: 91 of 878 (10.4%) new patients seen over the 2 years developed brain metastases. There were 43 men and 48 women. The median age was 64 yrs (sd 10.6yrs). 45 patients had brain metastases at presentation while 46 developed brain metastases later. 34 (37%) had a solitary brain metastasis. 18 (20%) underwent surgical resection. The median overall survival for all patients was 7.8m. Patients with brain metastases at diagnosis had a significantly shorter overall survival than patients who developed brain metastases later (9.8m v 4.3m, p=0.001). Survival following diagnosis of brain metastases was similar for both groups (3.7m v 4.8m, p=0.53). Patients presenting with brain metastases were less likely to be referred to a medical oncologist (51% v 74%, p=0.02) and less likely to receive chemotherapy (18% v 41%, p=0.01). Conclusions: These data suggest that NSCLC patients with brain metastases at diagnosis have a significantly worse outcome than patients who develop brain metastases at a subsequent time point in their illness. Few patients received systemic therapy following diagnosis of brain metastases and further research is needed to determine the utility of chemotherapy in this patient group.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Association of ventricular ectopy with nuclear scintigraphic perfusion defects during dipyridamole stress testing

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

No information is available regarding the significance of ventricular ectopic activity induced during dipyridamole nuclear scintigraphic stress testing. This study tested the hypothesis that dipyridamole-induced ventricular ectopy predicts a thallium-201 or technetium-99m sestamibi perfusion defect.

METHODS

A group of 186 consecutive patients with premature ventricular contractions and/or couplets occurring during dipyridamole stress testing (ventricular tachycardia did not occur) was compared with a control group of 194 patients without ventricular ectopy during dipyridamole stress testing.

RESULTS

The results indicated that ventricular ectopy induced during dipyridamole infusion occurred more frequently in patients demonstrating either a fixed or reversible perfusion defect on scintigraphic imaging (p < 0.01). The higher frequency of perfusion defects in this group of patients was attributable to a higher frequency of "fixed" compared with "reversible" defects (p < 0.05). This finding is consistent with the additional observation that ventricular ectopy induced by dipyridamole was associated with the presence of Q waves on the resting ECG (p < 0.05). The positive and negative predictive values of the presence of ventricular ectopy in predicting a fixed myocardial perfusion defect were 59 and 54%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Ventricular ectopy induced during dipyridamole infusion suggests the presence of a fixed myocardial perfusion defect.

Magnitude of indoor NO2 from biomass fuels in rural settings of Ethiopia

Half of the world's population and about 80% of households in Sub-Saharan Africa depend on biomass fuels. Indoor air pollution due to biomass fuel combustion may constitute a major public health threat affecting children and women. The purpose of this study was to measure levels of indoor NO(2) concentration in homes with under-five children in rural Ethiopia. The study was undertaken in the Butajira area in Ethiopia from March 2000 to April 2002. 24-h samples were taken regularly at about three month intervals in approximately 3300 homes. Indoor air sampling was done using a modified Willems badge. For each sample taken, an interview with the mother of the child was performed. A Saltzman colorimetric method using a spectrometer calibrated at 540 nm was employed to analyze the mass of NO(2) in field samples. Wood, crop residues and animal dung were the main household fuels. The mean (s.d.) 24-h concentration of NO(2) was 97 microg/m(3) (91.4). This is more than double the currently proposed annual mean of WHO air quality guideline. Highland households had significantly higher indoor NO(2) concentration. This study demonstrates high levels of indoor NO(2) in rural homes of Ethiopia.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Respiratory infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, globally. Acute respiratory symptoms are also related to high levels of air pollution. Interventions aimed at reducing exposure to indoor air pollution should focus on cooking and heating practices in developing countries. This study is not undermining the role of other biomass smoke constituents in determining respiratory infections.

Ultrasonographic and endocrine evaluation of three regimes for oestrus and ovulation synchronization for sheep in the subtropics

This study aimed to evaluate three regimes for oestrus and ovulation synchronization in Farafra ewes in the subtropics. During autumn, 43 ewes were assigned to (i) controlled internal drug releasing (CIDR)-eCG group, treated with CIDR for 12 days and eCG at insert withdrawal, n=13; (ii) PGF2alpha-PGF2alpha group, treated with two PGF2alpha injections at 11 days interval, n=14; and (iii) GnRH-PGF2alpha-GnRH group, treated with GnRH, followed 5 days later with PGF2alpha and 24 h later with a second GnRH, n=16. Oestrus-mating detection was carried out at 4 h intervals starting on day 0 [the day of CIDR withdrawal (CIDR-eCG group), the day of second PGF2alpha treatment (PGF2alpha-PGF2alpha group) and the day of PGF2alpha treatment (GnRH-PGF2alpha-GnRH group)]. Ovarian dynamics was monitored by ultrasound every 12 h beginning on day 0 and continued for 4 days. Blood samples were obtained daily for progesterone (P4) and oestradiol 17beta (E2) estimation starting on day 0 and continued for 4 days. The obtained results showed that, oestrus expression, ovulation and conception were greater (p<0.05) in CIDR-eCG and PGF2alpha-PGF2alpha groups than in GnRH-PGF2alpha-GnRH group. All ewes of PGF2alpha-PGF2alpha group presented, on day of second PGF2alpha injection with mature CL (P4>2.0 ng/ml), compared to 42.9% in GnRH-PGF2alpha-GnRH group (p=0.01). The peak of oestrus occurred 32-52, 48-60 and 28-96 h after the end of treatment in CIDR-eCG, PGF2alpha-PGF2alpha and GnRH-PGF2alpha-GnRH groups, respectively. Ovulation started 48 h after treatment in all groups and extended for 24, 36 and 48 h for CIDR-eCG, PGF2alpha-PGF2alpha and GnRH-PGF2alpha-GnRH groups, respectively. Results demonstrated that oestrus and ovulation synchronization could be efficiently achieved in Farafra ewes using either CIDR-eCG or PGF2alpha-PGF2alpha regimes; however, the GnRH-PGF2alpha-GnRH treatment induced a more spread oestrus and ovulation that may make the protocol inadequate for timed artificial insemination.

Reproductive performance of Farafra ewes in the subtropics

The present study was carried out to assess the reproductive performance of Farafra ewes--a breed with potential economic importance in the subtropics. A total of 262 ewes were categorized according to age, parity, and postpartum interval. Ewes were introduced for breeding in fall, winter and late spring seasons. Fertility, prolificacy, lamb birth weight, and ultrasonic fetal parameters were recorded. Results obtained showed that litter size was increased with age and parity. Lamb birth weight was affected by season. None of the parameters studied had a clear-cut effect on fertility. However, an interaction between season and parity was detected. Measurement of fetal size in the first half of gestation did not predict birth weight. The obtained data represents the first record of the reproductive performance of Farafra ewes in the subtropics, which could be used to anticipate their performance in different seasons.

Forms of reproductive disorders in cattle and buffaloes in Middle Egypt

The objective of this study was to investigate the common forms of reproductive disorders and trends of fertility in cattle and buffaloes in Middle Egypt, and investigate nutritional deficiencies or imbalances as a cause of infertility. During the period from 2003 to 2006 a total of 4276 animals (2755 cattle and 1521 buffaloes) were examined, during winter and summer at three districts of Middle Egypt. Based on the owner complains, animals were categorized as anestrum, repeat breeder and those for pregnancy diagnosis. Feedstuffs of these districts were assessed for nutrient and mineral contents. Animals were examined by rectal palpation and by transrectal ultrasonography. The results showed that, ovarian inactivity was the most common cause of anestrum, whereas endometritis was the main frequent finding of repeat breeding. District, season and year affected the incidences of infertility. The pregnancy rate remained constant (cattle) or increased (buffaloes) from 2003 to 2006. The incidence of ovarian inactivity in both species decreased over the same period. In winter, the commonly used feedstuffs would be adequate to supply the animals with needs, but in summer, rations seem to be deficient in many essential nutrients. In conclusion, ovarian inactivity is the main cause of infertility in cattle and buffaloes in Middle Egypt. There is a link between poor nutrition in summer and the high incidence of ovarian inactivity. Fertility trends during the past few years are encouraging.

Exposure to noise in orthopaedic theatres--do we need protection?

AIM

To detect noise levels, generated by high-powered tools in orthopaedic theatres at varying distances from the operating site, and its impact on hearing in staff and patients.

METHODS

Sound-level meter was used to measure the sound level generated by various high-powered tools in routine orthopaedic procedures, at varying distances from the operating site. These recorded noise levels were compared against the UK noise safety guidelines.

RESULT

We found that the noise generated was often significantly higher than the safety guidelines.

CONCLUSION

Noise levels in orthopaedic theatres can be at unacceptable levels, which could potentially lead to hearing problems in the staff and patients. We believe that all patients, especially the elderly patients, (who are more prone to hearing problems) should have hearing protection during orthopaedic operations that use high-powered tools. Surgeons and scrubbed theatre staff should take precautions.

Zirconia-based all-ceramic crowns and bridges: three case reports

The search for a clinically viable all-ceramic bridge framework has been monotonous. Until recently, few materials appear to have the necessary physical and aesthetic properties. However, the development of yttrium tetragonal zirconia polycrystals, and its adoption for use in dentistry by CAD CAM technology, may hold promise as a crown and bridge framework, this being considered suitable for single and multiple units. However, to date, no long-term clinical studies have been reported. This paper describes three cases in which zirconia frameworks were used in crowns and bridges.