[Early diagnosis of gestational diabetes by amniotic fluid insulin levels?]

BACKGROUND

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs in 3-5% of all pregnant women. As there is no general screening in Germany, many cases remain undetected. Maternal as well as foetal morbidity are increased in GDM. The aim of this study was to investigate whether amniotic fluid insulin or C-peptide levels, collected by genetic amniocentesis in early pregnancy, are predictive for gestational diabetes. Patients at risk for developing GDM might be identified and treated very early.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

260 patients having a genetic amniocentesis were included in this prospective trial. Insulin and C-peptide levels were identified in frozen amniotic fluid samples. All patients should undergo an oral glucose tolerance (oGTT) test at 24-28 weeks of gestation. Only cases with normal genetic screening, normal foetal sonomorphology and birth at term were included in this trial. 90 of 260 patients having an amniocentesis underwent the oGTT and fulfilled all inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

GDM was diagnosed in 8 patients, in another 6 patients only one glucose level was out of the normal range. Neither amniotic fluid insulin nor C-peptide levels showed significant differences between normal and GDM pregnancies. The insulin and C-peptide levels did not correlate with blood glucose levels or with foetal weight.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to literature reports, according to these data no relationship between amniotic fluid insulin or C-peptide levels and gestational diabetes can be assumed. Amniotic fluid insulin or C-peptide levels are not predictive for GDM.

Designing of an online system for radiocaesium measurements in the marine environment

An online radiocaesium measuring system (ORMS) is designed to determine the environmental radiocaesium contamination of sea water near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). The System consists of a 400-liter, spherical stainless steel water tank, including three aluminum (0.5mm) enclosure NaI (TI) detectors, which each are located in 120° phase angle with size (6×3in.) to confirm each other. Responses of detectors to gamma radiations were calculated, using Monte Carlo code MCNP.4C. Moreover, delay time of each response and the dead time of the whole system to be considered due to designing decisions were calculated.

PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism analysis of fljB gene in Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium isolated from avians

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Economic constraint of diseases arising from Salmonella Typhimurium causes the study of this zoonotic organism more important. Most studies on identification and characterization of S. Typhimurium are conducted at DNA level. Flagellin genes (fliC and fljB genes encoding phase-1 and phase-2 flagella, respectively) are useful as a model system for studying genetic differentiation. The objectives of the present study were to identify the polymorphism of fljB among avians in different regions by the PCR-RFLP method.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-two S. Typhimurium isolates out of 1,870 intestine samples were identified using culture and serotyping as well as multiplex-PCR (broiler (n=13), layer (n=12), duck (n=5), goose (n=5), sparrow (n=8), canary (n=3), pigeon (n=5) and casco parrot (n=1)). Amplification of fljB gene was performed and amplified products subjected to restriction digestion with Hha I enzyme.

RESULTS

Two RFLP patterns generated DNA fragments between approximately 50 to 800 bps. Pattern A was observed in 33 (63.46%) and pattern B in 19 (36.54%) of isolates. Salmonella Typhimurium recovered from 13 broilers (ten with pattern A and 3 with pattern B) and 8 sparrow (three with pattern A and 5 with pattern B) showed both A and B patterns. Twelve layers, 5 pigeons and 3 canaries showed pattern A and 5 ducks, 5 geese and one casco parrot showed pattern B. None of these patterns was allotted for a special region.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study showed that fljB gene is highly conserved among avians in different geographical regions, suggesting not only the importance of fljB gene in survival of organism in different environmental conditions but also the relation between proteins encoded by fljB gene and serotyping scheme.

Optimization and comparative characterization of neuraminidase activities from Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Klebsiella pneumoniae, Hep-2 cell, sheep kidney and rat liver lysosome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The properties of neuraminidase produced by P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 during growth in a defined medium (BHI) was examined and compared with some neuraminidase features of K. pneumoniae in this investigation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The enzyme was isolated from concentrated culture supernatants of P. aeruginosa which was used in a sensitive fluorometric assay by using 2'-(4-methylumbelliferyl) α-D-N acetylneuraminic acid as substrate.

RESULTS

Neuraminidase production in P. aeruginosa PAO1 paralleled bacterial growth in defined medium (BHI) and was maximal in the late logarithmic phase of growth but decreased during the stationary phase, probably owing to protease production or thermal instability. Highest production of P. aeruginosa PAO1 neuraminidase was in BHI culture media. The neuraminidase of P. aeruginosa PAO1 possessed an optimum temperature of activity at 56°C and the activity was maximal at pH 5. Heating the enzyme to 56°C for 45 min., in the presence of bovine serum albumin destroyed 33.1% of it's activity and addition of Ca(+2), EDTA and NANA also decreased activity markedly.

CONCLUSION

The results revealed that the highest specific activity is for p. aeruginosa PAO1.

Molecular typing of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis based on polymorphism of the coagulase gene in the north west of Iran

The objective was to investigate the genotypic characteristics and distribution of Staphylococcus aureus in 9 dairy herds of Tabriz and Urmia regions which are located in east and west Azerbaijan provinces, respectively, Iran. In this study 58 S. aureus isolates were recovered from 370 milk samples of cows with clinical and subclinical mastitis. S. aureus isolates were identified on the basis of the cultural and biochemical properties as well as by amplification of the aroA gene specific to S. aureus and then were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the coagulase gene (coa). Amplification of the variable region of the coa gene from these isolates produced five different PCR products ranging in size from approximately 490 bp to 850 bp. To obtain RFLP patterns of the PCR products they were subjected to digestion with restriction endonuclease HaeIII and the fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. Nine coa gene RFLP patterns, numbered I-IX, were observed, with 23 isolates (39.66%) assigned to RFLP pattern I and 14 isolates (24.14%) assigned to RFLP pattern III. Five out of nine patterns were found in both regions and four of nine patterns were only found in one region. The results demonstrated that several variants of the coa gene are present in the studied regions, but only a few of them were predominant, suggesting contagious transmission, a common source, or host adaptation of subset of the population of S. aureus strains. This study also indicated that genetic heterogeneity among S. aureus isolates recovered from bovine mastitis may be exists within and among herds in different regions.

Fibrinogen and ceruloplasmin in plasma and milk from dairy cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis

The potential using of Acute Phase Proteins (APPs) in the assessment of mammary gland health was studied by examining the levels of Fibrinogen (Fb) and Ceruloplasmin (Cp) in plasma and milk from dairy cows with different grades of mastitis. Plasma samples were taken from jugular vein and milk samples were collected from quarters of cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis, as well as healthy controls. California Mastitis Test (CMT) were performed on each udder quarter of cows for detection of CMT2+ and CMT3+ quarters. CMT (0) and culture negative cases were considered healthy cows. Clinical mastitis, was graded as mild (clots in milk) or moderate (clots in milk and visible signs of inflammation in the mammary gland/s). The concentrations of Fb in the plasma of the cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis were higher than in the plasma of the healthy cows (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in plasma concentration of Cp between healthy and subclinical groups (p>0.05), but differences between clinical and healthy groups were significant (p<0.05). The concentrations of Fb and Cp in the milk of the cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis were higher than in the milk of the healthy cows (p<0.01). The results indicated that measurement of Fb in plasma and milk and Cp only in milk might be suitable for early diagnosis of mastitis in dairy cows.

Automated 2-D cephalometric analysis of X-ray by image registration approach based on least square approximator

This paper presents a new approach to cephalometric x-ray landmark localization. This approach is based on extracting features from face profile of the lateral skull x-ray. The extracted side profile is then segmented based on knowledge of known local facial structures. Once the face profile is properly segmented, nine perceptually significant landmarks (fiducial points) on the face are registered based on a local maximum curvature computation. These fiducial points are used for point-by-point correspondence to find the transformation coefficients of the control points between two images of a scene. Next, we use the obtained coefficients to find the locations of other landmarks on the target image by mapping the landmarks of the reference image. The algorithm was tested on more than 80 x-ray images to locate 20 landmarks. It was possible to locate the landmarks with accuracy of +/-2mm on more 90% of the landmarks.

Combined effect of gamma radiation and Perovskia atriplicifolia for the control of red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

In order to explore an effective and safe pesticide that could be coupled up with irradiation method, the present study was conducted to determine the synergistic effects of gamma radiation with an essential oil from Perovskia atriplicifolia (Benth) on Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) as a main stored-product pest. Adult insects were exposed to sub lethal doses of gamma radiation and P. atriplicifolia oil, and the mortality was assessed in a short time period after treatment. There was a significant synergistic effect of exposure to gamma radiation and essential oil on 1-7 days old adults of T. castaneum. The potential toxicity of the essential oil on irradiated adults at 900 Gy was synergistically increased. When irradiated adults were exposed to LD5, LD25 and LD50 values of the oil the mortality was increased 8.5, 13.0 and 16.0 times respectively. This combination of irradiation would have a low environmental impact and high compatibility with P. atriplicifolia.

The effect of heat stress on the antibacterial resistance and plasmid profile in Escherichia coli isolates

In order to study the effect of heat stress on the antibacterial resistance and plasmid profile in Escherichia coli, thirty E. coli were isolated from sheep liver. Antibiotic susceptibility test were done by antibiotic disc diffusion method using filter paper disc on two 24 h cultures of each isolate which grown at 37 and 43 degrees C simultaneously in BHI Broth (Merck VM460193 531). The isolates which grown at 43 degrees C were under heat stress during their growth. Ten commonly used antibiotics, viz., ampicillin, erythromycin, neomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol, lincospectine, tetracycline, gentamycin, flumequine, vancomycin and Tiamulin (Padtan Teb). The resistance level of all E. coli isolates against 10 antibacterial drugs compared statistically in 37 and 43 degrees C using MINITAB Version 14 program. Plasmid DNAs were extracted from each of the E. coli isolates which were grown at 37 and 43 degrees C overnight using alkali lysis method. In this study *lambdaDNA (EcoR1+Hind III digested) was used as marker DNA. According to the results of this study, the resistance rate of E. coli isolates have decreased against trimethoprim-sulfamethazol, lincospectine, tiamaulin, tetracyclin and gentamycin at 43 degrees C but only the difference between the resistance rate against gentamycin in 37 degrees C (83.3%) and 43 degrees C (60%) was significant Characterization of Plasmid DNAs by agarose gel electrophoresis showed that each of the thirty drug resistant E. coli harbored a single plasmid. There was no difference among the plasmid profiles of the thirty isolates in 37 and 43 degrees C. As the plasmid profile did not change in 43 degrees C (heat stress) so the resistance differences against antibacterial drugs were not significant except for gentamycine that its resistance may is chromosomal. According to the results of this study, In conclusion it can be said that heat stress could not be effective on antibacterial resistance and plasmid profile if the duration of the stress is short. The long duration of the heat stress plus other stress factors such as starvation will effect the plasmid replication and finally plasmid copy number of bacteria. Mechanism of this phenomenon remains unknown, though one might speculate that some bacterial addiction modules that are activated upon amino acid starvation, like mazEF could be involved.

Water quality trend analysis for the Karoon River in Iran

The Karoon River basin, with a basin area of 67,000 km(2), is located in the southern part of Iran. Monthly measurements of the discharge and the water quality variables have been monitored at the Gatvand and Khorramshahr stations of the Karoon River on a monthly basis for the period 1967-2005 and 1969-2005 for Gatvand and Khorramshahr stations, respectively. In this paper the time series of monthly values of water quality parameters and the discharge were analyzed using statistical methods and the existence of trends and the evaluation of the best fitted models were performed. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to select the theoretical distribution which best fitted the data. Simple regression was used to examine the concentration-time relationships. The concentration-time relationships showed better correlation in Khorramshahr station than that of Gatvand station. The exponential model expresses better concentration - time relationships in Khorramshahr station, but in Gatvand station the logarithmic model is more fitted. The correlation coefficients are positive for all of the variables in Khorramshahr station also in Gatvand station all of the variables are positive except magnesium (Mg2+), bicarbonates (HCO3-) and temporary hardness which shows a decreasing relationship. The logarithmic and the exponential models describe better the concentration-time relationships for two stations.

Effects of tiamulin, neomycin, tetracycline, fluorophenicol, penicillin G, Linco-Spectin, erythromycin and oxytetracycline on controlling bacterial contaminations of the river buffalo (Buballus bubalis) semen

In order to investigate the effects of tiamulin, neomycin, tetracycline, fluorophenicol, penicillin G, Linco-Spectin (0.15 mg mL(-1) lincomycin + 0.3 mg mL(-1) spectinomycin), erythromycin and oxytetracycline on controlling bacterial contaminations of the river buffalo semen, 120 mL diluted buffalo bull semen (diluted by tris-egg yolk extender) was divided into 5 mL tubes after initial evaluation and before (control sample) and at 0, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h after adding each of the above antibiotics at the recommended dose (D) and twice the recommended dose (Dx2) to the semen samples, each sample was cultured 4 times on Muller-Hinton agar medium and the results were recorded after 18 h incubation at 37 degrees C. Tiamulin, tetracycline, neomycin and fluorophenicol were ineffective. Oxytetracycline was effective in both D and Dx2 (p < 0.001). Penicillin G in both D and Dx2 was effective (p < 0.001). Linco-Spectin was effective, though not significant, in D at 2 h and in Dx2 at 0 h only. Erythromycin in D was not significantly effective, but, in Dx2 was effective (p < 0.001). Duration of the antibiotic exposure had no significant effect on the antibiotic potentials except for Linco-Spectin at 2 h (p < 0.014). The biochemical tests identified the contaminant bacteria as being a member of Arcanobacter (Corynebacterium) sp. In the next step, the semen sample of the same bull was taken, semen quality tests were carried out and the semen was diluted with the same extender (tris-egg yolk) + 7% glycerol, containing a double dose (Dx2) of these antibiotics and semen quality tests were carried out immediately after dilution, 18 h after storage at 4 degrees C and after the semen was packed in the straws, frozen in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C) and later thawed in 37 degrees C water bath to investigate whether these antibiotics have any adverse effect on the spermatozoa during the process of freezing and thawing. The comparison of the results with those of the control group (the sample undergone the same process without adding antibiotics) indicated that oxytetracycline adversely affected sperm motility at 0 and 18 h, all the antibiotics had a lower percentage of sperm abnormal morphology than the control at 0 and 18 h, except for Linco-Spectin at 18 h and after freezing-thawing and tetracycline after freezing and thawing the sample which were the same as the control. Sperm viability was not affected by antibiotics before and after freezing. It was concluded that oxytetracycline and penicillin G in both D and Dx2 were effective in controlling seminal bacterial contaminations and because of the adverse effect of oxytetracycline on the sperm motility and morphology, it proved not to be suitable for this purpose but penicillin G could be recommended as an additive to the semen extenders.

The First Year Medical Students' Perception of and Satisfaction from Problem-based Learning Compared to Traditional Teaching in Gross Anatomy: Introducing Problem-based Anatomy into a Traditional Curriculum in Iran

Problem-based learning (PBL) is still a controversial teaching method. A study of the effectiveness of PBL compared to traditional teaching in gross anatomy courses of first year medical students was evaluated by comparing the examination performances and student's responses to the questionnaires. It was hypothesised that the PBL method would result in improved scores and satisfaction for students. A total of 89 first year medical students at Tabriz Medical University, Iran were taught gross anatomy with traditional teaching for one half of a semester and PBL for the other one half. Examination scores from both methods and an assessment of completed questionnaires were evaluated by the present study. The PBL method resulted in better examination scores than did traditional teaching for the same students. Students were more satisfied with PBL and believed that this method increased their problem solving abilities. Our study found that PBL was more successful than traditional teaching of gross anatomy.

Surgical Approach to Vascular Complications of Intravenous Drug Abuse

OBJECTIVE

To assess the complications related to intravenous drug abuse.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

METHODS

Intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs) with vascular complications were assessed.

RESULTS

Sixty-two patients presented with swelling and tenderness in the groin, and 3 patients with similar lesions in the cubital fossa. Infected pseudoaneurysms and deep vein thrombosis (DVTs) were diagnosed in 41 and 31 patients respectively (27 patients had both lesions). In patients with infected pseudoaneurysms, 9 patients underwent excision with early revascularization and 32 patients underwent ligation without revascularization. For all patients with femoral vein thrombosis ligation and excision was performed. 4 patients with pure DVTs were managed conservatively. Disabling claudication occurred in 6 patients. Four of them underwent late revascularization with an acceptable outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Ligation without revascularization is the appropriate treatment of infected pseudoaneurysms in IVDAs. Late revascularization is of great importance in patients with disabling claudication after treatment of addiction. Pure septic DVTs can be managed conservatively.

Application of the central composite design and response surface methodology to the advanced treatment of olive oil processing wastewater using Fenton's peroxidation

The central composite design (CCD) technique was used to study the effect of the Fenton's peroxidation on the removal of organic pollutants from olive oil mill wastewater (OMW). The ratio of hydrogen peroxide-to-Fe(II) (x1) was between 1.67 and 8.33. Fe(II) concentration was constant at 0.03 M while the H2O2 concentration was set at three levels: 0.05, 0.15 and 0.25 M. Based on the molarity ratio, the selected ratio were in the low range of Fe(II)-to-H2O2 ratio (<<1). While based on the wt/wt ratio, the tested Fe(II)-to-H2O2 ratios were in the range of < or =1:5. pH (x2) was between 3 and 5. The concentration of OMW (x3) was varied between 40 and 100%. The influence of these three independent variables on the four dependent variables, i.e. COD, total phenolics (TP), color and aromaticity removal was evaluated using a second-order polynomial multiple regression model. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a high coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.902-0.998, thus ensuring a satisfactory adjustment of the second-order regression model with the experimental data. H2O2-to-Fe(II) ratio had significant effect on all the four dependent variables. The positive sign for the regression coefficient of this regressor variable indicated that the level of the pollutant removal increased with the increased levels of factor x1 from 1.67 to 8.33 and this effect was the most pronounced for TP removal. pH had also significant effect on the pollutant removal and the effect was the most noticeable for TP reduction. The negative coefficient of this variable (pH) indicated that level of the pollutant removal decreased as the pH increased from 3 to 5. The negative coefficient of the interaction between variable x1 and x2 indicated that a simultaneous increase in H2O2-to-Fe(II) ratio with decrease in the pH of the reaction led to an increase in the COD, TP and color removal. Quadratic models were predicted for the response variable, i.e. pollutant removal, and the maximum model-predicted removals were 56, 100, 33 and 32% for COD, TP, color and aromaticity, respectively. Optimum conditions for this wastewater treatment was obtained based on the performance of the Fenton's peroxidation in the experiment where the H2O2-to-Fe(II) ratio was at its high level (8.33) and the pH and OMW concentration were 4 and 70%, respectively.

Role of S-layer protein antigenic diversity in the immune responses of sheep experimentally challenged with Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus

Surface layer proteins (SLPs) are essential for induction of abortion by Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus in experimentally challenged ewes. These proteins are encoded by multiple sap genes and vary in size and antigenicity. The role of SLP antigenic variation during experimental ovine infection was investigated. Following subcutaneous challenge, the SLPs were highly antigenic, and antibodies were detected in serum, milk, bile, and urine. Fecal anti-SLP antibodies were detected only in animals challenged orally. Ewes challenged with wild-type strain 23D with variable SLPs developed detectable circulating anti-SLP immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies by 2 weeks postchallenge. In contrast, ewes challenged with mutants of 23D that had fixed expression of a single SLP developed antibodies within 1 week postchallenge, suggesting that antigenic variation in SLPs may delay the host antibody response. Although not statistically significant, the data from challenge experiments in which vaccinated ewes were used suggested that SLP-expressing vaccines could protect animals from abortion and that this effect was independent of the SLP expressed, indicating involvement of conserved epitopes in the SLP. The conserved 184-amino-acid N-terminal region of the SLP, identified from previously published sequences, was epitope mapped with rabbit anti-SLP antisera by using overlapping synthetic 20-mer peptides. Two putative epitopes were identified at amino acids 81 to 110 and 141 to 160. Amino acids 81 to 100 also bound serum IgG antibodies from experimentally challenged sheep. Conserved antigenic regions of the SLP that induce protective immune responses may enable development of synthetic vaccine candidates for C. fetus subsp. fetus-associated ovine abortion.

In-vitro metabolism of retinoic acid by different tissues from male rats

Significant differences between the metabolism of retinoic acid by different tissues might be an important determinant of the effectiveness of a systemically administered inhibitor at a particular tissue site. Here the metabolism of retinoic acid has been studied in microsomal fractions from different tissues (liver, kidney, intestinal mucosa, lung, skin, brain) of the male rat to determine their relative metabolic activity. Kinetic analysis revealed major differences between the activity of different tissue microsomes. This is shown by the Vmax values for the metabolism of retinoic acid-liver (102+/-39.0 pmol (mg protein)(-1) min(-1)) was 100 times more active than the lung (1+/-0.03 pmol (mg protein)(-1) min(-1)), which was the least active. The range of Km values for microsomes from the different tissues was narrow (0.48-1.40 microM). Taking into account the mass of the tissue, the gross activity ranking for metabolism of retinoic acid was liver >> skin = kidney > brain > intestinal mucosa >> lung. It is concluded that metabolism of administered retinoic acid occurs mainly in the liver but that cellular retinoic acid levels in some other tissues (skin, kidney, brain) could be reduced (metabolized) to such an extent that higher levels might be observed after the use of inhibitors of retinoic acid metabolism.

Effect of P450 isozyme-selective inhibitors on in-vitro metabolism of retinoic acid by rat hepatic microsomes

Cytochrome P450-mediated 4-hydroxylation of retinoic acid is an important pathway in the termination of its biological action and the activity of certain P450 isozymes has been studied in non-induced male rat hepatic microsomes using isozyme-selective inhibitors. The importance of the activity of the isozyme to retinoic acid metabolism was, 2A6 (diethyl dithiocarbamate as selective inhibitor) > 1A1/1A2 (7,8-benzoflavone) >> 1A1 (ellipticine) > 3A4 (naringenin, ketoconazole) as shown by the respective apparent IC50 values of 0.12, 0.34, 2.7, 9.25 and 13.5 microM with 2C8-10, 2D6 and 2E1 having little effect on metabolism. It is concluded that although the P450 3A family normally constitutes half the total rat hepatic P450 activity, other hepatic isozymes (1A1, 1A2 and 2A6) are also involved in retinoic acid metabolism. This suggests that the horizons for the design of potential anticancer agents acting through inhibition of retinoic acid metabolism may be widened to include structures which do not resemble the established hetereocyclic base P450 3A4 inhibitors.

1-[(Benzofuran-2-yl)phenylmethyl]-triazoles and -tetrazoles - potent competitive inhibitors of aromatase

The synthesis of a series of novel 1-[(benzofuran-2-yl)phenylmethyl]-triazoles and -tetrazoles is described. The compounds were tested for human placental aromatase inhibition in vitro, using [1beta-3H]-androstenedione as the substrate for the aromatase enzyme, the percentage inhibition and IC50 data is included.

Enantioselectivity of some 1-(benzofuran-2-yl)-1-(1-H-imidazol-1-yl) alkanes as inhibitors of P450Arom

The low stereospecificity of the enantiomers of 1-[(benzofuran-2-yl)-4-chlorophenylmethyl]imidazole (6, R=H, R'=4'-Cl) and the corresponding 4-fluoro compound as inhibitors of aromatase (P450Arom) has been explored using 1-(5,7-dichlorobenzofuran-2-yl)-1-(1H-imidaz-1-yl)ethane (7, R1=R2=Cl, R=CH3), -propane (7, R1=R2=Cl, R=C2H5), and the corresponding 5,7-dibromo compounds resolved as their dibenzoyl-D (or -L) tartrates. Low enantioselectivity ratios of 4.8 (5,7-diCl) and 12.6 (5,7-diBr) were shown for the ethanes. The values for the corresponding propanes were 8.3 and 5.2, respectively, and for these compounds the stereoselectivity was reversed.

Some 1-[(benzofuran-2-yl)methyl]imidazoles as inhibitors of 17 alpha-hydroxylase: 17, 20-lyase (P450 17) and their specificity patterns

Four 1-[(benzofuran-2-yl)methyl]imidazoles (1-4) have been evaluated as in-vitro inhibitors of human testicular and bovine adrenal microsomal 17 alpha-hydroxylase: 17,20-lyase (P450 17) as potential anti-prostatic agents. Their specificity towards other steroidogenic and liver enzymes has been compared with that of ketoconazole. All four compounds were inhibitors of the testicular enzyme (2, IC50 (concentration resulting in 50% inhibition) 0.185 microM; 4, IC50 0.18 microM) but less potent than ketoconazole (IC50 0.03 microM). Towards bovine adrenal enzyme 2 and 4 were 35- and 31-fold more potent than ketoconazole (IC50 = 39.8 microM). Compound 2 is a useful lead compound but although less potent than ketoconazole towards P450SCC and P450 11 beta, but not P450C21, at the enhanced dose required for equivalent effects in-vivo on P450 17 it is likely that cortisol and aldosterone production will be affected to a greater extent than with ketoconazole.

Segmentation of handwritten interference marks using multiple directional stroke planes and reformalized morphological approach

A new algorithm for the extraction of words from printed documents that have interference marks and other strokes, cutting across text, is presented. Morphological operations based on multiple direction projection planes and skeleton images are adopted here to prevent the "flooding water" effect of conventional morphological operations. Test results indicate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Document registration using projective geometry

A technique for extracting filled-in information in form documents is presented. The transformation that is required to convert a filled-in form to match the master (blank form) is derived using results from projective geometry. Experimental studies with several forms indicate the proposed technique to be accurate and robust.