BACKGROUND

While twin studies indicate a genetic component in arterial thrombosis such as ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), or peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), the clinical relevance of hemostatic polymorphisms in arterial thrombosis is a matter of debate.

METHODS

We analyzed the prevalence of 13 hemostatic polymorphisms [PAI-1, PLAT, F5 (including factor V Leiden and HR2 haplotype), F2, F7, F13A, FGB, TFPI, THBD, MTHFR, ACE, and ITGA2] in patients referred to a tertiary referral center. A "prothrombotic score" was calculated by dividing the number of risk-increasing polymorphisms for thrombosis minus the number of risk-lowering polymorphisms (F7 and F13A) by the number of polymorphisms tested.

RESULTS

Datasets of 144 patients with prior ischemic stroke (mean age 44 ± 13 years; 65% female) were compared to 62 patients with MI or PAOD (mean age 54 ± 14 years; 47% female). The prothrombotic score was lower in MI and PAOD patients compared to stroke patients [odds ratios 2.7 (95% confidence intervals 1.1-6.2)]. Frequencies of individual polymorphisms did not differ between both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with MI or PAOD had a lower burden of prothrombotic mutations compared to patients with prior stroke, indicating that a prothrombotic state might play a different role in distinct forms of arterial thrombosis.

In order to reduce the flow resistance of the thin-film flat plat photobioreactor (FPPBR) and make it more suitable for mass microalgae cultivation, the channel diameter was modified to 0.06 m and the thin-film FPPBR consisted of 10 parallel shunt-wound channels. A thin-film FPPBR system with 100 modified FPPBRs was constructed and used for Chlorella sp. cultivation in desertification areas (Ordos, China) from July to September of 2018. The pressure drop of the modified FPPBR system decreased significantly and the microalgae showed much higher productivity. The pressure drop was about 11.8 kPa when the liquid velocity was 0.238 m s^-1. The final biomass concentration and area productivity reached 2.01 g L^-1 and 49.79 g m^-2 day^-1 respectively, and the yearly productivity of Chlorella sp. was estimated to be about 15.24 t ha^-2 year^-1. The results demonstrated that high productivity of Chlorella sp. could be achieved in the improved FPPBR system in desertification areas and the improved FPPBR system was feasible for mass cultivation of microalgae in the commercial application.

Two TiO₂-rGO nanocomposites were prepared by hydrothermal method from commercial TiO₂ (P25 and Hombikat UV100, HBK). In both cases TiO₂ nanoparticles appeared intimate and homogeneously distributed on rGO surface, but forming a dense network in P25-rGO nanocomposite, and a more open structure in HBK-rGO. Zeta potential and particle size distribution favored the ease of HBK-rGO nanocomposite to form stable suspensions. A comparative analysis of these two photocatalysts was performed on the pilot plant scale solar assisted photodegradation of a 200 μg·L^-1 or 5 mg·L^-1 mixture of persistent and biorecalcitrant pollutants in deionized water (methomyl, pyrimethanil, isoproturon and alachlor, all used as pesticides). Complete removal of pesticides was achieved, though faster with P25-rGO when O₂ was the oxidant. However, the use of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) dosage as oxidant speeded up pesticides removal, but HBK-rGO performance resulted much improved. Finally, at realistic very low concentrations of 200 μg_{each pesticide}·L^-1, the complete removal of pesticides was achieved at very short times (<25 min), showing the efficiency of the synthetized TiO₂-rGO nanocomposites in this pilot-plat scale solar process to mitigate refractory and biorecalcitrant contaminants on effluents as a sustainable and efficient process.

Keywords: H(2)O(2); Nanocomposite photocatalysts; Pesticides; Pilot plant scale; Solar photodegradation; rGO.

Polymorphism of three populations of the Buryat Republic and a population from Aginskii Buryat Autonomous okrug of Chita oblast was examined using a set of five autosomal Alu insertions at the ACE, PLAT, PV92, APOA1, and F13B loci. The allele frequency distribution patterns revealed in Buryat populations were typical to other Asian populations. Buryats were characterized by relatively low level of intrapopulation diversity (0.369 in the pooled population sample). Analysis of autosomal Alu insertions suggests the uniformity of the Buryat gene pool. The coefficient of genetic differentiation in the four populations studied was 0.8%.

The state of Punjab in the North-West part of India has acted as the main passage for all the major human invasions into the Indian subcontinent. It has resulted in the mixing of foreign gene pool into the local populations, which led to an extensive range of genetic diversity and has influenced the genetic structure of populations in Punjab, North-West India. The present study was conducted to examine the genetic structure, relationships, and extent of genetic differentiation in five Indo-European speaking ethnic groups of Punjab. A total of 1021 unrelated samples belonging to Banias, Brahmins, Jat Sikhs, Khatris, and Scheduled castes were analyzed for four human-specific Ins/Del polymorphic loci (ACE, APO, PLAT, and D1) and three restriction fragment length polymorphisms ESR (PvuII), LPL (PvuII), and T2 (MspI) using Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All the loci were found to be polymorphic among the studied populations. The frequency of the Alu insertion at APO locus was observed to exhibit the highest value (82.6-96.3 %), whereas D1 exhibited the lowest (26.5-45.6 %) among all the ethnic groups. The average heterozygosity among the studied populations ranged from 0.3816 in Banias to 0.4163 in Khatris. The FST values ranged from 0.0418 to 0.0033 for the PLAT and LPL loci, respectively, with an average value being 0.0166. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Banias and Khatris are genetically closest to each other. The Jat Sikhs are genetically close to Brahmins and are distant from the Banias. The Jat Sikhs, Banias, Brahmins, and Khatris are genetically very distant from the Scheduled castes. Overall, Uniform allele frequency distribution patterns, high average heterozygosity values, and a small degree of genetic differentiation in this study suggest a genetic proximity among the selected populations. A low level of genetic differentiation was observed in the studied population groups indicating that genetic drift might have been small or negligible in shaping the genetic structure of North-West Indian Populations.

Pancreatic leak is common after distal pancreatectomy. This trial sought to compare TissueLink closure of the pancreatic stump to that of SEAMGUARD.

A multicenter, prospective, trial of patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy randomized to either TissueLink or SEAMGUARD.

Enrollment was closed early due to poor accrual. Overall, 67 patients were enrolled, 35 TissueLink and 32 SEAMGUARD. The two groups differed in American Society of Anesthesiologist class and diagnosis at baseline and were relatively balanced otherwise. Overall, 37 of 67 patients (55%) experienced a leak of any grade, 15 (46.9%) in the SEAMGUARD arm and 22 (62.9%) in the TissueLink arm (P = 0.19). The clinically significant leak rate was 17.9%; 22.9% for TissueLink and 12.5% for SEAMGUARD (P = 0.35). There were no statistically significant differences in major or any pancreatic fistula-related morbidity between the two groups.

This is the first multicentered randomized trial evaluating leak rate after distal pancreatectomy between two common transection methods. Although a difference in leak rates was observed, it was not statistically significant and therefore does not provide evidence of the superiority of one technique over the other. Choice should remain based on surgeon comfort, experience, and pancreas characteristics.

As part of the revolution in electrochemical nanoscience, there is growing interest in using electrochemistry to create nanostructured materials, and to assess properties at the nanoscale. Herein, we present a platform that combines scanning electrochemical cell microscopy with ex-situ scanning transmission electron microscopy, to allow the ready creation of an array of nanostructures coupled with atomic-scale analysis. As an illustrative example, we explore the electrodeposition of Pt at carbon-coated transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grid supports, where in a single high-throughput experiment it is shown that Pt nanoparticle (PtNP) density increases and size polydispersity decreases with increasing overpotential (i.e., driving force). Furthermore, the coexistence of a range of nanostructures - from single atoms to aggregates of crystalline PtNPs - during the early stages of electrochemical nucleation and growth supports a non-classical aggregative growth mechanism. Beyond this exemplary system, the presented correlative electrochemistry-microscopy approach is generally applicable to solve the ubiquitous structure-function problems in electrochemical science and beyond, positioning it as a powerful plat-form for the rational design of functional nanomaterials.

Swiss Webster mice treated with bolus injections of 'poly-plat' (10 mg/kg) show increased macrophage activation after 2 and 12 days when isolated in cultures. Such macrophages demonstrate an increase in the number of lysosomes and cytoplasmic extension formation with enhanced cytokine (interleukin-1alpha) activity. In addition, peripheral blood smears demonstrated an increase in lymphocytes and monocytes compared to cisplatin-treated animals. These results show that 'poly-plat' activates the immune system more effectively than cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo.

This paper aims to analyze Professor Guo Rongjuan's medication experience on insomnia therapy based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Inheritance Support Plat. First, TCM formulae prescribed by Professor Guo for insomnia therapy were collected from the TCM Inheritance Support Plat. Next, unsupervised data mining algorithms, including apriori, modified mutual-information, and entropy clustering of complex system were applied to obtain the frequencies for different herbs and identify the association rules among the herbs. Accordingly, we can gain new insights into Professor Guo's medication experience on insomnia therapy. Based on analysis of 3 084 formulae, we determined the frequencies for herbs in the formulae and identified the association rules among these herbs. At last, 41 core combinations and 7 new formulae were obtained. The identified medication experience conform with Professor Guo's views on the etiology and pathogenesis of insomnia: "pathogenic fire derived from stagnation of liver-QI (Gan Yu Hua Huo)" is the core pathogenesis of insomnia; "liver stagnation and spleen deficiency" and "chronic illness transferred to kidney" are the main features for insomnia. The TCM Inheritance Support Plat is of great practical value for mining clinical experience of famous TCM doctors.

Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is a primary immunodeficiency disease in which a number of underlying gene defects are responsible for abnormalities in neutrophil development. The HCLS1-associated protein X1 (HAX1) mutation is associated with an autosomal-recessive form of SCN. Considering the potential of gene therapy approaches for the treatment of monogenic disorders, in this study we aimed to develop retroviral vectors expressing coding sequences (CDS) to be used for the removal of the genetic blockade in deficient hematopoietic cells. Following amplification of CDS with primers containing appropriate restriction sites, HAX1 CDS was cloned into an intermediate vector using TA-cloning. The sequence was transferred into a retroviral vector, followed by retroviral packaging in Plat-A cells. To show HAX1 protein expression, HEK293T cells were exposed to 10 multiplicity of infection (MOI) of retroviral particles and HAX1 expression was confirmed in these cells, using indirect intracellular flow cytometry. This vector was applied for in vitro transduction of hematopoietic stem cell with HAX1 mutation; after 11 days, cultured cells were analyzed for CD66acde and CD177 (neutrophil surface markers) expression. Increased neutrophil production in HAX1 viral vector-expressing hematopoietic cells was observed as compared to control vector transduced cells. Hence, according to the results, this type of therapy could be considered a potential treatment protocol for the disease.

Among brain tumors, glioblastoma multiforme appears as one of the most aggressive forms of cancer with poor prognosis and no curative treatment available. Recently, a new kind of radio-chemotherapy has been developed using synchrotron irradiation for the photoactivation of molecules with high-Z elements such as cisplatin (PAT-Plat). This protocol showed a cure of 33% of rats bearing the F98 glioma but the efficiency of the treatment was only measured in terms of overall survival. Here, characterization of the effects of the PAT-Plat on tumor volume and tumor blood perfusion are proposed. Changes in these parameters may predict the overall survival. Firstly, changes in tumor growth of the F98 glioma implanted in the hindlimb of nude mice after the PAT-Plat treatment and its different modalities have been characterized. Secondly, the effects of the treatment on tumor blood perfusion have been observed by intravital two-photon microscopy. Cisplatin alone had no detectable effect on the tumor volume. A reduction of tumor growth was measured after a 15 Gy synchrotron irradiation, but the whole therapy (15 Gy irradiation + cisplatin) showed the largest decrease in tumor growth, indicating a synergistic effect of both synchrotron irradiation and cisplatin treatment. A high number of unperfused vessels (52%) were observed in the peritumoral area in comparison with untreated controls. In the PAT-Plat protocol the transient tumor growth reduction may be due to synergistic interactions of tumor-cell-killing effects and reduction of the tumor blood perfusion.

For the past 5 years, a radio-chemotherapy approach based on the photoactivation of platinum atoms (PAT-Plat) consisting of treating tumors with platinated compounds and irradiating them above the platinum K edge (78.4 keV) has been developed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble, France). Compared to other preclinical modalities, PAT-Plat provides the highest survivals of rats bearing the rodent F98 glioma. However, further investigations are required to optimize its efficiency and to allow its clinical application. Here we examined in vitro and in vivo whether monochromatic X rays are more efficient than high-energy photons in producing the PAT-Plat effect by measuring DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and survival of glioma-bearing rats and whether an increase in the platinum concentration in the tumor results in increased rat survival. DSBs were assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis with different DNA fragment migration programs and with gamma-H2AX immunofluorescence. In vivo, F98 glioma cells were injected intracerebrally, treated with a single intracranial injection of cisplatin or carboplatin 13 days after tumor implantation, and irradiated the day after with 78.8 keV X rays or 6 MV photons. Our results indicate that 78.8 keV X rays are more efficient than high-energy photons at producing the PAT-Plat effect. At low concentrations, cisplatin is more efficient than carboplatin; this is likely due to more efficient DNA binding and DSB repair inhibition. High concentrations of carboplatin inside tumors do not necessarily lead to protracted survival of rats. The therapeutic benefit of anti-glioma synchrotron strategies appears to be correlated with the percentage of unrepaired DSBs but not with the number of DSBs induced.

The serine proteases, tissue- and urokinase-type plasminogen activators (PLAT and PLAU) and their inhibitors SERPINE1/2 are regulators of plasminogen to plasmin conversion. They are widely expressed in ovarian tissues, including granulosa and cumulus cells, and their expression is regulated by gonadotropins. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of serine protease inhibitors (aprotinin and AEBSF) and SERPINE1/2 on FSH-induced cumulus cell expansion, the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and retention of hyaluronic acid (HA) in expanding cumulus. The serine protease activity proved to be essential for the production of PGE2 and also for the retention of HA; the inhibition of plasminogen activators by SERPINE1/2 had the same effect. Collectively, these data indicate that plasmin is required for proper function of expanding cumulus cells in vitro and presumably also in vivo in the pre-ovulatory follicles.

A simple, sensitive, rapid and specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitative measurement of aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) in urine samples was developed in this study. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against a C(1)-carboxymethyl oxime (CMO) derivative of AFB(1) conjugated bovine serum albumin (BSA). AFB(1)-C(8)-penicillinase (AFB(1)-C(8)-P) and AFB(1)-C(1)-carboxymethyl oxime-penicillinase (AFB(1)-CMO-P) were prepared and used as tracer molecule. A heterologous combination of antibody and enzyme conjugates (AFB(1)-C(1)-CMO-BSA and AFB(1)-C(8)-P) proved to work better with respect to specificity and sensitivity. Ig purified antibody (4 microg/well) was coated onto the pre-coated (BSA) wells of microtiter plate. The assay procedure was completed within 3 hr and the sensitivity was calculated to be from 200 pg/ml. The standard curve was linear up to 10 ng/ml so was able to detect high concentration of AFB(1) in sample. Affinities were calculated for homologous and heterologous system in which the heterologous system showed better affinities (1.9 x 10(8) M(-1)). The antibody prepared in this study showed minimal cross-reaction with structurally related molecules being affected by homology and heterology of the assay system that is the site of conjugation of carrier protein for antibody production using the hapten BSA conjugate and the site of enzyme conjugated on the hapten molecule used as tracer as well as direct and indirect coating of antibody on the surface of microtiter plat. The results reported here indicated that the heterologous combination of antibody and enzyme conjugate performs better in assay qualities in general. More than 90% recovery of AFB(1) added to stripped urine samples were observed in this type of assay. Inter and intra-assay percent of coefficient of variations for ten successive assays were found to be 10.2 and 6.9% respectively. Logit -log transformation of standard curve and sample dilution with urine sample containing no AFB(1) in a serial manner exhibited parallel line with the slope of -1.03 and -1.03 respectively. A correlation of 0.90 was found between the ELISA reported in this study and radioimmunoassay (RIA) of AFB(1) in urine samples.

Creeping motion of a Jeffrey fluid in a small width porous-walled channel is presented with an application to flow in flat plate hemodialyzer. Darcy's law is used to characterize the fluid leakage through channel walls. Using suitable physical approximations, approximate analytical solution of equations of motion is obtained by employing perturbation method. Expressions for velocity field and the hydrostatic pressure are obtained. Effects of filtration coefficient, the inlet pressure and Jeffrey fluid parameters on the flow characteristics are discussed graphically. The derived results are used to study the flow of filtrate in a flat plat hemodialyzer. Using the derived solutions, theoretical values of the filtration rate and the mean pressure difference in the hemodialyzer are calculated. On comparing the computed results with the available experimental data, a reasonable agreement between the two is found. It is concluded that the presented model can be used to study the hydrodynamical aspects of the fluid flow in a flat plate hemodialyzer.

Binding of N2 by nitrogenase requires a reductive activation of the FeMo-cofactor, but the precise structure and atomic com-position of FeMoco in its activated form is not well understood. However, recent crystallographic studies suggest that N2 reduction may occur at a carbon-bridged diiron subunit of FeMoco. Toward modeling the activation of a Fe-(µ-C)-Fe site toward N2 binding, we synthesized a new dinucleating, hexaphosphine ligand derived from a 2,6-disubstituted toluene plat-form. Activation of the central methyl group of the ligand affords the diiron µ-carbyne complex (P6ArC)Fe2(µ-H) featuring a biologically relevant Fe(µ-carbyne)(µ-H)Fe motif. SQUID magnetometry, Mössbauer spectroscopy and DFT calculations reveal that (P6ArC)Fe2(µ-H) has a well-isolated S = 1 ground state, distinguishing it from all other diiron µ-carbyne com-plexes which are diamagnetic. Upon the addition of sources of H+/e- (H2, TEMPO-H or HCl), (P6ArC)Fe2(µ-H) is activated toward N2 binding, with concomitant protonation of the carbyne ligand. Although reaction with H2 ultimately leads to com-plete protonation of the carbyne moiety, mechanistic investigations indicate that formation of a single C-H bond, with con-comitant cleavage of one Fe-C bond, generates an iron-carbene intermediate capable of coordinating N2.

This work was focused on the enhanced photocatalytic activity of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc)/TiO₂under visible light irradiation supported on reduced graphene oxide (RGO). A series of RGO/CoPc/TiO₂nanocomposites were synthesized via sol-gel-hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra, UV-Vis spectra and Photoluminescence spectra. The results demonstrated that the TiO₂existed as anatase phase both of CoPc/TiO₂and RGO/CoPc/TiO₂composites, and the absorption range in visible light of RGO/CoPc/TiO₂composites were broadened further. The photodegradation results of diethyl sulfide, the typical gas of landfill exhaust, under visible light revealed that RGO/CoPc/TiO₂nanocomposites exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than CoPc/TiO₂and pure TiO₂, indicating the ideal amount of RGO was 7.5 wt.%, the optimal amount of 7.5% RGO/CoPc/TiO₂composite on each plat was 0.3g and the degradation efficiency of diethyl sulfide was about 90%.

Genomic amplification with transcript sequencing (GAWTS) is a method of direct sequencing that involves amplification with PCR using primers containing phage promoters, transcription of the amplified product, and sequencing with reverse transcriptase. GAWTS requires the generation of PCR primers that are specific for the sequences on both sides of a region. Here we describe promoter ligation and transcript sequencing (PLATS), a direct method for rapidly obtaining novel sequences that utilizes generic primers and only requires knowledge of the sequence on one side of a region. PLATS involves restriction digestion of the amplified vector insert, ligation with a phage promoter, and then GAWTS using phage promoter sequences as the PCR primers. The method is rapid and economical because it uses a limited set of oligonucleotides, and it is potentially amenable to automation because it does not require in vivo manipulations. PLATS facilitates the determination of a genomic sequence responsible for cross-hybridization in a Southern blot. Using PLATS, sequence has been obtained from a 1.1-kb segment in Achlya ambisexualis, which cross-hybridizes to the DNA-binding region of the chicken and Xenopus estrogen receptors. To our knowledge, this represents the first sequence reported from the Oomycetes, a large and widely distributed group of fungi. The sequence reveals a large, transcribed open reading frame that is markedly deficient in the dinucleotide TpA. A putative zinc finger containing three cysteines and one histidine (C-X2-C-X12-H-X3-C) and an acidic segment hint that this clone may be a member of a novel class of transcriptional regulators.

As a new soil amendment, biochar has become an environmentally friendly material. The application of biochar is one of the most promising management practice to improve soil quality. Using a reclaimed soil from a coal mine subsidence area, the plat soil cultivation experiment in this study investigated the effects of biochar application at varying rates on soil properties, the abundance and composition of soil denitrifier communities. Biochar application significantly increased the crop yield which might be associated with the increased level of cation exchange capacity (CEC), total nitrogen (N), ammonium-N, available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in soil. In combination with N fertilizer, the abundance of both nirK and nirS genes significantly increased only at biochar application rate of 4% compared with the nil-biochar treatment. Biochar application significantly increased the community diversity of nirK gene, while not for nirS gene. Redundancy analysis showed that the level of nitrate-N (NO3--N), available P, and pH in soil significantly affected community structure of nirK gene, while the nirS community composition was only affected by soil NO3--N level. Our results indicate that biochar application to the reclaimed soil in coal mine subsidence area could influence the abundance and diversity of soil denitrifiers and improve soil nutrients thus crop yield.

Cyproheptadine-HCl raised the pain thresholds during hot plat test and writhing test in mice and tail flick test in rats, strengthened the hypnotic action by subthreshold dosage of sodium pentobarbital and chloral hydrate. The ED50 were 4.4 (3.2-5.7) and 12.4 (8.4-18.2) mg/kg 30 min after ip cyproheptadine in mice and rats, respectively. The ED50 was 0.14 (0.12-0.18) mg/kg 90 min after icv cyproheptadine in mice. Cyproheptadine po 20, 40 mg/kg and ip 10, 20 mg/kg showed significant antipyretic effects on yeast-induced pyrexia in rats.

Previous studies have shown that severe sepsis after major trauma results in the reprioritization of release of hepatic acute-phase proteins (APP). They suggest competition for leucine for nutritional utilization may be responsible. To test this hypothesis, a branched-chain enriched (46.6%) amino acid mixture (BCAA) was administered on a prospective randomized basis with standard TPN therapy to 16 septic post-trauma patients. After sepsis was diagnosed, a randomized therapy (control-TPN or BCAA-TPN) was given for 12 days, or until death occurred. Total calories and amino acid nitrogen (N) administered were not different in the two groups (t-test) and q 8 h (347 study periods) amino acid clearances, urinary urea nitrogen excretion, muscle proteolysis from 3-methyl-histidine (3-MH) excretion, and standard indices of sepsis severity and hepatic function were measured, as well as platelets (PLAT), leucocytes (WBC), albumin (ALB), and six acute-phase proteins: C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1TRIP), fibrinogen (FIBRIN), alpha-2-macroglobulin (AMACRO), ceruloplasmin (CERUL), and transferrin (TRANS). Using Scheffé analysis of all contrasts the data showed: BCAA resulted in a fall in 24-hour urea N excretion (24.0 to 20.0 gm/24 hr) and in proteolysis (138 to 126 gm/24 hr) (p less than 0.0001). Prestudy CRP levels were all elevated, but compared to control where APP reprioritization occurred, over the initial 10 days of therapy BCAA patients had a more rapid fall in CRP with a more rapid rise in FIBRIN, TRANS, CERUL, ALBUMIN, AMACRO, and A1TRIP (all p less than 0.0001) relative to CRP. Also, the sepsis-reduced clearances of glutamine and glutamate, alanine, and proline were increased (p less than 0.0001) during BCAA even though urea nitrogen production was reduced (p less than 0.0001). The increase in leucine clearance with BCAA-enriched TPN was positively correlated (r2 = 0.601; p less than 0.0001) with the increase in the sum of all APP and ALB and was also associated with an increase both in FIBRIN and in platelets (p less than 0.0001). The BCAA-related increase in FIBRIN (9.1 to 11.9 mg/ml) occurred at the same time as a fall in prothrombin time (p less than 0.0001). BCAA-enriched TPN reduced proteolysis and amino acid catabolism and appeared to increase the levels of the more rapidly appearing anti-inflammatory and nutritional hepatic APP and formed coagulation elements in post-traumatic sepsis.

The following seven polymorphic marker loci of genes responsible for predisposition to coronary atherosclerosis (CAS) were studied: the ACE locus responsible for angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism for the presence or absence of the Alu insertion in the gene; the F13, PLAT, and APOA1 loci, controlling the clotting factor 13, plasminogen-activating tissue factor, and apolipoprotein A, respectively; the MTHFR and AGT polymorphic loci responsible for point mutations in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and those in angiotensinogen, respectively, and the NOS3 locus controlling the number of tandem repeats in the nitric oxide synthase gene. These loci are located on different chromosomes and encode products involved into various metabolic pathways leading to CAS. In the populations studied, significant differences between healthy subjects and patients predisposed to cardiovascular diseases were revealed with regard to the above seven markers. The 174M allele (T174M polymorphism in the ACE gene) was significantly associated with coronary atherosclerosis. It was found that specific gene combinations are involved in the CAS development and determine variation in the pathogenetically important quantitative traits.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of aerosolized perfluorocarbon (PFC) on gas exchanges, respiratory mechanics and hemodynamics in a swine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

METHODS

ARDS was induced by intratracheal instillation of detergent in 16 piglets, and the animals were then randomly assigned to a PFC treated group (n = 8) and a control group (n = 8). Animals of the control group were gas-ventilated with 100% O2 (3 L/min), while those of the PFC treated group received an additional continuous aerosolized PFC at 7 - 8 ml.kg(-1).h(-1). Blood gases, average artery pressure, heart rate, platform pressure, compliance, expiratory tidal volume and intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEPi) were measured per 15 minutes.

RESULTS

Detergent instillation resulted in a marked decrease in arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) within 60 min, from (383 +/- 53) mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) to (49 +/- 12) mm Hg in the control group [fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) 100%], and from (377 +/- 55) mm Hg to (56 +/- 13) mm Hg in the PFC group (FiO2 100%). After 2 h treatment, PaO2 was increased from (49 +/- 12) mm Hg to (83 +/- 51) mm Hg in the control group, compliance from (1.4 +/- 0.4) ml/cm H2O to (2.8 +/- 1.8) ml/cm H2O, and expiratory tidal volume from (30.8 +/- 5.5) ml to (50.1 +/- 4.1) ml in the control group; PaO2 from (56 +/- 13) mm Hg to (189 +/- 133) mm Hg, compliance from (1.5 +/- 0.4) ml/cm H2O to (4.1 +/- 1.4) ml/cm H2O, and expiratory tidal volume from (30.8 +/- 3.3) ml to (74.5 +/- 16.9) ml in the PFC group (all P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2), pH values, blood pressure, heart rates, plat pressure and PEEPi during treatment (all P>> 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

It is suggested that aerosolized PFC increases arterial oxygenation, compliance, and expiratory tidal volume in extended detergent-induced ARDS.