A diffeomorphic aging model for adult human brain from cross-sectional data.

Normative aging trends of the brain can serve as an important reference in the assessment of neurological structural disorders. Such models are typically developed from longitudinal brain image data-follow-up data of the same subject over different time points. In practice, obtaining such longitudinal data is difficult. We propose a method to develop an aging model for a given population, in the absence of longitudinal data, by using images from different subjects at different time points, the so-called cross-sectional data. We define an aging model as a diffeomorphic deformation on a structural template derived from the data and propose a method that develops topology preserving aging model close to natural aging. The proposed model is successfully validated on two public cross-sectional datasets which provide templates constructed from different sets of subjects at different age points.

Treatment of municipal landfill leachate by solar photocatalytic method using fixed titanium dioxide.

Treatment of municipal landfill leachate by fixed TiO2 photocatalytic method was investigated in the present study using sunlight as light source. Indigenous TiO2 was immobilized with white cement. The leachate used in the study was collected from Kodungaiyur dumpsite in Chennai. Optimization of pH, catalyst dose and exposure time were carried out. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) was used to determine the degradation efficiency. The degradation efficiency of leachate was found to be 85% with a batch flat reactor under optimum condition. Fixed catalyst was found to be reusable for 5 times without any reduction in the efficiency. The degradation process was found to follow pseudo first order kinetics.

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid-coconut oil supported liquid membrane for the separation of copper ions from copper plating wastewater.

Permeation of Cu(II) from its aqueous solution through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) containing di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) carrier dissolved in coconut oil has been studied. The effects of Cu(II), pH (in feed), H2SO4 (stripping) and D2EHPA (in membrane) concentrations have been investigated. The stability of the D2EHPA-coconut oil has also been evaluated. High Cu(II) concentration in the feed leads to an increase in flux from 4.1 x 10(-9) to 8.9 x 10(-9) mol/(m2 x s) within the Cu(II) concentration range 7.8 x 10(-4)-78.6 x 10(-4) mol/L at pH of 4.0 in the feed and 12.4 x 10-4 mol/L D2EHPA in the membrane phase. Increase in H2SO4 concentration in strip solution leads to an increase in copper ions flux up to 0.25 mol/L H2SO4, providing a maximum flux of 7.4 x 10(-9) mol/(m2 x s). The optimum conditions for Cu(II) transport are, pH of feed 4.0, 0.25 mol/L H2SO4 in strip phase and 12.4 x 10(-4) mol/L D2EHPA (membrane) in 0.5 microm pore size polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. It has been observed that Cu(II) flux across the membrane tends to increase with the concentration of copper ions. Application of the method developed to copper plating bath rinse solutions has been found to be successful in the recovery of Cu(II).

Recovery of phenol from aqueous solution by supported liquid membrane using vegetable oils as liquid membrane.

The transport of phenol through a flat sheet supported liquid membrane (SLM) containing vegetable oil as liquid membrane (LM) has been investigated. The permeation of phenol was investigated by varying the experimental conditions like, selection of LM, support material, feed phase pH, stripping solution concentration, stirring speed and different initial concentration of phenol. It has been found that, each LM investigated in the present study shows the effective removal of phenol using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane and PP supported membrane as a solid support. Among the various oils tested, palm oil has chosen to be the best LM with permeability of 8.5x10(-6) m/s in acidic feed of pH 2.0 with 0.2 M sodium hydroxide as effective stripping agent. After 6 h all the phenol from the feed side gets transported to strip solution with an initial concentration of 100 mg/L. A concentration factor of five has been achieved in the present investigation easily with 0.2 M sodium hydroxide as stripping reagent. After 10 transport studies with one impregnation of LM, the LM showed no significant loss in the transport rate with average permeability of 7.9x10(-6) m/s with initial concentration 100 mg/L. Further study has also been attempted with cresols to explore the possibility of applying this to industrial wastewater under the optimized conditions for phenol. After 14 h of the transport studies in the phenol-formaldehyde industry wastewater, phenolic concentration in the feed solution was found to be below detectable level (1x10(-2) mg/L). For wood processing industry wastewater the transport takes place at the initial permeability of 7.1x10(-5) m/s. Thus it has been demonstrated the use of renewable, cheap, non toxic, naturally occurring vegetable oils as a novel, green liquid membrane for the recovery of phenol from aqueous solution in SLM, which has never been employed before in liquid membrane techniques.

Evaluation and analysis of the noise quality of Ambur, Tamil Nadu, India.

The noise levels of Ambur town were studied in silence, residential, commercial and industrial zones. Noise levels were assessed in 22 locations in a typical peak and non-peak hours of a day. In non-peak hours, a gradual decrease in noise levels is detected. The results show that the noise pollution in the city is widespread throughout most of its area. The noise in these areas is composite in nature and generated from many sources near and far with no particular sound predominance. Based on the results, some remedial measures were suggested. Public participation, education, traffic management, structural designing play a major role in noise management.

Removal of textile dyes from textile dye effluent using TBAB based aqueous biphasic systems.

Aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) are useful for the extraction of dye molecules from aqueous solution. Thus, they can be used in textile dye bath effluent treatment. The partitioning behavior of two commercially used textile dyes-Cibacron Scarlet LS 2G and Astacryl Red 3B were investigated in a TBAB-salt aqueous biphasic systems. It was found that all three salts, namely sodium chloride, sodium sulphate and sodium carbonate, investigated caused partitioning of dye into the upper TBAB rich phase. The efficiency of separation increased in the order NaCl < Na2SO4 < Na2CO. It was found that the cationic dye partitioned better than the anionic dye in the system. A concentration of 5 g/l of dye was extracted into the upper layer. Alteration of solution pH did not cause any significant difference in distribution ratios. Studies were extended to actual dye bath effluent and small scale up studies carried out. Efficiencies of removal obtained in all cases were extremely good with maximum efficiencies above 98 %.

The connection domain is implicated in metalloporphyrin binding and inhibition of HIV reverse transcriptase.

We have shown that heme and zinc protoporphyrin inhibit both human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and type 2 (HIV-2) reverse transcriptases (RTs) and, in combination with other nucleoside and non-nucleoside inhibitors, exert an additive effect on HIV-1 RT inhibition. Screening of a phage peptide library against heme resulted in the isolation of a peptide with sequence similarity to sequence 398-407 from the connection subdomain of both HIV-1 and HIV-2 RTs, suggesting that this highly conserved region of HIV RTs corresponds to the binding site for metalloporphyrins and a new site for inhibition of enzyme activity. Inclusion of a synthetic peptide corresponding to the exact sequence 398-407 of HIV-1 RT in RT inhibition assays had a protective effect on metalloporphyrin inhibition, as it was able to reverse the inhibitory effect of both metalloporphyrins on HIV-1 RT activity. Furthermore, intrinsic fluorescence assays indicated that these metalloporphyrins bind to synthetic peptide 398-407 as well as to intact dimeric HIV-1 RT. The identification of this novel inhibition site will help to expand our understanding of the mode of action of metalloporphyrins in RT inhibition and will assist in the design and development of more potent metalloporphyrin RT inhibitors for the management of HIV infection.

Comparative evaluation of four different infusion rates of ropivacaine (2 mg/mL) for epidural labor analgesia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have reported comparable efficacy for ropivacaine and bupivacaine when used for labor analgesia at concentrations of 2.5 mg/mL. In this multicenter study, we assessed ropivacaine at the commercially available concentration of 2 mg/mL (0.2%) for labor pain management. METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent, 128 women at term were randomly assigned to receive ropivacaine at one of the four infusion rates via a lumbar epidural catheter. Analgesia was initiated with a 5-mL test dose, followed by injections of 5-15 mL of 2 mg/mL ropivacaine. The continuous infusion was then started at 4, 6, 8, or 10 rmL/hour. Rescue analgesia was provided with 5-mL "top-up" injections as necessary to provide maternal comfort. Pain relief was assessed by using a visual analog pain scale (VAPS) and motor block was assessed by using a modified Bromage scale. RESULTS: All infusion regimens effectively decreased VAPS, and most patients in all groups had minimal or no motor block at the end of the first stage of labor. Mean total number of the top-up injections required per patient were 3, 2, 1.5, and 1.4, respectively, in the 4, 6, 8, and 10-mL/hour groups (P < .05, 4 mL/hour vs. all other groups). Despite receiving more total bolus dosages, the 4-mL/hour group had less motor block in the lower extremities (P < .05). Apgar scores and neurological adaptive capacity scores were similar for all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The 2 mg/mL of ropivacaine produces satisfactory labor analgesia at epidural infusion rates of 4, 6, 8, and 10 mL/hour, provided supplemental bolus dosages are available. Clinically, a rate of 6 mL/hour may be the lowest effective rate that provides the best combination of pain relief, motor block, and rebolusing, although rates of 8 and 10 mL/hour produced similar results.

Hepatitis B virus and primary hepatocellular carcinoma: treatment of HBV carriers with Phyllanthus amarus.

A viricide capable of eliminating hepatitis B virus (HBV) from chronic carriers should, theoretically, decrease the risk of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Extracts of Phyllanthus amarus have been shown to inhibit the DNA polymerase of HBV and woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) in vitro. Three of four recently infected WHV carriers treated i.p. with P. amarus extract lost WHV, animals infected for greater than or equal to 3 months showed a decrease in virus levels. Preliminary results in human carriers treated orally with P. amarus for 1 month indicated that approximately 60% of the carriers lost HBV during the observation period.

Interaction of fucoidan from Pelvetia fastigiata with surface antigens of hepatitis B and woodchuck hepatitis viruses.

A sulfated polysaccharide isolated from Pelvetia fastigiata, a marine algae, was found to inhibit in vitro the reaction of the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) or of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHsAg) with antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs). The polysaccharide was composed mainly of 1----2 linked L-fucose-4-sulfate with some (less than 10%) 1----3 linkages. The inhibition of the reaction of HBsAg with anti-HBs or of WHsAg with anti-HBs was found to be directly proportional to the molecular size of the polysaccharide. Comparison of its inhibitory activity with that of carrageenans and dextran sulfates showed that, in addition to the size, the configuration of the component sugar and the presence of deoxy sugar may play a role in the inhibition of reaction of HBsAg or WHsAg with anti-HBs. The fucose sulfate polymer, fucoidan, however, had no effect in vivo on woodchuck hepatitis virus in woodchuck chronic carriers.

Hepatitis B virus and hepatocellular carcinoma--treatment of HBV carriers with Phyllanthus amarus.

Extracts of Phyllanthus amarus inhibit the DNA polymerase of HBV and related viruses. Woodchuck carriers of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) were treated intraperitoneally with P. amarus extract. Three of four animals which had been recently infected lost the virus. Animals infected for about 3 months or more had a decrease in virus levels. Human carriers of HBV were treated orally for 1 month. About 60% of the carriers lost HBV, which did not return during the observation period. Fractions containing active principles are now being isolated and characterized.

Effect of Phyllanthus amarus on chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus.

In a preliminary study, carriers of hepatitis B virus were treated with a preparation of the plant Phyllanthus amarus for 30 days. 22 of 37 (59%) treated patients had lost hepatitis B surface antigen when tested 15-20 days after the end of the treatment compared with only 1 of 23 (4%) placebo-treated controls. Some subjects have been followed for up to 9 months. In no case has the surface antigen returned. Clinical observation revealed few or no toxic effects. The encouraging results of this preliminary study recommend continued evaluation of this plant and the active principles isolated from it.

Effects of an extract from Phyllanthus niruri on hepatitis B and woodchuck hepatitis viruses: in vitro and in vivo studies.

An aqueous extract of the plant Phyllanthus niruri inhibits endogenous DNA polymerase of hepatitis B virus and binds to the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus in vitro. The extract also inhibits woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) DNA polymerase and binds to the surface antigen of WHV in vitro. The extract, nontoxic to mice, was tested for antiviral activity in woodchucks (Marmota monax). In a trial using six long-term WHV-carrier woodchucks, five treated animals showed a faster decrease in woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen titer compared to one untreated control. In animals recently infected with WHV, the extract was effective when administered i.p. in three out of four animals in reducing and within 3-6 weeks eliminating both the surface antigen titer and DNA polymerase activity in serum. The treatment was discontinued after 10 weeks, and the treated animals have remained free of detectable markers of WHV for more than 45 weeks. In contrast, three untreated controls remained positive for both markers for WHV. One of the controls died after 8 weeks; the other two controls have remained positive for WHV markers for more than 45 weeks. In a third trial with long-term carriers, test animals treated subcutaneously with the extract for 12 weeks did not respond; but on switching the mode of administration to i.p., two out of the five animals showed a significant decrease in woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen titer compared to controls.

Type variation of strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae in capsular serogroup 15.

The repeated finding of two capsular types of Streptococcus pneumoniae in serogroup 15 in infected exudate from the middle ear led to the demonstration of type variation in pneumococcal types 15B and 15C. Determination of the chemical composition of the capsular polysaccharides of the pneumococci in serogroup 15 showed that the observed variation was related to the presence of an O-acetyl group in the capsular polysaccharide of type 15B which was lacking from the otherwise identical polysaccharide of type 15C. The phenomenon appears similar to that reported in several other bacterial species in which it has been ascribed to labile inversion of a segment of DNA.

Filamentous capsulated streptococci from the human respiratory tract: chemical and immunochemical characterization of a glycoprotein capsular antigen of provisional binary capsular type 87.

A filamentous alpha-hemolytic streptococcus of provisional capsular type 87 isolated from the human respiratory tract has been shown to be binary capsulated. One of the capsular antigens appears to be a glycoprotein; the other appears to be a polysaccharide. Transformation reactions with deoxyribonucleic acid from streptococcus type 87 and a number of noncapsulated pneumococci yielded transformed pneumococci with either a glycoprotein capsule or a polysaccharide capsule, but not with both. Capsular precipitin (quellung) reactions were observed when streptococcus type 87 was treated with homologous antiserum or with antisera to either of the two distinct capsular transformants. Each of the transformed pneumococci gave a quellung reaction with its homologous antiserum or with antiserum to streptococcus type 87, but neither reacted with antiserum to the heterologous transformant. Chemical analysis showed the glycoprotein antigen of streptococcus type 87 to contain, in addition to amino acids, glucose, galactose, glucosamine, and phosphate. The amino acid composition of the glycoprotein capsular antigens from streptococcus type 87 and of those from transformed pneumococci were similar, showing only minor differences. The glycoprotein capsular antigen from streptococcus type 87 gave two closely associated precipitin bands with homologous antiserum or antisera to transformed pneumococci with the glycoprotein capsule. That the two precipitin bands represent two unrelated proteins is precluded largely on the basis of the unlikely probability of 100% cotransformation of the genes coding for both proteins in the pneumococcal transformants that were isolated. Chemical analyses of the various fractions of the glycoprotein indicate that the two precipitin bands may represent a glycoprotein and its corresponding apoprotein.

Filamentous capsulated streptococci from the human respiratory tract: chemical and immunochemical characterization of the polysaccharide capsular antigen of provisional binary capsular type 87.

The polysaccharide capsular antigen of the filamentous binary capsulated streptococcus of provisional type 87 and the polysaccharide capsular antigens of two pneumoccal strains transformed with deoxyribonucleic acid of streptococus type 87 have been purified and analyzed with regard to their component monosaccharides. The purified polysaccharides from the three strains were immunochemically identical. Each was found to contain rhamnose, glucose, galactose, galactosamine, and phosphate. Rhamnose was the immunodominant sugar.