Melamine-formaldehyde-NTA chelating gel resin: Synthesis, characterization and application for copper(II) ion removal from synthetic wastewater.

A new chelating resin was synthesised by anchoring nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) to melamine during the melamine-formaldehyde gelling reaction in the presence of water, using acetone and guaiacol as a porogen mixture. This technique gives a porous chelating gel resin capable of removing heavy metals from wastewater. FT-IR, XRD, elemental analysis, surface area and water regain measurements were conducted for characterization of the new chelating gel resin. A comprehensive adsorption study (kinetics isotherm, and thermodynamics) of Cu(II) removal from synthetic acidic aqueous solutions by adsorption on this resin was conducted regarding the effects of time, temperature, initial pH and copper(II) initial concentration.

Knotted femoral nerve catheter.

We describe a case of knotting of a femoral nerve catheter which prevented removal by traction after knee replacement surgery. In this context, early surgical removal should be performed as bacterial colonization of femoral catheters is common. Radiological imaging of the catheter may assist decision-making about whether to persist with traction and what surgical approach is required. Minimizing the length of catheter inserted to less than 10 cm makes knotting unlikely, but will decrease the chance of achieving lumbar plexus blockade which could improve analgesia if the catheter passes centrally.

Plaque antibacterial levels following controlled food intake and use of a toothpaste containing 2% zinc citrate and 0.3% Triclosan.

OBJECTIVES: To measure the levels of zinc and Triclosan present in plaque 12 hours post-brushing and following two weeks home use of a toothpaste formulation containing 2% zinc citrate and 0.3% Triclosan. To measure the levels of zinc and Triclosan in plaque following two weeks home use of the test toothpaste formulation together with a further morning's brushing and a day of controlled food intake. METHODS: A total of 104 subjects completed the study. Plaque samples were taken before use of the test toothpaste and again after a specified regime of product use and food intake. The samples were analysed for zinc or Triclosan. RESULTS: Levels of zinc and Triclosan in plaque 12 hours after last brushing and following a 2-week home usage of product, were 149.1 microg/g and 8.6 microg/g respectively. Following a morning brushing and a day of controlled food intake zinc and Triclosan levels were 94.7 microg/g and 4.1 microg/g respectively. These levels of agents were found to reduce pH drop in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Regular use of a toothpaste containing 2% zinc citrate and 0.3% Triclosan can lead to a build-up of antibacterial agents in plaque that continue to work even after controlled food intake.

Planning an integrated population-based program.

Social, economic, and political pressures demand that hospitals focus on ways to provide cost-effective, population-based care. As a member of the hospital executive staff, nurse administrators need to have a method for analyzing, planning, implementing, and evaluating prospective programs and be able to articulate their potential and relative worth in terms of cost, quality, and value. The author presents a template model for integrated population-based program planning. Children's Home-Based Asthma Management and Prevention Service (CHAMPS) is presented to illustrate application of the model.

Increased frequency of DR4 in systemic onset juvenile chronic arthritis.

Eighty-one patients with systemic onset juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) have been tested for HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DR antigens. This study confirms previous reports of an increased incidence of DR4 in these patients. Subdivision of the patients according to their disease course over ten years showed different HLA associations with different disease courses. The frequency of DR4 tended to be greater in patients with less severe disease. There was also an increased incidence of HLA B27 in patients in whom relapses of disease were associated with intercurrent infections.

Treated xenografts as gliding tendon prostheses in an ovine model.

A model for testing the properties of gliding tendon grafts has been developed that allows anastomoses to be evaluated separately from the mid-portion of the graft. In addition, two different graft materials may be implanted in one sheep foreleg whilst maintaining control (not operated) tendons in both the operated leg and contralateral foreleg. The model has been used to evaluate the response of xenografts made from chemically treated kangaroo tail tendon (KTT) compared with autografts. At 3 month the mid-sections of the glutaraldehyde-fixed xenografts maintained between 57 and 82% of their initial ultimate tensile strength whereas lyophilized KTT dropped to 10% and autografts retained 91% of initial strength. Sterilization by gamma-radiation of wet xenografts did not affect the material and implant properties significantly. Longer term studies are necessary to determine the resorption behaviour of the xenografts. Anastomosis strengths were found to be about the same for all grafts, at about 25% of the strength of the original tendon. Alternatives need to be investigated to improve this strength.

Autograft and Leeds-Keio reconstructions of the ovine anterior cruciate ligament.

This study compared the Leeds-Keio prosthesis with grafting of autogeneic patellar tendon for the reconstruction of the ovine anterior cruciate ligament under controlled conditions. Reconstructed knees from six sheep of each group were evaluated at 12, 26, and 52 weeks postreconstruction with respect to clinical assessment, gross pathology, mechanical properties, and histology. Although no difference in clinical assessment (anteroposterior draw, range of motion, and function) was noted between the prosthesis reconstruction and the autograft reconstruction, the prosthesis provided a higher strength initially, which remained relatively constant over the one-year study. However, prosthesis wear was observed, with up to 50% of Dacron fibers ruptured in some cases. Histologic sections indicated that in the ovine model, the Leeds-Keio prosthesis should be considered an artificial device and not a scaffold or stent that supports aligned collagenous growth. The autograft had low strength at 12 weeks, which increased over the study period. Despite acceptable clinical performance and adequate mechanical properties up to one year postimplantation, neither reconstruction approached the clinical or mechanical performance of the normal anterior cruciate ligament in the ovine model.

HLA and complement C4 antigens in polyarticular onset seronegative juvenile chronic arthritis: association of early onset with HLA-DRw8.

HLA-A,B,C,DR and DQ antigens were tested in 53 British Caucasian patients with polyarticular onset seronegative juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA); C4 allotypes were also tested in 46. A strong association with HLA-DRw8 was found (RR = 6.1, Fp = 7.6 x 10(-5)), with increased -B5(51) and C4A QO, and decreased -DR7 frequencies. DRw8 incidence correlated with an onset under 5 years, 9 of 12 DRw8+ cases being in this subgroup (Fp = less than 0.06), whereas B5 and C4A QO were prevalent in late onset (greater than or equal to 5 years). Erosions after 5 years associated with HLA-DRw6, and their absence with -Cw1 and -DR5. Genetic susceptibility factors and a further subdivision by onset age are thus demonstrated in this disease. Comparative data suggest that the genetic basis of susceptibility to early onset disease is similar to that of pauciarticular JCA.

Bovine serum sialic acid: age-related changes in type and content.

1. The sialic acid content of newborn calf serum (4.8 mumol/ml) is approx. 3-fold higher than that of mature animals (1.4 mumol/ml) and decreases to 2.4 mumol/ml at 20 days of age. Colostrum-fed and colostrum-deprived calves have similar levels of sialic acid from birth to 14 days of age. 2. The high level of sialic acid in newborn calf serum is due predominantly to N-acetylneuraminic acid, since this sialic acid accounts for 93% of the total and since less than 5% of the sialic acid is O-acetylated. 3. Comparison of day 0 and day 20 serum by gel filtration and by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrates that the increase in sialic acid is associated with increased production and/or sialylation of components with MW of 45-60 kDa. 4. A high percentage (64%) of the sialic acid in newborn calf serum is detected with the lipid-linked sialic acid assay, relative to 20 day old (25%) or mature (18%) animals. 5. This indicates that the glycoproteins of newborn calf serum are more efficiently extracted under the conditions of this assay than glycoproteins of mature serum.

Nausea and vomiting after prostaglandins in day case termination of pregnancy. The efficacy of low dose droperidol.

The antiemetic effects of low dose droperidol (0.25 and 0.5 mg) and a placebo were compared in patients who had received prostaglandin for day case termination of pregnancy. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was high. Low dose droperidol significantly reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting without any delay in immediate recovery or discharge home (p less than 0.05). Droperidol 0.25 mg was equally effective as an antiemetic, as 0.5 mg.

HLA antigen frequencies among patients with juvenile chronic arthritis and amyloidosis: a brief report.

Amyloidosis is seen in a small number of patients with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). In order to determine whether particular HLA markers might predispose to the development of amyloid in JCA a group of 45 patients with amyloidosis confirmed by biopsy was typed for the HLA-A, B, C and DR loci. The results confirmed previous smaller studies that no HLA antigen detected by standard serological techniques was associated specifically with the development of amyloidosis. Those antigens which showed an altered frequency (ie. DR4 and DRw8) were known to be associated with the different types of JCA onset represented in this group.

Genetic susceptibility to early onset pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis: a study of HLA and complement markers in 158 British patients.

To investigate the genetics of susceptibility to early onset pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA), 158 unrelated ethnic British patients with a mean disease onset of 3.2 years, together with controls, were tested for HLA-A, B, C, and DR antigens. Additionally, 117 patients were also investigated for complement Bf and C4 markers. New observations included an increased frequency of the C4B 2 allotype (p corrected (pc) less than 0.02) and C4A 4,B 2 phenotype (p less than 0.0005). Findings suggested a unique increase of the haplotype HLA-DRw8, Bf*S, C4A*4, C4B*2, HLA-B39, possibly predisposing to more severe disease. Strong positive associations were confirmed with HLA antigens A2 (pc = 2.5 X 10(-8)), DRw8 (pc = 3.5 X 10(-14)), DR5 (pc less than 0.02), DRw52 (pc = 2.8 X 10(-6)) and DR5, w8 phenotype (pc = 3.9 X 10(-6)), and negative associations with DR7 (pc = 5.8 X 10(-7)), DR4 (pc less than 0.002), and DRw53 (pc = 0.004). Antinuclear antibody (ANA) seropositivity correlated with DR5 (p less than 0.02), and in children with chronic iridocyclitis (CIR) Bw62 incidence was raised (p less than 0.03) and B44 reduced (p less than 0.03). HLA-A2 was found in 88% of ANA+, CIR+ patients (p less than 0.01). A significant excess of DR5, w8 heterozygotes was present (relative risk = 41.1) and a lack of corresponding homozygotes. Results are inconsistent with a recessive, dominant, or intermediate mode of inheritance of susceptibility, and favour the existence of at least two DR linked 'disease' genes. Moreover, there may be an interaction in heterozygotes of combinatorial factors associated with DR5 and DRw8 in enhancing susceptibility. Possible immunogenetic mechanisms underlying the observed associations with three antigen classes are discussed. Evidence here suggests a role for the HLA-DQ locus in determining susceptibility to this disease.

[3H]Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol hydrolysis by extracts of Zea mays L. vegetative tissue.

[3H]Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol was hydrolyzed by buffered extracts of acetone powders prepared from 4 day shoots of dark grown Zea mays L. seedlings. The hydrolytic activity was proportional to the amount of extract added and was linear for up to 6 hours at 37 degrees C. Boiled or alcohol denatured extracts were inactive. Analysis of reaction mixtures by high performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that not all isomers of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol were hydrolyzed at the same rate. Buffered extracts of acetone powders were prepared from coleoptiles and mesocotyls. The rates of hydrolysis observed with coleoptile extracts were greater than those observed with mesocotyl extracts. Active extracts also catalyzed the hydrolysis of esterase substrates such as alpha-naphthyl acetate and the methyl esters of indoleacetic acid and naphthyleneacetic acid. Attempts to purify the indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol hydrolyzing activity by chromatographic procedures resulted in only slight purification with large losses of activity. Chromatography over hydroxylapatite allowed separation of two enzymically active fractions, one of which catalyzed the hydrolysis of both indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol and esterase substrates. With the other enzymic hydrolysis of esterase substrates was readily demonstrated, but no hydrolysis of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol was ever detected.

Metabolism of tryptophol in higher and lower plants.

Bacteria, thallophytes, and seed plants (107 species), supplied with exogenous indole-3-ethanol (tryptophol), formed one or more of the following metabolites: O-acetyl tryptophol, an unknown tryptophol ester (or a set of structurally closely related esters), tryptophol glucoside, tryptophol galactoside, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and indole-3-carboxylic acid. The unknown ester was formed by all species examined; O-acetyl tryptophol appeared sporadically in representatives of most major taxonomic groups. Tryptophol galactoside was found in the algae Chlorella, Euglena, and Ochromonas. The glucoside was formed by many eucaryotic plants, but not by bacteria; it was a significant tryptophol metabolite in vascular plants. IAA, if detectable at all, was usually a minor metabolite, as should be expected, if tryptophol oxidase responds to feedback inhibition by IAA. Indole-3-carboxylic acid, formed by a few fungi and mosses, was the only tryptophol metabolite detected which is likely to be formed via IAA.

Immunoglobulin allotypes in families with pauciarticular-onset juvenile chronic arthritis.

Immunoglobulin allotypes have been studied in the families of 17 pauciarticular-onset juvenile chronic arthritis patients included in the 9th Histocompatibility Workshop. There is no evidence of an association of these genetic factors with the disease, nor with the HLA and complement C4 disease markers.