Global air pollution crossroads over the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean Intensive Oxidant Study, performed in the summer of 2001, uncovered air pollution layers from the surface to an altitude of 15 kilometers. In the boundary layer, air pollution standards are exceeded throughout the region, caused by West and East European pollution from the north. Aerosol particles also reduce solar radiation penetration to the surface, which can suppress precipitation. In the middle troposphere, Asian and to a lesser extent North American pollution is transported from the west. Additional Asian pollution from the east, transported from the monsoon in the upper troposphere, crosses the Mediterranean tropopause, which pollutes the lower stratosphere at middle latitudes.

Transpulmonary contrast echocardiography: effects on delineation of endocardial border, assessment of wall motion and interobserver variability in stress echocardiograms of limited image quality.

BACKGROUND: A major limitation of stress echocardiography remains poor image quality. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of transpulmonary contrast echocardiography (TCE) with BY 963 on endocardial border delineation, detectability of wall motion abnormalities and interobserver variability at rest and during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in subjects with technically limited baseline echocardiograms. METHODS: BY 963 was administered intravenously to 36 patients (5 ml for parasternal LAX/SAX, 10 ml for apical four-chamber/two-chamber view) both at rest and at peak stress during DSE. Two observers applied a delineation score (0, endocardial border not visible; 1 border poorly visible; and 2, border clearly visible) to 12 wall segments in the parasternal and 10 in the apical views both before and after administration of BY 963. A 16-segment wall-motion score was used. RESULTS: In parasternal views, the delineation score was not improved by TCE. In the apical views, TCE significantly increased the delineation score (from 14.1 +/- 5.4 to 20.7 +/- 4.2 at rest and from 14.6 +/- 5.7 to 21.7 +/- 4.1 under stress, both P< 0.01). For 18 of 25 patients with coronary artery disease (> or = 70% stenosis) results of DSE were positive before TCE, whereas results were positive for 21 patients during TCE. For 10 of 11 patients without coronary artery disease, results of DSE were negative both before and during TCE. For the apical delineation score, interobserver variability was decreased significantly by TCE (from 19.5 +/- 19.6 to 8.2 +/- 15.6% at rest and from 20.2 +/- 19.6 to 3.3 +/- 11.4% at peak stress, both P< 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: TCE enhances endocardial border delineation in apical views at rest and during DSE, resulting in a decrease of interobserver variability and an improvement in assessment of wall motion. Use of TCE, at least how it was applied in this investigation, seems not to be indicated for parasternal projections.

Histochemical detection of carbonic anhydrase with diemthylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonamide.

A new specific method for the detection of carbonic anhydrase, EC 4.2.1.1, in tissues is described. The reaction of carbonic anhydrase with dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonamide (DNSA) forms a highly fluorescent complex. The specificity of the method is proved by the quenching of this fluorescence with ethoxzolamide (6-ethoxybenzothiazole-5-sulfonamide). The difference in the wavelength makes it possible to absorb the fluorescence of the unbound dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonamide by filters. Kidney, proventriculus, and bone from chicken have been examined. Carbonic anhydrase has been detected in the cytoplasm of the columnar lining cells, proximal tubule cells, and osteoclasts.

Detektion von carboanhydrase isoenzymen in acrylamidgelen mit einem fluoreszierenden sulfonamid.

DNSA (1-Dimethylamino-naphthelene-5-sulfonamide) forms with carbonic anhydrase (carbonate hydrolase, EC 4.2.1.1) a highly fluorescent complex [1]. We used the formation of these complexes for the detection of the isoenzyme bands of carbonic anhydrase in isoelectric focusing and electrophoresis in acrylamide gels. DNSA is added to the solution of the isoenzymes before separation. Using quartz tubes - the maximum of the excitation spectrum is 280 nm [1] - for supporting the gels the fluorescent enzyme bands can be observed during development in UV light and without putting the gels out of the quartz tubes. This technique allows the detection of the carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes with greater precision and simplicity than with any staining method.