Evaluation of the carcinogenic potential of clofibrate in the FVB/Tg.AC mouse after oral administration--part I

This study was conducted as part of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) program to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of clofibrate, a nongenotoxic, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha agonist following oral administration to Tg.AC (transgenic) and wild-type FVB (nontransgenic) mice for a minimum for 6 months. Clofibrate was well tolerated at doses up to 500 (males) and 650 (females) mg/kg/day. Oral administration of clofibrate to Tg.AC or FVB (wild-type) male and female mice for 6 months did not result in the increased formation of neoplastic lesions. Epithelial hyperplasia in the urinary bladder (Tg.AC and FVB) and prostate gland (Tg.AC only), and interstitial-cell hyperplasia in the testes (Tg.AC) were noted at 500 mg/kg/day. Non-neoplastic nonproliferative findings included hepatic hypertrophy and hematopoietic changes (myeloid hyperplasia, myelodysplasia, lymphoid depletion, and erythropoiesis) in Tg.AC and FVB mice of both sexes; reproductive (cystic degeneration and dilatation, hypospermia, spermatocele, dilated inspissated protein) and urogenital (tubular-cell hypertrophy, degenerative/regenerative nephropathy, necrosis/fibrosis) changes in Tg.AC and FVB male mice; congestion in the lung in male Tg.AC mice; gall bladder dilatation in female Tg.AC mice; and adrenal (intracellular lipofuscinosis and atrophy) and heart (eosinophillic myofibers) findings in Tg.AC mice of both sexes and in female FVB mice. The results of this study indicate that the clofibrate is not carcinogenic when administered to Tg.AC mice by oral gavage for 6 months at doses up to 500 (males) and 650 (females) mg/kg/day, which did produce liver hypertrophy.     

Aerosol pollution of sealed manned quarters

The paper discusses the man's contribution to the formation of aerosol particles in manned enclosures. The data obtained in prolonged simulation studies suggest that man is the major source of aerosol contamination. The aerosol concentration and disperse composition are found to depend on the free volume per man. The paper presents for the first time the data on the rate of dust formation in manned enclosures.     

Septal reshaping for exclusion of anteroseptal dyskinetic or akinetic areas

BACKGROUND: Our purpose is to describe a technique for exclusion of anteroseptal dyskinetic or akinetic areas. METHODS: From January to December 2002, 22 consecutive patients with myocardial infarction following left anterior descending artery occlusion underwent septal reshaping. All of them were admitted for dyspnea. Eight patients were referred for angina. After a 5 to 8 cm apical incision, 2 U stitches were passed from inside to join the anterior wall to the septum, as high as possible, following the border of the scars. An oval Dacron patch was then sutured from the septum (end of the direct suture through the border with the inferior septum) to the anterior wall (between the healthy and the scarred wall) up to the new apex. Purpose of the procedure is to maintain a longitudinal size as similar as possible to the normal. The incision was closed in a double layer. RESULTS: No patient died and only one had acute renal failure. No patients had restrictive syndrome. After a mean follow-up of 6.7 +/- 3.6 months (3 to 15), mean New York Heart Association Class improved from 2.7 +/- 1.1 to 1.2 +/- 0.3 (p < 0.001). Echocardiographic results showed reduction of left ventricle volumes and normalization of the stroke volume. In patients with low ejection fraction (相似文献   

Physical activity, heart and ageing: a morpho-functional study by Echo-Color-Doppler in sedentary and non sedentary healthy subjects

Several papers have shown that in young people sports activity is associated with a higher prevalence of cardiac valves incompetence, that can be detected, though to a lesser extent, even in healthy subjects randomly selected from the population. Aim of the present study was to analyse the effects of physical activity not only in young subjects but even in the elderly, with particular reference to valve competence, by using the Echo-Color-Doppler. The study cohort was represented by 80 healthy young subjects, 40 men and 40 women, aged between 20 and 25 years, each group subdivided into two subgroups, sedentary and non sedentary, and 80 healthy elderly subjects, 40 men and 40 women, aged between 65 and 91 years, again divided into sedentary and non sedentary. Valve incompetence was more frequent in the elderly if compared to young subjects (P<0.001) and in non sedentary if compared to sedentary subjects (P<0.01), while no significant difference was found between males and females. Worth of interest the fact that in young subjects valve incompetence was more frequent in non sedentary if compared to sedentary subjects (P<0.001), while in the elderly no significant difference was found between sedentary and non sedentary subjects. This original datum may be explained both by the natural higher prevalence of valve incompetence in the elderly, and by the kind of physical activity usually performed by the elderly, i.e. endurance activity.     

Polarization microscopy in diagnosis of metabolic disorders

An early diagnostics of metabolism disorders by using different methods is still acute. In this respect, the crytstal-optic examination of the metabolism structures of blood serum, implemented in a polarized light (microscope MIN-8) is in the focus of attention. We studied the structure of blood serum of 160 patients with various metabolic disorders. The examinations were made through drying up, under control, the blood serum drops between two isotropic plates, the mentioned preparations were subsequently kept in the open air and examined under the microscope in polarized light. Simultaneously, the below substances were identified in the blood serum: oxalic acid, creatinines, total calcium, glycine, uric acid and cholesterol. In accordance with metabolic disorders, crystals were isolated, which characterize a type of a metabolic disorder. Thus, the fan-type dendrites are indicative of hyperoxaluria, druses and dendrite-like spherulites--hypercreatinemia; oolite spherulities are indicative of hypercalcemia, fine-grained particles are typical for hyperglycinemia, feather-like rays are typical for hyperuricemia and cross-like spherulites are typical of hypercholesterolemia. The suggested method improves the control over a type of metabolic disorder, and it can be used in the express diagnostics of a pre-pathology and pathology of metabolism.     

Philosophical underpinnings of an emergent methodology for nursing as caring inquiry

Two research approaches congruent with the theory of nursing as caring are described: group interpretive phenomenology and nursing as caring research as praxis. The idea of praxis and the theory of communicative action are explored for congruence as philosophical underpinnings of a possible eventual methodology for developing knowledge of nursing as caring.