Biomonitoring of aromatic amines and alkylating agents by measuring hemoglobin adducts

Summary Analysis of hemoglobin adducts in blood samples is suitable for the biological monitoring of genotoxic chemicals. The method is specific because the compound to which the individual was exposed is identified. The sensitivity of the method depends on the analytical procedure applied, but is hardly limiting since large amounts of the protein can be obtained. The method provides not only information about the internal exposure to the environmental chemical, but also about the individual's capacity to generate ultimate genotoxic metabolites from it. Since macromolecular damage in blood cells is correlated to that in potential target tissues, this information is relevant to risk assessment, insofar as macromolecular damage produced by a specific chemical can be correlated with the development of tumors.     

Obesity in youth and middle age and risk of colorectal cancer in men

To investigate an association between colon cancer and obesity during early adulthood—a potentially important period in the etiology of this disease—the authors assembled, by computer linkage, a population-based historical cohort of 52,539 men born between 1913 and 1927 residing in Hawaii (USA), for whom weight and height had been recorded in 1942–43 and 1972. Linkage of this cohort to the Hawaii Tumor Registry resulted in the identification of 737 incident cases of colorectal cancer for 1972–86. An average of 3.8 cancer-free controls were matched to each case on month and year of birth and ethnicity of the parents. A case-control analysis in each anatomic subsite of the large bowel revealed that both early and middle-age body mass increased the risk of sigmoid cancer in men in a dose-dependent fashion. The odds ratios (OR) for sigmoid cancer for the highest compared with the lowest tertiles of Quetelet index were: 2.1 (95 percent confidence interval [CI]=1.4–3.2) and 1.7 (CI=1.1–2.5), at ages 15–29 and in prediagnostic years, respectively. These associations were additive and idependent of socioeconomic status. Men who were above the median Quetelet index in 1942 and 1972 had an OR of 2.7 (CI=1.8–4.0), compared with those who were below the median in both periods. This study provides further evidence for an association of obesity with colon cancer in men and suggests that this association is limited to the sigmoid colon and may be related to both early and late events of colon carcinogenesis.The authors are with the Epidemiology Program, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii. Address correspondence to Dr Le Marchand, Epidemiology Program, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, 1236 Lauhala Street, Suite 407, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA. This work was supported in part by Public Health Service grant 5-R29-CA44503 and contract NO1-CN-55424 from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.     

基于系统输出分布的智能控制

提出了文题所述的控制策略,依据输出分布曲线的特征变量选取方法和依据该项信息的规则控制系统。仿真研究得到了满意的结果。在一个实验性二元精馏塔上用IBM-PC进行试验亦获成功。本法对具有非线性特性的分布参数对象,较常规控制策略有明显的优越性。     

控制性降压在临床麻醉中的应用进展

控制性低血压是指在某些手术麻醉期间，用药物等方法降低血压，以达到减少手术野出血，便于手术操作的一种方法，通常采用血管扩张剂，钙通道阻断剂及麻醉来控制血压，现就这一领域的研究进展作一综述。     

Aza-peptides. III. Experimental structural analysis of aza-alanme and aza-asparagine-containing peptides

To determine the structural perturbations induced by the CαH→Nα exchange in aza-peptides, we have examined by H NMR and IR spectroscopy various derivatives of the aza-analogues of alanine, aspartic acid and asparagine in different organic solvents with increasing polarity. Their general formulas are: R'-AzXaa-NR²R³, R'-Pro-AzXaa-NR²R³ and R-AzXaa-Pro-NR²R³ (where AzXaa denotes the aza-analogue of the amino acid residue Xaa = Ala, Asp, Asn; R = Boc, Z; R², R³= H, Me, iPr). The aza-analogue of an amino acid residue appears to be a strong p-turn-inducing motif, and the AzAsn carboxamide side-chain is capable of interacting, as a proton donor, with the preceding peptide carbonyl group.     

Clinical Evaluation of a New Type of Centrifugal Pump

Abstract: The major problems with existing centrifugal pumps are leakage, mechanical trauma, and thrombus formation. In consideration of these problems, a new compact centrifugal pump system was developed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the new centrifugal pump system clinically. Ten patients underwent open heart surgery with a centrifugal pump or a roller pump. During surgery, hemodynamic and hematological data were obtained. A pulsatile assist device in the pump circuit was used in patients with severe heart disease. There was neither operative death nor hospital mortality, and there was no difference with regard to hemodynamic data between the two groups. The centrifugal pump group, however, had significantly lower hemolysis, especially during prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass. This centrifugal pump could also create sufficient pulsatile flow with a pulsatile assist device. Postoperative macroscopic and microscopic findings demonstrated the smooth surface of the pump without thrombus formation. This centrifugal pump system might be useful for prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass.     

Comparative study of TRUE Test and Finn Chamber patch test techniques in Singapore

This is a report on a comparative study of the reactivity of TRUE Test and Finn Chamber patch test techniques. 413 patients attending a contact dermatitis clinic in Singapore were simultaneously patch tested with panels 1 and 2 of the TRUE Test standard series and with corresponding allergens (Hermal, Hamburg) using Finn Chambers. The left/right application of the TRUE Test and Finn Chambers was randomized. The concordance of positive patch test reactions to the 2 test techniques was studied. The number of patient with positive reactions was 38% and 42% for TRUE Test and Finn Chamber techniques, respectively (n.s.). The overall concordance of positive patch test reactions was 64% (209/328). 13% (42/328) of positive reactions appeared on TRUE Test only and 24% (77/328) on Finn Chamber only. When only relevant positive reactions were considered, the concordance rate was 67%; 11.6% of positive reactions appeared on TRUE Test only and 21% on Finn Chamber only. Positive reactions to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and neomycin were more frequent with the Finn Chamber technique than with TRUE Test, i.e., false negative reactions to PPD and neomycin were more likely to occur with TRUE Test. It appeared that the TRUE Test and Finn Chamber techniques were comparable when used for patch testing. However false negative and false positive patch test reactions can occur when using either technique.     

Integration of new regulatory strategies into the network of an endocrine control system: limitation of androgen secretion by rat testis is achieved by substrate-dependent modulation of P450XVII enzyme concentration and catalytic efficiency.

In addition to the well-known control circuits involved in the regulation and adaptation of testicular androgen biosynthesis, it is proposed that two new control strategies are involved in the maintenance of steady-state testosterone secretion rates by testicular Leydig cells. Cytochrome P450XVII (steroid-17 alpha-monooxygenase/steroid-17,20-lyase), one key enzyme in steroid hormone biosynthesis, responds to external human choriogonadotropin stimulation with an oxygen-dependent and substrate flux-dependent inactivation and decomposition, and increased substrate availability decreases the efficiency of androgen formation in favour of abortive intermediate leakage. These results are discussed as a paradigm of substrate-dependent modulation of cytochrome P450 activities.     

What is the HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) approach and how can it be applied to enteral tube feeding?

The HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) concept is now widely applied in the food industry and provides a structured and critical approach to the identification and control of hazards that may affect food safety. It has shifted the emphasis for control from retrospective end-product testing to the effective control of raw materials and key processing operations.
This paper discusses how the HACCP approach can be applied to enteral feeding. This involves each unit assembling a multidisciplinary team of personnel involved in enteral feeding. This team will then carry out a detailed analysis of the process from selection of ingredients and feeding systems through to consumption of the feed by the patient by constructing a flow chart that relates specifically to each unit. They can then identify and assess the hazards associated with the handling of the product at each stage in the process. This will enable them to identify the points where control over an identified hazard can be achieved (critical control points, CCP) such as quality of ingredients, design of administration systems, preparation and distribution of the feeds and the procedures involved in the assembly and manipulation of the systems. Control and monitoring procedures can then be specified and implemented at relevant stages in the process. The major strengths of the HACCP procedure are that it entails a team effort from key personnel involved in the full range of activities associated with the product and each detailed analysis is specific to each unit's practices and resources and can be continually reviewed and modified in response to changing circumstances.