Glycosphingolipids of porcine, bovine, and equine pericardia as potential immune targets in bioprosthetic heart valve grafts.

Background: Pericardial tissue from various animal species is utilized for the production of the bioprosthetic heart valves (BHV) used clinically. Experimental data show that the eventual breakdown of BHV is partly due to immunological interactions with carbohydrate tissue antigens. To understand these processes, we have examined the glycolipid-based carbohydrate antigens in naïve porcine, bovine, and equine pericardia.

Surfactant diffusion through bicontinuous micellar networks: a case study of the C9G1/C10G1/H2O mixed surfactant system.

Self-diffusion coefficients were obtained by means of NMR diffusometry for differing ratios of n-decyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C10G1) and n-nonyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C9G1) surfactant mixtures, along dilution lines through the micellar region of the ternary C9G1/C10G1/H2O phase diagram. Networks of bicontinuous micelles have been suggested to exist throughout the micellar regions of the phase diagram. A phase separation into two coexisting liquid solutions is observed in the dilute, C10G1-rich regions of the phase diagram.

An artificial neural network for predicting the incidence of radiation pneumonitis.

A method to predict radiation-induced pneumonitis (RP) using an artificial neural network (ANN) was investigated. A retrospective study was applied to the clinical data from 142 patients who have been treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for tumors in the thoracic region. These data were classified, based on their treatment outcome, into two patient clusters: with RP (Np=26) and without RP (Np= 116).

Aromatic nucleophilic substitution in nonionic alkylglucoside micelles.

The kinetics and mechanism of the aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) with OH- in nonionic sugar-derived micelles were investigated and compared with those for reaction in polyoxyethylene glycol surfactants. Hydroxyl groups on the sugar headgroups of micellized n-nonyl beta-D-glucopyranoside (C9G1), n-dodecyl beta-D-maltoside (C12G2), and n-dodecyl beta-D-maltotrioside (C12G3) are partially deprotonated by OH- and the alkoxide ions react with DNCB, forming an arene ether. Observation of more than one isosbestic point indicates that more than one intermediate ether is formed, largely at C3 or C4 with micellar stereocontrol.

Feasibility of optimizing the dose distribution in lung tumors using fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography guided dose prescriptions.

The information provided by functional images may be used to guide radiotherapy planning by identifying regions that require higher radiation dose. In this work we investigate the dosimetric feasibility of delivering dose to lung tumors in proportion to the fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose activity distribution from positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). The rationale for delivering dose in proportion to the tumor FDG-PET activity distribution is based on studies showing that FDG uptake is correlated to tumor cell proliferation rate, which is shown to imply that this dose delivery strategy is theoretically capable of providing the same duration of local control at all voxels in tumor.