Monitoring of fixture osteointegration after BAHA® implantation.

The osteointegration phase of BAHA(®) fixture was assessed via electrical impedance spectroscopy in BAHA(®) implantees. Measurements were carried out by using a prototype device and were correlated with previously published histological data obtained at certain times after surgery, i.e.

A piezo-film-based measurement system for global haemodynamic assessment.

A non-invasive piezo-film-based measurement method for haemodynamic assessment is proposed. The design of a system, able to reconstruct the blood pressure waveform online by dealing with problems arising from the piezo-film capacitive nature in the targeted frequency range (from quasi-dc up to 12 Hz), is illustrated. The system is based on a commercial piezo-film placed easily on the radial artery with a special brace without any discomfort for the patient.

[Clinical significance of plasma N-terminal pro- B-type natriuretic peptide in respiratory distress syndrome of the preterm neonate].

Background: Plasma brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted by cardiac myocytes in response to pressure or volume overload. Recently, an assay to measure the N-terminal segment of the pro-hormone (NT-pro-BNP) was developed.

Aims: (1) To determine the plasma levels of NT-pro-BNP in premature neonates without congenital heart disease; (2) to determine the relationship between the severity of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and plasma levels of NT-pro-BNP.

Rate limiting step precedes C-C bond formation in the archetypical proline-catalyzed intramolecular aldol reaction.

The archetypical proline-catalyzed intramolecular aldol reaction, the Hajos-Parrish-Eder-Sauer-Wiechert reaction, has served as a model reaction for the mechanistic study of the ever-growing class of proline-catalyzed conversions. Experimental measurements of the (13)C kinetic isotope effects for this reaction show conclusively that carbon-carbon bond formation is not rate-limiting.

A novel approach to the dissection of the human knee.

The knee is one of the most frequently injured joints of the human body with injuries affecting the general population and the athletic population of many age groups. Dissection procedures for the knee joint typically do not allow unobstructed visualization of the anterior cruciate or posterior cruciate ligaments without sacrificing the collateral ligaments. In many cases, the relationships of the intraarticular structures are lost as dissection systematically removes superficial structures to gain access to deeper structures.

Contralateral high or a combination of high- and low-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces mechanical allodynia and alters dorsal horn neurotransmitter content in neuropathic rats.

Unlabelled: The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of 3 different application strategies for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on neuropathy-induced allodynia and dorsal horn neurotransmitter content. Rats were treated with high-frequency, low-frequency, or a combination of high and low-frequency stimulation. TENS was delivered through self-adhesive electrodes daily for 1 hour to rats with a right-sided chronic constriction injury (CCI).

Effect of low doses of alcohol on the warm-up phenomenon in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Experimental studies suggest that alcohol may have protective effects similar to that of ischemic preconditioning (IPC). The acute effects of alcohol on IPC in humans, however, are poorly known. In this study, we assessed the effect of alcohol administration on the warm-up phenomenon, as an expression of IPC, in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Effect of vagal nerve stimulation on systemic inflammation and cardiac autonomic function in patients with refractory epilepsy.

Objective: Recent data suggest that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can inhibit cytokine release by inflammatory cells. Accordingly, an association between impaired cardiac parasympathetic function, as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV), and increased markers of inflammation has recently been reported. In this study we assessed the effect of direct left VNS on inflammatory markers and HRV in patients with refractory epilepsy.

De novo computational design of retro-aldol enzymes.

The creation of enzymes capable of catalyzing any desired chemical reaction is a grand challenge for computational protein design. Using new algorithms that rely on hashing techniques to construct active sites for multistep reactions, we designed retro-aldolases that use four different catalytic motifs to catalyze the breaking of a carbon-carbon bond in a nonnatural substrate. Of the 72 designs that were experimentally characterized, 32, spanning a range of protein folds, had detectable retro-aldolase activity.

Quantum mechanical design of enzyme active sites.

The design of active sites has been carried out using quantum mechanical calculations to predict the rate-determining transition state of a desired reaction in presence of the optimal arrangement of catalytic functional groups (theozyme). Eleven versatile reaction targets were chosen, including hydrolysis, dehydration, isomerization, aldol, and Diels-Alder reactions. For each of the targets, the predicted mechanism and the rate-determining transition state (TS) of the uncatalyzed reaction in water is presented.

N-terminal-pro-B type natriuretic peptide as a useful tool to evaluate pulmonary hypertension and cardiac function in CDH infants.

Objective: In congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) the severity of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is considered, by several authors, determinant of clinical outcome. Plasmatic N-terminal-pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) might be useful in diagnosis and management of PH in newborns, although its interest in CDH infants remains to be defined. Early NT-proBNP levels were assessed in CDH infants and correlated with cardiovascular echocardiographic parameters.

How similar are enzyme active site geometries derived from quantum mechanical theozymes to crystal structures of enzyme-inhibitor complexes? Implications for enzyme design.

Quantum mechanical optimizations of theoretical enzymes (theozymes), which are predicted catalytic arrays of biological functionalities stabilizing a transition state, have been carried out for a set of nine diverse enzyme active sites. For each enzyme, the theozyme for the rate-determining transition state plus the catalytic groups modeled by side-chain mimics was optimized using B3LYP/6-31G(d) or, in one case, HF/3-21G(d) quantum mechanical calculations. To determine if the theozyme can reproduce the natural evolutionary catalytic geometry, the positions of optimized catalytic atoms, i.

Approaches to open fullerenes: a 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexaadduct of C60.

Complete saturation of a single six-membered ring on fullerene C60 has been achieved. The critical step in this first synthesis of a fully characterized 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexaadduct consisted of a remarkable double 5-exo-trig addition of alkoxyl radicals promoted by lead tetraacetate. Two possible opening pathways ([2 + 2 + 2] retrocycloadditions) for the newly synthesized compound were explored using quantum mechanical calculations.

Ultraviolet photoluminescence of silanol species in mesoporous silica.

The optical properties of sol-gel synthesized porous silica excited by synchrotron radiation in the 4-10 eV range of samples with different porosity at 8 K and room temperature are reported. The analysis of the ultraviolet photoluminescence indicate the contributions of two different emitting centers. The spectral and temporal characteristics of the two luminescence bands are reported: emission peaks at about 3.

Time resolved ultraviolet photoluminescence of mesoporous silica.

We studied the optical properties of sol-gel synthesized porous silica excited by synchrotron radiation in the 4-10 eV range. The spectral and temporal characteristics of the ultraviolet photoluminescence at about 3.7 eV are reported.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for the management of neuropathic pain: the effects of frequency and electrode position on prevention of allodynia in a rat model of complex regional pain syndrome type II.

Background And Purpose: Complex regional pain syndrome type II (CPSII) is a painful condition that develops following a nerve injury. Although transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) relieves the pain of CPSII, the stimulation parameters that would best prevent the development of the condition are not known. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of several different stimulation strategies to reduce the development of allodynia.

Theoretical studies of stereoselectivities of intramolecular aldol cyclizations catalyzed by amino acids.

The effects of different amino acid catalysts and substrate substituents on the stereoselectivity of the title reactions have been studied with the aid of density functional theory methods. Experimental data available in the literature have been compiled. B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations match the general experimental trends and provide useful insights into the origins of the variations in stereoselectivities.

Identification of c-Jun as a critical mediator for the intracrine 24 kDa FGF-2 isoform-induced cell proliferation.

Tumor cells frequently synthesize an N-terminally extended the FGF-2 isoform of 24 kDa devoid of signal peptide but that contains a functional nuclear localization sequence (NLS). Although the signaling pathways elicited by secreted FGF-2 are well described, the molecular mechanisms involved in the growth promoting action of nuclearized 24 kDa FGF-2 remain unknown. The cancer cell line AR4-2J was engineered to stably express only the 24 kDa FGF-2 isoform and cDNA microarrays were used to identify targets implicated in the intracrine-induced cell proliferation.

An on line technique to detect cardiac output variations and cardiovascular performances during abdominal aortic surgery.

Cardiac output (CO) is a parameter usually requested to assess hemo dynamic status of patient and efficacy of therapy especially in critically ill patients. This paper, in line with other research activities and new market availability, intends to correlate a parameter derived from data already acquired in standard patient monitoring (systemic arterial pressure--Pas) in order to identify CO trends and, more generally, to obtain information on the efficiency of cardiovascular system of the patient in examination. Attention has been focussed on patients undergoing abdominal aneurysm aortic (AAA) surgery with combined anaesthesia (epidural and light general).

Theory of asymmetric organocatalysis of Aldol and related reactions: rationalizations and predictions.

Computational studies have led to models to understand some classic and contemporary asymmetric reactions involving organocatalysts. The Hajos-Parrish-Eder-Sauer-Wiechert reaction and intermolecular aldol reactions as well as Mannich reactions and oxyaminations catalyzed by proline and other amino acids, and Diels-Alder reactions catalyzed by MacMillan's chiral amine organocatalysts have been studied with density functional theory. Quantitative predictions for several new catalysts and reactions are provided.

The relationship between dorsal horn neurotransmitter content and allodynia in neuropathic rats treated with high-frequency transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation.

Objective: To examine the relation between axon terminal neurotransmitter content in the dorsal horn and allodynia in neuropathic rats treated with high-frequency transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS).

Design: A completely randomized experimental design. Two groups of rats received a chronic constriction injury to the right sciatic nerve, and 2 groups did not.

The role of steric and electronic interactions in the stereocontrol of the asymmetric 1,3-dipolar reactions of 5-ethoxy-3-p-(S)-tolylsulfinylfuran-2(5H)-ones with diazoalkanes: theoretical calculations and experimental evidences.

The addition of diazomethane and diazoethane to (5S,SS)- and (5R,SS)-5-ethoxy-3-p-tolylsulfinylfuran-2(5H)-ones (1a and 1b) and their 4-methylderivatives (2a and 2b) proceeded in almost quantitative yields and complete regioselectivity. The observed pi-facial selectivity is determined by the configurations at both C-5 and the sulfinyl group, the later being the most important. The syn adducts were almost exclusively obtained from 1a and 2a in apolar solvents but the pi-facial selectivity was strongly decreased in more polar solvents.