Normal-phase HPLC and HPLC-MS studies of the metabolism of a cytosolic phospholipase A(2)alpha inhibitor with activated ketone group by rat liver microsomes.

Inhibition of cytosolic phospholipase A(2)alpha (cPLA(2)alpha) is assumed to provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of many inflammatory diseases. 1-[3-(4-Octylphenoxy)-2-oxopropyl]indole-5-carboxylic acid (2) is a potent inhibitor of cPLA(2)alpha. An important part of the pharmacophore of 2 is its activated electrophilic ketone moiety.

Spin injection and detection in silicon.

Spin injection and detection in silicon is a difficult problem, in part because the weak spin-orbit coupling and indirect gap preclude using standard optical techniques. Two ways to overcome this difficulty are proposed, both based on spin-polarized transport across a heterojunction. Using a realistic transport model incorporating the relevant spin dynamics of both electrons and holes, it is argued that symmetry properties of the charge current can be exploited to detect electrical spin injection in silicon using currently available techniques.

Rumen fermentation and starch degradation by Holstein steers fed sodium-hydroxide- or formaldehyde-treated wheat.

The authors investigated the effect of feeding 2% sodium-hydroxide-treated (as-fed basis) or 2% formaldehyde-treated (crude protein basis) wheat to rumen-, duodenal- and ileocaecal-cannulated Holstein steers on rumen fermentation and ruminal and postruminal starch degradation. Feeding 2 kg/day wheat treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or formaldehyde did not affect negatively the main parameters of rumen fermentation, i.e.

HIV/AIDS--dominant player in chronic kidney disease.

HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is now the third leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in African Americans between the ages of 20 and 64 years. Statistics in the United States estimate the incidence of HIVAN to be between 3.5% and 12%.

Is the ApoE polymorphism associated with dilated cardiomyopathy?

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is 34 kDa protein involved in the modulation of cholesterol transport and homeostasis. Polymorphism of the ApoE gene has been implicated in many chronic cardiovascular and neuronal diseases. ApoE epsilon4 allele has been reported to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, hypertension, coronary heart disease, etc.

Theory of phonon-induced spin relaxation in laterally coupled quantum dots.

Phonon-induced spin relaxation in coupled lateral quantum dots in the presence of spin-orbit coupling is calculated. The calculation for single dots is consistent with experiment. Spin relaxation in double dots at useful interdot couplings is dominated by spin-hot spots that are strongly anisotropic.

Radical ions of alpha,alpha'-bis(diphenylamino)-capped oligothiophenes: a combined spectroelectrochemical and theoretical study.

A new homologous series of alpha,alpha'-bis(diphenylamino)-capped oligothiophenes, prepared by a palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of stannylated 2-diphenylaminothiophenes with 2-mono- or 2,5-dibromothiophenes and their homologues, was studied by in situ ESR/UV-vis/NIR spectroelectrochemistry. In general, the oxidation potentials of these oligothiophenes were found to be proportional to the inverse number of thiophene units. However, the potential slope of the first oxidation is completely different from that of higher oxidation steps.

[Dimers from o-nitrobenzylidene acetoacetic esters].

The o-nitrobenzylidene acetoacetic esters 1 dimerize in the presence of BuLi or LDA to give the cyclohexenes 2 in poor yield. Two diastereomer of 2b were isolated, whose configuration is deduced by nmr-spectroscopic methods.

A combined experimental and quantum chemical study on the putative protonophoric activity of thiocyanate.

Inhibition of gastric acid secretion by thiocyanate is explained by a protonophoric mechanism assuming that thiocyanate induces a H(+) back flux from the acidic gastric lumen into the parietal cells of gastric mucosa. Protonophoric activity of thiocyanate was examined by swelling measurements using rat liver mitochondria and theoretically by quantum chemical methods. Mitochondria suspended in K-thiocyanate medium plus nigericin (an H/K-exchanger) swelled when the medium pH was acidic, indicating that SCN(-) initiates a transfer of H(+) across the inner membrane.

Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene expression in transplanted human heart.

Background: Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) is an enzyme involved in the epinephrine synthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate PNMT gene expression in the transplanted human heart in relation to the time elapsed from heart transplantation (HTx) and selected clinical characteristics.

Patients And Methods: The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of PNMT in myocardial tissue were determined in 22 (21 males) patients at 0-12 years after HTx.

["Non-cardiac" surgery in patients after heart transplantation].

Unlabelled: Aim of the study are description and analysis of the frequency, spectrum and results of "non cardiac" surgery after heart transplantation (HTx).

Patients: Up to December 1999, 74 patients (9 females) of age 18-65 years (median 49) were followed-up from 1 to 144 months (median 35) after heart transplantation (HTx).

Results: In 10 patients 12 symptomatic non cardiac diseases require surgical procedures.

Compensatory growth and nitrogen balance in grower-finisher pigs.

Sixteen castrated male pigs (averaging 21.2 +/- 4.9 kg) were used in two trials to investigate the effect of dietary amino acid content during the grower phase on growth performance and N balance.

Changes in gene expression of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase in the transplanted human heart.

Heart transplantation (HTx) is an accepted treatment for precisely defined patients with chronic congestive heart failure; however, as a result of the procedure, the graft is completely denervated. Our study focused on the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway, that is, the production of epinephrine, which is known to have positive chronotropic and inotropic effects on the heart. mRNA levels of the phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), the enzyme catalyzing epinephrine synthesis in myocardial tissue, were determined in 18 patients (0 to 10 yr after HTx).

The occurrence of symptomatic CMV infections in heart transplant recipients.

Background: Human cytomegalovirus is widely spread in the human population and at present it is the most important clinical agent of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. Bone marrow transplant recipients, solid organ transplant recipients and AIDS patients are at risk of the development of a severe systemic disease. Prompt detection of active infection is essential for early initiation of antiviral therapy.

Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense systems in patients after heart transplantation.

Heart transplantation ranks among those surgical interventions associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury to the donor heart as well as to the recipient. These events are connected with increased production of reactive oxygen species which evoke metabolic, structural and functional disturbances. Twenty-four transplant patients were investigated for oxidative stress (plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS) and antioxidant capacity (plasma total antioxidant status, TAS), and for activities of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) during the first year after heart transplantation.

Growth performance, dry matter and nitrogen digestibilities, serum profile, and carcass and meat quality of pigs with distinct genotypes.

We investigated the effect of distinct genotypes on growth performance, DM and N digestibilities, serum metabolite and hormonal profiles, and carcass and meat quality of pigs. Eight control-line and eight select-line pigs with an equal number of gilts and castrated males per genotype were chosen from the group of pigs subjected to selection for lean growth efficiency. Pigs were housed individually and allowed ad libitum access to common grower, finisher 1, and finisher 2 diets when they reached approximately 20, 50, and 80 kg, respectively, and water throughout the study.

[Electrocardiography after heart transplantation].

In the submitted review the authors describe the position and importance of electrocardiographic examination after transplantation of the heart (HTx). They describe findings recorded in animal experiments, typical ECG characteristics after HTx and their importance as well as the clinical application of this method for diagnosis of electrophysiological abnormalities specially in relation to rejection and reinnervation of the graft. The authors' conclusions are based on a critical analysis of relevant data in the literature as well as their own experimental and clinical experience.

Revised structure of a purported 1,2-dioxin: a combined experimental and theoretical study.

3,6-Bis(p-tolyl)-1,2-dioxin (1g) was suggested by Shine and Zhao as a product in an electron-transfer (ET) photochemical reaction. This photoproduct is instead shown to be (E)-1,4-di-p-tolylbut-2-ene-1,4-dione ((E)-4a). Ab initio and DFT calculations indicate that ring-closed 1,2-dioxin is thermodynamically far less stable than open-chain but-2-ene-1,3-dione.

Degree of amino acid restrictions during the grower phase and compensatory growth in pigs selected for lean growth efficiency.

A total of 32 select line (SL) and 32 control line (CL) Duroc pigs were used in two trials to determine the effect of dietary amino acid contents during the grower (G) phase and selection for lean growth efficiency on growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality. In each trial, pigs weighing 20 kg were assigned to 16 pens with two gilts or two castrated males per pen, and pens were randomly assigned within the genetic line to corn-soybean meal G diets formulated to contain 5.0, 7.

[Cleavage of a dithioacetalmonosulfoxide].

The aldehyde 5, the cyclic acylal 6 and the acetal 8 are obtained from the cleavage of the dithioacetal 3B with perchloric acid in acetonitrile. Acetone as solvent yields the acetonide 7, the structure of which is confirmed by X-ray structure determination.

[Pyridazino(3,4-c)quinolines and pyridazino(4,5-c)quinolines--synthesis and investigation of lipoxygenase inhibition].

The cyclic hemiketone acetal 6 reacts with hydrazine in tert-butanol to yield the 1-amino-2,3-dihydro-2-hydroxy-pyrrole 7, while in acetic acid a mixture of the 1-amino-pyrrole 8 and the 1,4-dihydropyridazine 9 is obtained. The X-ray crystal structure of 9 shows a boat conformation flattened about N-1 with respect to nifedipine. Removing the boc-group of 9 gives the tautomeric 2,5-dihydropyridazine 13.

[Pyrrolo(2,3-c)quinolines and pyrrolo(3,4-d)quinolines--synthesis and investigation of lipoxygenase inhibition].

The Paal-Knorr synthesis of the cyclic hemiketonacetal 4 yields the pyrrole-2,4-dicarboxylic acid diesters 1c and 7 via the cyclic hemiaminals 5 and 6; while the pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid ester 9 is formed from the 1,4-diketon 10. Under reducing conditions 1c and their 4-carboxylic acid 8 give the pyrrolo[3,4-c]quinoline carboxylic acid ester 2a; the cyclic hydroxamic acid 11 and the lactam 12 of the pyrrolo[2,3-c]quinoline type are obtained from compound 9. The isomeric compounds of the pyrrolo[3,4-c]quinoline series 16, 17 and 18, respectively, are synthesized from the pyrroles 14 and 15; the cyclic hemiacetal 13 was used as educt.

Spin-polarized transport in inhomogeneous magnetic semiconductors: theory of magnetic/nonmagnetic p-n junctions.

A theory of spin-polarized transport in inhomogeneous magnetic semiconductors is developed and applied to magnetic/nonmagnetic p-n junctions. Several phenomena with possible spintronic applications are predicted, including spin-voltaic effect, spin valve effect, exponential and giant magnetoresistance. It is demonstrated that only nonequilibrium spin can be injected across the space-charge region of a p-n junction, so that there is no spin injection (or extraction) at low bias.

[An unusually long survival after surgery in post-infarct rupture of the interventricular septum and resection of a left ventricular aneurysm].

In the submitted case-history the author describes a patient who 15 years previously underwent after an extensive myocardial infarction with rupture of the interventricular septum and a left ventricular aneurysm a plastic operation of the interventricular rupture and aneurysmectomy. This man, at present 70 years old, lives without any significant restrictions. The author advocates an active, intensive and aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic approach in all thus vitally threatened patients for whom this arsenal offers a much greater hope for extension and improvement of life than the classical conservative therapy.