Abdominal MRI using a negative contrast agent.

A dose of 0.5 g of a negative oral contrast agent for labelling the bowel, was given to 40 patients in a clinical trial. Oral magnetic particles (OMP) consist of crystals of iron oxide with superparamagnetic properties, and are administered in 800 ml of a viscous suspension in order to obtain a uniform distribution.

Primary structure and regulation of a glucoamylase-encoding gene (STA2) in Saccharomyces diastaticus.

We have determined the complete nucleotide (nt) sequence of a 5070-bp DNA fragment containing a glucoamylase-encoding gene (STA2) from Saccharomyces diastaticus. The 5' transcription start points for STA1, STA2 and STA3 were determined by primer extension of their respective mRNAs using reverse transcriptase. The sequence data show one major open reading frame (ORF) of 767 amino acids encoding GAII with a calculated Mr of 82,514.

Endobronchial tuberculosis mimicking lung cancer in elderly patients.

We report four elderly patients with cough who were referred with the presumptive diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma based on chest X-ray and the macroscopic view on fibreoptic bronchoscopy, but whose final diagnosis was endobronchial tuberculosis. Chest X-ray showed atypical pulmonary infiltrates in three patients, but was normal in one. Bronchoscopic examination revealed ulcerative and/or stenotic lesions.

The glucoamylase multigene family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus: an overview.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used widely both as a model system for unraveling the biochemical, genetic, and molecular details of gene expression and the secretion process, and as a host for the production of heterologous proteins of biotechnological interest. The potential of starch as a renewable biological resource has stimulated research into amylolytic enzymes and the broadening of the substrate range of S. cerevisiae.

Publications on clinical trials with X-ray contrast media: differences in quality between journals and decades.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the quality of clinical trial publications on X-ray contrast media by use of a simple criteria list with 11 items. The publication quality in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and in five radiological journals was compared. One hundred and three articles retrieved from the literature and published in Br J Radiol (British), Acta Radiol (Scandinavian), Radiology (American), RöFo (German) and in Ann Radiol (French) were finally included.

Clinical trial program for iopentol. A new nonionic ratio 3.0 contrast medium with emphasis on clinical phases I and II.

Iopentol is a new nonionic, water-soluble ratio 3.0 roentgen contrast medium (CM) for vascular use. The aim is to present the vascular clinical trial program for iopentol and to report the findings from the clinical phases I and II.

Profiling of impurities in illicit amphetamine samples by high-performance liquid chromatography using column switching.

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method, suitable for routine profiling of impurities in illegally produced amphetamine, has been developed. Amphetamine is dissolved in acetonitrile-citrate buffer (pH 3) (2:8) and injected directly without further sample pre-treatment. The impurities are enriched on-line on a C8 extraction column, while amphetamine and polar diluents are washed out with water.

Use of bonded-phase silica sorbents for rapid sampling of impurities in illicit amphetamine for high-performance liquid chromatographic analyses.

A simple and rapid method has been developed for the extraction of impurities from illicit amphetamine samples using bonded-phase silica sorbents. The drug is dissolved in phosphate buffer (pH 7) and added to a C8 Bond Elut extraction column. The column is washed with water, and the impurities are then eluted with acetonitrile.

Leuckart-specific impurities in amphetamine and methamphetamine seized in Norway.

Samples of 28 amphetamine and 7 methamphetamine seizures, taken in Norway from 1975 to 1982, were examined. The amphetamine and methamphetamine contents varied from 9 to 99 per cent and from 9 to 72 per cent respectively. Impurities originating from the synthesis of the illicit samples were identified by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry.