Spectroscopic characterization of peroxynitrous acid in cis-perp configurations.

This paper presents experimental evidence, supported by two-dimensional theoretical calculations, that HOONO can be observed in cis-perp (cp) configurations in a pulsed supersonic expansion. The spectral properties (transition frequency, rotational constants, and transition type) of OH overtone transitions originating from a state with predominately cp character are predicted theoretically and compared with those associated with a weak feature at 6996.2 cm(-1) observed experimentally using infrared action spectroscopy.

Cost-effectiveness strategies to treat osteoporosis in elderly women.

Background: Comparing the cost-effectiveness of various antiosteoporotic drugs has not been defined.

Methods: We determined the cost-effectiveness of calcitonin, raloxifene, bisphosphates and PTH in a base-case cohort of women aged 65 or older with osteoporosis. After bone densitometry, women were stratified into groups of treatment or no treatment.

A next generation, pilot-scale continuous sterilization system for fermentation media.

A new continuous sterilization system was designed, constructed, started up, and qualified for media sterilization for secondary metabolite cultivations, bioconversions, and enzyme production. An existing Honeywell Total Distributed Control 3000-based control system was extended using redundant High performance Process Manager controllers for 98 I/O (input/output) points. This new equipment was retrofitted into an industrial research fermentation pilot plant, designed and constructed in the early 1980s.

Interleukin-12 up-regulates Fas expression in human osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma cells by enhancing its promoter activity.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) has shown significant antitumor activity in several preclinical animal tumor models. Our previous studies showed that IL-12 inhibited tumor growth in human osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma animal model. Decreased Fas expression in osteosarcoma increased the lung metastatic potential.

Second OH overtone excitation and statistical dissociation dynamics of peroxynitrous acid.

The second OH overtone transition of the trans-perp conformer of peroxynitrous acid (tp-HOONO) is identified using infrared action spectroscopy. HOONO is produced by the recombination of photolytically generated OH and NO(2) radicals, and then cooled in a pulsed supersonic expansion. The second overtone transition is assigned to tp-HOONO based on its vibrational frequency (10 195.

(2+1) resonance-enhanced ionization spectroscopy of a state-selected beam of OH radicals.

A state-selected beam of hydroxyl radicals is generated using a pulsed discharge source and hexapole field. The OH radicals are characterized by resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy via the nested D 2Sigma- and 3 2Sigma- Rydberg states. Simplified spectra are observed from the selected |MJ|=3/2 component of the upper Lambda-doublet level of the lowest rotational state (J=32) in ground (v"=0) and excited (v"=1-3) vibrational levels of the OH X 2Pi3/2 state.

Fluorescence-dip infrared spectroscopy and predissociation dynamics of OH A 2Sigma+ (v = 4) radicals.

Fluorescence-dip infrared spectroscopy, an UV-IR double-resonance technique, is employed to characterize the line positions, linewidths, and corresponding lifetimes of highly predissociative rovibrational levels of the excited A (2)Sigma(+) electronic state of the OH radical. Various lines of the 4 <--2 overtone transition in the excited A (2)Sigma(+) state are observed, from which the rotational, centrifugal distortion, and spin-rotation constants for the A (2)Sigma(+) (v = 4) state are determined, along with the vibrational frequency for the overtone transition. Homogeneous linewidths of 0.

Resistance to the antimicrobial peptide polymyxin requires myristoylation of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium lipid A.

Attachment of positively charged, amine-containing residues such as 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose (l-Ara4N) and phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) to Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium lipid A is required for resistance to the cationic antimicrobial peptide, polymyxin. In an attempt to discover additional lipid A modifications important for polymyxin resistance, we generated polymyxin-sensitive mutants of an E. coli pmrA(C) strain, WD101.

Sensitization to brain antigens after stroke is augmented by lipopolysaccharide.

After stroke, the blood-brain barrier is transiently disrupted, allowing leukocytes to enter the brain and brain antigens to enter the peripheral circulation. This encounter of normally sequestered brain antigens by the systemic immune system could therefore present an opportunity for an autoimmune response to brain to occur after stroke. In this study, we assessed the immune response to myelin basic protein (MBP) in animals subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

Infrared overtone spectroscopy and unimolecular decay dynamics of peroxynitrous acid.

Peroxynitrous acid (HOONO) is generated in a pulsed supersonic expansion through recombination of photolytically generated OH and NO(2) radicals. A rotationally resolved infrared action spectrum of HOONO is obtained in the OH overtone region at 6971.351(4) cm(-1) (origin), providing definitive spectroscopic identification of the trans-perp (tp) conformer of HOONO.

Classification analysis of the transcriptosome of nonlesional cultured dermal fibroblasts from systemic sclerosis patients with early disease.

Objective: To compare the transcriptosome of early-passage nonlesional dermal fibroblasts from systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with diffuse disease and matched normal controls in order to gain further understanding of the gene activation patterns that occur in early disease.

Methods: Total RNA was isolated from early-passage fibroblasts obtained from nonlesional skin biopsy specimens from 21 patients with diffuse SSc (disease duration <5 years in all but 1) and 18 healthy controls who were matched to the cases by age (+/-5 years), sex, and race. Array experiments were performed on a 16,659-oligonucleotide microarray utilizing a reference experimental design.

Nebulizer use and maintenance by cystic fibrosis patients: a survey study.

Introduction: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) suffer from chronic infection of the airways, and typical CF therapies include aerosolized medications. There is recent evidence that home nebulizers become contaminated by bacteria, causing concern that nebulizers may be a source of bacterial infection of the lower airways. A recent consensus document on infection-control issues for the CF population included recommendations on cleaning and disinfecting nebulizers.

Evidence for partial quenching of orbital angular momentum upon complex formation in the infrared spectrum of OH-acetylene.

The entrance channel leading to the addition reaction between the hydroxyl radical and acetylene has been examined by spectroscopic characterization of the asymmetric CH stretching band of the pi-hydrogen bonded OH-acetylene reactant complex. The infrared action spectrum observed at 3278.6 cm(-1) (origin) consists of seven peaks of various intensities and widths, and is very different from those previously reported for closed-shell HF/HCl-acetylene complexes.

Spectroscopic implications of the coupling of unquenched angular momentum to rotation in OH-containing complexes.

A model is developed for the rotational energy levels and electric dipole transition intensities of nonlinear OH-containing complexes in which the OH is hydrogen bonded to its partner. Both the 2A' and 2A" electronic states arising from the lifting of the OH monomer electronic orbital degeneracy are explicitly included. Consequently, the model smoothly spans the entire range of the difference potential associated with the separation between these two states, and the model accounts for the partial quenching of the OH monomer electronic angular momentum in such complexes.

Infrared spectrum and stability of a pi-type hydrogen-bonded complex between the OH and C2H2 reactants.

A hydrogen-bonded complex between the hydroxyl radical and acetylene has been stabilized in the reactant channel well leading to the addition reaction and characterized by infrared action spectroscopy in the OH overtone region. Analysis of the rotational band structure associated with the a-type transition observed at 6885.53(1) cm(-1) (origin) reveals a T-shaped structure with a 3.

The anticonvulsant and proconvulsant effects of alpha2-adrenoreceptor agonists are mediated by distinct populations of alpha2A-adrenoreceptors.

The alpha2-adrenoreceptor (AR) is the most investigated noradrenergic receptor with regard to modulation of seizure activity. However, because of the complexity of multiple alpha2-AR subtypes and their distribution, the exact role of this receptor in modulating seizure activity is not clear. alpha2A- and alpha2C-ARs function as both autoreceptors (presynaptic) on noradrenergic neurons, where they regulate norepinephrine (NE) release, and as postsynaptic receptors on neurons that receive noradrenergic innervation, where they regulate the release of other neurotransmitters (heteroreceptor).

Transgenic tobacco and apple plants expressing biotin-binding proteins are resistant to two cosmopolitan insect pests, potato tuber moth and lightbrown apple moth, respectively.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun) and apple (Malus x domestica cv. Royal Gala) plants expressing avidin or strepavidin were produced using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation.

Radial artery patency: are aortocoronary conduits superior to composite grafting?

Background: The radial artery (RA) can be used as either an aortocoronary (RA-Ao) or composite graft (T graft). Optimum use for the RA has yet to be established. We compared RA patency with these two techniques.

Design and installation of a next generation pilot scale fermentation system.

Four new fermenters were designed and constructed for use in secondary metabolite cultivations, bioconversions, and enzyme production. A new PC/PLC-based control system also was implemented using GE Fanuc PLCs, Genius I/O blocks, and Fix Dynamics SCADA software. These systems were incorporated into an industrial research fermentation pilot plant, designed and constructed in the early 1980s.

Differential effects of antihypertensive drug therapy on arterial compliance.

Although vascular compliance, deltaV/deltaP, is abnormal in essential hypertension and can be improved by antihypertensive drug therapy, it is not clear whether drug-induced changes in compliance are attributable solely to lower achieved blood pressure (BP), and thus equally likely with different drugs possessing similar antihypertensive efficacy. Therefore, we used computerized arterial pulse waveform analysis (CAPWA) to measure capacitive (C1) and oscillatory (C2) components of arterial compliance in essential hypertensive subjects (n = 39) before, and 1 and 3 months after achieving normotensive BP values with administration of either dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonists (CaBl, n = 11), converting enzyme inhibitors (CEI, n = 9), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB, n = 9), or beta-blockers (BBl, n = 10). Despite equivalent effects on BP (CABL: -19 +/- 4/-15 +/- 2 mm Hg; CEI: -12 +/- 3/-13 +/- 2 mm Hg; ARB: -10 +/- 3/-12 +/- 2 mm Hg; and BBl: -14 +/- 3/-12 +/- 2 mm Hg; P <.

Use of frozen bagged seed inoculum for secondary metabolite and bioconversion processes at the pilot scale.

Frozen bagged seed inoculum was prepared, thawed and tested for seven cultures. Thawing techniques were developed and other key influences on thawing rate were quantified; seed bag thawing without a water bath rarely required more than 4 to 5 h and was as short as 0.5 to 1 h for lower fill volume bags.