Effects of Exposure to Carbon Dioxide in Potash Miners.

Potash miners can become exposed to carbon dioxide (CO) during the blasting of basalt intrusions or loading and transporting the blasted salt. In a cross-shift study, we compared physiological effects of acute exposure to elevated CO concentrations in miners after long-term exposure to evaluate the possible health risks. A group of 119 miners was assessed by clinical examination, lung function tests, and blood gas content directly before and after the shift.

Dependence of Ion Dynamics on the Polymer Chain Length in Poly(ethylene oxide)-Based Polymer Electrolytes.

It is known from experiments that in the polymer electrolyte system, which contains poly(ethylene oxide) chains (PEO), lithium-cations (Li(+)), and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-anions (TFSI(-)), the cation and the anion diffusion and the ionic conductivity exhibit a similar chain-length dependence: with increasing chain length, they start dropping steadily, and later, they saturate to constant values. These results are surprising because Li-cations are strongly correlated with the polymer chains, whereas TFSI-anions do not have such bonding. To understand this phenomenon, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of this system for four different polymer chain lengths.

[How does central cornea thickness influence intraocular pressure during applanation and contour tonometry?].

Background: Golmann applanation tonometry represents a well-established procedure for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP). This implies the necessity of an accurate measurement of IOP with the reference tonometer. One example is the contour tonometer Pascal with a measuring probe, adapted to the cornea geometry, for measuring the IOP and the ocular pulse amplitude.

Surface-exposed amino acid residues of HPV16 L1 protein mediating interaction with cell surface heparan sulfate.

Efficient infection of cells by human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and pseudovirions requires primary interaction with cell surface proteoglycans with apparent preference for species carrying heparan sulfate (HS) side chains. To identify residues contributing to virus/cell interaction, we performed point mutational analysis of the HPV16 major capsid protein, L1, targeting surface-exposed amino acid residues. Replacement of lysine residues 278, 356, or 361 for alanine reduced cell binding and infectivity of pseudovirions.

Renal dysfunction according to the ADQI-RIFLE system and clinical practice patterns after cardiac surgery in Germany.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of renal dysfunction according to the Acute-Dialysis-Quality Initiative-(ADQI)-RIFLE grading system in cardiac surgery in Germany in 2003 and to determine if variations in the incidence of renal dysfunction are related to clinical practice patterns.

Design: prospective cohort analysis and practice pattern survey.

Measurements: 81 hospitals were requested to report prospectively sampled quality-management-data on patient load, case mix, aortic-cross-clamp-time, baseline and maximal plasma creatinine (CreaP), new-onset-renal-replacement-therapy, and clinical practice concerning the use of fluids, inotropic and vasopressor drugs, and diuretics.