A study of trace contaminant identification by microwave double resonance spectroscopy

Trace contaminant identification using microwave double resonance spectroscop

How i do it: Lung ultrasound

In the last 15 years, a new imaging application of sonography has emerged in the clinical arena: lung ultrasound (LUS). From its traditional assessment of pleural effusions and masses, LUS has moved towards the revolutionary approach of imaging the pulmonary parenchyma, mainly as a point-of-care technique. Although limited by the presence of air, LUS has proved to be useful in the evaluation of many different acute and chronic conditions, from cardiogenic pulmonary edema to acute lung injury, from pneumothorax to pneumonia, from interstitial lung disease to pulmonary infarctions and contusions. It is especially valuable since it is a relatively easy-to-learn application of ultrasound, less technically demanding than other sonographic examinations. It is quick to perform, portable, repeatable, non-ionizing, independent from specific acoustic windows, and therefore suitable for a meaningful evaluation in many different settings, both inpatient and outpatient, in both acute and chronic conditions.In the next few years, point-of-care LUS is likely to become increasingly important in many different clinical settings, from the emergency department to the intensive care unit, from cardiology to pulmonology and nephrology wards. © 2014 Gargani and Volpicelli; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

The novel mu-opioid antagonist, GSK1521498, reduces ethanol consumption in C57BL/6J mice.

RATIONALE Using the drinking-in-the-dark (DID) model, we compared the effects of a novel mu-opioid receptor antagonist, GSK1521498, with naltrexone, a licensed treatment of alcohol dependence, on ethanol consumption in mice. OBJECTIVE We test the ability of GSK1521498 to reduce alcohol consumption and compare its intrinsic efficacy to that of naltrexone by comparing the two drugs at doses matched for equivalent receptor occupancy. METHODS Thirty-six C57BL/6J mice were tested in a DID procedure. In 2-day cycles, animals experienced one baseline, injection-free session, and one test session when they received two injections, one of test drug and one placebo. All animals received GSK1521498 (0, 0.1, 1 and 3 mg/kg, i.p., 30 min pre-treatment) and naltrexone (0, 0.1, 1 and 3 mg/kg, s.c. 10 min pre-treatment) in a cross-over design. Receptor occupancies following the same doses were determined ex vivo in separate groups by autoradiography, using [3H]DAMGO. Binding in the region of interest was measured integrally by computer-assisted microdensitometry and corrected for non-specific binding. RESULTS Both GSK1521498 and naltrexone dose-dependently decreased ethanol consumption. When drug doses were matched for 70-75 % receptor occupancy, GSK1521498 3 mg/kg, i.p., caused a 2.5-fold greater reduction in alcohol consumption than naltrexone 0.1 mg/kg, s.c. Both GSK1521498 and naltrexone significantly reduced sucrose consumption at a dose of 1 mg/kg but not 0.1 mg/kg. In a test of conditioned taste aversion, GSK1521498 (3 mg/kg) reduced sucrose consumption 24 h following exposure to a conditioning injection. CONCLUSIONS Both opioid receptor antagonists reduced alcohol consumption but GK1521498 has higher intrinsic efficacy than naltrexone

The Second-Generation Guide Star Catalog: Description and Properties

The GSC-II is an all-sky database of objects derived from the uncompressed DSS that the STScI has created from the Palomar and UK Schmidt survey plates and made available to the community. Like its predecessor (GSC-I), the GSC-II was primarily created to provide guide star information and observation planning support for HST. This version, however, is already employed at some of the ground-based new-technology telescopes such as GEMINI, VLT, and TNG, and will also be used to provide support for the JWST and Gaia space missions as well as LAMOST, one of the major ongoing scientific projects in China. Two catalogs have already been extracted from the GSC-II database and released to the astronomical community. A magnitude-limited (R=18.0) version, GSC2.2, was distributed soon after its production in 2001, while the GSC2.3 release has been available for general access since 2007. The GSC2.3 catalog described in this paper contains astrometry, photometry, and classification for 945,592,683 objects down to the magnitude limit of the plates. Positions are tied to the ICRS; for stellar sources, the all-sky average absolute error per coordinate ranges from 0.2" to 0.28" depending on magnitude. When dealing with extended objects, astrometric errors are 20% worse in the case of galaxies and approximately a factor of 2 worse for blended images. Stellar photometry is determined to 0.13-0.22 mag as a function of magnitude and photographic passbands (B,R,I). Outside of the galactic plane, stellar classification is reliable to at least 90% confidence for magnitudes brighter than R=19.5, and the catalog is complete to R=20.Comment: 52 pages, 33 figures, to be published in AJ August 200

PIP5KIβ Selectively Modulates Apical Endocytosis in Polarized Renal Epithelial Cells

Localized synthesis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] at clathrin coated pits (CCPs) is crucial for the recruitment of adaptors and other components of the internalization machinery, as well as for regulating actin dynamics during endocytosis. PtdIns(4,5)P2 is synthesized from phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate by any of three phosphatidylinositol 5-kinase type I (PIP5KI) isoforms (α, β or γ). PIP5KIβ localizes almost exclusively to the apical surface in polarized mouse cortical collecting duct cells, whereas the other isoforms have a less polarized membrane distribution. We therefore investigated the role of PIP5KI isoforms in endocytosis at the apical and basolateral domains. Endocytosis at the apical surface is known to occur more slowly than at the basolateral surface. Apical endocytosis was selectively stimulated by overexpression of PIP5KIβ whereas the other isoforms had no effect on either apical or basolateral internalization. We found no difference in the affinity for PtdIns(4,5)P2-containing liposomes of the PtdIns(4,5)P2 binding domains of epsin and Dab2, consistent with a generic effect of elevated PtdIns(4,5)P2 on apical endocytosis. Additionally, using apical total internal reflection fluorescence imaging and electron microscopy we found that cells overexpressing PIP5KIβ have fewer apical CCPs but more internalized coated structures than control cells, consistent with enhanced maturation of apical CCPs. Together, our results suggest that synthesis of PtdIns(4,5)P2 mediated by PIP5KIβ is rate limiting for apical but not basolateral endocytosis in polarized kidney cells. PtdIns(4,5)P2 may be required to overcome specific structural constraints that limit the efficiency of apical endocytosis. © 2013 Szalinski et al

Temperature profile in a reverse flow reactor for catalytic partial oxidation of methane by fast IR imaging

Catalytic partial oxidation of methane with air was investigated in a reverse flow reactor with commercial Rh/A1(2)O(3) catalyst in pellets. Temperature profile of the catalyst bed was measured by fast IR thermography and product composition was measured with a continuous gas analyzer. The effect of internal heat recovery on reactor performance and catalyst thermal stress is presented and compared with steady state operation. Feed direction switching time, total flow rate, and methane to oxygen ratio were investigated as process operating parameters. Data of catalyst bed temperature evolution during the flow cycle are presented and discussed. Comparison of dynamic heat integration with external feed preheating in terms of product composition and catalyst temperature profile is also presented. (C) 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Stereoselective Solvolysis in the Synthesis of Dorzolamide Intermediates

The key intermediate in the synthesis of dorzolamide,(4S,6S)-methyl-5,6-dihydro-4H-thieno[2,3-b]thiopyran-4-ol-7,7-dioxide,can beobtained in the diastereoisomerically pure form in two straightforwardsteps starting from diastereoisomeric mixtures of cis/trans-(6S)-6-methyl-5,6-dihydro-4H-thieno[2,3-b]thiopyran-4-yl acetate,regardless of their ratio. The reaction of crucial importance in thisscheme is a remarkably stereoselective solvolysis of the acetate esterin an acetone/phosphate buffer mixture as the solvent system. Investigationof this so far unrecognized stereoselective reaction reveals thatit proceeds via an S(N)1-like pathway as indicated by thecorrelation of the solvolysis rate constants with the Y (OTs) values of different solvent mixtures and by trappingof the reaction intermediate with sodium azide. The structure of (4S,6S)-methyl-5,6-dihydro-4H-thieno[2,3-b]thiopyran-4-ol-7,7-dioxide was confirmedby single-crystal X-ray analysis

Dopamine: The Neuromodulator of Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity, Reward and Movement Control

Dopamine (DA) is a key neurotransmitter involved in multiple physiological functions including motor control, modulation of affective and emotional states, reward mechanisms, reinforcement of behavior, and selected higher cognitive functions. Dysfunction in dopaminergic transmission is recognized as a core alteration in several devastating neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addiction. Here we will discuss the current insights on the role of DA in motor control and reward learning mechanisms and its involvement in the modulation of synaptic dynamics through different pathways. In particular, we will consider the role of DA as neuromodulator of two forms of synaptic plasticity, known as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in several cortical and subcortical areas. Finally, we will delineate how the effect of DA on dendritic spines places this molecule at the interface between the motor and the cognitive systems. Specifically, we will be focusing on PD, vascular dementia, and schizophrenia

Phantom model and scoring system to assess ability in ultrasound-guided chest drain positioning

Background: Chest tube positioning is an invasive procedure associated with potentially serious injuries. In the last few years, we have been running a project directed at developing a practical simulator of a surgical procedure taught on our medical training program. The phantom model reconstructs the pleural anatomy, visible by lung ultrasound, used for the assessed performance of the Seldinger technique. The aim of the present study was to investigate the validity of this simulation technology for assessing residents in anesthesia and intensive care medicine; specifically, their skill in positioning a US-guided chest tube drain was tested using the simulator device. The second aim of the paper was to evaluate the learning curve of our residents over their 5-year study course and validate the phantom scoring system. Methods: This was a prospective, single-blinded observational study. Participants were recruited from residents in anesthesia and intensive care medicine and divided into two groups: \u2018Novice\u2019 and \u2018Expert,\u2019 based on the course year attended (years 1, 2, and 3 vs. years 4 and 5, respectively). We asked them to position a chest tube drain in a phantom model, guided by ultrasound, to drain a simulated pleural effusion. Each subject performed two tests that simulated pleural effusions of 4 and 2\ua0cm, respectively. Every step of the maneuver was constantly monitored and the performance scored by the investigators. We then performed a Spearman correlation analysis to evaluate the effect of experience level on the performance of the two groups of residents. Results: Thirty-one residents were included in this study: 20 in the Novice group and 11 in the Expert group. The mean performance rating score was 0.75\ua0\ub1\ua04.38 for the Novice Group and 5.91\ua0\ub1\ua03.75 for the Expert group (p\ua0=\ua00.0026). The Spearman correlation analysis examining the relationship between year of residency and performance rating score confirmed a positive correlation (r\ua0=\ua00.58, p\ua0=\ua00.0006). Post-test trend analysis revealed a statistically significant linear trend for skill growth across time, i.e., course year (p\ua0=\ua00.0022). Conclusions: Our simulated procedure using a phantom model of lung anatomy can accurately and reliably be used to assess the skill levels of operators in their ability to drain pleural effusion