Multicenter evaluation of the phosphorylcholine-coated biodivYsio stent in short de novo coronary lesions: The SOPHOS study

AIMS: The BiodivYsio trade mark stent (Biocompatibles Ltd, Farnham, UK) is coated with a phosphorylcholine (PC)-containing copolymer to confer biocompatibility. The SOPHOS (Study Of PHosphorylcholine coating On Stents) study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of this novel coronary stent and by indirect comparison to indicate equivalence with other formal stent studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with angina and a single short (#x2A7F;12 mm) de novo lesion in a native coronary artery of >/=2.75 mm diameter were included. A total of 425 patients were allocated in 24 centers. Clinical data were collected at one-, six- and nine-month follow-up. Angiography was performed before and after the stent implantation. In addition, in the first 200 patients (SOPHOS A) angiography was routinely performed at six months. The following 225 patients (SOPHOS B) were merely followed up clinically. The primary end-point of the study, the six-month MACE-rate (MACE = Major Adverse Cardiac Events) was 13.4% (two cardiac death; five Q-wave/nine non-Q-wave myocardial infarctions (MI); nine CABG and 32 target lesion revascularization (TLR), which is similar to the calculated 15% MACE-rate in comparable reference studies. Secondary end-points included among others restenosis at six months in the SOPHOS A population. The target vessel diameter was 2.98 +/- 0.48 mm. Minimal lumen diameter pre/post procedure and at follow-up was 1.00 +/- 0.32, 2.69 +/- 0.37, 1.91 +/- 0.71 mm, respectively. The binary restenosis rate (>/=50% diameter stenosis at follow-up) was 17.7%. CONCLUSION: The coronary BiodivYsio stent is safe and effective as a primary device for the treatment of native coronary artery lesions in patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris. Clinical and angiographic results are in the statistical range of equivalence with comparable studies with other current stents.     

Identification of streptococci isolated from various sources by determination of cfb gene and other CAMP-factor genes

In the present study, the CAMP-factor (cfb) gene of streptococci of serological group B (Streptococcus agalactiae) and the CAMP-factor (cfu) gene of S. uberis could be amplified by polymerase chain reaction. A cfb specific amplicon could be observed for all 128 phenotypically CAMP-positive S. agalactiae, for the phenotypically CAMP-negative S. agalactiae strain 74-360, and for 2 S. difficile reference strains. A cfu specific amplicon could be observed for all 7 phenotypically CAMP-positive S. uberis. Four S. agalactiae strains isolated from 4 cows with mastitis appeared to be phenotypically CAMP-negative and negative in the cfb gene PCR. The CAMP-positive and CAMP-negative isolates, including both S. difficile, could be identified as S. agalactiae by amplification of a S. agalactiae specific part of the V2 region of the 16S rRNA and a species-specific part of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region. Amplification of an internal fragment of the cfb gene with a reduced annealing temperature yielded positive reactions not only for CAMP-positive S. agalactiae, but also for phenotypically CAMP-positive S. pyogenes (n = 4), S. canis (n = 28), and S. uberis (n = 7), indicating a close relation of the CAMP genes of these 4 species. The relation could be further demonstrated by sequencing the internal fragment of the CAMP-factor (cfg) gene of S. canis and comparing the sequence with those of S. agalactiae, S. pyogenes, and S. uberis.     

Does the platelet-activating factor affect the antioxidant defense system?

The platelet-activating factor (PAF) is an inflammatory mediator and it may exert some of its effects by reactive oxygen species (ROS). We investigated the effects of PAF and hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) on copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) levels in plasma and the intracellular antioxidant enzyme activities of rats. PAF administration caused a decrease in erythrocyte catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and in the plasma zinc level. Following PAF administration, exposure to HBO also caused a decrease in erythrocyte GPx activity. These results support the hypothesis that PAF may produce free oxygen radicals and HBO enhances this effect. The enzyme activities of the antioxidant defense system were found to be affected by these oxidative processes. This is likely to be the result of excessive production of ROS or overutilization and/or inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes.     

A laser-based method for measuring thermal nociception of cattle

We describe a method for measuring nociception in cattle using a CO(2) laser aimed at the caudal aspect of the metatarsi. In Experiment 1, infrared thermography showed that calves responded by lifting their legs when skin temperatures reached 45-55 degrees C. In Experiment 2a, the validity of the method was tested by comparing the response latencies of 14 calves to two power settings (2.25 W vs. 4.5 W) with each setting being applied six times. We found that both leg-lift latencies and tail-flick latencies were lower at the higher power setting, and the calves were more likely to respond by kicking than by simply moving the leg. The standard deviations between and within calves were smaller at the higher power setting, and the large within-calf variation means that at least three tests were required to obtain reliable measures that could differentiate between calves. In Experiment 2b, application of the laser at a range of power settings (2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and 5.5 W) on 16 calves showed that response latencies decreased as power increased up to 4.5 W, after which no further change occurred. In Experiment 3, the repeatability of the method was evaluated on nine measures with the high power setting (4.5 W). The coefficient of variation associated with repetition of the measures was 36%. In general, we found little change in response latencies with repeated use of the laser, except that responses on the second test tended to be shorter. Experiment 4 showed that ambient temperatures between 16 degrees C and 27 degrees C did not affect response latencies, but these were longer at temperatures of 7 degrees C. We suggest that the method is a useful way of measuring cattle's sensitivity to nociception as the animals need not be restrained and the distance to the animal need not be closely controlled. However, to obtain accurate, valid and reliable measures it is necessary to use a high power setting (4.5 W) and take at least three consecutive measures of the response latency.     

Spectrometric studies on stability of tenuazonic acid (TeA) solution in organic solvents

The stability of tenuazonic acid solution at different temperatures and storage times was studied using methanol, methanol-water (8:2 v/v), benzene and benzene-acetonitrile (98:2 v/v) as solvents. Solutions were analysed by a spectrometric method TeA U.V.-spectrum was recorded. Results indicated that the optimum temperature for long-time storage period of tenuazonic acid solution in any solvent assayed is -20°C. Benzene and benzene-acetonitrile (98:2 v/v) could be advised to make tenuazonic acid solution which will be stored less than 2 months at 4°C. Methanol and methanolwater (8:2 v/v) are not recommended because a low stability of TeA solution in this solvents.     

From Sensory Signals to Modality-Independent Conceptual Representations: A Probabilistic Language of Thought Approach

People learn modality-independent, conceptual representations from modality-specific sensory signals. Here, we hypothesize that any system that accomplishes this feat will include three components: a representational language for characterizing modality-independent representations, a set of sensory-specific forward models for mapping from modality-independent representations to sensory signals, and an inference algorithm for inverting forward models—that is, an algorithm for using sensory signals to infer modality-independent representations. To evaluate this hypothesis, we instantiate it in the form of a computational model that learns object shape representations from visual and/or haptic signals. The model uses a probabilistic grammar to characterize modality-independent representations of object shape, uses a computer graphics toolkit and a human hand simulator to map from object representations to visual and haptic features, respectively, and uses a Bayesian inference algorithm to infer modality-independent object representations from visual and/or haptic signals. Simulation results show that the model infers identical object representations when an object is viewed, grasped, or both. That is, the model’s percepts are modality invariant. We also report the results of an experiment in which different subjects rated the similarity of pairs of objects in different sensory conditions, and show that the model provides a very accurate account of subjects’ ratings. Conceptually, this research significantly contributes to our understanding of modality invariance, an important type of perceptual constancy, by demonstrating how modality-independent representations can be acquired and used. Methodologically, it provides an important contribution to cognitive modeling, particularly an emerging probabilistic language-of-thought approach, by showing how symbolic and statistical approaches can be combined in order to understand aspects of human perception.     

Biotransformation of some steroids by Aspergillus wentii

First steroid biotransformations performed by Aspergillus wentii MRC 200316 are reported. Testosterone (1) yields 6beta-hydroxytestosterone (3) and 14alpha-hydroxytestosterone (4) while progesterone (2) yields 11alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (5).     

Two Novel Missense Mutations in the Connexin 26 Gene in Turkish Patients with Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss

Most nonsyndromic hearing losses are caused by mutations in the GJB2 gene, and studies have revealed that the forms and frequencies of these mutations are largely dependent on ethnic origin. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the mutation profiles of 151 patients with hearing loss in Turkey. The entire coding region of the GJB2 was directly sequenced in all patients. We found 35 (23.2%) individuals carrying GJB2 mutations. Seven different mutations were identified, five of which were previously known (35delG, delE120, R184P, M163V, L90P), the remaining two being novel variants (M34V, L205V). The most common mutation was 35delG followed by delE120. The 35delG mutation was homozygous in 22 cases (14.5%) and heterozygous in 4 cases (2.6%). Compound heterozygosity for 35delG was also observed. The delE120 mutation was found in three patients in homozygous form. A homozygous L90P and heterozygous mutations M163V and M34V were found in single cases.     

Effect of exogenous circulating anti-bPL antibodies on bovine placental lactogen measurements in foetal samples

Background  

The involvement of placental lactogen (PL) in the regulation of foetal growth has been investigated in different species by in vivo immunomodulation techniques. However, when circulating antibodies are present together with the hormone, the procedure for hormonal measurement becomes considerably complex. The aim of this study was the immunoneutralization of bovine placental lactogen (bPL) concentrations in bovine foetal circulation by direct infusion of rabbit anti-bPL purified immunoglobulins (IgG) via a foetal catheter (in vivo study). The ability of a RIA based on guinea pig anti-bPL antiserum, for the measurement of bPL concentrations in samples containing exogenous rabbit anti-bPL immunoglobulins, was also analyzed in in vitro and in vivo conditions.