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The anaerobic biodegradation of textile chemicals was evaluated with inocula grown under mesophilic (37+/-2 degrees C) or thermophilic (55+/-2 degrees C) conditions, on glucose (glucose-grown) or acetate (acetate-grown) as sole carbon sources. Wool dyebath chemicals (acetic acid, a liposomal surfactant, a synthetic amphoteric surfactant), single or as binary acetate-surfactant mixtures, were used as test carbon sources, in the presence or absence of Acid Orange 7 as model dye. First, the two mesophilic inocula (glucose- or acetate-grown) were compared relatively to lag-phase durations, specific biogas production rates, biogas yields and overall COD removal yields. In some runs, sulphide and/or the model dye were included, to test for inhibition effects. Then, the two glucose-grown inocula (mesophilic and thermophilic) were assessed in batch biodegradation tests with the same carbon feeds. The kinetics for substrate-COD and dye colour removal were described and quantified using a pseudo-first order model. The presence of dye had no effect on performance parameters for all substrates tested. Acetoclastic methanogens seemingly played an important role in biogas production from the liposomal additive, but less so from the synthetic surfactant. The association of acetate and surfactants apparently introduced mutual inhibitory effects on the rates of biogas production, substrate uptake and dye decolourisation.

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A 29-year-old woman with a tubular thoracic aortic graft prosthesis, placed after repair of a postcoarctation site aneurysm, was reoperated due to fungal infection of the prosthesis. A left thoracotomy was performed and single lung ventilation established through a double lumen tube followed by extracorporeal circulation (ECC), deep hypothermia, and cessation of blood circulation. The venous drainage tube was placed in the right pulmonary artery and arterial return was located in the descending aorta. After replacement of the prosthesis and interruption of ECC, attempts to ventilate the right lung failed. Fiberoptic examination revealed that the carina and tracheal wall completely occluded the opening of the right main bronchus. ECC was interrupted and the left lung was ventilated, but after withdrawal of the tube from the pulmonary artery and repositioning the patient in supine decubitus, oxygenation and right lung ventilation improved. The patient was extubated after 20 hours and discharged home 6 weeks later.

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Una mujer de 29 años, portadora de una prótesistubular en la aorta torácica tras haber sido operada deun aneurisma aórtico postcoartación, fue reintervenidadebido a la infección fúngiga de la prótesis. Se practicóuna toracotomía izquierda y ventilación unipulmonarmediante un tubo de doble luz izquierdo, seguido de circulaciónextracorpórea (CEC), hipotermia profunda yparada circulatoria. La cánula de drenaje venoso secolocó en la arteria pulmonar derecha, y la del retornoarterial en la aorta descendente.Una vez sustituida la prótesis aórtica infectada, seprocedió a interrumpir la CEC, pero todos los intentosde ventilar el pulmón derecho fracasaron. Entonces lafibroscopia reveló que la carina y la pared de la tráqueaocluían por completo el orificio del bronquio principalderecho. La CEC pudo interrumpir mientras se ventilabaúnicamente el pulmón izquierdo. Después de retirarla cánula situada la arteria pulmonar y de recolocar a lapaciente en decúbito supino, el índice de oxigenación y laventilación del pulmón derecho mejoraron. La pacientefue extubada transcurridas 20 horas y dada de alta delhospital 6 semanas después

A 29-year-old woman with a tubular thoracic aorticgraft prosthesis, placed after repair of a postcoarctationsite aneurysm, was reoperated due to fungal infection ofthe prosthesis. A left thoracotomy was performed andsingle lung ventilation established through a doublelumen tube followed by extracorporeal circulation(ECC), deep hypothermia, and cessation of blood circulation.The venous drainage tube was placed in the rightpulmonary artery and arterial return was located in thedescending aorta.After replacement of the prosthesis and interruptionof ECC, attempts to ventilate the right lung failed. Fiberopticexamination revealed that the carina and trachealwall completely occluded the opening of the right mainbronchus. ECC was interrupted and the left lung wasventilated, but after withdrawal of the tube from the pulmonaryartery and repositioning the patient in supinedecubitus, oxygenation and right lung ventilation improved.The patient was extubated after 20 hours anddischarged home 6 weeks later

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Mixed anaerobic bacterial consortia have been show to reduce azo dyes and batch decolourisation tests have also demonstrated that predominantly methanogenic cultures also perform azo bond cleavage. The anaerobic treatment of wool dyeing effluents, which contain acetic acid, could thus be improved with a better knowledge of methanogenic dye degradation. Therefore, the decolourisation of two azo textile dyes, a monoazo dye (Acid Orange 7, AO7) and a diazo dye (Direct Red 254, DR254), was investigated in a methanogenic laboratory-scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), fed with acetate as primary carbon source. As dye concentration was increased a decrease in total COD removal was observed, but the acetate load removal (90%) remained almost constant. A colour removal level higher than 88% was achieved for both dyes at a HRT of 24h. The identification by HPLC analysis of sulfanilic acid, a dye reduction metabolite, in the treated effluent, confirmed that the decolourisation process was due mainly to azo bond reduction. Although, HPLC chromatograms showed that 1-amino-2-naphthol, the other AO7 cleavage metabolite, was removed, aeration batch assays demonstrated that this could be due to auto-oxidation and not biological mineralization. At a HRT of 8h, a more extensive reductive biotransformation was observed for DR254 (82%) than for AO7 (56%). In order to explain this behaviour, the influence of the dye aggregation process and chemical structure of the dye molecules are discussed in the present work.

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The aim of this study was to compare ease of ventilation of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation manikin using a cuffed oropharyngeal airway (COPA), a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and a face mask, by two groups of people with different levels of earlier experience in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Enrolled were, 108 people identified as experienced (54), or inexperienced (54), in CPR. Training equipment included a manikin, a COPA (n=10), an LMA (n=4), a face mask (n=4) and self-inflating bag-valve device. The same investigator explained the theoretical use and practice of the three techniques with the subjects in groups of three. The variables recorded were the number of attempts needed to achieve correct placement (and a tidal volume of 200 ml, was achieved), the insertion time for the COPA and the LMA, and the average time taken to achieve the first ten correct ventilations. The face mask and LMA required fewer attempts for correct placement than did the COPA. The LMA also took less time to insert than the COPA. The face mask required a significantly shorter total time with all attempts and the mean time of placement and time to achieve ten correct ventilations was shorter than with either the LMA or the COPA (P=0.0001). We conclude that the face mask offers an easier and quicker way to provide ventilation for CPR manikins than does the COPA or the LMA. Earlier experience affects the ease of insertion of the LMA and the total time needed to achieve effective ventilation.

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Most of the published studies on azo dye colour removal involve anaerobic mixed cultures and there is some interest in the knowledge of how dye reduction occurs, if by facultative, strictly anaerobic or both bacterial trophic groups present in classic anaerobic digestors. This paper describes the behaviour of methanogenic and mixed bacteria cultures on the colour removal in batch systems, of a commercial azo dye, C.I. Acid Orange 7, used in paper and textile industries. The aim of this study is to demonstrate, by analysing dye decolourisation, that it occurs with mixed cultures as well as with strictly anaerobic (methanogenic) cultures. Tests were performed with a range of dye concentrations between 60 and 300 mg x l(-1). The influence of dye concentration on the carbon source removal and decolourisation processes was studied. The effect of carbon source concentration on colour removal was also analysed for both cultures. The degradation rates in mixed and methanogenic cultures were compared. The consumption of carbon source was monitored by COD analysis and dye degradation by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and thin layer chromatography.

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Thyroidectomy appears to reduce the serotonin content in the rat brain, whereas hyperthyroidism has the opposite effect. As it is not known whether the serotonin-producing cells of the gastrointestinal tract are influenced by these conditions, the effects of thyroparathyroidectomy and induced hyperthyroidism were studied experimentally, particularly as regards the serotonin- and gastrin-immunoreactive cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Immunocytochemical and quantification techniques were used to localize and determine the numbers of serotonin and gastrin cells. In thyroparathyroidectomized rats the intestine was significantly shorter and the mucosa thinner than in sham-operated and untreated controls, whereas the converse was found in the hyperthyroid rats. Following thyroparathyroidectomy, there were fewer gastrin-immunoreactive cells in antrum and the serotonin-immunoreactive cells were significantly less dense throughout the gastrointestinal tract. In hyperthyroid rats, gastrin-immunoreactive cells were more numerous, as were the serotonin-immunoreactive cells in the small intestine, whereas these cells were fewer in antrum and caecum. In conclusion, the thyroid gland exerts a significant influence on the gastrointestinal tract and on the serotonin-and gastrin-immunoreactive cells. The observed alterations may reflect a direct effect of the thyroid hormones, although indirect factors must also be considered.

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BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hypergastrinaemia has been reported in liver cirrhosis; meanwhile, it is unclear whether it is associated with an increase in gastrin cell function. The serum gastrin concentration and the number of gastrin cells in antral biopsies were studied in patients with alcoholic liver disease. METHODS: Immunocytochemical and quantification techniques were used to localize and determine the number of gastrin cells. RESULTS: Slight non-significantly higher serum gastrin values were observed in the alcoholic liver disease patients compared with controls, but the individual variation within the groups was considerable. The frequency of gastrin cells did not differ between groups. However, the size of the gastrin cell nuclei was larger in patients with liver disease than in controls, indicating increased cellular activity. CONCLUSIONS: Alcoholic liver disease, with a disturbed liver function, influences the gastrin cells. The observed alterations may reflect the effect of alcohol and/or malnutrition, or may be secondary to the influence of liver disease on other regulatory peptides.

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We report two cases of difficult orotracheal intubation in which intubation with a fiberoptic bronchoscope was performed after induction with an inhalational anesthetic. Mild inhalational anesthesia with sevoflurane was started fairly rapidly, with no respiratory incidences. The tubes were then inserted through a fiberoptic bronchoscope, with no airway management problems.

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The effects of bilateral adrenalectomy on the serotonin-, somatostatin-, and gastrin-immunoreactive cells in the rat gastrointestinal tract were studied four weeks after surgery. Body weight was reduced and the small intestine shorter in adrenalectomized animals compared with controls, while no changes were found in the histology of the mucosa. In the adrenalectomized animals the number of serotonin-immunoreactive cells was increased in the cecum and large intestine, while the somatostatin-immunoreactive cells were decreased in number in the antrum and increased in the corpus, cecum, and large intestine. The gastrin-immunoreactive cells in the antrum were not affected in number, but their nuclear size was enlarged, possibly indicating increased cellular activity.

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The effect of hypophysectomy on the gastrointestinal tract was studied in the rat 8 wk after operation, particularly regarding the frequency and distribution of serotonin, somatostatin and gastrin-immunoreactive cells. Body weight, the length of the intestine and the thickness of the mucosa of the antrum and small intestine were all reduced in the hypophysectomised rats compared with sham-operated and untreated controls. In the hypophysectomised animals the serotonin-immunoreactive cells were fewer in the antrum and caecum, whereas they were more numerous in the proximal large intestine. There were fewer gastrin-immunoreactive cells in the antrum, while the somatostatin-immunoreactive cells were more numerous in the antrum and caecum. The significant influence of hypophysectomy on the gastrointestinal tract could be direct, but could also be associated with the marked effect of pituitary deficiency on endocrine cells, known to exert both trophic and antitrophic actions. However, it could also be an indirect effect on metabolism, resulting in lower food intake, other endocrine cell systems, and growth factors.

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BACKGROUND & AIMS: Oral calcium supplementation is believed to decrease colonic hyperproliferation through neutralization of fatty acids and bile acids. In the present study, the effect of oral calcium, given with low-fat diets, in the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis is evaluated. METHODS: In experiment A, mice received normal or low-calcium diets and were killed at 25 weeks. In experiment B, mice were fed the same diets but were submitted to six weekly injections of dimethylhydrazine and were killed at 10, 16, and 21 weeks. Cell proliferation was evaluated using bromodeoxyuridine immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In experiment A, mice fed low-calcium diets showed a significant upward shift of the proliferative compartment (P = 0.04) (phase 2 defect) in the absence of hyperproliferation. In experiment B, besides a phase 2 defect, dimethylhydrazine-induced hyperproliferation was also significantly enhanced in animals fed low-calcium diets (phase 1 defect) as shown by an increased number of labeled cells per column and total labeling index (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Low-calcium diets induce an upward shift of the main proliferative compartment, which reflects an increased risk for malignant transformation. This effect was observed with a low-fat diet, suggesting a direct mechanism, rather than the usual indirect one, documented with high-fat diets.

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It is essential to know how the immune system acts in different neurological diseases, some of them non very well known or of unknown etiology at all. It was applied Reiber and Felgenhauer's formula in 56 patients with different diseases. IgA, IgM, IgG and albumin were quantified in sera and cerebrospinal fluid by simple immunodiffusion. It was observed more frequent IgG local synthesis and IgA in this sample.

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In the light of two cases of benign schwannomas of the tongue, including one particularly large tumour, the authors review the clinical and histological features and natural history of these tumours. Their rarity may explain the limited knowledge concerning these tumours and the long interval prior to treatment, resulting in technical difficulties due to their volume. Surgical enucleation is generally easy to perform. The prognosis is excellent after resection, as malignant transformation is exceptional.

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The authors describe their experience with a homogeneous series of 88 fractures of the floor of the orbit. After a clinicopathological and therapeutic summary, the authors describe the sequellae encountered in their series. Sensory disorders are the most frequent sequellae, being noted in 30% of all cases. The maxillofacial surgeon and the ophthalmologist must cooperate to accurately evaluate the physical injury. The various items of damage are analyzed and evaluated.

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Values for the affinity constant were determined, in three kits, for seric gastrin, following the Scatchard plot and Michaelis-Menten representation. The determination of the affinity constant, K, is of great value for it defines the antigen-antibody complex stability and it gives information about some aspects of the analysis system: sensitivity and antibody saturation.

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While, in principle, flame photometry of sodium and potassium measures substance concentration, and ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) measure ion activity, the situation regarding the comparison of results from the two techniques when applied to blood plasma is complex. The problem can be approached experimentally from the point of view of calibration of ISEs with concentration standards, and similar procedures are adopted for commercial ISE-based clinical analysers. Nevertheless, there is interest in the evaluation of single ion activities in blood plasma and solutions simulating its ionic composition. The theory of mixed electrolyte solutions developed by Pitzer has been applied to some solutions currently proposed for calibrating ISEs, and the results compared with the Stokes-Robinson-Bates hydration approach. It is recommended that the values from the Pitzer treatment be adopted, because, although this has some empirical features, it has a sounder theoretical basis than the Stokes-Robinson-Bates hydration approach.

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