The effect of adding gentamicin to contrast media for prevention of cholangitis after biliary stenting for non-calculous biliary obstruction, a randomized controlled trial

Aim: Cholangitis is the most common infectious complication of ERCP. In vitro studies showed that addition of aminoglycosides to contrast medium was effective in reducing cholangitis but the results of clinical trials are conflicting. We studied the effect of adding gentamicin to contrast medium in reducing the rate of post-ERCP cholangitis in patients with non-calculous obstructive jaundice. Methods: All patients with non-calculous obstructive jaundice who underwent endoscopic biliary stenting at the Shariati Hospital, Tehran, between December 2009 and October 2010 were enrolled in the study. Gentamicin (10 mg) or distilled water was added to each 10 cc contrast medium during ERCP. Intravenous antibiotics were administered before and after the procedure in all patients. After ERCP and stent deployment, patients were followed for 72 h for symptoms and signs of cholangitis. Results: A total of 114 patients were eligible for the study. Of these, 57 patients were included in each group. Cholangiocarcinoma was the most prevalent diagnosis. The obstruction was relieved in all patients by stenting. Five patients in each group (8. 8 %) developed cholangitis. There was no significant difference in the incidence of cholangitis between the two groups (p = 1. 000). Conclusions: With adequate drainage of the obstructed biliary tract by proper stenting, adding gentamicin to contrast media had no significant effect on incidence of post-ERCP cholangitis. © 2012 Indian Society of Gastroenterology

Calcium homeostasis in Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris is a methylotrophic yeast that has been used widely in biological and industrial researches. P. pastoris is able to produce from milligram to gram quantities of protein. In this study, we examined the effects of calcium and magnesium on growth, heterologous protein expression, and calcium homeostasis in P. pastoris . The divalent cations calcium and magnesium are responsible for diverse roles in in the function of the cells in eukaryotes. Although it is known that calcium is responsible for many biological functions in eukaryotes, there is a limited understanding of the calcium homeostasis in P. pastoris . In this study, we found that addition of calcium and magnesium to yeast extract peptone dextrose (YPD) does not increase the cell growth of wild type P. pastoris . However, the original concentrations of calcium and magnesium in YPD were critical to cells, as removing calcium and magnesium using EGTA and EDTA, respectively, decreased the cell growth of wild type P. pastoris . Changes to cytoplasmic calcium concentration in P. pastoris was studied using the fluorescent calcium sensitive dye, indo-1 (10 μM) and fluorescent spectrophotometer. The intracellular calcium concentration increased with addition of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS). PBS (standard 1x) induced a significantly higher increase in intracellular calcium concentration compared to inductions with calcium chloride (1.2 mM). Our results showed that the addition of calcium and magnesium into the growth medium did not increase the expression of alcohol oxidase-1 driven β-galactosidase expression. However, calcium and magnesium may still play crucial roles in protein expression as EDTA and EGTA caused an increase in β-galactosidase expression as indicated by higher β-galactosidase activity. Our findings suggest that EDTA and EGTA may also increase the expression of other heterologous proteins in P. pastoris

Calcium homeostasis in Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris is a methylotrophic yeast that has been used widely in biological and industrial researches. P. pastoris is able to produce from milligram to gram quantities of protein. In this study, we examined the effects of calcium and magnesium on growth, heterologous protein expression, and calcium homeostasis in P. pastoris . The divalent cations calcium and magnesium are responsible for diverse roles in in the function of the cells in eukaryotes. Although it is known that calcium is responsible for many biological functions in eukaryotes, there is a limited understanding of the calcium homeostasis in P. pastoris . In this study, we found that addition of calcium and magnesium to yeast extract peptone dextrose (YPD) does not increase the cell growth of wild type P. pastoris . However, the original concentrations of calcium and magnesium in YPD were critical to cells, as removing calcium and magnesium using EGTA and EDTA, respectively, decreased the cell growth of wild type P. pastoris . Changes to cytoplasmic calcium concentration in P. pastoris was studied using the fluorescent calcium sensitive dye, indo-1 (10 μM) and fluorescent spectrophotometer. The intracellular calcium concentration increased with addition of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS). PBS (standard 1x) induced a significantly higher increase in intracellular calcium concentration compared to inductions with calcium chloride (1.2 mM). Our results showed that the addition of calcium and magnesium into the growth medium did not increase the expression of alcohol oxidase-1 driven β-galactosidase expression. However, calcium and magnesium may still play crucial roles in protein expression as EDTA and EGTA caused an increase in β-galactosidase expression as indicated by higher β-galactosidase activity. Our findings suggest that EDTA and EGTA may also increase the expression of other heterologous proteins in P. pastoris

Effect of Blending Method on the Mechanical Properties of Wood-Plastic Composites

In this study, the possibility of producing wood-plastic panels was studied using two different blending methods including melt blend and dry blend. Wood-plastic panels were made from recycled high density polyethylene (as resin) and MDF waste (as natural fiber) at 60, 70 and 80% by weight filler loading. Nominal density and dimensions of the panels were 1g/cm3 and 35×35×1 cm, respectively. The mechanical properties of the panels including flexural elastic modulus, flexural strength, screw and nail withdrawal resistance, and impact strength were studied. Maximum values of flexural modulus of wood-plastic panels were found at 70% fiber content in both methods. Flexural strength, screw and nail withdrawal resistance and impact strength of wood-plastic composites reduced with the increase in fiber content from 60% to 80%. Mechanical properties of samples made with dry blend method were generally higher than those of samples made with melt blend method for all corresponding formulations

The effect of adding duloxetine to lansoprazole on symptom and quality of life improvement in patients with gastroesophageal reflux diseases: A randomized double-blind clinical trial

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common upper gastrointestinal disorder with a negative impact on the quality of life. This study was aimed to assess the effect of adding duloxetine to lansoprazole on the symptom and quality of life improvement in GERD patients. Materials and Methods: Seventy adult patients with a complaint of heartburn and regurgitation were enrolled in this randomized trial. Patients with a history of atypical symptoms, advanced systemic disease, medication-induced symptom, structural lesion in endoscopy, allergy to the medication, and unco-operative were excluded. The patients randomly (computer generated table) assigned in Groups A who received lansoprazole 30 mg plus placebo daily and Group B, in which duloxetine 30 mg daily replaced by placebo during 4 weeks. All of participants, care-givers, and outcomes assessors were blinded. Basic demographic data, symptom severity score, depression and anxiety Beck score, and quality of life questionnaire were recorded at the starting and ending of treatment. Results: Fifty-four patients have completed the study. The mean difference of Anxiety Beck score (13, 95 confidence interval CI 10-16, P = 0.001) and total raw score of quality of life (7, 95% CI 3.89-10.11, P = 0.043) were significantly improved in Group B. Complete and overall heartburn improvement rates were significantly better in Group B (odds ratio OR Adj: 2.01, 95% CI 1.06-2.97 and OR Adj: 1.31, 95% CI 1.05-1.57, respectively). Conclusion: We found that the combination of duloxetine and lansoprazole is a safe and tolerable regimen, and it can significantly improve anxiety, heartburn, coffee consumption, the quality of sleep, and life in patients who suffer from the symptoms of GERD. © 2021 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. All rights reserved