Allergic and immunological aspects of therapy with cefotaxime and other cephalosporins

Immunogenicity and allergenicity studies in rodents show that cefotaxime and cefur-oxime are less immunogenic than benzylpenicillin or the semisynthetic penicillins. Cross-reactions of these antibiotics with benzylpenicilloyl-specific animal and human IgE antibodies appear minimal. Some cross-reactivity at the level of cell-mediated allergic reactions may, however, be expecte

Method for Rapid Interplanetary Trajectory Analysis using ΔV Maps with Flyby Options

This paper develops a convenient tool which is capable of calculating ballistic interplanetary trajectories with planetary flyby options to create exhaustive V contour plots for both direct trajectories without flybys and flyby trajectories in a single chart. The contours of V for a range of departure dates (x-axis) and times of flight (y-axis) serve as a “visual calendar” of launch windows, which are useful for the creation of a long-term transportation schedule for mission planning purposes. For planetary flybys, a simple powered flyby manoeuvre with a reasonably small velocity impulse at periapsis is allowed to expand the flyby mission windows. The procedure of creating a V contour plot for direct trajectories is a straightforward full- factorial computation with two input variables of departure and arrival dates solving Lambert's problem for each combination. For flyby trajectories, a “pseudo full-factorial” computation is conducted by decomposing the problem into two separate full- factorial computations. Mars missions including Venus flyby opportunities are used to illustrate the application of this model for the 2020-2040 time frame. The “competitiveness” of launch windows is defined and determined for each launch opportunity

Detailed site distribution of melanoma and sunlight exposure: aetiological patterns from a Swiss series

Background: The relation between detailed cutaneous distribution of melanoma and indicators of sun exposure patterns has scantily been explored in moderately sun-sensitive populations. Patients and methods: The precise site of 1658 primary malignant melanoma, registered from 1995 to 2002, in Switzerland were retrieved and clinically validated. Relative melanoma density (RMD) was computed by the ratio of observed to expected number of melanoma allowing for body site surface areas, and further adjusted for site-specific melanocyte density. Results: Sites of highest risks were the face, shoulder and upper arm for both sexes, the back for men, and leg for women. Major features of this series were: (i) an unexpectedly high RMD for the face in women (5.6 versus 3.7 in men), (ii) the absence of a male predominance for melanoma on the ears and (iii) for the upper limbs, a steady gradient of increasing melanoma density with increasing proximity to the trunk, regardless of sex. Age and sex patterns of RMD parallelled general indicators of sun exposure and behaviour, except for the hand (RMD = 0.2). Conclusion: RMD increased with (cumulative) site sun exposure, but a few notable exceptions support the impact of intermittent exposure in melanoma ris

A Generalized Multi-Commodity Network Flow Model for the Earth-Moon-Mars Logistics System

Simple logistics strategies such as "carry-along" and Earth-based "resupply" were sufficient for past human space programs. Next-generation space logistics paradigms are expected to be more complex, involving multiple exploration destinations and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Optional ISRU brings additional complexity to the interplanetary supply chain network design problem. This paper presents an interdependent network flow modeling method for determining optimal logistics strategies for space exploration and its application to the human exploration of Mars. It is found that a strategy utilizing lunar resources in the cislunar network may improve overall launch mass to low Earth orbit for recurring missions to Mars compared to NASA’s Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0, even when including the mass of the ISRU infrastructures that need to be pre-deployed. Other findings suggest that chemical propulsion using LOX/LH[subscript 2], lunar ISRU water production, and the use of aerocapture significantly contribute to reducing launch mass from Earth. A sensitivity analysis of ISRU reveals that under the given assumptions, local lunar resources become attractive at productivity levels above 1.8 kg/year/kg in the context of future human exploration of Mars.Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.). Strategic University Research Partnerships Progra

Stability of tryptophan during food processing and storage: 1. Comparative losses of tryptophan, lysine and methionine in different model systems

1. The stability of tryptophan was evaluated in several different food model systems using a chemical method (high pressure liquid chromatography after alkaline-hydrolysis) and rat assays. Losses of tryptophan were compared with the losses of lysine and methionine. 2. Whey proteins stored in the presence of oxidizing lipids showed large losses of lysine and extensive methionine oxidation but only minor losses of tryptophan as measured chemically. The observed decrease in bioavailable tryptophan was explained by a lower protein digestibility. 3. Casein treated with hydrogen peroxide to oxidize all methionine to methionine sulphoxide showed a 9% loss in bioavailable tryptophan. 4. When casein was reacted with caffeic acid at pH 7 in the presence of monophenol monooxygenase (tyrosinase; EC 1.14.18.l), no chemical loss of tryptophan occurred, although fluorodinitrobenzene-reactive lysine fell by 23%. Tryptophan bioavailability fell IS%, partly due to an 8% reduction in protein digestibility. 5. Alkali-treated casein (0.15 M-sodium hydroxide, 80°,4 h) did not support rat growth. Chemically-determined tryptophan, available tryptophan and true nitrogen digestibility fell 10, 46 and 23% respectively. Racemization of tryptophan was found to be 10% (D/(D+L)). 6. In whole-milk powder, which had undergone ‘early' or ‘advanced' Maillard reactions, tryptophan, determined chemically or in rat assays, was virtually unchanged. Extensive lysine losses occurred. 7. It was concluded that losses of tryptophan during food processing and storage are small and of only minor nutritional importance, especially when compared with much larger losses of lysine and the more extensive oxidation of methionin

Variation in survival after diagnosis of breast cancer in Switzerland

Background: Survival after diagnosis of cancer is a key criterion for cancer control. Major survival differences between time periods and countries have been reported by the EUROCARE studies. We investigated whether similar differences by period and region existed in Switzerland. Methods: Survival of 11 376 cases of primary invasive female breast cancer diagnosed between 1988 and 1997 and registered in seven Swiss cancer registries covering a population of 3.5 million was analysed. Results: Comparing the two periods 1988-1992 and 1993-1997, age-standardized 5 year relative survival improved globally from 77% to 81%. Furthermore, multivariate analysis adjusting for age, tumour size and nodal involvement identified regional survival differences. Survival was lowest in the rural parts of German-speaking eastern Switzerland and highest in urbanised regions of the Latin- and German-speaking northwestern parts of the country. Conclusions: This study confirms that survival differences are present even in a small and affluent, but culturally diverse, country like Switzerland, raising the issue of heterogeneity in access to care and quality of treatmen

Women and Illegal Activities: Gender Differences and Women's Willingness to Comply Over Time

In recent years the topics of illegal activities such as corruption or tax evasion have attracted a great deal of attention. However, there is still a lack of substantial empirical evidence about the determinants of compliance. The aim of this paper is to investigate empirically whether women are more willing to be compliant than men and whether we observe (among women and in general) differences in attitudes among similar age groups in different time periods (cohort effect) or changing attitudes of the same cohorts over time (age effect) using data from eight Western European countries from the World Values Survey and the European Values Survey that span the period from 1981 to 1999. The results reveal higher willingness to comply among women and an age rather than a cohort effect. Working Paper 06-5