Growth, growth axis and body composition before and after use of growth hormone in children with chronic renal failure.

The studies in this thesis were designed to elucidate the role of clinical and endocrinological factors in the growth suppression that is a recognised feature of chronic renal failure (CRF) and renal transplantation, and to determine whether the mechanism of action of recombinant growth hormone (rhGH) is by improving endocrine disturbances or via a direct anabolic effect. Endocrine parameters (IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF bioactivity, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2, IGFBP-3, ALS, insulin and c-peptide) were studied in 3 groups of children - those with renal transplants and those with reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR), moderate and severe. Clinical variables (age, gender, body mass index - BMI), aetiology of renal failure, steroid dose and renal modality - (CRF/ transplant/ dialysis) were also included in the analysis. All 3 groups had elevated mean IGF-II, IGFBP-2 and -3 levels. IGF-I levels, although in the normal range, would be considered low in this population as GH levels are elevated. IGF-II and ALS had a significant positive influence on growth, whilst renal modality, age, steroid treatment and duration of dialysis all had a significantly negative effect. Collectively these parameters explained 38.4% of the variability in height (Ht) standard deviation score (SDS) in the population studied. Of all the parameters studied, only transplantation had a significant influence on Ht velocity (Vel) SDS. This was positive and accounted for 26% of the variability in Ht Vel SDS. Protein turnover was measured in 8 fasting children (4 CRF, 4 transplant) using stable isotopes (13C) incorporated into leucine. Turnover was lower at baseline, and remained so despite any increases with rhGH treatment, in transplanted children compared with those with CRF. The body mass index of transplanted children who were on steroid treatment was higher, but their resting energy expenditure (REE) was lower than CRF patients. RhGH improved growth rate, arm muscle area and REE significantly whilst fat area decreased. C-peptide and IGFBP-3 showed a more consistent increase than IGF-I whilst IGFBP-1 decreased with rhGH. The studied parameters can only partially explain the observed variability in growth rate suggesting the involvement of other factors. RhGH has anabolic effects which are apparent despite variation in endocrine responses between individuals. This variation could be attributed to differing levels of resistance to the actions of hormones

Evaluation of Combustion Processes for Production of Feedstock Chemicals from Ammonium Sulfate and Ammonium Bisulfate

The combustion of ammonium bisulfate and ammonium sulfate solutions in hydrocarbon/air flames was studied under varied flame conditions. The objective of the study was to optimize the recovery of sulfur value from aqueous waste streams containing these salts. Combustion of ammonium sulfates yielded different sulfur species such as sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbonyl sulfide (COS). The types of sulfur species obtained and their yields were dependent on the flame stoichiometry. When combustion was carried out in stochiometric flames or in flames with excess oxygen, the sulfur present in the salts was quantitatively converted to SO2 . However, these flames also produced nitrogen oxides (NOx ) above the 200ppm level. Combustion of ammonium sulfates in the sub-stoichiometric (oxygen-deficient) flames resulted in the formation of reduced sulfur species, particularly H2S. This species accounted for nearly 90% of the total sulfur present in the salts. Introduction of a secondary air stream in cooler regions of the combustor led to quantitative oxidation of H2 S and other reduced species such as COS to SO2. The SO2 obtained through the secondary oxidation contained nitrogen oxides at comparably lower levels

Short Communications - Two recent records of Cassin’s Hawk Eagle Spizaetus africanus from Imenti Forest, Kenya

No Abstrac

Bis(di-n-butoxyphosphato) cobalt (II) & Its Complexes with Lewis Bases

500-50

Methodology for input data modelling in the simulation of manufacturing systems.

Computer simulation is a well-established decision support tool in manufacturing industry. However, factors such as wrong conceptualisation, inefficient input data modelling, inadequate verification and validation, poorly planned experimentation and lengthy model documentation inhibit the rapid development and deployment of simulation models. A serious limitation among the above factors is inefficient data modelling. Typically, more than one third of project time is spent on identification, collection, validation and analysis of input data.This study investigated potential problems which influence inefficient data modelling. On the basis of a detailed analysis of data modelling problems, the study recommends a methodology to address many of these difficulties. The proposed methodology, discussed in this thesis, is called MMOD (Methodology for Modelling Of input Data). An activity module library and a reference data model, both developed using the IDEF family of constructs, are the core elements of the methodology. The methodology provides guidance on the best way of implementation and provide a tool kit to accelerate the data modelling exercise. It assists the modeller to generate a customised data model (entity model), according to the knowledge gained from the conceptualisation phase of the simulation project. The resulting customised data model can then be converted into a relational database which shows how the entities and relationships will be transformed into an actual database implementation. The application of the MMOD through simulation life cycle also enables the modeller to deal with important phases in the simulation project, such as system investigation, problems and objective definitions and the level of detail definitions. A sample production cell with different level of detail has been used to illustrate the use of the methodology. In addition, a number of useful methods of data collection and the benefits of using a MMOD approach to support these methods and data rationalisation which accelerates the data collection exercise are also covered. The aim of data rationalisation is to reduce the volume of input data needed by simulation models. This work develops two useful data rationalisation methods which accelerate the data collection exercise and reduce the model complexity. This work produced a novel approach to support input data modelling in simulation of manufacturing system. This method is particularly useful when the complex systems are modelled

Polymicrobial periodontal disease triggers a wide radius of effect and unique virome.

Periodontal disease is a microbially-mediated inflammatory disease of tooth-supporting tissues that leads to bone and tissue loss around teeth. Although bacterially-mediated mechanisms of alveolar bone destruction have been widely studied, the effects of a polymicrobial infection on the periodontal ligament and microbiome/virome have not been well explored. Therefore, the current investigation introduced a new mouse model of periodontal disease to examine the effects of a polymicrobial infection on periodontal ligament (PDL) properties, changes in bone loss, the host immune response, and the microbiome/virome using shotgun sequencing. Periodontal pathogens, namely Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia, and Fusobacterium nucleatum were used as the polymicrobial oral inoculum in BALB/cByJ mice. The polymicrobial infection triggered significant alveolar bone loss, a heightened antibody response, an elevated cytokine immune response, a significant shift in viral diversity and virome composition, and a widening of the PDL space; the latter two findings have not been previously reported in periodontal disease models. Changes in the PDL space were present at sites far away from the site of insult, indicating that the polymicrobial radius of effect extends beyond the bone loss areas and site of initial infection and wider than previously appreciated. Associations were found between bone loss, specific viral and bacterial species, immune genes, and PDL space changes. These findings may have significant implications for the pathogenesis of periodontal disease and biomechanical properties of the periodontium. This new polymicrobial mouse model of periodontal disease in a common mouse strain is useful for evaluating the features of periodontal disease

Disease-associated fibronectin matrix fragments trigger anoikis of human primary ligament cells: p53 and c-myc are suppressed

Inflammation in periodontal disease is characterized by the breakdown of the extracellular matrix. This study shows that an inflammation-associated matrix breakdown fragment of fibronectin (FN) induces anoikis of human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells. This 40 kDa fragment was identified in human inflammatory crevicular fluid and is associated with disease status. Previously, we reported that a similar recombinant FN fragment triggered apoptosis of PDL cells by an alternate apoptotic signaling pathway that requires transcriptional downregulation of p53 and c-myc. Thus, to determine whether the physiologically relevant 40 kDa fragment triggers apoptosis in these cells, the 40 kDa fragment was generated and studied for its apoptotic properties. The 40 kDa fragment induces apoptosis of PDL cells, and preincubation of cells with intact vitronectin, FN, and to a limited extent collagen I, rescue this apoptotic phenotype. These data suggest that the 40 kDa fragment prevents PDL cell spreading, thereby inducing anoikis. The signaling pathway also involves a downregulation in p53 and c-myc, as determined by Western blotting and real time quantitative PCR. These data indicate that an altered FN matrix as is elaborated in inflammation induces anoikis of resident cells and thus may contribute to disease progression.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44344/1/10495_2005_Article_1880.pd

Staging of lung cancer in a tertiary care setting in Sri Lanka, using TNM 7th edition. A comparison against TNM6

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Sri Lanka and throughout the world. The latest staging system for lung cancer is the tumor node metastasis (TNM) 7^thedition in which there are major changes to the previous version. The objective of our study was to find out the implications of TNM7^thedition on lung cancer staging in a resource limited setting, and to compare it with the previous TNM 6^thedition.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients with histologically proven lung cancer consecutively presented to respiratory unit of Teaching Hospital Kandy, Sri Lanka were recruited to the study over a period of one year from April 2010 to March 2011. They were staged using CT, ultrasound scan of abdomen, bronchoscopy and CT spine and brain when necessary. Staging was done using TNM 7 as well as TNM6. Surgical or non-surgical treatment arms were decided on staging and the number of patients in each treatment arm was compared between the two staging systems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of 62 patients, thirty four patients (54%) had metastatic disease and 19 (30%) of them had pleural effusions (M1a), while 15 (24%) had distant metastasis (M1b). When compared to TNM6 there was no difference in the number of patients in T1 category, but the number in T2 was higher in TNM7 (25 Vs 20). Similarly the number in T3 group was higher in TNM7 (11 Vs 5) and the number in M category was doubled (34 Vs 17 [Chi-6.46, <it>p </it>= 0.011]) compared to TNM 6. The number of patients suitable for surgery were 17(27.5%) in TNM 7 and 18(29%) [Chi-0.02, <it>p </it>= 0.88] in TNM6.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows that a significant proportion of patients were having advanced disease with distant metastasis on presentation. The number of patients falling to stage IV is significantly higher when staged with TNM7 but there was no significant difference in the number of patients undergoing surgery when TNM 7 was used compared to TNM6.</p

Scaling, Propagation, and Kinetic Roughening of Flame Fronts in Random Media

We introduce a model of two coupled reaction-diffusion equations to describe the dynamics and propagation of flame fronts in random media. The model incorporates heat diffusion, its dissipation, and its production through coupling to the background reactant density. We first show analytically and numerically that there is a finite critical value of the background density, below which the front associated with the temperature field stops propagating. The critical exponents associated with this transition are shown to be consistent with mean field theory of percolation. Second, we study the kinetic roughening associated with a moving planar flame front above the critical density. By numerically calculating the time dependent width and equal time height correlation function of the front, we demonstrate that the roughening process belongs to the universality class of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang interface equation. Finally, we show how this interface equation can be analytically derived from our model in the limit of almost uniform background density.Comment: Standard LaTeX, no figures, 29 pages; (to appear in J. Stat. Phys. vol.81, 1995). Complete file available at http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/tft/tft.html or anonymous ftp at ftp://rock.helsinki.fi/pub/preprints/tft