Nitrite formulations and their use as nitric oxide prodrugs

Compositions comprising from about 40 weight parts to about 1000 weight parts of a botanical nitrate source; from about 20 weight parts to about 500 weight parts of a botanical source of nitrite reduction activity; and from about 4 weight parts to about 100 weight parts of a nitrite salt. Use of the composition in methods of reducing triglycerides or reducing C-reactive protein levels are also provided.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Nitric oxide and its metabolites in the critical phase of illness: rapid biomarkers in the making

The potential of nitric oxide (NO) as a rapid assay biomarker, one that could provide a quantum leap in acute care, remains largely untapped. NO plays a crucial role as bronchodilator, vasodilator and inflammatory mediator. The main objective of this review is to demonstrate how NO is a molecule of heavy interest in various acute disease states along the emergency department and critical care spectrum: respiratory infections, central nervous system infections, asthma, acute kidney injury, sepsis, septic shock, and myocardial ischemia, to name just a few. We discuss how NO and its oxidative metabolites, nitrite and nitrate, are readily detectable in several body compartments and fluids, and as such they are associated with many of the pathophysiological processes mentioned above. With methods such as high performance liquid chromatography and chemiluminescence these entities are relatively easy and inexpensive to analyze. Emphasis is placed on diagnostic rapidity, as this relates directly to quality of care in acute care situations. Further, a rationale is provided for more bench, translational and clinical research in the field of NO biomarkers for such settings. Developing standard protocols for the aforementioned disease states, centered on concentrations of NO and its metabolites, can prove to revolutionize diagnostics and prognostication along a spectrum of clinical care. We present a strong case for developing these biomarkers more as point-of-care assays with potential of color gradient test strips for rapid screening of disease entities in acute care and beyond. This will be relevant to global health

Hysteresis in the Active Oxidation of SiC

Si and SiC show both passive oxidation behavior where a protective film of SiO2 forms and active oxidation behavior where a volatile suboxide SiO(g) forms. The active-to-passive and passive-to-active oxidation transitions are explored for both Si and SiC. Si shows a dramatic difference between the P(O2) for the two transitions of ~10-4 bar. The active-to-passive transition is controlled by the condition for SiO2/Si equilibrium and the passive-to-active transition is controlled by the decomposition of SiO2. In the case of SiC, the P(O2) for these transitions are much closer. The active-to-passive transition appears to be controlled by the condition for SiO2/SiC equilibrium. The passive-to-active transition appears to be controlled by the interfacial reaction of SiC and SiO2 and subsequent generation of gases at the interface which leads to scale breakdown

Active Oxidation of SiC

The high temperature oxidation of silicon carbide occurs in either a passive or active mode, depending on temperature and oxygen potential. Passive oxidation forms a protective oxide film which limits attack of the SiC:SiC(s) + 3/2 O2(g) = SiO2(s) + CO(g.) Active oxidation forms a volatile oxide and leads to extensive attack of the SiC: SiC(s) + O2(g) = SiO(g) + CO(g). The transition points and rates of active oxidation are a major issue. Previous studies are reviewed and the leading theories of passive/active transitions summarized. Comparisons are made to the active/passive transitions in pure Si, which are relatively well-understood. Critical questions remain about the difference between the active-to-passive transition and passive-to-active transition. For Si, Wagner [2] points out that the active-to-passive transition is governed by the criterion for a stable Si/SiO2 equilibria and the passive-to-active transition is governed by the decomposition of the SiO2 film. This suggests a significant oxygen potential difference between these two transitions and our experiments confirm this. For Si, the initial stages of active oxidation are characterized by the formation of SiO(g) and further oxidation to SiO2(s) as micron-sized rods, with a distinctive morphology. SiC shows significant differences. The active-to-passive and the passive-to-active transitions are close. The SiO2 rods only appear as the passive film breaks down. These differences are explained in terms of the reactions at the SiC/SiO2 interface. In order to understand the breakdown of the passive film, pre-oxidation experiments are conducted. These involve forming dense protective scales of 0.5, 1, and 2 microns and then subjecting the samples with these scales to a known active oxidation environment. Microstructural studies show that SiC/SiO2 interfacial reactions lead to a breakdown of the scale with a distinct morphology

Natural Product Nitric Oxide Chemistry: New Activity of Old Medicines

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a therapy and preventative care measure for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) may prove to be beneficial when used in conjunction with or in place of conventional medicine. However, the lack of understanding of a mechanism of action of many CAMs limits their use and acceptance in western medicine. We have recently recognized and characterized specific nitric oxide (NO) activity of select alternative and herbal medicines that may account for many of their reported health benefits. The ability of certain CAM to restore NO homeostasis both through enhancing endothelial production of NO and by providing a system for reducing nitrate and nitrite to NO as a compensatory pathway for repleting NO bioavailability may prove to be a safe and cost-effective strategy for combating CVD. We will review the current state of science behind NO activity of herbal medicines and their effects on CVD

Low-density series expansions for directed percolation I: A new efficient algorithm with applications to the square lattice

A new algorithm for the derivation of low-density series for percolation on directed lattices is introduced and applied to the square lattice bond and site problems. Numerical evidence shows that the computational complexity grows exponentially, but with a growth factor \lambda < \protect{\sqrt[8]{2}}, which is much smaller than the growth factor \lambda = \protect{\sqrt[4]{2}} of the previous best algorithm. For bond (site) percolation on the directed square lattice the series has been extended to order 171 (158). Analysis of the series yields sharper estimates of the critical points and exponents.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures (3 of them > 1Mb

Evidence for the Direct Detection of the Thermal Spectrum of the Non-Transiting Hot Gas Giant HD 88133 b

We target the thermal emission spectrum of the non-transiting gas giant HD 88133 b with high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy, by treating the planet and its host star as a spectroscopic binary. For sufficiently deep summed flux observations of the star and planet across multiple epochs, it is possible to resolve the signal of the hot gas giant's atmosphere compared to the brighter stellar spectrum, at a level consistent with the aggregate shot noise of the full data set. To do this, we first perform a principal component analysis to remove the contribution of the Earth's atmosphere to the observed spectra. Then, we use a cross-correlation analysis to tease out the spectra of the host star and HD 88133 b to determine its orbit and identify key sources of atmospheric opacity. In total, six epochs of Keck NIRSPEC L band observations and three epochs of Keck NIRSPEC K band observations of the HD 88133 system were obtained. Based on an analysis of the maximum likelihood curves calculated from the multi-epoch cross correlation of the full data set with two atmospheric models, we report the direct detection of the emission spectrum of the non-transiting exoplanet HD 88133 b and measure a radial projection of the Keplerian orbital velocity of 40 $\pm$ 15 km/s, a true mass of 1.02$^{+0.61}_{-0.28}M_J$, a nearly face-on orbital inclination of 15${^{+6}_{-5}}^{\circ}$, and an atmosphere opacity structure at high dispersion dominated by water vapor. This, combined with eleven years of radial velocity measurements of the system, provides the most up-to-date ephemeris for HD 88133.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in Ap

Neutron Correlations in the Decay of the First Excited State of 11Li

The decay of unbound excited 11Li was measured after being populated by a two-proton removal from a 13B beam at 71 MeV/nucleon. Decay energy spectra and Jacobi plots were obtained from measurements of the momentum vectors of the 9Li fragment and neutrons. A resonance at an excitation energy of ∼1.2 MeV was observed. The kinematics of the decay are equally well fit by a simple dineutron-like model or a phase-space model that includes final state interactions. A sequential decay model can be excluded

The transcriptional program underlying the physiology of clostridial sporulation

A detailed microarray analysis of transcription during sporulation of the strict anaerobe and endospore former Clostridium acetobutylicum is presented