Hyaluronic Acid Inhibits Polycation Induced Cellular Responses

Positively charged macromolecules cause a variety of pathological events through their electrostatic interaction with anionic sites present on the membrane of target cells. In the present study we have investigated the effect of hyaluronic acid, a negatively charged molecule, on rat paw oedema induced by poly-L-lysine as well as on histamine release from rat mast cells and nitric oxide formation from rabbit aorta, both induced by this polycation. The results indicate that hyaluronic acid is able to suppress these poly-L-lysine induced effects with a mechanism which possibly depends on its negative charges which may balance the effects of positively charged polycations

SOFIA Program SE and I Lessons Learned

Once a "Troubled Project" threatened with cancellation, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Program has overcome many difficult challenges and recently achieved its first light images. To achieve success, SOFIA had to overcome significant deficiencies in fundamental Systems Engineering identified during a major Program restructuring. This presentation will summarize the lessons learn in Systems Engineering on the SOFIA Program. After the Program was reformulated, an initial assessment of Systems Engineering established the scope of the problem and helped to set a list of priorities that needed to be work. A revised Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) was written to address the new Program structure and requirements established in the approved NPR7123.1A. An important result of the "Technical Planning" effort was the decision by the Program and Technical Leadership team to re-phasing the lifecycle into increments. The reformed SOFIA Program Office had to quickly develop and establish several new System Engineering core processes including; Requirements Management, Risk Management, Configuration Management and Data Management. Implementing these processes had to consider the physical and cultural diversity of the SOFIA Program team which includes two Projects spanning two NASA Centers, a major German partnership, and sub-contractors located across the United States and Europe. The SOFIA Program experience represents a creative approach to doing "System Engineering in the middle" while a Program is well established. Many challenges were identified and overcome. The SOFIA example demonstrates it is never too late to benefit from fixing deficiencies in the System Engineering processes

Key indicators and information systems for the evaluation and planning of birthing hospital services

The evaluation, monitoring and management of hospital of birth services requires the availability of a set of information and tools able to orient decision making process, in order to ensure an adequate level of quality of services provided. Given the complexity of birth-related services, a set of indicators related with the multiple dimensions of healthcare quality are required; these include: volume of activity, complexity of birth, territorial distribution and residents-hospital distance, infrastructures, and inter-hospital transfers. The present Paper proposes an integrated system of indicators for the promotion and improvement of birth-related services in the Sicily region, which takes into account for the different dimensions of quality involved in the evaluation process. The proposed indicators can be monitored by local policy makers and healthcare responsible thanks to an easy-to-use information system. The proposed tools can complement existing guidelines in the planning and management of regional healthcare plans

5-ASA Suppositories in Hemorrhoidal Disease

Forty patients with active hemorrhoidal disease were entered into this double-blind trial, 20 of whom were randomized to treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) (500 mg) suppositories. Clinical and sigmoidoscopic assessment was carried out before the start of the trial and after two weeks of treatment. At the end of the study, 5-ASA suppositories showed results superior to those of placebo for all parameters evaluated (P<0.01). There were no adverse events reported related to the use of suppositories. 5-ASA suppositories are a valid therapeutic approach for hemorrhoidal disease as it reduces the intensity of all symptoms and significantly decreases congestion of the hemorrhoidal plexus

Therapy of Inflammatory Bowel Disease using 5-Aminosalicylic Acid, 4-Aminosalicylic Acid and Olsalazine Retention Enemas: Review of Clinical Trials

The knowledge that 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is the active compound of sulphasalazine and that it acts topically has stimulated the use of 5-ASA containing enemas and ocher similar compounds such as olsalazine and 4-aminosalicylic acid (4-ASA). 5-ASA enemas have been shown to be effective in controlling active disease in clinical trials and have also been shown to be of benefit in prevention of relapses. Olsalazine enemas have not demonstrated significantly better results than placebo 4-ASA enemas are effective but the results obtained have differed as to effective dos

Therapy of Inflammatory Bowel Disease using 5-Aminosalicylic Acid, 4-Aminosalicylic Acid and Olsalazine Retention Enemas: Review of Clinical Trials

The knowledge that 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is the active compound of sulphasalazine and that it acts topically has stimulated the use of 5-ASA containing enemas and ocher similar compounds such as olsalazine and 4-aminosalicylic acid (4-ASA). 5-ASA enemas have been shown to be effective in controlling active disease in clinical trials and have also been shown to be of benefit in prevention of relapses. Olsalazine enemas have not demonstrated significantly better results than placebo 4-ASA enemas are effective but the results obtained have differed as to effective dos

Scavenger effect of sulfasalazine, 5-aminosalicylic acid, and olsalazine on superoxide radical generation

The in vitro antioxidant capacity of sulfasalazine (SASP), its metabolites (SP, 5-SSA), and olsalazine (OAZ), was studied by evaluating their effects on superoxide (O2-•) production. Assay systems were the xanthine-xanthine oxidase (X/XOD) reaction and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), using the cytochrome c (cyt-c) reduction assay and a luminol-dependent chemiluminescence method. 5-ASA, SASP, and OAZ showed a dose-dependent scavenger effect in both O2-• generating systems, 5-ASA being the most powerful (&gt;50% of inhibition in the PMNs system and &gt;70% in the X/XOD system at 10 μM concentration). SP had an inhibitory effect only in the PMNs system but did not modify the activity of xanthine oxidase, thus excluding a scavenger action. These data suggest that the scavenger effect of 5-ASA, SASP, and OAZ may be an important mechanism of action. © 1991 Plenum Publishing Corporation