Acetaldehyde Removal from Indoor Air through Chemical Absorption Using L-Cysteine

The irreversible removal of acetaldehyde from indoor air via a chemical reaction with amino acids was investigated. To compare effectiveness, five types of amino acid (glycine, l-lysine, l-methionine, l-cysteine, and l-cystine) were used as the reactants. First, acetaldehyde-laden air was introduced into aqueous solutions of each amino acid and the removal abilities were compared. Among the five amino acids, l-cysteine solution showed much higher removal efficiency, while the other amino acids solutions didn’t show any significant differences from the removal efficiency of water used as a control. Next, as a test of the removal abilities of acetaldehyde by semi-solid l-cysteine, a gel containing l-cysteine solution was put in a fluororesin bag filled with acetaldehyde gas, and the change of acetaldehyde concentration was measured. The l-cysteine-containing gel removed 80% of the acetaldehyde in the air within 24 hours. The removal ability likely depended on the unique reaction whereby acetaldehyde and l-cysteine rapidly produce 2-methylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid. These results suggested that the reaction between acetaldehyde and l-cysteine has possibilities for irreversibly removing toxic acetaldehyde from indoor air

Flavor Physics and the CKM Matrix: An Overview

I review the current status of our knowledge of CP violation and flavor physics. I discuss where one should look for future improvements, and outline the experimental and theoretical priorities of the field.Comment: 11 pages. Presentation at the Fifth KEK Topical Conference, "Frontiers in Flavor Physics", November 20-22, 2001. References adde

Phenomenology from lattice QCD

After a short presentation of lattice QCD and some of its current practical limitations, I review recent progress in applications to phenomenology. Emphasis is placed on heavy-quark masses and on hadronic weak matrix elements relevant for constraining the CKM unitarity triangle. The main numerical results are highlighted in boxes.Comment: 18 pages, 14 postscript figures. Plenary talk at ICHEP 2002, 24-31 July 2002, Amsterdam, The Netherland

Mixing of B mesons and Decay Constants with the Non-Perturbatively Improved Action

Several quantities relevant to phenomenological studies of the mixing of neutral B mesons are computed on the lattice. Our main results are: f_{Bd} sqrt(B_{Bd})=206(28)(7) MeV, f_{Bs} sqrt(B_{Bs})/f_{Bd}sqrt(B_{Bd})=1.16(7). We also obtain the related quantities f_{Bs}sqrt(B{Bs})=237(18)(8) MeV, f_{Bd}= 174(22)(+7-0)(-4-0) MeV, f_{Bs}= 204(15)(+7-0)(+3-0) MeV, f_{Bs}/f_{Bd}=1.17(4)(+0-1), f_{Bd}/f_{Ds}=0.74(5). After combining our results with the experimental world average (Delta m_d), we predict (Delta m_s)=15.8(2.1)(3.3) ps^{-1}. We have also computed the relevant parameters for mixing of neutral D mesons which may be useful in some extensions of the Standard Model. All the quantities were obtained from a quenched simulation with a non-perturbatively improved Clover action at beta=6.2, corresponding to a lattice spacing 1/a=2.7(1) GeV, on a sample of 200 gauge-field configurations. A discussion of the main systematic errors is also presented.Comment: 21 pages (LaTeX2e), 5 PostScript figure

Standard Model Matrix Elements for Neutral B-Meson Mixing and Associated Decay Constants

We present results of quenched lattice calculations of the matrix elements relevant for B_d-\bar B_d and B_s-\bar B_s mixing in the Standard Model. Results for the corresponding SU(3)-breaking ratios, which can be used to constrain or determine |V_{td}|, are also given. The calculations are performed at two values of the lattice spacing, corresponding to \beta = 6.0 and \beta = 6.2, with quarks described by a mean-field-improved Sheikholeslami-Wohlert action. As a by-product, we obtain the leptonic decay constants of B and D mesons. We also present matrix elements relevant for D^0-\bar D^0 mixing. Our results are summarized in the Introduction.Comment: 27 pages (RevTeX), 26 figures, version published in Phys. Rev. D: improved estimate of the systematic error associated with the uncertainty on the strange quark mass and other small improvements to analysis (results change only slightly); correction of typos and minor changes to text; RevTeX formattin

Life and times:synthesis, trafficking, and evolution of VSG

Evasion of the acquired immune response in African trypanosomes is principally mediated by antigenic variation, the sequential expression of distinct variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) at extremely high density on the cell surface. Sequence diversity between VSGs facilitates escape of a subpopulation of trypanosomes from antibody-mediated killing. Significant advances have increased understanding of the mechanisms underpinning synthesis and maintenance of the VSG coat. In this review, we discuss the biosynthesis, trafficking, and turnover of VSG, emphasising those unusual mechanisms that act to maintain coat integrity and to protect against immunological attack. We also highlight new findings that suggest the presence of unique or highly divergent proteins that may offer therapeutic opportunities, as well as considering aspects of VSG biology that remain to be fully explored

Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy: The Role of Echocardiography

Echocardiography is widely used to carry out non-invasive cardiac evaluation at the bedside and provides useful real-time information about hemodynamics. It can also be used to diagnose a stress-induced cardiomyopathy and its complications such as shock, heart failure and apical thrombus. Early diagnosis and management are important to prevent possible complications, and short-term follow-up by echocardiography can readily determine the improvement in these abnormalities. In this brief review, we summarize the role of echocardiography in stress-induced cardiomyopathy, with a special focus on its benefits in the era of new emerging diagnostic technology

Bioadhesive Controlled Metronidazole Release Matrix Based on Chitosan and Xanthan Gum

Metronidazole, a common antibacterial drug, was incorporated into a hydrophilic polymer matrix composed of chitosan xanthan gum mixture. Hydrogel formation of this binary chitosan-xanthan gum combination was tested for its ability to control the release of metronidazole as a drug model. This preparation (MZ-CR) was characterized by in vitro, ex vivo bioadhesion and in vivo bioavailability study. For comparison purposes a commercial extended release formulation of metronidazole (CMZ) was used as a reference. The in vitro drug-release profiles of metronidazole preparation and CMZ were similar in 0.1 M HCl and phosphate buffer pH 6.8. Moreover, metronidazole preparation and CMZ showed a similar detachment force to sheep stomach mucosa, while the bioadhesion of the metronidazole preparation was higher three times than CMZ to sheep duodenum. The results of in vivo study indicated that the absorption of metronidazole from the preparation was faster than that of CMZ. Also, MZ-CR leads to higher metronidazole Cmax and AUC relative to that of the CMZ. This increase in bioavailability might be explained by the bioadhesion of the preparation at the upper part of the small intestine that could result in an increase in the overall intestinal transit time. As a conclusion, formulating chitosan-xanthan gum mixture as a hydrophilic polymer matrix resulted in a superior pharmacokinetic parameters translated by better rate and extent of absorption of metronidazole

Kinetoplastid Phylogenomics Reveals the Evolutionary Innovations Associated with the Origins of Parasitism

The evolution of parasitism is a recurrent event in the history of life and a core problem in evolutionary biology. Trypanosomatids are important parasites and include the human pathogens Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp., which in humans cause African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis, respectively. Genome comparison between trypanosomatids reveals that these parasites have evolved specialized cell-surface protein families, overlaid on a well-conserved cell template. Understanding how these features evolved and which ones are specifically associated with parasitism requires comparison with related non-parasites. We have produced genome sequences for Bodo saltans, the closest known non-parasitic relative of trypanosomatids, and a second bodonid, Trypanoplasma borreli. Here we show how genomic reduction and innovation contributed to the character of trypanosomatid genomes. We show that gene loss has “streamlined” trypanosomatid genomes, particularly with respect to macromolecular degradation and ion transport, but consistent with a widespread loss of functional redundancy, while adaptive radiations of gene families involved in membrane function provide the principal innovations in trypanosomatid evolution. Gene gain and loss continued during trypanosomatid diversification, resulting in the asymmetric assortment of ancestral characters such as peptidases between Trypanosoma and Leishmania, genomic differences that were subsequently amplified by lineage-specific innovations after divergence. Finally, we show how species-specific, cell-surface gene families (DGF-1 and PSA) with no apparent structural similarity are independent derivations of a common ancestral form, which we call “bodonin.” This new evidence defines the parasitic innovations of trypanosomatid genomes, revealing how a free-living phagotroph became adapted to exploiting hostile host environments