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Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) trigger symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fructan degradation during bread making reduces FODMAPs in bread while maintaining the content of dietary fiber. This study explored the presence of the fructanases FruA in lactobacilli and characterized its use in bread making. FruA was exclusively present in vertebrate-adapted lactobacilli. In Lactobacillus crispatusDSM29598, FruA was located in cell wall fractions and includes a SLAP domain. FruA hydrolyzed levan or inulin; expression of fruAwas not subject to catabolite repression. Fructans in bread were reduced by less than 50% in a straight dough process; conventional sourdough fermentation reduced fructans in bread by 65–70%. Sourdough fermentation with L. crispatusreduced fructans in bread by more than 90%. In conclusion, reduction of FODMAP by sourdough fermentation may improve tolerance in many IBS patients. Fermentation with FruA-expressing L. crispatusDSM29598 produces a low FODMAP bread.

The baking properties of oats are poor, mainly due to the lack of gluten matrix and hence the surface properties of the aqueous phase are crucial for the gas retention in oat dough. Our aim was to study the composition and foaming properties of the water-soluble fraction from differently processed oats. A water extract from kilned oats contained nonpolar triglycerides and had poor foaming properties, whereas removing lipids with hexane extraction improved the foaming capacity and foam stability. A water extract from supercritical carbon dioxide extracted oats (CO2-oats) was free from nonpolar lipids and had good foam stability and excellent foaming capacity. Moreover, oat lipid-binding proteins, tryptophanins, were highly concentrated in the CO2-oats-derived foam and apparently played an important role in the foam structure. Supplementing CO2-oats extract with small quantities (<0.05%) of nonpolar lipids of oats destructed its foaming properties. In a preliminary baking trial, the addition of the nonpolar lipids to CO2-oats and wheat-starch-based baking recipes resulted in baked goods with reduced volume. The study showed that nonpolar triglycerides were present in the aqueous phase of oat in a quantity that impaired foaming. Moreover, this was the first study showing that tryptophanins, lipid-binding proteins of oats, were highly concentrated in foams prepared of oats free of water-extractable nonpolar lipids. In conclusion, tryptophanins can be considered as the foam-active proteins of oats that prevent the lipid-induced destabilization of foam structures which could improve the baking properties of oats.

Objectives: The radial artery is widely used as a graft in coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Due to its location and function it should be screened prior to harvesting to avoid ischaemic complications of the hand. In acute situations the Allen test is often the only preoperative screening method available. As has been noted earlier, a negative Allen test does not mean a non-harvestable radial artery. We endeavoured to find out whether intraoperative pressure measurement could be used as a complement while screening the radial artery.Design: Ninety patients planned for elective CABG with radial artery as a conduit were examined preoperatively with the Allen test, handheld Doppler and pletysmography of the second and fourth digits. Radial artery pressure was measured intraoperatively. Symptom scale was recorded pre- and postoperatively.Results: There were ten patients with a positive Allen test. The intraoperative index of radial artery pressures was 0.868 in the Allen positive group and 0.885 in the Allen negative group with no statistically significant difference (P value .68). Tolerance of exercise and cold was significantly impaired postoperatively, P values .002 and .001 respectively. No ischaemic complications occurred.Conclusions: Intraoperative pressure measurement can be used when screening radial arteries are to be harvested and no metric preoperative screening methods are available.

Three hundred and two patients were evaluated for the EuroSCORE risk and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during three years after CABG as assessed by the 15D instrument. Both additive and logistic EuroSCORE correlated significantly with the 15D score at 6, 18 and 36 months. A clinically important increase > or =0.03 in the 15D score was achieved by 50.6% of patients at 6 months, 40.0% at 18 months and 35.9% at 36 months. The rates were similar among patients with increasing EuroSCORE at 6 and 18 months, but tended to decrease at 36 months in the highest EuroSCORE group (EuroSCORE 0-2: 46.8%; 3-5: 34.8%; and 6-14: 33.3%, respectively, P=0.13). Both additive (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, AUC: 0.582, P=0.024) and logistic EuroSCORE (AUC: 0.575, P=0.039) were predictors of a significant increase of the 15D score. The best cut-off value of the additive EuroSCORE for prediction of a clinically important improvement of the 15D score during 3-year follow-up was 3, as 46.7% of patients with EuroSCORE 0-3 and 30.1% of patients with a score >3 (P=0.006) improved clinically. The present study showed that the EuroSCORE also predicts long-term HRQoL after CABG.

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) or condensed tannins are a major group of phenolic compounds in the leaves of birch trees and many other woody and herbaceous plants. These compounds constitute a significant allocation of carbon in leaves and are involved in plant responses to environmental stress factors, such as pathogens or herbivores. In some plants, PA concentrations are affected by atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) levels that may influence, for example, species fitness, community structure, or ecosystem nutrient cycling. Therefore, a study on the quantitative response of PAs to elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) was undertaken in seedlings of Betula platyphylla, Betula ermanii, and Fagus crenata. Seedlings were exposed to ambient or elevated O3and CO2levels during two growing seasons in the Kanto district in Japan. Ten open-top chambers were used for five different treatments with two replicates: filtered air (FA), ambient air (ambient O3, 43 ppb; ambient CO2, 377 ppm), elevated O3(1.5 × ambient O3, 66 ppb), elevated CO2(1.5 × ambient CO2, 544 ppm), and elevated O3and CO2combined. In addition, seedlings growing in natural conditions outside of chambers were studied. Leaf samples were analyzed for total PA concentrations by butanol–HCl assay and for polymeric PA concentrations by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Total PA concentrations in leaves of all species were similarly affected by different treatments. They were significantly higher in seedlings treated with elevated CO2and O3combined, and in seedlings growing outside chambers compared with the FA controls. F. crenatacontained only traces of polymeric PAs, but significant species × treatment interaction was observed in the polymeric PA concentrations in B. ermaniiand B. platyphylla. In B. platyphylla, leaves treated with elevated CO2+ O3differed significantly from all other treatments. It was suggested that the strongest effect of elevated CO2and O3combined on leaf PA contents resulted from the additive effect of these environmental factors on phenolic biosynthesis.Proanthocyanidins (PAs) or condensed tannins are a major group of phenolic compounds in the leaves of birch trees and many other woody and herbaceous plants. These compounds constitute a significant allocation of carbon in leaves and are involved in plant responses to environmental stress factors, such as pathogens or herbivores. In some plants, PA concentrations are affected by atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) levels that may influence, for example, species fitness, community structure, or ecosystem nutrient cycling. Therefore, a study on the quantitative response of PAs to elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) was undertaken in seedlings of Betula platyphylla, Betula ermanii, and Fagus crenata. Seedlings were exposed to ambient or elevated O3and CO2levels during two growing seasons in the Kanto district in Japan. Ten open-top chambers were used for five different treatments with two replicates: filtered air (FA), ambient air (ambient O3, 43 ppb; ambient CO2, 377 ppm), elevated O3(1.5 × ambient O3, 66 ppb), elevated CO2(1.5 × ambient CO2, 544 ppm), and elevated O3and CO2combined. In addition, seedlings growing in natural conditions outside of chambers were studied. Leaf samples were analyzed for total PA concentrations by butanol–HCl assay and for polymeric PA concentrations by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Total PA concentrations in leaves of all species were similarly affected by different treatments. They were significantly higher in seedlings treated with elevated CO2and O3combined, and in seedlings growing outside chambers compared with the FA controls. F. crenatacontained only traces of polymeric PAs, but significant species × treatment interaction was observed in the polymeric PA concentrations in B. ermaniiand B. platyphylla. In B. platyphylla, leaves treated with elevated CO2+ O3differed significantly from all other treatments. It was suggested that the strongest effect of elevated CO2and O3combined on leaf PA contents resulted from the additive effect of these environmental factors on phenolic biosynthesis.

Rye sourdough (RSD) gives rye bread mildly acidic taste and desired flavor. Flavor precursors (amino acids and small peptides) are generated in the proteolytic breakdown of rye proteins. Our aim was to study the protein degradation during RSD fermentations. Two sourdoughs were prepared of flours derived from two rye cultivars (Amilo and Akusti). RSD samples were collected during fermentations. Three protein fractions were obtained by sequential protein extraction and these were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Free amino nitrogen (FAN) was measured with a ninhydrin method. In addition, two rye incubations without starter microorganisms (with antibiotics) were made at pH 3.6 and 6.1, and proteinase profiles of the rye cultivars were analyzed at pH 4.3. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that during RSD fermentations, rye proteins, especially the alcohol-soluble secalins, were degraded. Secalins also evidently degraded during the incubation without starter microorganisms at pH 3.6. Aspartic proteinases were in the major proteinase group in both rye cultivars. This study confirms that endogenous proteinases of rye, mainly aspartic proteinases, hydrolyze rye proteins, especially secalins, during RSD fermentation. Protein degradation in rye sourdoughs may thus be enhanced by selecting rye flours with high proteolytic activity toward secalins.

Abstract Phlorotannins are ubiquitous secondary metabolites in brown algae that are phenotypically plastic and suggested to have multiple ecological roles. Traditionally, phlorotannins have been quantified as total soluble phlorotannins. Here, we modify a quantification procedure to measure, for the first time, the amount of cell-wall-bound phlorotannins. We also optimize the quantification of soluble phlorotannins. We use these methods to study the responses of soluble and cell-wall-bound phlorotannin to nutrient enrichment in growing and nongrowing parts of the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus . We also examine the effects of nutrient shortage and herbivory on the rate of phlorotannin exudation. Concentrations of cell-wall-bound phlorotannins were much lower than concentrations of soluble phlorotannins; we also found that nutrient treatment over a period of 41 days affected only soluble phlorotannins. Concentrations of each phlorotannin type correlated positively between growing and nongrowing parts of individual seaweeds. However, within nongrowing thalli, soluble and cell-wall-bound phlorotannins were negatively correlated, whereas within growing thalli there was no correlation. Phlorotannins were exuded from the thallus in all treatments. Herbivory increased exudation, while a lack of nutrients had no effect on exudation. Because the amount of cell-wall-bound phlorotannins is much smaller than the amount of soluble phlorotannins, the major function of phlorotannins appears to be a secondary one.

Bakeries use sourdoughs to improve bread properties such as flavor and shelf life. The degradation of gluten proteins during fermentation may, however, crucially alter the gluten network formation. We observed changes that occurred in the HMW glutenins during wheat sourdough fermentations. As fermentation starters, we used either rye sourdough or pure cultures of lactobacilli and yeast. In addition, we incubated wheat flour (WF) in the presence of antibiotics under different pH conditions. The proteolytic activities of cereal and sourdough-derived proteinases were studied with edestin and casein. During sourdough fermentations, most of the highly polymerized HMW glutenins degraded. A new area of alcohol-soluble proteins (˜30.000 MW) appeared as a result of the proteolytic breakdown of gluten proteins. Very similar changes were observable as WF was incubated in the presence of antibiotics at pH 3.7. Cereal and sourdough-derived proteinases hydrolyzed edestin at pH 3.5 but showed no activity at pH 5.5. An aspartic proteinase inhibitor (pepstatin A) arrested 88–100% of the activities of sourdough enzymes. According to these results, the most active proteinases in wheat sourdoughs were the cereal aspartic proteinases. Acidic conditions present in sourdoughs create an ideal environment for cereal aspartic proteinases to be active against gluten proteins.

Background and Aims: Stroke has remained one of the most frustrating complications in coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence and correlates of stroke in CABG patients operated on in a hospital with low annual volume of open-heart surgery procedures. The aim was moreover to clarify subsequent outcome and self-reported satisfaction-based quality of life of patients who had experienced a stroke.Material and Methods: The material was a cohort of 1318 consecutive CABG patients operated on over a 6-year period. Data was collected prospectively but the final analysis was retrospective. Questionnaires supplemented the estimation of survival and subsequent functional status.Results: The incidence of stroke was 2.6 %. Age >70 years, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), cerebral vascular disease (CVD), number of aortic anastomoses and significant atherosclerosis of the ascending aorta were univariate predictors of stroke. Postoperative stroke was experienced in 55.9 of cases delayed appearing from 2ndpostoperative day on. Stroke patients had a higher rate of mortality (14.7 % vs. 1.0 %, p = 0.001) and poorer survival than no-stroke patients (82.4 % and 97.4 % at one year and 61.2 % and 89.7 % at six years, p < 0.001).Conclusions: The incidence of stroke seems to be on the same level in CABG patients from a low volume hospital as in reports from centres with a high volume of annual procedures. Stroke predicts higher mortality, longer intensive care unit (ICU) stay, longer hospitalisation and poorer survival. A relatively high number of stroke patients need permanent institutional care. Satisfaction-based quality of life in CABG patients also remains on a lower level in comparison to patients without neurological complications.

Background and Aims: Understanding and objective assessment of risks is crucial in cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) on morbidity, mortality and outcome in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients.Material and Methods: The ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) was used as indicator of PVD and was measured in 178 CABG patients. Two groups were established: 1. normal ABPI (0.9–1.3) (n = 136) and 2. lowered ABPI (< 0.9) (n = 35). The mean follow-up was 26 months.Results: The presence of PVD was 20.5 %. Patients with PVD were older (p < 0.05), more often of female sex (p < 0.05), had higher Higgins's risk score (p = 0.001) and more often intermittent claudication (IC) (p < 0.001). PVD significantly predicted atrial fibrillation (FA) (p < 0.05) and relatively postoperative myocardial infarction (MI) (p = 0.058).Conclusions: The presence of PVD is relatively high in CABG patients and increases with age. PVD predicts some morbidity but seems to have fairly little influence on short-term or middle-term outcome of CABG patients. ABPI may be of only limited value in identifying patients with high operative risk in CABG.

Abstract. Four cultivars of red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) were evaluated with respect to their betalain and phenolic contents. The compounds were analysed using HPLC and identified by HPLC-DAD, HPLC-ESI-MS and NMR techniques. Betalains (vulgaxanthins I and II, betanin and isobetanin) and phenolics [5,5',6,6'-tetrahydroxy-3,3'-biindolyl, feruloylglucose and β-D-fructofuranosyl-α-D-(6-O-(E)-feruloylglucopyranoside)] were determined in different parts of the root; betalains were analysed separately in the water extract and phenolics in the fractionated 80% aqueous methanol extract (betalain-free water fraction). In each cultivar, both betanin and isobetanin were found in greater amounts in the peel than in the flesh. A similar trend was not observed in the distribution of vulgaxanthins. The three studied phenolics appeared in all root parts of the beetroot cultivars with the flesh generally containing the least content. Additionally, two phenolic amides (N-trans-feruloyltyramine and N-trans-feruloylhomovanillylamine) and four flavonoids (betagarin, betavulgarin, cochliophilin A and dihydroisorhamnetin) were detected in the fractionated 80% aqueous methanol peel extracts (acetonitrile fraction) of beetroot.

The biodegradation of 3,4, 2,4, 2,3, 2,6 and 3,5-di-methylphenol in combination with phenol andp-cresol by axenic and mixed cultures of bacteria was investigated. The strains, which degrade phenol andp-cresol through different catabolic pathways, were isolated from river water continuously polluted with phenolic compounds of leachate of oil shale semicoke ash heaps. The proper research of degradation of 2,4 and 3,4-di-methylphenol in multinutrient environments was performed. The degradation of phenolic compounds from mixtures indicated a flux of substrates into different catabolic pathways. Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity was induced by dimethylphenols inPseudomonas mendocinaPC1, wheremetacleavage pathway was functional during the degradation ofp-cresol. In the case of strains PC18 and PC24 ofP. fluorescens, the degradation ofp-cresol occurred via the protocatechuateorthopathway and the key enzyme of this pathway,p-cresol methylhydroxylase, was also induced by dimethylphenols. 2,4 and 3,4-dimethylphenols were converted into the dead-end products 4-hydroxy-3-methylbenzoic acid and 4-hydroxy-2-methylbenzoic acid. In the degradation of 3,4-dimethylphenol, the transient accumulation of 4-hydroxy-2-methylbenzaldehyde repressed the consumption of phenol from substrate mixtures. A mixed culture of strains with different catabolic types made it possible to overcome the incompatibilities at degradation of studied substrate mixtures.

A compound of unusual structure was isolated from red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) peel extract and identified as 5,5' ,6,6'-tetrahydroxy-3,3'-biindolyl based on the combination of NMR and MS studies.

The extraction of red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) peel betalains and phenolics was compared with two extraction methods and solvents. The content of total phenolics in the extracts was determined according to a modification of the Folin-Ciocalteu method and expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). The profiles of extracts were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The compounds of beetroot peel extracted with 80% aqueous methanol were characterised from separated fractions using HPLC- diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and HPLC- electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) techniques. The extraction methods and the choice of solvent affected noticeably the content of individual compounds in the extract. The betalains found in beetroot peel extract were vulgaxanthin I, vulgaxanthin II, indicaxanthin, betanin, prebetanin, isobetanin and neobetanin. Also cyclodopa glucoside, N-formylcyclodopa glucoside, glucoside of dihydroxyindolcarboxylic acid, betalamic acid, ?-tryptophan, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and traces of unidentified flavonoids were detected.

The response of phenolic compounds as a result of long-term low open-field ozone exposure was studied in ozone-sensitive and ozone-tolerant clones of European silver birch (Betula pendula Roth). The saplings were exposed to 1.5–1.6 times the ambient (elevated) ozone and ambient air (as control) over three growing seasons from May 1996 until August 1998. Quantification by modified Folin-Ciocalteau assay showed a 16.2% increase in total phenolics in elevated ozone plants as compared to that in controls and a corresponding 9.9% increase of 10 phenolic compounds quantified by HPLC. Five nonflavonoids and five flavonoids showed 8.4% and 11.4% increases, respectively. The phenolic results indicated slightly higher ozone sensitivity of clone 5 as compared to clone 2. The most ozone-responsive phenolic compounds in clone 2 and clone 5 were (+)-catechin (CT), chlorogenic acid (CGA), 5-p-coumaroylquinic acid (5CQA), 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid (3CQA), myricetin galactopyranoside (MG), quercetin-3-O-glucuronopyranoside (QGR), and quercetin-3-O-arabinofuranoside (QA). Increased phenolic content in ozone-exposed plants was related to impaired growth and accelerated leaf senescence, indicated by enhanced autumn leaf yellowing and lower chlorophyll and Mg content. The change in carbon allocation towards defensive phenolics at the expense of growth was greater in the ozone-sensitive clone as compared to tolerant clone.

Proanthocyanidins (PAs; condensed tannins) are present in mountain birch leaves in soluble and cell wall-bound forms. Crude preparations of soluble PAs were isolated from birch leaves and purified by chromatography on a Sephadex LH-20 column with a yield of about 7% of leaf dry mass. Some chemical characteristics were elucidated with ¹³C-NMR and HPLC-ECI-MS. Birch leaf PAs were mainly delphinidin type oligo- and polymers with average molecular mass of about 3000. In order to quantify PAs, the method involving heating PA-containing materials in 1-butanol:hydrochloric acid (95:5, v/v), and spectrophotometric determination of the anthocyanidin monomers so formed was modified and optimised. Mature leaves were characterised by a relatively high content of PAs: mean values for soluble and bound PAs were 103 and 40 mg/g dry mass, respectively. In mature leaves the soluble PAs determined the total protein precipitation capacity (PPC) of extracts. In young leaves, the contribution of PAs to the total content of phenolics and the total PPC of tannins was about 20–25% only. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Proanthocyanidins (PAs; condensed tannins) are present in mountain birch leaves in soluble and cell wall‐bound forms. Crude preparations of soluble PAs were isolated from birch leaves and purified by chromatography on a Sephadex LH‐20 column with a yield of about 7% of leaf dry mass. Some chemical characteristics were elucidated with 13C‐NMR and HPLC‐ECI‐MS. Birch leaf PAs were mainly delphinidin type oligo‐ and polymers with average molecular mass of about 3000. In order to quantify PAs, the method involving heating PA‐containing materials in 1‐butanol:hydrochloric acid (95:5, v/v), and spectrophotometric determination of the anthocyanidin monomers so formed was modified and optimised. Mature leaves were characterised by a relatively high content of PAs: mean values for soluble and bound PAs were 103 and 40 mg/g dry mass, respectively. In mature leaves the soluble PAs determined the total protein precipitation capacity (PPC) of extracts. In young leaves, the contribution of PAs to the total content of phenolics and the total PPC of tannins was about 20–25% only. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractFlushing leaves of deciduous trees can be exposed to high herbivore pressure. Young foliage provides high quality food for herbivores, and therefore herbivore pressure is much higher in young than mature foliage. Plants may escape the effects of herbivory in time by delaying leaf greening. We measured delayed greening as an intensity of redness in leaves in mountain birch at bud burst. Furthermore, we analyzed covariation of leaf redness with leaf growth and leaf consumption by the autumnal moth, Epirrita autumnata(Bkh.), a major defoliator of mountain birch. We also analyzed concentrations of amino acids, sugars and phenolic compounds of leaves. Leaf redness was positively associated with leaf growth, and consumption by E. autumnataindicated reduced leaf resistance against herbivores. Concentrations of protein-bound amino acids and gallotannins in young leaves were closely and positively correlated with leaf redness. Concentrations of glucose exhibited close positive correlations with leaf redness at the beginning of the season, whereas the correlation was negligible in mature leaves. Concentrations of other sugars increased with increasing degree of leaf redness towards the end of leaf development. This may be one reason for high leaf biomass losses in trees with delayed greening.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of infrapopliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) as a primary treatment of chronic critical limb ischemia in a prospective trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Infrapopliteal PTA was performed on 72 limbs of 60 patients (mean age, 72 y; range, 38-92 y) and patients were followed for 12-24 months. RESULTS: The primary angiographic success rate for the stenoses was 84% (102 of 121) and that for the occlusions was 61% (41 of 67) with corresponding restenosis rates of 32% and 52% at follow-up angiography performed a mean of 10 months after primary PTA. The rate of major complications was 2.8% (access site pseudoaneurysms in two patients). The primary clinical success was 63% (45 of 72). A 48% cumulative primary patency rate, a 56% secondary patency rate, and a 80% cumulative limb salvage rate were registered at 18 months, as determined with use of Kaplan-Meier analysis. Lack of angiographic improvement at the site of the most severe ischemia and renal insufficiency (serum creatinine level > 130 mmol/L) were independent predictors of poorer long-term clinical results, as determined with use of Cox multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Infrapopliteal PTA is a feasible primary treatment of chronic critical limb ischemia with moderate primary angiographic and clinical success, a low complication rate, and a cumulative limb salvage rate comparable with surgical techniques.

Measurements on the time dependence of the specific heat exist now both at short and long timescales. Below 0.3 K the short time (}10 μs) specific heat of all the materials studied is smaller than the long time specific heat, but larger than the Debye value. Above 0.2 K most of the specific heat is coupled to the phonons already at 10 μs. However, measurements at very long timescales reveal that the specific heat has a component with a logarithmic time dependence, as proposed by the tunneling model, although only part of the total specific heat can be ascribed to it.

The viscosity ? of liquid 3He has been measured along the melting curve from 1 to 100 mK by means of a vibrating wire viscometer. In the normal Fermiliquid region we find 1/?T2 = 1.17-3.10T, where ? is in ?P and T in K. At the transition temperature TA = 2.6 mK a rapid decrease occurs in ?n, the viscosity of the normal component. Within 0.3 mK below TA, ?n decreases to about 25% of ?A, but then becomes essentially constant. In the B phase ?n first decreases to 20% of ?A and then seems to increase below 1.4 mK. Data on ?n, the density of the normal component, are also presented in the A and B phases. The results show that viscous flow is accompanied by a flow of zero dissipation, thus proving superfluidity in the A and B phases. The viscosity data at magnetic fields up to 0.9T have been related to theoretical calculations of the energy gap of superfluid 3He near TA. The splitting of the A transition and the suppression of the B phase in an external field were also measured.

Objective:: To assess the validity of a national vascular registry. Materials and methods:: 17 465 vascular and endovascular procedures, immediate reoperations excluded, registered in the Finnvasc registry from 26 centres during the years 1991-1994. Chief outcome measures:: Comparison of the number of registered procedures with hospital records, comparison of initial registrations with a random sample of re-registration and comparison of the 1-year local data input of one major centre to the same data input of the central unit. Results:: The rate of missing registrations was 19% ranging from 0-47%. The data of the re-registered forms were in agreement with the original data in 93% of all data points, the range being from 81-100%. There was a difference of 1.5% in the data between the major centre and the central unit. Conclusions:: The Finnvasc registry makes it possible to audit vascular surgery nationally, although a potential limitation is centres with low registration rates.

Nuclear magnetism in metallic copper has been studied by demagnetizing highly polarized spins to low fields where spin-spin interactions dominate. In earlier experiments anomalous spin-lattice relaxation caused by impurities warmed up nuclear spins too fast; this adverse effect was overcome by selective oxidation of impurities. In zero field the critical temperatureTc of the antiferromagnetic transition is 58±10 nK, and during the first-order phase change the entropy increases from (0.48±0.03)R ln 4 to (0.61±0.03)R ln 4. The critical fieldBc=0.27±0.01 mT. The entropy and the static susceptibility of the nuclear spins were measured as a function of temperature whenB=0. These curves agree with theory in the paramagnetic state. In a polycrystalline sample two anomalies were observed at the lowest entropies in the NMR line shapes of the dynamic susceptibility and in the behavior of the static susceptibility. However, when measuring the static susceptibility of a single-crystal specimen in the three Cartesian directions, three different ordered phases were found. These antiferromagnetic states are described and theB-S phase diagram is presented. Metastability and nonadiabaticity are discussed. The observed large reduction ofTc from the mean field calculationTMF=230 nK is caused by fluctuations. The free electron model of the Ruderman-Kittel (RK) interaction seems to be able to explain only one ordered phase. However, relatively small changes to the RK range function or inclusion of non-s-electron-mediated interactions to the Hamiltonian may increase the number of ordered phases to three. Long-living metastable states are another possible explanation for the observations.

The nuclear spin system of metallic copper in a poly crystalline sample consisting of thin wires has been studied using a cryostat in which a dilution refrigerator and two copper nuclear stages operate in series. The spin system was cooled to 50 nK, which is an all-time low-temperature record. The NMR absorption curves were measured in external fields from zero to Bext = 15 mT and at entropies corresponding to polarizations up to 0.9. The line shapes reveal the effect of indirect exchange interaction corresponding to an antiferromagnetic value of ΣjJij/γ2\ħ2Μ0ϱ = −0.42 ± 0.05. This result was obtained both from the interference of the isotopic absorption lines at 15 mT and from the shift of the second harmonic in fields below 2 mT. Thus, an antiferromagnetic transition in zero field at about 200 nK is expected. The Curie—Weiss θ points to a transition temperature of 150 nK; the inverse static susceptibility vs temperature curve clearly predicts antiferromagnetism. However, no evidence of such a transition was found in NMR spectra measured with the excitation transverse to the copper wires, although the entropy was reduced to about 0.45 R ln 4, with the corresponding temperatures well below 100 nK. On the other hand, in measurements during which the excitation was parallel to the wires, a clear saturation of susceptibility to a constant value could be seen as a sudden change in the apparent relaxation rate at the lowest entropies.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of preoperative cardiac function and haemodynamic parameters on the immediate outcome after repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA).

Objective. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) decreases sleep spindle density and frequency. We evaluated the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on different features of sleep spindles. Methods. Twenty OSA patients underwent two night polysomnographies in a diagnostic phase and one night polysomnography after 6 months of CPAP treatment. The control group comprised 20 healthy controls. Sleep spindles were analyzed by a previously developed automated method. Unilateral and bilateral spindles were identified in central and frontopolar brain locations. Spindle density and frequency were determined for the first and last half of the NREM time. Results. The density of bilateral central spindles, which did not change in the untreated OSA patients, increased towards the morning hours during CPAP treatment and in the controls. Central spindles did not become faster with sleep in OSA patients and the central spindles remained slow in the left hemisphere even with CPAP. Conclusion. CPAP treatment normalized spindle features only partially. The changes may be associated with deficits in thalamocortical spindle generating loops. Significance. This study shows that some sleep spindle changes persist after CPAP treatment in OSA patients. The association of these changes to daytime symptoms in OSA patients needs to be further evaluated.