Search

Heterocyclic compound 2-(3-(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-isobutoxyphenyl)-4-methylthiazole-5-carboxylic acid (1) designed using 2-(3-cyano-4-isobutoxyphenyl)-4-methylthiazole-5-carboxylic acid (2, Febuxostat) as a starting material is successfully prepared via a multistage synthesis route and finally characterized by IR, 1H NMR, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Its treatment activity combined with aspirin on traumatic arthritis is evaluated along with the related mechanism. Firstly, the ELISA detection is conducted to determine the inflammatory response released into the joint cavity secretion. Additionally, real time RT-PCR is measured and the activation levels of NF-kb are determined after the indicated treatment.

A hyperspectral imaging system is proposed as a method to rapidly and nondestructively predict mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in FHB-infected wheat kernels. Standard normal variate transformation and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) were used in spectral preprocessing. The successive projections algorithm (SPA) and random frog algorithm were used to select the optical wavelengths. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) technique and partial least squares discriminant analysis were applied to establish different models for determining DON levels. Based on a comparison of the results, the MSC–SPA–SVM model, with the highest classification accuracy (100.00% for the training test and 97.92% for the testing set), gave the best performance, and a visualization map of the DON content level based on this model was created.

Summary Background. Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) are common skin adverse reactions associated with drugs. Aim. To assess recent trends in CADRs and the drugs associated with them, using data from the past 5 years in the largest single database available on a hospital-based population in China. Methods. All clinical records of inpatients admitted with a diagnosis of CADR to the Dermatology Ward, Huashan Hospital from January 2004 to December 2008 were retrospectively studied. Results. In the 734 patients, the three most common types of CADRs were nonsevere reactions, erythema multiforme (EM)-like eruptions (n = 255), urticaria (n = 192) and exanthematous reactions (n = 159), followed by three severe reactions: Stevens–Johnson syndrome (n = 58), toxic epidermal necrolysis (n = 29) and exfoliative dermatitis (n = 22). The most common single drug associated with the development of all drug eruptions was allopurinol, followed by amoxicillin, cephalosporins, antiepileptic agents and antipyretic/analgesic agents. However, the most common single drugs associated with severe reactions were antiepileptic agents, followed by allopurinol, antipyretic/analgesic agents and cephalosporins. In contrast to patients with nonsevere reactions, patients with severe reactions were more likely to be male (P < 0.001) and to have a greater mean age of onset (P < 0.001), a longer latency period (P < 0.001) and a longer duration of hospitalization (P < 0.001). Conclusion. In contrast to previous studies, we found allopurinol to be the most common single drug associated with CADRs followed by antibiotics (amoxicillin and cephalosporins), and antiepileptic, especially carbamazepine. A higher incidence of EM-like eruptions and urticaria was also seen.

BACKGROUND Although elevated serum IgE levels have been reported in psoriasis, the role of IgE in psoriasis still needs to be clarified. OBJECTIVES To analyse serum total IgE levels in addition to the presence and distribution of IgE and FceRI in psoriatic lesions, and to investigate alteration of IgE and FceRI after successful systemic treatment. METHODS Total serum IgE levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression and localization of IgE and FceRI was investigated using immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence. RESULTS Elevated total serum IgE levels were found in 39% of patients with psoriasis. The levels of total serum IgE were significantly higher in male patients compared with female patients. Furthermore, total serum IgE levels decreased after successful systemic treatment. A positive correlation between IgE+ and FceRI+ cells and a significant increase of these cells was found in psoriatic lesions when compared with normal skin. Interestingly, IgE+ and FceRI+ cells decreased significantly after successful therapy with ustekinumab. IgE and FceRI were coexpressed on mast cells, epidermal Langerhans cells, dermal dendritic cells, macrophages and a small number of neutrophils. CONCLUSIONS IgE might participate in the development of psoriasis by activating FceRI-bearing cells.

To improve the reliability of missile control systems and to prevent self-destruction caused by faulty inertia sensors, a novel approach of fault-tolerant control with signal reconfiguration is proposed. The rigid body angle signals and the different-order elastic oscillation-caused angle signals are first separated from output signals of the inertia sensors with signal processing. Then, the relationship between the elastic oscillation of the missile body and the attitude angles and the relationship among the output signals of the sensors are analysed. Finally, the normal signal of a faulty sensor is reconfigured with the output signals of other normally working sensors via analytical redundancy. Some examples are provided to illustrate the main results.

Background and objectives Superficial fungal skin infections are treated using topical antifungals. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of a single application of 1 % terbinafine film-forming solution (FFS) versus placebo for the treatment of tinea pedis in the Chinese population. Methods Six centers in China randomized 290 patients in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 1 % terbinafine FFS or FFS vehicle (placebo) once on the affected foot/feet. Efficacy assessments included microscopy and mycologic culture, and assessing clinical signs and symptoms at baseline, and at weeks 1 and 6 after the topical treatment. All adverse events were recorded. Results At week 6, 1 % terbinafine FFS was superior to placebo for effective treatment rate (63 vs. 8 %); clinical cure (30 vs. 6 %); mycological cure (86 vs. 12 %); negative microscopy (90 vs. 24 %); and negative mycological culture (90 vs. 27 %): all p ≤ 0.001 and clinically relevant. At week 6, 1 % terbinafine FFS was clinically superior to placebo for the absence of: erythema (69 vs. 29 %); desquamation (33 vs. 8 %); and pruritus (70 vs. 30 %): all p ≤ 0.001 and clinically relevant. At week 6, differences in the average total signs and symptoms scores were significantly lower for 1 % terbinafine FFS versus placebo (p ≤ 0.001). Both 1 % terbinafine FFS and placebo were safe and well tolerated based on adverse events and investigator and patient assessments. Conclusions This double-blind, randomized, multicenter study demonstrated one single topical application of 1 % terbinafine FFS was safe and effective in the treatment of tinea pedis in the Chinese population.

Objective: In view of the poor prognosis of most peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) subtypes treated with conventional chemotherapy such as CHOP/CHOP-like regimens, high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) seems a reasonable option in eligible patients. Nevertheless, owing to the small size of the study and the heterogeneity of most published series, a consensus on the role of ASCT as the first-line consolidation therapy for high-risk PTCL patients has not been reached so far. Study Design: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO, Web of Science, clinicaltrials.gov and the Cochrane Library. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by a fixed/random effect model. Results: Twenty-one studies were eligible. Although no statistical significance was observed in these studies, there was a trend toward survival advantage for the HDT/ASCT group as compared to the historical control group (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.31-2.13). Statistical differences were confirmed in terms of overall survival (OS) between complete remission (CR) and non-CR patients (HR 3.17, 95% CI 0.92-5.42), patients with good and poor risk according to the International Prognostic Index (IPI; HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.22-0.60, I2 49%) and Prognostic Index for PTCL (PIT; HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.17-0.58; HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.18-0.54). Conclusion: The clear and convincing proof of the effects of up-front HDT/ASCT still depends on sufficient large PTCL-restricted randomized trials in the future. Patients who failed to attain CR before transplant exhibited a worse prognosis; patients with good risk of IPI or PIT had a substantially better OS after ASCT.

Previously, the profiles of laser-drilled holes and laser-produced welds were often considered independently. In this paper, the model used to predict the profile-of-drill, based on the concept of threshold intensity, has been extended to apply to deep-penetration laser welding. The common ground for laser-drilling and -welding, as well as their divergences, are discussed. The present model making use of the laws of Gaussian optics, thus forms the basis of an alternative approach to the prediction of the profile of keyholds and, eventually, the profile of laser-processed welds.

In this paper, the compression experiments of picosecond optical pulses from a gain-switched InGaAsP distributed feedback (DFB) laser at a 1.5 μm wavelength range using a Gires-Tournois (G-T) interferometer are reported. Ultrashort optical pulses with a pulsewidth of 6.6 ps, repetition rate of 2.4 GHz, and peak power in excess of 200 mW are obtained. The compression ratio is close to 5. The explanation for the experimental results is given, and the pulse's compression characteristics of a G-T inteferometer are discussed by a computer simulation analysis.

BACKGROUND Adiponectin, an adipocytokine with beneficial biological functions relevant to cardiovascular (CV) diseases, and arterial stiffness, an indicator of vascular function, are considered to be important correlates of CV disease risk. Although racial (black-white) divergences in adiponectin and arterial stiffness are known, information is scant regarding the association between these two parameters among asymptomatic young adults within each race. METHODS As part of the Bogalusa Heart Study, arterial stiffness was examined noninvasively in terms of aorta-femoral pulse wave velocity (af-PWV) in 991 black and white nondiabetic subjects (72% white, 43% male) aged 24-44 years. RESULTS In a multivariate regression model by race that included adiponectin, age, sex, waist circumference, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, triglycerides, and cigarette smoking, the significant predictors of af-PWV, in the order of entry, were: mean arterial pressure, age, smoking, and heart rate in both races, followed by adiponectin (inverse relation) in blacks. Further, after adjusting for mean arterial pressure, age, smoking, and heart rate, the odds ratio of finding excess af-PWV (top decile vs. the rest) in individuals with low adiponectin levels (bottom quartile vs. the rest) was significantly higher in blacks (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.1-5.5), but not in whites (OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.5-1.9). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the status of hypoadiponectinemia is an independent correlate of excess arterial stiffness in asymptomatic young black adults.

A new web flap on a subcutaneous tissue pedicle was developed to repair incomplete simple syndactyly. It was isolated from the top skin in syndactyly and transferred down into the depth of the web space to create a web commissure. With use of this technique, aesthetic appearance of the web and well-functioning fingers were gained. Moreover, this technique made full use of the original skin of the syndactyly, and a skin graft was not needed. We report here the operative technique, which presents another alternative for repair of incomplete simple syndactyly.

Covariance control theory is applied to a practical engineering project, the ASTREX facility. The approach used is to construct an assignable state covariance X which satisfies some requirements on system performance and then design a controller which assigns this X to the closed-loop system. The application of multiple-constraint control of this facility is reported. >

The major technical challenge to the application of piezo crystal as an actuator is concerned with its hysteresis behavior. This would result in a nonlinear and multi-valued mapping between the actuator input and output and hence influence the desired control precision. This problem was solved by using closed-loop robust neural network control technology. >

The quantum size effect in thin antimony films grown along (111) direction on a GaSb substrate is studied based on a simple model. The critical film thickness, at which the semimetal‐semiconductor transition takes place, is determined. It is proposed that the optical experiments can be used to measure the critical thickness since the dependence of optical transition on thickness in the semimetal region is very different from that in semiconductor region.

A study was performed to assess whether a model of vascular graft infection could be established in sheep carotid artery. Either a protein sealed Dacron or a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft was used in 22 sheep while a control operation was performed on 4 animals. Staphylococcus aureus in concentrations of 10(2), 10(4), 10(6) or 10(8) colony-forming units (CFU) was inoculated into the wound before closure. No infection occurred with an inoculum of 10(2). The lowest concentration of organism producing infection was 10(4) for PTFE, 10(6) for Dacron and 10(8) for controls. Six of eleven Dacron grafts and seven of ten PTFE grafts became infected. The sheep carotid artery has proven a satisfactory model for studies of vascular graft infection.

The second web bilobed island flap is described. The flap includes skin from the second web of the hand and the dorsum of the index and middle fingers. Usually the flap is based on the first and second dorsal metacarpal arteries, but it can be used with just the first dorsal metacarpal vessels in its pedicle. Sensation of the flap is provided by branches of the radial nerve. The flap has been successfully used to reconstruct 11 injured thumbs.

The Load (Lock) Slot viewed from the top is shaped like a running track around a soccer field (see Figure 1.1). The minimum size of the crack required to be detected is 0.005″×0.010″. For modeling cracks, there are altogether 9 notches in the Slots as marked in the Figure 1.1. The minimum notch at the 9th stage is 0.005″×0.010″. For inspection of this complex geometry, an eddy current probe with a double reflection coil was developed. Scanning occurs in the minor elliptical axis direction while indexing takes place along the major axis. The split of the coil is perpendicular to the scan direction (or in another word, parallel to the Slot edge). The challenge here is the changing scan surface length due to the elliptic shape and the small size (the minor axis is about 1/8″ long) of the inspection area.

In-situ YBa2Cu3O7 films of high quality (from a Jc(T, H) and Tc point of view) have been fabricated by both, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and on-axis rf magnetron sputtering techniques on SrTiO3 (100) and LaA103 (100) substrates. In the PLD method, a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with the 355 nm tripled wave length and the energy density of 8 J/cm2 has been used. In the on-axis rf magnetron sputtering method, the effects of negative oxygen ion re-sputtering have been nearly eliminated by introducing a grounded metallic mask between the target and the substrate. We have been successful in producing in-situ superconducting films at relatively low pressures as well as low substrate temperatures well outside the empirical Hammond-Bormann regime. Our films show zero resistance critical temperatures as high as 91.5 K. XRD measurements and Rocking curves of a (005) peak revealed that the films are highly c-axis oriented normal to the substrate and with the FWHM of less than 0.3 degree. The critical currents in these films determined from SQUID magnetometry at 77 K is found to be more than 106 A/cm2 with an exponential field and temperature dependencies. Some comparisons of the properties of the superconducting films obtained by the two different techniques are also presented.

Experimental evidence of light induced drift of sodium atoms in absence of wall adsorption is here reported. The adsorption energy is reduced down to ∼ 0.1 eV by coating the cell with a thin and transparent film of silane which lowers the adsorption time to ∼ 10 -12 s and inhibits the formation of a sodium monolayer. The drift velocity is evaluated to be in agreement with the theoretical calculations.

This paper introduces a new synthesis method, based on a computation method for solving H∞-optimization problem given by Glover (1986) and a technique ofjω-axis shifting, for designing an H∞-optimal robust controller for the MIMO system. With this method we can optimize the excess stability margin under the requirement that all the poles of the nominal closed-loop system (Cl-system) be located left of the jω-axis with a required distance d and ensure asymptotic regulation and disturbance rejection for a class of system input and disturbance if the plant perturbation does not exceed the excess stability margin. Another advantage is that there are not any constraints on the poles and zeros of the plant when using this method

The light-induced-drift (LID) effect has been experimentally studied in specially coated capillary cells which manifest a negligible atom-wall interaction. This property permits a rapid evolution of LID and makes possible an experimental study of the stationary states as a function of different laser tunings and laser power densities. The light-induced density profile along the major axis of the cell has been analyzed. The experimental features are qualitatively reproduced by a two-level theory.

It is here described a very long cavity dye-laser (maximum length about 18 m ) obtained by modifying a commercial dye-laser ( Coherent Radiation mod. 599 ). Its main property is to cover with continuity the atomic -molecular inhomogeneously Doppler broadened line having a longitudinal mode separation comparable to the homogeneous absorption line. The spectral characteristics, the preliminary tests and the possible applications of this kind of laser are presented.

There is more and more the growing recognition that technological advances depend strongly on a thorough understanding of the thermodynamic, mechanical, and electronic properties of materials. These, in turn, depend on our predictive ability regarding these properties. Understanding the structure and stability of the phases of compounds and alloys is an area of vital importance to materials science and technology. Such an understanding is starting to emerge from our first steps into carrying out all-electron quantum mechanical investigations on materials of aerospace interest. Briefly put, our emphasis has been on obtaining an understanding of the effects of alloying on bonding, crystal structure and phase stability of structural materials and to use this information to help design new alloy systems — in close collaboration with experimental efforts at a number of laboratories. In this paper, a brief indication is given of the progress made in a number of illustrative areas.