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External Diameter (external + diameter)
Selected AbstractsThe Dependence of the Sensitivity and Reliability of Contactless Conductivity Detection on the Wall Thickness of Electrophoretic Fused-Silica CapillariesELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 3-5 2009Petr T Abstract A contactless conductivity detector (C4D) performance has been tested on a simple capillary electrophoretic separation in a standard fused-silica capillary with an external diameter of 360,,m and in a thin-walled capillary (an external diameter of 150,,m); the internal diameters of the two capillaries were identical, equal to 75,,m. Potassium and sodium ions have been separated in a morpholinoethanesulfonic acid/histidine background electrolyte (MES/His), over a wide range of its concentrations (0,100,mM). At low MES/His concentrations, the C4D response, obtained from the height of the potassium peak, is by 100 to 200 per cent higher for the thin-walled capillary and the calibration dependences are linear, in contrast to the thick-walled capillary. These differences between the two capillaries decrease with increasing MES/His concentration, the C4D response in the thin-walled capillary is then higher by mere 20 per cent and the calibration dependences are linear in both the capillaries. The highest sensitivities have been obtained at a MES/His concentration of 50,mM, with LOD values for potassium ion of 2.0 and 2.6,,M, in the thin- and thick-walled capillaries, respectively. The signal-to-noise ratios and the plate counts are generally similar for the two capillaries. It follows from the results that special thin-walled capillaries can be advantageous when background electrolytes with very low conductivities must be employed. [source] Low Skeletal Muscle Mass Is Associated With Poor Structural Parameters of Bone and Impaired Balance in Elderly Men,The MINOS Study,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2005Pawel Szulc MD Abstract In 796 men, 50-85 years of age, decreased relative skeletal muscle mass index was associated with narrower bones, thinner cortices, and a consequent decreased bending strength (lower section modulus), as well as with impaired balance and an increased risk of falls. Introduction: In men, appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) is correlated positively with BMC and areal BMD (aBMD). In elderly men, low muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia) is associated with difficulties in daily living activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate if ASM is correlated with bone size, mechanical properties of bones, balance, and risk of falls in elderly men. Materials and Methods: This study used 796 men, 50-85 years of age, belonging to the MINOS cohort. Lifestyle factors were evaluated by standardized questionnaires. Estimates of mechanical bone properties were derived from aBMD measured by DXA. ASM was estimated by DXA. The relative skeletal muscle mass index (RASM) was calculated as ASM/(body height)2.3. Results: After adjustment for age, body size, tobacco smoking, professional physical activity, and 17,-estradiol concentration, RASM was correlated positively with BMC, aBMD, external diameter, and cortical thickness (r = 0.17-0.34, p < 0.0001) but not with volumetric BMD. Consequently, RASM was correlated with section modulus (r = 0.29-0.39, p < 0.0001). Men in the lowest quartile of RASM had section modulus of femoral neck and distal radius lower by 12-18% in comparison with men in the highest quartile of RASM. In contrast, bone width was not correlated with fat mass, reflecting the load of body weight (except for L3), which suggests that the muscular strain may exert a direct stimulatory effect on periosteal apposition. After adjustment for confounding variables, a decrease in RASM was associated with increased risk of falls and of inability to accomplish clinical tests of muscle strength, static balance, and dynamic balance (odds ratio per 1 SD decrease in RASM, 1.31-2.23; p < 0.05-0.001). Conclusions: In elderly men, decreased RASM is associated with narrower bones and thinner cortices, which results in a lower bending strength. Low RASM is associated with impaired balance and with an increased risk of falls in elderly men. It remains to be studied whether low RASM is associated with decreased periosteal apposition and with increased fracture risk in elderly men, and whether the difference in skeletal muscle mass between men and women contributes to the between-sex difference in fracture incidence. [source] Self-association of EPEC intimin mediated by the ,-barrel-containing anchor domain: a role in clustering of the Tir receptorMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Thierry Touzé Summary Outer membrane intimin directs attachment of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) via its Tir receptor in mammalian target cell membranes. Phosphorylation of Tir triggers local actin polymerization and the formation of ,pedestal-like' pseudopods. We demonstrate that the intimin protein contains three domains, a flexible N-terminus (residues 40,188), a central membrane-integrated ,-barrel (189,549), and a tightly folded Tir-binding domain (550,939). Intimin was shown by electron microscopy to form ring-like structures with a ,7 nm external diameter and an electron dense core, and to form channels of 50picoSiemens conductance in planar lipid bilayers. Gel filtration, multiangle light scattering and cross-linking showed that this central ,-barrel membrane-anchoring domain directs intimin dimerization. Isothermal titration calorimetry revealed a high affinity, single-binding site interaction of 2 : 1 stoichiometry between dimeric intimin and Tir, and modelling suggests that this interaction determines a reticular array-like superstructure underlying receptor clustering. In support of this model, actin rearrangement induced in Tir-primed cultured cells by intimin-containing proteoliposomes was dependent on the concentration of both intimin and Tir, and co-localized with clustered phosphorylated Tir. [source] Diameter of paediatric sized flexible bronchoscopes: When size mattersPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 8 2006Barry Linnane MD Abstract Background: A flexible bronchoscope typically gets its designated size from the diameter of the distal tip but this is not the maximum diameter of the insertion tube. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the size and site of the maximum diameter of flexible bronchoscope insertion tubes and to compare standard bronchofiberscopes with newer bronchovideoscopes. Methods: We assessed 10 bronchoscopes ranging from 2.2 to 4.9 mm external diameter (Olympus®, Tokyo, Japan) using an electronic digital caliper. Investigators were blinded to the type and model of each scope. The median, minimum and maximum diameters of the bronchoscopes were calculated and the measured diameters were compared with the stated diameters of the distal tip and insertion tube. Results: The maximum and median measured diameters were wider than the stated diameter of the distal tip in all the scopes. The maximum discrepancy between the measured and stated diameters ranged from 0.19 mm (6.7%) to 0.66 mm (22.2%) with a mean of 0.41 mm (14.0%). There was no difference between bronchofiberscopes and bronchovideoscopes. Conclusion: The maximum diameter of the distal tip and insertion tube of pediatric sized flexible bronchoscopes is significantly greater than the manufacturer's specifications. This may impact on the choice of bronchoscope selected for procedures in children. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2006; 41: 787,789. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Oxygenation,Ozonation of Blood During Extracorporeal Circulation: In Vitro Efficiency of a New Gas Exchange DeviceARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 9 2007Velio Bocci Abstract:, We have investigated the performance of a new gas exchange device (GED), named L001, specifically devised for the ozonation of human blood during extracorporeal circulation. This procedure, defined with the acronym "EBOO," means "extracorporeal blood oxygenation,ozonation." The innovative GED is made of microporous, ozone-resistant, polipropylene hollow fibers with an external diameter of 200 µm, a thickness of 50 µm, and a membrane surface area of 0.22 m2. The material is coated with phosphorylcholine on the external side in contact with the circulating blood, while a gas mixture, necessarily composed of medical oxygen and ozone (about 99 and 1%, respectively), flows inside the fibers in opposite direction. The new GED has been tested by using a buffered saline solution containing KI and by varying several parameters, and it has shown to be very versatile and efficient. Its main characteristics are minimal foreign surface contact, high gas transfer, and negligible priming volume. This device appears to be a practical, nontoxic, and rather inexpensive tool for performing ozonation of blood for already defined human diseases. [source] Fibrosis and Stenosis of the Long Penetrating Cerebral Arteries: the Cause of the White Matter Pathology in Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and LeukoencephalopathyBRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2004Qing Miao MSc In cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leuco-encephalopathy (CADASIL) the vascular smooth muscle cells are destroyed and granular osmiophilic material is deposited followed by fibrosis of the arterial wall. To verify whether true stenosis of the fibrotic white matter arteries is a key pathogenic event in CADASIL, we analyzed the thickness of walls (expressed as sclerotic index) and luminal diameters of penetrating arterioles in both grey matter and white matter of four CADASIL patients due to the C475T (R133C) mutation in the Notch3 gene and in 9 age-matched controls. We also reconstructed 9 arterioles from 1000 serial sections in two CADASIL patients. The thickness of the arteriolar walls in both grey matter and white matter was significantly increased in the CADASIL patients compared with controls. Furthermore, in CADASIL patients the arteriolar walls were significantly thicker in the white matter than in the grey matter. The distribution curve of arteriolar internal diameters in CADASIL patients shifted towards smaller sizes. In serial sections, the marked increase in the thickness of the white matter penetrating arterioles or their branches did not occur until the internal diameters had decreased to about 20 to 30 ,m and external diameters to about 100 to 130 ,m. In conclusion, long penetrating arterioles and their branches supplying subcortical structures in CADASIL are stenosed and their walls are thickened. This conforms to the abundance of infarcts and primary ischemic damage in CADASIL patients' white matter. [source] | ||||||||||