Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Mass Reduction (mass + reduction)
Selected AbstractsRosiglitazone is more effective than metformin in improving fasting indexes of glucose metabolism in severely obese, non-diabetic patientsDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 6 2008A. Brunani Aim:, In obese patients, the diet-induced weight loss markedly improves glucose tolerance with an increase in insulin sensitivity and a partial reduction of insulin secretion. The association with metformin treatment might potentiate the effect of diet alone. Methods:, From patients admitted to our Nutritional Division for diet programme, we selected obese, non-diabetic, uncomplicated patients with age 18,65 years and body mass index 35,50 kg/m2 and studied the effects of a 6-month pharmacological treatment with either metformin (850 mg twice daily) or rosiglitazone (4 mg twice daily) on possible changes in body weight, fat mass, glucose and lipids metabolism. Results:, A significant weight loss and reduction of fat mass was demonstrated with metformin (,9.7 ± 1.8 kg and ,6.6 ± 1.1 kg) and also with rosiglitazone (,11.0 ± 1.9 kg and ,7.2 ± 1.8 kg), without fluid retention in either treatment group. Rosiglitazone administration induced a significant decrease in glucose concentration (4.7 ± 0.1 vs. 4.4 ± 0.1 mmol/l, p < 0.005) and insulin-circulating level (13.6 ± 1.5 vs. 8.0 ± 0.,7 ,U/ml, p < 0.005), an increase in insulin sensitivity as measured by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) of insulin sensitivity (68.9 ± 8.8 vs. 109.9 ± 10.3, p < 0.005) with a concomitant decrease in ,-cell function as measured by HOMA of ,-cell function (163.2 ± 16.1 vs. 127.4 ± 8.4, p < 0.005). In contrast, metformin did not produce any significant effect on blood glucose concentration, insulin level and HOMA2 indexes. No adverse events were registered with pharmacological treatments. Conclusion:, Our study shows that in severely obese, non-diabetic, hyperinsulinaemic patients undergoing a nutritional programme, rosiglitazone is more effective than metformin in producing favourable changes in fasting-based indexes of glucose metabolism, with a reduction of both insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia. In spite of previous studies reporting rosiglitazone-induced body weight gain, in our study the joint treatment with diet and rosiglitazone was accompanied by weight loss and fat mass reduction. [source] Combustion properties of laminated veneer lumbers bonded with PVAc, PF adhesives and impregnated with some fire retardantsFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 3 2010eref Kurt Abstract In this study, the effects of impregnation materials di-ammonium phosphate, aluminium sulphate, potassium carbonate, calcium chloride, zinc chloride on combustion properties of 3 ply laminated veneer lumbers (LVL) produced from Walnut (Juglans regia L.) using phenol,formaldehyde (PF), poly (vinyl acetate) have been investigated. The pressure-vacuum method was used for impregnation process. Combustion test was performed according to the procedure of ASTM-E 69 standards. During the test, mass reduction, temperature and released gas (CO, NOX, SO2, O2) were determined every 30,s. As a result, zinc chloride was found to be the most successful fire-retardant chemical in LVL at PF adhesive. Since it diminishes combustion, the fire retardant of LVL produced from walnut using PF adhesive can be advised. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Role of Structural Complexities of Septal Tissue in Maintaining Ventricular Fibrillation in Isolated, Perfused Canine VentricleJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2001TAKANORI IKEDA M.D. Tissue Structure and VF.Introduction: It is unclear how the patterns of wavelet propagation during ventricular fibrillation (VF) vary between structurally different tissues. We hypothesized that the structural complexities of septal tissue influence the maintenance of reentrant wavelets in the ventricle. Methods and Results: Endocardial activation patterns during VF were analyzed in the isolated, perfused canine right ventricular (RV) free wall (n = 9), interventricular septum (n = 5), and left ventricular (LV) free wall (n = 6) using a computerized mapping system (2-mm resolution) with 120-msec consecutive windows. Each tissue sample was cut progressively to reduce the tissue mass until the VF was terminated. More wavelets were seen in the septa than in the RV and LV free walls at baseline (P = 0.004), and VF in the septa displayed a shorter cycle length than in the RV and LV free walls (P = 0.017). As the tissue mass decreased, VF became successively more organized in all regions: the number of wavelets decreased and the cycle length of VF lengthened. Single and "figure-of-eight" stationary, reentrant wavelets often were mapped after tissue mass reduction in the RV free walls and rarely in the LV free walls, but they were not observed in the septa. Less critical mass was required to maintain VF in the septa than in the RV and LV free walls (P = 0.0006). Gross anatomic and histologic examinations indicated that the tissue structure of the septa is more complex than that of the RV and LV free walls. Conclusion: VF activation patterns with progressive reduction of tissue mass differ for the septum and the ventricular free walls. The structural complexities of the septal tissue influence the maintenance of fibrillation in the ventricle. [source] Molecular mass determination of plasma-derived glycoproteins by ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry with internal calibrationJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 11 2002Omar Belgacem Abstract Human plasma-derived antithrombin III (AT-III), factor IX (FIX) and vitronectin (VN) were characterized as native glycoproteins and in their de- N -glycosylated form by means of MALDI mass spectrometry. The average molecular masses of the three complex glycoproteins were determined applying internal calibration with high-mass, well-defined protein calibrants. Internal calibration generated for the 47 kDa yeast protein enolase a mass precision in the continuous and delayed extraction mode of ±0.12 and ±0.022%, respectively. The achievable mass accuracy for such a high-mass, unmodified protein was in the range of 0.02% in the continuous mode, which turned out to be better than in the delayed extraction mode. Purification of all (glyco) proteins (even the calibration proteins) by means of ZipTip® technology and direct elution with a solvent system containing the appropriate MALDI matrix turned out to be a prerequisite to measure the exact molecular masses with an internal calibration. The average molecular masses of the two different forms of AT-III, namely AT-III, and AT-III,, were shown to be 57.26 and 55.04 kDa, respectively. The 2.22 kDa mass difference is attributed to the known difference in carbohydrate content at one specific site (Asn-135). After exhaustive de- N -glycosylation (by means of PNGase F) of the ,- and ,-form and subsequent MALDI-MS analysis, average molecular masses of 48.96 and 48.97 kDa, respectively, were obtained. These values are in good agreement (,0.15%) with the calculated molecular mass (49.039 kDa) of the protein part based on SwissProt data. The molecular mass of the heavily post-translational modified glycoprotein FIX was found to be 53.75 kDa with a peak width at 10% peak height of 4.5 kDa, because of the presence of many different posttranslational modifications (N - and O -glycosylation at multiple sites, sulfation, phosphorylation, hydroxylation and numerous ,-carboxyglutamic acids). MALDI-MS molecular mass determination of the native, size-exclusion chromatography-purified, VN sample revealed that the glycoprotein was present as dimer with molecular mass of 117.74 kDa, which could be corroborated by non-reducing SDS-PAGE. After sample treatment with guanidine hydrochloride and mass spectrometric analysis, a single, new main component was detected. The molecular mass turned out to be 59.45 kDa, representing the monomeric form of VN, known as V75. The determined molecular mass value was shown to be on one hand lower than from SDS-PAGE and on the other higher than the calculated amino acid sequence molecular mass (52 277 Da), pointing to the well-known SDS-PAGE bias and to considerable post-translational modifications. Further treatment of the sample with a reducing agent and subsequent MALDI-MS revealed two new components with molecular masses of 49.85 and 9.41 kDa, corresponding to V65 and V10 subunits of VN. PNGase F digest of the V75 and V65 units and MS analysis, exhibiting a molecular mass reduction of 6.37 kDa in both cases, verified the presence of a considerable amount of N -glycans. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Lattice dynamics of chalcopyrite semiconductors LiAlTe2, LiGaTe2 and LiInTe2PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 2 2009A. V. Kosobutsky Abstract Within density functional perturbation theory using norm-conserving pseudopotentials and a plane-wave basis set calculations of phonon dispersion relations and densities of states of LiAlTe2, LiGaTe2 and LiInTe2 compounds being crystallized into the tetragonal chalcopyrite structure have been performed. Theoretical values of phonon mode frequencies in LiGaTe2 and LiInTe2 are in good agreement with the experimental data available for these crystals obtained by the methods of Raman and infrared spectroscopies. The similarity of the physical and chemical properties of the crystals concerned manifests itself in the similarity of their phonon spectra that are especially close to each other in low- and high-frequency ranges. Phonon modes of the upper phonon band are predominantly caused by the lithium sublattice vibrations and have an upper bound of 350,370 cm,1. In a mid-frequency range a significant downshift of the vibrational frequencies is observed on going from LiAlTe2 to LiGaTe2 and LiInTe2 that is a consequence of the third group cation mass reduction. From calculated electron density maps it follows that Li-containing chalcopyrites are characterized by a less pronounced bond between the first group cation and anion as compared with the Cu- and Ag-based analogs due to the absence of pd-hybridization. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Alumina Optical Surface Heat Shield for Use in Near-Solar EnvironmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Don E. King Experiments indicate that coating a heat shield with alumina can significantly reduce spacecraft temperature during operation near the sun. A thin alumina (Al2O3) coating applied to carbon,carbon (C,C) reflects the majority of the visible solar irradiance while reemitting absorbed energy in the infrared. Testing on Al2O3 -coated C,C coupons using visible and NIR lasers (from ambient to 1773 K) show that the solar-absorptance-to-IR emittance ratio (,S/,IR) of the Al2O3 -coated heat shield was 0.6 or less. Compared with an uncoated carbon,carbon heat shield, the coated version is at least 12% cooler, enabling thermal insulation mass reductions, improved scientific measurements, and the use of less exotic thermal protection materials. [source] | ||||||||||