To determine if alacepril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, has a long duration of action for inhibition of drug-induced renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) activation in normal ...dogs.
Five healthy laboratory dogs were used in this study.
Each dog received amlodipine (0.5 mg/kg, q12h, p.o.) for 14 days, followed by amlodipine (0.5 mg/kg, q12h, p.o.) and alacepril (1.5 mg/kg, q12h, p.o.) for 56 days. Blood pressure (systolic blood pressure SBP; mean blood pressure; and diastolic blood pressure), heart rate, and urinary aldosterone-to-creatinine ratio (UAld:Cre), as an indicator of RAAS activation, were measured on days −14, 0 (baseline BL), 1, 7, 14, 28, and 56.
SBP decreased by 10% (p=0.08), and UAld:Cre increased significantly (p=0.04) relative to the BL level after administration of amlodipine. SBP increased after 14 days of alacepril administration relative to BL (p=0.97), and statistically significant increase was first observed on day 28 (p=0.02). Heart rate significantly decreased after alacepril administration on days 14, 28, and 56 (p=0.02). UAld:Cre significantly decreased after alacepril administration on days 14 and 28 (p≤0.03) relative to the BL level but increased on day 56 such that the difference was no longer significant (p=0.32).
These incomplete and temporary pharmacological blockade of RAAS activation by alacepril suggest that aldosterone breakthrough may have occurred.
Alacepril inhibited activation of RAAS in the short term but is not expected to have a long duration of action.
According to the valence asymmetry hypothesis, the left/right asymmetry of PFC activity is correlated with specific emotional responses to mental stress and personality traits. In a previous study we ...measured spontaneous oscillation of oxy-Hb concentrations in the bilateral PFC at rest in normal adults employing two-channel portable NIRS and computed the laterality index at rest (LIR). We investigated the Pearson correlation coefficient between the LIR and anxiety levels evaluated by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) test. We found that subjects with right-dominant activity at rest showed higher STAI scores, while those with left dominant oxy-Hb changes at rest showed lower STAI scores such that the Pearson correlation coefficient between LIR and STAI was positive. This study performed Bootstrap analysis on the data and showed the following statistics of the target correlation coefficient: mean=0.4925 and lower confidence limit=0.177 with confidence level 0.05. Using the KS-test, we demonstrated that the correlation did not depend on age, whereas it did depend on gender.
We determine experimentally the spinor interaction constants of lower polaritons α1 and α2 using a resonant pump-probe spectroscopy with a spectrally narrow pump pulse. Our experimental findings are ...analyzed with the Bogoliubov-type theory and a mean-field two-channel model based on the lower polariton and biexciton basis. We find an enhancement of the attractive interaction and a dissipative nonlinearity of lower polaritons with antiparallel spins in the vicinity of the biexciton resonance when the energy of two lower polaritons approaches energetically that of the biexciton. These observations are consistent with the existence of a scattering resonance between lower polaritons and biexcitons (polaritonic Feshbach resonance).
To make it possible to share a normal database in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies, we developed a new method for converting a SPECT image in one physical condition to that ...in another condition for data acquisition and reconstruction. A Hoffman 3-dimensional brain phantom experiment was conducted to determine systematic differences between collimators and reconstruction processes. SPECT images for the brain phantom were obtained using fan-beam collimators with scatter and attenuation corrections and using parallel-hole collimators without any correction. Dividing these two phantom images after anatomical standardization by Statistical Parametric Mapping 99 (SPM99) created a 3-dimensional conversion map. This conversion map was applied to convert an anatomically standardized SPECT image using parallel-hole collimators without any correction to that using fan-beam collimators with scatter and attenuation corrections in eleven subjects who underwent sequential SPECT measurements using different collimators after injection of Tc ethyl cysteinate dimer. The SPM99 demonstrated adequate validity of this conversion in comparative analyses of these sequential SPECT images with different collimators. This may be a promising approach for further sharing of a normal database in SPECT imaging between different cameras.
A design of a miniaturized tunable inverted-L antenna for mobile phones is proposed. The design integrates an inverted-L antenna with a split-ring resonator (SRR) structure. Although the use of SRRs ...to the inverted-L antenna achieves compact volume, the antenna's radiation efficiency rapidly decreases around the SRR's resonant frequency. The decrease is avoided by using a variable capacitance diode loaded on the SRR conductor. The proposed antenna has a compact volume of 1 × 10 × 50 mm 3 (0.5 cm 3 ), and can be tuned to the wide range, low frequency LTE700/GSM850/GSM900 bands (698-960 MHz). Simulation and measurement results showed the antenna obtains wideband and multi-band characteristics that enable it to cover the LTE700/GSM850/GSM900 and the LTE2600 bands.
Backgrounds and aims: Controversy still exists as to whether gastrointestinal colonisation by Candida albicans contributes to aggravation of atopic dermatitis. We hypothesised that Candida ...colonisation promotes food allergy, which is known to contribute to a pathogenic response in atopic dermatitis. We tested this using a recently established murine Candida colonisation model. Methods:Candida colonisation in the gastrointestinal tract was established by intragastric inoculation with C albicans in mice fed a synthetic diet. To investigate sensitisation against food antigen, mice were intragastrically administered with ovalbumin every other day for nine weeks, and antiovalbumin antibody titres were measured weekly. To examine gastrointestinal permeation of food antigen, plasma concentrations of ovalbumin were measured following intragastric administration of ovalbumin. Results: Ovalbumin specific IgG and IgE titres were higher in BALB/c mice with Candida colonisation than in normal mice. Gastrointestinal permeation of ovalbumin was enhanced by colonisation in BALB/c mice. Histological examination showed that colonisation promoted infiltration and degranulation of mast cells. Candida colonisation did not enhance ovalbumin permeation in mast cell deficient W/Wv mice but did in congenic littermate control +/+ mice. Reconstitution of mast cells in W/Wv mice by transplantation of bone marrow derived mast cells restored the ability to increase ovalbumin permeation in response to Candida colonisation. Conclusions: These results suggest that gastrointestinal Candida colonisation promotes sensitisation against food antigens, at least partly due to mast cell mediated hyperpermeability in the gastrointestinal mucosa of mice.
Crystallographic orientation relationships between intragranular ferrites, the MnS+V(C, N) complex precipitates acting as ferrite nucleation sites, and austenite matrix were studied in Fe-Mn-C alloys ...by scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. VC holds a cube-cube orientation relationship (‹001›γ// ‹001›VC) when it is formed directly within austenite grains in an Fe-12Mn-0.8C-0.3V alloy. When VC precipitates nucleate on incoherent MnS particles dispersed in austenite, there is no specific orientation relationship between the three phases. Intragranular ferrite idiomorphs nucleating on the MnS+V(C, N) complex precipitate in austenite in Fe-1.5Mn-0.2C and Fe-2Mn-0.2C alloys often hold the Baker-Nutting orientation relationship ((001)α//(001)V(C, N), 110α//100V(C, N)). Although several irrational ferrite/V(C, N) orientation relationships were observed, misorientation for either low-index planes or directions are relatively small between ferrite and V(C, N) for those relationships. The orientation relationships between intragranular ferrite and austenite were estimated by examining the misorientations between the ferrite and the neighboring martensite lathes from the Kurdjumov-Sachs inter-variant relationships. There is no specific orientation relationship between the intragranular ferrite idiomorph and the austenite matrix because of the low-energy orientation relationships between ferrite and V(C, N).
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