Nowadays, increased attention has been focused on internal combustion engine fuels. Regarding environmental effects of internal combustion engines particularly as sources of pollution and depletion of fossil fuels, compressed natural gas has been introduced as an alternative to gasoline and diesel fuels in many applications. A high research octane number which allows combustion at higher co...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Sodium antimony gluconate (SAG) is reported to be losing its efficacy in Bihar as a first line drug for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Concerned with the increasing incidence of antimony-resistant VL patients in Bihar, we undertook an epidemiological, clinical and pharmacological study to formulate a scientific basis for choosing a suitable first line drug for...

The in vitro adsorption kinetics of lung surfactant at air-water interfaces is affected by both the composition of the surfactant preparations and the conditions under which the assessment is conducted. Relevant experimental conditions are surfactant concentration, temperature, subphase pH, electrolyte concentration, humidity, and gas composition of the atmosphere exposed to the interface. The ...

Relationships between lung function and surfactant function and composition were examined during the evolution of acute lung injury in guinea pigs. Lung mechanics and gas exchange were assessed 12, 24, or 48 h after exposure to nebulized lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was processed for phospholipid and protein contents and surfactant protein (SP) A and SP-B levels;...

PURPOSE Oguchi's disease is a rare autosomal recessive disease and known to be caused by mutations in the rhodopsin kinase (GRK1) gene or the arrestin (SAG) gene. SAG contains 16 exons and encodes a protein with 405 amino acids. This study was to identify the underlying genetic defects in a non-consanguineous Chinese family with Oguchi's disease. METHODS Ophthalmologic examinations including ...

This study of paediatric intensive care patients aimed to determine where pulse oximetry probes shouid be placed to obtain the most accurate and reliable readings of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2). Using arterial blood gas analysis (SaO2) as the gold standard and SpO2 92% and SaO2 < 90% as indicators of hypoxaemia, negative predictive values of SpO2 were 96%, 98% and 98% at the ear, thumb ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Cardiovascular outcomes and mortality rates are poor in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Novel risk factors related to clinical outcomes should be identified. METHODS A retrospective analysis of data from a randomized controlled study was performed in 440 CKD patients aged > 18 years, with estimated glomerular filtration rate 15-60 mL/min/1.73m2. Clini...

Although neurons are known to exhibit a broad array of intrinsic properties that impact critically on the computations they perform, very few studies have quantified such biophysical diversity and its functional consequences. Using in vivo and in vitro whole-cell recordings here we show that mitral cells are extremely heterogeneous in their expression of a rebound depolarization (sag) at hyperp...

We describe a three-dimensional hydrodynamic lattice-gas model of amphiphilic fluids. This model of the non-equilibrium properties of oil-water-surfactant systems, which is a non-trivial extension of an earlier two-dimensional realisation due to Boghosian, Coveney and Emerton [2], can be studied effectively only when it is implemented using high-performance computing and visualisation technique...