Current limitations of the assessment of haemostasis in adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients and the role of point-of-care testing.

Haemostatic perturbations are commonly seen in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients and remain a clinical challenge, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality. The approach to anticoagulation monitoring and the management of bleeding varies considerably across ECMO centres. Routine laboratory tests have their limitations in terms of turnaround time and specificity of information provided. Newer point-of-care testing (POCT) for coagulation may overcome these issues, as it provides information about the entire coagulation pathway from clot initiation to lysis. It is also possible to obtain qualitative information on platelet function from these tests. Furthermore, the ability to incorporate these results into a goal-directed algorithm to manage bleeding with targeted transfusion strategies appears particularly attractive and cost effective. Further studies are required to evaluate the utility of POCT to optimise bleeding and anticoagulation management in these complex patients.

Preparation and properties of nano-sized Ag and Ag2S particles in biopolymer matrix.

Silver (Ag) and silver sulfide (Ag(2)S) nanoparticles were synthesized in a sago starch matrix. The resulting nanocomposites were investigated using structural, optical and thermal methods. XRD spectra of the nanocomposites confirmed the presence of nanostructured silver (cubic phase) and silver sulfide (monoclinic phase) in the matrix. TEM micrographs showed that the nanoparticles are mostly spherical in shape. Analyzes of the optical properties of the silver nanocomposite aqueous dispersions/solutions of various concentrations were carried out. The results and the theoretical considerations suggested that at high concentrations there is a release of silver nanoparticles from the composite in the water environment. Further dilution produces homogeneous solution in which silver nanoparticles are capped with starch macromolecules. TGA analysis revealed reduced thermal stability of the nanocomposites with respect to pure starch matrix.

Cranial neuropathy and bone involvement in primary systemic amyloidosis.

Bone involvement in primary systemic amyloidosis is rare. Intracranial involvement in primary amyloidosis has not been reported so far. We report two cases of bone involvement in primary amyloidosis. The first patient also had combined deficiencies of factor IX and XII, while the second patient had associated intracranial involvement and XIIth cranial nerve palsy. Both these cases are unique in that, destructive bone lesions with intracranial involvement and combined factor deficiencies have not been reported in primary amyloidosis previously.

Cadmium binding to a histidine-rich glycoprotein from marine mussel blood plasma: potentiometric titration and equilibrium speciation modeling.

Cadmium-binding parameters (conditional stability constants and carrying capacities) of Mytilus edulis blood plasma histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) were investigated by potentiometric titrations using a Cd ion-specific electrode. Titration data were applied to a single-component complexation model and expressed as Scatchard plots that were analyzed using the graphical curve peeling method and the algebraic statistical mechanical method. These sets of binding parameters, derived for the purified HRG, were subsequently entered into the geochemical speciation model MINTEQA2 and then used to simulate the experimental titration, thereby determining which set of log K and CL values best represented the titration data. The Cd binding to HRG was best described by a two-class model with log K values of 7.65 +/- 0.10 and 5.41 +/- 0.06 M-1 and carrying capacities of 6.0 +/- 1.2 and 9.5 +/- 0.4 sites/molecule, respectively. At concentration of total Cd measured in the blood plasma of field-collected mussels (< or = 2 x 10(-7) M), plasma Cd speciation would be dominated by the strong affinity sites of HRG (> 93.5% of total Cd binds to HRG), whereas HRG itself would only be 0.05% saturated with Cd, indicating a high-capacity, apparently nonsaturable Cd transport system.

Cadmium speciation and transport in the blood of the bivalve Mytilus edulis.

Cadmium (Cd) speciation in the blood plasma of Mytilus edulis was investigated using the metal speciation model MINTEQA2. In the presence of inorganic ions alone, Cd-chloro complexes dominated the speciation (97% of total Cd), with 3% as Cd2+. Inclusion of a novel Cd-binding histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) purified from mussel blood plasma decreased the contribution of chloro-complexes to 11.9%, with 86.8% of the Cd bound to the HRG and 1.3% present as Cd2+. Cd transfer from the blood plasma to the kidneys in vivo was studied by injecting 109Cd (both with and without additional chelation) into mussels. Oxine and EDTA complexed a significant amount of blood-borne Cd (23.7% Cd Oxine; 57.1% CdEDTA). In the presence of each chelator, plasma retained significantly more Cd, although there was no significant difference in Cd uptake by tissues (kidney, gill-mantle, and remaining viscera).

Purification and characterization of a histidine-rich glycoprotein that binds cadmium from the blood plasma of the bivalve Mytilus edulis.

An unusual cadmium-binding protein was purified for the first time from the blood plasma of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. The protein was isolated and purified to homogeneity using ammonium sulfate precipitation and immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography. It was identified as a glycoprotein with an apparent Mr of 63 kDa and a pI of 4.8. Electrophoresis of the protein under denaturing conditions on polyacrylamide gels produced four bands of 35, 37, 39 and 29 kDa. Isoelectric focusing under denaturing conditions produced 12 closely spaced bands with pIs of 4.2 to 5.8, revealing charge microheterogeneity. Molecular proterties (Mr and pI), carbohydrate content (11.6%) and composition, high histidine content (13.7%), as well cadmium-binding property of the protein (approximate log K >/= 5.4) indicated that it is similar to the mammalian histidine-rich glycoprotein, hitherto unreported in aquatic invertebrates. The cadmium-binding ability of the protein was retained even after heat denaturation and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Hansen's disease with bilateral tarsal disorganisation.

A 37-year old male patient with Hansen's disease midborderline spectrum, presented with bilateral pedal edema. X-ray examination of the feet showed disorganisation and disintegration of the tarsal bones. Bilateral tarsal disorganisation which can develop in Hansen's disease is usually not recognised by the clinician.

Calcium speciation and exchange between blood and extrapallial fluid of the quahog Mercenaria mercenaria (L.).

Calcium and small organic molecules (e.g., tyrosine, MW 181 Da) introduced into the extrapallial fluid (EPF) of the quahog Mercenaria mercenaria exhibit rapid fluxes across the outer mantle epithelium and are distributed throughout the circulatory system within 3 h. Larger molecules (e.g., bovine serum albumin, MW 66,000 Da) are less readily exchanged between EPF and blood. The protein compositions of blood plasma and EPF are different, with at least seven protein bands expressed more prominently in the EPF. Equilibrium dialysis experiments reveal that Ca2+ constitutes only 2% of the total Ca in plasma; most of the Ca (85%) is bound to macromolecules, and the remaining 13% is present as dialyzable low molecular weight moieties. This distribution cannot be explained by speciation of inorganic Ca alone, since the MINTEQA2 equilibrium speciation model predicts that 79%-86% of the Ca should be present as Ca2+, with the remainder as CaSO4 (20%-13%). However, inclusion of a weakly Ca-binding organic molecule (log10 Ka approximately 2 M-1) into MINTEQA2 could fully reconcile modeling with experimental measurements. Results suggest that calcium transport in blood plasma and EPF is mediated by a suite of proteins and small organic ligands with a low affinity for Ca.

The need for standardised broad scale bioassay testing: A case study using the red alga Laurencia rigida.

Two major problems associated with biofouling studies are the lack of broad scale testing and failure to use consistent standards among different assays or studies. To address these issues the activity of two biologically active natural products, elatol and deschloroelatol, isolated from the marine red alga Laurencia rigida, and three commonly used biocides, Nopcocide N-96™, Irgarol 1051™ and Sea-Nine 211™, was compared, in a broad spectrum of bioassays. The activity of the different compounds varied substantially among different bioassay tests. Elatol and deschloroelatol had a narrow range of activity with strongest effects against invertebrate larvae. Both compounds were highly toxic. However, neither compound had strong activity against marine bacteria or the common epiphyte Ulva lactuca. Irgarol 1051 also had a narrow range of activity, only affecting algal settlement strongly. Nopcocide N-96 and Sea-Nine 211 had moderate to strong activity across the spectrum of bioassays, viz. growth of marine bacteria (Vibrio fischeri, Serratia sp.), inhibition of settlement of macroalgae (Ulva lactuca), toxicity (Balanus amphitrite), and inhibition of settlement of invertebrate larvae (Balanus amphitrite, Bugula neritina). Based on the results it is proposed that Sea-Nine 211, because of its broad spectrum activity, be used as a standard for comparative assessments of the antifouling activity of marine natural products and analogues.

Acrokeratosis paraneoplastica.

A 60-year old man with squamous cell carcinoma of hypopharynx and acrokeratosis paraneoplastica (Bazex syndrome) is reported.

Antibacterial activity of the bryozoan Electra bellula (Hincks).

The antibacterial activity of the extracts of bryozoan E. bellula (Hincks) was tested against ten bacterial strains by antibiotic disc diffusion method. The maximum activity was observed against Proteus vulgaris, while Klebsiella pneumoniae and Shigella flexneri were insensitive to the bryozoan.

Female age at marriage in Northern Karnataka.

"The aim of this paper is to (i) furnish the recent trends in female age at marriage in rural Northern Karnataka [India] and (ii) examine the socio-cultural factors influencing very early marriages. The main data set used is from a cohort analysis pertaining to girls born in rural Dharwad during 1962-1972. The median age at marriage is 16 years. Further, two-thirds of the girls are married before 18 years and nearly one-fourth of the marriages are even pre-puberty cases. Various factors--socio-cultural, social psychological, economic etc.--responsible for the perpetuation of very early marriages in the study area, in spite of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, are discussed."

Internal migration data in India: state of the art.

PIP: The availability and content of official data on internal migration in India are reviewed. The primary data sources described are the census and the National Sample Survey. Problems concerning these data are discussed.^ieng

Internal migration in India in the seventies: a demo-economic analysis.

"This paper is aimed to address mainly the following three aspects of spatial mobility within India during the last inter-censal decade of 1971-1981: (i) Levels of inmigration, outmigration and net migration in the major states (ii) estimates of state-to-state migration flows and (iii) some insights on the socio-economic determinants of internal migration."

Levels and structure of internal migration flows in India, 1971.

"This paper attempts to analyse life-time as well as period migration data in India, derived from 1971 census, through conventional techniques as well as by the log-linear modelling." The differences between lifetime and period migration flows are analyzed.

Allozymic and chromosomal similarity in two Drosophila species.

D. setosimentum and ochrobasis are a pair of very close, partly sympatric species endemic to Hawaii island. Males of the two species differ strikingly in wing-pattern and there are altitudinal and breeding-site differences. Similarity indices have been calculated for both chromosomal (C) ald allozymic (A) variants. Within the main populations of each species both kinds of data give coefficients above 0.98. Interspecific comparison of the main populations shows 0.66 (C) and 0.79 (A). An isolated population of ochrobasis from Kohala Volcano (Ohu), when compared with setosimentum, shows 0.68 (C) and 0.98 (A). Chromosomes are thus much more sensitive than allozymes in distinguishing these species; the same is true in the case of D. silvestris and heteroneura from the same forests. These morphologically distinct species, when compared, show 0.96 (A). All four species appear to be very new in the historical sense. In one area, about 2% of wild-caught D. setosimentum/ochrobasis are interspecific hybrids although adequate samples indicate that the separate gene pools have not broken down. The specific names should be retained but the two entities are perhaps best described as quite advanced semispecies in which reproductive isolation in nature is now nearly complete.