Atmospheric pressure plasma polymers for tuned QCM detection of protein adhesion.

Our efforts have been concentrated in preparing plasma polymeric thin layers at atmospheric pressure grown on Quartz Crystal Microbalance-QCM electrodes for which the non-specific absorption of proteins can be efficiently modulated, tuned and used for QCM biosensing and quantification. Plasma polymerization reaction at atmospheric pressure has been used as a simple and viable method for the preparation of QCM bioactive surfaces, featuring variable protein binding properties. Polyethyleneglycol (ppEG), polystyrene (ppST) and poly(ethyleneglycol-styrene) (ppST-EG) thin-layers have been grown on QCM electrodes. These layers were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The plasma ppST QCM electrodes present a higher adsorption of Concanavalin A (ConA) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) proteins when compared with the commercial coated polystyrene (ppST) ones. The minimum adsorption was found for ppEG, surface, known by their protein anti-fouling properties. The amount of adsorbed proteins can be tuned by the introduction of PEG precursors in the plasma discharge during the preparation of ppST polymers.

[Fluoroquinolones. Drug interactions]. / Fluorochinolonele. Interactiuni medicamentoase.

This review summarizes clinically relevant drug-drug interactions for fluoroquinolones: antiacids containing aluminum and magnesium salts, iron or zinc preparations, sucralfate, cimetidine, ranitidine, warfarina, cyclosporin, rifampin, oral contraceptive steroids, benzodiazepine, probenecid, beta-lactam antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, metronidazole, theophylline, caffeine.

[The debut of Jennerian vaccination in the mining regions of Transylvania]. / Les débuts de la vaccination jennerienne dans les régions minières de Transylvanie.

The first attempts at vaccination by Jenner's method in Transylvania (Romania) were made in 1801; vaccination became compulsory in 1808. By researching the mining archives, details about the evolution of vaccination activities were found. The most important are: the initiative of the surgeon Peter Molnar from Sacaramb (June 1801), the first vaccinations performed by the chief medical officer of the mining area (November-December 1801), the consistent reporting of vaccination, payment of the vaccinator surgeons, vaccination promotion and means of providing vaccination material.

Conjugal transfer of plasmids and antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli isolated from animals in a rural area in Sarawak (Malaysia).

Thirty-six strains of Escherichia coli isolated from animals in Bario, a remote area in Sarawak, Malaysia, were examined for presence of plasmid DNA and their susceptibility to nine antimicrobial agents. Of the total 36 isolates, five bovine and six canine isolates were found to contain plasmid DNA ranging in sizes from 2.6 to 70 kilobases. All were susceptible to chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid and neomycin but resistance to ampicillin (47%), erythromycin (19%), streptomycin (25%) and tetracycline (11%) was observed. Resistance was associated with carriage of a 47 kb (SC98), 70 kb, (SC133) and 56 and 4.6 kb (SC119) plasmids which were transmissible to the Escherichia coli K12 recipient. It is concluded that animals form a potential reservoir of R plasmids carrying E. coli in the study area.

[The synthesis of oximes and O-acetyl derivatives with biological activity]. / Sinteza unor oxime si derivati O-acetilati cu activitate biologica.

Data about synthesis of some oximes and their O-acetyl derivates are shown here. This item also emphasize the results of testing the antimicrobial, antifungal, antilevural and anti-inflammatory action of the synthesized oximes.

Comparison of risks in cardiovascular diseases.

The paper presents the estimations of the short-time and the long-time (10 years) risks of developing a cardiovascular disease (CD). The standard risk factors considered were: age, deviation from the ideal weight, number of cigarettes smoked per day, level of serum cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. The cardiovascular diseases likely to be induced by these risk factors were: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, ischemic heart diseases and stroke. The comparison of the estimated probabilities of developing the disease for various risk factors profiles emphasizes the value of epidemiologic intervention already in young agers.

[Benzimidazole derivatives with antihypertensive and platelet antiaggregant actions]. / Derivati ai benzimidazolului cu actiune antihipertensiva si antiagregant-plachetara.

The changing of the chemical structure of 2-benzylbenzimidazole, the active substance of Dibazol (Tromesedan), generated five analogous structures. Two salts of the same active substance have been synthesized in view of improving some of the pharmacological and toxicological features. The results of the anti-AHT and platelet aggregation actions are also presented.

[The synthesis and anti-inflammatory properties of 7-theophyllineacetic acid derivatives]. / Cercetari privind sinteza si proprietatile antiinflamatoare ale unor derivati ai acidului 7-teofilinilacetic.

Some esters of 7-theophyllinylacetic acid were synthetized, characterized physicochemically and tested for their anti-inflammatory properties. As compared to indomethacin, reference anti-inflammatory drug, all synthetized compounds were less toxic. The anti-inflammatory properties are influenced by the nature of the ester group radicals, the more active having ramified alchils.

[The production of pharmacologically active acexamic acid derivatives. I. The production of acexamic acid and its zinc salt]. / Cercetari privind obtinerea unor derivati ai acidului acexamic farmacologic activi. (I). Obtinerea acidului acexamic si a sarii de zinc a acestuia.

In view of studying the pharmacological properties of zinc acexamath a simple and cheap method for the synthesis of acexamic acid by re-evaluating some indigenous raw materials is presented. The conversion of acexamic acid into the corresponding zinc salt is highly efficient by reacting this acid with zinc oxide or zinc carbonate.

Statistical methods for longitudinal study of risk factors in cardiovascular diseases.

The purpose of this paper is to study the risks of developing a cardiovascular disease, under conditions of primary prevention. The risk factors were studied as a synthetic index, representing a linear weighted combination, called by us prognostic index. For the longitudinal study and prediction the multiple regression analysis was used.

Studies on the familial character of endemic Balkan nephropathy. Possible role of the toxic hydric factor in the determination of "familial agglomerations" in endemic Balkan nephropathy.

The study was carried out in an attempt to explain the familial character of endemic Balkan nephropathy and of agglomeration of cases in certain households and in the ascendency of certain families. The hypotheses of a genetic disease or that of an infectious etiology have been taken into consideration in previous studies - by chromosomal analyses and statistical-mathematic tests of contagiousness - without being able to find arguments in support of one or the other hypotheses. This study brings important elements in favour of the possible role of ecologic factors and mainly of the hydrictoxic one, in the determination of the familial agglomerations in endemic nephropathy. Thus using radionuclear determination methods, we could demonstrate in a locality of the endemic area that around the water sources with high content of nephrotoxic oligoelements (cadmium, chromium, manganese, cobalt) there are more diseased families than around water sources poorer in these oligoelements.

Two multidimensional methods applied to the study of cardiovascular risk factor.

In the epidemiologic study of chronic diseases, especially that of cancer and heart disease, it is often necessary to resort not only to the work of epidemiologists but also to that of mathematicians and statisticians. The present study is an application of two main methods of multivariate analysis -- factorial analysis and canonical correlation analysis -- to the determination of the evolution of the risk to develop coronary heart disease in an urban population.

Cyto-nucleo-nucleolar variables estimating the lymphocyte reactivity in chronic internal diseases with immune component.

To estimate the degree of lymphocyte reactivity, 11 cyto-nucleo-nucleolar variables were determined in the lymphocyte population from 30 healthy blood donors and 103 patients with chronic internal diseases with immune component such as: rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, Hodgkin's disease or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The data obtained showed that all the cyto-nucleo-nucleolar variables investigated were different in chronic hepatitis from all the other groups, both as regards the relative and absolute areas (low for the cell and nucleus and high for the nucleoli), and as regards the ratios of cell/nucleus and nucleus/nucleolus areas.

Application of mathematical methods to the study of familial aggregation in endemic nephropathy. I. The hypothesis of infectious etiology.

Among many etiological factors, infection and the genetic factor are the main two causes which could explain the familial aggregation of endemic nephropathy (EN). The data collected over all the EN cases during 1957--1976 in the endemic village Bistrita have been analysed for time-space clustering and a particular type of spatial clustering (within household) by the Knox's space-time interaction test and Walter's pair statistic test. The lack of clustering could be interpreted as suggesting the lack of infection (human transmission pattern) in the occurrence of endemic nephropathy.

T and B lymphocytes in respiratory pollen allergies (bronchial pollen asthma and allergic rhinitis).

The T and B lymphocytes were identified by means of the rosette tests in the peripheral blood of 79 patients with respiratory allergies of whom 41 with allergic rhinitis and 38 with bronchial pollen asthma, as well as in 16 control subjects. The results have shown a clear lessening of the T cells (both in per cent and absolute values) and a less significant decrease of the B cells (only in absolute values) in the patients as compared with the controls. These data suggest an immune deficiency which did not differ between the two groups of patients and was not influenced by the specific hyposensitizing treatment.