The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of inhaled salmeterol 100 micrograms b.d. (SM) versus inhaled salbutamol 400 micrograms q.d.s. (SB), both via the Diskhaler, when added to concurrent treatment, in asthmatic patients who were not controlled on high doses of inhaled steroids (> or = 1,500 micrograms beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) or equivalent daily). This was a mult...

Co-pyrolysis of Shenmu coal (SM) and cotton stalk (CS) at different blend ratios were carried out in a tubular furnace. The pyrolysis temperature was up to 600 °C at 5 °C/min and kept for 15 min. The results indicated that there was an interactive effect between SM and CS, which increased the tar yield. Moreover, the content of light components in co-pyrolysis tar from all CS/SM blend ratios wa...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the feasibility, efficiency, and safety of no-touch switching bipolar (SB) and switching monopolar (SM) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using ex vivo bovine livers. MATERIALS AND METHODS A pork loin cube was inserted as a tumor mimicker in the bovine liver block; RFA was performed using the no-touch technique in the SM (group A1; 10 minutes, n = 10, group A2; 15 minutes, n...

Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a symmetry between fermions and bosons and its theoretical development started from the formulation of SUSY invariant Lagrangian in four dimensional field theory in early ’70s. Subsequently, SUSY gauge theory, supergravity and string theory with space-time supersymmetry (supersrting) were formulated in ’70s. Phenomenological application of SUSY theory has developed since...

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a powerful cytotoxic agent as well as a potent vesicant, mutagen, and carcinogen. This compound reacts with glutathione (GSH) and forms GSH-SM conjugates that appear to be excreted through the mercapturic acid pathway in mammals. The question of whether glutathione-S-transferases (GST) are involved in enzymatic formation of these conjugates remains unresolved. In previous...

limited water resources, especially in iran, require most effective method of water use to avoid losses. one of the important parameters in irrigation is water distribution uniformity coefficient (cu) in sprinkler irrigation. cu in every irrigation depends on pressure heads (p), riser height (rh), distance between sprinklers on lateral pipes (sl), and the distance between lateral pipes (sm). th...

Plants produce scores of specialized metabolites (SMs) to attract or repel the organisms around them and to cope with life in a variable environment. For thousands of years, we have beenexploitingthesecompoundstofeed,heal, and anoint us. Many more SMs remain to be discovered: The chemical constituents of only 15%of theestimated350,000plantspecieson Earth have thus far been explored (Wurtzel and...

Intracellular membrane fusion requires the regulated assembly of SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein receptor) proteins anchored in the apposed membranes. To exert the force required to drive fusion between lipid bilayers, juxtamembrane SNARE motifs zipper into four-helix bundles. Importantly, SNARE function is regulated by additional factors, none more ext...

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus which infects target cells via the envelope protein JEV-E. However, its cellular targets are largely unknown. To investigate the role of sphingomyelin (SM) in JEV infection, we utilized SM-deficient immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (tMEF) established from SM synthase 1 (SMS1)/SMS2 double knockout mice. SMS deficiency signif...