Pharmacokinetics of gadoversetamide injection, a gadolinium-based contrast agent, in pediatric patients

Objective

The pharmacokinetics of gadoversetamide were examined in pediatric patients scheduled to undergo contrast-enhanced MRI of the central nervous system.

Materials and Methods

One hundred patients received an intravenous injection of gadoversetamide at a dose of 0.1 mmol/kg for a contrast-enhanced MRI procedure. A subpopulation of 30 patients were enrolled to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of gadoversetamide in patients 2–11 and 12–18 years of age. Serial blood and urine samples were collected before and after the administration of gadoversetamide.

Results

The terminal half-life, initial concentration and area under the curve assessments for gadoversetamide showed no significant (P>.05) differences between the age groups or the sexes. Although no sex-related differences occurred in the volume of distribution or clearance, significant (P<.05) age-related differences were found, but once corrected for body mass or surface area the differences were no longer significant.

Conclusions

The pharmacokinetic behavior of gadoversetamide was not significantly altered by differences in age or sex in pediatric patients from 2 to 18 years of age. Although significant differences in volumes of distribution, and clearance occurred between the age groups, these differences appeared to depend on body size rather than on age in pediatric patients between 2 and 18 years of age.     

Parametric estimation of the Duffing system by using a modified gradient algorithm

The Letter presents a strategy for recovering the unknown parameters of the Duffing oscillator using a measurable output signal. The suggested approach employs the construction of an integral parametrization of one auxiliary output. It is calculated by measuring the difference between the output and its respective delay output. First we estimate the auxiliary output, followed by the application of a modified gradient algorithm, then we adjust the gains of the proposed linear estimator, until this error converges to zero. The convergence of the proposed scheme is shown using Lyapunov method.     

Magnetic states at the oxygen surfaces of ZnO and Co-doped ZnO

First principles calculations of the O surfaces of Co-ZnO show that substitutional Co ions develop large magnetic moments which long-range order depends on their mutual distance. The local spin polarization induced at the O atoms is 3 times larger at the surface than in the bulk, and the surface stability is considerably reinforced by Co. Moreover, a robust ferromagnetic state is predicted at the O (0001) surface even in the absence of magnetic atoms, correlated with the number of p holes in the valence band of the oxide, and with a highly anisotropic distribution of the magnetic charge even in the absence of spin-orbit coupling.     

Exclusive branching-fraction measurements of semileptonic tau decays into three charged hadrons, into phipi(-)nu tau, and into phi K(-)nu tau

Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 342 fb(-1) collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II electron-positron storage ring operating at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV, we measure B(tau(-)--> pi(-)pi(-)pi+nu(tau)(ex.K(S0))=(8.83+/-0.01+/-0.13)%, B(tau(-) -->K(-)pi(-)pi+nu tau(ex.K(S0))=(0.273+/-0.002+/-0.009)%, B(tau(-) -->K(-)pi(-)K+nu tau)=(0.1346+/-0.0010+/-0.0036)%, and B(tau(-) -->K(-)K(-)K+nu tau)=(1.58+/-0.13+/-0.12)x10;{-5}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These include significant improvements over previous measurements and a first measurement of B(tau(-) -->K(-)K(-)K+nu tau) in which no resonance structure is assumed. We also report a first measurement of B(tau(-) -->var phi(-)nu tau)=(3.42+/-0.55+/-0.25)x10(-5), a new measurement of B(tau(-) -->var phi K(-)nu tau)=(3.39+/-0.20+/-0.28)x10(-5) and a first upper limit on B(tau(-) -->K(-)K(-)K+nu tau(ex.var phi)).     

Observation of Y(3940) --> J/psiomega in B --> J/psiomegaK at BABAR

We present a study of the decays B;{0,+}-->J/psiomegaK;{0,+} using 383x10;{6} BB[over ] events obtained with the BABAR detector at PEP-II. We observe Y(3940)-->J/psiomega, with mass 3914.6_{-3.4};{+3.8}(stat)+/-2.0(syst) MeV/c;{2}, and width 34_{-8};{+12}(stat)+/-5(syst) MeV. The ratio of B0 and B+ decay to YK is 0.27_{-0.23};{+0.28}(stat)-0.01+0.04(syst), and the relevant B0 and B+ branching fractions are reported.     

Search for CPT and lorentz violation in B0-B[over ]0 oscillations with dilepton events

We report results of a search for CPT and Lorentz violation in B(0)-B[over ](0) oscillations using inclusive dilepton events from 232 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB[over ] decays recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B Factory at SLAC. We find 2.8sigma significance, compatible with no signal, for variations in the complex CPT violation parameter z at the Earth's sidereal frequency and extract values for the quantities Deltaa(micro) in the general Lorentz-violating standard-model extension. The spectral powers for variations in z over the frequency range 0.26 yr(-1) to 2.1 solar day(-1) are also compatible with no signal.     

Formation of dispersive hybrid bands at an organic-metal interface

An electronic band with quasi-one-dimensional dispersion is found at the interface between a monolayer of a charge-transfer complex (TTF-TCNQ) and a Au(111) surface. Combined local spectroscopy and numerical calculations show that the band results from a complex mixing of metal and molecular states. The molecular layer folds the underlying metal states and mixes with them selectively, through the TTF component, giving rise to anisotropic hybrid bands. Our results suggest that, by tuning the components of such molecular layers, the dimensionality and dispersion of organic-metal interface states can be engineered.     

Study of thermal diffusivity of nanofluids with bimetallic nanoparticles with Au(core)/Ag(shell) structure

The thermal diffusivity of Au/Ag nanoparticles with core/shell structure, at different compositions (Au/Ag = 3/1, 1/1, 1/3, 1/6), was measured by using the mismatched mode of the dual-beam thermal lens (TL) technique. This study determines the effect of the bimetallic composition on the thermal diffusivity of the nanofluids. In these results we find a lineal increment of the nanofluid it thermal diffusivity when the Ag shell thickness is increased. Our results show that the nanoparticle structure is an important parameter to improve the heat transport in composites and nanofluids. These results could have importance for applications in therapies and photothermal deliberation of drugs. Complementary measurements with UV-vis spectroscopy and TEM, were used to characterize the Au(core)/Ag(shell) nanoparticles.     

Phenomenological theory of structural relaxation based on a thermorheologically complex relaxation time distribution

The aim of this work is to explore the consequences on the kinetics of structural relaxation of considering a glass-forming system to consist of a series of small but macroscopic relaxing regions that evolve independently from each other towards equilibrium in the glassy state. The result of this assumption is a thermorheologically complex model. In this approach each relaxing zone has been assumed to follow the Scherer-Hodge model for structural relaxation (with the small modification of taking a linear dependence of configurational heat capacity with temperature). The model thus developed contains four fitting parameters. A least-squares search routine has been used to find the set of model parameters that fit simultaneously four DSC thermograms in PVAc after different thermal histories. The computersimulated curves are compared with those obtained with Scherer-Hodge model and the model proposed by Gómez and Monleón. The evolution of the relaxation times during cooling or heating scans and also during isothermal annealing below the glass transition has been analysed. It has been shown that the relaxation times distribution narrows in the glassy state with respect to equilibrium. Isothermal annealing causes this distribution to broaden during the process to finally attain in equilibrium the shape defined at temperatures above T _g .     

Improving the detection of proteins after transfer to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes.

N-Terminal sequence analysis of proteins separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes has become the method for molecular characterization of proteins contained in biological samples. However, the proteins of lower abundance cannot be sequenced directly, without improving the technique. We have studied a drying method on several PVDF membranes including Trans-Blott, Immobilon P and Problott. Using Amido Black, Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 and Ponceau S, we have obtained, in comparison with the non-dried membranes, an enormous increase in the number of detectable proteins.