After a 1-month washout period,
the 2 groups were crossed over to receive the alternative regime (Phase 2).
Main Outcome Measure: Difference scores between before and after measures of the Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire. Changes on the difference scores 20 or greater were considered as a statistically significant see more and, therefore, clinically meaningful improvement for THQ.
Results: Five percent (5 of 93 patients) had an improvement of 20 points or greater in THQ scores after zinc treatment, whereas 2% (2 of 94 patients) had an improvement of 20 or greater in THQ scores after placebo. The difference between 2 proportions is 5/93 – 2/94 = 0.03, the estimate of relative improvement is (5/93) / (2/94) = 2.53, with 95% confidence interval from 0.5 to 12.7. From Apoptosis Compound Library mouse chi-square independent test, there was no significant evidence that patients treated by zinc improved better than those treated by placebo (X2 (1) = 1.4, p > 0.05). The observed power in THQ for zinc is 0.16, and that for placebo is 0.06.
Conclusion: Zinc is not an effective treatment for tinnitus in this subgroup of patients.”
“BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated the feasibility
of treating aqueous phenols and aromatic amines with oxidoreductases in synthetic wastewater samples. However, little work has been done on the effectiveness of enzymatic treatment on real wastewater. Here a comparison was made of the oxidative coupling of phenol catalyzed by laccase or soybean GDC-0973 peroxidase (SBP) using synthetic and refinery wastewaters.
RESULTS: Optimization of PH, enzyme concentration, effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) addition, and reducing anions were examined for a 3 h reaction time. Laccase
had an optimum pH of 5.6-6.0, while SBP had a broad optimum from 6.0 to 8.0. In synthetic samples in tap water to achieve >= 95% removal of 1.0 mmol L(-1) phenol in 3 h required 0.12 and 1.5 U mL(-1) of catalytic activity of laccase and SBP, respectively. In refinery samples comparable removals required 1.2- to 1.8-fold more enzyme than in synthetic tap water samples. Added PEG allowed for a small reduction in the SBP concentration for synthetic wastewater but was ineffective with either enzyme in treating refinery samples. Reducing ions increased the demand for oxidant but, with the exception of cyanide, phenol removal still occurred.
CONCLUSION: Both laccase and SBP were effective in removing phenol from aqueous refinery samples, albeit at slightly higher concentrations than required for the corresponding synthetic samples. (C) 2008 Society of Chemical Industry”
“Chorioamnionitis represents a major risk factor for preterm birth and contributes to prematurity-associated morbidity and mortality.