The family physician dealing with gynecologic pelvic pain (acute or chronic) enters at the beginning of the problem as diagnostician, refers the patient to a specialist in the interim, and resumes...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND:Reports indicate that characteristics of older adults with chronic pain may be different than those of younger persons.OBJECTIVE:To study...Full Text Available
Abstract Residual limb pain (RLP) and phantom limb pain (PLP) can be debilitating and can prevent functional gains following amputation. High correlations have been reported between RLP and the stump neuromas following amputation. Many treatment methods including physical therapy, medications, and interventions, have been used with limited success. Pulsed radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) has shown promise in treating neuropathic pain because of the inhibition of evoked synaptic activity. We present 4 amputees who were treated with PRFA after failing conservative management for their RLP and PLP. All 4 patients underwent PRFA and demonstrated at least 80% relief of RLP for over 6 months. One patient reported a complete resolution of phantom sensation while another patient had significantly de...
The claim that focus evokes a set of alternatives is a central issue in several accounts of the effects of focus on interpretation. This article presents two empirical studies that examine whether this property of focus is independent of contextual conditions. The syntactic operation at issue is object-fronting in German, Spanish, Greek, and Hungarian licensed by contexts involving focus on the object constituent. This operation evokes the intuition that the fronted referent excludes some or all relevant alternatives. The presented experiments deal with the question whether this interpretative property obligatorily accompanies the operation at issue or not. The empirical findings show that in German, Spanish, and Greek this intuition depends on properties of the context and is sensitive to...
Pain is necessary for survival but chronic pain is disabling and causes significant health and economic problems. This study provides an understanding of the future for spinal cord stimulation. Stimulation by means of chronically implanted electrodes, was carried out in 200 patients with pain of varied benign organic etiology. In 177 of them, pain was confined to the failed back syndrome. Most patients were referred by a Pain Management Service. 226 epidural implants were used: 80 unipolar, 59 Resume, 12 bipolar, and 75 quadripolar. Patients were followed for periods of 6 months to 12 years, with a mean follow-up of 44 months. 84 patients (42%) were able to control their pain by stimulation alone, 22 patients (11%) needed occasional analgesic supplements along with their stimulation program. Pain secondary to failed back ...
Ewing's sarcoma classically presents as a hot spot on bone scan as a result of increased vascularity of the tumor and new bone formation. Purpose We report and analyze an uncommon pattern of a 'cold' lesion in Ewing's sarcoma on bone scan and its pathophysiologic significance. Case report A 15-year-old boy complaining of thigh pain. CT scan evoked Ewing's sarcoma or osteitis. MRI evoked chronic osteitis. Scintigraphy showed a fairly intense and heterogeneous uptake on the femoral lesion and no abnormal uptake elsewhere. Biopsy showed none pathologic pattern. Three months later, a second biopsy concluded to Ewing's sarcoma. Bone scan showed a larger lesion with peripheral intense uptake centered by enlarged 'cold' area in the left femoral diaphysis and no evident bone metastasis. The patient underwent chemotherapy and surgery. Three months later, bone scan showed extensive skeletal metastasis. Conclusion Ewing's sarcoma ...
The utilization of nuclear medicine bone scanning examinations early in the diagnostic process allows physicians to render prompt and correct treatment in urgent or difficult athletic cases. Bone scanning should be performed for athletic injuries whenever (1) x-rays are normal but bone or joint pain persists; (2) x-rays are positive but it cannot be determined if the findings are acute or chronic; (3) soft-tissue injuries present and x-rays are not useful; and (4) bone pain or joint impairment present without a history of trauma.89 references.
A flowing bed kiln is a gas-solid reactor used in the civil nuclear fuel cycle for the successive conversion of uranium trioxide (UO{sub 3}) into uranium dioxide (UO{sub 2}) and then into uranium tetrafluoride (UF{sub 4}). A numerical model is developed which simulate the behaviour of this reactor in permanent regime. This model describes the physico-chemical phenomena involved, and combines a mechanistic approach in the vertical area of the kiln (resolution by the finite volumes method) and a systemic approach in the horizontal area, like in the model of cascade mixers. The first results have been obtained for reference operating conditions of the industrial kiln. Some possible improvements of the optimum temperature progression inside the kiln are evoked. (J.S.)
Two experiments used the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) to examine the affective dimension of pain in patients whose pain was secondary to malignancy. In experiment I, segregating groups of cancer patients on the basis of extreme scores (high versus low) on the MPQ failed to produce segregation on independent measures of affect and infirmity. This outcome contrasts with earlier work with chronic benign pain patients. Experiment II compared cancer pain patients matched with benign pain patients on intensity of pain report on the affective dimension of the MPQ. Cancer pain patients reported a reliably higher affective loading to their pain. These data suggest that cancer pain patients employ different criteria than benign pain patients in selecting affective ...
Studies on the determinants of pain-related support are needed to enhance couples-based treatments for pain. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which pain catastrophizing...Full Text Available
Although previous research suggests that preamputation pain is a risk factor for pain after amputation, little is known about the association between acute postsurgical pain and chronic amputation-related pain. The current prospective study examined the associations of preamputation pain and acute postamputation pain with chronic amputation-related pain. The sample consisted of patients with lower limb amputation (N = 57) who provided both preamputation and postamputation data during a 2-year study period. Preamputation pain intensity and duration were assessed before amputation; acute phantom limb pain (PLP) and residual limb pain (RLP) intensity were assessed on postsurgical days 4 and 5. Acute PLP intensity was the only significant independent predictor of chronic PLP ...
DescriptionLameness, commonly referred to as the leg health, in the modern broiler chicken is an emotive issue and the debate surrounding this subject is not helped by the lack of agreement as to how leg health should be assessed. A commonly used tool for scoring leg health is the Bristol Gait Score, a technique used in the recently reported Defra project AW0230 (`Leg Health and Welfare in Commercial Broiler Production`). The authors of the final report for AW0230 noted that for the chickens gait scored [continued...
We encountered a case of Ewing's sarcoma. The patient was a 19 year-old girl, who visited a local physician because of pain in the left scapular region, and was referred to us. Roentgenograms of her left scapula revealed an irregular moth-eaten shadow which was suspected to be a malignant bone tumor. The histological diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma was comfirmed by needle biopsy. The initial stage of treatment consisted of radiation therapy (6000 rads) and chemotherapy (VAC and ADR). At the end of the initial stage, the symptoms were improved, the size of the local lesion was reduced on the roentgenogram and there was no evidence of distant metastases. (author).
IntroductionShoulder pain covers a wide range of problems and affects up to 20% of the population. It is not a specific diagnosis. Shoulder pain can be caused by problems with the...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND:In adults, it is well known that high levels of pain catastrophizing are related to increased pain and disability as well as to heightened anxiety and depression. However,...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND:Despite increasing attention to the epidemiology of pain, relatively little is known about the association between pain and health in children. In particular, no studies...Full Text Available
Stabbing paroxysmal pain due to neurological disease can often be controlled by anticonvulsants, whereas steady burning pain is often responsive to tricyclic antidepressants, and to neuroleptics. Overuse...Full Text Available
Despite the existence of effective analgesic drugs, many cancer patients live and die with ineffective pain control. The control of cancer pain is largely achievable with the appropriate use of available...Full Text Available
BackgroundAdequate pain assessment is critical for evaluating the efficacy of analgesic treatment in clinical practice and during the development of new therapies. Yet the currently...Full Text Available
Little is known about how sociodemographic factors relate to children’s chronic pain. This paper describes the pain, health, and sociodemographic characteristics of a cohort of children...Full Text Available
Pain and pain-related interference with physical function have not been thoroughly studied in individuals who have undergone knee-disarticulation amputations. The principal aim of this study...Full Text Available
Opioids have been regarded for millennia as among the most effective drugs for the treatment of pain. Their use in the management of acute severe pain and chronic pain related to advanced medical...Full Text Available
The aim of the study was to determine whether children with chronic benign pain are in contact with their general practitioner (GP) more frequently than those without chronic benign pain. A random sample...Full Text Available
Uterus didelphys with obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis is a rare entity, sometimes referred to as Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome (HWW). It usually presents after menarche with progressive pelvic pain, sometimes with regular menses, and a palpable mass due to hemihaematocolpos. The diagnosis is generally made only if the suspicion of this genitourinary syndrome is raised. To highlight the imaging diagnostic clues in this rare condition. We report on 11 adolescents with this condition. Sonography mostly allowed the correct diagnosis by showing uterovaginal duplication, haematocolpos or haematometrocolpos, and the absence of the ipsilateral kidney. MRI provided more detailed information regarding uterine morphology, the continuity with each vaginal channel (obstructed and nonobstructed), and the bloody nature of the contents. Early and accurate diagnosis of this syndrome is important so that adequate and prompt surgical ...
A rare case of primary splenic cyst is shown in a young woman who had a left subcostal abdominal pain. Abdominal echography and CT scan revealed a cyst of the anterior aspect of the spleen. A sorologic test for hidatic disease was negative. On the basis of a presumed diagnostic of nonparasitic cyst, the patient was referred to a laparoscopic decapsulation with excision of the cysts wall not covered by splenic tissue. The patient was discharged 24 hours later. Histological report revealed epidermoid cyst. The laparoscopic approach has being recently considered an effective and less invasive alternative in the treatment of splenic diseases. We demonstrated that it should be considered for the treatment of splenic cysts present in a superficial location, with the advantage of organ preservation. (author)
Abstract Despite reduced sympathetic activity below the level of a spinal cord injury (SCI), venoconstriction during autonomic dysreflexia increases venous return to the heart. Here, contractions of isometrically mounted tail veins from rats with spinal transection at T4 performed 8???10 weeks earlier are compared with those from sham-operated rats. After SCI, lumen diameter was reduced by ?30% and the contractions evoked by electrical stimulation of the perivascular axons were larger than control. This augmentation of neurovascular transmission was not associated with enhanced sensitivity to ?-adrenoceptor agonists or to adenosine-5?-triphosphate (ATP) although contractions to depolarization with K+ were larger after SCI. The percentage reduction in nerve-evoked contraction after SCI prod...
The University of North Carolina Comprehensive Pain Center, which has been in existence since 1972, is a pain evaluation, treatment and research program based upon individual diagnosis, comprehensive...Full Text Available
Chronic pain patients who show aberrant drug-related behavior often are discontinued from treatment when they are noncompliant with their use of opioids for pain. The purpose of this study was...Full Text Available
While research has shown that patients’ beliefs about their pain are related to pain adjustment and treatment outcomes, little is known about the beliefs of their significant others....Full Text Available
Pain caused by chronic pancreatitis is medically intractable and resistant to conventional interventional or surgical treatment. We report a case of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for intractable pain...Full Text Available
Sex differences in pain are frequently reported in the literature. However, less is known about possible sex differences in the experience of pain secondary to a disability. The current study...Full Text Available
In all mammals, tissue inflammation leads to pain and behavioral sensitization to thermal and mechanical stimuli called hyperalgesia. We studied pain mechanisms in the African naked mole-rat, an unusual...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND:Canadian chronic pain prevalence estimates range from 11% to 66%, are affected by sampling and measurement bias, and largely represent urban settings.OBJECTIVES:To...Full Text Available
Chronic neurogenous pain is often an extremely difficult condition to manage. In the orofacial region, trauma from injury or dental procedures may lead to the development of severe neuralgic pains and...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo examine the longitudinal relationship between depressive symptoms at study entry (T1) on pain intensity (PI) and functional disability over a 1-year period...Full Text Available
Even clinicians who keep up with the research literature on pain mechanisms may find themselves uncertain when trying to bring these new theories down to practical application for a patient with pain....Full Text Available
Idiopathic or functional abdominal pain (FAP) is common in school-age children and typically reflects a functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID). FGIDs in adults have been distinguished by...Full Text Available
Objective:To assess the efficacy of facet joint infiltrations for pain relief in 44 selected patients with chronic nonradicular low back pain (LBP).Materials...Full Text Available
Psychological illness influences the experience and expression of pain and disability. We tested three null hypotheses: (1) patients with nonspecific pain (medically unexplained and idiopathic) and...Full Text Available
Post amputation pain can be debilitating for patients and families. Chronic pain is a common phenomenon after lower extremity amputation, occurring in up to 80% of this population. The purpose of this...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the failure of trials (<50% pain reduction in pain for trial period) to improve success rate of spinal...Full Text Available
Five methods of personality assessment are evaluated to provide guidance for the psychological treatment of patients with chronic back pain. Patient pain drawings, pentothal pain studies, stress score...Full Text Available
Assessment of the results of laminectomy for lumbar disc lesions is unsatisfactory, but it seems that some degree of recurrent pain is virtually inevitable. The clinical features and incidence of the...Full Text Available
BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition and one the most common causes of disability in the developed nations. Anecdotally, there is a general...Full Text Available
BackgroundNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used to treat postoperative and chronic pain. Animal studies suggest these drugs act in part by blocking...Full Text Available
The treatment of chronic pain conditions continue to present a challenge to the medical field. Physical therapy treatment needs to approach the management of chronic pain differently than the approach used to resolve acute pain. Patients with chronic pain often have many factors that have perpetuated the pain condition. These factors, as well as pain itself, influence their ability to reactivate and perform functional daily activities. Physical therapists can begin to address some of the factors, including fear and deconditioning, by building confidence and body awareness in a self-care model including a slow graduated reactivation program. There is evidence that patients with chronic pain conditions have altered motor control that may be influencing reoccurrences and possible flares of pa...
Interest and research into the mechanisms and treatment of neuropathic pain have increased during recent years, but current treatment is still far from satisfactory (Dworkin...Full Text Available
BackgroundStump and phantom pains are debilitating sequelae of amputations that are often resistant to treatment. The efficacy of pharmacologic therapies, including...Full Text Available
Cryoanalgesia, the local application of extreme cold to nerves to produce analgesia, has been used to treat patients with intractable perineal pain. The cryoprobe was inserted percutaneously through...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence, intensity, and functional impact of the following types of pain associated with upper-limb loss: phantom limb, residual limb,...Full Text Available
G-protein-coupled receptor signalling has been suggested to be voltage dependent in a number of cell types; however, the limits of sensitivity of this potentially important phenomenon are unknown. Using...Full Text Available
Single nerve fibres innervating tooth pulp were isolated from filaments dissected from the inferior alveolar nerve in 17 anaesthetized cats. The fibres were studied to determine whether electrical stimulation...Full Text Available
Background and purpose:The chicken anterior mesenteric artery contains an outer longitudinal smooth muscle layer, whose neural regulation remains to be elucidated. ATP evokes a depolarization...Full Text Available
Auditory fear conditioning with tone bursts followed by electric leg stimulation activates neurons not only in the auditory and somatosensory systems but also in many other regions of the brain and...Full Text Available
Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate...Full Text Available
1. One hundred and thirty-two antidromically identified paraventricular (PV) and supraoptic (SO) neurones were studied during milk ejection evoked by the suckling of the young, in thirty-four lactating...Full Text Available
Normal mouse epidermis constitutively expresses prostaglandin-H synthase 1 (PGHS-1) but no PGHS-2. Acute inflammation and epidermal hyperplasia, (hyperplastic transformation), as evoked in adult mouse...Full Text Available
The aim of the study was to determine whether children with chronic benign pain are in contact with their general practitioner (GP) more frequently than those without chronic benign pain. A random sample of children and adolescents aged between 0 and 18 years of age was drawn from the records of ten general practices. According to their responses to a pain questionnaire, subjects were assigned to the chronic benign pain group (n = 95) if they had pain of more than three months' duration, or to the control group (n = 105) if they had pain of less than three months' duration or no pain at all. All the subjects had an average GP consultation rate of 2.6 contacts per year. No significant age and sex differences were found. Chronic benign pain in childhood and adolescence is not related to increased use of healthcare ...
Sex differences in pain are frequently reported in the literature. However, less is known about possible sex differences in the experience of pain secondary to a disability. The current study explored these issues in persons with limb loss (n = 335, 72% men) who were recruited as part of a postal survey. Participants provided ratings of phantom limb pain (PLP), residual limb pain (RLP), and general pain intensity. Participants also completed measures of pain-related interference, catastrophizing, coping, and beliefs. Results indicated that a greater proportion of males than females (86% vs 77%, respectively) reported the presence of PLP; however, this difference was no longer prominent when cause of limb loss was controlled. No sex differences were found in the presence of RLP, or in avera...
The language used by chronic benign pain patients to characterize their pain complaint was analyzed to determine the best predictor of psychiatric disturbance. Using the 78 adjectives provided by the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the number of affective descriptors used was the best predictor of psychiatric disturbance. Addition of sensory descriptors either to augment the total number of descriptors used (magnitude) or as a pattern of sensory greater than affective or sensory less than affective failed to increase predictive strength. PMID:6877847
In response to an earlier published paper by Fordyce, some assumptions underlying the behavior management paradigm of chronic pain are critically discussed. While operant treatment has proved successful, the conclusion that operant factors play an important role in the development and maintenance of chronic benign pain is debated. Some empirical studies, regularly used to demonstrate this role, are re-evaluated. An alternative theory is proposed for chronic pain behavior, in which the role of a lower tolerance to proprioceptive stimuli, which may include more than just pain stimuli, is emphasized. PMID:3313200
Over the years, nurses, doctors and scientists have sought ways of assessing the impact of pain on patients. While many of the instruments devised have been extremely useful in identifying the nature and intensity of pain, defining the effect it has on people's lives and perceptions has proved much more problematic. Based on the work she carried out with patients suffering from chronic benign pain, Karen Rose explores one aspect of these effects--the feeling of isolation. By using a four-step anthropological approach to identify the impact of pain, she argues, nurses can arrive at a realistic and accurate assessment of how patients are coping. PMID:7947167
Gallstone is a common disease with a 10% prevalence in the United States and Western Europe. However, it is only symptomatic in 20-30% of patients, with biliary pain "colic" being the most common symptom. Complications of asymptomatic gallstone disease are generally rare, with an incidence of <1 %/yr. The most common complications of gallstone disease are acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, ascending cholangitis, and gangrenous gallbladder. Less frequent complications include Mirizzi syndrome, cholecystocholedochal fistula, and gallstone ileus. Mirizzi syndrome and cholecystocholedochal fistula are two manifestations of the same process that starts with impaction of a gallstone in the gallbladder neck that results in obstruction of the bile duct, causing jaundice. The gallstone may erode into the bile duct, causing cholecystocholedochal fistula. Gallstone ileus refers to small bowel obstruction resulting from the impaction of one or ...
Forty-one patients were treated with epidural neurolysis using 50 % ethyl alcohol 2 ml. Thirty eight patients were suffering from cancer pain and three patients were complaining of chronic benign pain. Alcohol block was repeated 2.3 times (mean) in the same patient. Thirty patients were followed after the treatment. Forty-seven percent of the patients reported 70 % or greater pain relief and 20 % of the patients reported about 50 % pain relief. Duration of pain relief was from 9 days to 203 days with a mean duration of 54 days. Adverse effects were reported 43 % of the patients. There is no miserable adverse effect. Adverse effect reported most was pain with epidural injection of drugs after the alcohol block had been performed. PMID:8544293
"Pillar pain" is a relatively frequent complication after surgical release of the median nerve at the wrist. Its etiology still remains unknown although several studies highlight a neurogenic inflammation as a possible cause. Pillar pain treatment usually includes rest, bracing and physiotherapy, although a significant number of patients still complain of painful symptoms two or even three years after surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of low-energy, flux density-focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of pillar pain. We treated 40 consecutive patients with ESWT who had pillar pain for at least six months after carpal tunnel release surgery, and to our knowledge, this is the first study that describes the use of ESWT for treating this c...
Background and aims. The multiplicity of vaccine injections during childhood leads to iterative painful and stressful experiences which may lead in turn to anticipated pain and then possibly to a true needle phobia. We aimed at evaluating a multifactorial strategy of pain management combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches during vaccination, as compared to usual care, in 4- to 12-year-old children. Methods. In all, 239 children were enroled by 25 family practitioners in an open-label study. After a pseudo-randomization, usual pain management (n = 132) was compared to a multifactorial strategy (n = 107) associating preliminary application of an anesthesic patch, preferential use of specified vaccines, child education by the parents and the doctor, parental accompaniment...
To test the hypothesis that transduction of the channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) gene, a microbial-type rhodopsin gene, into retinal ganglion cells of genetically blind rats will restore functional vision, we recorded visually evoked potentials and tested the experimental rats for the presence of optomotor responses. The N-terminal fragment of the ChR2 gene was fused to the fluorescent protein Venus and inserted into an adeno-associated virus to make AAV2-ChR2V. AAV2-ChR2V was injected intravitreally into the eyes of 6-month-old dystrophic RCS (rdy/rdy) rats. Visual function was evaluated six weeks after the injection by recording visually evoked potentials (VEPs) and testing optomotor responses. The expression of ChR2V in the retina was investigated histologically. We found that VEPs could not b...
Presented here is a case of a young woman, with an undiagnosed osteoid osteoma of the spine, which presented with painful scoliosis in adolescence and was treated by bracing until her accession to adulthood....Full Text Available
ObjectivesUse of prescription opioids for chronic pain is increasing, as is abuse of these medications, though the nature of the link between these trends is unclear....Full Text Available
BackgroundAnterior knee pain (AKP) is a common musculoskeletal complaint. It has been suggested that one factor that may contribute to the presence of AKP is a delay in the recruitment...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe objective of this study was to develop and validate a daily electronic Endometriosis Pain and Bleeding Diary (EPBD) for assessing treatment-related changes in endometriosis...Full Text Available
Shoulder pain is a common orthopedic condition seen by physical therapists, with many potential contributing factors and proposed treatments. Although manual physical therapy interventions for the cervicothoracic...Full Text Available
A retrospective study is presented of 83 athletes with tendo Achillis pain (TAP) treated conservatively over a 12-year period from 1976 to 1988. Local steroid injections did not contribute to an earlier...Full Text Available
BackgroundPatients’ general tendency to adhere to health care provider-recommended treatments is associated with a number of health outcomes, but whether it influences pain...Full Text Available
This article reports on an exploratory study of hospice social workers’ assessment and collaborative practices related to pain management; especially caregiver concerns about patient...Full Text Available
Sex-related influences on pain and analgesia have become a topic of tremendous scientific and clinical interest, especially in the last 10 to 15 years. Members of our research group published...Full Text Available
The development of central neuropathic pain varies among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The factors contributing to the development and perpetuation of segmental pain (at-level allodynia)...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeverely disabling chronic pain in the adult population is strongly associated with a range of negative health consequences for individuals and high health care costs,...Full Text Available
Previous studies in several different trigeminal nerve injury/inflammation models indicated that the hyperexcitability of primary afferent neurons contributes to the pain pathway underlying mechanical...Full Text Available
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pregabalin in painful cervical or lumbosacral radiculopathy treated in Primary Care settings under routine clinical practice. An observational,...Full Text Available
Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare persist in the U.S. Although pain is one of the most prevalent and disabling symptoms of disease, only a few studies have assessed disparities in...Full Text Available
BackgroundControversy exists about how to effectively measure patient reported outcomes in IBS clinical trials. Pain numeric rating scales (NRS) are widely used in...Full Text Available
The frozen shoulder is a common cause of shoulder pain and disability. Most patients slowly improve over 12 to 24 months. Some have prolonged loss of movement, pain, and associated disability. Treatments...Full Text Available
Lumbar epidural anesthesia is useful in a variety of chronic benign pain syndromes, including lumbar radiculopathy, low back pain syndrome, spinal stenosis, and vertebral compression fractures. Given...Full Text Available
Objectives. To assess the feasibility of treating musculoskeletal pain in the lower back and/or lower extremities in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) with cranial electrotherapy...Full Text Available
Inclusion of family members in the assessment of patients with chronic pain can improve outcomes. Family functioning can be assessed in four basic areas: boundaries, power, communication, and intimacy....Full Text Available
BackgroundNeuropathic pain (NP) is partially mediated by neuroinflammatory mechanisms, and also modulates local neurogenic inflammation. Dietary lipids, in particular the total amount...Full Text Available
Patients with adhesive capsulitis were clinically evaluated to establish whether pain elicited by pressure on the coracoid area may be considered a pathognomonic sign of this condition. The study group...Full Text Available
... Search Help? Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety Introduction | Be Prepared | Know Your Tests | Relax | Conclusion ... though they may feel some embarrassment, discomfort, or anxiety at the outset. If undergoing medical tests makes ...
BackgroundThe purpose of our study was to evaluate the clinical value of hybrid SPECT/CT for the assessment of patients with painful total knee arthroplasty (TKA).MethodsTwenty-three...Full Text Available
BackgroundUntil now only limited research has been done on the prevalence of chronic pain in primary care. The aim of this investigation was to study the health care utilisation...Full Text Available
ObjectivePersons with chronic or recurrent pain frequently visit the emergency department (ED), yet little research examines this experience. We conducted this national survey to...Full Text Available
Approximately 20% to 30% of patients who undergo coronary arteriography for the evaluation of chest pain are found to have normal coronary arteries. These patients have a survival rate comparable to...Full Text Available
BackgroundChronic non-specific musculoskeletal pain (CNSMSP) may develop in childhood and adolescence, leading to disability and reduced quality of life that continues into adulthood....Full Text Available
Functional imaging has revolutionized the neurosciences. In the pain field it has dramatically altered our understanding of how the brain undergoes significant functional, anatomical and chemical changes...Full Text Available
Behavioural assessment methods have been used to signal the need for intervention and to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Direct observation and rating scales have been used to assess pain and distress...Full Text Available
The aim of this study was to investigate whether astroglia in the medullary dorsal horn (trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis; Vc) may be involved in orofacial neuropathic pain following trigeminal...Full Text Available
ContextWhile opioids are increasingly used for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), we know little about opioid dosing patterns among individuals with CNCP in usual care...Full Text Available
In the last 40 years, significant advances have been made in the understanding of the neurophysiologic processes involved in the experience of trauma and pain. This knowledge, together with the rapid growth and understanding in the behavioral health sciences, has expanded to include a much better appreciation of how these fields are converging and contribute to a process called neuroplasticity. These basic mechanisms common to all patients have important implications for clinical outcome and for improving clinical practice. This article is written for clinicians who manage patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunction, a specific type of nonspecific low back pain.
BackgroundAδ and C fibers are the major pain-conducting nerve fibers, activate only partly the same brain areas, and are differently involved in pain syndromes....Full Text Available
The utilization of health care services in children and adolescents with chronic benign pain was studied in a Dutch population sample of 254 chronic pain sufferers aged 0-18 years. Children and adolescents who had reported chronic pain (continuous or recurrent pain >3 months) in our previous prevalence study were asked to keep a 3-week diary on their pain and to fill out questionnaires on background factors, health care use and the impact of pain. Parent ratings were used for children aged 0-11 years, self-report was used in adolescents (12-18 years). In a 3-month period, in 53.4% of the cases medication was used for pain, and general practitioners and specialists were consulted for pain in 31.1% and 13.9% of subjects, respectively. Physiotherapists, psychologists and alternative health providers were visited by 11.5, ...
Study Design Best evidence synthesis. Objective To undertake a best evidence synthesis of the published evidence on the burden and determinants of neck pain and its associated disorders in the general population. Summary of Background Data The evidence on burden and determinants of neck has not previously been summarized. Methods The Bone and Joint Decade 2000?2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders performed a systematic search and critical review of literature published between 1980 and 2006 to assemble the best evidence on neck pain. Studies meeting criteria for scientific validity were included in a best evidence synthesis. Results We identified 469 studies on burden and determinants of neck pain, and judged 249 to be scientifically admissible; 101 articles related to...
Psychological distress and postamputation pain were investigated in a sample of 582 males with long-term limb amputations (mean time since amputation 639.3 months, standard deviation 166.1; range 240-784 months). Prevalence of significant depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]-D score?8) was 32.0%, and 34.0% of respondents met the screening criterion for clinical anxiety (HADS-A score?8). Nearly one quarter (24.6%) of respondents reported significant post-traumatic psychological stress symptoms (Impact of Event Scale scores?35). In total, 87.8% experienced either phantom or residual limb pain. Affective distress scores differed according to the respondents' type of pain experience. Respondents who experienced residual limb pain reported significantly hig...
C57BL/6ByJ (B6) and 129P3/J (129) mice have different alleles of Tas1r3, which is thought to influence gustatory transduction of sweeteners, but studies have provided conflicting...Full Text Available
BackgroundTo evaluate whether P2X receptors are involved in responses to noxious pulp stimulation, the P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptor agonist α,β-methyleneATP...Full Text Available
A study was made of the actions of the excitant neurotoxin, kainic acid, on the uptake and the release of D-(2,3-3H)aspartate (D-ASP) in slices of guinea pig cerebral neocortex and striatum. The slices took up D-ASP, reaching concentrations of the amino acid in the tissue which were 14-23 times that in the medium. Subsequently, electrical stimulation of the slices evoked a Ca2+-dependent release of a portion of the D-ASP. Kainic acid (10(-5)-10(-3) M) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of D-ASP uptake. The electrically evoked release of D-ASP was increased 1.6-2.0 fold by 10(-5) and 10(-4)M kainic acid. The kainate-enlarged release was Ca2+-dependent. Dihydrokainic acid, an analogue of kainic acid with little excitatory or toxic action, did not increase D-ASP release but depressed D-ASP uptake. Attempts were made to block the action of kainic acid with baclofen and pentobarbital, compounds which depress the electrically ...
1. Using a grease-gap recording technique we have investigated the effects of some antagonists of P2-purinoceptors on the depolarization of the rat isolated superior cervical ganglion evoked by 100...Full Text Available
In the isolated rat mesenteric bed, the 1 min perfusion with 100 nm anandamide, a concentration that did not evoke vasorelaxation, elicited an acute release of 165.1 ± 9.2 pmol nitric...Full Text Available
In superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons calcium-induced calcium release (CICR), mediated by ryanodine receptors (RyRs), contributes to stimulation-evoked intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i)...Full Text Available
The subjective experience of one's environment is constructed by interactions among sensory, cognitive, and affective processes. For centuries, meditation has been thought to influence such processes by enabling a nonevaluative representation of sensory events. To better understand how meditation influences the sensory experience, we used arterial spin labeling functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the neural mechanisms by which mindfulness meditation influences pain in healthy human participants. After 4 d of mindfulness meditation training, meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation significantly reduced pain unpleasantness by 57% and pain intensity ratings by 40% when compared to rest. A two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA was used to identify interactions between meditation and pain-related brain activation. Meditation reduced pain-related activation of the ...
A large proportion of patients may develop chronic pain following cancer treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. These patients can experience significant levels of physical and psychological morbidity. Our aim was to investigate a cognitive-behavioral pain management program (PMP) for cancer patients with chronic treatment-related pain. Thirteen patients (1 man, 12 women; mean age 52 yrs) completed the study, 9 of whom had a history of breast cancer and had received extensive medical treatment, including surgery. A combination of physical and psychological techniques were adapted from previous work in chronic benign pain and implemented by two therapists. Interventions included education, relaxation, exercise training, and goal setting. A variety of outcomes were examined to assess general fitness, psychological distress, coping success, activities of daily living, and ...
The analgesic activity of nine substituted N-pyrrolylcarboxylic acids, previously reported as anti-inflammatory agents, has been evaluated. The effects on nociception were examined in male Wistar rats by the Randall-Selitto paw-pressure test. The compounds were administrated in doses 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg both i.p. and p.o. As a whole, the activities of 3-(N-pyrrolyl)propanoic acids 3e-3h and 2-[3-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-methyl-5-phenyl-1H-1-pyrrolyl]-3-methylpentanoic acid 3i were comparable with or superior to that of metamizole used as a reference (200 mg/kg, i.p.), whereas only 3a from among the N-pyrrolyl-acetic acids 3a-3d showed analgesic activity on the inflamed paw. The compounds found most promising to increase the pain threshold significantly were the same ones with the higher anti-inflammatory activity registered in our previous study: 3-[3-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-methyl-5-(3-nitrophenyl)-1H-1-pyrrolyl]propanoic acid 3e, together with its ...
Postamputation pain (PAP) affects over 60% of major limb amputees. One of the main challenges in treating PAP is the difficulty involved in identifying pain mechanism(s), which pertains to both residual limb pain (RLP) and phantom limb pain (PLP). In this study, sympathetic blocks were performed on 17 major limb amputees refractory to treatment, including 2 placebo-controlled blocks done for bilateral amputations. One hour postinjection, mean RLP scores at rest declined from 5.2 (SD 2.8) to 2.8 (SD 2.6) (P = .0002), and PLP decreased from 5.3 (SD 3.1) to 2.3 (SD 2.1) (P = .0009). By 1 week, mean pain scores for RLP and PLP were 4.3 (SD 2.9) and 4.2 (SD 3.0), respectively. Overall, 8 of 16 (50%) patients experienced ?50% reduction in RLP 1-hour postinjection, with the beneficial effects ...
Objective: The aim of this study was to obtain an overview of the methodological quality of studies on the measurement properties of neck pain and disability questionnaires and to describe how well various aspects of the design and statistical analyses of studies on measurement properties are performed. Methods: A systematic review was performed of published studies on the measurement properties of neck pain and disability questionnaires. Two reviewers independently rated the quality of the studies using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. This checklist was developed in an international Delphi consensus study. Results: A total of 47 articles were included on the measurement properties of 8 different questionnaires. The meth...
Chronic benign pain is commonly associated with chronic fatigue and depression. Depression and chronic fatigue syndrome are also associated with each other and often include pain. Psychologic factors are prominent in these conditions, and they may share neurobiologic factors as well. Management requires separately addressing each component of patients' distress and usually includes physical rehabilitation, education, administration of nonhabituating medications and often counseling. Depression may be a favorable prognostic sign, as it suggests a treatable condition and provides incentive for recovery. PMID:1876618
Back pain from osteoporosis is commonly related to compression fractures. The patient with vertebral compression fractures additionally suffers from an ongoing risk of recurrent fractures and postural abnormalities that can result in impaired respiratory function, leading to increased risk of morbidity. Weakened back muscles, especially the back extensor group, are felt to contribute significantly to this risk. The combination of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, through physical activity, exercise, and modalities, are potential interventions that could be used to help reduce the pain of osteoporotic compression fractures as well as potentially reducing recurrent fracture rates.
A new method of administration of an opioid was recently registered: fentanyl transdermal (brand name: Durogesic), intended particularly for the indication range 'pain in cancer'. Fentanyl is lipid-soluble so that deposition in the skin takes place and the biological half-life is approximately 20 hours after removal of the plaster. It is safe to start on a basis of an equianalgesic conversion of 100:1 in relation to oral morphine, although this may entail some risk of fentanyl under dosage. The dose adjustment time is 12-24 hours before a constant fentanyl level is reached; therefore, after attaching the first sticking plaster, the original morphine dose should be continued for another 12 hours. In addition, the patient may, if necessary, be given supplementary morphine preferably as a short-acting drug. There seems to be no clear indication for transdermal fentanyl either in neuropathic pain or in chronic benign pain. ...
Dengue, a major public health problem throughout subtropical and tropical regions, is an acute infectious disease characterized by biphasic fever, headache, pain in various parts of the body, prostration,...Full Text Available
ObjectiveNeuralgic amyotrophy (NA) is a distinct clinical syndrome that is characterized by the acute onset of shoulder and arm pain, weakness, and sensory loss. The purpose of this...Full Text Available
The physical demands of performing on musical instruments can cause pain, sensory loss, and lack of coordination. Five cases illustrate common problems. Knowledge of the interaction between the technique...Full Text Available
Cutaneous scarring can cause patients symptoms ranging from the psychological to physical pain. Although the process of normal scarring is well described the ultimate cause of pathological scarring...Full Text Available
Opinion statementCritical limb ischemia (CLI), defined as chronic ischemic rest pain, ulcers, or gangrene attributable to objectively proven arterial occlusive disease, is the most advanced...Full Text Available
The antinociceptive effects of honokiol and magnolol, two major bioactive constituents of the bark of Magnolia officinalis, were investigated on animal paw licking responses and thermal...Full Text Available
BackgroundGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most frequent anxiety disorder in primary care patients. It is known that painful physical symptoms (PPS) are associated with...Full Text Available
1. Ro 15-8081 (Hoffmann-La Roche, Basle, Switzerland) is a novel mixed 5-HT/noradrenaline uptake inhibitor producing potent antinociceptive effects in animal pain models. 2. In healthy man, two models...Full Text Available
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) remains an enigmatic medical condition. Creation of the (NIH) Chronic Prostatitis Collaborative Research Network (CPCRN) funded by...Full Text Available
Morphine sulfate (MS Contin), a proven analgesic in the treatment of cancer pain and chronic benign pain, seems to be a good analgesic for the treatment of burn pain. MS Contin is morphine sulfate incorporated in a wax cellulose matrix delivery system. This wax cellulose delivery system gives MS Contin its duration of action. Ten patients were enrolled in an open-labeled, nonrandomized study. The study was designed to examine the analgesic efficacy of MS Contin in the burn population. Each patient remained in the study for 6 days. The efficacy of the analgesic regimen was subjectively measured by the visual pain scale. The MS Contin group was retrospectively compared with a group of patients who were given continuous intravenous infusions of morphine. The two groups were matched according to age, burn size, surgical procedures, and hospital stay. The analgesic qualities of MS Contin were comparable to ...
Purpose. To evaluate injection-associated pain, safety, and efficacy with the isotonic contrast medium iodixanol (Visipaque 270 mg I/ml) compared with iopromide (Ultravist 300 mg I/ml) in femoral arteriography. Methods. A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical investigation was carried out in 54 hospitals in Europe. Of the patients evaluated, 1225 received iodixanol and 1227 iopromide in conventional and/or digital subtraction angiography. Results. The iodixanol group reported statistically significantly less injection-associated pain (0.9%) than the iopromide group (9.5%) (p<0.001). Further, 4.1% in the iodixanol group experienced pain and/or severe heat sensation vs 19.8% in the iopromide group (p<0.001). In the iodixanol group, 1.8% of the patients experienced contrast-related adverse events vs 2.4% in the iopromide group (p=NS). Overall diagnostic information was optimal for 94.1% in the ...
Studies of the effectiveness of operant, relaxation, cognitive, and multimodal behavioural approaches to the treatment of chronic benign pain other than headache were evaluated. In general, the quality of the studies was poor, and most investigations lacked appropriate and adequate control conditions, outcome measures, and/or follow-ups. While outcome reports for all four behavioural treatments have been mainly positive, few data were found which conclusively demonstrate that any of the approaches are effective or that they are the treatment of choice. The data do, however, imply that behavioural approaches may help patients lead more normal and productive lives. Specifically, the literature suggests that: (1) the operant method leads to increased activity levels and decreased pain and drug intake, (2) the relaxation approach results in decreased EMG levels and some pain reductions, (3) the cognitive techniques are ...
The effect of reference signals on performance in a visual vigilance task was studied under three conditions. Reference signals were presented on the same display as the real signals. In condition 1 (control), no reference signals were displayed. Sugbject...
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disorder and a major cause of pain and disability. The hypothesis tested in this study was that the passion fruit peel extract (PFP), a flavonoid-rich dietary supplement, would reduce symptoms due to knee OA. Thirty-three OA patients were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with parallel-group design. Patients received either placebo or PFP pills (150 mg, daily) in a double-blinded fashion for 2 months. The OA clinical symptoms were evaluated monthly with Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index. In the PFP group, there was a significant improvement in total WOMAC score and WOMAC subscale score of physical function after 30 days and pain after 60 days. At 60 days, reductions o...
The aim of this review is to evaluate the role of inflammatory spine disease in patients with chronic back pain. The contribution of imaging modalities for the diagnostic evaluation of back pain is discussed. A systematic literature search based on the classification of seronegative spondyloarthropathies and rheumatoid arthritis was performed. The results of this search and the experiences in a large collective of rheumatological patients are analyzed. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (1-2%) is comparable to that of spondyloarthropathies (1.9%). The etiology of these entities is not fully elucidated. Magnetic resonance imaging is increasingly used for early detection and surveillance of therapy with TNF-#alpha# antagonists. Bone marrow edema, which is only detectable with MRI, represents an early sign of inflammation. Therapy with TNF-#alpha# antagonists is based on clinical and laboratory criteria, and signs of inflammation in MRI. MRI ...
High energy physics is a basic research domain with a well established European and international cooperation. Cooperation can be of different type depending on the size of the facilities involved (accelerators), on their financing, and on the type of experiments that use these facilities. The CERN, the European center for nuclear research, created in October 1954, is the best example of such a cooperation. This article examines first the juridical and scientifical structure of the CERN and the mode of organization of big experiments. Then, it presents the role of international committees in the establishment of a common scientific policy in Europe and in the rest of the world. Finally, the possible future evolution of the CERN towards a worldwide project is evoked. (J.S.)
Incongruent auditory and visual stimuli can elicit audiovisual illusions such as the McGurk effect where visual /ka/ and auditory /pa/ fuse into another percept such as/ta/. In the present study, human brain activity was measured with adaptation functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate which brain areas support such audiovisual illusions. Subjects viewed trains of four movies beginning with three congruent /pa/ stimuli to induce adaptation. The fourth stimulus could be (i) another congruent /pa/, (ii) a congruent /ka/, (iii) an incongruent stimulus that evokes the McGurk effect in susceptible individuals (lips /ka/ voice /pa/), or (iv) the converse combination that does not cause the McGurk effect (lips /pa/ voice/ ka/). This paradigm was predicted to show increased release fro...
Photocurrent and capacitance measurements of semiconductor passive films formed on metals and alloys can be used to study the electronic properties and reveal indirect information about structure and composition. The current work used these techniques to investigate the electronic properties of the passive films formed on three austenitic stainless steels, types 304L, 316L and 254SMO, in borate. Evidence was found for the existence of a large number of localised mid bandgap states, consistent with amorphous oxides. However, the flat-band potentials of the austenitic stainless steel passive films were found to be independent of both composition and measuring frequency. The most credible explanation for the bandgap values determined from photocurrent measurements is that the passive films are formed as dual layers, iron oxide outer layer and chromium oxide inner layer. This model does not need to evoke the potential dependent bandgaps used by previous authors.
Photocurrent and capacitance measurements of semiconductor passive films formed on metals and alloys can be used to study the electronic properties and reveal indirect information about structure and composition. The current work used these techniques to investigate the electronic properties of the passive films formed on three austenitic stainless steels, types 304L, 316L and 254SMO, in borate. Evidence was found for the existence of a large number of localised mid bandgap states, consistent with amorphous oxides. However, the flat-band potentials of the austenitic stainless steel passive films were found to be independent of both composition and measuring frequency. The most credible explanation for the bandgap values determined from photocurrent measurements is that the passive films are formed as dual layers, iron oxide outer layer and chromium oxide inner layer. This model does not need to evoke the potential dependent bandgaps used by previous authors.
Sensory stimuli are encoded differently across cortical layers and it is unknown how response characteristics relate to the morphological identity of responding cells. We therefore juxtasomally recorded action potential (AP) patterns from excitatory cells in layer (L) 2/3, L4, L5 and L6 of rat barrel cortex in response to a standard stimulus (e.g. repeated deflection of single whiskers in the caudal direction). Subsequent single-cell filling with biocytin allowed for post hoc identification of recorded cells. We report three major conclusions. First, sensory-evoked responses were layer- and cell-type-specific but always
Odontocetes are believed to receive sounds primarily through the pan bone region of the lower jaw although much variation in jaw morphology exists among species. In order to further examine this jaw hearing hypothesis we tested the head receiving sensitivity and directional hearing of a beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas. Hearing thresholds were measured using auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). The subject proved to have highly directional hearing for far-field click stimuli similar to that of bottlenose dolphins and more directional than the harbor porpoise. For near-field jawphone stimulation, the beluga's lowest thresholds were found when click stimuli were presented at the rostrum tip (76?dB re: 1??Pa) although thresholds from the pan bone region stimulation were only 2?3?dB higher. S...
ObjectiveTo address the characteristics of hearing loss in patients with Turner syndrome (TS), we evaluated hearing levels of patients with TS and analyzed causative factors.Study designThirty-three patients with TS (8 to 40 years of age) were studied through the use of audiological measurements, and causative factors were explored.ResultsTwenty cases (35 of 66 ears tested) showed high-frequency (8 kHz) sensory neural hearing loss (HFQ-SNHL). Fifteen cases (26 ears) and 15 cases (24 ears) of the impaired 20 cases were unresponsive to distortion-product otoacoustic emissions and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions, respectively. HFQ-SNHL showed little relation to the history of middle ear infection and puberty, although middle ear infections were seen in 11 of the 20 cases. The hearing t...
Charles Darwin's evolutionary theories of animal communication were deeply embedded in a centuries-old model of association psychology, whose prodromes have most often been traced to the writings of Aristotle. His notions of frequency of occurrence of pairings have been passed down through the centuries and were a major ontological feature in the formation of associative connectivity. He focused on the associations of cause and effect, contiguity of sequential occurrence, and similarity among items. Cause and effect were often reduced to another type of contiguity relation, so that Aristotle is most often evoked as the originator of the associative bondings through similarity and contiguity, contiguity being the most powerful and frequent means of association. Contiguity eventually became ...
The aim of this study was to measure the nociceptive response (avoidance latency) of the land snail Megalobulimus abbreviatus (N=8 in each group) after topical capsaicin exposure (0.1% and 0.5% in 20% ethanol) and to compare it to a well-studied stressful (50??C) thermal stimulus model. We also tested if ruthenium red, and capsazepine, respectively nonselective and selective TRPV1 receptor antagonists, could modify both capsaicin- and thermal-evoked responses. Finally, animals were pretreated with morphine, naloxone or morphine plus naloxone prior to capsaicin stimuli. Latencies were measured when the animal lifted its head?foot complex 1?cm from the substrate. Data were compared using ANOVA and LSD post hoc, and the Student T Test (pM. abbreviatus.
Osteoporotic vertebral fractures often lead to pain and disability. They can be successfully treated, and possibly prevented, by injecting cement into the vertebral body, a procedure known as vertebroplasty....Full Text Available
Femur fractures typically affect elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities. Pain control can be difficult, requiring intensive nursing and physician care as elderly patients may manifest cardiovascular...Full Text Available
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is a common, painful and disabling condition which is typically slow to resolve. Patients with this condition will be seen in every musculoskeletal practitioner’s...Full Text Available
In recent years RNA interference (RNAi) has rapidly become the most widely used tool for gene knockdown due to its high specificity and potency. RNAi is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism...Full Text Available
According to the International Headache Society, idiopathic stabbing headache (ISH), an indomethacin-responsive headache syndrome, is a paroxysmal disorder of short duration manifested as head pain...Full Text Available
Cryoanalgesia (the use of cold to provide anesthesia or analgesia) is the oldest anesthetic and analgesic still in current clinical use. Its intraoperative use in providing postoperative analgesia for...Full Text Available
We describe a case of sacral perineural cyst presenting with complaints of low back pain with neurological claudication. The patient was treated by laminectomy and excision of the cyst. Tarlov cysts...Full Text Available
When attempting to feed on their hosts, ticks face the problem of host hemostasis (the vertebrate mechanisms that prevent blood loss), inflammation (that can produce itching or pain and thus...Full Text Available
BackgroundAdhesive capsulitis is a common, painful, and disabling condition that has been managed with corticosteroid injections for over 50 years. There is debate over the use of...Full Text Available
BackgroundDistraction osteogenesis is the standard treatment for the management of lower limb length discrepancy of more than 3 cm and bone loss secondary to congenital anomalies,...Full Text Available
ObjectivesThe updated Rome III criteria for pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) include new FGID categories and changes to the Rome II criteria...Full Text Available
This paper discusses the clinical application and main objective of testicular imaging. The authors present cases that represent a spectrum of the abnormalities which might be detected by testicular imaging, with special attention given to testicular torsion and the acute diseases which may mimic it clinically. Accuracy of the test is noted.
... Previous Topic Pain Next Topic Scars and wounds Prostheses Prostheses (pross-THEE-sees) are man-made substitutes ... covered by medical insurance (this includes wigs). Breast prostheses: Contact your local chapter of the American Cancer ...
Indomethacin, a potent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, has been used in the treatment of various kinds of pains, inflammation and arthritis. However, oral administration of indomethacin produces...Full Text Available
Osteoid osteoma of the spine is a relatively rare bone-forming tumor. Pain that is worse at night and relieved by aspirin and muscle contracture are the most characteristic symptoms of spinal osteoid...Full Text Available
Antagonists for kainate receptors (KARs), a family of glutamate-gated ion channels, are efficacious in a number of animal models of neuropathologies, including epilepsy, migraine pain, and anxiety....Full Text Available
The inflammatory process has direct effects on normal and abnormal wound healing. Hypertrophic scar formation is an aberrant form of wound healing and is an indication of an exaggerated function of...Full Text Available
A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of right lateroabdominal pain. He was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, and then developed multiple brain embolic infarctions 7...Full Text Available
Posterior spinal ligament pathology is becoming increasingly recognized as a significant cause of low back pain. Despite the growing clinical importance of interspinous ligament degeneration in low...Full Text Available
Pericardial fat necrosis is an infrequent cause of acute chest pain and this can mimic acute myocardial infarction and acute pericarditis. We describe here a patient with the magnetic resonance imaging...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe analgesic effect of perioperative low doses intravenous lidocaine has been demonstrated after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to evaluate whether...Full Text Available
The somatic sensory system responds to stimuli of distinct modalities, including touch, pain, itch, and temperature sensitivity. In the past century, great progress has been made in understanding the...Full Text Available
BackgroundWe have recently reported successful treatment of patients with chronic pain syndromes using human pooled intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in a prospective, open-label...Full Text Available
Local anesthetics are able to induce pain relief by binding to the sodium channels of excitable membranes, blocking the influx of sodium ions and the propagation of the nervous impulse. Ropivacaine...Full Text Available
The indications, contra-indications and technique of caudal epidural injections in the treatment of low back pain and sciatica are described. Of 201 patients treated by epidural injection, about 56%...Full Text Available
The first case of human sparganosis in Canada is reported in a 23-year-old woman who emigrated from Greece in 1969. Examination of a ribbon-like worm removed from a painful swelling in the neighbourhood...Full Text Available
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the association between gender and the prevalence and incidence of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). One thousand five hundred and twenty-five participants from the United States Naval Academy (USNA) were followed for up to 2.5 years for the development of PFPS. Physicians and certified athletic trainers documented the cases of PFPS. PFPS was defined as retropatellar pain during at least two of the following activities: ascending/descending stairs, hopping/jogging, prolonged sitting, kneeling, and squatting, negative findings on examination of knee ligament, menisci, bursa, and synovial plica, and pain on palpation of either the patellar facets or femoral condyles. Poisson and logistic regressions were performed to determine the association between gender and the incidence and prevalence of PFPS, respectively. The incidence rate for PFPS was 22/1000 person-years. Females ...
Background & objectives:Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a painful and vision-threatening ocular infection. The differentiation of Acanthamoeba...Full Text Available
BackgroundLeukotrienes (LTs) belong to the large family of lipid mediators implicated in various inflammatory conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Four distinct types...Full Text Available
This case describes a 10-year-old girl who developed a Ewing's sarcoma in her proximal fibula. The radiologic features mimicked those of a unicameral bone cyst. The presence of pain and the atypical location led to a prompt biopsy and the correct diagnosis. The mechanism of this unusual radiographic presentation is discussed. (orig.)
Examination of a painful hip is fairly concise and reliable at detecting the presence of a hip joint problem. Hip joint disorders often go undetected, leading to the development of secondary disorders....Full Text Available
Low back pain is common during pregnancy. However, the prevalence of symtomatic lumbar disc herniation is rare, and cauda equina syndrome due to disc herniation during pregnancy is even rarer. We report...Full Text Available
BackgroundChronic rotator cuff pathology (CRCP) is a common shoulder condition causing pain and disability. Physiotherapy is often the first line of management for CRCP yet there...Full Text Available
Multiple disease-specific systematic reviews on the effectiveness of physical therapy intervention for shoulder dysfunction have been inconclusive. To date, there have been two systematic reviews that...Full Text Available
IntroductionChest pain with ST-segment elevation is a rare clinical problem during dobutamine stress testing. Although beta-agonists treatment prior to dobutamine stress testing...Full Text Available
Biliary obstructions are rarely caused by a foreign body and have received sparse attention. We present an unusual case with pruritis and abdominal pain caused by impacted full length surgical gauze...Full Text Available
A 23-year-old woman presented to our hospital with nonspecific pain in the abdomen. She underwent radiological investigations, which revealed a solid and cystic mass in the tail end of the pancreas....Full Text Available
BackgroundBlood sampling through heel lancing is the most common invasive painful procedure performed on newborn infants.Case PresentationWe report...Full Text Available
BackgroundAcute low back pain is a very common symptom and reason for many medical consultations. In some unusual circumstances it could be linked to a rare aetiology.Case...Full Text Available
Seventy seven patients with soft tissue shoulder lesions including adhesive capsulitis and disorders of the rotator cuff and acromioclavicular joint were admitted to a trial comparing two different...Full Text Available
The overarching goal of medical training is to nurture the growth of knowledgeable, caring and insightful clinicians guided by the ideals of medical professionalism. Recent definitions of professional...Full Text Available
Snapping or grating scapula is a condition of the shoulder girdle in which the patient complains of pain and an audible snapping sound which may be associated with pain. We evaluated the diagnostic value of the computed tomography (CT) scans using the clinical diagnosis of a grating scapula as the gold standard. This retrospective study reports the sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio and receiver operator characteristic curve for the CT scans and the k value as a measure of the interobserver agreement. None of the parameters validated the examination. We therefore concluded that CT scans are inappropriate for differentiation between a grating scapula and a normally functioning shoulder except in cases where bony abnormalities are present. (orig.)
Lumbar epidural anesthesia is useful in a variety of chronic benign pain syndromes, including lumbar radiculopathy, low back pain syndrome, spinal stenosis, and vertebral compression fractures. Given the increased number of epidural nerve blocks being performed, some have reported unexplained complications of a transient or permanent nature and with varying degrees of severity. However, no case has been reported of a broken epidural needle tip retained in the lumbar facet joint area. This represents the first reported case presentation of foraminal stenosis developing in a patient after a retained epidural needle tip. PMID:21286465
Rectus sheath hematomas are a frequent but sometimes misdiagnosed disease in patients under anticoagulative drugs, hemodialysis, or simply in the elderly. The most frequent localization is in the lower part of the abdomen: the explanation lies in the anatomy of the abdominal wall, especially in the arcuate line of the rectus sheath. Aim of this work is to explain the reason of the almost constant location correlating the anatomy with the CT features. The rectus abdominis muscle lies between the aponeuroses of the transverse and oblique muscles which form the so called rectus sheath. This arrangement is found from the costal arch to a level approximately between the umbilicus and the pubic symphisis, where the rear layer of the rectus sheath ends with a curved edge, called the arcuate or semicircular line of Douglas. Beneath this line the aponeuroses of the three muscles pass in front of the rectus which is separated from the peritoneum only by the fascia trasversalis, a thin connective ...
In a given species, injected opioid peptides usually cause changes in temperature similar to those caused by nonpeptide opioids. The main effect in those species most studied, the cat, rat, and mouse, is an increase in the level about which body temperature is regulated; there is a coordinated change in the activity of thermoregulatory effectors such that hyperthermia is produced in both hot and cold environments. Larger doses may depress thermoregulation, thereby causing body temperature to decrease in the cold. Elicitation of different patterns of response over a range of environmental temperatures and studies with naloxone and naltrexone indicate that stimulation of a number of different receptors by both peptide and nonpeptide opioids can evoke thermoregulatory responses. ..beta..-Endorphin is readily antagonized by naloxone whereas methionine-enkephalin can act on naloxone-insensitive receptors. Moreover, synthetic peptide analogs do not necessarily ...
The effect of potential risk factors for chronic lymphatic leukaemia was evaluated in a case-referent study encompassing 111 cases and 431 randomised referents, all alive. Information on exposure was...Full Text Available
The WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization authorized the National Institute for Medical Research to establish an International Reference Preparation of Erythropoietin on the basis of the...Full Text Available
This bibliography contains 3920 references including abstracts, to information on the technology of flue gas desulfurization and denitrification. These references and others are included in the Department of Energy's Energy Data Base (EDB) through Decembe...
Bone metastases at the thoracic and lumbar segment of the spine are usually presented with painful sensation and medullar compression. The treatment is based on the clinical and neurological conditions of the patient and the degree of tumor invasion. In the present study, 32 patients with spinal metastasis of thoracic and lumbar segment were prospectively analyzed. These patients were treated by decompression and internal stabilization followed by radiotherapy or irradiation with external immobilization. The election of the groups was in accordance with the tumor radiotherapy sensitivity, clinical conditions, spinal stability, medullar or nerve compression and patient's decision. The Frankel scale and pain visual test were applied at the moment of diagnosis and after 1 and 6 months. The surgical group had better results with preserving the ambulation longer and significant reduction of pain.(author)
An optical voltage reference for providing an alternative to a battery source. The optical reference apparatus provides a temperature stable, high precision, isolated voltage reference through the use of optical isolation techniques to eliminate current and impedance coupling errors. Pulse rate frequency modulation is employed to eliminate errors in the optical transmission link while phase-lock feedback is employed to stabilize the frequency to voltage transfer function.
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We aimed to investigate the effects of local anesthetics soaked in Merocel nasal packs on hemorrhage and pain after septoplasty. The methodology includes a prospective double-blind study that was conducted in patients undergoing septoplasty because of nasal septal deviation. The study included 143 patients. The patients were divided into four groups. Each group received 1% lidocaine?+?0.000625% adrenalin, 0.375% ropivacaine, 0.25% bupivacaine as study groups or 0.9% sodium chloride as a control group in their Merocel packs postoperatively. The local anesthetics or sodium chloride were reapplied at the eighth postoperative hour. Each patient was given a questionnaire where verbal analog score and amount of postoperative hemorrhage was noted. The statistical analysis was performed using two ...
Background: Ecchymosis, oedema, haematoma and pain after SMAS-based facelift surgery are all the direct result of the physical trauma of surgery and subsequent inflammatory response. Hilotherapy is a novel form of cryotherapy that purports to minimise these events through single-use face masks circulating cooled, sterile water. This study was performed to assess the validity of Hilotherapy in this population of patients. Methods: Over 14 weeks fifty consecutive patients were randomised to post-operative facial cooling with Hilotherapy or management with standard dressings alone, while fifteen subsequent, consecutive patients were randomised to cooling of one side of the face but not the other. Assessment of ecchymosis, oedema, haematoma and pain was performed independently by clinical staf...
Objectives Vietnamese patients? views on healthcare are changing as surgical interventions become more commonplace, but their views on perioperative care have remained largely unstudied during this period of rapid change. This study assesses Vietnamese patients? impression of anesthesia safety and postoperative pain in relation to clinical outcomes with the aim of improving patient-centered perioperative care. Methods The study cohort consisted of 180 hospitalized patients who were followed for 24?h following abdominal surgery. The assessments of these patients on the use of anesthesia and postoperative pain were measured by means of a 5-point Likert scale survey. Perioperative events were recorded on standardized forms by medical staff. The relationship between relevant factors affecting ...
Abstract Introduction: Transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) can be performed for benign and premalignant tumors of the ampulla of Vater (AOV) as an alternative to pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, the laparoscopic approach has rarely been attempted. In this report 2 cases of benign ampullary tumor that were treated by totally laparoscopic TDA. Patients and Methods: Case 1 was of a 75-year-old female who was admitted with left knee pain and underwent arthroscopic debridement. On postoperative day 6, she showed elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase, aspirate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, without any other laboratory test abnormality. She had no complaint of abdominal pain, and physical examinations were unremarkable. Computed tomography (CT), magnet...
Background: This study was conducted to examine the effects of prophylactic misoprostol prior to intrauterine device (IUD) placement in nulliparous women. Study Design: Nulliparous, reproductive-aged women desiring an IUD for contraception were randomized to receive 400 mcg of buccal misoprostol or placebo 90 min prior to IUD insertion. Subjects completed a series of 100-mm visual analogue scales (VAS, anchors: 0=none, 100 mm=worst imaginable) to measure their perceived pain at several times points (anticipated pain, leg positioning, speculum placement, tenaculum placement, IUD insertion, equipment removal and 5 min postinsertion). Secondary outcomes included provider ''ease of placement'' (100-mm VAS, anchors: 0=easy, 100 mm=extremely difficult), side effects and retention of the IUD afte...
SummaryBackground Persistent Lyme Disease Symptoms (PLDS) have included fatigue, headaches, poor concentration and memory, lightheadedness, joint pain, and mood disturbances. Evidence-based guidelines committees disagree over the severity of PLDS. The 2004 International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) concluded that PLDS are severe. The 2006 Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guidelines committee concluded that PLDS are nothing more than the "aches and pains of daily living" and an ad hoc International Lyme group concluded that PLDS are "symptoms common in persons who have never had Lyme disease." Hypothesis Clinical trials validate the severity of persistent Lyme disease symptoms. Evaluation of the Hypothesis There are 22 standardized instruments used to measure the...
The interscalenic block technique is widely used for ambulatory shoulder surgery despite a substantial number of failures and adverse effects. We prospectively evaluated satisfaction in 40 consecutive patients who underwent open Bankart repair under a single general anesthesic performed in an ambulatory care unit. The mean age of the patients was 23 years. There were 29 men and 11 women. Patients were evaluated postoperatively with a visual analog scale of pain (in the recovery room, at the time of discharge, and the day after and 1 week after surgery) via a home assessment questionnaire that included the following: effectiveness of oral pain medication, ability to perform activities of daily life, and overall satisfaction. One patient failed to be discharged because of a feeling of faintn...
Pyogenic sacroiliitis is a rare entity in children. Diagnosis is often delayed because of its variable clinical presentation, low suspicion by the examining physician, and rare findings on radiographs. Delayed diagnosis, however, results in complications such as iliopsoas abscess. We report the case of a 12-year-old girl hospitalized with a 21-day history of fever, pain in the left iliac fossa, and flexion contracture of the hip. On examination, she had fever (38.9 ^oC), psoitis, localized tenderness at the left sacroiliac joint, and pain elicited by lateral compression of the pelvis. The abdominal examination was normal. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 130mm in the first hour, C-reactive protein was 186mg/l, and the white blood cell count was 18,400/mm^3, with 79% neutrophils. Urin...
An optical fiber methane sensing system utilizing a super-luminescent diode (SLD) in the 1.33-mm band and a fiber Fabry-Perot tunable filter (FFP-TF) is developed. A two-step reference measuring method, which is based on differential absorption technique, is employed; a reference channel is introduced to eliminate the fluctuation of the illuminant spectrum, and the reference wavelength acquired by tuning the FFP-TF is introduced to eliminate the environmental influence. The two-step reference measuring method has improved the reliability and stability of the system. A minimum detectable methane concentration of 0.3% has been experimentally achieved.
The development of modern techniques for the cooling and the manipulation of atoms in recent years, and the possibility to create Bose-Einstein condensates and degenerate Fermi gases and to load them into regular optical lattices or disordered optical potentials, has evoked new interest for the disorder-induced localization of ultra-cold atoms. This work studies the transport properties of matter waves in disordered optical potentials, which are also known as speckle potentials. The effect of correlated disorder on localization is first studied numerically in the framework of the Anderson model. The relevant transport parameters in the configuration average over many different realizations of the speckle potential are then determined analytically, using self-consistent diagrammatic perturbation techniques. This allows to make predictions for a possible experimental observation of coherent transport phenomena for cold atoms in speckle potentials. Of particular ...
Acetylcholine and other neurotransmitters play unique trophic roles in brain development. Accordingly, drugs and environmental toxicants that promote or interfere with neurotransmitter function evoke neurodevelopmental abnormalities by disrupting the timing or intensity of neurotrophic actions. The current review discusses three exposure scenarios involving acetylcholine systems: nicotine from maternal smoking during pregnancy, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and exposure to the organophosphate insecticide, chlorpyrifos (CPF). All three have long-term, adverse effects on specific processes involved in brain cell replication and differentiation, synaptic development and function, and ultimately behavioral performance. Many of these effects can be traced to the sequence of cellular events surrounding the trophic role of acetylcholine acting on its specific cellular receptors and associated signaling cascades. However, for chlorpyrifos, additional ...
We report the results of mapping observations of the bipolar nebula with SiO maser emission, IRAS 19312+1950, in the CO (J=1-0 and J=2-1), 13CO (J=1-0 and J=2-1), C18O (J=1-0), CS (J=2-1), SO (J_K=3_2-2_1) and HCO+ (J=3-2) lines with the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association array. Evolutional status of this source has been evoking a controversy since its discovery, though SiO maser sources are usually identified as late-type stars with active mass loss. In line profiles, two kinematical components are found as reported in previous single-dish observations: a broad pedestal component and a narrow component. Spatio-kinetic properties of a broad component region traced by 12CO lines are roughly explained by a simple spherical outflow model with a typical expanding velocity of an AGB star, though some properties of the broad component region still conflict with properties of a typical AGB spherical outflow. A narrow component region apparently exhibits a bipolar ...
A method is described of controlling an anodic protection system in a heat exchanger comprising: (a) installing at least one cathode within the heat exchanger, at least one cathode being aligned with the longitudinal axis of the heat exchanger and extending substantially along the length of the heat exchanger; (b) installing a first reference electrode within and at one end of the heat exchanger, the first reference electrode having a first controller having a set point for control and a power supply having an output creating an electrical potential between at least one cathode and the heat exchanger; (c) measuring the electrical potential of the heat exchanger with the first reference electrode; (d) operating the first controller in response to measurements made by the first reference electrode to change the output of the power supply; (e) installing a second reference electrode ...
BackgroundHamstring injuries are the most common injury in Australian Rules football. It was the aims to investigate whether a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention protocol...Full Text Available
AbstractIn a previous study using male rats, a correlation was found between the development of “at-level” allodynia in T6-7 dermatomes following severe T8 spinal contusion...Full Text Available
During their life, intervertebral discs undergo degenerative changes which need not necessarily become lesions. Conventional X-rays do not provide information on the condition of the intervertebral discs, so MRT or CT are recommended as primary techniques as they are non-invasive. Invasive methods like myelography and especially discography should not be used unless a case is highly problematic. In infants with pains in the back, MRT should be carried out as early as possible as there is nearly always an organic cause. (orig.)
... 03/08/2011 Professor named Chair at Epworth Hospital Professor Nilmini Wickramasinghe from the College of Business at RMIT University has been named Epworth Chair, Health Information Management , by Epworth HealthCare. 26/07/2011 Study investigates drug-free relief for tension headaches As Australia marks its first National Pain Week ...
An 8-year-old child presented with severe chest pain and respiratory distress after he accidentally bit an automobile tyre tube which burst into his mouth. The chest radiograph revealed left-sided pneumothorax....Full Text Available
BackgroundPostherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a painful and difficult to treat complication of acute herpes zoster. Current treatment options provide only partial relief and are often...Full Text Available
Primary peritoneal malignant mixed mullerian tumors are very rare. We report the case of a patient presenting with pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and in whom the physical examination demonstrated a peritoneal mass. Computed tomography (CT) confirmed the presence of a mass, with invasion of adjacent organs.
Measurements of human joint motion frequently involve the use of opto-electronic and other motion analysis systems where some type of makers are used to establish joint motion within a global reference coordinate frame. Typically, this global reference coordinate frame is chosen to be most convenient for the person carrying out the experiment in which the joint motion is measured, and Euler angles are chosen as the measure of joint motion. Results, however, may be quite arbitrary and therefore rendered meaningless if the reference frame is not properly chosen with respect to the physical joint axis. In order to make a proper choice of coordinate axes in the reference frame, one must take into consideration both the location and the orientation of die physical joint axis relative to the reference frame`s axes. In nature, joint axes can exist at any orientation and location relative ...
A theoretical framework centering on four classes of self-referent constructs is offered as a device for integrating the diverse areas constituting medical sociology. Guidance by this framework...Full Text Available
The Electronic REference To access In vivo Concentrations (ERETIC) method was applied to 1H HR-MAS spectroscopy. The accuracy, precision, and stability of ERETIC as a quantitative...Full Text Available
It has previously been established that muscles become active in response to deviations from a threshold (referent) position of the body or its segments, and that intentional motor actions result from...Full Text Available
Observations made during biochemical and toxicological studies of the housefly, in which the WHO standard reference (SR) strain was used as a standard, indicated that this strain differs from other...Full Text Available
Examination and assessment of 140 liveborn and stillborn infants referred within two weeks of birth for chromosome analysis showed that 48 had Down's syndrome, 12 other chromosome abnormalities, 17...Full Text Available
comprehensive description for this model is available through AGARD, Reference [8]. ... Specifically, there is a pocket of flow separation at the side-of- body ...
A report is given on the development and operational experience in steam turbines in an annual review. The author refers to an extensive bibliography on this subject. (TK/LH).
Ultimate Compressive Strength of Short Sheet-Stringer Panels With Special. Reference to the Influence of the Riveted Connection Between Sheet and. Stringer ...
... is disengaged from the spent rocket motor by a ... of the outbound and incoming modu- ... meteorological sensor and reference resistor is accomplished ...
The results of the six meetings in the years 1976 through 1981 of the Panel on Reference Nuclear Data is reviewed, as well as the results of other studies and workshops. A brief review of how current programs are meeting the expressed nuclear data needs of professional groups is also presented. The types of data included in the review are reaction cross sections, isotopic abundances, atomic masses, nuclear structure, radioactive decay, and fission.
References covering the years 1904-80 are listed under the following headings: cultivation and occurrence (India and Pakistan, Africa, South America, Pacific, Middle East); Taxonomy, morphology, variation and selection; Reference works and reviews; Ecology of Prosopis (General effects on surrounding soil and vegetation): Physiology (General, Roots, Growth, Hydrology, Saline tolerance); Control of mesquite: Propagation (Germination and other nursery techniques, Vegetative propagation): and Utilization (General, Chemical analyses, Food and Ethnobiology, Fodder, Wood, Charcoal, Gum, Paper). 141 references.
A detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanism is developed for primary reference fuel mixtures of n-hexadecane and 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethyl nonane for diesel cetane ratings. The mechanisms are constructed using existing rules for reaction pathways and rate expressions developed previously for the primary reference fuels for gasoline octane ratings, n-heptane and iso-octane. These reaction mechanisms are validated by comparisons between computed and experimental results for shock tube ignition and for oxidation under jet-stirred reactor conditions. The combined kinetic reaction mechanism contains the submechanisms for the primary reference fuels for diesel cetane ratings and submechanisms for the primary reference fuels for gasoline octane ratings, all in one integrated large kinetic reac...
Nerve growth factor (NGF), a survival factor for neurons enforces pain by sensitizing nociceptors. Also in the pancreas, NGF was associated with pain and it can stimulate the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) respond to NGF with apoptosis. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-b, one of the strongest pro-fibrogenic activators of pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) induced NGF and its two receptors in an immortalized human cell line (ihPSC) and primary rat PSC (prPSC) as determined by RT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence. In contrast to HSC, PSC expressed both NGF receptors, although p75NTR expression was weak in prPSC. In contrast to ihPSC TGF-b activated both Smad signaling cascades in prPSC. NGF secretion was diminished by the activin-like kinase (ALK)...
The E and P industry has high levels of uncertainty and risk, which oil companies attempt to quantify before embarking on each individual E and P project. However, the actual return on investment often falls well short of the hurdle rate. This discrepancy has been attributed to systemic limitations in decision analysis processes and workflow, which result in repeated underestimation of risk and overestimation of the predicted production of the project. Well designed decision analysis processes in association with clearly defined, multi-scenario analyses of significant technical uncertainties are required. However, simulation of these uncertainties is not realistic given the performance and infrastructure limitations of conventional technology (Begg et al., 2001; Floris and Peersmann, 2000). During the past five years, more than 20 companies have attempted to map the requirements of new technology that is needed to improve uncertainty assessment and decision analysis. ...
Over 300 cases of femoral neck fractures following radiotherapy for intrapelvic malignant tumor have been reported in various countries since Baensch reported this disease in 1927. In Japan, 40 cases or so have been reported, and cases of bilateral femoral neck fractures have not reached to ten cases. The authors experienced a case of 75 year-old female who received radiotherapy for cancer of the uterus, and suffered from right femoral neck fracture 3 months after and left femoral neck fracture one year and half after. As clinical symptoms, she had not previous history of trauma in bilateral femurs, but she complained of a pain in a hip joint and of gait disturbance. The pain in left femoral neck continued for about one month before fracture was recognized with roentgenogram. As histopathological findings, increase of fat marrow, decrease of bone trabeculae, and its marked degeneration were recognized. Proliferation of some blood vessels was ...
The aortovenous fistulas are rare, most of them are aortocaval fistula. The non-caval communication of the fistula is sparse. Herein we report a 47-year-old female diagnosed as traumatic aorto-superior mesenteric vein (Ao-SMV) fistula. The abdominal pain, fullness, and frank bruit on abdominal auscultation suggested the diagnosis of an intra-abdominal arteriovenous fistula. The diagnosis of Ao-SMV was further confirmed by the computed tomography (CT) and aortography. The fistula was successfully treated with transcatheter coil embolization. This is the first case of Ao-SMV fistula. It provides an alternative option of treatment other than conventional surgery. PMID:19327940
Fifty patients scheduled to undergo IVF received a standard anesthetic of fentanyl and propofol for induction, followed by propofol infusion, with Bispectral index values and modified Ramsey sedation scores recorded at 5-minute intervals for the duration of anesthesia care. Moderate sedation was found only transiently during the first 5-10 minutes of the oocyte retrieval, but thereafter the level of sedation increased, with deep sedation and general anesthesia measured in all patients as determined by both the Bispectral index scores and lack of response to painful stimulation.
Visceral hypersensitivity is currently considered a key pathophysiological mechanism involved in pain perception in large subgroups of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In IBS, visceral hypersensitivity has been described in 20%?90% of patients. The contribution of the central nervous system and psychological factors to visceral hypersensitivity in patients with IBS may be significant, although still debated. Peripheral factors have gained increasing attention following the recognition that infectious enteritis may trigger the development of persistent IBS symptoms, and the identification of mucosal immune, neural, endocrine, microbiological, and intestinal permeability abnormalities. Growing evidence suggests that these factors ...
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is frequently used for relief of chronic benign pain resistant to conservative therapies. Clinical practice suggests, at least in patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS), the possibility that SCS significantly improves motor performances. We present here the case of a 41-years-old female patient with FBSS, who showed a clear improvement in muscle strength after SCS, persisting at 6-months follow-up. We speculate that the electrical stimulation of posterior columns could potentiate the caudal, segmental spinal reflexes resulting in a facilitation of motoneurons activation. PMID:16175150
A 60-year-old male was bitten by a venomous snake (Vipera ammodytes) and gradually developed signs of an allergic reaction including generalized itching, generalized rash, and chest discomfort. This was followed by severe retrosternal pain with electrocardiographic evidence of an inferior myocardial ischemia progressing to acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac enzymes and troponin, serum tryptase, and histamine were elevated. Coronary arteriography showed normal coronary arteries. This is a characteristic type I variant of Kounis syndrome, which is the concurrence of acute coronary syndromes with conditions associated with mast cell activation including allergic or hypersensitivity reactions as well as anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions. This is the first report to show that viper bite...
Periureteral or subtrigonal injection of dextranomer/hyaluronic acid (Dx/HA) copolymer (Deflux, Q-Med, Uppsala, Sweden) is an increasingly common endoscopic treatment for vesicoureteral reflux. We report a confusing radiographic finding of bilateral calcified Dx/HA injections initially thought to represent bilateral distal ureteral stones in a boy who presented with intermittent periumbilical pain. Urologists, radiologists, and emergency room physicians should be aware of the potential for calcification of ureteral implants of Dx/HA, and of the potentially confusing radiographic images that may result. (orig.)
Aim: To evaluate the role of computed tomography (CT) in needle placement for ganglion impar blocks, and to determine the efficacy of CT-guided ganglion impar blocks in the management of coccydynia. Materials and methods: The results of ganglion impar blockade in eight patients with coccydynia secondary to trauma or unknown cause were reviewed. The diagnosis of coccydynia was based on clinical history, location of pain, and response to previous diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The eight patients were treated with CT-guided ganglion impar blocks to manage their coccyx pain after conservative procedures, including oral medication and cushions, failed to provide relief. All patients were subjected to ganglion impar blocks under a thin-section CT-guided technique for needle placement, using a mixture of bupivacaine and triamcinolone. The patients were followed-up for a period of 6-months. Results: Eight patients were treated in this study ...
Botulinum neurotoxin is produced by the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. The neurotoxin inhibits acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, thus interfering with overall muscular contraction. Botulinum neurotoxin is commonly used for the following medical conditions: cervical dystonia, upper limb spasticity, blepharospasm, strabismus, and hyperhydrosis. However, the use of botulinum neurotoxin was recently approved for the prophylaxis of headaches in adults with chronic migraines. The proposed mechanism of botulinum neurotoxin is no longer solely limited to the inhibition of acetylcholine. There are new mechanisms emerging that involve inhibition of proinflammatory agents and neuropeptides involved in chronic pain. Consequently, there is a disruption of the overall sensory feedback loop...
Computerized tomography-guided neurolytic splanchnic nerve block is a technique for relieving abdominal cancer pain; the goal is the alcoholic neurolytic interruption of the sensitive structures in retroperitoneal space. Computerized tomography yields accurate anatomical detailing and the course for needle placement and alcohol spread. January, 1993, to July, 1996, twenty-one bilateral splanchnic nerve blocks were performed through the posterior access. Forty-eight hours after alcoholism. 14 patients (66%) had complete pain regression; 52% of the patients needed no analgesics for 6 to 54 days and only 9 patients (42%) needed another low opioid therapy. Complications included hypotension and diarrhea in all cases. One had a cardiac arrest and diet 8 days after the procedure. There were no other complications. The whole procedure usually lasted 60 min (range: 45 to 90 min). Splanchnic nerve neurolysis is a useful treatment in the patients with ...
Problems and solutions in the diagnosis and operative treatment were clarified by retrospective evaluation of cases of intramedullary tumor in which MRI and surgery had been performed. The subjects were 16 patients (21-75 years old, mean age: 45 years) whose tumor was surgically removed between 1991 and 1998. MRI was performed preoperatively, and T1-weighted images, T2-weighted images, and enhanced images were obtained. Angiography was also performed in some cases. The histological diagnosis based on the MRI findings before surgery were compared with the pathological diagnosis after the operation. In 9/16 cases (56%), the preoperative histological diagnosis based on the MR images was the same as the pathological diagnosis after the operation. In 8 of the 11 cases (73%) whose images showed clear tumor margins and well shaped the tumor, the tumors were completely removed. The concordance rate between the pathological diagnosis during and after the operation was 67%. Spinal cord ...
Testosterone has bipotential effects on male fitness; that is, it both suppresses immune function and maintains characteristics important for reproductive success. Presumably, these effects of testosterone may be more pronounced among polygynous species because testosterone concentrations are generally higher among polygynous than monogamous males. The present study examined sex and species differences in cell-mediated immunity among four arvicoline rodents. The role of mating system and sex steroids in sex differences in immune function was examined in individually housed polygynous meadow (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and montane (M. montanus) voles and monogamous prairie (M. ochrogaster) and pine (M. pinetorum) voles in Experiment 1. No sex differences in splenocyte proliferation were observed among the four species and circulating testosterone concentrations did not correlate with immune function of individuals within each species. The contribution of social isolation to these results ...
The coupling between cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and blood flow (CBF) in response to visual stimulation was evaluated by means of a model of oxygen delivery. The model predicted a nonlinear relationship between stimulus-evoked changes of oxygen consumption and blood flow. The magnitude of the CMRO2/CBF ratio index (IO2) was used to indicate the degree of flow-metabolism coupling prevailing in specific areas of the brain during physiological stimulation. Therefore, the index provided a measure of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance contrast. To evaluate the changes of IO2 in response to visual stimulation, the model was applied to the effect of a changing flicker rate of a visual stimulus on the magnitudes of CBF, CMRO2, and oxygen diffusion capacity, in the human brain. Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to measure the CBF and the CMRO2 in 12 healthy volunteers who viewed a cross-hair (baseline) or a yellow-blue ...
Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), a form of Hebbian plasticity, is inherently stabilizing. Whether and how GABAergic inhibition influences STDP is not well understood. Using a model neuron driven by converging inputs modifiable by STDP, we determined that a sufficient level of inhibition was critical to ensure that temporal coherence (correlation among presynaptic spike times) of synaptic inputs, rather than initial strength or number of inputs within a pathway, controlled postsynaptic spike timing. Inhibition exerted this effect by preferentially reducing synaptic efficacy, the ability of inputs to evoke postsynaptic action potentials, of the less coherent inputs. In visual cortical slices, inhibition potently reduced synaptic efficacy at ages during but not before the critical period of ocular dominance (OD) plasticity. Whole-cell recordings revealed that the amplitude of unitary IPSCs from parvalbumin positive (Pv+) interneurons to pyramidal neurons ...
Many factors such as poverty, ineffective institutions and environmental regulations may prevent developing countries from managing how natural resources are extracted to meet a strong market demand. Extraction for some resources has reached such proportions that evidence is measurable from space. We present recent evidence of the global demand for a single commodity and the ecosystem destruction resulting from commodity extraction, recorded by satellites for one of the most biodiverse areas of the world. We find that since 2003, recent mining deforestation in Madre de Dios, Peru is increasing nonlinearly alongside a constant annual rate of increase in international gold price (?18%/yr). We detect that the new pattern of mining deforestation (1915 ha/year, 2006-2009) is outpacing that of nearby settlement deforestation. We show that gold price is linked with exponential increases in Peruvian national mercury imports over time (R(2)?=?0.93, p?=?0.04, 2003-2009). Given the past rates of ...
Electrically triggered action potentials in the giant alga Chara corallina are associated with a transient rise in the concentration of free Ca(2)+ in the cytoplasm (Ca(2)+(cyt)). The present measurements of Ca(2)+(cyt) during membrane excitation show that stimulating pulses of low magnitude (subthreshold pulse) had no perceivable effect on Ca(2)+(cyt). When the strength of a pulse exceeded a narrow threshold (suprathreshold pulse) it evoked the full extent of the Ca(2)+(cyt) elevation. This suggests an all-or-none mechanism for Ca(2)+ mobilization. A transient calcium rise could also be induced by one subthreshold pulse if it was after another subthreshold pulse of the same kind after a suitable interval, i.e., not closer than a few 100 ms and not longer than a few seconds. This dependency of Ca(2)+ mobilization on single and double pulses can be simulated by a model in which a second messenger is produced in a voltage-dependent manner. This second messenger ...
Electrically triggered action potentials in the giant alga Chara corallina are associated with a transient rise in the concentration of free Ca2+ in the cytoplasm (Ca2+cyt). The present measurements of Ca2+cyt during membrane excitation show that stimulating pulses of low magnitude (subthreshold pulse) had no perceivable effect on Ca2+cyt. When the strength of a pulse exceeded a narrow threshold (suprathreshold pulse) it evoked the full extent of the Ca2+cyt elevation. This suggests an all-or-none mechanism for Ca2+ mobilization. A transient calcium rise could also be induced by one subthreshold pulse if it was after another subthreshold pulse of the same kind after a suitable interval, i.e., not closer than a few 100 ms and not longer than a few seconds. This dependency of Ca2+ mobilization on single and double pulses can be simulated by a model in which a second messenger is produced in a voltage-dependent manner. This second messenger liberates Ca2+ from ...
The possibility of providing high accuracy of absorption and albedo methods of radiometric testing due to the use of high-energy radiation component that has passed through a barrier and gone from it in the opposite direction as a reference source, is considered. It is shown that the use of high-energy component of penetrating radiation as a reference source decreases the device response to the main interference in a much larger degree than its response to the change of measured parameter. Experiments are performed using steel pipes and plates. "2"4"1Am, "1"3"7Cs and "6"0Co are used as sources.
Following revisions to the Tri-Party Agreement for Hanford Site cleanup, which specified vitrification for Complete melter feasibility and system operability immobilization of the low-level waste (LLW) tests, select reference melter(s), and establish reference derived from retrieval and pretreatment of the radioactive LLW glass formulation that meets complete systems defense wastes stored in 177 underground tanks, commercial requirements (June 1996). Available melter technologies were tested during 1994 to 1995 as part of a multiphase program to select reference Submit conceptual design and initiate definitive design technologies for the new LLW vitrification mission.
This Reference Book contains a current copy of the Clean Water Act (Section 404) and the Rivers and Harbors Act (Sections 9 and 10) and those regulations that implement those sections of the statutes and appear to be most relevant to DOE activities. The document is provided to DOE and contractor staff for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as legal guidance. Updates that include important new requirements will be provided periodically. Questions concerning this Reference Book may be directed to Mark Petts, IH-231 (FTS 896-2609 or Commercial 202/586-2609).
This work gives a global view of legislations in which are included metals chemical states, briefly recalls the conditions to be respected for the CRM (Certified Reference Materials), and describes the results of some current plans for the Norms, Measures and Tests program. (O.M.) 23 refs.
Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) are sequences that are identical between reference genomes of distantly related species. As they are under negative selection and enriched near or in specific classes...Full Text Available
and Vendors on the Web Bartleby.com "Great books online." Electronic Texts & Digital Libraries Links to the full text of books and other texts on the Web. Law and Politics...
Twenty eight reports presented in the 7th Eurotherm seminar are contained in this publication. They cover the main aspects of the thermodynamics in relation to nuclear systems or having reference to them.
BACKGROUND: This prospective and retrospective study carried out over a period of one month (50 patients) looked at the quality of hospital records of urethral catheterisation with reference to the...Full Text Available
Information about the greenhouse effect, the role of greenhouse gases in global climate change, levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and references....
Education resources dealing with solar-terrestrial physics, solar effects, solar radiation, etc. Includes links to short reference papers on subjects ... ...
In order to assess various core parameters a reference equilibrium core with Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuel for Pakistan Research Reactor (PARR-1) was assembled. Due to increased volume of reference core, the average neutron flux reduced as compared to the first higher power operation. To get a higher neutron flux an irradiation facility was created in centre of the reference equilibrium core where the advantage of the neutron flux peaking was taken. Various low power experiments were performed in order to evaluate control rods worth and neutron flux mapping inside the core. The neutron flux inside the central irradiation facility almost doubled. With this arrangement reactor operation time was cut down from 72 hours to 48 hours for the production of the required specific radioactivity. (author)
Data on the reactions of thiocyanogen and thiocyanogen halides with unsaturated compounds are systematised. The kinetic and stereo- and regiochemical regularities of these reactions are analysed. The bibliography includes 81 references.
This report documents the findings of the peer panel constituted by Argonne National Laboratory to review Region A of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's report entitled Waste Package Reference Conceptual Designs for a Repository in Salt. The panel determined that the reviewed report does not provide reasonable assurance that US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements for waste packages will be met by the proposed design. It also found that it is premature to call the design a ''reference design,'' or even a ''reference conceptual design.'' This review report provides guidance for the preparation of a more acceptable design document.
ObjectivesTo assess the magnitude of cigarette smuggling after the market opened in Taiwan.MethodsReview of tobacco industry documents for references...Full Text Available
BackgroundGenetic predisposition to scrapie in sheep is associated with several variations in the peptide sequence of the prion protein gene (PRNP). DNA-based tests...Full Text Available
In most adult tissues there reside pools of stem and progenitor cells inside specialized microenvironments referred to as niches. The niche protects the stem cells from inappropriate expansion...Full Text Available
Nutcracker phenomenon refers to compression of the left renal vein, most commonly between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery, with impaired blood outflow often accompanied by distention...Full Text Available
Detailed level and decay schemes are presented for the nuclei of the A = 101 mass chain. The level properties obtained from decay and reaction experiments are shown in the drawings. Experimental methods, references, and comments are given in the text.
Detailed level and decay schemes are presented for the nuclei of the A = 101 mass chain. The level properties obtained from decay and reaction experiments are shown in the drawings. Experimental methods, references, and comments are given in the text.
This paper introduces a novel three-phase power flow approach for unbalanced radial distribution systems. The proposed approach is developed based on the loop frame of reference, rather than the traditional bus frame of reference. On the basis of the loop frame of reference, a simple direct iterative method in impedance form is applied. Basic graph theory and injection current technique are also applied in the proposed approach. The clear theoretical foundation and the simple topology of the radial distribution network make the proposed method efficient and reliable. To demonstrate the better convergence performance and the efficiency of the proposed approach, four three-phase IEEE test feeders are used for comparisons. The test results show that the proposed method has robust convergence characteristics and high performance, especially for large-scale radial distribution systems. (author)
May 4, 2010 ... This routine interpolates atmospheric adtt seconds period forcing ... for one adtt interval. Interpolation is performed based on the value ...
Ultimate Compressive Strength of Short Sheet - Stringer Panels With Special. Reference to the Influence of the Riveted Connection Between Sheet and Stringer ...
X-Plain Heart Valve Replacement Reference Summary Introduction Sometimes people have serious problems with their heart valves. A heart valve repair or ...
In the context of governance of human–environment interactions, a panacea refers to a blueprint for a single type of governance system (e.g., government ownership, privatization, community property)...Full Text Available
Genomic imprinting refers to the parent-of-origin-specific epigenetic marking of a number of genes. This epigenetic mark leads to a bias in expression between maternally and paternally inherited imprinted...Full Text Available
major radius of the toroidal containment volume. The containment time was calculated using equation (4) as derived in references 16 and 17. The solid ...
Fava beans (Vicia fava) are cultivated rather widely in most countries of the Eastern Mediterranean area and provide a cheap but protein-rich food that can be eaten alone, in various...Full Text Available
Lifespan can be extended by reduction of dietary intake. This practice is referred to as dietary restriction (DR), and extension of lifespan by DR is evolutionarily conserved in taxonomically diverse...Full Text Available
(1).—Varieties of spinal injuries, the three groups of common usage: fractures, dislocations, fracture-dislocations. Shall not refer in detail to fractures of the spinous or transverse processes....Full Text Available
A reference design was used in preparing a mathematical model of a fusion power plant with a tokamak reactor to investigate the extent to which the uncertainty still inherent in the physical reactor parameters affects the power costs. While only limited reductions of the power costs are achieved by improvements of the reference values for the reactor burn time, power density in the torus and load on the first wall, the power costs rise in keeping with the extent to which these parameters fall short of the reference values. As the results obtained in present-day experiments are still well below the reference values, a great deal of effort is still required in the fields of plasma physics and materials research to achieve an economically operating fusion power plant. (orig.).
May 25, 2007 ... This form will generate a bibliography of cost estimating references. The form will search the NASA Technical Report Service (NTRS) database ...
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site for reference information. Other recipients include Google's Translator, WikiLeaks, The ICUN Red List of Threatened Species, and the Public Library of Science (PLOS)....
This is the first text and reference book to be devoted completely to the very important and timely subject of heat transfer augmentation. This book is of equal appeal to both researchers and designers of heat transfer equipment.
The susceptibility of 19 isolates of Haemophilus ducreyi from a recent chancroid outbreak and four reference strains was determined in vitro to 13 antimicrobial agents. The rabbit intradermal...Full Text Available
What genes are related to AEC syndrome? AEC syndrome is caused by mutations in the TP63 gene. This gene provides instructions for making a protein known as p63, which plays an...
The authors describe the development of a four-dimensional atlas and reference system that includes both macroscopic and microscopic information on structure and function of the human brain in persons...Full Text Available
This document is a reference guide to the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator, and is a companion document to the Xyce Users Guide. The focus of this document is (to the extent possible) exhaustively list device parameters, solver options, parser options, and other usage details of Xyce. This document is not intended to be a tutorial. Users who are new to circuit simulation are better served by the Xyce Users Guide.
This document is a reference guide to the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator, and is a companion document to the Xyce Users' Guide. The focus of this document is (to the extent possible) exhaustively list device parameters, solver options, parser options, and other usage details of Xyce. This document is not intended to be a tutorial. Users who are new to circuit simulation are better served by the Xyce Users' Guide.
In the first part of this contribution, the definition of reference values is given and the theoretical and practical problems in the application of this concept are discussed. In this connection, the present resources on instrumentation and the technical requirements for dose assessment are described. In the second part, some consequences are taken and proposals for further actions are made. (orig.)
Measurement results are interpreted as (sets of) values attributed to measurands, i.e., quantities (intended to be measured), i.e., properties (having a magnitude that can be expressed as a number and a reference). This relatively simple conceptual structure hides some important issues for measurement science, that the lecture will tentatively explore with a systematic reference to the International vocabulary of metrology - Basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM) and its possible future developments.
This bibliography includes over 600 references (with abstracts) on all aspects of waterjet cutting and cleaning. The references are listed under the following chapter headings: fluid mechanics of jets; jet impact; equipment; jet cleaning; jet cutting; civil engineering; mining and tunnelling; precision cutting; underwater; safety; and bibliographies. Separate author and corporate source indexes are provided.
AC/DC voltage standards based entirely on solid-state references used as secondary, working, or transfer standards is widespread, although metrological performance is typically defined only via comparison with a higher level standard. The present report shows the improvements of the output metrological characteristics of an ac/dc calibrator by establishing three internal hierarchical levels of dc voltage references and by constant calibration of ac measuring circuits.
Customized reference tubes reduced sensitivity discrepancies able to be observed from one probe to the other, due to the gain setting adjustment required for a pre-definite level in amplitude response of the artificial notch. The use of a reference circuit in place of a reference part, makes characterization of the probe matched to its generator more accurate: - the material dependence is cancelled during the compensation process, - the reference signal can be adjusted more accurately in amplitude and phase response, - the manufacturing cost is reduced compared to the one necessary for machining the reference part, - the amplitude and phase response of the reference circuit can be simply modelled by using the transformer relations, such as one can appreciate the variations of the probe definition parameters and its connexion to the generator, and makes them ...
The aim of this review is to evaluate the role of inflammatory spine disease in patients with chronic back pain. The contribution of imaging modalities for the diagnostic evaluation of back pain is discussed. A systematic literature search based on the classification of seronegative spondyloarthropathies and rheumatoid arthritis was performed. The results of this search and the experiences in a large collective of rheumatological patients are analyzed. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (1-2%) is comparable to that of spondyloarthropathies (1.9%). The etiology of these entities is not fully elucidated. Magnetic resonance imaging is increasingly used for early detection and surveillance of therapy with TNF-{alpha} antagonists. Bone marrow edema, which is only detectable with MRI, represents an early sign of inflammation. Therapy with TNF-{alpha} antagonists is based on clinical and laboratory criteria, and signs of inflammation in MRI. MRI ...
This document is a reference guide to the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator, and is a companion document to the Xyce Users Guide. The focus of this document is (to the extent possible) exhaustively list device parameters, solver options, parser options, and other usage details of Xyce. This document is not intended to be a tutorial. Users who are new to circuit simulation are better served by the Xyce Users Guide. The Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator has been written to support, in a rigorous manner, the simulation needs of the Sandia National Laboratories electrical designers. It is targeted specifically to run on large-scale parallel computing platforms but also runs well on a variety of architectures including single processor workstations. It also aims to support a variety of devices and models specific to Sandia needs. This document is intended to complement the Xyce Users Guide. It contains comprehensive, detailed information about a number of topics ...
The immune system modulates many key biological processes in humans. However, the exact role of the immune system in particle-associated periprosthetic osteolysis is controversial. Human tissue retrieval studies, in vivo and in vitro experiments suggest that the immune response to polymer particles is non-specific and macrophage-mediated. Lymphocytes may modulate this response. However direct lymphocyte activation by polymer particle-protein complexes seems unlikely. However, metallic byproducts may complex with serum proteins and lead to a Type IV, lymphocyte-mediated immune reaction. In predisposed individuals, this reaction may rarely lead to persistent painful joint effusions, necessitating debridement and excision of the bearing surfaces of the prosthesis. In these patients, retrieved...
Objective To investigate the impact on life quality of women with traumatic and non-traumatic origin fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS]. Method Women affected with FMS were selected and divided into two groups: those with traumatic origin FMS [Group 1] and those with non-traumatic origin FMS [Group 2]. A standard question form was used for the research, as well as the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire [FIQ] for evaluation of life quality. Results Seventy-two patients, 34 for Group 1 and 38 for Group 2 were analyzed. The main triggering symptoms were divorce [23.5 percent of cases] and death in the family [23.5 percent of cases]. In addition to diffuse pain, the main symptoms presented were poor sleep quality, weariness, and paresthesia, with no difference between the groups; migraine had a greate...
Summary Background Pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus are rare, potentially life-threatening, autoimmune disorders characterized by antibodies to epidermal adhesion molecules. Clinical characteristics are painful chronic erosions of mucous membranes and of the skin. There are only few published studies on the impact of the disease on the health status (HS) of patients with these conditions. Objectives To assess the impact of disease on the HS of patients with pemphigus. Methods Fifty-eight patients enrolled at the Bullous Skin Diseases Unit of IDI-IRCCS in the period January-June 2006 were assessed for their HS using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire and for anxiety and depression using the Institute for Personality and Ability Testin...
Two cases of tetracycline ulcers of the oesophagus are reported and compared with thirteen other cases from the literature. In most cases, the patients had taken their capsules with little or no fluid just before going to bed. Some hours later they developed retrosternal pain that was intensified by swallowing. Endoscopy showed sharply demarcated greyish-white areas of mucosal damage which represented layers of stratified squamous cells, separated by oedema, and a dense neutrophilic infiltration of the lamina propria and the muscularis mucosa. Roentgenology was unsuitable to detect the lesions. They healed without complications within one to six weeks. Prolonged retention of the capsules in the oesophagus is thought to cause the mucosal damage. Patients on oral tetracycline or doxycycline treatment should therefore be instructed to take their capsules with a meal or with copious water and not just before going to bed.
The prevalence of hepatic cysts is 0.1% to 0.5% based on autopsy studies, and 2.5% based on US examinations. Percutaneous therapies are a new alternative to surgery. They include simple percutaneous aspiration, catheter drainage alone, and catheter drainage with sclerotherapy. We present an 11-year-old boy admitted to hospital because of abdominal pain. A diagnosis of simple hepatic cyst was made, which was treated with aspiration and tetracycline hydrochloride solution (5%) injection into the cystic cavity. Complete regression was seen on US and MRI examination at 3 months, with total collapse and deflation of the cyst. The cyst regressed totally, leaving a hyperechoic linear scar on US examination at 1 year. On the basis of the clinical and imaging results obtained, percutaneous sclerotherapy of hepatic cysts can be recommended as the treatment of choice and as a valid alternative to laparoscopy in children. (orig.)
Paraquat is a nonselective contact herbicide of great toxicological importance, being associated with high mortality rates, mainly due to respiratory failure. We report the case of a 22-year-old male admitted to the emergency room with a sore throat, dysphagia, hemoptysis, and retrosternal pain after the ingestion of 50 mL of a paraquat solution, four days prior to admission. Chest CT scans revealed pulmonary opacities, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and subcutaneous emphysema. The patient was submitted to two cycles of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide, methylprednisolone, and dexamethasone. The pulmonary gas exchange parameters gradually improved, and the patient was discharged four weeks later. The clinical and tomographic follow-up evaluations performed at four months after discharge showed that there had been further clinical improvement. We also present a brief review of the literature, as well as a discussion of the therapeutic algorithm for ...
Paraquat is a nonselective contact herbicide of great toxicological importance, being associated with high mortality rates, mainly due to respiratory failure. We report the case of a 22-year-old male admitted to the emergency room with a sore throat, dysphagia, hemoptysis, and retrosternal pain after the ingestion of 50 mL of a paraquat solution, four days prior to admission. Chest CT scans revealed pulmonary opacities, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and subcutaneous emphysema. The patient was submitted to two cycles of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide, methylprednisolone, and dexamethasone. The pulmonary gas exchange parameters gradually improved, and the patient was discharged four weeks later. The clinical and tomographic follow-up evaluations performed at four months after discharge showed that there had been further clinical improvement. We also present a brief review of the literature, as well as a discussion of the therapeutic algorithm for ...
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used for relieving chronic pain in patients that have been through other existing options. The septum has been one of the targets for such treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the inhibitory effect of electrical stimulation in the medial septum diagonal band of broca (MSDB) on neuronal activity in the spinal cord of rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital. While unilaterally stimulating the MSDB, wide dynamic range neurons in the lumbar region of the spinal cord were recorded in response to graded mechanical stimulation of the hind paws (brush, pressure, and pinch). Stimulation was at 1, 5, 10, and 20V, at 100Hz, and 0.1ms duration. Significant bilateral reduction was observed in response to pressure (ipsilaterally: 0.90+/-0.05, 0....
Purpose. To examine the impact of residual limb osteomyelitis (RLO) on the rehabilitation of lower limb amputees. Method. Retrospective review of the casenotes of patients with RLO. Information sought included details of amputation, clinical features of investigations for and management of RLO and its effect on rehabilitation. Results. There were seven transfemoral and three transtibial amputees. Indications for amputation were vascular disease in nine cases, trauma in one. In each case, delayed wound healing or residual limb pain prompted radiological, hematological and microbiological investigations. Average time between amputation and diagnosis was 187 days. One patient died before treatment commenced. Two transtibial amputees were treated with intravenous antibiotics while rehabilitati...
Abstract Introduction. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective procedure for the treatment of neuropathic extremity pain, with success rates approaching 70%. However, mechanical failures, including breakage and migration, can significantly limit the long-term effectiveness of SCS. A systematic analysis of surgical techniques was undertaken by a consensus group, coupled with extensive in vivo and in vitro biomechanical testing of system components. Methods. A computer model based on morphometric data was used to predict movement in a standard SCS system between an anchored lead and pulse generator placed in various locations. These displacements were then used to determine a realistic range of forces exerted on components of the SCS system. Laboratory fixtures were constructed to subj...
Abstract Recently, a study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who developed herpes zoster while taking a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- inhibitor reported a decreased incidence of postherpetic neuralgia. The objective of this study was to investigate whether patients on TNF- inhibitors who developed herpes zoster have a lower incidence of subsequent development of postherpetic neuralgia. A retrospective review of herpes zoster patients on TNF- inhibitors (infliximab, etanercept, or adalimumab) was conducted in 12 dermatology clinics. Medical records of such patients were reviewed thoroughly to confirm herpes zoster and TNF- inhibitors and any subsequent development of postherpetic neuralgia (pain score -3 out of 10 after 90 days of shingles onset) was noted. A total of 206 cases were revi...
Glomangioma have many synonyms including: glomus tumors, tumors of neuromyoarterial glomi, angioneuromas, angioneuromyomas, neuromyoarterial glomi, painful subcutaneous tubercles, Popoff tumors or subcotaneous glomal tumors. They are common in humans, rare in nonhuman primates and to the best of our knowledge, have only been reported in irradiated rhesus. The neoplasms originate in arterial-venous shunts known as neuromyoarterial glomi which are commonly found beneath fingernails and fingertips, but have been reported in many locations both superficial and deep. The neoplasm can be confused with hemangiopericytomas, hemangiomas, paragangliomas, and leiomyomas, and must be definitely diagnosed ultrastructurally. A glomangioma at the 6-7 thoracic intervertebral space caused compression of the spinal cord with posterior paralysis in an irradiated 20-year-old female rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).
Abstract Introduction.- Sling erosion/extrusion is a complication after suburethral sling insertion for female stress urinary incontinence that occurs in approximately 6% of patients. Symptoms may include vaginal discharge, infections, postcoital bleeding, and alterations of the sexual function. Little is known about the effect of sling erosion on the sexual function of the male partner. Aim.- The aim of this study was to determine male sexual function in partners of women who had undergone sling insertion for stress urinary incontinence and who developed sling erosion postoperatively. Main Outcome Measures.- Main outcome measures were the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSFI) and visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Methods.- Male partners of patients who presented with sling erosion ...
Background: Measurements from pressure biofeedback units (PBUs) can be used to evaluate the activity of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle indirectly. These measurements can classify patients or monitor the progress of treatment programmes for people with low back pain. Objective: To systematically review studies on the measurement properties of PBUs for the assessment of TrA activity. Data sources: Eligible studies were identified through searches of PUBMED, CINAHL and BIREME (1990 to 2009). In addition, hand searches of journals and citation tracking were performed. Study selection: Full-text studies involving any type of clinimetric tests of PBU measurement for the assessment of TrA activity were selected. Data extraction: Two independent reviewers selected the studies, extracted th...
Chronic mesenteric arterial ischemia is an uncommon condition associated a high morbidity and mortality. It is most Commonly caused by atherosclerotic occlusive disease. Patients may suffer epigastric or periumbilical postprandial pain ten to thirty minutes after eating. A case of chronic mesenteric artery stenosis, the diagnosis was performance with colonoscopy and biopsy. We present a case report of a patient with chronic mesenteric ischemia. Mesenteric arteriography was performed and documented estenosis of the mesenteric superior artery. Then percutaneous arteriography with angioplasty and implant of stent was performed. The patients became completely asymptomatic and normal colon mucous is observed in control colonoscopy. The purpose of this report is to present the case endoscopy, clinic and radiological features and to describe the percutaneous angioplasty and implant of stent. We believe that angioplasty treatment offers and improvement in this pathology ...
Perceptions of sensation and pain in healthy people are believed to be the net result of sensory input and descending modulation from brainstem and cortical regions depending on emotional and cognitive factors. Here, the influence of attention on neural activity in the spinal cord during thermal sensory stimulation of the hand was investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging by systematically varying the participants' attention focus across and within repeated studies. Attention states included (1) attention to the stimulus by rating the sensation and (2) attention away from the stimulus by performing various mental tasks of watching a movie and identifying characters, detecting the direction of coherently moving dots within a randomly moving visual field and answering mentally-...
This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of treatment with oral risedronate (17.5?mg once daily) for 8?weeks in 11 Japanese patients with Paget?s disease of bone (PDB). Risedronate suppressed the excessive bone turnover associated with PDB and improved several biochemical markers, including serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum bone-specific ALP (BALP), urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and urinary cross-linked N-telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTX). These markers began to decrease within about 2?weeks after the initiation of treatment in most patients, and the response persisted for up to 40?weeks after the cessation of treatment. Risedronate reduced pain by week 24 in most patients. According to quantitative bone scintigraphy, the lesion with the highest radioisotope (RI) uptake showe...
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) plaster for knee osteoarthritis among Japanese patients. An open-labeled, randomized, controlled, multiclinic trial was performed involving outpatient clinic groups. Two comparative groups?plaster NSAIDs and oral NSAIDs?were randomly allocated. The drugs used were limited to the current top three in both groups in Japan. Treatments were assessed after four?weeks and compared with the baseline scores. Outcomes were evaluated by two psychometric measures: Japanese knee osteoarthritis measure, and pain with the visual analogue scale. The total number of patients included in the final evaluation was 165 (87 for the plaster group and 78 for the oral group). Between these two groups there were ...
During sporting events, injured athletes often return to competition after icing because of the reduction in pain. Although some controversy exists, several studies suggest that cryotherapy causes a decrease in muscle activity, which may lead to a higher risk of injury upon return to play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 20-min knee joint cryotherapy application on the electromyographic activity of leg muscles during a single-leg drop jump in twenty healthy subjects, randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. After the pre-tests, a crushed-ice bag was applied to the knee joint of the experimental group subjects for 20min, while the control group subjects rested for 20min. All subjects were retested immediately after this period and retested again...
There are no specific diagnostic tests or a gold standard method for measuring disease activity and outcome in spondyloarthropathies (SpA). Many different methods have been developed to assess the signs and symptoms in SpA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of scintigraphy, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and Bath Ankilosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) in the evaluation of disease activity in early axial SpA diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thirty early MRI-positive axial SpA patients (23 males, 7 females) with a median age of 35 (18?55) years and a median duration of inflammatory low back pain of 24 (8?60) months were included in the study. In the patients with sacroiliitis, the sensitivity, specificity, and pos...
In 15 patients (16 hip joints) we found the clinical and radiological signs of BMOS. On T1-weighted MRI images areas of low signal intensity could be observed in the head, neck and the intertrochanteric region of the femur in various extensions. These areas showed a significant increase in signal intensity on the T2-weighted images. Because pain was resistant to conservative therapy all these patients were treated by core decompression of the femoral head in a prospective study. Bone cores were evaluated histologically using undecalcified sections and quantitative microradiography. The existence of intramedullary oedema in exactly the regions exhibiting the MRI pattern of bone marrow oedema was verified histologically; however, bone and marrow changes similar to those of early avascular necrosis (AVN) were also visible. (orig.)
Computed Tomography (CT) of the spine was performed on 17 patients with myeloma in order to assess the role of the technique in recognizing and evaluating the extent of the lesions. Myelomatous lesions followed two patterns at CT: first of all, multiple focal lesions, whose density is either solid, liquid, or fatty; second, an extensive pattern involving the spongiosa of the vertebra, including the posterior arch. CT detected more lesions than conventional radiology; furthermore, the extent of the lesions was much better demonstrated by CT. CT should thus be performed: a) in case of pain and/or neurological findings in negative radiological examinations; b) to evaluate the extent of myelomatous lesions (mainly in the spine); c) in solitary myeloma CT may be performed on different bone segments with clinical symptomatology but normal X-ray findings.
In recent years, Obesity (defined as Body Mass Index > 30 kg/m2) has increased its prevalence reaching epidemic levels in countries such as The United States where it has became a national health issue. In Colombia the Obesity prevalence is figured around 14%. Treatment options for Obesity include life style modifications, pharmacologist management and surgical approach (Bariatric Surgery). This article describes a patient with previous bariatric surgery, who presents abdominal pain and melena owed to isquemic process of the alimentary limb caused by an internal hernia which is a potentially lethal condition if it is not highly suspected allowing its early diagnosis and treatment
AbstractBackground Few published data are available on the benefits of aspirin use in patients with unstable angina (UA). Hypothesis Aspirin use carries a mortality benefit in a population-based cohort of patients presenting with UA. Methods All residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota presenting to local emergency departments with acute chest pain from January 1985 through December 1992 having symptoms consistent with UA were identified through medical records. A total of 1628 patients were identified with UA and were stratified by aspirin use in-hospital and at discharge. Cardiovascular mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke were assessed over a median of 7.5 years follow-up and all-cause mortality data over a median of 16.7 years. The mean age of patients with UA was 65 y...
Amphiphysin is a protein concentrated in neuronal synapses and peripherally associated with neurotransmitter vesicles. It is expressed in many neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems, in the adrenal medulla, in the anterior and posterior pituitary, in cell lines of the endocrine pancreas, and in spermatocytes. Its subcellular localization and tissue distribution indicate a potential involvement in mechanisms of regulated exocytosis. A role in the dynamic organization of the membrane-associated cytoskeleton is suggested by structural homology to the products of two yeast genes, RVS161 and RVS167, whose mutation results in an abnormal actin distribution, disturbs budding morphology, and impairs cell entry into stationary phase. Limited stretches of sequence similarity, including an SH3 domain, are also shared with other actin-binding proteins. Amphiphysin is the dominant autoantigen in paraneoplastic Stiff-Man syndrome, a neurological autoimmune disorder characterized by ...
A recently-developed BMT method combines a ''Perfusion Method'' (PM) for collecting bone marrow cells (BMCs) with the Intra-Bone Marrow (IBM) injection of BMCs (IBM-BMT). As distinct from the conventional aspiration method (AM), the PM allows rapid (within 1 h) collection of BMCs without T cell contamination (T cells < 10%). Therefore, no GvHD occurs. Moreover, the burden on donors, such as back pain, bleeding and infection, can be reduced. Full chimerism can be achieved even with only mild conditioning regimens if IBM-BMT is carried out, since IBM-BMT replaces not only the recipient's hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) but also mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with donor-derived HSCs and MSCs. Using this method, we show that most currently intractable diseases are HSC or MSC disorders, and that t...
Throughout the last decades, plasma technology has been established in a series of surface treatment applications, e.g. for semiconductor processing or optical coatings. The majority of plasma assisted technologies is based on low pressure processes. In recent years, however, non-thermal atmospheric pressure discharges have attracted considerable interest because of their simplified technical devices for industrial applications as compared to low pressure processes which require vacuum equipment. Hence, batch processing can be avoided, thus facilitating the implementation of plasma process steps into production lines. Investment costs are cut down significantly. The use of atmospheric pressure plasmas for technical applications dates back to the ozone production with dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) by Siemens in 1857. Lately, the application of atmospheric pressure plasmas for surface treatment has been reported, e.g. for the treatment of foils to improve printability, for surface ...
To assess the efficacy and resulting complications of tetracycline sclerotherapy in renal, hepatic, ovarian, and perivesical cysts. We retrospectively reviewed 23 cases of benign cysts (16 renal, 4 hepatic, 2 ovarian, and 1 perivesical) in 22 patients in whom the condition was diagnosed or confirmed by either ultrasound, CT, or cytology, and who underwent percutaneous tetracycline sclerotherapy. Using a 21-gauge Chiba needle, the target cyst was punctured under ultrasound guidance. Prior to the injection of 1500 mg of tetracycline diluted in 5 ml of normal saline, almost all the cystic content was aspirated, and at the end of the procedure the tetracycline was left in the cyst. During a period of between 3 and 22 months, 18 of the 23 cases were followed up. In six of the 18 cases followed up, the cysts either decreased in size by 10%, or collapsed completely. In seven cases a collapse of over 50% was noted, and in the remaining five the cyst recurred. In one of these, complete collapse ...
Ewing's sarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumour occurring in children and adolescents and exists in two different clinico pathological entities: osseous Ewing's sarcoma (OES) and extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma (EES). Five cases of primary epidural EES are described, which presented with non-specific symptoms leading to a long diagnostic delay. The median age at diagnosis was 22 years (range 13-36 years). The median diagnostic delay was 3 months. All patients had one or more neurological deficits. All underwent surgical exploration with a laminectomy and partial resection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy to a dose of 46-50 Gy and chemotherapy with VAC (vincristine, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide) alternating with ICE (ifosphamide, cisplatin and etoposide) for at least six cycles. The mean follow-up period is 21.2 months (range 11-32 months). Four of the five patients achieved a complete remission and are disease free at the time of writing this report. Two patients have a ...
The authors assess the role of Computed Topography in the diagnosis and management of multiple myeloma (MM) and investigate if Computed Tomography findings can influence the clinical approach, prognosis and treatment. 273 multiple myeloma patients submitted to Computed Tomography June 1994, to December, 1996. The patients were 143 men and 130 women (mean age: 65 years): 143 were stage I, 38 stage II and 92 stage III according to Durie and Salomon's clinical classification. All patients were submitted to blood tests, spinal radiography and Computed Tomography, the latter with serial 5-mm scans on several vertebral bodies. Computed Tomography despicted vertebral arch and process involvement in 3 cases with the vertebral pedicle sign. Moreover, Computed Tomography proved superior to radiography in showing the spread of myelomatous masses into the soft tissues in a case with solitary permeative lesion in the left public bone, which facilitated subsequent biopsy. As for extraosseous ...
Reactor Power Measurement is an essential part of the Reactor Power Control Loop in PHWRs. None of the available power measuring sensor offers characteristics which allow their direct use in the Reactor Power Control Loop. Thermal power, which is considered as relatively accurate, suffers from measurement delays and is used only as reference. Neutronic power sensors like Ion Chambers and Self Powered Neutron Detectors (SPNDs) which sense instantaneous power suffer from inaccuracies. A technique is required which makes use of both types-reference power and instantaneous power to extract real power information from the signals. This paper describes techniques to calibrate (correct) neutronic power that with the thermal reference power signals. The paper also brings out limitation of the calibration technique. (author)
The Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE) refers to a set of several microcomputer programs that were developed to create and analyze probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs), primarily for nuclear power plants. The Fault Tree, Event Tree, and Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (FEP) editors allow the user to graphically build and edit fault trees, and event trees, and piping and instrumentation diagrams (P and IDs). The software is designed to enable the independent use of the graphical-based editors found in the Integrated Reliability and Risk Assessment System (IRRAS). FEP is comprised of three separate editors (Fault Tree, Event Tree, and Piping and Instrumentation Diagram) and a utility module. This reference manual provides a screen-by-screen guide of the entire FEP System.
Modifications to the reference concept were studied and the best approaches defined. The impact of the high efficiency multibandgap solar array on the reference concept design is considered. System trade studies for several solid state concepts, including the sandwich concept and a separate antenna/solar concept, are described. Two solid state concepts were selected and a design definition is presented for each. Magnetrons as an alternative to the reference klystrons for dc/rf conversion are evaluated. System definitions are presented for the preferred klystron and solid state concepts. Supporting systems are analyzed, with major analysis in the microwave, structures, and power distribution areas. Results of studies for thermal control, attitude control, stationkeeping, and details of a multibandgap solar cell study are included. Advanced laser concepts and the meteorological effects of a laser beam power transmission ...
Over a 6.5-year period a total of 2554 values were reported by nine laboratories for 259 certified or reference nutrient concentrations in 26 certified reference materials (CRM) submitted to contract laboratories, blinded, as part of the qualifying process for analytical contracts and in the routine sample stream as part of the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program. Each value was converted to a Z?-score, reflecting the difference from the assigned value related to the combined expected analytical uncertainty plus the uncertainty in the CRM value. Z?-scores >|3.0| were considered unacceptable. For some nutrients (Na, folate, dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, thiamin, tocopherols, carotenoids, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids), >20% of Z?-scores were >|3.0|. For total f...
The starting material for two certified and one candidate reference material was obtained from dried grass specially cultivated on a selected and well prepared soil. The Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) of the Commission of the European Communities produced two certified reference materials (CRM`s) from this dried grass: a rye grass material (CRM 281) certified in 1988 for the quality control of trace and toxic element analyses and a hay powder material (CRM 129) certified in 1989 for monitoring trace and minor elements. A fraction of the dried grass was used in 1993 for the preparation of a hay powder with a particle size of < 63 {mu}m using newly developed grinding techniques. This paper compares the production methods of these three materials and the obtained particle size distribution of the powders. The analytical evaluation of these production methods was carried out by solid sampling Zeeman atomic absorption ...
An exergoeconomic model of a vertical ground-source heat pump residential heating system presented in this study uses exergy and cost energy mass (EXCEM) methods. The data obtained from a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) residential heating system installed at the Solar Energy Institute, Ege University, Turkey, are utilized for calculations at different reference temperature values in the range 0-25{sup o}C. The performance of the geothermal heat pump residential heating system is evaluated to indicate how exergoeconomic parameter values change with system. We also undertake a parametric study to investigate how varying reference temperatures will affect the exergoeconomic analysis of the GSHP system. A correlation between the ratio of thermodynamic loss rate to capital cost and reference state temperature is developed. (author)
The mechanisms that contribute to the extinction of previously acquired memories are not well understood. These processes, often referred to as inhibitory learning, are thought to be parallel...Full Text Available
Composed of Sun sensors, the Canopus sensor, the inertial reference unit, ... The heart of the system was a 100-pound-thrust rocket whose hypergolic, ... The spacecraft's low-gain antenna picked up all incoming signals from the NASA-JPL ...
Objectives To test the hypotheses that, compared with conventional outpatient consultations, joint teleconsultation (virtual outreach) would incur no increased costs to the NHS, reduce...Full Text Available
... 4. Military Working Dogs iMWDs). As used in this Instruction refers to drug detector dogs only. 5. Military Working Doq Executive Agent M(WJDEMA. ...
Oligonucleotide DNA probes complementary to the hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA of Bacteroides forsythus were tested for their specificity and sensitivity against reference and clinical isolates...Full Text Available
Patients who fail to attend initial appointments reduce clinic efficiency. To maximize attendance by newly referred outpatients, we introduced a mandatory group orientation clinic for all new patients...Full Text Available
During 1968-77, 572 consecutive children with one or more positive urine cultures who were referred by their family doctors to one paediatric surgical outpatient clinic were investigated and prospectively...Full Text Available
SummaryTwo Caucasian males (57 and 70 years old) were referred to our attention with parasinus mucoceles, maxillary and frontal mucocele, respectively, that had eroded the orbital rim...Full Text Available
This report presents leaching experiments with irradiated fly ash from the Kozienice Power Station and, as a reference, with a Czechoslovakian fly ash sample. 7 refs, 11 figs, 3 tabs.
AIMTo compare a test version of HFA fluticasone/salmeterol (FP/SM) combination inhaler (Neolab, UK) with the reference product Seretide (GlaxoSmithKline, UK).METHODSAn...Full Text Available
A review is presented of the quest for superheavy elements under the following headings - early history; physical and nuclear properties unique to superheavy elements; searches in nature; terrestrial samples; extra-terrestrial samples; and searches at accelerators. 72 references. (U.K.).
A new type of radiation which occurs when particles are accelerated in the field of a longitudinal wave and in a transverse magnetic field is studied. The characteristics of such spontaneous radiation are obtained, and the influence of collective effects on the radiation is analyzed. The application of the findings to the theory of free electron lasers is discussed. 8 references.
1. The uptake and esterification to trigylceride of oleic acid in micellar form was studied in rat intestine in vitro. Sacs of the upper half of the everted intestine taken from bile...Full Text Available
BackgroundThere is a strong inverse relationship between final vessel diameter and subsequent risk of treatment failure after coronary stent deployment. The aim of this study was...Full Text Available
The paper outlines the basic problems concerning creation of electron-positron linear colliders, as well as their present-day status. More details on the question can be found in the proceedings of recent workshops on linear colliders contained in the References. ((orig.)).
Comparative studies of flocculent and grand-design spirals suggest that density waves are not the predominant trigger of star formation in most galaxies. Implications for chemical evolution are profound. It may be possible to ignore the details of the spiral-wave phenomenon in research aimed at unifying the chemical properties of spiral disks. 16 references.
We report here a case of a pathologically proven solitary fibrous tumor of the pancreas. A 54-year-old man was referred to our hospital for further evaluation of a pancreatic mass that was found incidentally....Full Text Available
Tutorial on digital libraries. Site also contains links to other reference materials on digital libraries as well as links to courses on the subject. Keywords: Information Systems - Information Systems Applications, Information Storage and Retrieval, Database Management, multimedia
Based on an multivariate statistical evaluation of binary and metric data relating to the soil cover of the European Community five regionally representative reference soils (EURO-Soils) have been identified for chemicals testing in the EC. The soil material sampled at representative localities in Italy, Greece, Great Britain, France and Germany was treated and prepared according to OECD Test Guideline 106 and analysed in detail. The homogenised specimens were subject to an EC-wide ring test to evaluate the feasibility of the modified guideline and to validate the physical-chemical amenability of the reference soils for sorption tests. The results proved the validity of the soils selected for assessing the potential behaviour of new chemicals in soil on the basis of a comparative evaluation of the individual test results obtained. In the light of this parametric assessment potential test soils were subsequently identified in the individual EC ...
Over the past 10 years, the Peruvian National Tuberculosis (TB) Program, the National Reference Laboratory (NRL), Socios en Salud, and US partners have worked to strengthen the national TB laboratory...Full Text Available
The anatomy of the labyrinth and the structure of the macula utriculi of the teleost fish (burbot) Lota vulgaris was studied by dissection, phase contrast, and electron microscopy....Full Text Available
Journal of Human Genetics. 82: 873-882. 3134. Schulz, I., Schneider, P. M., Olek, K, Rothschild, M. A., and Tsokos, M. (2006) Examination of Postmortem Animal Interference to Human...
The status of the South American Geocentric reference System (SIRGAS) Project is presented, including the project goals, objectives and tasks already carried out by the Working Groups. (author). 2 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab
BackgroundPatients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with fibrinolysis are increasingly, and ever earlier, referred for routine coronary angiography and where...Full Text Available
Peripheral vascular diseases (PVD) are referred to as diseases affecting the blood vessels other than the heart and the brain. Interventional endovascular treatment whenever feasible has become the...Full Text Available
Assessment of ethical aspects and authorization by ethics committees have become a major constraint for health research including human subjects. Ethical reference values often are extrapolated from...Full Text Available
The in vivo antichlamydial activities of sparfloxacin and reference drugs were examined in a experimental model of pneumonia caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae in leukopenic mice; their in vitro activities...Full Text Available
BACKGROUNDAdolescent peer group self-identification refers to adolescents’ affiliation with reputation-based peer groups such as “Goths” or...Full Text Available
The acute shortage of human organs and tissues for transplantation has been attributed in part to health professionals, including nurses, for their reluctance to recognize and refer suitable candidates...Full Text Available
Nuclear structure information available to May 1979 has been reviewed. The level properties obtained from decay and reaction experiments are shown in the drawings. Experimental methods, references, and comments are given in the text.
Jul 16, 2005 ... The purpose of this capability portfolio is to develop a roadmap for NASA to exploit .... 1.2.4-2: Some applications of nanotechnology to advanced EVA suits. ..... Power/Energy Storage: Materials and devices for energy storage and .... to 80 %), manufacturing costs (up to 50%) and enhancements in durability. ...
The reference medium for brachytherapy dose measurements is water. Accuracy of dose measurements of brachytherapy sources is critically dependent on precise measurement of the source–detector...Full Text Available
This paper describes a system for fast mass spectrometric characterization of high-temperature outgassing measurements and measuring the total quantity of gas evolved for boron nitride. 2 references, 1 figure, 2 tables.
Sources of manganese are identified. Uptake and distribution of manganese in plants and man are discussed, and the role of manganese in metabolism is described. The epidemiology of manganese toxicity is outlined, permissible air concentrations are listed, and the symptoms of manganese toxicity and deficiency are described. 555 references, 32 tables.
A 37 year old male was referred to our centre for management of episcleritis with peripheral keratitis in the right eye. He had a history of ocular discomfort in the right eye of 1 week duration. Slitlamp...Full Text Available
A 41-year-old white woman was referred to our Department to rule out the presence of a Fuch's corneal dystrophy. On slit-lamp biomicroscopy, small bilateral punctuate opacities appearing mostly in the...Full Text Available
The definition of “minor” veins in leaves is arbitrary and of uncertain biological significance. Generally, the term refers to the smallest vein classes in the leaf, believed to function...Full Text Available
Animals in a variety of taxa discriminate between a greater quantity and a lesser quantity of the same object, an ability that is referred to as relative numerousness judgment. For example,...Full Text Available
This book provides differential diagnostic possibilities of specific scan abnormalities in one volume for easy reference. This book is organized by organ systems and covers the central nervous system, the endocrine, skeletal, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and cardiovascular systems. The gamuts are designed to teach differential diagnosis and to assist in the actual interpretation of patient slides.
Few diseases exemplify the integration of research from bench to bedside as well as neonatal lupus, often referred to as a model of passively acquired autoimmunity. In essence, this disease encompasses...Full Text Available
Background and Aim: The purpose of this study was to establish for the first time reference curves for body fat levels in a Greek pediatric population aged 7-15y.Methods:...Full Text Available
The recent assembly of the silkworm Bombyx mori genome with 432 Mb on 28 holocentric chromosomes has become a reference in the genomic analysis of the very diverse Order of Lepidoptera....Full Text Available
Workers from cotton mills were exposed to cotton dust during carding in an experimental cardroom. Cotton from different geographical locations with varying amounts of endotoxin were used. Exposure levels...Full Text Available
Phonological density refers to the number of words that can be generated by replacing a phoneme in a target word with another phoneme in the same position. Although the precise nature of the...Full Text Available
Explicit soliton solutions describing the inelastic interaction between sub- and superluminal particles are found within the framework of a new integrable model of relativistic classical field theory. The corresponding energies are nonnegative irrespective of the choice of reference frame.
BackgroundConcerted evolution refers to the pattern in which copies of multigene families show high intraspecific sequence homogeneity but high interspecific sequence diversity....Full Text Available
Recommended ERLs for whole body, thyroid, lung and other single organs are presented in tabular form, and related to the relevant counter measures such as evacuation, sheltering, distribution of stable iodine tablets, etc. Application of ERLs to local env...
ADD_MEAN is a floating point number. This value is only used for the LEE filter, ... an averaging filter. This value is only used for the Frost filter, ...... Use this keyword to specify the gaussian sigma value for methods 4 and 5. For ...
A type of electromyographic activity, formerly referred to as "pseudomyotonia", can be recorded from the striated muscle of the urethral sphincter using a concentric needle electrode. There are two...Full Text Available
Coryneform isolates from clinical specimens frequently cannot be identified by either reference laboratories or research laboratories. Many of these organisms are skin flora that belong to a large number...Full Text Available
Spontaneous rupture of membranes (ROM) is a normal component of labor and delivery. Premature ROM (PROM) refers to rupture of the fetal membranes prior to the onset of labor irrespective of gestational...Full Text Available
A balanced application of chemiosmosis to plant mitochondria is presented. Electron transport carriers are sequenced to achieve proton translocation across the inner membrane. The processes of proton translocation, use, and release are integrated to yield a description of the effective proton gradient available for metabolite transport and ATP synthesis. 27 references, 6 figures.
A chromosomally located β-lactamase gene, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli from a reference strain of the enterobacterial species Kluyvera cryocrescens,...Full Text Available
This guidebook organizes the profusion of rules and regulations surrounding radiation protection into a single-volume reference. Employee and public protection, accident prevention, and emergency preparedness are included in this comprehensive coverage. Whenever possible, information is presented in convenient checklists, tables, or outlines that enable you to locate information quickly.
We evaluated a trial-based approach to conducting functional analyses in classroom settings. Ten students referred for problem behavior were exposed to a series of assessment trials, which were interspersed...Full Text Available
This biographical sketch on John R. Moore corresponds to the historic text, The Classic: Cartilaginous-cup Arthroplasty in Ununited Fractures of the Neck of the Femur (1948), available at DOI External Reference Not Shown .
A four-block collimator installed on a control table for positioning the alignment reference marks. Designed for use with SPS secondary beams, the collimator operates under vacuum conditions. See Annual Report 1976 p. 121 and photo 7701014.
Research on Be stars from the early work of Merrill and Struve to the present is reviewed, including recent observations from space. A number of models which have been proposed to explain the Be phenomenon are discussed, and the evolutionary status of Be stars is considered. 126 references.
...2 Resource type: documents Mesothelioma Information HON-code certified resource, covering the main aspects of asbestos exposure: diagnosis, diseases caused by asbestos, treatment options, prevention and legal options. Diagrams are included in articles, and links are provided to the references used. Also contains a listing of ...
...research strategy and plans Aquatic resource monitoring research programs, EMAP and STAR grants Go To EMAP homepage Go To Top Bibliography References for survey designs, statistical analyses , program documentation, and monitoring reports. Reports, abstracts and links to electronic versions Go To Top Frequently Asked Questions ...
...analysis for all of the stacks except the ASARCO stacks. (i) Incorporation by reference...1985 (except for materials pertaining to ASARCO), and January 28, 1986 (except for meterials pertaining to ASARCO and Appendix A). (19) On...
...specifications of ASTM Grade 1 or Grade 2 fuel oils in ASTM Method D396-04, Standard Specification for Fuel Oils (incorporated by reference, see...ASTM Grade 4, Grade 5, or Grade 6 fuel oils in ASTM Method D396-04,...
The bibliography contains citations concerning the pitting corrosion of copper and copper alloys, in different media, with some references to methods for protecting against such corrosion. Included are factors contributing to the onset of pitting corrosion. Emphasis is placed on exposure to water, especially in tubing for heat exchangers and water conduits. Many of the citations present studies on exposure to sea water. Some references pertain to the detection of pitting corrosion in installations and the evaluation of the degree of pitting present. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)
A sample of garnet-biotite plagiogneiss, GBPg-1 is currently being developed as a certified reference material at the Vinogradov Institute of Geochemistry. It was used as the sample that was distributed round 7 of International Proficiency Testing Program (GeoPT7) and was analyzed by 76 geoanalytical laboratories around the world. Twenty Russian laboratories involved in the interlaboratory experiment also analyzed GBPg-1. The resultant analytical data obtained from these two experiments has allowed GBPg-1 to be certified as a state standard sample for 50 elements. It also enabled a comparison of the quality of data developed by the Russian and international geoanalytical laboratories, to optimize the outcome of this interlaboratory experiment.
This report provides a summary of theoretical and experimental studies of actinide spectra in condensed phases. Much of the work was accomplished at Argonne National Laboratory, but references to related investigations by others are included. Spectroscopic studies of the trivlent actinides are emphasized, as is the use of energy level parameters, evaluated from experimental data, to investigate systematic trends in electronic structure and other properties. Some reference is made to correlations with atomic spectra, as well as with spectra of the (II), (IV), and higher valence states. 207 refs., 39 figs., 38 tabs.
A numerical model has been developed to simulate the charging and discharge behaviour of an electrically rechargeable alkaline zinc-air battery. Further a galvanostatic experiment including three charge/discharge cycles has been performed. The cell voltages, the Zn electrode potentials versus a Zn reference, and the O{sub 2} electrode potentials versus a Zn reference calculated with the model are in fairly good agreement with the corresponding experimental data. The model is expected to be useful for zinc-air battery design and for analysis of experimental data. (author)
A simple but powerful inter-process communication machine is presented for programming direct shared memory multiprocessor machines in medium and low level application areas and in particular, for the programming of embedded systems such as intelligent instrumentation and online controllers. The primitives are based on hoare's concept of tightly synchronised data transfer to provide mutual exclusion and synchronisation in a single mechanism. The design of these primitives is discussed with reference to a number of criteria considered appropriate to the application area and their implementation in the Cyba-M multi-microprocessor research is described. 10 references.
This Reference Book contains a current copy of the Clean Water Act (Section 404) and the Rivers and Harbors Act (Sections 9 and 10) and those regulations that implement those sections of the statutes and appear to be most relevant to DOE activities. The document is provided to DOE and contractor staff for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as legal guidance. Updates that include important new requirements will be provided periodically. Questions concerning this Reference Book may be directed to Mark Petts, IH-231 (FTS 896-2609 or Commercial 202/586-2609).
The driving system of a Moessbauer spectrometer is described. The system comprises a minivibrator, a digital generator of the reference velocity signal, and circuits for controlling the vibrator. The reference velocity signal is stored by the control computer in an intermediate storage. The feedback in the control circuits includes correction for nonlinearity of the driving facility. A Moessbauer spectrometer which is equipped with this driving system exhibits a velocity scale nonlinearity below 0.1%. The resonance line width for sodium nitroprusside is 0.27 #+-# 0.01 mm/s. (author). 6 figs., 8 refs.
Specific structure of biota community condition can used as indicator for the ecosystem stability value or the waters pollution level where the aquatic biota exist. the macro invertebrates as bio indicator organism can used to assess the upper Cisadane Sub River Basin water quality. The grouping and calculation result from family number, Ept presences (sensitive macro invertebrate), Diversity index (H"'), DO value and TOC value showed 5 criteria of water quality as reference site. This criteria is used to determine water quality level from ten branches of rivers in the upper Cisadane Sub River Basin, Cijeruk districts. The biotic index calculation for ASPT (Average Score Per Taxon) and T and T (index Trihadiningrum and Tjindronegoro) is used to asses water quality based on macro invertebrate composition indicator. Both biotic index system support and give the similar evaluation to water quality level from ten branches of river on the upper Cisadane Sub River Basin. ...
Global climate policy initiatives are now being proposed to compensate tropical forest nations for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). These proposals have the potential to include developing countries more actively in international greenhouse gas mitigation and to address a substantial share of the world's emissions which come from tropical deforestation. For such a policy to be viable it must have a credible benchmark against which emissions reduction can be calculated. This benchmark, sometimes termed a baseline or reference emissions scenario, can be based directly on historical emissions or can use historical emissions as input for business as usual projections. Here, we review existing data and methods that could be used to measure historical deforestation and forest degradation reference scenarios including FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) national statistics ...
Global climate policy initiatives are now being proposed to compensate tropical forest nations for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). These proposals have the potential to include developing countries more actively in international greenhouse gas mitigation and to address a substantial share of the world's emissions which come from tropical deforestation. For such a policy to be viable it must have a credible benchmark against which emissions reduction can be calculated. This benchmark, sometimes termed a baseline or reference emissions scenario, can be based directly on historical emissions or can use historical emissions as input for business as usual projections. Here, we review existing data and methods that could be used to measure historical deforestation and forest degradation reference scenarios including FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) national statistics and ...
"1"4C measurement uses a number of standards and reference materials with different properties. Historically the absolute calibration of "1"4C measurement was tied to 1890 wood, through the 'primary' standard of NBS-OxI (produced by the National Bureau of Standards, now NIST - National Institute of Standards and technology) subsequently replaced by NBS-OxII. These are both internationally calibrated and certified materials, whose "1"4C activities are known absolutely. A second tier of materials, often called secondary standards or reference materials, and including internationally recognised materials such as ANU-sucrose (now also IAEA-C6), Chinese - sucrose and the IAEA C1-C6 series, augmented by additional oxalic acid samples are also used routinely. The activity of these materials has been estimated from large numbers of measurements made by many laboratories. Recently, further natural materials from the Third and Fourth International ...
Of 1850 patients with cholelithiasis diagnosed in the past 17 years, 1116 female and 734 male, 598 patients (32.3%) presented with one or more of three major symptoms, i.e., abdominal pain, fever and jaundice, whereas the remainder (67.7%) had none of these symptoms. The proportion of the asymptomatic patients was similar in all age groups, being around 70%. Only 20 per cent of 680 asymptomatic patients, followed for 10 to 17 years (median 13.3 years), developed biliary symptoms. Older patients over 70 years of age had a higher rate of change to the symptomatic group, as compared with younger patients under 70, 29.5% vs. 19.3%, respectively. During this period, carcinoma of the gallbladder developed in one of the asymptomatic patients (0.1%). Oral dissolution therapy was successful in only 4.2 per cent of attempted cases and associated with a recurrence rate of as high as 20%. We conclude that asymptomatic gallstone patients should only be followed up by ultrasound ...
The synovial and bone uptake of tracer in the knees of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was quantified using {sup 99}Tc{sup m}-hexamethyl propylene amine oxime-labelled leucocytes and {sup 99}Tc{sup m}-methylene diphosphonate (MDP), respectively. Significant neutrophil migration and MDP uptake occurred in the knees of patients with RA irrespective of the disease duration. In all but one patient neutrophil migration was reduced after intra-articular steroid injection. The change in MDP uptake after steroid injection was variable. There was a significant correlation between the percentage reduction in neutrophil migration and pain score, while the latter correlated poorly with the change in MDP uptake. The quantification of the neutrophil component of the inflammatory process is a sensitive index for monitoring RA activity and response to pharmacological interventions, while quantitative bone scintigraphy should not be employed to monitor changes in joint ...
The synovial and bone uptake of tracer in the knees of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was quantified using "9"9Tc"m-hexamethyl propylene amine oxime-labelled leucocytes and "9"9Tc"m-methylene diphosphonate (MDP), respectively. Significant neutrophil migration and MDP uptake occurred in the knees of patients with RA irrespective of the disease duration. In all but one patient neutrophil migration was reduced after intra-articular steroid injection. The change in MDP uptake after steroid injection was variable. There was a significant correlation between the percentage reduction in neutrophil migration and pain score, while the latter correlated poorly with the change in MDP uptake. The quantification of the neutrophil component of the inflammatory process is a sensitive index for monitoring RA activity and response to pharmacological interventions, while quantitative bone scintigraphy should not be employed to monitor changes in joint inflammation in ...
A population of male civil servants in Rome, Italy, was investigated to determine the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic gallstone disease. Field activities started in December, 1982 and were concluded in July, 1984. Diagnosis was made using real-time ultrasonography. Participation in the study was 71.5%. Prevalence of gallstone disease was 8.2% and increased with age from 2.3% in the 20- to 25-year-old age group to 14.4% in the 60- to 69-year-old age group, based on both presence of gallstones and history of cholecystectomy. About one-third of the subjects with gallstone disease had previously been submitted to cholecystectomy. Only 7.7% of the subjects with presence of gallstones complained of at least one episode of biliary pain in the preceding 5 years. Frequency of "minor" dyspeptic symptoms was not different between men with and those without gallstones. PMID:3391519
The solid-pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is a rare type of exocrine pancreatic neoplasm. SPT predominantly affects young women and female children, and is usually discovered incidentally. This tumor is generally benign with a low incidence of malignancy. A 13-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital with a few weeks' history of mild abdominal pain and jaundice. On physical examination, there was no palpable mass. The laboratory tests showed increased SR, CRP, high bilirubin, amylase and lipase serum levels. Ultrasound imaging revealed a solid lesion in the region of the pancreatic head. On MRI, precise tumor localization in the head of the pancreas with pancreatic duct dilatation and compression of the common bile duct were visualized. Pancreaticoduodenectomy and cholecystectomy was performed with good clinical outcome. Microscopic and immunohistochemical studies indicated that tumor cells were typical of SPT without any signs of malignancy. After ...
The visual outcomes of Acanthamoeba keratitis, a rare cause of corneal infection, can be devastating. This paper reports two contact lens wearers with severe pain and photophobia who presented to the emergency room. Biomicroscopy revealed radial keratoneuritis in both individuals. Tissue culture on a nonnutrient agar plate with Escherichia coli overlay resulted in a heavy growth of Acanthamoeba. The inpatient treatment included 0.02% polyhexamethylene biguanide, chlorhexidine, neomycin/polymyxin B/bacitracin (Neosporin), and oral fluconazole, which successfully controlled the corneal infection and improvement in the best corrected visual acuity in both patients. Infection did not recur during the 12-month follow-up period. Acanthamoeba keratitis can present as radial keratoneuritis, mimicking other common corneal infections resulting in diagnostic and treatment delays. Early diagnosis and prudent treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis are the keys to restoring vision ...
This is a report of 21 patients presenting with epigastric pain, bilious vomiting, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, iron-deficiency anemia, and weight loss, who had undergone Billroth II gastrectomy from 3 to 35 yr earlier. Eighteen of 21 patients were found to have significant enterogastric reflux indices varying from 60% to 95% demonstrated by /sup 99m/Tc HIDA scintigraphy. Thirteen patients had diversion antireflux surgery in the form of a Roux-en-Y procedure, and 1 patient had a Henley loop jejunal interposition. Postoperative /sup 99m/Tc HIDA scintigraphic studies showed the enterogastric reflux indices to have decreased significantly to a range of 2%-26% (p less than 0.00001). There was marked improvement of symptoms, including correction of anemia and weight gain in those patients who had been anemic or who had sustained earlier weight loss. The enterogastric reflux indices of 10 asymptomatic control patients after Billroth II gastrectomy ranged from 4% to ...
A population of female civil servants in Rome, Italy, was investigated to determine the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic gallstone disease and to define the associated factors. Field activities started in February 1981 and concluded in April 1982. Diagnosis was assessed by real time ultrasonography. Prevalence of gallstone disease increased with age from 2.5% in the 20- to 29-year-old age group to 25.0% in the 60- to 64-year-old age group, based on both presence of gallstones and history of cholecystectomy. Only one third of the women with gallstones had complained of at least one episode of biliary pain in the last five years. Frequency of "minor" dyspeptic symptoms was not different between women with and those without gallstones. In a multiple logistic function analysis, a positive association was found between age, body mass index, parity, and prevalence of gallstone disease. No association was demonstrated between the presence of gallstones or ...
For diagnosis of loosening or infection after implantation of a single-side or double-side total hip endoprosthesis 59 patients being in pain were investigated by a combination of bone scan (Technetium-99m DPD) and leucocyte scan (Indium-111 labelled leucocytes). The correlation between clinical results and scintigraphic findings revealed: bone scintigraphy detects loosening of prostheses with 95% sensitivity (45/47); bone scintigraphy excludes an instable prosthesis with 89% specificity (3/27). 45% of the loosened prostheses revealed an infection (21/47): leucocyte scintigraphy could detect 17 correct positive. Three leucocyte scans of 53 prostheses without clinical signs of infection were false positive. Therefore, leucocyte scintigraphy had a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 94% for detecting infection. Bone scintigraphy can detect loosening of prostheses with 93% accuracy, Indium-111 labelled leucocyte scintigraphy can detect infection of the prosthesis ...
The mortality in undrained abdominal abscesses is high with a mortality rate ranging between 45 and 100%. The outcome in abdominal abscesses, however, has improved due to advances in image guided percutaneous interventional techniques. The main indications for the catheter drainage include treatment or palliation of sepsis associated with an infected fluid collection, and alleviation of the symptoms that may be caused by fluid collections by virtue of their size, like pancreatic pseudocele or lymphocele. The single liver abscesses may be drained with ultrasound guidance only, whereas the multiple abscesses usually require computed tomography (CT) guidance and placement of multiple catheters. The pancreatic abscesses are generally drained routinely and urgently. Non-infected pancreatic pseudocysts may be simply observed unless they are symptomatic or cause problems such as pain or obstruction of the biliary or the gastrointestinal tract. Percutaneous routes that ...
The present case report documents the hitherto unusual application of camouflage orthodontics in one of our patients. Our female patient had previously been treated orthodontically alio loco and had also undergone bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. She presented with TMJ complaints, with associated pains. Despite a dental Class I and centrally seated condyles, her discs had prolapsed anteriorly without reduction and she had developed a massive degenerative-inflammatory TMJ disease. Skeletally, she was a Class II case despite previous orthognathic surgery. In addition, there was also an initial suspicion of rheumatic involvement that could not be confirmed. We distalized the entire lower dental arch without bicuspid extraction. Then we advanced the mandible with the Mandibular Anterior Repositioning Appliance (MARA).We discuss exactly how the modified camouflage therapy was structured and how the individual treatment steps took place. PMID:20354841
Forty cases of Ewing's sarcoma of various sites had attended the Department of Radiotherapy at the Wanless Hospital and the Miraj Medical Centre, attached to the Government Medical College, Miraj, Maharashtra, from January, 1970 through December, 1979. There were 28 male patients and 12 female patients in the series with a male to female ratio of 2.3:1. The youngest patient in the series was a female of 6 years of age with the tumour in the scapula and the oldest patient was a 32-year-old male with a lesion in the metacarpal bone. Sixty per cent of the cases were seen in the second decade. The average age of the patients was 13.5 years. The bones of the lower extremities were most commonly involved with the highest number (35 per cent) of the cases occurring in the femur. Involvement of the bones of the right side of the body was almost equal to that of the left side. Swelling over the site of the lesion and pain over the swelling were the most common complaints ...
Percutaneous coronary revascularisation [PCR] improves angina and health related quality of life [HRQOL] compared to standard medical therapy. It is unknown whether PCR has the same benefits for patients with a history of CABG. Over a period of 5?years, we assessed HRQOL of patients undergoing PCR using Part 1 of the Nottingham Health Profile [NHP] at baseline 3, 12 and 24?months. We compared HRQOL after PCR in 255 patients with CABG to 2680 without. There were more males [81.1% v 69.6% p?=?0.002] and older patients [mean age 60.1?years v. 58.0 p?=?0.03] in CABG group. Perceived HRQOL improved at 24?months for pain, energy and emotional reaction but the improvement was less in the CABG group. However, mean NHP scores at 24?months for those with CABG had returned to baseline levels for slee...
Introduction: There are many problems in the radiological diagnosis of aseptic loosening in total hip arthroplasty. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) are not usable for metallic implants (stainless steel, cobalt alloy, titanium alloy). Material and Methods: From April 1993 to December 1993 15 CFRP non-cemented hip prostheses have been implanted. In a prospective clinical study plane radiographs, CT and MRT have been analysed. Results: Three stems were revised (1 femoral fracture, 1 severe thigh pain, 1 aseptic loosening). CFRP are not visible in plane radiographs. There was a complete (two-third of the cases) or nearly complete (one-third of the cases) small sclerotic interface between the prosthesis and the bone, these were apparent in CT and MRT in stable implant cases and did not have any clinical correlations. Discussion: The small sclerotic interface is quite different in comparison to so called 'Reactive lines'. In one case of ...
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an alternative to dipyridamole or adenosine in thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy. However, the optimal dose of ATP has not been determined. A Doppler guide wire study showed the coronary flow velocity at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg of ATP was equal or higher than that at 0.14 mg/kg of adenosine or 0.56 mg/kg of dipyridamole. ATP was given intravenously to 67 patients with coronary artery disease at 0.15 mg/kg/min for 6 min. Thallium-201 was injected at 3 min, followed by immediate and delayed (3 hrs) tomographic imaging. There was no serious side effect during examination, although chest pain (26%), dyspnea (17%), and flushing (33%) were common. The sensitivity and specificity to detect coronary artery disease were 98 and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity to detect left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery lesions was 94, 59 and 77%, respectively. ATP loading thallium-201 scintigraphy provides ...
The clinical courses of heterotopic ossification (HO) as a consequence of trauma and central nervous system insults have many similarities as well as dissimilarities. Detection is commonly noted at two months. The incidence of clinically significant HO is 10%-20%. Approximately 10% of the HO is massive and causes severe restriction in joint motion or ankylosis. The most common sign and symptom are decreased range of motion and pain. The locations are the proximal limbs and joints. Sites of HO about a joint may vary according to the etiology of the HO. Roentgenographic evolution of HO occurs during a six-month period in the majority of patients. Treatment modalities include diphosphonates, indomethacin, radiation, range of motion exercises, and surgical excision. Surgical timing differs according to etiology: traumatic HO may be resected at six months; spinal cord injury HO is excised at one year; and traumatic brain injury HO is removed at 1.5 years. A small number ...
The clinical courses of heterotopic ossification (HO) as a consequence of trauma and central nervous system insults have many similarities as well as dissimilarities. Detection is commonly noted at two months. The incidence of clinically significant HO is 10%-20%. Approximately 10% of the HO is massive and causes severe restriction in joint motion or ankylosis. The most common sign and symptom are decreased range of motion and pain. The locations are the proximal limbs and joints. Sites of HO about a joint may vary according to the etiology of the HO. Roentgenographic evolution of HO occurs during a six-month period in the majority of patients. Treatment modalities include diphosphonates, indomethacin, radiation, range of motion exercises, and surgical excision. Surgical timing differs according to etiology: traumatic HO may be resected at six months; spinal cord injury HO is excised at one year; and traumatic brain injury HO is removed at 1.5 years. A small number ...
Tree swallows were used to evaluate movement and potential impacts of contaminants from sediments in Newton Creek (diesel range organics: DROs) and Sheboygan River (PCBs), tributaries to Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, respectively. Contaminated sites occurred along the course of each river, while reference sites were located upstream or on a nearby river. Productivity was monitored and eggs, day 1 nestlings, and day 12 nestlings were collected from each nest. Whole body or egg homogenates were analyzed for PCBs or DROs. EROD activity in livers from day 12 nestlings is being determined for both PCB and DRO exposures. In the Newton Creek study, hatching success was similar for DRO and reference sites. DROs were detected in gastrointestinal tracts of 1 nestling from the reference and 1 from the contaminated site. DROs were not detected in any egg samples. In the Sheboygan River study, hatching success rates differed between ...
Nuclear Forensics is a key element in the response process which is initiated after detection of illicit nuclear or other radioactive material. Credible nuclear forensics relies on appropriate sampling procedures, on validated analytical methods and on thorough data analysis and interpretation. Nuclear forensics aims at providing clues on the history and the potential origin of the material. Elemental and isotopic composition of the material, as well as its macroscopic and microscopic appearance reflect the technological processes used for the fabrication of the material. The nuclear forensic analysis first of all results in measurement data. Through appropriate processing of these data information on the nature and the history of the material can be obtained. A number of data evaluation techniques serving this purpose are conceivable and have been applied. On the one side, statistical methods like principal component analysis (PCA) or classification and regression trees (CART) can be ...
To which idea of truth may medicine refer? Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is rooted in the scientific truth. To explain the meaning and to trace the evolution of scientific truth, this article outlines the history of the Scientific Revolution and of the parable of Modernity, up to the arrival of pragmatism and hermeneutics. Here, the concept of truth becomes somehow discomfiting and the momentum leans towards the integration of different points of view. The fuzzy set theory for the definition of disease, as well as the shift from disease to syndrome (which has operational relevance for geriatrics), seems to refer to a more complex perspective on knowledge, albeit one that is less defined as compared to the nosology in use. Supporters of narrative medicine seek the truth in the interpretation of the patients' stories, and take advantage of the medical humanities to find the truth in words, feelings and contact with the patients. Hence, it is ...
Fourteen irradiated Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) fuel pins were subjected to representative overpower transients in six flowing sodium loop experiments conducted in the TREAT reactor. The transient tests were extended to substantial overpower levels well beyond protected levels, with some tests intentionally run to failure to identify failure thresholds and characteristics. Test variables included transient ramp rate (5, 50, and 100 cents/s) and burnup (2 to 58 MWd/kg). Performance limits and failure characteristics were identified, and cladding strain and fuel melting data were obtained for development and verification of transient analysis codes. The test results demonstrated that FFTF Reference fuel pins are capable of surviving overpower levels well beyond the FFTF secondary Plant Protection System (PPS) trip limit of 1.25 times normal rated power. Based on analytical evaluations to interpolate and extrapolate test results to the full range of burnups and ...
Laser frequency stabilization giving a 500-Hz Allan deviation for a 2-ms integration time with drift reduced to 7 kHz/min over several minutes was achieved at 1536 nm in the optical communication band. A continuously regenerated spectral hole in the inhomogeneously broadened "4I_1_5_/_2(1)#->#"4I_1_3_/_2(1) optical absorption of an Er"3"+:Y_2SiO_5 crystal was used as the short-term frequency reference, while a variation on the locking technique allowed simultaneous use of the inhomogeneously broadened absorption line as a long-term reference. The reported frequency stability was achieved without vibration isolation. Spectral hole burning frequency stabilization provides ideal laser sources for high-resolution spectroscopy, real-time optical signal processing, and a range of applications requiring ultra-narrow-band light sources or coherent detection; the time scale for stability and the compatibility with spectral hole burning devices make ...
An ignition timing control apparatus is described for an internal combustion engine having a reference ignition timing comprising: sensing means for sensing vibrations including knocks of the engine; knock signal deriving means for deriving knock signals from the output of the sensing means; correction magnitude determining means for determining from the knock signals derived by the knock signal deriving means of ignition timing correction magnitude for suppressing the occurrence of knock; displacement magnitude determining means for determining from at least one of an output of the knock signal deriving means and an output of the correction magnitude determining means as a displacement magnitude for the reference ignition timing corresponding to the octane rating of a fuel used in the engine; and ignition timing determining means for setting the reference ignition timing at an optimum ignition timing angle for the engine ...
In the preparing stage of Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), the expected inventories of radwaste treatment systems are estimated. The inventory calculation plays an important role in the estimation of environmental radiation as well as nuclear power plant (hereafter referred to NPP) integrity, and further improvement of the public perception for NPP or radiation. The inventory has been accumulated and periodically measured for every NPP during the whole operation in Korea. But, a detailed analysis and database construction for the inventory have not still been carried out. For estimating the inventory change in this study, the radwaste treatment systems of Wolsung (hereafter referred to WS) nuclear power units 3 and 4 were selected as the reference systems. An analysis and prediction of the inventory change were performed for total activity released to environment during the whole operation. The linear regression ...
In the preparing stage of Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), the expected inventories of radwaste treatment systems are estimated. The inventory calculation plays an important role in the estimation of environmental radiation as well as nuclear power plant (hereafter referred to NPP) integrity, and further improvement of the public perception for NPP or radiation. The inventory has been accumulated and periodically measured for every NPP during the whole operation in Korea. But, a detailed analysis and database construction for the inventory have not still been carried out. For estimating the inventory change in this study, the radwaste treatment systems of Wolsung (hereafter referred to WS) nuclear power units 3 and 4 were selected as the reference systems. An analysis and prediction of the inventory change were performed for total activity released to environment during the whole operation. The linear regression ...
Economic analysis was performed at KAERI with the assistance of US DOE to compare single reactor fuel cycle costs for a once-through option and a thermal recycle option to operate 1 GWe of a PWR plant for its lifetime. A reference fuel cycle cost was first calculated for each option with best estimated reference input data. Then a sensitivity analysis was performed changing each single value of such fuel cycle component costs as yellow cake price, enrichment charges, spent fuel storage cost, reprocessing cost, spent fuel disposal cost and reprocessing waste disposal cost. Savings due to thermal recycle in requirements of uranium, conversion, and enrichment were examined using formulas suggested by US DOE, while MOX fabrication penalty was accounted for. As a result of the reference fuel cycle cost analysis, it is calculated that the thermal recycle option is marginally more economical than the once-through option. The major ...
Deteriorating air quality in urban areas is leading bus manufacturers to look for cleaner drives of urban buses. Various new systems are now available, but it is difficult to compare them and verify their effects without having a driving cycle accurately representing contemporary average urban bus use. The idealized form (engine cycle, passenger car cycle or different kW/tonnes ratio and traffic conditions) of existing driving cycles disqualifies them for the purpose. For this reason, it was decided to attempt the development of a new driving cycle for urban buses. To this end, measurements were carried out on buses in service in four major Dutch towns. The resulting data were combined to produce a reference cycle comprising all data relating to urban bus use. Statistical methods were then used to compare a large number of 15-20 minute cycles with this reference cycle, until one was found that corresponded closely to the ...
This paper proposes a new pattern recognition system employing optical joint transform correlation (JTC) technique which offers a great number of advantages over similar digital techniques, including very fast operation, simple architecture and capability of updating the reference image in real time. The proposed JTC technique incorporates a synthetic discriminant function (SDF) of the target image estimated from different training images to make the pattern recognition performance invariant to noise and distortion. It then involves four different phase-shifted versions of the same target SDF reference image, which are individually joint transform correlated with the given input scene. When the correlation signals are combined, it produces a single cross-correlation peak corresponding to each potential target present in the given input scene. The proposed technique also includes a fringe-adjusted filter to generate a delta-like correlation peak ...
The objective of this report was to evaluate four possible alternative methods of preparing and packaging spent fuel assemblies for geologic disposal against the Reference Process of unmodified spent fuel. The four alternative processes were: (1) End fitting removal, (2) Fission gas venting and resealing, (3) Fuel bundle disassembly and close packing of fuel pins, and (4) Fuel shearing and immobilization. Systems analysis was used to develop a basis of comparison of the alternatives. Conceptual processes and facility layouts were devised for each of the alternatives, based on technology deemed feasible for the purpose. Assessments were made of 15 principal attributes from the technical, operational, safety/risk, and economic considerations related to each of the alternatives, including both the surface packaging and underground repository operations. Specific attributes of the alternative processes were evaluated by assigning a number for each that expressed its ...
Rectum reference dose points have a direct impact on the morbidity seen in gynecological intracavitaty radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to obtain less morbidity by marking rectum with radio opaque solution. Fourteen patients with gynecological cancer who underwent external radiotherapy received 15 Gray (Gy) intracavitary radiotherapy. During the internal radiotherapy planning, radio opaque solution has been administered into the rectum to observe it on lateral radiogram. Thus rectum reference dose point and five points were marked at sites nearest to the sources. Nucletron Planning system was used for obtaining three-dimensional planning. After therapy patients were followed at every three months. Median follow-up was 18 months. Most frequently observed morbidities were grade 1-2 rectitis and cystitis in six patients. As a result, more accurate rectum dose values and less factors causing dose changing can provide better results for ...
The purpose of this project was to compile a bibliography of references containing environmental transuranic radionuclide data. The authors intent was to identify those parameters affecting transuranic radionuclide transport that may be generic and those that may be dependent on chemical form and/or environmental conditions. An understanding of the unique characteristics and similarities between source terms and environmental conditions relative to transuranic radionuclide transport and cycling will provide the ability to assess and predict the long term impact on man and the environment. An additional goal of the literature review, was to extract the ranges of environmental transuranic radionuclide data from the identified references for inclusion in a data base. Related to source term, these ranges of data can be used to calculate the dose to man from the radionuclides, and to perform uncertainty analyses on these dose assessments.
This document is a summary of the available information on the thermo-hydro-mechanical properties of the bentonite barrier of a high-level radioactive waste repository and of the processes taking place in it during the successive repository operation phases. Mainly the thermal properties, the volume change processes (swelling and consolidation), the permeability and the water retention capacity are analysed. A review is made of the existing experimental knowledge on the modification of the these properties by the effect of temperature, water salinity, humidity and density of the bentonite, and their foreseen evolution as a consequence of the processes expected in the repository. The compiled evolution refers mostly to the FEBEX (Spain), the MX-80 (USA) and the FoCa (France) bentonite, considered as reference barrier materials in several European disposal concepts. (Author) 102 refs.
The effect of heat treatment on the corrosion behavior of reactive plasma sprayed TiN coatings in simulated seawater was investigated by electrochemical methods such as the corrosion potential-time curve (Ecorr-t), potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and SEM, etc. The results showed that the corrosion potential of TiN coatings increased after heat treatment; the corrosion current of the TiN coatings after heat treatment (be hereafter referred to as HT-TiN) was 13.3% of the untreated coatings (be hereafter referred to as UT-TiN), and the polarization resistance of HT-TiN was 20 times of UT-TiN, which indicated that the heat treatment had significantly increased the corrosion resistance of the coatings. The corrosion behavior of the coatings was mainly ...
This paper outlines an approach to develop estimates of individual customer contestability using a combined statistical and engineering analysis. The approach is targeted for use for mid-size commercial and industrial customers who are not being considered for individual flexible pricing contracts. Contestability is defined as the potential lost revenue associated with customers leaving the utility or significantly reducing electricity purchases. Contestability is modeled from the customer`s perspective using a two-stage decision process. In the first stage, the customer decides if he will continue to purchase electricity from the utility (referred to as customer retention), and in the second stage, the customer determines the amount of electricity purchased (referred to as load retention). Measures of individual customer contestability will be key factors in developing market segments and new rate offerings in future energy markets.
Certified reference materials (CRMs) play a critical role in validating the accuracy of nutrient data for food samples. A number of available food CRMs of differing matrix composition have assigned concentrations for various nutrients, along with associated uncertainty intervals (UIs) for those values. These CRMs have been used extensively in the United States Department of Agriculture?s (USDA) ongoing National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) to monitor the accuracy of assays of key foods and nutrients consumed in the United States. A total of 690 assigned values for individual nutrients, including proximates, vitamins, macroelements, microelements, fatty acids, amino acids, and selected phytochemicals (e.g., carotenoids), were compiled from the certificates of analysis for 63 C...
This manual is intended to serve several purposes. The first goal is to describe the capabilities and operation of the SMC processor package from an operator or user point of view. Secondly, the manual will describe in some detail the basic hardware elements and how they can be used effectively to implement a step motor control system. Practical information on the use, installation and checkout of the hardware set is presented in the following sections along with programming suggestions. Available related system software is described in this manual for reference and as an aid in understanding the system architecture. Section two presents an overview and operations manual of the SMC processor describing its composition and functional capabilities. Section three contains hardware descriptions in some detail for the LLL-designed hardware used in the SMC processor. Basic theory of operation and important features are explained.
In this systematic examination of some of the spectroscopic properties of the f-elements we deal with both the trivalent lanthanides and actinides. We summarize the present status of our energy level calculations in single crystal matrices and in aqueous solution, and compare the predicted crystal-field structure in certain low-symmetry sites with that observed. Some interesting new structural insights are thereby gained. The state eigenvectors from these calculations are then used in part in reassessing and interpreting the intensities of transitions in aqueous solution via the Judd-Ofelt theory. The parameters of this theory derived from fitting experimental data are compared with those computed from model considerations. Finally, we discuss some recent contributions to the interpretation of excited state relaxation processes in aqueous solution. 79 references, 23 figures, 17 tables.
Various chemical, physical, and mechanical methods to prevent unwanted deposition of mineral scale are described. The suitability of the different methods, which largely depends on the specific features and requirements of the system involved, is discussed. Special emphasis is placed upon the threshold treatment, where the growth process is retarded by the addition of trace amounts of growth inhibitors. Growth experiments have been performed on barium sulfate and calcium sulfate dihydrate seed crystals, suspended in a supersaturated solution with and without organic bisphosphonates as inhibitors. Two methods are selected for the analysis of the growth data. A degree of inhibition is defined to obtain a quantitative description of the influence of a growth inhibitor on the growth rate of the crystals. In addition the influence of the molecular structure of various bisphosphonates with different substituents is shown. The effect of a bisphosphonate on the geometry of calcium sulfate ...
In the first part of this contribution, the definition of reference values is given and the theoretical and practical problems in the application of this concept are discussed. In this connection, the present resources on instrumentation and the technical requirements for dose assessment are described. In the second part, some consequences are taken and proposals for further actions are made. (orig.) [German] Im ersten Teil des Aufsatzes werden Definitionen von Referenzwerten in der radiologischen Diagnostik untersucht und die theoretischen und praktischen Probleme der Umsetzung des gesamten Konzepts eroertert. In diesem Zusammenhang werden auch der gegenwaertige Geraetebestand und die technischen Voraussetzungen zur Dosisermittlung beschrieben. Im zweiten Teil werden daraus Schlussfolgerungen gezogen und Vorschlaege zum weiteren Vorgehen gemacht. (orig.)
In the first part of this contribution, the definition of reference values is given and the theoretical and practical problems in the application of this concept are discussed. In this connection, the present resources on instrumentation and the technical requirements for dose assessment are described. In the second part, some consequences are taken and proposals for further actions are made. (orig.) [German] Im ersten Teil des Aufsatzes werden die Definition von Referenzwerten in der radiologischen Diagnostik untersucht und die theoretischen und praktischen Probleme der Umsetzung des gesamten Konzepts eroertert. In diesem Zusammenhang werden auch der gegenwaertige Geraetebestand und die technischen Voraussetzungen zur Dosisermittlung beschrieben. Im zweiten Teil werden daraus Schlussfolgerungen gezogen und Vorschlaege zum weiteren Vorgehen gemacht. (orig.)
In this study, Nylon 66/Polyester (Ny 66/PET) hybrid cord design and production was investigated to obtain new cord with better performance than conventional cord. The factors affecting cord properties and cord production process were examined. Taguchi design of experiment method was implemented in order to minimize the required number of experiments. Different sets of 4 reference cords conventionally used in tyre industry were prepared and resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex (RFL) treated in order to make a comparison of performance. Mechanical and thermal properties of hybrid cords were measured and compared with the values of reference cords. It was found that the twist level of high modulus PET component in the hybrid cords should be the same or above of the nylon in order to obtain maximum ...
In this article we model a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in a Schwarzschild space-time, as a first approximation of the relativistic geometry around the Earth. The closed time-like and scattering light-like geodesics are obtained analytically, describing respectively trajectories of satellites and electromagnetic signals. We implement an algorithm to calculate Schwarzschild coordinates of a GNSS user who receives proper times sent by four satellites, knowing their orbital parameters; the inverse procedure is implemented to check for consistency. The constellation of satellites therefore realizes a geocentric inertial reference system with no \\emph{a priori} realization of a terrestrial reference frame. We show that the calculation is very fast and could be implemented in a real GNSS, as an alternative to usual post-Newtonian corrections. Effects of non-gravitational perturbations on positioning errors are assessed, and methods to ...
In this paper, we present an analytic framework for investigating expert mathematical learning as the process of building a network of mathematical resources by establishing relationships between different components and properties of mathematical ideas. We then use this framework to analyze the reasoning of ten mathematicians and mathematics graduate students that were asked to read and make sense of an unfamiliar, but accessible, mathematical proof in the domain of geometric topology. We find that experts are more likely to refer to definitions when questioning or explaining some aspect of the focal mathematical idea and more likely to refer to specific examples or instantiations when making sense of an unknown aspect of that idea. However, in general, they employ a variety of types of m...
Purpose: To eliminate the water level deviation due to the recycling flowrate, as well as enable a stable control to a reference value even upon changes in the recycling flowrate caused by the variation in the opening degree of a minimum flow valve. Constitution: Reactor recycling system comprises a feedwater pump, a flowrate control valve, a reactor water level detector, and a minimum flow line and a minimum flow valve for preventing the overheating of the feedwater pump at a low flowrate. A flowrate compensator is further disposed, in which a recycling flowrate signal is subtracted from a pump flow rate signal and the result is fedback as a compensated pump flowrate signal. This enables the control system to operate at a rapid response for suppressing the effect of the recycling flowrate as external disturbance, whereby the water level in the reactor can be controlled stably to the reference level and the possibility deviating from an ...
The implicit curve-fitting method has been used for fast and stable calculations of thermodynamic properties of subcritical refrigerants, and it has to use the saturated liquid or vapor state as the reference state. In order to extend the application range of this method in supercritical region, an isothermal state in the supercritical region is used as the reference state, and the implicit equations for supercritical refrigerants in this state and out of this state are established, respectively. The new calculation method can be used in the entire supercritical region. With the new method, thermodynamic properties of supercritical CO{sub 2} and R410A are predicted and compared with REFPROP 8. It shows that the total mean relative deviations of the fast calculation formulae from REFPROP 8 are less than 1%, while the mean calculation speeds of the fast calculation formulae are more than 100 times faster than those of REFPROP 8. (author)
Concerns are sometimes expressed about an alleged link between exposure to the extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields occurring in proximity to electricity networks or equipment. Transmission lines are specifically mentioned. The underlying physical mechanisms are described by which electric and magnetic fields exist, with particular reference to high voltage transmission lines. Epidemiological and laboratory studies are the two approaches used in research into the subject and the shortcomings inherent in many such studies and the inconsistencies in the results are mentioned. Some of the more recent epidemiological studies are referred to, also the possible interaction mechanisms between fields and the human body. The work of certain international and national bodies which were established to review the results of research into the alleged association between electromagnetic fields and ill-health are reported. (R.P.)
As part of the United States Department of Agricultures (USDA) National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP), food composition data for vitamin D in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference are being updated and expanded, focusing on high priority foods and validated analytical methodology. A lack of certified reference materials and analytical methods validated for these key foods required the development of five matrix-specific control composite materials (CC) (canned salmon and vitamin D3 fortified cereal, orange juice, milk, and cheese). Each of six experienced laboratories (research and commercial) analyzed vitamin D3 in five subsamples of each CC in five separate analytical batches, with one subsample of each material in each run. Research laboratories perform...
Phenytoin (PHT), phenobarbital (PHB), lamotrigine (LTG), and topiramate (TPM) are some of the most widely used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Monitoring of their concentrations in serum is important for the treatment of epilepsy. A reference measurement procedure (RMP) for certification of PHT, PHB, LTG, and TPM in serum has been developed and critically evaluated. Isotopically labeled compounds of PHT, PHB, LTG, and TPM are used as internal standards for the four AEDs. The four drugs and their respective labeled internal standards are simultaneously extracted from serum using solid-phase extraction prior to reversed-phase liquid chromatography?tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Chromatographic separation was performed using a C18 column. Electrospray ionization (ESI) in the positive ion mo...
The relativistic time dilation is reviewed in a cosmological context. We show that a clock or twin paradox does not arise if cosmic time is properly taken into account. The receding galaxy background provides a unique frame of reference, and the proper times of geodesic as well as accelerated observers can be linked to the universal cosmic time parameter. This suggests to compare the proper time differentials of the respective observers by determining their state of motion in the galaxy grid. In this way, each observer can figure out whether his proper time is dilated or contracted relative to any other. In particular one can come to unambiguous conclusions on the aging of uniformly moving observers, without reference to asymmetries in measurement procedures or accelerations they may have undergone.
To gain insight into the changes in the transcriptome of soybean roots during soybean cyst nematode (SCN) infection, we conducted genome-wide gene expression profiling using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) combined with Solexa sequencing. More than 3 million tags were generated from the SCN-infected and uninfected roots, and 366941 and 314591 clean UniTags were obtained from SCN-infected and uninfected samples, respectively. In the SCN-infected sample, 48249 UniTags represented 18114 reference genes. In the uninfected control, 46290 UniTags represented 19323 reference genes. Comparison of tag frequencies identified 1405 genes that were expressed at greater levels in SCN-infected roots than in uninfected roots, and 1191 genes that were expressed at lower levels. Quantitative real-...
Presented here is the calculation of radionuclide concentration in gaseous effluents from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant by using the Gaussian model, based on the analysis of the radionuclides in gaseous effluents and based on the measured wind field in the area of Guangdong province in November 2005. The calculating results about the relative concentration distribution of the radionuclides in Guangdong province, especially in Daya Bay, Shengzheng, Zhuhai and Guangzhou, are obtained. These results can provide reference data for the effect of radiation on the environment of Guangdong province under normal conditions of operation of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant. It can also provide reference data for monitoring possible nuclear incidents in nuclear power plants. (authors)
The stages of processes leading to radiation damage are studied, as well as, the direct and indirect mechanics of its production. The radiation effects on nucleic acid and protein macro moleculas are treated. The physical and chemical factors that modify radiosensibility are analysed, in particular the oxygen effects, the sensibilization by analogues of nitrogen bases, post-effects, chemical protection and inherent cell factors. Consideration is given to restoration processes by excision of injured fragments, the bloching of the excision restoration processes, the restoration of lesions caused by ionizing radiations and to the restoration by genetic recombination. Referring to somatic effects of radiation, the early ones and the acute syndrome of radiation are discussed. The difference of radiosensibility observed in mammalian cells and main observable alterations in tissues and organs are commented. Referring to delayed radiation effects, ...
This paper presents a trial of probabilistic simulation for performance assessment of high-level waste (HLW) disposal using the Monte Carlo method. Based on the Reference Case conceptual model in H12, a new integrated simulation system which allowed us to rapidly evaluate the effect of data uncertainty was developed. The doses to hypothetical exposure group were compared with the results of H12 that were performed by using a point-wise approach, in terms of maximum total dose. This study showed that H12 results were consistent with results of probabilistic simulation and also showed that transmissivity had a strong influence for the uncertainty of the system performance in all simulation time. (author)
A power system stabilizer based on GMV (Generalized Minimum Variance), one of the adaptive control techniques, is developed to enhance the dynamic performances of a power system using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The stabilizer consists of two parts. One part is Inverse Dynamics Neural Networks (IDNN), which is trained to identify the inverse dynamics of controlled plant and used as a one-step ahead controller, or inverse controller. The other part is Adaptive Reference Model (ARM), which prevents excessive controller output. The ARM produces the modified reference value by minimizing a cost function recursively on the assumption that the IDNN perfectly identifies the controlled plant. The IDNN is used in the minimization procedure to calculate the sensitivities. The proposed controller is simulated in a typical one-machine-infinite-bus power system to show its effectiveness to damp sustained low frequency oscillation. (author)
This work describes how a general, process-based mass-balance model (CoastMab) for phosphorus for coastal areas may be used as a tool to estimate realistic values of "natural" or preindustrial reference levels of key bioindicators in coastal science, including the Secchi depth, a standard measure of water clarity, the chlorophyll-a concentration, an operational measure of phytoplankton biomass and the concentration of cyanobacteria, a measure of the concentration of harmful algae. The CoastMab-model is an ecosystem model giving monthly predictions to achieve seasonal variations of basin-wide properties. The selected case-study area, the Gulf of Riga, is sensitive to nutrient loading because of its shallowness and low openness towards the Baltic Proper. The morphometry of any coastal area, ...
In the CLIC main linac it is very important to minimise the trajectory excursion and consequently the emittance dilution in order to obtain the required luminosity. Several algorithms have been proposed and lately the ballistic method has proved to be very effective. The trajectory method described in this Note retains the main advantages of the latter while adding some interesting features. It is based on the separation of the unknown variables like the quadrupole misalignments, the offset and slope of the injection straight line and the misalignments of the beam position monitors (BPM). This is achieved by referring the trajectory relatively to the injection line and not to the average pre-alignment line and by using two trajectories each corresponding to slightly different quadrupole strengths. A reference straight line is then derived onto which the beam is bent by a kick obtained by moving the first quadrupole. The other quadrupoles are ...
A tissue-equivalent dosimetry system has been developed for use in absorbed dose determinations with physical models of Reference Man. The dosimeter used was a thermo-luminescent dosimeter (TLD) powder which was mixed with a 'tissue-equivalent' material and modeled to closely approximate an organ's geometry and absorption properties. A separation procedure was developed by which the TLD powder was washed and the 'tissue-equivalent' material, a wax, was dissolved and extracted following the irradiation of the model. The procedure was tested to determine losses of powder, homogeneity of the powder's distribution throughout the wax, the effects of the separation procedure upon the powder and the statistical behavior of the procedure. The results of these tests established the feasibility of the procedure. A full-scale model of the pancreas was tested and the results supported the validity of the technique. (author)