Etiology of a suspected measles outbreak: preceding measles reduction activities in Pakistan.

Objective: To characterize patients with suspected measles, determine the magnitude of the outbreak in selected areas, and perform laboratory testing on patients with suspected measles to confirm the etiology of the outbreak.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Place And Duration Of Study: Islamabad and Rawalpindi in June 2006.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the erythropoietin Mimetibody construct CNTO 528 in healthy subjects.

Background And Objective: Anaemia is a serious comorbidity that is common in patients with renal failure or cancer. CNTO 528 is the first Mimetibody developed to mimic the effects of erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells (RBCs). The objective of this study was to develop a pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model for CNTO 528 in healthy male subjects.

Nanomagnetic control of intersystem crossing.

A theory is presented for how magnetic nanostructures can catalyze intersystem crossing in molecular radical pairs. Magnetic field gradients near physically realistic nanostructures are strong enough to induce a relative reorientation of two electronic spins in <1 ns, overwhelming nuclear hyperfine coupling as a driver of intersystem crossing. Nanomagnetic control of intersystem crossing represents a form of heterogeneous catalysis that does not require molecular contact, but only short-range magnetic coupling.

Undiagnosed cases of fatal Clostridium-associated toxic shock in Californian women of childbearing age.

Objective: In 2005, 4 Clostridium sordellii-associated toxic shock fatalities were reported in young Californian women after medical abortions. The true incidence of this rare disease is unknown, and a population-based study has never been performed. Additional clostridia-associated deaths were sought to describe associated clinical characteristics.

Coverage of large pediatric wounds with cultured epithelial autografts in congenital nevi and burns: results and technique.

The use of cultured epithelial autografts (CEA) for the treatment of large burn wounds has gained popularity in recent years. This technique may circumvent the restrictions of limited donor site availability and hasten permanent wound coverage for large TBSA burns. The availability of a large amount of skin from a small donor site with the promise of permanent wound coverage suggests its use in other conditions such as giant congenital nevi (GCN) as well.

Limits on fluorescence detected circular dichroism of single helicene molecules.

Fluorescent imaging of single helicene molecules is applied to study the optical activity of chiral fluorophores. In contrast to the previous report by Hassey et al. (Science 2006, 314, 1437), the dissymmetry factors of single chiral fluorophores are found not to differ significantly from the bulk value of |g| < 10(-4) at 457 nm.

Angiogenesis and pituitary tumors.

Pituitary adenomas often first manifest through visual symptoms. They are typically slow-growing and histologically benign tumors, but can become clinically destructive, invade adjacent structures, and recur after treatment. Unlike many other tumors that become aggressive and appear to depend upon angiogenesis in the process, pituitary adenomas tend to do so through non-angiogenic means.

OX40 engagement and chemotherapy combination provides potent antitumor immunity with concomitant regulatory T cell apoptosis.

Expansion and recruitment of CD4(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T (T reg) cells are mechanisms used by growing tumors to evade immune elimination. In addition to expansion of effector T cells, successful therapeutic interventions may require reduction of T reg cells within the tumor microenvironment. We report that the combined use of the alkylating agent cyclophosphamide (CTX) and an agonist antibody targeting the co-stimulatory receptor OX40 (OX86) provides potent antitumor immunity capable of regressing established, poorly immunogenic B16 melanoma tumors.

Encoding of others' beliefs without overt instruction.

Under what conditions do people automatically encode and track the mental states of others? A recent investigation showed that when subjects are instructed to track the location of an object but are not instructed to track a belief about that location in a non-verbal false-belief task, they respond more slowly to questions about an agent's belief, suggesting that belief information was not encoded or tracked automatically [Apperly, I. A., Riggs, K.

Immune rejection of mouse tumors expressing mutated self.

How the immune system recognizes and responds to mutations expressed by cancer cells is a critical issue for cancer immunology. Mutated self-polypeptides are particularly strong tumor-specific rejection antigens for natural tumor immunity, but we know remarkably little about T-cell responses to mutated self during tumor growth in vivo, including levels of response, kinetics, and correlates that predict tumor rejection. To address these questions, a mutated self-antigen, designated tyrosinase-related protein 1 (Tyrp1)-WM, derived from Tyrp1 was expressed in the poorly immunogenic, spontaneously arising B16 melanoma and the immunogenic, chemically induced LiHa fibrosarcoma.

Surface plasmon resonance enhanced magneto-optics (SuPREMO): Faraday rotation enhancement in gold-coated iron oxide nanocrystals.

We report enhanced optical Faraday rotation in gold-coated maghemite (gamma-Fe(2)O(3)) nanoparticles. The Faraday rotation spectrum measured from 480-690 nm shows a peak at about 530 nm, not present in either uncoated maghemite nanoparticles or solid gold nanoparticles. This peak corresponds to an intrinsic electronic transition in the maghemite nanoparticles and is consistent with a near-field enhancement of Faraday rotation resulting from the spectral overlap of the surface plasmon resonance in the gold with the electronic transition in maghemite.

Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia is associated with tonic positive emotionality.

Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSAREST) indexes important aspects of individual differences in emotionality. In the present investigation, the authors address whether RSAREST is associated with tonic positive or negative emotionality, and whether RSAREST relates to phasic emotional responding to discrete positive emotion-eliciting stimuli. Across an 8-month, multiassessment study of first-year university students (n = 80), individual differences in RSAREST were associated with positive but not negative tonic emotionality, assessed at the level of personality traits, long-term moods, the disposition toward optimism, and baseline reports of current emotional states.

Many forms of culture.

Psychologists interested in culture have focused primarily on East-West differences in individualism-collectivism, or independent-interdependent self-construal. As important as this dimension is, there are many other forms of culture with many dimensions of cultural variability. Selecting from among the many understudied cultures in psychology, the author considers three kinds of cultures: religion, socioeconomic status, and region within a country.

Clinically important interaction between tedisamil and verapamil.

Tedisamil, a class III antiarrhythmic drug, is a P-glycoprotein substrate. Tedisamil treatment may implicate coadministration with class IV antiarrhythmics such as verapamil, a P-glycoprotein inhibitor. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions between tedisamil and verapamil were evaluated in a double-blind, crossover study.

The relationship between monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and venous thromboembolic disease.

Introduction: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) has been proposed to be a risk factor for venous thromboembolic disease (VTE). However, no series published to date has been population-based or included a control group with similar comorbidities to people with MGUS.

Patients/methods: We reviewed the records of all the male veterans in a single VA healthcare system with MGUS between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2005.

Redox site-mediated charge transport in a Hg-SAM//Ru(NH(3))(6)(3+/2+)//SAM-Hg junction with a dynamic interelectrode separation: compatibility with redox cycling and electron hopping mechanisms.

This paper describes the formation and electrical properties of a new Hg-based metal-molecules-metal junction that incorporates charged redox sites into the space between the electrodes. The junction is formed by bringing into contact two mercury-drop electrodes whose surfaces are covered by COO(-)-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and immersed in a basic aqueous solution of Ru(NH(3))(6)Cl(3). The electrical behavior of the junction, which is contacted at its edges by aqueous electrolyte solution, has been characterized electrochemically.

Increased diffusivity in superior temporal gyrus in patients with schizophrenia: a Diffusion Tensor Imaging study.

Background: Superior temporal gyrus (STG) volume reduction is one of the most consistent findings in schizophrenia. The goal of this study was to conduct the first Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) study to investigate altered structural integrity in STG gray and white matter in patients with chronic schizophrenia compared with healthy controls.

Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DTI were acquired in 21 male patients with schizophrenia and 22 age-, handedness-, and parental social economic status-matched male comparison subjects.

Race as a moderator of the relationship between religiosity and political alignment.

Religiosity, especially religious fundamentalism, is often assumed to have an inherent connection with conservative politics. This article proposes that the relationship varies by race in the United States. In Study 1, race moderated the relationships between religiosity indicators and political alignment in a nationally representative sample.

Creating a culture of thoughtful prescribing.

Background: In the Netherlands 170,000 patients yearly fall victim to poor communication between health care professionals,with 44% of patients receiving inappropriate therapy as a result. Evidence indicates that this problem may be due to physicians learning to communicate therapeutic content by unstructured means during training.

Aim: To introduce a structured format for creating and communicating therapeutic plans; to provide for students opportunities to practice and feedback on their abilities.

A comparative study of two methods for attaining constant alcohol levels.

Aims: Alcohol effects or drug-alcohol interactions are preferably studied at constant blood levels. To achieve pseudo-steady state levels, various methods are used, which usually produce adequate averages but variable individual concentration profiles. The aim was to compare two modes of alcohol administration: a 'two-step prekinetic procedure' and a 'clamping method'.