Thiamin status during the third trimester of pregnancy and its influence on thiamin concentrations in transition and mature breast milk.

Thiamin deficiency remains an important public health problem in some populations. The aim of the present investigation was to study thiamin status during the third trimester of pregnancy and its influence on the concentration of this vitamin in transition (days 13-14 of lactation) and mature breast milk (day 40 of lactation) in a group of Spanish women. The pregnancies and lactation periods of fifty-one healthy women 18-35 (mean 26.

Enhanced contact hypersensitivity and antiviral immune responses in vivo by keratinocyte-targeted overexpression of IL-15.

IL-15 is involved in lymphocyte homeostasis. To investigate the role of IL-15 in the skin in vivo, mice were generated that overexpress IL-15 in keratinocytes, resulting in increased IL-15 protein levels in the skin but not elevated IL-15 serum concentrations. Keratin 14 (K14)-IL-15 transgenic (tg) mice showed increased contact hypersensitivity (CHS) responses.

Aerobic biological treatment of leachates from municipal solid waste landfill.

The main objective of the study was to improve chemical oxygen demand (COD) elimination by secondary biological treatment from leachate of municipal solid waste landfill. This effluent was a supernatant liquid obtained after physicochemical processes and coagulating with Al3+ followed by ammoniacal stripping. First, respirometric assays were carried out to determine the substrate biodegradability.

New views of the immunological synapse: variations in assembly and function.

The interaction of T cells with antigen-presenting cells results in the formation of a contact face, termed the immunological synapse. The prototypical dynamics of this process are well established and involve cessation of crawling, a highly fluid 'immature' synapse phase during which signaling is initiated, and ultimately the formation of a 'mature' synapse characterized by centralized and peripheral supramolecular activating complexes. Ongoing research is directed towards defining how these supramolecular assemblies are formed and, more importantly, to what end.

CD28 signals in the immature immunological synapse.

T cell recognition of peptide-MHC complexes on APCs results in the aggregation of TCRs at a central supramolecular activation complex (c-SMAC) within a mature immunological synapse. T cells require a second "costimulatory" signal for activation, the most important of which, for naive T cells, is from CD28. However the time at which CD28-derived signals are induced relative to c-SMAC formation is not well understood.

Computer adaptive testing: a strategy for monitoring stroke rehabilitation across settings.

Current functional assessment instruments in stroke rehabilitation are often setting-specific and lack precision, breadth, and/or feasibility. Computer adaptive testing (CAT) offers a promising potential solution by providing a quick, yet precise, measure of function that can be used across a broad range of patient abilities and in multiple settings. CAT technology yields a precise score by selecting very few relevant items from a large and diverse item pool based on each individual's responses.

Water dimer diffusion on Pd[111] assisted by an H-bond donor-acceptor tunneling exchange.

Based on the results of density functional theory calculations, a novel mechanism for the diffusion of water dimers on metal surfaces is proposed, which relies on the ability of H bonds to rearrange through quantum tunneling. The mechanism involves quasifree rotation of the dimer and exchange of H-bond donor and acceptor molecules. At appropriate temperatures, water dimers diffuse more rapidly than water monomers, thus providing a physical explanation for the experimentally measured high diffusivity of water dimers on Pd[111] [Science 297, 1850 (2002)]].

Score comparability of short forms and computerized adaptive testing: Simulation study with the activity measure for post-acute care.

Objective: To compare simulated short-form and computerized adaptive testing (CAT) scores to scores obtained from complete item sets for each of the 3 domains of the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC).

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Six postacute health care networks in the greater Boston metropolitan area, including inpatient acute rehabilitation, transitional care units, home care, and outpatient services.

Short-form activity measure for post-acute care.

Objective: To develop a comprehensive set of short forms using item response theory (IRT) and item pooling procedures for the purpose of monitoring postacute care functional recovery.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Six postacute health care networks in the greater Boston area, including inpatient acute rehabilitation, transitional care units, home care, and outpatient services.

Distinct regions in the CD28 cytoplasmic domain are required for T helper type 2 differentiation.

CD28 costimulation is essential for CD4(+) T cell proliferation, survival, interleukin 2 (IL-2) production and T helper type 2 development. To define the nature of the signals that may drive different T cell responses, we have done a structure-function analysis of the CD28 cytoplasmic tail in primary T cells. CD28-mediated T cell proliferation and IL-2 production did not require a particular cytoplasmic domain.

High-contrast white-light Lau fringes.

We present a new optical assembly with which to achieve Lau fringes with totally incoherent illumination. Gratinglike codification of the spatially incoherent source combined with an achromatic Fresnel diffraction setup allows us to achieve Lau fringe-pattern visibility of almost 100% with broadband light. The white-light character to our proposed setup is in stark contrast to previous monochromatic implementations.

Evaluating the planned substitution of the minimum data set-post acute care for use in the rehabilitation hospital prospective payment system.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the payment implications of substituting the Minimum Data Set-Post Acute Care (MDS-PAC) for the FIM trade mark instrument for use in the planned prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. FIM trade mark is a trademark of the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation, a division of UB Foundation Activites, Inc.

Research Design: We used a prospective cross-sectional design using consecutive sampling.

Refining the conceptual basis for rehabilitation outcome measurement: personal care and instrumental activities domain.

Background: Rehabilitation outcome measures routinely include content on performance of daily activities; however, the conceptual basis for item selection is rarely specified. These instruments differ significantly in format, number, and specificity of daily activity items and in the measurement dimensions and type of scale used to specify levels of performance. We propose that a requirement for upper limb and hand skills underlies many activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) items in current instruments, and that items selected based on this definition can be placed along a single functional continuum.

Activity outcome measurement for postacute care.

Background: Efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of a broad range of postacute care services have been hindered by the lack of conceptually sound and comprehensive measures of outcomes. It is critical to determine a common underlying structure before employing current methods of item equating across outcome instruments for future item banking and computer-adaptive testing applications.

Objective: To investigate the factor structure, reliability, and scale properties of items underlying the Activity domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for use in postacute care outcome measurement.

Frontal cortex as the central executive of working memory: time to revise our view.

For historical reasons (Bianchi, 1895; Harlow, 1968; Luria, 1966; Shallice, 1982), a specific link between the central executive of working memory and the frontal cortex was originally suggested by Baddeley (1986). This review discusses the evidence against such a univocal link. Two executive processes investigated in neuropsychology are discussed: inhibition (WCST, Stroop, proactive interference, go-no go, Stop signal and the Hayling test) and dual-task management.

Sidelobe decline in single-photon 4Pi microscopy by Toraldo rings.

We demonstrate theoretically the feasibility of single-photon 4Pi-confocal microscopy. By inserting a pair of properly designed multi-ring phase-only pupil filters in the illumination path of a 4Pi microscope the height of the sidelobes of the point spread function substantially reduced, so that there is no ambiguity in the 3D image. Then, an axial resolution up to four times higher than that of single-photon confocal microscope can be effectively achieved.

An assessment tool translation study.

Policymakers hoped to substitute a new, multi-purpose, functional assessment instrument, the minimum data set post-acute care (MDS-PAC), into the planned prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. PPS design requires a large database linking treatment costs with measures of the need for care, so the PPS was designed using the functional independence measure (FIM) database linked to Medicare hospital claims. An accurate translation from the MDS-PAC items to FIM--like items was needed to ensure payment equity under the substitution.

Is patient-reported function reliable for monitoring postacute outcomes?

Objective: A major challenge in the development of a comprehensive measurement system to evaluate effectiveness across a broad range of postacute care settings is the stability and consistency of outcomes measures across respondents and settings. The objective of this study was to investigate the test-retest and subject-proxy reliability of activity scores for use in a new postacute care outcome instrument using an interview format across different care settings.

Design: Twenty-five subjects were randomly selected from a larger study of 485 individuals and were interviewed on two occasions within 1 to 4 days to assess self-reported test-retest reliability of summary scores of the Activity Measure-Post-Acute Care item pool.

High-index-core Bragg fibers: dispersion properties.

We study the group-velocity-dispersion properties of a novel type of Bragg fibers. These new structures are cylindrically symmetric microstructured fibers having a high-index core (silica in our case), like in conventional photonic crystal fibers, surrounded by a multilayered cladding, which is formed by a set of alternating layers of silica and a lower refractive-index dielectric. The combination of the unusual geometric dispersion behavior shown by the multilayered structure and the material dispersion corresponding to the silica core allows us to design nearly constant chromatic dispersion profiles.

General model for water monomer adsorption on close-packed transition and noble metal surfaces.

Ab initio density functional theory has been used to investigate the adsorption of H2O on several close-packed transition and noble metal surfaces. A remarkably common binding mechanism has been identified. On every surface H2O binds preferentially at an atop adsorption site with the molecular dipole plane nearly parallel to the surface.

Cognitive function in elderly people is influenced by vitamin E status.

The aim of this study was to examine associations between vitamin E status and cognitive performance in elderly people. The study subjects were a group of 34 men and 86 women, aged 65-91 y, who were free of significant cognitive impairment. Dietary intake was monitored using a "weighed food record" for 5 consecutive days including a Sunday.

Riboflavin levels in maternal milk: the influence of vitamin B2 status during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Objective: The aim of the present investigation was to study the relationship between riboflavin status during the third trimester of pregnancy and levels of this vitamin in transition milk (days 13 to 14 of lactation) and mature milk (day 40 of lactation).

Methods: The pregnancies and lactation periods of 57 healthy women between 18 and 35 years of age (27+/-3.7 years) were monitored, vitamin intake during the third trimester was determined by recording the consumption of foods over five days and by registering the quantities provided by dietary supplements.

[Primary cutaneous cryptococcosis in HIV-seronegative subjects].

Background: Primary cutaneous cryptococcosis is an uncommon clinical entity characterized by direct skin inoculation without systemic involvement. We report four cases of this affection in HIV-negative patients seen between 1990 and 1999 in Nantes Dermatological Clinic.

Case Reports: Patients mean age was seventy.

Are central executive functions working in patients with focal frontal lesions?

The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis of a link between frontal cortex and two executive functions in working memory: the capacity to perform a dual task and the ability to inhibit irrelevant information. A dual task designed to assess the capacity to perform storage and processing simultaneously and a directed forgetting task designed to assess the capacity to actively inhibit no-longer relevant information were administered to a group of patients with focal frontal lesions and to a group of control participants. The results revealed that despite showing reduced short-term storage, frontal patients performed the dual task and inhibited the no-longer relevant information as well as control participants.

Vitamin E status in a group of elderly people from Madrid.

Background: Given that vitamin E plays an important role in the prevention of pathological processes frequently observed in older age, it is of special interest to evaluate the nutritional situation of this population with respect to this vitamin.

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional situation with respect to vitamin E in a group of elderly individuals from Madrid, Spain.

Design: The vitamin E status of a group of 120, independently-living elderly people was investigated.