How to Efficiently Measure the Intelligibility of People With Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the most efficient approaches to measuring the intelligibility of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) when considering the estimation method, listener experience, number of listeners, number of sentences, and the ways these factors may interact.

Method: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and inexperienced listeners estimated the intelligibility of people with and without PD using orthographic transcription or a visual analog scale (VAS). Intelligibility estimates were based on 11 Speech Intelligibility Test sentences.

Yin Yang 1 Orchestrates a Metabolic Program Required for Both Neural Crest Development and Melanoma Formation.

Increasing evidence suggests that cancer cells highjack developmental programs for disease initiation and progression. Melanoma arises from melanocytes that originate during development from neural crest stem cells (NCSCs). Here, we identified the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (Yy1) as an NCSCs regulator.

Safety and efficacy of cocoa flavanol intake in healthy adults: a randomized, controlled, double-masked trial.

Background: Evidence from dietary intervention studies shows that the intake of flavanols and procyanidins can be beneficial for cardiovascular health. Nevertheless, there is a clear need for advancing our understanding with regard to safe amounts of intake for these bioactives.

Objective: The aim was to investigate in healthy adults the effects of cocoa flavanol (CF) intake amount and intake duration on blood pressure, platelet function, metabolic variables, and potential adverse events (AEs).

Nucleation and growth of CaCO3 mediated by the egg-white protein ovalbumin: a time-resolved in situ study using small-angle neutron scattering.

Mineralization of calcium carbonate in aqueous solutions starting from its initiation was studied by time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). SANS revealed that homogeneous crystallization of CaCO 3 involves an initial formation of thin plate-shaped nuclei which subsequently reassemble to 3-dimensional particles, first of fractal and finally of compact structure. The presence of the egg-white protein ovalbumin leads to a different progression of mineralization through several stages; the first step represents amorphous CaCO 3, whereas the other phases are crystalline.

Meeting the long-term needs of adults with acquired brain injury through community-based programming.

Primary Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a community-based programme for meeting the long-term needs of survivors of acquired brain injury (ABI).

Methods And Procedures: Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. Surveys were administered to practicing clinicians to validate the needs found in the literature that should be provided by such programmes.

Expressive electronic journal writing: freedom of communication for survivors of acquired brain injury.

In addition to the impaired ability to effectively communicate, adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) also experience high incidences of depression, social isolation, and decreased quality of life. Expressive writing programs have been shown to be effective in alleviating these concomitant impairments in other populations including incarcerated inmates (Lane, Writing as a road to self-discovery, F & W, Cincinnati 1993). In addition, computer applications such as email have been suggested as an effective means of improving communication and social isolation in adults with brain injury (Sohlberg et al.

Controlled crystallization of CaCO(3) on hyperbranched polyglycerol adsorbed to self-assembled monolayers.

The formation of biominerals by living organisms is governed by the cooperation of soluble and insoluble macromolecules with peculiar interfacial properties. To date, most of the studies on mineralization processes involve model systems that only account for the existence of one organic matrix and thus disregard the interaction between the soluble and insoluble organic components that is crucial for a better understanding of the processes taking place at the inorganic-organic interface. We have set up a model system composed of a matrix surface, namely, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and a soluble component, hyperbranched polyglycerol.

Morphosynthesis of strontianite nanowires using polyacrylate templates tethered onto self-assembled monolayers.

Strontianite nanowires have been synthesized on self-assembled monolayers (SAM) in the presence of polyacrylate templates. The morphology of this product exhibits characteristic differences from that of products obtained in the absence of polyacrylate. It is demonstrated that the template-induced crystallization process involves the interaction between the SAM surface, polyacrylate (a dissolved polyelectrolyte), and the cations/anions in solution.

Protective properties of salivary pellicles from two different intraoral sites on enamel erosion.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect and ultrastructure of salivary pellicles formed in vivo near the orifices of the ducts of parotid and submandibular/sublingual salivary glands. Pellicles were formed by exposing bovine enamel slabs to the oral environment at the buccal aspect of the upper first molars and at the lingual aspect of the lower incisors in 3 subjects over periods of 24 h. Enamel specimens with and without 24-hour pellicles were immersed in citric acid (0.

Influence of in vivo formed salivary pellicle on enamel erosion.

This study assessed the protective effect of the salivary pellicle formed in vivo during 24 h or 7 days against demineralization of bovine enamel caused by citric acid. In addition, the influence of acid treatment on the behavior of the pellicle was investigated. Enamel specimens with and without in vivo pellicles were immersed in citric acid (0.

Molecular characteristics of Haemophilus influenzae causing invasive disease during the period of vaccination in Switzerland: analysis of strains isolated between 1986 and 1993.

The broad use of conjugated vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type b may select for strains to which the polysaccharide vaccine does not provide immunity. We analyzed 392 consecutive H. influenzae isolates from Swiss children 0 to 16 years of age with invasive disease during the years 1986 to 1993.

A new parameter for checking the suitability of alpha-tocopherol standards.

The quality of an alpha-tocopherol standard can be checked easily by measuring the UV absorbance at minimum (255 nm, Amin) and maximum (292 nm, Amax) wavelengths in n-hexane. If the quotient Amin/Amax exceeds 0.18, the standard contains less than 90% alpha-tocopherol and the determination at 292 nm will yield inaccurate results.

Rapid identification of mycobacteria to the species level by polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme analysis.

A method for the rapid identification of mycobacteria to the species level was developed on the basis of evaluation by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the gene encoding for the 65-kDa protein. The method involves restriction enzyme analysis of PCR products obtained with primers common to all mycobacteria. Using two restriction enzymes, BstEII and HaeIII, medically relevant and other frequent laboratory isolates were differentiated to the species or subspecies level by PCR-restriction enzyme pattern analysis.