VOC and particulate emissions from commercial cigarettes: analysis of 2,5-DMF as an ETS tracer.

Emissions of particulate matter (PM) and a broad suite of target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in total, main-stream (MS) and side-stream (SS) smoke emissions are measured for six types of commercial cigarettes. The suitability of 2,5-dimethyl furan (DMF) as a tracer for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is investigated using laboratory results and a field study of 47 residences. Over 30 VOCs were characterized in cigarette smoke, including several that have not been reported previously.

To posture or not to posture after macular hole surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the anatomic and functional success of phacovitrectomy and intraocular gas tamponade for macular hole surgery with only first night face down posturing.

Methods: This was a nonrandomized observational prospective trial over 9 months, with data collection on 28 eyes of 26 consecutive patients who underwent phacovitrectomy, internal limiting membrane peel, and intraocular gas tamponade (C2F6) for stage 2, 3, and 4 macular holes. Data included sex, age, hole latency and Gass stage, preoperative and postoperative visual acuity and ocular coherence tomography, refractive outcome, ocular comorbidity, first postoperative day gas fill, and intraocular pressure.

Do vertically transmitted symbionts co-existing in a single host compete or cooperate? A modelling approach.

When several symbionts infect simultaneously the same host (multiple infections), the interactions between them affect the dynamics of the symbiotic population. Despite their widespread occurrence, associations with multiple vertically transmitted symbionts have attracted little attention. Vertical transmission tends to homogenize the symbiotic population because of the bottleneck that occurs at transmission.

Simultaneous determination of cadmium (II) and zinc (II) by molecular fluorescence spectroscopy and multiple linear regression using an anthrylpentaazamacrocycle chemosensor.

The work that is reported here concerns a method that allows the simultaneous determination of cadmium (II) and zinc (II) in aqueous solution by molecular fluorescence spectroscopy using 9-(1',4',7',10',13'-pentaazacyclopentadecyl)-methylanthracene. For this chemosensor, the fluorophore pi-system is insulated from an azacrown donor by one methylene group. A self-quenching mechanism, resulting from an electron transfer from the nitrogens of the azacrown to the excited aromatic system, essentially precludes fluorescence emission.

Living with chronic health conditions: age differences in affective well-being.

The current study examined age differences in affective well-being and reactivity to daily stressors among people varying in health status. Participants (N = 3,493), aged 25 to 74 years, reported global affective well-being in the Midlife Development in the United States survey, and a subset (n = 983) reported their affective reactivity to stressors across eight consecutive evenings in the National Study of Daily Experiences. Across groups of people varying in number of chronic conditions, older adults reported higher levels of global affective well-being and lower levels of affective reactivity than did younger adults, with one exception.

Fish oil and fenofibrate for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia in HIV-infected subjects on antiretroviral therapy: results of ACTG A5186.

Introduction: Fish oil has been shown to reduce serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations. In HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy, high TG concentrations likely contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5186 examined the safety and efficacy of fish oil plus fenofibrate in subjects not achieving serum TG levels < or =200 mg/dL with either agent alone.

Displacement of nuclear fragments into the vitreous complicating phacoemulsification surgery in the UK: incidence and risk factors.

Aims: To study the epidemiology and risk factors contributing to displacement of nuclear fragments into the vitreous (DNFV) complicating phacoemulsification in the UK.

Methods: Cases were collected prospectively between March 2003 and March 2004 by active surveillance through the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit (BOSU). Case-control analysis of risk factors was performed by visiting 10 randomly selected centres using a total of 521 cases of uncomplicated phacoemulsification.

Displacement of nuclear fragments into the vitreous complicating phacoemulsification surgery in the UK: clinical features, outcomes and management.

Aims: To study the clinical features, management and outcomes of displacement of nuclear fragments into the vitreous (DNFV) complicating phacoemulsification in the UK.

Methods: Cases were collected prospectively between March 2003 and March 2004 inclusive by active surveillance through the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit. Details were obtained using incidence questionnaires and follow-up questionnaires after 6 months.

Robot-aided neurorehabilitation: a robot for wrist rehabilitation.

In 1991, a novel robot, MIT-MANUS, was introduced to study the potential that robots might assist in and quantify the neuro-rehabilitation of motor function. MIT-MANUS proved an excellent tool for shoulder and elbow rehabilitation in stroke patients, showing in clinical trials a reduction of impairment in movements confined to the exercised joints. This successful proof of principle as to additional targeted and intensive movement treatment prompted a test of robot training examining other limb segments.

Dynamic energy budget as a basis to model population-level effects of zinc-spiked sediments in the gastropod Valvata piscinalis.

This paper presents original toxicity test designs and mathematical models that may be used to assess the deleterious effects of toxicants on Valvata piscinalis (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Results obtained for zinc, used as a reference toxicant, are presented. The feeding behavior, juvenile survival, growth, age at puberty, onset of reproduction, number of breedings during the life cycle, and fecundity were significantly altered when the snails were exposed to zinc-spiked sediments.

Age differences in reactivity to daily stressors: the role of personal control.

We examined age and control belief differences in physical and emotional reactivity to daily stressors in four domains: interpersonal, work, network, and home. We combined data from the National Study of Daily Experiences and the Midlife in the United States survey, resulting in 1,031 participants who reported on 7,229 days. Findings from multilevel models suggest that age and control beliefs play an important role in a person's reactivity to interpersonal, network, and work stressors.

A hospital based study of hepatitis E by serology.

Hepatitis E virus is recently recognised as an important cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis. A total of 569 serum samples were screened for HEV between April 1997 and March 2000, by a commercially available HEV IgM capture ELISA. The diagnosis was invariably acute viral hepatitis for differential diagnosis of jaundice.

Iron chelators ICL670 and 311 inhibit HIV-1 transcription.

HIV-1 replication is induced by an excess of iron and iron chelation by desferrioxamine (DFO) inhibits viral replication by reducing proliferation of infected cells. Treatment of cells with DFO and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (311) inhibit expression of proteins that regulate cell-cycle progression, including cycle-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2). Our recent studies showed that CDK2 participates in HIV-1 transcription and viral replication suggesting that inhibition of CDK2 by iron chelators might also affect HIV-1 transcription.

Genetic and environmental effects on daily life stressors: more evidence for greater variation in later life.

People vary in the occurrence and perceived severity of stressors experienced in their daily lives. In the current study, the authors examined the extent to which individual differences in these relatively minor occurrences are determined by genetic endowment as well as environmental influences and how these effects vary by age. Identical (n-sub(pairs) = 111) and fraternal (n-sub(pairs) = 99) twin adults ranging from 25 to 73 years old reported the occurrence and severity of their daily stressors on 8 consecutive evenings.

Memories of social interactions: age differences in emotional intensity.

The current study examined age differences in the intensity of emotions experienced during social interactions. Because emotions are felt most intensely in situations central to motivational goals, age differences in emotional intensity may exist in social situations that meet the goals for one age group more than the other. Guided by theories of emotional intensity and socioemotional selectivity, it was hypothesized that social partner type would elicit different affective responses by age.

Postnatal maturation attenuates pressure-evoked myogenic tone and stretch-induced increases in Ca2+ in rat cerebral arteries.

Although postnatal maturation potently modulates agonist-induced cerebrovascular contractility, its effects on the mechanisms mediating cerebrovascular myogenic tone remain poorly understood. Because the regulation of calcium influx and myofilament calcium sensitivity change markedly during early postnatal life, the present study tested the general hypothesis that early postnatal maturation increases the pressure sensitivity of cerebrovascular myogenic tone via age-dependent enhancement of pressure-induced calcium mobilization and myofilament calcium sensitivity. Pressure-induced myogenic tone and changes in artery wall intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca(2+)](i)) were measured simultaneously in endothelium-denuded, fura-2-loaded middle cerebral arteries (MCA) from pup [postnatal day 14 (P14)] and adult (6-mo-old) Sprague-Dawley rats.

Cystoisospora canis Nemeséri, 1959 (syn. Isospora canis), infections in dogs: clinical signs, pathogenesis, and reproducible clinical disease in beagle dogs fed oocysts.

Canine intestinal coccidiosis is a cause of diarrhea in young dogs and dogs that are immunocompromised. Reports in the literature indicate that experimental reproduction of clinical coccidiosis with Cystoisospora canis (syn. Isospora canis) is difficult, and few studies have been done with C.

Fundus albipunctatus in a 6-year old girl due to compound heterozygous mutations in the RDH5 gene.

We report a case study of Fundus Albipunctatus (FA) due to compound heterozygous mutations in RDH5, the gene encoding for the 11-cis-retinal dehydrogenase (RDH). A 6-year old Hispanic American female with a clinical presentation suggestive of FA underwent dark-adapted full-field flash electroretinography (ERG) at 30 and 120 min. The pattern of ERG abnormalities was consistent with the working diagnosis FA.