Chemotherapy and Post-traumatic Stress in the Causation of Cognitive Dysfunction in Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: Cancer-related cognitive dysfunction has mostly been attributed to chemotherapy; this explanation, however, fails to account for cognitive dysfunction observed in chemotherapy-naïve patients. In a controlled, longitudinal, multisite study, we tested the hypothesis that cognitive function in breast cancer patients is affected by cancer-related post-traumatic stress.

Methods: Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and healthy control subjects, age 65 or younger, underwent three assessments within one year, including paper-and-pencil and computerized neuropsychological tests, clinical diagnostics of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and self-reported cognitive function.

Clinically assessed posttraumatic stress in patients with breast cancer during the first year after diagnosis in the prospective, longitudinal, controlled COGNICARES study.

Objective: There is ongoing debate whether cancer qualifies as traumatic stressor. We investigated prevalence and course of posttraumatic stress in patients with early breast cancer (BC) during their first year after diagnosis and determined effects of mastectomy and chemotherapy.

Methods: Patients with stage 0-III BC aged ≤65 years were evaluated with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV modules for acute and posttraumatic stress disorder (ASD and PTSD, respectively) before treatment, after chemotherapy, and 1 year after diagnosis.

Elucidating pretreatment cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients: the impact of cancer-related post-traumatic stress.

Background: Pretreatment cognitive impairment in cancer patients is well established but unexplained. Similar cognitive compromise has been observed in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, and PTSD symptoms are a frequent concomitant of cancer diagnosis. We tested the hypothesis that pretreatment cognitive impairment is attributable to cancer-related post-traumatic stress.

Psychosomatic Aspects of Urinary Incontinence in Women.

Urinary incontinence in women is a common problem. With increasing age its prevalence and severity of its manifestations increase. Among nursing home residents the frequency is between 43 and 77 %, 6 to 10 % of all admissions to nursing homes are due to urinary incontinence.

Carryover effects of highly automated convoy driving on subsequent manual driving performance.

Objective: In the present study, we tested to what extent highly automated convoy driving involving small spacing ("platooning") may affect time headway (THW) and standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP) during subsequent manual driving.

Background: Although many previous studies have reported beneficial effects of automated driving, some research has also highlighted potential drawbacks, such as increased speed and reduced THW during the activation of semiautomated driving systems. Here, we rather focused on the question of whether switching from automated to manual driving may produce unwanted carryover effects on safety-relevant driving performance.

[Necrotizing fasciitis: study of 17 cases presenting a low mortality rate].

Unlabelled: Necrotizing fasciitis is a hypodermis, muscular fascia then dermis necrotizing infection.

Objective: The originality of this study is to present a series of necrotizing fasciitis treated and followed these last five years, and to compare the therapeutic results with those of the literature.

Patients And Methods: We led a retrospective study on the patients treated for necrotizing fasciitis between 2005 and 2009 by bringing together the demographic and clinical data, the bacteriological examinations and the results of management.

Pins and rubber traction system for intra-articular proximal interphalangeal joint fractures revisited.

The Pins and Rubber Traction System (PRTS) can be used to treat proximal interphalangeal intra-articular fractures. Our experience is that outcomes are not always excellent and that many patients have reduced joint function or residual deformities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reasons behind the poorer outcomes of some of the patients treated with this system.

CD133-enriched CD34(-) (CD33/CD38/CD71)(-) cord blood cells acquire CD34 prior to cell division and hematopoietic activity is exclusively associated with CD34 expression.

We compared the cell division behavior of CD34(-) and CD34(+) (CD33/CD38/CD71)-negative (Lin(-)) CD133(+) cord blood cells stimulated with the cytokines Flt3-ligand, stem cell factor, and thrombopoietin. Within a 4-day time frame, Lin(-)CD34(-) CD133(+) (CD34(-)) cells underwent more cell divisions in serum-free culture than their Lin(-)CD34(+) CD133(+) (CD34(+)) counterparts. The majority of CD34(-) cells acquired expression of CD34 in vitro, including most undivided cells.

The neural basis of ego- and allocentric reference frames in spatial navigation: evidence from spatio-temporal coupled current density reconstruction.

Different strategies in spatial navigation during passages through computer-simulated tunnels were investigated by means of EEG source reconstruction. The tunnels consisted of straight and curved segments and provided only visual flow, but no landmark, information. At the end of each tunnel passage, subjects had to indicate their end position relative to the starting point of the tunnel.

[Prenatal care and the family doctor].

The general physician faced with the task of providing a pregnant patient with medical care must comply with the same legal guidelines as the gynecologist. In accordance with these regulations, 10 medical examinations are mandatory during a normal pregnancy. In addition to general counseling, these comprise three ultrasonic and various laboratory investigations at predetermined time points.

Endothelial-like cells expanded from CD34+ blood cells improve left ventricular function after experimental myocardial infarction.

Mobilization and recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) contributes to vasculogenesis in vivo. So far, applications for cell therapy are limited by the number of available cells. Expansion of EPC or their progeny may, therefore, facilitate its therapeutic use in ischemic disease.

Migration of iron oxide-labeled human hematopoietic progenitor cells in a mouse model: in vivo monitoring with 1.5-T MR imaging equipment.

Purpose: To evaluate the use of clinical 1.5-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging equipment to depict the in vivo distribution of iron oxide-labeled human hematopoietic progenitor cells in athymic mice.

Materials And Methods: This study was approved by the ethical committee, and all women had given consent to donate umbilical cord blood for research.

[Peri- and postmenopausal changes--body awareness, sexuality, and self- image of the middle-aged and older woman].

Unlabelled: INTRODUCTION, METHODS: For the first time a study has been made, in a German urban population, of sexuality, body awareness and self-image of women between 50 and 82 years. A special anonymous questionnaire was designed by female gynaecologists and psychologists for this cross-sectional study in Munich. It focuses on body awareness, self imagery, sexual activity and psychological and physiological sexual feeling in their biographic context.

[Prenatal manifestation of a congenital glioblastoma - Case report].

In prenatal ultrasound screening, internal hydrocephalus and intracranial bleeding of the fetus are considered as primary diagnostic signs for a congenital brain tumor. We report the prenatal sonographic diagnosis of a congenital glioblastoma due to acute fetal internal hydrocephalus in the 37th week of gestation. After birth, the tumor's hyperechoic appearance on ultrasound was indistinguishable from intracranial bleeding.

[The "tunnel task": a method for examination of cognitive processes in spatial orientation performance].

We report on the theoretical development and empirical testing of a new spatial cognition task, during which participants complete a tour through a virtual tunnel. Upon arrival they are asked to specify a "homing" vector by pointing an arrow towards the starting point of their virtual journey. Systematic experimental variations include number, length and sharpness of turns.

Saccadic velocity and activation: development of a diagnostic tool for assessing energy regulation.

The hypothesis was tested that peak velocity of saccadic eye movements in visual motor tasks varies with variables related to energy regulation. The hypothesis is based on the cognitive-energetical performance model of Sanders. An experimental paradigm was developed in which saccadic peak velocity of task-relevant eye movements is measured while a choice reaction task is carried out.

Temporal coordination of alternative and simultaneous aiming movements of constrained timing structure.

Two experiments are reported addressing the preparation and initiation of movements with equal or unequal timing properties for both hands. Temporal coordination was examined in two movement tasks: one in which both hands performed the movements simultaneously (simultaneous aiming task) and one in which only one alternative of two possible movements was executed (choice aiming task). For each task a different group of subjects was used.

Auxin induces exocytosis and the rapid synthesis of a high-turnover pool of plasma-membrane H(+)-ATPase.

Auxin causes elongation growth of plant cells by increasing the plastic extensibility of the cell wall. Putative cellular events involved in this hormone action were studied using maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles with the following results: (i) Auxin enhances membrane flow from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane (PM).