A randomised controlled study of reflexology for the management of chronic low back pain.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for the management of chronic low back pain (CLBP) continues to rise. However, questions regarding the efficacy of many CAM therapies for CLBP remain unresolved. The present study investigated the effectiveness of reflexology for CLBP.

Characterization of relA and codY mutants of Listeria monocytogenes: identification of the CodY regulon and its role in virulence.

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive intracellular parasite and the causative organism of human listeriosis. In this article we demonstrate that L. monocytogenes encodes a functional member of the CodY family of global regulatory proteins that is responsive to both GTP and branched chain amino acids.

Development of a new, combined rapid method using phage and PCR for detection and identification of viable Mycobacterium paratuberculosis bacteria within 48 hours.

The FASTPlaqueTB assay is an established diagnostic aid for the rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from human sputum samples. Using the FASTPlaqueTB assay reagents, viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis cells were detected as phage plaques in just 24 h.

Altered multiaxial mechanical properties of the porcine anterior lens capsule cultured in high glucose.

Hyperglycemia can alter the mechanical properties of tissues through the formation of advanced glycation endproducts in matrix proteins that have long half-lives. We used a custom experimental system and subdomain finite element method to quantify alterations in the regional multiaxial mechanical properties of porcine lens capsules that were cultured for 8 or 14 weeks in high glucose versus control media. Findings revealed that high glucose significantly stiffened the capsules in both the circumferential and the meridional directions, but it did not affect the known regional variations in anisotropy.

One in five Californians were uninsured in 2005 despite modest gains in coverage.

Six and one-half million Californians were uninsured for all or some of 2005, a number that is as large as the combined populations of nine other states. The number of uninsured represented one in five children and nonelderly adults, a rate that was slightly lower than in 2003 due to California's tight labor markets and expanding enrollment and retention in California's public coverage programs for children. These marginal improvements are unlikely to continue unabated given the instability of employment-based insurance coverage in the face of rising costs.

Parental strategies for assisting children to wait.

This study examined parents' behaviours as they waited with their child. Children were presented with an attractively wrapped gift and then asked not to touch it until the experimenter returned from finishing some work in another room. Three parent groups and their children participated in the study - parents of children with Down syndrome, parents of children with intellectual disability from another cause, and parents of children who were developing typically.

Structural anatomy of empathy in neurodegenerative disease.

Empathy is a complex social behaviour mediated by a network of brain structures. Recently, several functional imaging studies have investigated the neural basis of empathy, but few corroborative human lesion studies exist. Severe empathy loss is a common feature of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and is also seen in other neurodegenerative diseases.

Multiple cognitive deficits in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Objective: To determine if more widespread cognitive deficits are present in a narrowly defined group of patients with the amnestic form of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: From a larger sample of patients clinically diagnosed as meeting the criteria of Petersen et al. for amnestic MCI, we selected 22 subjects who had Clinical Dementia Rating scores of zero on all domains besides memory and orientation.

Evaluation of the genetic association of the PTPN22 R620W polymorphism in familial and sporadic systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: The R620W (1858C-->T) polymorphism in PTPN22 has been implicated in type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves' disease, Hashimoto thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroid disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to evaluate this polymorphism in patients with familial SLE and in those with sporadic SLE.

Methods: A total of 4,981 DNA samples were genotyped (from 1,680 SLE patients, 1,834 family members, and 1,467 controls).

Incidence of phantom phenomena including phantom limb pain 6 months after major lower limb amputation in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Objectives: Contentions exist regarding the true incidence of phantom limb pain (PLP) and other associated post-amputation phenomena. Recognizing and understanding these phenomena would assist in the rehabilitation of amputees. This study was designed to investigate all post-amputation phenomena in a homogenous group of amputees.

Brain activation patterns during memory of cognitive agency.

Agency is the awareness that one's own self is the agent or author of an action, a thought, or a feeling. The implicit memory that one's self was the originator of a cognitive event - the sense of cognitive agency - has not yet been fully explored in terms of relevant neural systems. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined brain activation patterns differentiating memory for the source of previously self-generated vs.

The effects of graduated exposure, modeling, and contingent social attention on tolerance to skin care products with two children with autism.

Children with autism may display unusual or fearful responses to common stimuli, such as skin care products. Parents of children with autism have often reported that their children will not allow the application of these types of substances to their skin and if the parent persists, the children become extremely upset and anxious. Such responding can interfere with adaptive functioning.

Parent concerns and professional responses: the case of specific language impairment.

Background: GPs and health visitors are usually the first to be approached by parents concerned about their child's speech and language development in the early years. The role health professionals play in early detection of speech and language difficulties is therefore crucial to ensure timely referral for speech and language therapy.

Aim: To examine parental accounts of health visitor and GP involvement in the assessment and diagnosis of their children's speech and language impairment.

Late onset neonatal anaemia due to maternal anti-Ge: possible association with destruction of eythroid progenitors.

There have been no reports of severe haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) due to Gerbich (Ge) antibodies. Two babies with HDN due to anti-Ge3, both born to the same mother, are described. The anti-Ge appeared in the first pregnancy and was not detectable in the first trimester, the babies' reticulocyte and bilirubin values were not greatly elevated (similar to HDN due to Kell antibodies), and the anaemia in both cases was either not apparent or not severe until 2 to 4 weeks after birth.

Performance of young people with Down syndrome on the Leiter-R and British picture vocabulary scales.

Background: The British picture vocabulary scales (BPVS-II) and the Leiter international performance scales (Leiter-R), both restandardised in 1997, are often used in experimental studies to match individuals with intellectual impairment. Both provide a brief measure of mental age, and cover a wide ability range using a simple format. The BPVS-II assesses verbal comprehension and the Leiter nonverbal abilities.

Activation of the rat renin promoter by HOXD10.PBX1b.PREP1, Ets-1, and the intracellular domain of notch.

Renin gene expression is subject to complex developmental and tissue-specific regulation. A comparison of the promoter sequences of the human, rat, and mouse renin genes has revealed a highly conserved sequence homologous to the DNA recognition sequence for CBF1 (CSL/RBP-Jkappa/Su(H)/LAG1/RBPSUH). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays document that As4.

Invasive fungal infections in pediatric oncology patients: 11-year experience at a single institution.

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of fungal infections in pediatric hematology and oncology (PHO) patients and to describe variations regarding site of infection, organisms, and mortality. The records of 1,052 patients presenting to the UCLA PHO service with various malignancies from 1991 to 2001 were retrospectively reviewed. No patient received invasive antifungal prophylaxis.

Individual behavior, culture, and social change.

The principle of operant selection is examined as a prototype of cultural selection, and the role of the social environment is suggested as the critical element in the emergence of cultural phenomena. Operant contingencies are compared to cultural selection contingencies, designated as metacontingencies. Both of these types of contingency relations result in evolving lineages of recurrences that can become increasingly complex in the number and organization of their elements.

Enhancer-dependent inhibition of mouse renin transcription by inflammatory cytokines.

Inflammatory cytokines have been shown to inhibit renin gene expression in the kidney in vivo and the kidney tumor-derived As4.1 cell line. In this report, we show that cytokines oncostatin M (OSM), IL-6, and IL-1beta inhibit transcriptional activity associated with 4.

Using a reflective diary to develop bracketing skills during a phenomenological investigation.

In this article, I have attempted to show how a reflective diary can be an effective tool for developing bracketing skills. A framework is necessary to guide reflective thought and encourage deep and critical thinking. My framework was influenced by the work of Schön (1987) and Johns (1984), and related to the concepts of reflecting 'on' and 'in' action, and identified specific learning that had taken place.

The expression of pain in infants with developmental delays.

Objective: To explore how infants with developmental delays express pain, we analysed facial expressions of infants receiving their routine immunization at around 4-6 months developmental age. The sample included eight infants with developmental disabilities (mean developmental age 4.8 months) and 30 typically developing infants (mean age 4 months).

Children with specific language impairment: parental accounts of the early years.

Parent views of specific language impairment have received little attention in the literature, even though speech and language development is the single greatest area of concern for parents. This article examines parental views of events up to, and including, language unit admission for their children. A series of qualitative interviews was conducted with parents.

Distance learning in post-qualifying nurse education.

There has been a prolific development of distance education in nursing during the previous decade. This has not been supported by an increase in research activity to generate the knowledge that is required to support these developments. In response to this, within a wider action research approach, a team of academics undertook a study to examine post-qualifying nurses' experiences of distance learning, and the impact of distance education on lecturing staff.

Identification of a novel region in the proximal promoter of the mouse renin gene critical for expression.

An enhancer at -2.6 kb and a HOX.PBX-binding site at -60 bp have been demonstrated to be critical to expression of the mouse renin gene (Ren-1(c)) in As4.