Self-assembly in green solvents.

Recent advances in design of surfactants and polymers for liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide, and partially fluorinated alkanes, are reviewed. The focus is on surfactant structure-performance relationships, development of non-fluorinated surfactants, and applications of CO2 continuous dispersions for nanoparticle and organic synthesis. Future prospects for these emerging technologies are discussed, including the need for economically viable and environmentally friendly stabilizers for CO2 dispersions.

Hypertension and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity affect frontal lobe integrity.

Chronically elevated cortisol levels have been associated with elevated blood pressure, brain atrophy, and cognitive impairments. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, we assessed whether hypertension was related to hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity and whether this may in part explain prefrontal brain atrophy and cognitive impairments in this population. We studied 27 patients with hypertension and 27 normotensive control subjects.

Preliminary results of tibial bone transports with pulsed low intensity ultrasound (Exogen).

Objective: This study assessed whether the use of noninvasive, pulsed low intensity ultrasound (Exogen) reduced external fixation time for bone transport patients with large, segmental tibial defects.

Design: This was a prospective study compared to a previously treated control group.

Setting: All surgeries and postoperative care were done at the senior author's hospital facilities.

Regional, cellular, and subcellular localization of RGS10 in rodent brain.

The regulator of G protein signaling type 10 (RGS10) modulates Galphai/o signaling by means of its GTPase accelerating activity and is abundantly expressed in brain and in immune tissues. To elucidate RGS10 function in the nervous system, we mapped RGS10 protein in rat and mouse brain using light microscopic (LM) and electron microscopic (EM) immunohistochemical techniques. The LM showed that RGS10-like immunoreactivity (LIR) labels all cellular subcompartments of neurons and microglia, including their nuclei.

A clinical report of a patient with two abnormal cell lines: 46,XX,del(21)(q22.1) and 47,XX,+3.

Mosaicism for two chromosomally abnormal cell lines in the absence of a normal cell line is exceedingly rare. We report a patient with developmental and growth delay, mild dysmorphic features, a history of hypertension and hepatoblastoma who was found to be mosaic for two chromosomally abnormal cell lines. The cell lines, one containing a terminally deleted chromosome 21, the other trisomy 3, were found in her blood.

Family of origin environments in two clinical samples of survivors of intra-familial, extra-familial, and both types of sexual abuse.

Objective: It has been suggested that survivors of ongoing childhood sexual abuse (CSA) tend to have been reared in ineffective family environments that render them particularly vulnerable to maltreatment and which foster psychological difficulties beyond those accounted for solely by their abuse. If this conjecture is valid, one would expect that the family of origin environments of CSA survivors would be disturbed whether their abuser was intra-familial or extra-familial. To assess this hypothesis, two studies compared the childhood family of origin environments and supportive parenting characteristics of a clinical sample of women sexually abused by family members only (the intra-familial group), by non-family members only (the extra-familial group), and by both family and non-family members (the "both" group).

Impact of aerobic training on immune-endocrine parameters, neurotrophic factors, quality of life and coordinative function in multiple sclerosis.

In recent years it has become clear that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients benefit from physical exercise as performed in aerobic training but little is known about the effect on functional domains and physiological factors mediating these effects. We studied immunological, endocrine and neurotrophic factors as well as coordinative function and quality of life during an 8-week aerobic bicycle training in a waitlist control design. In the immune-endocrine study (1) 28 patients were included, the coordinative extension study (2) included 39 patients.

The path in fungal plant pathogenicity: many opportunities to outwit the intruders?

The number of genes implicated in the infection and disease processes of phytopathogenic fungi is increasing rapidly. Forward genetic approaches have identified mutated genes that affect pathogenicity, host range, virulence and general fitness. Likewise, candidate gene approaches have been used to identify genes of interest based on homology and recently through 'comparative genomic approaches' through analysis of large EST databases and whole genome sequences.

Supportive-expressive group therapy: the transformation of existential ambivalence into creative living while enhancing adherence to anti-cancer therapies.

Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) has been developed and manualised in the research setting, but there have been few clinical accounts of its utility. In this qualitative review of its application in the Melbourne-based randomised control trial (RCT) for women with advanced breast cancer, SEGT is considered from the perspective of the structure and framework of therapy, its therapists, the issues that develop in exploring its common themes and what constitutes a well functioning group. Groups move through identifiable developmental phases.

MAP kinase and cAMP signaling pathways modulate the pH-induced yeast-to-mycelium dimorphic transition in the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis.

Acid pH induces the yeast-to-mycelium transition in haploid cells of Ustilago maydis. We tested two signal transduction pathways known to be involved in dimorphism for roles in acid-induced filamentation. In wild-type cells intracellular cAMP levels were reduced under acid growth.

In situ hybridization analysis of RGS mRNA regulation and behavioral phenotyping of RGS mutant mice.

To elucidate the functional role of regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) in vivo, it will be critical to (i) determine how RGS activity is altered in response to a variety of manipulations and (ii) observe how the system is changed when RGS protein function is altered genetically. To facilitate studies of dynamic regulation of RGS protein activity, this article describes detailed methods for radioisotopic in situ hybridization for semiquantitative analyses of RGS mRNA abundances. Toward characterizing the functional differences in mice with genetically altered RGS activities, this article describes a subset of behavioral tests suitable for assaying sensitivities to drugs of abuse.

Higher Beck depression scores predict delayed epinephrine recovery after acute psychological stress independent of baseline levels of stress and mood.

Depressive symptoms in the non-clinical range have been linked to increased health risks. Recent theorizing raises the possibility that heightened physiologic responses to acute stress and/or slowed stress recovery in individuals with depressive symptoms may contribute to increased risk. We investigated stress-induced catecholamine responses and recovery patterns using a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (15 min) with a sample of 52 healthy women and compared subgroups with high normal versus low scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI, median split) to 29 women randomly assigned to a non-stressed control group.

Characterization of basal and re-inflammation-associated long-term alteration in pain responsivity following short-lasting neonatal local inflammatory insult.

Recently, several studies have suggested that neonatal noxious insult could alter future responses to painful stimuli. However, the manifestations, mechanisms, and even developmental nature of these alterations remain a matter of controversy. In part, this is due to the lack of detailed information on the neonatal sensitive period(s) during which noxious stimulation influences future nociception, and the time-course and distribution of the resultant abnormalities.

Fungal dimorphism regulated gene expression in Ustilago maydis: II. Filament down-regulated genes.

SUMMARY Ustilago maydis displays dimorphic growth alternating between a budding haploid form and a filamentous dikaryon resulting from mating of two haploid cells. This morphological switch plays a critical role in pathogenicity because only the filamentous dikaryon can infect corn plants. Previously, we identified a role for the cAMP signal transduction pathway in dimorphism and pathogenicity.

Fungal dimorphism regulated gene expression in Ustilago maydis: I. Filament up-regulated genes.

SUMMARY Ustilago maydis displays dimorphic growth alternating between a budding haploid and a filamentous dikaryon formed by mating of two haploid cells. This morphological switch plays a critical role in pathogenicity because only the filamentous dikaryon can infect maize. Previously we identified a role for the cAMP signalling pathway in dimorphism and pathogenicity.

Discriminating malingered from genuine civilian posttraumatic stress disorder: a validation of three MMPI-2 Infrequency scales (F, Fp, and Fptsd).

The Infrequency-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder scale (Fptsd), recently created for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), has demonstrated incremental validity over other MMPI-2 scales in malingered posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) detection. Fptsd was developed with combat-exposed PTSD patients, potentially limiting its use with PTSD patients in general. The current study evaluated the MMPI-2's F, Infrequency-Psychopathology scale (Fp), and Fptsd scales in discriminating genuine civilian PTSD among 41 adult victims of child sexual abuse from a group of 39 students instructed to simulate PTSD.

Observation of multipactor in an alumina-based dielectric-loaded accelerating structure.

We report a new regime of single-surface multipactor that was observed during high-power testing of an 11.424-GHz alumina-based dielectric-loaded accelerating structure. Previous experimental observations of single-surface multipactor on a dielectric occurred in cases for which the rf electric field was tangential and the rf power flow was normal to the dielectric surface (such as on rf windows) and found that the fraction of power absorbed at saturation is approximately 1%, independent of the incident power.

Ten year experience with use of Ilizarov bone transport for tibial defects.

Tibial defects greater than 4 cm and secondary to high-energy trauma or debridement for infected nonunion pose a significant challenge to the treating orthopaedic surgeon. Twelve patients who had been treated with Ilizarov bone transport for tibial defects over the past ten years were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were male with an average age of thirty-two.