A real-time virtual integration environment for the design and development of neural prosthetic systems.

We have developed a virtual integration environment (VIE) for the development of neural prosthetic systems. The VIE is a software environment that modularizes the core functions of a neural prosthetic system--receiving signals, decoding signals and controlling a real or simulated device. Complete prosthetic systems can be quickly assembled by linking pre-existing modules together through standard interfaces.

Impaired extinction of learned fear in rats selectively bred for high anxiety--evidence of altered neuronal processing in prefrontal-amygdala pathways.

The impaired extinction of acquired fear is a core symptom of anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias or panic disorder, and is known to be particularly resistant to existing pharmacotherapy. We provide here evidence that a similar relationship between trait anxiety and resistance to extinction of fear memory can be mimicked in a psychopathologic animal model. Wistar rat lines selectively bred for high (HAB) or low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour were tested in a classical cued fear conditioning task utilizing freezing responses as a measure of fear.

Baseline characteristics and prevalence of HPV 6, 11, 16, 18 in young German women participating in phase III clinical trials of a quadrivalent HPV (6/11/16/18) vaccine.

Introduction: As limited data among German women exist about HPV, Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, we report the prevalence of these genital infections and general baseline demographics of the young German women enrolled in the phase III trials of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine.

Materials And Methods: German females (n = 437; 9-23 years) were recruited among 3 international phase 3 studies of an HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccine. We present baseline characteristics, prevalence of HPV-6/11/16/18 and, for women aged 16-23, abnormal cervical cytology and sexually transmitted diseases.

Atypical presentation of Prader-Willi syndrome with cerebral venous thrombosis: association or fortuity?

A newborn female born at term was admitted at 28 hours for seizures and generalized hypotonia. Cerebral ultrasound showed a right temporal echogenic lesion confirmed on MRI and thought to be secondary to thrombosis of the vein of Labbé. The EEG showed epileptic discharges over the right temporal region.

Model-based development of neural prostheses for movement.

Neural prostheses for restoration of limb movement in paralyzed and amputee patients tend to be complex systems. Subjective intuition and trial-and-error approaches have been applied to the design and clinical fitting of simple systems with limited functionality. These approaches are time consuming, difficult to apply in larger scale, and not applicable to limbs under development with more anthropomorphic motion and actuation.

Experience with the use of LCA-modelling (EASEWASTE) in waste management.

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) models are becoming the principal decision support tools of waste management systems. This paper describes our experience with the use of EASEWASTE (Environmental Assessment of Solid Waste Systems and Technologies), a new computerized LCA-based model for integrated waste management. Our findings provide a quantitative understanding of waste management systems and may reveal consistent approaches to improve their environmental performances.

[Severe chronic anemia and endocrine disorders in children].

Hemolytic anemias can induce various anomalies of the endocrine glands which can already be observed in children. Endocrine dysfunction is also found in the course of therapy for aplastic anemias, usually as undesirable side effects. In Europe, 2-9% of the population belongs to ethnic minorities at risk for developing hemolytic anemia.

Elevated IL-6 levels in the synovial fluid of osteoarthritis patients stem from plasma cells.

Objective: To analyse the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the synovial fluids and sera of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and to identify the IL-6-secreting cells.

Methods: Serum, synovial fluid, synovial tissue, and articular cartilage samples were collected from 49 OA patients with end-stage knee or hip OA who underwent joint replacement surgery. Serum and synovial fluid levels of IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and IL-6-secreting cells were identified by immunohistochemistry.

A virtual reality environment for designing and fitting neural prosthetic limbs.

Building and testing novel prosthetic limbs and control algorithms for functional electrical stimulation (FES) is expensive and risky. Here, we describe a virtual reality environment (VRE) to facilitate and accelerate the development of novel systems. In the VRE, subjects/patients can operate a simulated limb to interact with virtual objects.

Life cycle assessment of disposal of residues from municipal solid waste incineration: recycling of bottom ash in road construction or landfilling in Denmark evaluated in the ROAD-RES model.

Two disposal methods for MSWI bottom ash were assessed in a new life cycle assessment (LCA) model for road construction and disposal of residues. The two scenarios evaluated in the model were: (i) landfilling of bottom ash in a coastal landfill in Denmark and (ii) recycling of bottom ash as subbase layer in an asphalted secondary road. The LCA included resource and energy consumption, and emissions associated with upgrading of bottom ash, transport, landfilling processes, incorporation of bottom ash in road, substitution of natural gravel as road construction material and leaching of heavy metals and salts from bottom ash in road as well as in landfill.

Modelling of environmental impacts of solid waste landfilling within the life-cycle analysis program EASEWASTE.

A new computer-based life-cycle assessment model (EASEWASTE) has been developed to evaluate resource and environmental consequences of solid waste management systems. This paper describes the landfilling sub-model used in the life-cycle assessment program EASEWASTE, and examines some of the implications of this sub-model. All quantities and concentrations of leachate and landfill gas can be modified by the user in order to bring them in agreement with the actual landfill that is assessed by the model.

[Health-related quality of life of siblings of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus].

Background Information: A chronic illness in childhood or adolescents constitutes a drastic event for the whole family, especially for the healthy siblings. This could impair their quality of life.

Patients And Methods: We designed a case-control-study in three centres (Leipzig, Giessen and Augsburg) with questionaires sent to 72 diabetic children, 71 of their siblings and 63 children of neighbourhood (controls) aged between 8 and 16 years.

Cis- and trans-acting gene regulation is associated with osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease of the skeleton and is associated with aging. Both environmental and genetic factors contribute to its pathogenesis. We set out to identify novel genes associated with OA, concentrating on regulatory polymorphisms allowing for differential expression.

Postoperative therapy modalities for cervical carcinoma.

Currently, the standard therapy for cervical carcinoma of FIGO stage IIB following adequate radical surgery is simultaneous radiochemotherapy with a platinous chemotherapeutic agent. According to the current state of scientific knowledge, all patients of FIGO stages IIA-IB with at least one additional risk factor (adenocarcinoma, pN1, L1, V1, pT1b2) also benefit from adjuvant radiochemotherapy. Various studies have shown that it is possible to successfully carry out a platinous radiochemotherapy.

Options and limits of surgery after pre-operative chemotherapy in breast cancer.

The primary administration of chemotherapy leads to a reduction in size of tumors, increasing the possibility of breast-conserving surgery in both locally advanced, inoperable and primary operable mamma carcinomas. This, however, increases the rate of local relapse and the rate of mastectomy over the course of the disease, even although the EUSOMA guidelines are not exceeded. Whether the pre-surgical administration of chemotherapy with pathological complete remission actually increases the disease-free rate and overall survival remains to be determined.

Evaluation of environmental impacts from municipal solid waste management in the municipality of Aarhus, Denmark (EASEWASTE).

A new computer based life cycle assessment model (EASEWASTE) was used to evaluate a municipal solid waste system with the purpose of identifying environmental benefits and disadvantages by anaerobic digestion of source-separated household waste and incineration. The most important processes that were included in the study are optical sorting and pre-treatment, anaerobic digestion with heat and power recovery, incineration with heat and power recovery, use of digested biomass on arable soils and finally, an estimated surplus consumption of plastic in order to achieve a higher quality and quantity of organic waste to the biogas plant. Results showed that there were no significant differences in most of the assessed environmental impacts for the two scenarios.

Environmental assessment of solid waste systems and technologies: EASEWASTE.

A new model has been developed for evaluating the overall resource consumption and environmental impacts of municipal solid waste management systems by the use of life cycle assessment. The model is named EASEWASTE (Environmental Assessment of Solid Waste Systems and Technologies) and is able to compare different waste management strategies, waste treatment methods and waste process technologies. The potential environmental impacts can be traced back to the most important processes and waste fractions that contribute to the relevant impacts.

Modeling the influence of intermittent rain events on long-term fate and transport of organic air pollutants.

The deposition of particles and substances in air is under strong influence of the precipitation patterns of the atmosphere. Most multimedia models, like type III Mackay models, treat rain as a continuous phenomenon. This may cause severe overestimation of the substance removal from the atmosphere through wet deposition and an underestimation of travel distances, leading to the following questions: How strong is the influence of the intermittent character of rain on concentrations, residence times, deposited fractions, and characteristic transport distances of different substances in air? Is there an expression that can provide an accurate approximation to be used in steady-state multimedia models? Assuming a periodically intermittent rain, the mass of an emitted substance that is present in the air compartment is calculated as a function of the deposition rate constants during dry and wet periods and the durations of these periods.

Comparing biomechanical investigations about different wiring techniques of finger joint arthrodesis.

Introduction: Multiple operative techniques are currently used for finger arthrodesis in clinical practice. The present study was designed to compare the biomechanical characteristics of typical arthrodesis techniques used in daily practice.

Material And Methods: Osteosynthesis techniques comprising wire cerclage, thread cerclage (PDS) or intraosseous wire suture were compared in a biomechanical experiment for resistance against bending loads.

Surgical technique and results of endoscopic anterior spinal canal decompression.

Object: Decompression of the spinal canal in the management of thoracolumbar trauma is controversial, but many authors have advocated decompression in patients with severe canal compromise and neurological deficits. Anterior decompression, corpectomy, and fusion have been shown to be more reliable for spinal canal reconstruction than posterior procedures; however, traditional anterior-access procedures, thoracotomy, and thoracoabdominal approaches are associated with significant complications. Endoscopy-guided spinal access avoids causing these morbidities, but it has not been shown to yield equivalent results in spinal canal clearance.

Aquatic ecotoxicological indicators in life-cycle assessment.

This paper compares available options for the aquatic ecotoxicological effect factor component in life-cycle assessment (LCA). The effect factor is expressed here as the change in risk per unit change in cumulative exposure, delta effect/delta exposure. The comparison is restricted to approaches linked, implicitly as well as explicitly, to species-sensitivity distributions (SSDs).

Biomechanical investigation of the primary stability of intramedullary compression nails in the proximal tibia: experimental study using interlocking screws in cryopreserved human tibias.

The biomechanical properties of the proximal tibia with respect to the application of compressible intramedullary nails were examined in a biomechanical model using human cadaver bones. A reference level was examined histomorphometrically in 24 cryopreserved human tibias. Three series of single or double interlocking fixations were tested at various distances from the tibial plateau.

Subareolar injection of technetium-99m nanocolloid yields reliable data on the axillary lymph node tumour status in breast cancer patients with previous manipulations on the primary tumour: a prospective study of 117 patients.

According to recently published guidelines, histological clarification by interventional techniques should be undertaken before planning the surgical management of patients with breast carcinoma. In patients with previous manipulations on the primary tumour, peritumoural injection in the context of preoperative scintigraphic detection of the sentinel lymph nodes is not possible. The aim of this prospective study was to clarify whether subareolar injection of nanocolloid can yield reliable data on the axillary lymph node tumour status in breast cancer patients with previous manipulations on the primary tumour.