Enhanced biological motion perception in deaf native signers.

We conducted two studies to test how deaf signed language users perceive biological motions. We created 18 Biological Motion point-light displays (PLDs) depicting everyday human actions, and 18 Scrambled control PLDs. First, we conducted an online behavioral rating survey, in which deaf and hearing raters identified the biological motion PLDs and rated how easy it was for them to identify the actions.

Comparison of pain perception during miniscrew placement in orthodontic patients with a visual analog scale survey between compound topical and needle-injected anesthetics: A crossover, prospective, randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: The use of a compound topical anesthetic (CTA) instead of an injection of a local anesthetic for placing miniscrew implants offers advantages to both the clinician and the patient. The purpose of this crossover, prospective, randomized clinical trial was to compare the clinical effectiveness of a CTA with that of a needle injection of local anesthetic for miniscrew placement.

Methods: Twenty-four orthodontic patients in a university clinic were recruited; they required bilateral buccal miniscrews for orthodontic anchorage.

Varying the nucleic acid composition of siRNA molecules dramatically varies the duration and degree of gene silencing.

The utility of short interfering RNA (siRNA) as a means of gene silencing depends on several factors. These include the degree to which a gene can be silenced, the length of time for which the gene remains silenced, the degree of recovery of gene function, and the effects of the silencing process on general cell functions. We hypothesized that changing the nucleic acid composition of the siRNA constructs used for silencing would affect these parameters.

Vaccination as a possible means of preventing lantana poisoning.

The toxic triterpene acids lantadene A and lantadene B were isolated from Lantana camara and conjugated to bovine serum albumen or haemocyanin. The conjugates were emulsified with complete Freund's adjuvant and injected into sheep and cattle. Vaccinated animals produced antibodies against the toxic compounds.

Amplification of the antitumor activity of phleomycins and bleomycins in rats and mice by caffeine.

While having no antitumor effect per se, caffeine substantially enhanced the antitumor effects of the phleomycins PLM-CHP and PLM-PEP, and the bleomycins BLM-CHP and Blenoxane in rats carrying Walker 256 carcinosarcoma and/or mice carrying Ehrlich ascites tumor, even at doses of phleomycin and bleomycin below the minimum effective level. Positive but less conclusive results were also obtained with PLM-A4A4G and PLM-G.