Comparison of electrically induced flare response patterns in human and pig skin.

Objective: We compared the characteristics of neurogenic flare responses in human and pig skin to establish a translational research animal model.

Material And Subjects: Eight domestic pigs and six male subjects were investigated.

Treatment: Electrical pulses were delivered transcutaneously with increasing current intensities, pulse frequencies and pulse widths.

[Elevated serum creatinine without discernible kidney disease].

History And Physical Examination: A 46-year-old previously healthy man was incidentally found to have an elevated serum creatinine concentration of 2,7 mg/dl (250 micromol/l) in a dry chemical enzyme test. He had no symptoms. Physical examination was unremarkable.

The effect of vaccination on undetected persistence of foot-and-mouth disease virus in cattle herds and sheep flocks.

The importance of carrier animals (those in whom virus persists after recovery from disease or acute infection) and their potential role in the spread of disease remain open questions within foot-and-mouth disease epidemiology. Using simple probabilistic models we attempt to quantify the effect of emergency vaccination--and especially the time of application--on the likely number of such animals, using data from challenge experiments on both cattle and sheep to determine the probability of persistence in diseased and subclinically infected animals. We show that the number of persistently infected animals in a group is predominantly determined by the number of animals initially infected on premises--the high variability of which ultimately limits the accuracy of any predictions of carrier numbers based upon transmission models.

[Damage of the subclavian vein with a thorax drainage].

The necessity for insertion of a thorax drainage can lead to serious complications. Especially the use of a trocar instead of a mini-thoracotomy has a notable risk of misplacement or complications. Chest tubes per se can perforate the parietal pleura resulting in an extrathoracic position of the tube and contraindications for chest tubes should always be considered.

Maximum conductivity of packed nanoparticles and their polymer composites.

Adding conductive fillers to nonconductive polymers is a common way to make soft conductive materials such as conductive adhesives. An important issue is how to achieve high volume conductivity with acceptable mechanical performance. Two questions pertaining to this issue were studied in this paper.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9-THC) Treatment in Chronic Central Neuropathic Pain and Fibromyalgia Patients: Results of a Multicenter Survey.

Central neuropathic pain is difficult to treat, but delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC) may be a promising therapeutic agent. We administered in 172 patients on average 7.5 mg delta 9-THC over 7 months.

Alcohol cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by Ru and Ir terpyridine complexes.

Primary alcohols can be coupled with secondary benzylic alcohols by an air-stable catalytic system involving terpyridine ruthenium or iridium complexes.

Painful and nonpainful phantom and stump sensations in acute traumatic amputees.

Background: The formation, prevalence, intensity, course, and predisposing factors of phantom limb pain were investigated to determine possible mechanisms of the origin of phantom limb pain in traumatic upper limb amputees.

Methods: Ninety-six upper limb amputees participated in the study. A questionnaire assessed the following question: side, date, extension, and cause of amputation; preamputation pain; and presence or absence of phantom pain, phantom and stump sensations or stump pain or both.

WITHDRAWN: Foot-and-mouth disease: How much airborne virus do animals exhale?

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the Editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.

Predicting infection risk of airborne foot-and-mouth disease.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals, the control and eradication of which is of significant worldwide socio-economic importance. The virus may spread by direct contact between animals or via fomites as well as through airborne transmission, with the latter being the most difficult to control. Here, we consider the risk of infection to flocks or herds from airborne virus emitted from a known infected premises.

Early intervention with difficult to engage, 'high-risk' youth: evaluating an intensive outreach approach in youth mental health.

Background: Although intensive outreach (IO) models such as assertive community treatment and intensive case management have a strong evidence base in adult psychiatry, their effectiveness in the early intervention sector is unknown.

Aim: To explore client characteristics and treatment effects in a group of difficult to engage, 'high-risk' young people, seen by the Intensive Mobile Youth Outreach Service (IMYOS, ORYGEN Youth Heath) in Western Metropolitan Melbourne.

Methods: The clinical files of 47 clients were audited, targeting demographic and treatment outcome data prior to and during IMYOS involvement.

How postsecondary education improves adult outcomes for Supplemental Security Income children with severe hearing impairments.

The rapid growth in the number of children participating in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program before the age of 18 has led policymakers to consider new methods of assisting children with disabilities in their transition from school to work. Postsecondary education represents one path that SSI children may take to acquire the skills necessary to enter employment and reduce dependency on the SSI disability program as adults. Yet little is known about SSI children's experience with postsecondary education, let alone their ability to increase their labor market earnings and reduce their time on SSI as adults in the long term.

Static and dynamic two-wave mixing in GaAs.

We studied the two-wave mixing anisotropic diffraction process in GaAs for demodulation of static and dynamic phase encoded signals. The static results quantitatively agreed with a previous theoretical model for cubic crystals. This model has been described explicitly for all beam polarizations and crystal rotation angles with respect to the plane of incidence.

In vitro biostability evaluation of polyurethane composites in acidic, basic, oxidative, and neutral solutions.

New and improved properties can often be achieved by compounding two or more different but compatible materials. But, can failure possibility also be increased by such a compounding strategy? In this article, we compared the in vitro biostability of composites with that of the pure polymer. We tested three model composites in oxidative, acidic, basic, and neutral solutions.

Isomeric forms of heavier main group hydrides: experimental and theoretical studies of the [Sn(Ar)H]2 (Ar = terphenyl) system.

A series of symmetric divalent Sn(II) hydrides of the general form [(4-X-Ar')Sn(mu-H)]2 (4-X-Ar' = C6H2-4-X-2,6-(C6H3-2,6-iPr2)2; X = H, MeO, tBu, and SiMe3; 2, 6, 10, and 14), along with the more hindered asymmetric tin hydride (3,5-iPr2-Ar*)SnSn(H)2(3,5-iPr2-Ar*) (16) (3,5-iPr2-Ar* = 3,5-iPr2-C6H-2,6-(C6H2-2,4,6-iPr3)2), have been isolated and characterized. They were prepared either by direct reduction of the corresponding aryltin(II) chloride precursors, ArSnCl, with LiBH4 or iBu2AlH (DIBAL), or via a transmetallation reaction between an aryltin(II) amide, ArSnNMe2, and BH3.THF.

Atrial tachycardias following circumferential pulmonary vein ablation: observations during catheter ablation.

Circumferential pulmonary vein ablation performing linear lesions around the ostia of the pulmonary veins has been shown to be effective for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. During the follow-up period, persistent atrial tachycardia may occur as a proarrhythmic complication. Only little information is available about the underlying mechanism.

Rapid detection of important human pathogenic Phleboviruses.

Background: Rapid diagnostics are not available for several human pathogens in the genus Phlebovirus of the Bunyaviridae.

Objectives: To develop RT-PCR assays for Sandfly Fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), Sandfly Fever Naples virus (SFNV), Toscana virus (TOSV) and Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV).

Study Design: RNA standards were generated and used to test the performance of the assays.

Nociceptor sensitization to mechanical and thermal stimuli in pig skin in vivo.

Primary hyperalgesia to mechanical and thermal stimuli are major clinical symptoms of inflammatory pain and can be induced experimentally by ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation in humans. We set-up a pig model in order to have more options for pharmacological intervention on primary hyperalgesia. Pig skin was irradiated with a dose one- to threefold higher than the minimum erythema dose (MED) and investigated for mechanical and heat responsiveness 24 and 48 h post UV-B treatment.

Rapid flare development evoked by current frequency-dependent stimulation analyzed by full-field laser perfusion imaging.

We analyzed, with a new imaging technique, the rapid axon reflex flare responses in human skin upon transcutaneous delivery of electrical stimuli at 1, 5, 10 and 50 Hz in single bursts of five pulses each. Two-dimensional perfusion images covering an area of 8 x 8 cm(2) were captured at 25 Hz and their averages saved at 0.5 Hz.

Kinetics and time-temperature equivalence of polymer degradation.

We studied the hydrolysis kinetics of amorphous polylactide. It was found the hydrolysis rate had a slow-to-fast transition at a certain molecular weight (Mn). This transition was not correlated with the mass loss and water uptake of samples, nor the pH values of testing media.

Potentiation of nociceptive responses to low pH injections in humans by prostaglandin E2.

Unlabelled: Inflammation and trauma lead to tissue acidification and release of inflammatory mediators, including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Protons can evoke pain through acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) and TRPV1 receptors. In this study, we examined whether PGE2 can potentiate proton-induced nociception in humans on injection into skin and muscle.

(n-3) PUFA alter raft lipid composition and decrease epidermal growth factor receptor levels in lipid rafts of human breast cancer cells.

To determine the mechanism by which the (n-3) fatty acids (FA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decrease proliferation and induce apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, we examined the effects of EPA and DHA on the lipid composition of lipid rafts as well as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) raft localization and phosphorylation. (n-3) FA (a combination of EPA and DHA) inhibited (P < 0.05) the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells by 48-62% in the presence and absence, respectively, of linoleic acid (LA).

Capillary scale monolithic trap column for desalting and preconcentration of peptides and proteins in one- and two-dimensional separations.

Monolithic columns based on poly-(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) were utilized both for preconcentration (in 10 mm x 0.20 mm I.D.