Recycling random numbers in the stochastic simulation algorithm.

The stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA) was introduced by Gillespie and in a different form by Kurtz. Since its original formulation there have been several attempts at improving the efficiency and hence the speed of the algorithm. We briefly discuss some of these methods before outlining our own simple improvement, the recycling direct method (RDM), and demonstrating that it is capable of increasing the speed of most stochastic simulations.

STOCHSIMGPU: parallel stochastic simulation for the Systems Biology Toolbox 2 for MATLAB.

Motivation: The importance of stochasticity in biological systems is becoming increasingly recognized and the computational cost of biologically realistic stochastic simulations urgently requires development of efficient software. We present a new software tool STOCHSIMGPU that exploits graphics processing units (GPUs) for parallel stochastic simulations of biological/chemical reaction systems and show that significant gains in efficiency can be made. It is integrated into MATLAB and works with the Systems Biology Toolbox 2 (SBTOOLBOX2) for MATLAB.

Acute hypothalamic instability in traumatic brain injury: a case report.

. Acute hypothalamic instability occurs in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). It usually occurs in the form of autonomic dysfunction syndrome (also known as diencephalic seizures or paroxysmal sympathetic storms); however, there are other causes of acute hypothalamic instability of which the clinician must be aware.

A recruitment model for selecting residents.

The process of selecting residents is an important issue in medical training. In an attempt to quantify and thereby objectify this process, a model for selection was developed. The model, using scaled scores reflective of each of the applicants' characteristics, was used to rank applicants in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Airway problems in patients with traumatic brain injury.

It has become an accepted practice to perform endotracheal intubation on patients who are comatose as a result of traumatic brain injury; and if the comatose state persists, a surgical tracheotomy is performed. There are inherent risks associated with both of these procedures. Of 44 patients with traumatic brain injury admitted to the author's rehabilitation unit, ten required endotracheal intubation only; in 32, endotracheal intubation was followed by tracheotomy; and two required immediate tracheotomies.

Continuity of care. A teaching model.

Recent changes in health care mandate innovative approaches to teaching. Rehabilitation as part of the continuum of disability motivated the "continuity of care model." This model permits the presentation of rehabilitation in its global sense: from onset of injury through re-integration into the community.

New criteria for sensory nerve conduction especially useful in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome.

This article reports a technique for determining new standard values for median sensory nerve latencies, amplitudes, and durations. Use of these values should significantly improve the ability to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome and to reduce the number of false negative results. Forty-five median sensory nerves of 30 neurologically healthy subjects were evaluated with rigid techniques and temperature control at stimulation and recording points.

Anterior hypopituitarism: a consequence of head injury.

Anterior pituitary insufficiency in patients with traumatic brain injury is rare. Only sporadic cases have been reported in the literature. The authors report a case of panhypopituitarism that developed in a 19-year-old man and was diagnosed six months after the patient sustained severe craniocerebral trauma in a motor vehicle accident.

Neuropathy in end-stage renal disease secondary to primary renal disease and diabetes.

A study was undertaken to critically observe electrophysiologic findings in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) secondary to primary renal disease (PRD) and to compare these with data recorded from patients with ESRD secondary to diabetes mellitus. Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity studies were performed on 56 patients; 16 parameters were investigated and laboratory data recorded. Our findings reveal that diabetic uremics have more severe peripheral neuropathy electrophysiologically than nondiabetics, indicating that the diabetic component of neuropathy sustains its influence even in the presence of end-stage renal neuropathy.

Median nerve determinations: analysis of two techniques.

The objective of this study was to compare two techniques of obtaining median motor and sensory nerve determinants. One method utilized premeasured electrode placement, while the other used anatomic landmarks. It was postulated that increased accuracy could be achieved by more precise measuring techniques.