Longitudinal prescribing patterns for psychoactive medications in community-based individuals with developmental disabilities: utilization of pharmacy records.

Background: Little is known about longitudinal prescribing practices for psychoactive medications for individuals with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities (IDDD) who are living in community settings.

Methods: Computerized pharmacy records were accessed for 2344 community-based individuals with IDDD for whom a total of 3421 prescriptions were written during a 17-month period of study. Forty-two psychoactive medications were rank ordered in terms of prescription frequency.

Sexual assault in the lives of urban sex workers: a descriptive and comparative analysis.

This exploratory study contributes to the sparse literature on sexually assaulted sex workers. We examined 462 sexual assault cases seen at an emergency department-based sexual assault service and reported to the police between 1993 and 1997. More than one fifth of victims were sex workers.

A protective effect of epidermal powder immunization in a mouse model of equine herpesvirus-1 infection.

To evaluate the protective effect of epidermal powder immunization (EPI) against equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection, we prepared a powder vaccine in which formalin-inactivated virions were embedded in water-soluble, sugar-based particles. A PowderJect device was used to immunize mice with the powder vaccine via their abdominal skin. We found that twice-immunized mice were protected against challenge with the wild-type virus.

Retinal hemorrhage asymmetry in inflicted head injury: a clue to pathogenesis?

Objective: To determine whether regional cerebral parenchymal injury patterns correlate with the distribution of retinal hemorrhages after inflicted head injury.

Study Design: Retrospective case series of funduscopic photographs and serial computerized tomographic imaging of 14 children with confirmed inflicted head injury.

Main Outcome Measures: Retinal Hemorrhage Score per eye and per subject, visual field examination, regional patterns of parenchymal injury on computerized tomographic scans and necropsy, and retinal/optic nerve sheath hemorrhage distribution at necropsy.

Regional antibody and cellular immune responses to equine influenza virus infection, and particle mediated DNA vaccination.

We have previously demonstrated that hemagglutinin (HA) gene vaccination and influenza virus infection generate protective antibody responses in equids. However, these antibody responses differ substantially in that particle mediated DNA vaccination does not induce an immunoglobulin A (IgA) response. A study was performed to investigate the regional immunoregulatory mechanisms associated with these different immune responses.

An exploratory analysis of suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault seen in a hospital emergency department.

This retrospective review of sexual assault cases seen in an emergency department from 1993 to 1999 examined rates and characteristics of suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA). Overall, 12% of cases were identified as suspected DFSAs. The rate of suspected DFSA in 1999 was more than double that in the preceding six years.

CO2 capture by means of an enzyme-based reactor.

We report a means for efficient and selective extraction of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) at low to medium concentration from mixed gas streams. CO(2) capture was accomplished by use of a novel enzyme-based, facilitated transport contained liquid membrane (EBCLM) reactor. The parametric studies we report explore both structural and operational parameters of this design.

Dimensions of the lumbar intervertebral foramina as determined from the sagittal plane magnetic resonance imaging scans of 95 normal subjects.

Objectives: This was a 2-part study. Part 1 evaluated the reliability of measurements of the intervertebral foramina (IVF) from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and part 2 developed a morphometric database of IVF dimensions from normal living subjects.

Design: Part 1 was a blinded reliability study using 7 observers, and part 2 developed a morphometric database using 2 teams of 3 observers, all blinded to the results of each other.

The long-term impacts of group treatment for partner abuse.

This paper evaluates Responsible Choices for Men, a 14-week therapy group for abusive men based on feminist perspectives using narrative methods. Pre-test and post-test information was available for 76 program completers measuring physical and non-physical abuse, self-esteem, perceived stress, family relations, depression, assertiveness, and sex-role beliefs. The men significantly improved on all variables.

Identification of protective epitopes on ebola virus glycoprotein at the single amino acid level by using recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses.

Ebola virus causes lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans, but currently there are no effective vaccines or antiviral compounds for this infectious disease. Passive transfer of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) protects mice from lethal Ebola virus infection (J. A.

Enzyme-based CO2 capture for advanced life support.

Elevated CO2 levels in air can lead to impaired functioning and even death to humans. Control of CO2 is critical in confined spaces that have little physical or biological buffering capacity (e.g.

The academic prince.

The author presents advice to deans and chairs of academia by imagining what Machiavelli might recommend were he to write a modern version of The Prince for academics. "Machiavelli" cautions that since modern academic "princes" have little power (except, perhaps, over teaching and laboratory space), the success of their rule depends upon respect. Regarding the choice of an academic prince, find someone who can be a good role model, set standards, and reward academic excellence, and who will, above all, be respected.

Retinopathy of prematurity outcome in infants with prethreshold retinopathy of prematurity and oxygen saturation >94% in room air: the high oxygen percentage in retinopathy of prematurity study.

Objectives: To determine the rate of progression from prethreshold to threshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants excluded from Supplemental Therapeutic Oxygen for Prethreshold Retinopathy of Prematurity (STOP-ROP) because their median arterial oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) values were >94% in room air at the time of prethreshold diagnosis and to compare them with infants who were enrolled in STOP-ROP and had median SpO2 < or =94% in room air.

Methods: Fifteen of the 30 centers that participated in STOP-ROP elected to participate in the High Oxygen Percentage in Retinopathy of Prematurity study (HOPE-ROP) from January 1996 to March 1999. Infants were followed prospectively from the time prethreshold ROP was diagnosed until ROP either progressed to threshold in at least 1 study eye (adverse outcome) or resolved (favorable outcome).

Stroke, cerebral artery dissection, and cervical spine manipulation therapy.

Stroke represents an infrequent adverse reaction associated with cervical spine manipulation therapy. Attempts to identify the patient at risk and the type of manipulation most likely to result in these complications of manipulation have not been successful. A retrospective review of 64 medical legal cases of stroke temporally associated with cervical spine manipulation was performed to evaluate characteristics of the treatment rendered and the presenting complaints in patients reporting these complications.

Prediction of ultraviolet spectral absorbance using quantitative structure-property relationships.

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometric detection is a common method for analyzing reaction products in organic chemistry. This procedure would benefit from a computational model for predicting the relative response of organic molecules. Models are now reported for the prediction of the integrated UV absorbance for a diverse set of organic compounds using a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) approach.

Sexual assault forensic medical examination: is evidence related to successful prosecution?

Study Objective: We describe the medical-legal findings in a population of adult sexual assault cases assessed in an emergency department setting and reported to the police, document the law enforcement and legal disposition of cases seen over the study period, and determine whether medical-legal findings are associated with filing of charges and conviction after adjusting for demographic factors and assault characteristics.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of all police-reported cases seen from January 1993 to December 1997 at the British Columbia Women's Sexual Assault Service, a 24-hour hospital-based emergency service. Information on patient demographics, assault characteristics, and medical-legal findings was merged with data extracted from police and court files on the cases' legal outcomes and sperm-semen test results of collected forensic evidence.

Unpredictability of cerebrovascular ischemia associated with cervical spine manipulation therapy: a review of sixty-four cases after cervical spine manipulation.

Study Design: A retrospective review of 64 medicolegal records describing cerebrovascular ischemia after cervical spine manipulation was conducted.

Objectives: To describe 64 cases of cerebrovascular accidents temporally associated with cervical spine manipulation therapy in terms of patient characteristics, potential risk factors, nature of complication, and neurologic sequelae.

Summary Of Background Data: Approximately 117 cases of postmanipulation cerebrovascular ischemia have been reported in the English language literature.

Carbon dioxide transport by proteic and facilitated transport membranes.

Membrane separation of gases is governed by the permeability of each species across the membrane. The ratio of permeabilities yields the selectivity. Use of certain organic carriers in facilitated transport membranes and the CO2 converting enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) in proteic and facilitated transport membranes allows a dramatic increase in CO2 selectivity over other gases.

Chronic care clinics for diabetes in primary care: a system-wide randomized trial.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of primary care group visits (chronic care clinics) on the process and outcome of care for diabetic patients.

Research Design And Methods: We evaluated the intervention in primary care practices randomized to intervention and control groups in a large-staff model health maintenance organization (HMO). Patients included diabetic patients > or = 30 years of age in each participating primary care practice, selected at random from an automated diabetes registry.

Adaptation of influenza A viruses to cells expressing low levels of sialic acid leads to loss of neuraminidase activity.

Influenza A viruses possess two virion surface proteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). The HA binds to sialyloligosaccharide viral receptors, while the NA removes sialic acids from the host cell and viral sialyloligosaccarides. Alterations of the HA occur during adaptation of influenza viruses to new host species, as in the 1957 and 1968 influenza pandemics.

No evidence of infection with porcine endogenous retrovirus in recipients of encapsulated porcine islet xenografts.

Transplantation of pig tissues into humans has the potential for cotransferring pig infections. Knowledge of the epidemiology of pig infections transmissible to humans allows the development of risk limitation strategies at the source herd level, but potentially infectious pig endogenous retrovirus (PERV) is ubiquitous in all domestic pigs and therefore is not avoidable. Using a specific and sensitive RT-PCR and nested PCR for PERV nucleic acids with primers, the screening of pigs from New Zealand herds for the presence and expression of the PERV was conducted.