[Influence of attentional setting and priming on the inter-trial facilitation effect on pop-out].

In visual search situations, it is known that not only bottom-up factors relative to the presented stimulus display but also top-down factors, which include foreknowledge about the target or observers' strategies for the task, have an influence on search performance. The present study examines how top-down attentional control settings affect the visual search process by using the within-dimension facilitation (WDF) and the inter-trial facilitation (ITF) effects. In Experiment 1 we showed the WDF effect using foreknowledge about the target-defining dimension within one block.

Deficits in feature-based control of attention in a patient with a right fronto-temporal lesion.

Three experiments examined feature-based top-down control of search in a patient with right frontal-temporal lobe brain damage (YW), in comparison with normal control participants. In Experiment 1, YW showed normal search functions for single-feature targets. However, he showed abnormal search functions relative to normal control participants when a singleton distractor irrelevant to the target-defining feature was presented.

Gait analysis of people walking on tactile ground surface indicators.

Tactile ground surface indicators installed on sidewalks help visually impaired people walk safely. The visually impaired distinguish the indicators by stepping into its convexities and following them. However, these indicators sometimes cause the nonvisually impaired to stumble.

Resistance to influenza A virus infection by antigen-conjugated CpG oligonucleotides, a novel antigen-specific immunomodulator.

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing CpG motifs (CpG) act as modulators that bias the immune response towards a Th1-dominant phenotype. To investigate this effect further, we examined the protective effects of a covalently linked conjugate between CpG-ODN and HA-2kd antigen in mice infected with influenza A virus. The conjugated form of CpG-ODN and HA-2kd was more efficient in regulating influenza A virus than the unconjugated mixture of CpG-ODN and HA-2kd.

[Health status and socioeconomic factors related to home remedy practices among elderly subjects living in a community in Okinawa].

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to clarify health status and socioeconomic characteristics of elderly persons who practice home remedies as complementary alternative medicine. Whether such usage is associated with health-related factors was also assessed.

Methods: The subjects are 243 independent elderly living at home in A-village of Okinawa prefecture, aged 65 years or older.

A new modified DNA enzyme that targets influenza virus A mRNA inhibits viral infection in cultured cells.

DNA enzymes are RNA-cleaving single-stranded DNA molecules. We designed DNA enzymes targeting the PB2 mRNA translation initiation (AUG) region of the influenza A virus (A/PR/8/34). The modified DNA enzymes have one or two N3'-P5' phosphoramidate bonds at both the 3'- and 5'-termini of the oligonucleotides, which significantly enhanced their nuclease resistance.

Evaluating the immune responses stimulated by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides.

CpG oligonucleotides have recently been highlighted as an immunomodulator that biases toward a Th1-dominant phenotype. To substantiate the synergism between CpG-ODNs and Ag, we introduced a linked conjugate between CpG-ODNs and Ag and the antiviral effect of antigen-conjugated CpG-ODNs therapy following an infection of mice with the influenza virus A. We found that the conjugate inhibited the influenza virus infection more efficiently than the coadministration of the unconjugated CpG-ODNs and the Ag mixture.

Effects of multiple dosing of epinephrine on aqueous humor dynamics in human eyes.

Numerous studies have provided conflicting evidence to explain the ocular hypotensive mechanism of action of epinephrine. Although epinephrine has been shown consistently to increase outflow facility, its effects on aqueous flow and uveoscleral outflow are not as clear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of multiple doses of topical epinephrine on aqueous humor dynamics in human eyes.