Relations with parents and with peers, temperament, and trajectories of depressed mood during early adolescence.

The present study examined (a) whether groups of children can be empirically identified with distinct longitudinal profiles of depressed mood from late childhood through early adolescence, (b) to what extent these different longitudinal depression profiles are predicted by problematic relations with parents, same-sex peers, and other-sex peers, and (c) what role individuals' temperamental characteristics play in this context. Based on a sample of 414 early adolescents (197 girls), four groups were identified with distinct longitudinal profiles of depressed mood between ages 11 and 14: One group with consistently low levels of depressed mood, another with consistently moderate levels of depressed mood, a third group whose depressed mood increased sharply from late childhood through early adolescence, and a fourth group who already showed clinical-range levels of depressed mood during late childhood and whose depressive feelings increased even slightly more thereafter. Subsequent analyses revealed that rejection by same-sex peers was related to the odds of following an increasing trajectory of depressed mood, but only for girls with a highly reactive temperament.

Postoperative analgesia and functional recovery after total-knee replacement: comparison of a continuous posterior lumbar plexus (psoas compartment) block, a continuous femoral nerve block, and the combination of a continuous femoral and sciatic nerve block.

Background And Objectives: Continuous femoral nerve block is a well-accepted technique for regional analgesia after total-knee replacement. However, many patients still experience considerable pain at the popliteal space and at the medial aspect of the knee. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether a psoas compartment catheter provides better postoperative analgesia than a femoral nerve catheter does and whether it is as effective as the combination of a femoral and a sciatic nerve catheter and, thus, improves functional outcome.

RhoGDI-3, a promising system to investigate the regulatory function of rhoGDIs: uncoupling of inhibitory and shuttling functions of rhoGDIs.

rhoGDIs (Rho GDP dissociation inhibitors) are postulated to regulate the activity and the localization of small G-proteins of the Rho family by a shuttling process involving extraction of Rho from donor membranes, formation of inhibitory cytosolic rhoGDI/Rho complexes, and delivery of Rho to target membranes. However, the role of rhoGDIs in site-specific membrane targeting or extraction of Rho is still poorly understood. We investigated here the in vivo functions of two mammalian rhoGDIs: the specific rhoGDI-3 and the well-studied rhoGDI-1 (rhoGDI) after structure-based mutagenesis.

[Is a blockade of the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh an alternative to the classical femoral nerve blockade for knee joint arthroscopy? A randomised controlled study].

Background: Gaps in the distribution area of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) are assumed to be the reason for pain caused by a thigh tourniquet when performing a femoral nerve (FN) block according to Winnie. The aim of the study was to evaluate if a direct single blockade of the LFCN in patients undergoing knee surgery resulted in a better tolerance to the tourniquet with equally good analgesic quality during surgery.

Methods: A total of 40 patients undergoing knee arthroscopy received a proximal blockade of the sciatic nerve and randomly either an FN or an LFCN block.

Ectopic gene conversions increase the G + C content of duplicated yeast and Arabidopsis genes.

Allelic recombination has previously been shown to increase the GC-content of the sequences of a wide variety of eukaryotic species. Ectopic recombination between clustered tandemly repeated genes has also been shown to increase their GC-content. Here we show that gene conversions between the dispersed genes found in the duplicated regions of the yeast and Arabidopsis genomes also increase their GC-content when these genes are more than 88% similar.

Does femoral nerve catheter placement with stimulating catheters improve effective placement? A randomized, controlled, and observer-blinded trial.

Continuous peripheral nerve blocks offer the benefit of extended postoperative analgesia and accelerated functional recovery after major knee surgery. Conventional nerve localization is performed over a stimulating needle followed by blind insertion of the peripheral catheter. Correct catheter placement is confirmed by testing for satisfactory analgesia.

A neurocognitive and socioecological model of self-awareness.

In the past, researchers have focused mainly on the effects and consequences of self-awareness; however, they have neglected a more basic issue pertaining to the specific mechanisms that initiate and sustain self-perception. The author presents a model of self-awareness that proposes the existence of 3 sources of self-information. First, the social milieu includes early face-to-face interactions, self-relevant feedback, a social comparison mechanism that leads to perspective taking, and audiences.

Risk factors for bacterial catheter colonization in regional anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Although several potential risk factors have been discussed, risk factors associated with bacterial colonization or even infection of catheters used for regional anaesthesia are not very well investigated. METHODS: In this prospective observational trial, 198 catheters at several anatomical sites where placed using a standardized technique. The site of insertion was then monitored daily for signs of infection (secretion at the insertion site, redness, swelling, or local pain).

The French language virtual medical university.

The work program of the French Language Virtual Medical University started about 2 years ago, and entered into a real active phase of development and implementation in 2002. Various national programs and organizational initiatives should accelerate and facilitate further appropriation of modem pedagogical approaches by knowledge providers and all users of the FSVMU, so as to advance on the way of virtual education. The French Language Virtual Medical University under the auspices of both the National Conference of Deans of Medical Schools and the International Conference of Deans of French-Speaking Medical Schools has been developed to create a major Internet portal for French-speaking distance medical learning and teaching.

French population exposure to radon, terrestrial gamma and cosmic rays.

In France, natural sources account for most of the population exposure to ionising radiation. This exposure varies widely with area. Radon and gamma-ray exposure data come from national measurement campaigns; cosmic doses were calculated from city altitude.

The development and validation of a risk score to predict the probability of postoperative vomiting in pediatric patients.

Risk scores to predict the occurrence of postoperative vomiting (PV) or nausea and vomiting that were developed for adult patients do not fit for children, because several risk factors are difficult to assess or are usually not applicable in pediatric patients (e.g., smoking status).

Uncoupling of inhibitory and shuttling functions of rho GDP dissociation inhibitors.

Rho GDP dissociation inhibitors (rhoGDIs) are postulated to regulate the activity of small G proteins of the Rho family by a shuttling process involving the extraction of Rho from donor membranes, the formation of the inhibitory cytosolic Rho/rhoGDI complexes, and delivery of Rho to target membranes. However, the role of rhoGDIs in site-specific membrane targeting or extraction of Rho is still poorly understood. Here we investigated the molecular functions of two rhoGDIs, the specific rhoGDI-3 and the less specific but well studied rhoGDI-1, in HeLa cells using structure-based mutagenesis of the rhoGDI protein.

Factors influencing preoperative stress response in coronary artery bypass graft patients.

BACKGROUND: In many studies investigating measures to attenuate the hemodynamic and humoral stress response during induction of anaesthesia, primary attention was paid to the period of endotracheal intubation since it has been shown that even short-lasting sympathetic cardiovascular stimulation may have detrimental effects on patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of this analysis was, however, to identify the influencing factors on high catecholamine levels before induction of anaesthesia. METHODS: Various potential risk factors that could impact the humoral stress response before induction of anaesthesia were recorded in 84 males undergoing coronary aortic bypass surgery, and were entered into a stepwise linear regression analysis.

Diets deficient in indispensable amino acids rapidly decrease the concentration of the limiting amino acid in the anterior piriform cortex of rats.

Diets deficient in an indispensable amino acid have long been known to suppress food intake in rats. Detection of dietary deficiency takes place in the anterior piriform cortex (APC). Recent studies showed that the response to amino acid deficiency takes as little as 15 min to develop, but few data exist to correlate the concentration of amino acids in the APC with this rapid response.

Patients' global evaluation of analgesia and safety of injected parecoxib for postoperative pain: a quantitative systematic review.

Parecoxib is the only parenterally administered cyclooxygenase-2-selective inhibitor available. We performed a systematic review, including full reports of randomized comparisons of parecoxib compared with any other analgesic intervention for prophylaxis or treatment of postoperative pain. Dichotomous data on patients' global evaluation of their analgesic regimen were extracted by means of the fraction of patients who rated their medication as "good" or "excellent.

[Does fentanyl or midazolam improve patient's comfort and cooperation when given for regional catheter placement? A randomized, controlled and double-blind trial].

Background: The procedure of placing a catheter for continuous regional anaesthesia is often associated with fear and pain in the patient. Thus, we evaluated the use of midazolam and fentanyl to improve patient's comfort and cooperation.

Methods: After an oral dose of 20 mg clorazepate, 174 patients receiving peripheral nerve catheters for regional anaesthesia where randomized into 3 groups to receive either intravenous placebo, 3 mg midazolam or 0.

Droperidol and dolasetron alone or in combination for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after vitrectomy.

Purpose: Droperidol and the new serotonin-3 antagonists are effective drugs for the prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The aim of this trial was to evaluate whether dolasetron could be a substitute for droperidol, because the Food and Drug Administration has required a Black Box warning on the droperidol package insert.

Design: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial.

Applicability of risk scores for postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults to paediatric patients.

Background: Scores to predict the occurrence of postoperative vomiting (PV) or nausea and vomiting (PONV) are well established in adult patients. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the applicability of risk scores developed and tested in adult patients in 983 paediatric patients (0-12 yr) undergoing various surgical procedures.

Method: The predictive properties of five models were compared with respect to discriminating power (measured by the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve) and calibration (comparison of the predicted and the actual incidences of the disease by weighed linear regression analysis).

[Is ginger a relevant antiemetic for postoperative nausea and vomiting?].

Objective: Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has traditionally been used in China for gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea and vomiting. A recent systematic review on the possible antiemetic effect of ginger for various indications, including PONV, morning sickness, and motion sickness, concluded that ginger was a promising antiemetic herbal remedy, but the clinical data were insufficient to draw firm conclusions. Since that publication, additional data has accumulated and thus an updated meta-analysis was performed.

[Application of a new vascular injection technique in the study of the infratemporal region].

The infra-temporal region (ITR) is an anatomically rich region thanks to its arterial and venous divisions and large nerve crossroads. It is also, as described by Robert et al". in a publication about the ITR, (22) "the hidden face of the manductory apparatus.

Partitioning of metal species during an enriched fuel combustion experiment. speciation in the gaseous and particulate phases.

Combustion processes are the most important source of metal in the atmosphere and need to be better understood to improve flue gas treatment and health impact studies. This combustion experiment was designed to study metal partitioning and metal speciation in the gaseous and particulate phases. A light fuel oil was enriched with 15 organometallic compounds of the following elements: Pb, Hg, As, Cu, Zn, Cd, Se, Sn, Mn, V, Tl, Ni, Co, Cr, and Sb.

[Artificial neural networks. Theory and applications in anesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine].

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are constructed to simulate processes of the central nervous system of higher creatures. An ANN consists of a set of processing units (nodes) which simulate neurons and are interconnected via a set of "weights" (analogous to synaptic connections in the nervous system) in a way which allows signals to travel through the network in parallel. The nodes (neurons) are simple computing elements.

Increased transcription and activity of glutathione synthase in response to deficiencies in folate, vitamin E, and apolipoprotein E.

Oxidative stress is a major contributing factor in neurodegeneration and can arise from dietary, environmental, and genetic sources. Here we examine the separate and combined impact of deprivation of folate and vitamin E, coupled with dietary iron as a prooxidant, on normal mice and transgenic mice lacking apolipoprotein E (ApoE-/- mice). Both mouse strains exhibited increased levels of glutathione when deprived of folate and vitamin E, but a substantial further increase was observed in ApoE-/- mice.

[Prediction of postoperative nausea and vomiting using an artificial neural network].

Objective: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are still frequent side-effects after general anaesthesia. These unpleasant symptoms for the patients can be sufficiently reduced using a multimodal antiemetic approach. However, these efforts should be restricted to risk patients for PONV.