Expression-dependent susceptibility to face distortions in processing of facial expressions of emotion.

Our capability of recognizing facial expressions of emotion under different viewing conditions implies the existence of an invariant expression representation. As natural visual signals are often distorted and our perceptual strategy changes with external noise level, it is essential to understand how expression perception is susceptible to face distortion and whether the same facial cues are used to process high- and low-quality face images. We systematically manipulated face image resolution (experiment 1) and blur (experiment 2), and measured participants' expression categorization accuracy, perceived expression intensity and associated gaze patterns.

Supplementation with gum arabic fiber increases fecal nitrogen excretion and lowers serum urea nitrogen concentration in chronic renal failure patients consuming a low-protein diet.

In chronic renal failure (CRF), plasma concentrations of the products of protein metabolism are increased. Current dietary management is to prescribe a decrease in protein intake. The use of dietary fiber to increase fecal excretion of retained metabolites in CRF may be a beneficial adjunct to a low-protein diet (LPD).

The effect of insulin-like growth factor-1 on protein metabolism and hepatic response to endotoxemia in parenterally fed rats.

To determine the influence of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on nitrogen loss and hepatic response to critical illness, 34 male Sprague-Dawley rats (190-230 g) were randomized to receive parenteral nutrition (PN) only (Ctrl), PN plus continuous infusion of Escherichia coli 026:B6 lipopolysaccharide at 6 mg/kg/day (LPS), or PN plus LPS plus rhIGF-1 (IGF-1) at 3 mg/kg/day for 48 hr. Prior to randomization, all animals underwent iv cannulation and 30 hr of adaptation to PN. All animals received isocaloric and isonitrogenous PN (glucose 170 kcal/kg/day and nitrogen 1.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 and endotoxin-mediated kidney dysfunction in critically ill, parenterally fed rats.

Endotoxemia is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of acute kidney failure in sepsis. Data suggest insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) can increase creatinine clearance in healthy humans. The influence of recombinant human IGF-1 on kidney function in endotoxemia was investigated in 34 male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Defining and reporting diarrhea in tube-fed patients--what a mess!

The frequency and consistency of stools of all patients at a VA Medical Center who were tube-fed during a 3-mo period were recorded prospectively and analyzed in terms of eight definitions of diarrhea derived from the literature. The extent of diarrhea, reported as incidence and as percentage of days with diarrhea, was used to determine differences among the definitions. The relationship between extent of diarrhea and duration of monitoring patients was also determined.