Nipah virus: vaccination and passive protection studies in a hamster model.

Nipah virus, a member of the paramyxovirus family, was first isolated and identified in 1999 when the virus crossed the species barrier from fruit bats to pigs and then infected humans, inducing an encephalitis with up to 40% mortality. At present there is no prophylaxis for Nipah virus. We investigated the possibility of vaccination and passive transfer of antibodies as interventions against this disease.

Pain management in a long-term care facility: compliance with JCAHO standards.

An analysis of the treatment of nonmalignant pain in the elderly at a long-term facility was conducted to allow development of a pain management program that complies with both JCAHO guidelines for pain management and with the Tennessee Medicaid (TennCare) reimbursement schedule, and to determine if tramadol can meet the standards of pain management under these new guidelines. Inclusion criteria were residence in our long-term care facility; a pain intensity score > 4 on a modified Wong Baker Pain Scale; the patient having prescription orders for one or more of the following drugs: propoxyphene, meperidine, or high dosages of acetaminophen (approaching 4 g/day); suspected neuropathic or mixed nociceptive/neuropathic pain; and/or a diagnosis of diabetes, osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease. Exclusion criteria were history of seizures, history of opioid or alcohol abuse, and demonstrated hypersensitivity to tramadol or opioids.

A golden hamster model for human acute Nipah virus infection.

A predominantly pig-to-human zoonotic infection caused by the novel Nipah virus emerged recently to cause severe morbidity and mortality in both animals and man. Human autopsy studies showed the pathogenesis to be related to systemic vasculitis that led to widespread thrombotic occlusion and microinfarction in most major organs especially in the central nervous system. There was also evidence of extravascular parenchymal infection, particularly near damaged vessels (Wong KT, Shieh WJ, Kumar S, Norain K, Abdullah W, Guarner J, Goldsmith CS, Chua KB, Lam SK, Tan CT, Goh KJ, Chong HT, Jusoh R, Rollin PE, Ksiazek TG, Zaki SR, Nipah Virus Pathology Working Group: Nipah virus infection: Pathology and pathogenesis of an emerging paramyxoviral zoonosis.

Substance abuse treatment and pressures from the criminal justice system: data from a provincial client monitoring system.

Aims: Compulsory treatment is discussed increasingly as a way to reduce the population burden of addictive behaviours. This study explores the extent to which social control strategies exercised through the criminal justice system are used to bring people into substance abuse treatment at a system level. We also assessed whether particular subgroups may be more or less likely to be brought into treatment in this manner.

Transmyocardial laser revascularization: epicardial ECG detection provides efficient R-wave triggering during mobilization of the heart.

Objective: In order to achieve an accurate intraoperative ECG detection, a new technique in detecting the trigger-signal was developed. In contrast to the traditional three-lead ECG-configuration, the left leg electrode was connected to a transient epicardial pacemaker electrode on the left-ventricular surface.

Background Data: The Holmium:YAG-Laser for Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization (TMLR) is R-wave-triggered, providing the release of energy only during the refractory period of the heart cycle.

Factors contributing to bone conduction: the outer ear.

The ear canal sound pressure and the malleus umbo velocity with bone conduction (BC) stimulation were measured in nine ears from five cadaver heads in the frequency range 0.1 to 10 kHz. The measurements were conducted with both open and occluded ear canals, before and after resection of the lower jaw, in a canal with the cartilage and soft tissues removed, and with the tympanic membrane (TM) removed.

Treating alcohol problems with self-help materials: a population study.

Objective: An experimental trial was used to assess the effectiveness of a self-help book and a personalized assessment-feedback intervention, both separately and in combination with each other, in a general population survey.

Method: Participants (N = 86; 66.3% male) were recruited through a random digit dialing telephone survey conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Elevated homocysteine serum level is associated with low enrichment of homocysteine in coronary arteries of patients with coronary artery disease.

In the present study, we sought to investigate whether elevated serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy), predisposing to endothelial dysfunction during progression of atherosclerosis, were paralleled by increased Hcy concentrations in human coronary arteries. Paraffin sections of coronary arteries were obtained from explanted hearts of cardiac transplant recipients suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD, n=32, mean age=56.6+/-6.

Long-term follow-up of surgically treated gallbladder cancer patients.

Aims: Palliative attempts have traditionally led treatment of gallbladder cancer but resection offers the only chance for long-term survival. This study investigates the impact of surgery with curative intent in gallbladder cancer treatment and evaluates prognostic factors for survival.

Methods: Two hundred and sixty-seven patients were admitted for surgical therapy.

Identification of a second major site for CD46 binding in the hemagglutinin protein from a laboratory strain of measles virus (MV): potential consequences for wild-type MV infection.

Natural or wild-type (wt) measles virus (MV) infection in vivo which is restricted to humans and certain monkeys represents an enigma in terms of receptor usage. Although wt MV is known to use the protein SLAM (CD150) as a cell receptor, many human tissues, including respiratory epithelium in which the infection initiates, are SLAM negative. These tissues are CD46 positive, but wt MV strains, unlike vaccinal and laboratory MV strains, are not thought to use CD46 as a receptor.

Clinical and experimental evidence of prostaglandin E1-induced angiogenesis in the myocardium of patients with ischemic heart disease.

Objective: Prostaglandin E1 (PGE-1) is a potent vasodilative agent which has been used to bridge patients with chronic heart failure listed for heart transplantation (HTX). In various experimental settings PGE-1 appears to stimulate angiogenesis by inducing vascular endothelial growth factor expression. This observational clinical study sought to investigate the angiogenic effects of PGE-1 in the failing human heart.

Enhanced accumulation of the isoprostane, 8-epi-PGF2 alpha, in human aortic and pulmonary valves of patients with coronary heart disease.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the isoprostane 8-epi-PGF2 alpha differently accumulates in semilunar valves of patients suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD, n = 19) as compared to valves from healthy heart donors (controls, n = 6). Sections from isolated aortic and pulmonary valves were analyzed by semiquantitative immunohistochemistry. The 8-epi-PGF2 alpha-content was determined by using a specific radioimmunoassay.

Measles virus strains circulating in Central and West Africa: Geographical distribution of two B3 genotypes.

Africa remains one of the major reservoirs of measles infection. Molecular epidemiological studies have permitted different measles virus isolates to be grouped into clades and genotypes; the major group, which has been identified as indigenous to Africa, is clade B. The viruses from epidemics in the Gambia (1993) and in the Cameroon (2001) were examined.

Personal drinking and sociocultural drinking norms: a representative population study.

Objective: This study examined relationships between personal drinking and perceived social norms for alcohol use. It was hypothesized that frequent heavy drinkers (i.e.

Effects of gender in social control of smoking cessation.

This study of 93 men and 117 women smokers during an ongoing quit attempt examined the roles of gender and social network influences on quitting. For men, social influences appeared to positively affect their ability to reduce their smoking but were less effective for women. Specifically, increased reports of a spouse or partner's influence, and family and friends' influence, were associated with greater reductions in men's smoking 2 days and 4 months post quit date, respectively.

Linking innate and acquired immunity: divergent role of CD46 cytoplasmic domains in T cell induced inflammation.

CD46 is a widely expressed transmembrane protein that was initially identified as binding and inactivating C3b and C4b complement products. We used mice that were transgenic for one of two human CD46 isoforms that differ in their cytoplasmic domains (termed CD46-1 and CD46-2) to analyze the effect of CD46 stimulation on the immune response. We show here that CD46 can regulate inflammatory responses, either by inhibiting (CD46-1) or increasing (CD46-2) the contact hypersensitivity reaction.

Interferons mediate terminal differentiation of human cortical thymic epithelial cells.

In the thymus, epithelial cells comprise a heterogeneous population required for the generation of functional T lymphocytes, suggesting that thymic epithelium disruption by viruses may compromise T-cell lymphopoiesis in this organ. In a previous report, we demonstrated that in vitro, measles virus induced differentiation of cortical thymic epithelial cells as characterized by (i) cell growth arrest, (ii) morphological and phenotypic changes, and (iii) apoptotis as a final step of this process. In the present report, we have analyzed the mechanisms involved.

Fluoride varnishes and caries development in primary tooth enamel: an in vitro study.

This in vitro study evaluated the effect of fluoride varnishes on caries development in primary tooth enamel using polarized light microscopic techniques. A total of forty extracted or exfoliated primary teeth with intact, caries-free smooth surfaces underwent a fluoride-free prophylaxis and soft tissue were assigned to one of the following groups: 1) duraphat (5 percent sodium fluoride, vanish, Colgate, n=10); 2) Duraflor (5 percent sodium fluoride, Pharmascience, n = 10); 3 Cavity Shield (5 percent sodium fluoride varnish, Omni, n=10); and 4) Control (n=10). An acid-resistant coating was applied to the specimens leaving an exposed window of sound enamel (5mm x 1mm).

Compulsory substance abuse treatment: an overview of recent findings and issues.

An overview of research trends and issues in the area of compulsory substance abuse treatment is presented, using a sample of 170 English-language articles obtained from a search of 4 databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, supplemented by a manual search). About half (51%) of these articles were non-empirical (i.e.

Priming of measles virus-specific humoral- and cellular-immune responses in macaques by DNA vaccination.

Although the currently used live attenuated measles vaccines are safe and effective, they are dependent on cold chain maintenance and are often ineffective in young infants due to interference by maternal antibody. Therefore, besides vector-based vaccines, different new generation non-replicating candidate measles vaccines are being considered, including nucleic acid vaccines. We have vaccinated cynomolgus macaques transdermally with DNA plasmids encoding measles virus (MV) proteins.

Adaptation of wild-type measles virus to tissue culture.

Measles has a host range restricted to humans and monkeys in captivity. Fresh measles virus (MV) isolates replicate readily in several human and simian B-cell lines but need a period of adaptation to other types of cells. The identification of CD46 and CD150 (SLAM) as cellular receptors for MV has helped to clarify certain aspects of the immunobiology of MV infections.

Quantification of blood flow in the carotid arteries: comparison of Doppler ultrasound and three different phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging sequences.

Rationale And Objectives: To compare blood flow velocities in the carotid arteries measured with three different magnetic resonance (MR) phase-contrast imaging techniques and with percutaneous Doppler ultrasound.

Methods: Fourteen healthy male volunteers with a mean age of 33 +/- 3.8 years were studied.