IL-1beta signaling in cat lower esophageal sphincter circular muscle.

In a cat model of acute experimental esophagitis, resting in vivo lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and in vitro tone are lower than in normal LES, and the LES circular smooth muscle layer contains elevated levels of IL-1beta that decrease the LES tone of normal cats. We now examined the mechanisms of IL-1beta-induced reduction in LES tone. IL-1beta significantly reduced acetylcholine-induced Ca(2+) release in Ca(2+)-free medium, and this effect was partially reversed by catalase, demonstrating a role of H(2)O(2) in these changes.

NK2 receptor-mediated spontaneous phasic contractions in normal and ulcerative colitis human sigmoid colon.

Human colonic circular muscle produces spontaneous phasic contractions that are reduced in ulcerative colitis. How the spontaneous phasic contractions develop and why they decrease in ulcerative colitis are not known. We found that spontaneous phasic contractions of normal sigmoid circular muscle strips were significantly reduced by 90-min incubation with tetrodotoxin (10(-5) M), which blocked neurokinin A release in basal conditions and in response to electrical stimulation.

Physical and mechanical properties of various field lacrosse balls.

Although the sport of lacrosse has evolved dramatically over the last few decades and is presently the fastest growing team sport in the United States, the current specifications for balls date back to 1943. The purpose of this study was to see if various commercially available field lacrosse balls meet these specifications and to determine additional mechanical properties of the ball that may more completely characterize ball performance. Eight models from several manufacturers were tested.

Coordinate systems for the carpal bones of the wrist.

The eight small and complexly shaped carpal bones of the wrist articulate in six degrees of freedom with each other and to some extent with the radius and the metacarpals. With the increasing number and sophistication of studies of the carpus, a standardized definition for a coordinate system for each the carpal bones would aid in the reporting and comparison of findings. This paper presents a method for defining and constructing a coordinate system specific to each of the eight carpal bones based upon the inertial properties of the bone, derived from surface models constructed from three-dimensional (3-D) medical image volumes.

Enhanced colon tumor induction in uncoupling protein-2 deficient mice is associated with NF-kappaB activation and oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress has a complex effect on cancer development. To further study this process, we induced colon tumors with azoxymethane (AOM) in mice deficient for uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2). UCP2 has recently emerged as a negative regulator of mitochondrial oxidant production.

Production of IL-1beta, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide by colonic mucosa decreases sigmoid smooth muscle contractility in ulcerative colitis.

We have previously shown that sigmoid circular muscle cells from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) exhibit reduced contraction and Ca2+ signaling in response to the neurotransmitter neurokinin A (NKA) and that IL-1beta and H2O2 may contribute to these reduced responses in UC. In addition, we have found that nitric oxide (NO) levels were significantly increased in UC circular muscle. To establish the site of origin for IL-1beta, H2O2, and NO, we assembled an in vitro system in which normal or UC mucosa were sealed between two chambers filled with oxygenated Krebs solution.

Conspicuity of liver hemangiomas: short tau inversion recovery, T1, and T2 imaging with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid.

Purpose: To compare conspicuity of liver hemangiomas on STIR, T1-weighted, and T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images before and after administration of gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) (hepatocellular contrast agent), using contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs).

Materials And Methods: Thirteen hemangiomas were imaged using breath-hold gradient echo (GRE) T1, fat-saturated turbo spin echo (TSE)-T2, and short tau inversion recovery (STIR) sequences. Background noise and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for liver and hemangioma, along with CNR for normal liver and hemangioma, were measured on each sequence before and after administration of Gd-EOB-DTPA.

Review of insulin and insulin-like growth factor expression, signaling, and malfunction in the central nervous system: relevance to Alzheimer's disease.

Interest in characterizing the role of impaired insulin actions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia is growing exponentially. This review details what is currently known about insulin, insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-I) and IGF-II proteins and their corresponding receptors in the brain, and delineates the major controversies pertaining to alterations in the expression and function of these molecules in AD. The various experimental animal models generated by over-expression, mutation, or depletion of genes that are critical to the insulin or IGF signaling cascades are summarized, noting the degrees to which they reproduce the histopathological, biochemical, molecular, or behavioral abnormalities associated with AD.

Challenges in translating research into practice.

This paper provides a high-level summary of the literature concerning barriers to disseminating research findings about medication use into clinical practice. Various interventions targeting patients or providers are reviewed. Conceptual models for understanding the multiple barriers to dissemination are critically reviewed, and an alternative framework is proposed that considers the perspective of both providers and patients and the characteristics of treatments.

Carpal bone size and scaling in men versus in women.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify carpal bone size, to determine whether gender influences carpal size, and to determine whether small and large carpal bones differ in size only by simple isometric scaling.

Methods: Cortical surfaces of all carpal bones in both wrists of 14 women and 14 men (ages 22-34 y) were reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) volume images. Carpal volume and bounding-box dimensions in 3 orthogonal directions were calculated and compared across genders.

H(2)O(2): a mediator of esophagitis-induced damage to calcium-release mechanisms in cat lower esophageal sphincter.

We previously reported that induction of acute experimental esophagitis by repeated perfusion of HCl may affect release of intracellular Ca(2+) stores. We therefore measured cytosolic Ca(2+) in response to a maximally effective dose of ACh in fura 2-AM-loaded lower esophageal sphincter (LES) circular muscle cells and examined the contribution of H(2)O(2) to the reduction in Ca(2+) signal. In normal cells, the ACh-induced Ca(2+) increase was the same in normal-Ca(2+) and Ca(2+)-free medium and was abolished by the phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate-specific phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122, confirming that the initial ACh-induced contraction depends on Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores through production of inositol trisphosphate.

Interleukin 1beta-induced production of H2O2 contributes to reduced sigmoid colonic circular smooth muscle contractility in ulcerative colitis.

We have shown that neurokinin A-induced contraction of human sigmoid circular muscle (HSCM) is reduced in patients with ulcerative colitis and that interleukin (IL)-1beta may play a role in this change. We now examine changes in the signal transduction pathway mediating neurokinin A-induced contraction of HSCM and explore the role of IL-1beta and of H(2)O(2) in these changes. In Fura 2-AM-loaded ulcerative colitis HSCM cells, neurokinin A- and caffeine-induced peak Ca(2+) increase and cell shortening were significantly reduced.

Utility of the neuropsychological evaluation in an acute medical hospital.

Although recent studies have demonstrated the importance of cognitive assessment in medical settings in general, there have been no specific studies addressing the utility of the neuropsychological evaluation in the acute inpatient hospital setting. The current study examined the use of inpatient neuropsychological evaluation by treating physicians in an acute medical hospital for patient care and discharge disposition. Participants were 100 inpatients within an urban medical center who received a neuropsychological evaluation.

Retinoid chemoprevention in high-risk skin cancer patients.

More commonly known for their dramatic effects on acne and psoriasis for the past 20 years, systemic retinoids can be a valuable chemopreventive treatment option for those individuals in a wide variety of high-risk populations who are actively developing large numbers of sun-induced skin cancers.

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in southern New England children.

Objective: This study was performed to understand the epidemiology of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections in southern New England children.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of the medical records of children 0 to 18 years old with MRSA isolated by the Rhode Island Hospital microbiology laboratory (Providence, RI) between 1997 and 2001. A case was classified as either health care-associated MRSA (HCA-MRSA) or CA-MRSA based on time of culture and other strict criteria.

Hydrogen peroxide contributes to motor dysfunction in ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) affects colonic motor function, but the mechanism responsible for this motor dysfunction is not well understood. We have shown that neurokinin A (NKA) may be an endogenous neurotransmitter mediating contraction of human sigmoid colonic circular muscle (HSCCM). To elucidate factors responsible for UC motor dysfunction, we examined the role of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in the decrease of NKA-induced response of HSCCM.

Carpal bone postures and motions are abnormal in both wrists of patients with unilateral scapholunate interosseous ligament tears.

Purpose: The recent ability to measure 3-dimensional in vivo carpal kinematics has facilitated the noninvasive study of complex carpal bone motion.

Methods: In this study we examined the flexion/extension carpal kinematics of both wrists in 8 patients with unilateral scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) tears by using computed tomographic (CT) imaging and a markerless bone registration technique. Carpal bone neutral posture and flexion/extension motion of both wrists of the injured patients were compared with the same parameters in wrists of 10 uninjured male and female volunteers (normals).

C-terminal Src kinase (CSK) modulates insulin-like growth factor-I signaling through Src in 3T3-L1 differentiation.

IGF-I stimulates both proliferation and differentiation of adipocyte-precursor cells, preadipocytes in vivo and in vitro. We have previously shown that IGF-I stimulates proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes through activation of MAPK and MAPK activation by IGF-I is mediated through the Src family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases. In addition, we have shown that when 3T3-L1 cells reach growth arrest and are stimulated to differentiate, IGF-I can no longer activate the MAPK pathway.

MRI of intracerebral hematoma: value of vasogenic edema ratio for predicting the cause.

We evaluated a method for quantifying vasogenic edema (VE) on MRI to identify brain hematomas caused by neoplasms. We performed a blinded review of 68 acute and subacute hematomas caused by neoplasms (22), hypertension or presumed amyloid angiopathy (27), or vascular malformations (19). The extent of vasogenic edema was quantified on an axial T2-weighted image using the VE ratio: the maximum width of high signal surrounding a hematoma and the mean diameter of the hematoma.

Community referral sources and entry of treatment-naive clients into outpatient addiction treatment.

This study assessed the association of sources of client referral with enrollment of treatment-naive clients. Data from the 1995 (n = 618) and 2000 (n = 745) waves of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Survey (DATSS), a panel study of outpatient substance abuse treatment units (OSAT), were analyzed. Enrollment of treatment-naive clients was defined as the percentage of OSAT clients who entered treatment in the past 30 days with no prior treatment for substance abuse.