The development of the crime scene behavior risk measure for sexual offense recidivism.

The inclusion of crime scene behavior in actuarial risk assessment so far is insufficient, unsystematic, and neglecting factors theoretically relevant to sexual recidivism. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to develop a brief actuarial risk scale based on crime scene characteristics. The development sample consisted of data (police databases, paper records, and the National Conviction Registry) from 955 male sexual offenders (77% German citizens, 20% foreign nationals, mean age = 35 years, convicted for sexual abuse and/or sexual violence).

Heterotropic modulation of selectin affinity by allosteric antibodies affects leukocyte rolling.

Selectins are a family of adhesion receptors designed for efficient leukocyte tethering to the endothelium under shear. As a key property to resist premature bond disruption, selectin adhesiveness is enhanced by tensile forces that promote the conversion of a bent into an extended conformation of the N-terminal lectin and epidermal growth factor-like domains. Conformation-specific Abs have been invaluable in deciphering the activation mechanism of integrins, but similar reagents are not available for selectins.

Incidence and risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in patients with severe systemic disease.

Objective: To determine the relevance of surgery and other causative factors to the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients with severe systemic disease.

Methods: This observational study included 107 noncardiac surgical patients and 26 nonsurgical control subjects, all of whom had an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical classification status of 3. Cognitive assessment was performed preoperatively and 7 days postoperatively, or with a 7-day interval for the control group.

Migration of monocytes after intracerebral injection at entorhinal cortex lesion site.

The lack of classical lymph vessels within brain tissue complicates immune surveillance of the CNS, and therefore, cellular emigration out of the CNS parenchyma requires alternate pathways. Whereas invasion of blood-derived mononuclear cells and their transformation into ramified, microglia-like cells in areas of axonal degeneration across an intact BBB have been demonstrated, it still remained unclear whether these cells reside permanently, undergo apoptosis, or leave the brain to present antigen in lymphoid organs. With the use of ECL of mice and injection of GFP-expressing monocytes, we followed the appearance of injected cells in spleen and LNs and the migratory pathways in whole-head histological sections.

Decellularized tendon extracellular matrix-a valuable approach for tendon reconstruction?

Tendon healing is generally a time-consuming process and often leads to a functionally altered reparative tissue. Using degradable scaffolds for tendon reconstruction still remains a compromise in view of the required high mechanical strength of tendons. Regenerative approaches based on natural decellularized allo- or xenogenic tendon extracellular matrix (ECM) have recently started to attract interest.

Nilotinib in patients with Ph+ chronic myeloid leukemia in accelerated phase following imatinib resistance or intolerance: 24-month follow-up results.

Nilotinib (Tasigna) is a potent and selective BCR-ABL inhibitor approved for use in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CML-CP) and in patients with CML-CP and accelerated phase (CML-AP) who are resistant to or intolerant of imatinib. Patients with CML-AP (N = 137) with at least 24 months of follow-up or who discontinued early were evaluated to determine the efficacy and tolerability of nilotinib. The majority (55%) of patients achieved a confirmed hematologic response, and 31% attained a confirmed complete hematologic response on nilotinib treatment.

Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma shows epigenetic features of abortive plasma cell differentiation.

Background: Epigenetic changes are involved in the extinction of the B-cell gene expression program of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, little is known regarding epigenetic similarities between cells of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and plasma cell myeloma, both of which share extinction of the gene expression program of mature B cells.

Design And Methods: Global histone H3 acetylation patterns were determined in cell lines derived from classical Hodgkin's lymphoma, plasma cell myeloma and B-cell lymphoma by chromatin immunoprecipitation and subsequent hybridization onto promoter tiling arrays.

In vivo viscoelastic properties of the brain in normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Nearly half a century after the first report of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), the pathophysiological cause of the disease still remains unclear. Several theories about the cause and development of NPH emphasize disease-related alterations of the mechanical properties of the brain. MR elastography (MRE) uniquely allows the measurement of viscoelastic constants of the living brain without intervention.

Mosaic expression of Med12 in female mice leads to exencephaly, spina bifida, and craniorachischisis.

Background: A precise temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression is necessary to achieve neural tube closure. Med12, a subunit of the mediator complex, can bind transcription factors and modulate expression of their target genes. Med12 is essential during early mouse development and is important for neural tube closure.

Heart protein expression related to age and sex in mice and humans.

Cardiovascular diseases are known to manifest different clinical symptoms in men and women. Basically this is due to gender-specific genotypes and sexual hormones. We studied gender specificity on the protein expression level in the mouse and human heart, with particular emphasis on the age-dependency of sex-specific protein expression.

The historical debate on brain and legal responsibility--revisited.

The actual discussion on brain research, free will, and legal responsibility repeats all the arguments of a very similar discussion in central Europe 100 years ago, around 1900. Already back then the idea that human perception, emotions, thinking and behavior have a material basis was not new. It is conditioned and limited by the structure and workings of the brain.

Resection of soft tissue sarcoma of the lower limb after evaluation of vascular invasion with intraoperative intravascular ultrasonography.

Background: This study investigated the value of intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) in the intraoperative assessment of vascular invasion of soft tissue sarcoma.

Methods: In a 4-year interval, of 337 patients with soft tissue sarcoma, 20 patients with tumours of the lower limb in close relation to the neurovascular bundle underwent intraoperative IVUS (20 MHz). Intraoperative findings were correlated with preoperative imaging, histopathological appearance of the resection specimen and patient outcome.

Real time 3D (4D) ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy of solid tumours.

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate the feasibility of real-time 3D (4D) ultrasound-guided biopsy.

Materials And Methods: Between 2003 and 2005, 53 patients with suspicious lymph nodes or solid tumours underwent 4D ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy using a 4D US-System (Voluson 730, GE/Kretztechnik, Austria). The results were documented prospectively and compared to a matched series of 53 conventional 2D ultrasound-guided core biopsies.

Antibody targeting of TIRC7 results in significant therapeutic effects on collagen-induced arthritis in mice.

TIRC7 is a cell surface molecule which is expressed in T and B lymphocytes and negatively regulates their function. Anti-TIRC7 specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibited T cell memory response to recall antigens. Up-regulation of TIRC7 on lymphocytes from joint tissue of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and mice with collagen induced arthritis (CIA) suggested TIRC7 as a novel target to promote anti-inflammatory reaction.

Estimation of the left ventricular relaxation time constant tau requires consideration of the pressure asymptote.

The left ventricular isovolumic pressure decay, obtained by cardiac catheterization, is widely characterized by the time constant tau of the exponential regression p(t)=Pomega+(P0-Pomega)exp(-t/tau). However, several authors prefer to prefix Pomega=0 instead of coestimating the pressure asymptote empirically; others present tau values estimated by both methods that often lead to discordant results and interpretation of lusitropic changes. The present study aims to clarify the relations between the tau estimates from both methods and to decide for the more reliable estimate.

Delayed occlusion after internal carotid artery dissection under heparin.

Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) is a frequent etiology of stroke in the young. Immediate anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin is the most frequent treatment. A theoretical side effect of unfractionated heparin is an increase in the intramural hematoma resulting in hemodynamic cerebral infarction.

Stratum corneum maturation. A review of neonatal skin function.

The importance of the stratum corneum and its barrier function for infants, especially for newborns, is clinically evident. Research regarding the maturation of the stratum corneum in neonates, i.e.