Who's flying the plane: serotonin levels, aggression and free will.

The present paper addresses the philosophical problem raised by current causal neurochemical models of impulsive violence and aggression: to what extent can we hold violent criminal offenders responsible for their conduct if that conduct is the result of deterministic biochemical processes in the brain. This question is currently receiving a great deal of attention among neuroscientists, legal scholars and philosophers. We examine our current knowledge of neuroscience to assess the possible roles of deterministic factors which induce impulsive aggression, and the extent to which this behavior can be controlled by neural conditioning mechanisms.

Patient compliance as a major determinant of laser tattoo removal success rates: a 10-year retrospective study.

The use and success of high-energy, short-pulse, Q-switched lasers for tattoo removal has been well demonstrated. Three types of lasers are currently commercially available for tattoo removal: the Q-switched ruby laser (694 nm), the Q-switched alexandrite laser (755 nm) and the Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (532 nm and 1064 nm). Multiple parameters such as tattoo type, color, location, and patient skin type dictate which laser is optimal in each patient.

Understanding human aggression: New insights from neuroscience.

The present paper reviews and summarizes the basic findings concerning the nature of the neurobiological and behavioral characteristics of aggression and rage. For heuristic purposes, the types of aggression will be reduced to two categories - defensive rage (affective defense) and predatory attack. This approach helps explain both the behavioral properties of aggression as well as the underlying neural substrates and mechanisms of aggression both in animals and humans.

Focal increased activity in the liver on 18F-FDG PET scan secondary to brachiocephalic vein and superior vena cava obstruction.

We present 2 cases demonstrating focal increased activity in the liver on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans resulting from central venous obstruction and increased blood flow to select regions of the liver via collateral veins. Collateral venous pathways from anterior chest wall veins to the portal veins can form via paraumbilical veins (including the vein of Burrow and the superior and inferior veins of Sappey) or subcapsular veins of the liver via musculophrenic vessels. Imagers should be familiar with the phenomenon of focally increased uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the liver secondary to collateral blood flow to avoid mischaracterizing the liver abnormalities as malignant in etiology.

Biomechanical stability of four fixation constructs for distal radius fractures.

Implants available for distal radius fracture fixation include dorsal nonlocked plating (DNLP), volar locked plating (VLP), radial-ulnar dual-column locked plating (DCPs), and locked intramedullary fixation (IMN). This study examines the biomechanical properties of these four different fixation constructs. In 28 fresh-frozen radii, a wedge osteotomy was performed, creating an unstable fracture model and the four fixation constructs employed (DNLP, VLP, DCPs, and IMN).

Monocular patching may induce ipsilateral "where" spatial bias.

Spatial bias is an asymmetry of perception and/or representation of spatial information - "where" bias -, or of spatially directed actions - "aiming" bias. A monocular patch may induce contralateral "where" spatial bias (the Sprague effect [Sprague, J. M.

Prevalence of myofascial temporomandibular disorder in US community women.

This study estimates the prevalence of the myofascial subtype of temporomandibular disorders (M-TMD) defined by Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), and relates that prevalence to the surveyed report of facial pain. From among 20 000 women selected at random in the NY metropolitan area who completed a telephone survey of facial pain, 2000 were invited for an RDC/TMD examination; 782 examinations were completed. Prevalence was estimated in analyses that were weighted to correct sampling biases.

Variation in digital rotation and alignment in normal subjects.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to quantify finger/digit rotation, overlap, parallelism, and convergence to the scaphoid tuberosity in normal volunteers to establish standards for comparison.

Methods: We examined 240 uninjured fingers in 30 volunteers. There were 14 men and 16 women with an average age of 35 years.

The neurobiological bases for development of pharmacological treatments of aggressive disorders.

Violence and aggression are major causes of death and injury, thus constituting primary public health problems throughout much of the world costing billions of dollars to society. The present review relates our understanding of the neurobiology of aggression and rage to pharmacological treatment strategies that have been utilized and those which may be applied in the future. Knowledge of the neural mechanisms governing aggression and rage is derived from studies in cat and rodents.

Developmental reprogramming of rat GLUT5 requires glucocorticoid receptor translocation to the nucleus.

Fructose consumption has increased dramatically but little is known about mechanisms regulating the intestinal fructose transporter GLUT5 in vivo. In neonatal rats, GLUT5 can be induced only by luminal fructose and only after 14 days of age, unless the gut is primed with dexamethasone prior to fructose perfusion. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying dexamethasone modulation of GLUT5 development, we first identified the receptor mediating its effects then determined whether those effects were genomic.

Acquired rifamycin resistance: pharmacology and biology.

The global emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB has refocused attention on preventing acquired resistance. This article reviews basic science, pharmacology and public policy to understand the contribution of these factors to acquired rifamycin resistance (ARR), a critical factor in multidrug resistance. Directly observed therapy short course (DOTS) effectiveness requires that each drug's effects persist equally throughout the dosing interval.

RNA interference as a genetic tool in trypanosomes.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that is often exploited as a technique for quelling the expression of a specific gene. RNAi studies are carried out in vivo, making this a powerful means for the study of protein function in situ Several trypanosomatids, including those organisms responsible for human and animal diseases, naturally possess the machinery necessary for RNAi manipulations. This allows for the use of RNAi in unraveling many of the pressing questions regarding the parasite's unique biology.

The empty azygos fissure: sign of an escaped azygos vein.

We present a case of displacement of the azygos vein from the azygos fissure secondary to deflation of the azygos lobe during surgery. We discuss the anatomy of the azygos fissure and possible mechanisms for formation of the "empty" azygos fissure and the "vanishing" azygos fissure.

Visualization of Noncalcified Gallstones on CT Due to Vicarious Excretion of Intravenous Contrast.

We present a case where low attenuation gallstones are visible on CT only on delayed imaging secondary to gallbladder opacification from vicarious excretion of contrast. We discuss heterotopic accumulation of contrast in the gallbladder and its potential diagnostic utilization in the detection of occult pathology.

Mycoplasma infection transforms normal lung cells and induces bone morphogenetic protein 2 expression by post-transcriptional mechanisms.

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) is an essential growth factor and morphogen, whose pattern and level of expression profoundly influences development and physiology. We present the novel finding that mycoplasma infection induces BMP2 RNA production in six cell lines of diverse types (mesenchymal, epithelial, and myeloid). Mycoplasma infection triggered the expression of mature secreted BMP2 protein in BEAS-2B cells (immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells), which normally do not express BMP2, and further increased BMP2 production in A549 cells (lung adenocarcinoma cells).

Further delineation of interstitial chromosome 6 deletion syndrome and review of the literature.

Interstitial deletions of chromosome 6q are a relatively rare finding. Deletions have ranged from the loss of a single band to larger deletions spanning multiple bands. The clinical phenotype varies, but some features commonly seen include cardiac anomalies, hypotonia, facial dysmorphism and mental retardation.

Diagnostic imaging approach to dextrocardia: self-assessment module.

The educational objectives for this self-assessment module are for the participant to exercise, self-assess, and improve his or her understanding of the diagnostic imaging approach to dextrocardia.

High brachiocephalic artery: CT appearance and clinical implications.

We present a case of a high brachiocephalic artery extending as far superiorly as the thyroid gland. Recognition of this rare anomaly is necessary to avoid potential catastrophic hemorrhage or other complications during percutaneous and surgical procedures on the trachea and neck.

Approach to dextrocardia in adults: review.

Objective: The educational objectives of this article are to describe an approach to analyzing imaging studies in adults with dextrocardia and to present the appearances of the most common underlying disorders. Topics reviewed include the morphology of the cardiac chambers, the concept of situs, and the relevant embryologic principles. The disorders discussed include situs inversus totalis (mirror-image dextrocardia), dextroversion, congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, and polysplenia syndrome.

Intracardiac thrombus and pulmonary embolism with cavitation and pneumomediastinum in a patient with protein S deficiency.

We present a case of intracardiac thrombus with pulmonary embolism and pulmonary infarction in a patient with protein S deficiency. Secondary infection of the pulmonary infarction resulted in pneumomediastinum. Thrombus in an unusual location in a young patient without known predisposing conditions is a characteristic feature of a hereditary thrombophilic disorder.

Sodium-calcium exchange does not require allosteric calcium activation at high cytosolic sodium concentrations.

The activity of the cardiac Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX1.1) is allosterically regulated by Ca(2+), which binds to two acidic regions in the cytosolically disposed central hydrophilic domain of the NCX protein. A mutation in one of the regulatory Ca(2+) binding regions (D447V) increases the half-activation constant (K(h)) for allosteric Ca(2+) activation from approximately 0.

The thyroid cancer epidemic: is it the dark side of the CT revolution?

The rapid increase in CT use since 1990 and especially in the past 10 years has been accompanied by a coterminous worldwide increase in incidence of thyroid cancer especially in women. Are the two trends independent or related? Specific information from many countries and seven American states suggest that the relationship is real as no other cause can account fully for the temporal change in the frequency of this malignancy. Moreover, newer techniques of CT performance with or without the administration of iodinated contrast material favor the likelihood of a contingent association of image test utilization and thyroid cancer induction.