Pathogen and heavy metal contamination in urban agroecosystems of northern Ghana: Influence of biochar application and wastewater irrigation.

The benefit of biochar as a soil fertility enhancer is well known and has been broadly investigated. Equally, many tropical and subtropical countries use wastewater for irrigation in urban agriculture. To assess the related health risks, we determined pathogen and heavy metal fate associated with biochar application and wastewater irrigation in the urban agriculture of northern Ghana.

Identification of two forebrain structures that mediate execution of memorized sequences in the pigeon.

The execution of action sequences is the basis of most behavior. However, little is known about the neural foundation of visuomotor sequence execution in birds, although pigeons are a classic model animal to study sequence learning and production. Recently, we identified two structures in the pigeon brain, the nidopallium intermedium medialis pars laterale (NIML) and the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), that are involved in the execution of a serial reaction time task (SRTT).

Methazolamide does not impair respiratory work performance in anesthetized rabbits.

In human medicine, the carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitor acetazolamide is used to treat irregular breathing disorders. Previously, we demonstrated in the rabbit that this substance stabilized closed-loop gain properties of the respiratory control system, but concomitantly weakened respiratory muscles. Among others, the highly diffusible CA-inhibitor methazolamide differs from acetazolamide in that it fails to activate Ca(2+)-dependent potassium channels in skeletal muscles.

A new system for the acquisition of ultrasonic multicompression strain images of the human prostate in vivo.

We describe a novel recording system for the acquisition of multicompression strain images of the human prostate in vivo. The force at the tip of an ultrasonic transrectal probe is measured continuously, and ultrasonic RF-images are acquired consecutively at specified levels of compression. The acquired image sequence is processed by conventional cross-correlation techniques to obtain time shift estimates and corresponding strain images.

A time-efficient and accurate strain estimation concept for ultrasonic elastography using iterative phase zero estimation.

In ultrasonic elastography, the exact estimation of temporal displacements between two signals is the key to estimating strain. An algorithm was previously proposed that estimates these displacements using phase differences of the corresponding base-band signals. A major advantage of these algorithms compared with correlation techniques is the computational efficiency.

Tissue-characterization of the prostate using radio frequency ultrasonic signals.

In this paper, we will present a complete method and system for the detection of prostatic carcinoma, providing color-coded images of the estimated probability of malignancy by processing radio-frequency ultrasonic echo signals. For this, a hardware setup based on a conventional diagnostic sonograph was realized. The image-processing software works on ultrasound images automatically segmented into regions of about 3x3.

Reduction of hepatic insulin clearance after oral glucose ingestion is not mediated by glucagon-like peptide 1 or gastric inhibitory polypeptide in humans.

Changes in hepatic insulin clearance can occur after oral glucose or meal ingestion. This has been attributed to the secretion and action of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1. Given the recent availability of drugs based on incretin hormones, such clearance effects may be important for the future treatment of type 2 diabetes.

The glucagon-like peptide-1 metabolite GLP-1-(9-36) amide reduces postprandial glycemia independently of gastric emptying and insulin secretion in humans.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) lowers glycemia by modulating gastric emptying and endocrine pancreatic secretion. Rapidly after its secretion, GLP-1-(7-36) amide is degraded to the metabolite GLP-1-(9-36) amide. The effects of GLP-1-(9-36) amide in humans are less well characterized.

[Homocysteine and its metabolites in chronic renal insufficiency and the effect of a vitamin replacement].

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been increasingly recognized as an important risk factor for elevated atherosclerotic vascular disease in chronic renal failure. We measured in patients with chronic renal failure homocysteine and metabolites of its 2 metabolic pathways, transulfuration (cystathionine, cysteine) and remethylation (methionine, methylmalonic acid, 2-methylcitric acid).

Patients And Methods: Eleven patients on conservative treatment (creatinine clearance 10 to 30 ml/min) and 50 chronic uremic subjects on regular hemodialysis were included in the study.

[Automated quantitative image cytometry of bronchial washings in suspected lung cancer: comparison with cytology, histology and clinical diagnosis].

Introduction: Automated image cytometry represents a new method for the quantitative analysis of nuclear structure and DNA-content of exfoliative airway epithelial cells. In the present investigation, we examined the correlation between automated cytometry, conventional cytology and histopathology with the final diagnosis as the "gold standard".

Methods: In 142 patients (100 males and 42 females) with suspected lung cancer and 50 controls (COPD, asthma), bronchial washings (5-10 ml) were obtained during bronchoscopy before taking biopsies for cytological and/or histological examinations.

Surgical treatment of recurrent trigeminal neuralgia.

In this retrospective investigation 7 patients operated on for recurrent trigeminal neuralgia via a suboccipital enlarged burr hole trepanation were evaluated. The intraoperative findings indicate that neo-compressive effects due to foreign material used during prior surgery are more important than adhesions around the nerve. Furthermore, the results of recurrent operations are encouraging as 6 of the 7 patients were painfree without additional neurological deficits.

Optical imaging of cat auditory cortical organization after electrical stimulation of a multichannel cochlear implant: differential effects of acute and chronic stimulation.

Objective: To study the effects of electrical stimulation on cortical activation patterns.

Materials And Methods: Optical imaging of auditory cortex in cats that are acutely and chronically electrically stimulated with cochlear implants.

Results: Chronic electrical stimulation results in expansion of cortical territory and overlap.

[Thoracic surgery emergencies in early childhood].

Thoracic surgical emergencies in early childhood refer mainly to congenital malformation. To enable a successful treatment, disclosing of provable malformations by prenatal ultrasound screening and gradual sonographic diagnostics are necessary. Management of thoracic emergency situations should take place within an interdisciplinary team.

The effects of platelet-activating factor on flow rate and eicosanoid release in the isolated perfused rat gastric vascular bed.

In the isolated rat stomach perfused via the vasculature in situ under constant pressure bolus injections of platelet-activating factor (PAF, 3, 16, or 50 ng) induced dose-dependent, long-lasting reductions of flow rates and simultaneously significant increases in the release of cysteinyl-leukotrienes (cys-LT), thromboxane (TX) B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin (PG) F1 alpha. Reversed phase high pressure liquid chromatography demonstrated the release of a mixture of comparable amounts of LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4 by PAF. Inhibition of cys-LT synthesis by the lipoxygenase inhibitors nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and L-651,896 did not significantly affect PAF-induced flow reduction indicating that endogenous cys-LT are of minor importance for the PAF effect on gastric vascular flow.

[Criteria for terminating inpatient psychotherapy of anorexia nervosa patients].

Following some general theoretical considerations, the paper empirically addresses the question of termination of in-patient treatment of anorexia nervosa. It identifies those factors which have been the cause of unsuccessful treatment (including fatal outcome) and which must therefore be taken into account, especially when terminating therapy. It is not the improvement of weight and somatic symptoms which turns out to be an adequate criterion for discharge, but rather the capability for generating new social relationship.