Baboons (Papio papio) spontaneously process the first-order but not second-order configural properties of faces.

A two-alternative forced-choice discrimination task was used to assess whether baboons (N=7) spontaneously process qualitative (i.e., first-order) or quantitative (i.

New adaptive method for phase I trials in oncology.

Assessment of the maximum tolerated dose for a small sample of patients is the objective of phase I trials in oncology. We propose a new adaptive approach performing differentiation of each type of toxicity and their grades, definition of the dose-limiting toxicity as a logical combination of toxicity events, modeling of the risk of toxic events as a function of the drug dose, and integration of individual covariates. An application study with retrospective data from a phase I Taxol pediatric trial revealed age as an influential covariate, allowing individualization of a patient's maximum tolerated dose.

Validation of a simple HPLC method for assay of haplamine and its metabolites in plasma suitable for pharmacokinetic application in rats.

A simple HPLC method with ultraviolet detection has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of haplamine and its metabolites (trans/cis-3,4-dihydroxyhaplamine) in rat. A liquid-liquid extraction was used to extract the compounds from rat plasma. The analysis was performed on a C(18) Nucleosil Nautilus column.

Survival and postoperative complication in daily practice after neoadjuvant therapy in resectable stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer.

Regarding persisting controversies about neoadjuvant treatment (NT), we studied the impact of neoadjuvant therapy in daily practice. Patients with stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) resected after NT were eligible. Data on preoperative treatments, surgical procedure, postoperative complications and survival were collected.

Microvascular diabetes complications in Wolfram syndrome (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness [DIDMOAD]): an age- and duration-matched comparison with common type 1 diabetes.

Objective: Some previous studies suggested that patients suffering from Wolfram syndrome or DIDMOAD (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness) might be relatively preserved from diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy. However, these data were not conclusive because either observations were only anecdotic or did not match with control type 1 diabetic populations.

Research Design And Methods: A group of 26 French diabetic patients with DIDMOAD was compared with a population of 52 patients with common type 1 diabetes matched for age at diabetes diagnosis (8.

Biomechanic study of the human liver during a frontal deceleration.

Background: Mechanisms of hepatic injury remain poorly understood. Surgical literature reports some speculative theories that have never been proved. The aim of this study was to examine the behavior of the liver during brutal frontal deceleration.

Management of placenta accreta: morbidity and outcome.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate our results in the management of placenta accreta.

Study Design: In a retrospective study we reviewed cases of placenta accreta diagnosed in two university teaching hospitals between 1993 and 2003. For a subgroup of patients a conservative approach was attempted.

Improved technique that allows the performance of large-scale SNP genotyping on DNA immobilized by FTA technology.

FTA technology is a novel method designed to simplify the collection, shipment, archiving and purification of nucleic acids from a wide variety of biological sources. The number of punches that can normally be obtained from a single specimen card are often however, insufficient for the testing of the large numbers of loci required to identify genetic factors that control human susceptibility or resistance to multifactorial diseases. In this study, we propose an improved technique to perform large-scale SNP genotyping.

Population pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone and pharmacodynamic considerations in haemodialysed patients.

Objectives: To determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of ceftriaxone following an infusion in haemodialysed outpatients and to use these parameters for an optimisation of dosing based on pharmacodynamic indices.

Methods: Fifty haemodialysed patients were enrolled in a single-centre, prospective, open-label study. They received short intravenous infusions of ceftriaxone 1 or 2 g every 48 hours for bronchopneumonia immediately after the dialysis session.

Impact of uncertainty on cost-effectiveness analysis of medical strategies: the case of high-dose chemotherapy for breast cancer patients.

Objectives: The object of this study was to determine, taking into account uncertainty on cost and outcome parameters, the cost-effectiveness of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) compared with conventional chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer patients.

Methods: An analysis was conducted for 300 patients included in a randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the benefits, in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival, of adding a single course of HDC to a four-cycle conventional-dose chemotherapy for breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node invasion. Costs were estimated from a detailed observation of physical quantities consumed, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate mean survival times.

Gefitinib (ZD1839, Iressa) in non-small-cell lung cancer: a review of clinical trials from a daily practice perspective.

Gefitinib (ZD1839) is the most widely studied targeting agent in the area of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Gefitinib is an orally active epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitor. In order to assess the role of gefitinib in the management of NSCLC patients, we systematically reviewed published clinical trials from a daily practice perspective.

Using a finite element model to evaluate human injuries application to the HUMOS model in whiplash situation.

Study Design: In the field of numerical simulation, the finite element method provides a virtual tool to study human tolerance and postulate on potential trauma under crash situations, particularly in case of whiplash trauma.

Objectives: To show how medical and biomechanical interpretations of numerical simulation can be used to postulate on human injuries during crash situations. This methodology was applied to whiplash trauma analysis.

The C-class chemokine lymphotactin costimulates the apoptosis of human CD4(+) T cells.

Clonal expansion of activated T cells is controlled by homeostatic mechanisms leading to cell death of a large proportion of the cells. The CD3/TcR pathway induces cell death, mostly when triggered in the absence of costimulatory signal. The unique T cell-specific chemokine of the C class, lymphotactin (Lptn), has recently been shown to inhibit the production of Th1-type lymphokines in human CD4(+) T cells.

Construction and functional evaluation of a single-chain antibody fragment that neutralizes toxin AahI from the venom of the scorpion Androctonus australis hector.

9C2 is a murine monoclonal IgG that participates in the neutralization of Androctonus australis hector scorpion venom. It recognizes AahI and AahIII, two of the three main neurotoxins responsible for almost all the toxicity of the venom when injected into mammals. Using PCR we cloned the antibody variable region coding genes from 9C2 hybridoma cells and constructed a gene encoding a single-chain antibody variable fragment molecule (scFv).

Relationship between efficacy, tolerance, and plasma drug concentration of ritonavir in children with advanced HIV infection.

The relationship between ritonavir plasma concentration, efficacy, and tolerance was evaluated in 31 children with advanced HIV infection who were receiving a triple therapy with ritonavir as protease inhibitor. Median CD4+ lymphocyte count and median viral load before the initiation of ritonavir-containing combination therapy were 1320 cells/mL and 5 log10 copies/mL, respectively. Ritonavir was given at a dose ranging from 300 to 450 mg/m2 twice daily.

The C-class chemokine, lymphotactin, impairs the induction of Th1-type lymphokines in human CD4(+) T cells.

Chemokines are involved in the regulation of leukocyte migration and for some of them, T-cell costimulation. To date, the only direct property of lymphotactin (Lptn), the unique member of the C class of chemokines, consists of T-cell chemoattraction. This report describes a novel function for Lptn in human T-lymphocyte biology, by demonstrating the direct ability of Lptn to both inhibit and costimulate CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell activation, respectively.

Disorganization of thymic medulla precedes evolution towards diabetes in female NOD mice.

The thymic medulla is a complex microenvironment which plays a crucial role in central tolerance induction. Using a quantitative histological analysis of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, we show that the medulla undergoes several structural modifications during the course of the disease in NOD mice. Indeed, the majority of 70-day-old NOD mice show a scattering of medullary epithelial cells in the cortex which is associated with a reduction in the size of the medulla in heavily disorganized thymuses.

Cora valveless pulsatile rotary pump: new design and control.

For decades, research for developing a totally implantable artificial ventricle has been carried on. For 4 to 5 years, two devices have been investigated clinically. For many years, we have studied a rotary (but not centrifugal) pump that furnishes pulsatile flow without a valve and does not need external venting or a compliance chamber.