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Complete Control (complete + control)
Selected AbstractsDiscontinuous drug combination therapy in autoimmune ocular disordersACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 3 2009Jelka G. Orsoni Abstract. Purpose:, This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a steroid-sparing immunosuppressive treatment (IST) protocol in the control of severe or steroid-resistant autoimmune ocular inflammatory diseases. Methods:, We carried out a prospective, non-randomized clinical study. Patients presenting with ocular inflammations that failed to respond adequately to steroids alone after monotherapy for a mean period of 9 ± 2 months (internal control) were offered the option to switch to a combined IST. The protocol consisted of different immunosuppressive drugs added in a stepladder sequence, where each drug (including the steroids) was administered discontinuously. Main outcome measures were control of inflammation, visual acuity and safety of treatment. Results:, A total of 76 subjects (121 affected eyes) enrolled in the IST protocol. Mean length of follow-up was 43 ± 15 months. Complete control of inflammation was achieved in 86% of patients. During the first year of IST, the rate of inflammatory recurrences/patient was 0.78 ± 1.13. This ratio diminished further during succeeding follow-up. Mean best corrected visual acuity improved from 0.31 logMAR to 0.24 logMAR (p < 0.001). Blood pressure and uric acid blood levels significantly altered for the worse in the study group. Conclusions:, Immunosuppressive treatment was effective in achieving inflammatory quiescence in a large majority of patients. The study also demonstrated the longterm safety of the protocol and its steroid-sparing effect. [source] Seizures and paroxysmal events: symptoms pointing to the diagnosis of pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy and pyridoxine phosphate oxidase deficiencyDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 7 2010BERNHARD SCHMITT Aim, We report on seizures, paroxysmal events, and electroencephalogram (EEG) findings in four female infants with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE) and in one female with pyridoxine phosphate oxidase deficiency (PNPO). Method, Videos and EEGs were analysed and compared with videos of seizures and paroxysmal events archived from 140 neonates. PDE and PNPO were proven by complete control of seizures once pyridoxine or pyridoxal 5,-phosphate was administered and by recurrence when withdrawn. Mutations in the antiquitin gene were found in three patients and in the PNPO gene in one child. Results, Seizures began within 48 hours after birth in four newborns and at age 3 weeks in one. Frequent multifocal and generalized myoclonic jerks, often intermixed with tonic symptoms, abnormal eye movement, grimacing, or irritability, were observed in all infants with PDE and PNPO, but rarely in the other archived videos of neonates. EEGs were inconstant and frequently no discernable ictal changes were recorded during the seizures and the paroxysmal events. In addition, interictal EEGs were inconclusive, with normal and abnormal recordings. In older children tonic,clonic seizures, abnormal behaviour, inconsolable crying, frightened facial expression, sleep disturbance, loss of consciousness, paraesthesia, or intermittent visual symptoms were described during controlled and uncontrolled withdrawal or insufficient dosage. Interpretation, PDE or PNPO should be considered in infants with prolonged episodes of mixed multifocal myoclonic tonic symptoms, notably when associated with grimacing and abnormal eye movements. [source] Mild Generalized Epilepsy and Developmental Disorder Associated with Large Inv Dup(15)EPILEPSIA, Issue 9 2002Rosanna Chifari Summary: ,Purpose: Several studies attempted to clarify the genotype,phenotype correlations in patients with inverted duplication of chromosome 15 [inv dup(15)], which is usually characterized by severe mental retardation and epilepsy in individuals with large duplications including the Prader,Willi/Angelman region. We report two patients with inv dup(15) who, in spite of a large duplication, had a mild phenotype including adult-onset epilepsy. This report may help to define the milder spectrum of the syndrome. Methods: A 25-year-old girl with mild mental retardation had a 6-year history of absence seizures, with occasional head drop. Interictal EEG revealed diffuse spike,wave complexes. Epilepsy was well controlled by a combination of lamotrigine (LTG) and valproate (VPA). The other patient, a 27-year-old man with mild mental retardation, had a 5-year history of rare generalized tonic,clonic seizure during sleep, and frequent episodes of unresponsiveness, which appeared to be atypical absence seizures on video-EEG recordings. A combination of VPA and LTG led to a remarkable improvement, although no complete control. Results: Molecular analysis revealed a large inv dup15 in both patients. Conclusions: The discrepancy between the mild phenotype and the severe chromosomal abnormality detected in these two patients further supports the notion that the site of breakpoint might be contributory to the inv dup(15) phenotype. Inv dup(15) should be considered in atypical cases of generalized epilepsy of adult onset without clear-cut etiology. [source] Chronic Bilateral Headache Responding to IndomethacinHEADACHE, Issue 10 2000Jan Hannerz MD Three patients with bilateral chronic tension-type headache (meeting IHS diagnostic criteria) responded with complete control of the headache during the more than 2 years they were treated with indomethacin. The headache recurred within 12 to 26 hours after indomethacin was stopped. Fifty milligrams of intravenous indomethacin resulted in complete relief of headache for 6.5 to 25 hours, similar to results found earlier in patients with hemicrania continua. It is concluded that there may be a subgroup of patients with bilateral chronic headache who respond to indomethacin in the group of patients otherwise diagnosed as having chronic tension-type headache. [source] Noncovalent Deposition of Nanoporous Ni Membranes on Spatially Organized Poly(p -xylylene) Film Templates,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 24 2007C. Demirel Nanostructured poly(p -xylylene) thin-film templates are used for Ni deposition. Noncovalent adsorption of metal-binding ligand to a thin film anchors a palladium catalyst and leads to selective metallization. The template facilitates complete control over the morphology and topology of the deposited Ni (see figure). [source] Original article: Antifungal activities of cinnamon oil against Rhizopus nigricans, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium expansum in vitro and in vivo fruit testINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 9 2010Yage Xing Summary The postharvest pathogens such as R. nigricans, A. flavas and P. expansum are the causal agents of jujube or orange fruit, therefore, in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of cinnamon oil to inactivate these fungi were investigated. Cinnamaldehyde is the main constituent of cinnamon oil. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of cinnamon oil against Rhizopus nigricans, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium expansum were 0.64% (v/v), 0.16% (v/v) and 0.16% (v/v), respectively. The antifungal activity of cinnamon oil against A. flavus and P. expansum was stronger than that against R. nigricans and the activity was improved with increasing its concentration. In an in vivo study, cinnamon oil with concentrations of 2.0% (v/v) and 3.0% (v/v) showed complete control the growth of fungi in wound-inoculated Lingwu Long Jujube and Sand Sugar Orange fruits. These results revealed that cinnamon oil has a good potential to be as a natural antifungal agent for fruit applications. [source] Reproductive skew in birds: models, problems and prospectsJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2000Robert D. Magrath In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in models to explain the partitioning of direct reproduction (,reproductive skew') among members of one sex within social groups. We review models of skew, identify problems of testing models, and consider how to make progress. One series of models assumes that dominants have complete control of subordinate reproduction, but may allow subordinates some reproduction as a way of enticing them to help or getting them to share the cost of reproduction. Another series of models assume that dominants have limited control of subordinate reproduction. Reproductive skew may also be affected by incest avoidance or control by the opposite sex. Models are largely untested because no study of birds has quantified all relevant parameters, and we see no prospect of this happening soon. A common simplifying approach is to test qualitative predictions about the effect on skew of relatedness among group members. However, these data alone cannot distinguish among models because models do not make unique predictions, partly because skew is also affected by other factors. A major problem in cooperatively-breeding birds is that any effect of relatedness will often be confounded by covariation with relatedness asymmetry and subordinate competitiveness. Progress can be made with the development of theory, controlling confounding variables through the choice of study species or types of social group, and, most importantly, testing assumptions underlying hypotheses. [source] Probabilistic Voting and Accountability in Elections with Uncertain Policy ConstraintsJOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 1 2007ADAM MEIROWITZ We consider accountability in repeated elections with two long-lived parties that have distinct policy preferences and different levels of valence. In each period the government faces a privately observed feasibility constraint and selects a publicly observed policy vector. While pure strategy equilibria do not exhibit tight control on government policy making, complete control is possible in mixed strategies. In optimal equilibria voters use reelection functions which depend on policy in a manner that causes the governing party to internalize voter preferences. In these optimal equilibria the voters use different reelection functions for different parties. [source] Omalizumab therapy: patients who achieve greatest benefit for their asthma experience greatest benefit for rhinitisALLERGY, Issue 1 2009M. Humbert Background:, Asthma and rhinitis are considered components of a single IgE-mediated inflammatory disorder. However, despite being shown to often co-exist, they are typically treated as independent conditions. Omalizumab, an anti-IgE antibody, has proven effective in the treatment of both asthma and rhinitis. Aims:, To examine whether a response to omalizumab in terms of asthma control predicts a higher likelihood of rhinitis response in patients with concomitant allergic asthma and rhinitis. Methods:, This post hoc analysis was conducted on efficacy results from the SOLAR trial in which patients with moderate-to-severe asthma and rhinitis were randomized to receive omalizumab or placebo for 28 weeks. Patients were classified as asthma responders based on the physician's overall assessment (complete control or marked improvement in a five-level evaluation). Rhinitis responders were identified using the Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) questionnaire (, 1.0 point improvement in overall score). Results:, Data were available for 207 omalizumab-treated patients and 192 placebo patients. According to the physicians overall assessment, 123 (59.4%) of omalizumab-treated patients were asthma responders, with the likelihood of a rhinitis response significantly (P < 0.001) greater in these patients than in the placebo group. The odds ratio for rhinitis response in omalizumab-treated asthma responders vs nonresponders was 3.56 (95% CI: 1.94,6.54). Conclusions:, A response in terms of asthma following omalizumab therapy is associated with a significantly increased probability of improvement in rhinitis. [source] Competing with channel partners: Supply chain conflict when retailers introduce store brandsNAVAL RESEARCH LOGISTICS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2010Hans Sebastian Heese Abstract Private-label products are of increasing importance in many retail categories. While national-brand products are designed by the manufacturer and sold by the retailer, the positioning of store-brand products is under the complete control of the retailer. We consider a scenario where products differ on a performance quality dimension and we analyze how retailer,manufacturer interactions in product positioning are affected by the introduction of a private-label product. Specifically, we consider a national-brand manufacturer who determines the quality of its product as well the product's wholesale price charged to the retailer. Given the national-brand quality and wholesale price, the retailer then decides the quality level of its store brand and sets the retail prices for both products. We find that a manufacturer can derive substantial benefits from considering a retailer's store-brand introduction when determining the national brand's quality and wholesale price. If the retailer has a significant cost disadvantage in producing high-quality products, the manufacturer does not need to adjust the quality of the national-brand product, but he should offer a wholesale price discount to ensure its distribution through the retailer. If the retailer is competitive in providing products of high-quality, the manufacturer should reduce this wholesale price discount and increase the national-brand quality to mitigate competition. Interestingly, we find the retailer has incentive to announce a store-brand introduction to induce the manufacturer's consideration of these plans in determining the national-brand product quality and wholesale price. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2010 [source] Synthesis and characterization of gold-based mesoscopic additives for polymersPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 12 2004G Carotenuto Abstract A method for the controlled synthesis of alkanethiol-derivatized gold clusters to be used as fillers for polymeric nanocomposites has been developed. Gold clusters embedded in poly(N -vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) were obtained by reduction of AuCl4, with ethylene glycol in the presence of PVP as a stabilizer. The gold/PVP system was separated from the reactive mixture by flocculation with acetone, and this material was treated with a dodecanethiol/ethanol solution to produce thiol-derivatized gold clusters. Then, the clusters were dispersed in polystyrene/chloroform solutions and highly transparent purple-colored nanocomposite films were obtained by solution casting. This preparative scheme allows one to obtain high-purity nanocomposites, with complete control over the filler percentage and size. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] An Independent Central Bank and an Independent Monetary Policy: The Role of the Government Budget,The Case of Poland 1924,26PUBLIC BUDGETING AND FINANCE, Issue 1 2001Gail E. Makinen Poland's 1924 stabilization plan created, as measured by contemporary criteria, an independent central bank. The stabilization's success was undermined by a fiscal disequilibrium when a capital levy failed to raise revenue. The Polish government covered the revenue shortfall by exploiting the right of the state to issue subsidiary coins. Although central bank independence was not compromised, Poland did not have an independent monetary policy. When the fiscal disequilibrium was corrected in 1926, the central bank gained complete control over monetary policy. Thus, a balanced budget may be more important to achieving price stability than arrangements to foster central bank independence. [source] Unravelling the riddle of exhibitionism: A lesson in the power tactics of perverse interpersonal relationshipsTHE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 1 2008Richard Howard Tuch Through an examination of the varied paradoxes embedded within the phenomenon of genital exhibitionism, the author establishes exhibitionism as a paradigm for interpersonal relations whereby one individual entices another to lose himself, to a benign or dangerous degree, in a presented portrayal/enactment. Efforts to entice that cause an extreme loss of the subject's sense of self , making it exceedingly hard to break free of , are designed to render the subject powerless and take psychic possession of him. The perpetrator accomplishes this feat by interacting with his victim in ways capable of producing a sudden and profound regression with sufficient loss of autonomous ego functioning that the subject finds it hard, if not impossible, to act on his own behalf. The essential feature of the perpetrator's efforts is his violation of the unspoken but understood rules of interpersonal engagement that, when violated, cause extreme disorientation and a loss of trust in one's most basic assumptions about how humans treat one another. When this happens, we would describe the interaction as having been perverted to serve the exclusive needs of the predator , to gain as complete control over the other as possible. [source] Thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusionANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 1-2 2003David Love Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common and distressing condition at the end of life for many patients with disseminated cancer. The challenge for the surgeon lies in managing this problem in order to deliver the most effective palliation with the least impact on the limited time available to these patients. Methods: Herein is reported a retrospective review of outcomes for a consecutive series of 66 MPE (61 patients) treated over a 5-year period from 1995 to 2000. A standard operative technique involving a single-lung anaesthetic and two-port thoracoscopy was employed. Outcomes were determined by contacting the referring practitioner or the patients themselves. Principal outcome measures included time to recurrence of the effusion and survival. Results: Complete follow up was achieved for 60 MPE (55 patients; five of whom were treated for metachronous, bilateral disease). The three most common primary sites were breast, lung and mesothelial tissue. The planned procedure was not completed in two cases due to encasement of the underlying lung by tumour. Primary failure (immediate recurrence of the effusion) occurred in six cases. Delayed recurrence of the effusion occurred in a further 23 MPE resulting in complete control in 31 cases (52%) until death. Overall median survival was 220 days and the 30-day mortality was 0. Conclusions: Complete and permanent control of a malignant effusion is difficult to achieve. Management based on thoracoscopy and talc insufflation produces satisfactory results with an acceptable morbidity and no early mortality. The ability to inspect the pleural space, break down adhesions and completely drain pockets of fluid to achieve complete lung expansion probably contributes to this. [source] Complete and sustained remission of juvenile dermatomyositis resulting from aggressive treatmentARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 6 2009Susan Kim Objective To assess the time needed to achieve sustained, medication-free remission in a cohort of patients with juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) receiving a stepwise, aggressive treatment protocol. Methods Between 1994 and 2004, a cohort of 49 children with juvenile DM who were followed up at a single tertiary care children's hospital using disease activity measures according to a specific protocol received standardized therapy with steroids and methotrexate. If a patient's strength or muscle enzyme levels did not normalize with this initial therapy, additional medications were added in rapid succession to the treatment regimen. The primary outcome measure was time to complete remission. Additional outcome measures were onset of calcinosis, effect of treatment on height, and complications resulting from medications. Results Forty-nine patients were followed up for a mean ± SD of 48 ± 30 months. All but 1 patient received 2 or more medications simultaneously. Transient localized calcifications occurred in 4 patients (8%), and 2 additional patients (4%) had persistent calcinosis. Despite the aggressive therapy, complications associated with treatment were mild and were primarily attributable to steroids. No persistent effect on longitudinal growth was observed. A complete, medication-free remission was achieved in 28 patients; the median time to achievement of complete remission was 38 months (95% confidence interval 32,44 months). None of these patients experienced a disease flare that required resumption of medications during the subsequent period of observation (mean ± SD 36 ± 19.7 months). Conclusion Our findings suggest that aggressive treatment of juvenile DM aimed at achieving rapid, complete control of muscle weakness and inflammation improves outcomes and reduces disease-related complications. In more than one-half of the children whose disease was treated in this manner (28 of 49), a prolonged, medication-free remission was attained within a median of 38 months from the time of diagnosis. [source] Stereocontrolled Cyclic Nitrone Cycloaddition Strategy for the Synthesis of Pyrrolizidine and Indolizidine AlkaloidsCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 32 2009Alberto Brandi Prof. Abstract The synthesis of polyhydroxylated indolizidines and pyrrolizidines belonging to the class of iminosugars, endowed with a vast and assorted biological activity, can be achieved in a straightforward manner by a general strategy consisting of a highly stereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of polyhydroxylated pyrroline- N -oxides followed by simple transformations of the isoxazolidine adducts. The strategy allows the complete control of the relative and absolute stereochemistry of the numerous stereogenic centers decorating these compounds. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||