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Mixed Type (mixed + type)
Selected AbstractsMotor impairments in young children with cerebral palsy: relationship to gross motor function and everyday activitiesDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 9 2004Sigrid Østensjø MSc PT In this study we assessed the distribution of spasticity, range of motion (ROM) deficits, and selective motor control problems in children with cerebral palsy (CP), and examined how these impairments relate to each other and to gross motor function and everyday activities. Ninety-five children (55 males, 40 females; mean age 58 months, SD18 months, range 25 to 87 months) were evaluated with the modified Ashworth scale (MAS), passive ROM, the Selective Motor Control scale (SMC), the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Types of CP were hemiplegia (n=19), spastic diplegia (n=40), ataxic diplegia (n=4), spastic quadriplegia (n=16), dyskinetic (n=9), and mixed type (n=7). Severity spanned all five levels of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). The findings highlight the importance of measuring spasticity and ROM in several muscles and across joints. Wide variability of correlations of MAS, ROM, and SMC indicates a complex relationship between spasticity, ROM, and selective motor control. Loss of selective control seemed to interfere with gross motor function more than the other impairments. Further analyses showed that motor impairments were only one component among many factors that could predict gross motor function and everyday activities. Accomplishment of these activities was best predicted by the child's ability to perform gross motor tasks. [source] Belief in transforming another person into a wolf: could it be a variant of lycanthropy?ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2007A. G. Nejad Objective:, Lycanthropy is a rare psychiatric condition in which the patient believes in being transformed into an animal. Belief in the transformation of another person into an animal has not been reported, so far. Here, a patient with an impression of bipolar mood disorder (mixed type) and such delusion is reported. Method:, A single case is reported. Results:, A young male patient in his first psychiatric episode, developed delusional conviction of his mother's transformation into a wolf. He did not have any delusions regarding the transformation of himself into an animal, although he reported drooling for months before developing a delusional belief regarding his mother. Conclusion:, Belief in the transformation of another person into an animal may have similar roots as lycanthropy and could be considered as a variant of this syndrome. [source] Interaction of bisphenol a with human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 enzymeENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Nobumitsu Hanioka Abstract The effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 (UGT1A6) activities in microsomes from human livers and yeast cells expressing human UGT1A6 (humUGT1A6) were investigated. Serotonin (5-HT) and 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) were used as the substrates for UGT1A6. BPA dose-dependently inhibited 5-HT and 4-MU glucuronidation activities in both enzyme sources. The IC50 values of BPA for 5-HT and 4-MU glucuronidation activities were 156 and 163 ,M for liver microsomes, and 84.6 and 80.3 ,M for yeast cell microsomes expressing humUGT1A6, respectively. The inhibitory pattern of BPA for 5-HT and 4-MU glucuronidation activities in human liver microsomes exhibited a mixture of competitive and noncompetitive components, with Ki values of 84.9 and 72.3 ,M, respectively. In yeast cell microsomes expressing humUGT1A6, 5-HT glucuronidation activities were noncompetitively inhibited by BPA (Ki value, 65.5 ,M), whereas the inhibition of 4-MU glucuronidation activities by BPA exhibited the mixed type (Ki value, 42.5 ,M). These results suggest that BPA interacts with human UGT1A6 enzyme, and that the interaction may contribute to the toxicity, such as hormone disruption and reproductive effects, of BPA. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2008. [source] Abnormal cardiovascular responses to carotid sinus massage also occur in vasovagal syncope , implications for diagnosis and treatmentEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2010A. M. Humm Background and purpose:, Carotid sinus massage (CSM) is commonly used to identify carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH) as a possible cause for syncope, especially in older patients. However, CSM itself could provoke classical vasovagal syncope (VVS) in pre disposed subjects. Methods:, Retrospective analysis of CSM, cardiovascular autonomic function tests (including tilt table testing) and medical history in 388 patients with recurrent syncope to identify and characterize patients in whom an abnormal response to CSM was more likely to reflect VVS than CSH. Results:, CSM was abnormal in 79 patients. In 53 patients (77.2 ± 8.7 years), CSH was the likely cause of syncope. VVS was the more likely diagnosis in 26 younger patients (59.7 ± 12.6 years) with longstanding syncope from youth, in whom fear or pain was as a trigger; 7/26 suffered from intense chronic or intermittent neck pain and one exacerbation of syncopal attacks followed a physical and emotional trauma to the neck. In VVS, 4/26 had spontaneous VVS during head-up tilt, another six after venepuncture (performed in 17/26). In 6/26, the abnormal response to CSM was delayed, occurring 62.8 ± 28.4 s after completion of CSM. The response to CSM was predominantly of the mixed type (20/26) and abnormal on both sides in 14/26. Conclusions:, An abnormal response to CSM may not indicate syncope caused by CSH and needs to be considered in the light of the patient's age, duration of syncopal episodes and detailed history of provocative stimuli. Differentiating CSH from VVS with an abnormal response to CSM has various implications from advice on driving to treatment strategies. [source] Molecular Epidemiology and Outcome of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Thailand: a Cultural Cross RoadsHELICOBACTER, Issue 5 2004Ratha-Korn Vilaichone ABSTRACT Background., Thailand is at the cultural cross roads between East and South Asia. It has been suggested that this is also the region where the predominant Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) genotype changes from East Asian to South Asian. Methods., We compared the molecular epidemiology and outcome of H. pylori infections among different ethnic groups in Thailand (Thai, Thai-Chinese and Chinese). H. pylori isolates were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction based on cagA, cag right end junction and vacA genotypes. Results., Ninety-eight isolates from 38 ethnic Thai, 20 ethnic Chinese and 40 Thai-Chinese were categorized into East Asian (45%), South/Central Asian (26%), Western (1%) or mixed type (29%). The East Asian genotype was the most common among Chinese (85%) and Thai-Chinese (55%) (p < .01 compared to ethnic Thai). The ethnicity of the mother among mixed Thai-Chinese marriages predicted the genotype of the child's H. pylori (e.g. when the mother was Chinese, 84% had East Asian type vs. 29% when the mother was Thai) (p < .001). Gastric cancer was common among ethnic Chinese with East Asian genotype (e.g. all Chinese with gastric cancer or peptic ulcer disease had East Asian genotype, whereas only 40% of Chinese with gastritis had this genotype). Conclusions., Immigration, intermarriage and the variety of H. pylori genotypes in Thailand suggest that Thailand is an ideal site for epidemiological studies attempting to relate H. pylori genotypes and host factors to outcome. Our data also support the hypothesis that the primary caretaker of the children is most likely the source of the infection. [source] Histomorphometric assessment of bone turnover in uraemic patients: comparison between activation frequency and bone formation rateHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 6 2001P Ballanti Histomorphometric assessment of bone turnover in uraemic patients: comparison between activation frequency and bone formation rate Aims:,The histomorphometric assessment of bone formation rate (BFR/BS) in bone biopsies from uraemic patients is of crucial importance in differentiating low from high turnover types of renal osteodystrophy. However, since BFR/BS relies on osteoblasts, activation frequency (Ac.f), encompassing all remodelling phases, has recently been preferred to BFR/BS. This study was carried out to consider whether estimation of Ac.f is superior, in practical terms, to that of BFR/BS in distinguishing between different rates of bone turnover in uraemic patients. Methods and results:,Bone biopsies from 27 patients in predialysis (20 men and seven women; mean age 53 ± 12 years) and 37 in haemodialysis (22 men and 15 women; mean age 53 ± 12 years) were examined. The types of renal osteodystrophy were classified on the basis of morphology. Bone formation rate and Ac.f were evaluated according to standardized procedures. The Ac.f was calculated both as a ratio between BFR/BS and wall thickness (W.Th) and as a reciprocal of erosion, formation and quiescent periods (EP, FP and QP). Patients were affected by renal osteodystrophy with predominant hyperparathyroidism (two predialysis and 16 dialysis), predominant osteomalacia (three predialysis and seven dialysis) or that of advanced (nine predialysis and five dialysis) or mild (seven predialysis and four dialysis) mixed type or adynamic type (six predialysis and five dialysis). Activation frequency, which with either formula requires the measurement of W.Th, i.e. the thickness of bone structural units (BSUs), was not calculated in three dialysis patients with severe hyperparathyroidism and in one predialysis and four dialysis patients with severe osteomalacia, because only incomplete BSUs were found. In dialysis, EP was higher in the adynamic than in the other types of osteodystrophy. During both predialysis and dialysis, FP was higher in osteomalacia than in the other forms of osteodystrophy, and in adynamic osteopathy than in hyperparathyroidism or in advanced and mild mixed osteodystrophy. During predialysis and dialysis, QP was higher in the adynamic than in the other forms of osteodystrophy. Correlations were found between BFR/BS and Ac.f, during predialysis (r=0.97) and dialysis (r=0.95). Conclusions:,The superiority of Ac.f in assessing bone turnover, in comparison to BFR/BS, is conceptual rather than practical. The highest values for FP in osteomalacia and for QP in adynamic bone allow a clearer characterization of these low turnover conditions. [source] Numerical analysis of boundary-value problems for singularly perturbed differential-difference equations: small shifts of mixed type with rapid oscillationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2004M. K. Kadalbajoo Abstract We study the boundary-value problems for singularly perturbed differential-difference equations with small shifts. Similar boundary-value problems are associated with expected first-exit time problems of the membrane potential in models for activity of neurons (SIAM J. Appl. Math. 1994; 54: 249,283; 1982; 42: 502,531; 1985; 45: 687,734) and in variational problems in control theory. In this paper, we present a numerical method to solve boundary-value problems for a singularly perturbed differential-difference equation of mixed type, i.e. which contains both type of terms having negative shifts as well as positive shifts, and consider the case in which the solution of the problem exhibits rapid oscillations. The stability and convergence analysis of the method is given. The effect of small shift on the oscillatory solution is shown by considering the numerical experiments. The numerical results for several test examples demonstrate the efficiency of the method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Thermal deactivation and inhibition of D -Amino acid oxidase in permeabilized cells of the yeast Trigonopsis variabilisJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2004José A Moreno Abstract The inhibition of D -amino acid oxidase contained in permeabilized cells of the yeast Trigonopsis variabilis by ,-keto acids (pyruvic acid, phenylpyruvic acid and 4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoic acid), products of the transformation of the corresponding D -amino acids, was studied. In all cases, inhibition was of the mixed type and significant differences with respect to the inhibition shown by the enzyme from other sources such as pig kidney or the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis were observed. A study was also made of the thermal deactivation of the enzyme contained in permeabilized cells of T variabilis in the temperature range 30,50 °C in sodium phosphate and Tris hydroxylmethyl aminomethane + CaCl2 buffers. A deactivation mechanism with two steps in series is proposed to account for the variation in activity with time. The results suggest that the enzyme shows greater stability in phosphate buffer, with half-lives between 7.6 days at 30 °C and 8.6 h at 50 °C. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Clonal analysis of cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma (dermatofibroma)JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 7 2002Pei Hui Background:, Dermatofibroma (DF) or cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma is a common benign fibrohistiocytic lesion involving the dermis and subcutis. Histologically, it is subclassified into fibroblastic and histiocytoid forms. Its histogenesis is controversial. While often referred to as a neoplastic process, definite evidence of neoplasia in DF has been lacking. Alternatively, some authorities have suggested that DF is a fibrosing inflammatory process. Diagnostically, the most important question faced is the distinction from dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). Misdiagnosis can occur, as the early phase of DFSP can simulate DF, particularly the deep and cellular forms of DF. Methods:, To address this issue, and to investigate whether DF is in fact a neoplasm, we evaluated 31 examples of DF of various histological types in female patients and assessed clonality by analyzing X-chromosome inactivation as indicated by the methylation status of the androgen receptor gene (HUMARA). Representative cases of DFSP were analyzed for comparison. Results:, Among the selected 31 cases of DF, 24 cases provided intact DNA and informative polymorphism at the AR alleles, including one case of recurrent deep fibrous histiocytoma. Among these 24 cases, randomly inactivated AR alleles were observed in 17 cases including a deep, recurrent fibroblastic DF. A non-random inactivation at AR alleles was observed in seven cases, of which six cases showed either typical histiocytoid form of DF (four cases) or mixed cell types with predominant histiocytoid cell type (two cases). One fibroblastic DF also showed a monoclonal pattern. HUMARA analysis of DFSP revealed non-random inactivation of polymorphic AR alleles. Conclusions:, These findings suggest that DF is a heterogeneous process. Monoclonal genotype was found in DFs with histiocytoid or mixed type with predominant histiocytoid features, suggesting that histiocytoid cells probably represent the neoplastic component. The fibroblastic form of DF may represent a reactive fibroblastic proliferation. Alternatively, it may represent a true neoplasm whose neoplastic cell type has been obscured by prominent reactive fibroblastic component. [source] Antifungal property of the essential oils and their constituents from Cinnamomum osmophloeum leaf against tree pathogenic fungiJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 12 2005Han-Chung Lee Abstract This study compares the chemical constituents of leaf essential oils from various geographical provenances of Cinnamomum osmophloeum and investigates their antifungal activities against six tree pathogenic fungi. According to GC-MS and cluster analyses, the leaf essential oils obtained from different geographical provenances and their relative contents were classified into six chemotypes: cinnamaldehyde type, cinnamaldehyde,cinnamyl acetate type, cinnamyl acetate type, linalool type, camphor type, and mixed type. Results from the antifungal tests show that the leaf essential oils of cinnamaldehyde type and cinnamaldehyde,cinnamyl acetate type have excellent inhibitory effect against Rhizoctonia solani, Collectotrichum gloeosporioides, Ganoderma australe and Fusarium solani. Furthermore, among the fourteen constituents of C osmophloeum leaf essential oils, Z -cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, geraniol and citral display the best antifungal properties. Comparisons of the antifungal properties of Z -cinnamaldehyde congeners reveal that Z -cinnamaldehyde exhibits the best antifungal property of this group. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Inhibition of corrosion of AZ91 magnesium alloy in ethylene glycol solution in presence of chloride anionsMATERIALS AND CORROSION/WERKSTOFFE UND KORROSION, Issue 2 2005E. Slavcheva Abstract The influence of chloride ions on the corrosion of AZ91 magnesium alloy in water/ethylene glycol solutions and the inhibiting effect of lactobiono-tallowamide (LTA) were investigated using electrochemical and surface analysis methods. Potentiodynamic polarization curves in aqueous solution of ethylene glycol (50:50w%) containing 0.1 g.L,1 chloride and up to 0.5 g.L,1 LBT were obtained at room and at elevated temperatures. The chloride anions showed a distinct deteriorating effect as they caused pit initiation and accelerated the dissolution of the tested alloy. The selected organic compound demonstrated good protective properties against corrosion of AZ91 magnesium alloy and behaved as inhibitor of mixed type hindering both the cathodic and the anodic partial reactions. It showed inhibition efficiency of 77% at relatively low concentration of 0.2 g.L,1 and was considered as a promising corrosion inhibitor. The mechanism of inhibition was discussed on the basis of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and XRD analysis of the surface. [source] Differences in age at onset and familial aggregation between clinical types of idiopathic Parkinson's diseaseMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 9 2004Alexei Korchounov MD Abstract Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) can be subdivided by its patterns of motor symptoms into tremor-dominant (TDT), akinetic-rigid (ART), and mixed type (MT). Our objective was to determine whether age at onset and family history are different in these three types. In total, 366 patients with PD were assigned in a standardized approach to one of the three subtypes. Age at onset and family history were obtained in all patients and all presumably affected family members were examined. Mean ages at disease onset were similar in all three groups, but distribution of age at onset was markedly different: monophasic in TDT with a peak around 60 years, biphasic in ART with two peaks, one in the middle of the sixth decade (earlier onset, ART-EO), another during the first half of the seventh decade (later onset, ART-LO), and increasing with age only in MT patients A positive family history was significantly associated only with TDT (odds ratio = 5.7) and ART-EO (odds ratio = 7.8), but not with MT or ART-LO patients. Segregation analysis suggested an autosomal recessive mode of transmission in ART-EO and an autosomal dominant mode of transmission in TDT. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society [source] Expression of double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase in small-size peripheral adenocarcinoma of the lungPATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 11 2005Mee Sook Roh The authors investigated the protein expression of double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR), which was identified by using a previous cDNA microarray study, to discover PKR's correlations with several pathological parameters and to elucidate its role in neoplastic transformation and progression of lung adenocarcinomas. Immunohistochemistry for PKR was performed and a semiquantitative scoring method was calculated based on staining intensity and percentage of immunoreactive tumor cells (high vs low) for one bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), 16 adenocarcinomas consisting of BAC and invasive carcinoma (mixed) and 21 invasive adenocarcinomas without BAC (invasive). The BAC had high-grade expression and the mixed type tended to more frequently show high-grade expression than the invasive type (P = 0.028). There were no significant associations with age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion or the pathological stage. The Kaplan,Meier survival curves demonstrated that the patients with high-grade PKR expression had significantly shorter survival periods than those patients with low-grade PKR expression (P = 0.018). These results do not support the concept of PKR as a tumor suppressor in small-size peripheral adenocarcinomas of the lung. [source] Patterns and gradients of diversity in South Patagonian ombrotrophic peat bogsAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010TILL KLEINEBECKER Abstract Many north-hemispherical mires seemingly untouched by drainage and cultivation are influenced by a diffuse sum of man-made environmental changes, such as atmospherical nitrogen deposition that mask general patterns in species richness and functional group responses along resource gradients. To obtain insights into natural diversity-environment relationships, we studied the vegetation and the peat chemistry of pristine bog ecosystems in southern Patagonia along a west,east transect across the Andes. The studied bog ecosystems covered a floristic gradient from hyperoceanic blanket bogs dominated by cushion building vascular plants via a transitional mixed type to Sphagnum -dominated raised bogs east of the mountain range. To test the influence of resource availability on diversity patterns, species richness and functional groups were related to environmental variables by calculating general regression models and generalized additive models. Species richness showed strong linear correlations to peat chemical features and the general regression model resulted in three major environmental variables (water level, total nitrogen, NH4Cl soluble calcium), altogether explaining 76% of variance. Functional group response illustrated a clear separation along environmental gradients. Mosses dominated at the low end of a nitrogen gradient, whereas cushion plants had their optimum at intermediate levels, and graminoids dominated at high nitrogen contents. Further shifts were related to NH4Cl soluble calcium and water level. The models documented partly non-linear relationships between functional group response and trophical peat properties. Within the three bog types, the calculated models differed remarkably illustrating the scale-dependency of the explanatory factors. Our findings confirmed several general patterns of species richness and functional shifts along resource gradients in a surprisingly clear way and underpin the significance of undisturbed peatlands as reference systems for testing of ecological theory and for conservation and ecological restoration in landscapes with strong human impact. [source] Clinicopathological analysis of early gastric cancer with solitary lymph node metastasisBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 11 2002Dr K. Arai Background: The sentinel node concept has not yet been established in gastric cancer. Methods: Fifty-four patients with early gastric cancer who had only one lymph node metastasis were regarded retrospectively as patients with a possible sentinel node metastasis, and the morphological features of these nodes were assessed. The level I nodes in seven patients with a possible skip metastasis at routine haematoxylin and eosin staining were re-examined using cytokeratin (CK) immunostaining. Results: The shape of the gastric cancer lesion could be examined in 53 of the patients; more than one-third (20 of 53) were microfocal type. Concerning the intranodal cancer foci, the marginal sinus type was found in 32 affected nodes, medullary sinus type in 14 and mixed type in seven. Forty-three per cent of suspected sentinel nodes were the largest in size among all nodes from the station. CK immunostaining of seven non-metastatic nodes with haematoxylin and eosin revealed that three were CK positive. Conclusion: These findings suggest that possible sentinel nodes detected by conventional means may not always be primary portions of any metastasis. Adoption of sentinel node biopsy in gastric cancer must await the development of improved procedures for diagnosis during surgery. © 2002 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd [source] Stem cells and gastric cancer: Role of gastric and intestinal mixed intestinal metaplasiaCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2003Masae Tatematsu All of the different types of stomach epithelial cells are known to be derived from a single progenitor cell in each gland. Similarly, cancers develop from single cells, based on data from clonality analysis in C3H/HeN , BALB/c chimeric mice. Using gastric and intestinal epithelial cell markers, intestinal metaplasia (IM) can be divided into two major types: a gastric and intestinal (GI) mixed type, and a solely intestinal (I) type. Ectopic expression of Cdx genes and down-regulation of Sox2 in isolated single GI mixed IM glands suggests abnormal differentiation of stem cells that can produce both gastric (G) and I type cells. Similarly, phenotypic expression of gastric cancer cells of each histological type can be clearly classified into G and I type epithelial cells. The heterogeneity of phenotypic expression of gastric cancer cells in individual cancers is assumed to reflect this intrinsic potential for differentiation in two directions. Gastric cancers at early stages, independent of the histological type, mainly consist of G type cells, and phenotypic shift from G to I type expression is clearly observed with progression. The data thus suggest IM may not be a preneoplastic change in gastric carcinoma, but rather that cells of the I type may appear independently in the gastric mucosa in IM and in gastric cancers. Intestinalization of gastric mucosa and cancer cells may represent a kind of homeotic transformation. Whether disturbance of the regulation of Sox2 and Cdx genes may be of importance to the biological behavior of gastric cancers should therefore be clarified in future studies. (Cancer Sci 2003; 94: 135,141) [source] Isolated invasive Aspergillus tracheobronchitis: a clinical study of 19 casesCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 6 2010N. Wu Clin Microbiol Infect 2010; 16: 689,695 Abstract Isolated invasive Aspergillus tracheobronchitis (iIATB) is an uncommon clinical form of invasive Aspergillosis in which Aspergillus infection is limited entirely or predominantly to the tracheobronchial tree. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 19 patients who had histological documented iIATB in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of Changhai Hospital between October 2000 and February 2008. Malignancy was the most common underlying disease, which existed in 14 patients (73.7%) in our series. Most patients had impaired airway structures or defence functions, whereas the systemic immune status was relatively normal. Only three patients (15.8%) had neutropenia. The clinical manifestations and chest radiograph were nonspecific. We classified iIATB into four different forms according to the bronchoscopic features of intraluminal lesions: superficial infiltration type (Type I, n = 4), full-layer involvement type (Type II, n = 2), occlusion type (Type III, n = 6) and mixed type (Type IV, n = 7). Type IV was the largest group in our study, followed by Type III. All patients with iIATB of Type IV had definite airway occlusion. Fourteen patients (73.7%) had a good response to antifungal treatments and five (26.3%) died as a result of the progression of Aspergillosis, all of whom had full-layer invasion of the involved bronchi. In conclusion, we found that iIATB could occur in moderately or non-immunocompromised patients with impaired airway structures or defence functions and may be an early period of invasive pulmonary Aspergillosis. Most of the iIATB patients had a favourable prognosis with early diagnosis and effective antifungal treatment. The morphological features of intraluminal lesions might be of prognostic value. [source] Pervasive developmental disorders in individuals with cerebral palsyDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2009AYSE KILINCASLAN MD The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence and associated factors of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), including autistic disorder and PDD not otherwise specified (NOS), in a clinical sample of 126 children and adolescents (75 males, 51 females; age range 4,18y, mean 8y 8mo, SD 3y 8mo) with tetraplegic, hemiplegic, diplegic, dyskinetic, or mixed types of cerebral palsy (CP); 28% could not crawl or walk even with support, 29% could move with support, and 43% walked independently. Participants were examined for PDD in two stages. In the first stage, probable participants were determined by direct observation, Autism Behavior Checklist score, and medical reports. In the second stage, those with ,probable' symptoms underwent psychiatric examination and their autistic symptoms were scored on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. The final diagnosis of autistic disorder or PDD-NOS was given according to DSM-IV criteria. Fourteen (11%) and five (4%) of the participants met the criteria for autistic disorder and PDD-NOS respectively. Children with CP and PDD differed from those without PDD in terms of type of CP (p=0.02), presence of epilepsy (p<0.001), intellectual level (p<0.001), and level of speech (p<0.001). PDD was more common in children with tetraplegic, mixed, and hemiplegic CP, and in children with epilepsy, learning disability,, and low level of speech. The findings corroborate the notion that CP is a complex disorder, often associated with additional impairments. PDD is not rare in CP and should be considered in patients with comorbid conditions such as epilepsy, learning disability, and language delay and in the presence of tetraplegic, mixed, and hemiplegic CP types. [source] Chronic hepatitis C infection: Influence of the viral load, genotypes, and GBV-C/HGV coinfection on the severity of the disease in a Brazilian populationJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 1 2002Leila M.M.B. Pereira Abstract The distributions of the different genotypes of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and GBV-C virus (GBV-C/HGV) vary geographically and information worldwide is still incomplete. In particular, there are few data on the distribution of genotypes (and their relationship to the severity of liver disease) in South America. Findings are described in 114 consecutive patients from Northeast Brazil (median age 52 years, range 18,72 years) who had abnormal levels of serum aminotransferases and seropositivity for HCV RNA. The patients were recruited from an outpatient clinic between November 1997 and April 1998. Quantitative HCV RNA and GBV-C/HGV RNA estimations were carried out by double-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers from the 5,-untranslated regions (UTRs) of the genomes. HCV genotypes were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with 5,-UTR primers and by PCR with type-specific 5,-UTR primers. GBV-C/HGV-RNA genotypes were determined by RFLP with specific 5,-UTR primers and phylogenetic trees were constructed using the Neighbour-Joining and Drawtree programs. Histological features were graded and staged according to international criteria. Of the 114 patients, 35 (30.7%) patients had cirrhosis and 22 (27.8%) had mild, 51 (64.6%) had moderate, and 6 (7.6%) had severe chronic hepatitis. Median HCV viral load was 106 genome equivalents per millilitre (range 104,109/ml). Frequencies of genotypes were 5.3% type 1a, 44.7% type 1b, 3.5% type 2, 41.2% type 3, and 5.3% mixed types. GBV-C/HGV-RNA was detected in the sera of 12 (10.5%) patients and was distributed among three phylogenetic groups. There were no significant differences between patients with the predominant HCV genotypes (1b and 3) with respect to gender, age group, viral load, severity of liver disease, or coinfection with GBV-C/HGV. J. Med. Virol. 67:27,32, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Numerical simulation of a permittivity probe for measuring the electric properties of planetary regolith and application to the near-surface region of asteroids and cometsMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Klaus SPITZER Our simulation techniques aim at accompanying hardware development and conducting virtual experiments, e.g., to assess the response of arbitrary heterogeneous conductivity and permittivity distributions or to scrutinize possibilities for spatial reconstruction methods using inverse schemes. In a first step, we have developed a finite element simulation code on the basis of unstructured, adaptive triangular grids for arbitrary two-dimensional axisymmetric distributions of conductivity and permittivity. The code is able to take into account the spatial geometry of the probe and allows for possible inductive effects. In previous studies, the non-inductive approach has been used to convert potential and phase data into apparent material properties. By our simulations, we have shown that this approach is valid for the frequency range from 102 Hz to 107 Hz and electric conductivities of 10,8 S/m that are typical for the near-surface region of asteroids and comets composed of chondritic materials and/or frozen volatiles such as H2O and CO2 ice. We prove the accuracy of our code to be better than 10%, using mixed types of boundary conditions and present a simulated vertical log through a horizontally stratified subsurface layer as a representative example of a heterogeneous distribution of the electrical properties. Resolution studies for the given electrode separation reveal that the material parameters of layers having thicknesses of less than about half the electrode spread are not reconstructible if only apparent quantities are considered. Therefore, spatial distributions of the complex sensitivity are presented having in mind a future data inversion concept that will permit the multi-dimensional reconstruction of material parameters in heterogeneous environments. [source] Ca2+ -activated myosin-ATPases, creatine and adenylate kinases regulate mitochondrial function according to myofibre type in rabbitTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005N. Gueguen Mitochondrial respiration rates and their regulation by ADP, AMP and creatine, were studied at different free Ca2+ concentrations (0.1 versus 0.4 ,m) on permeabilized fibre bundles of rabbit skeletal muscles differing in their myosin heavy chain profiles. Four fibre bundle types were obtained: pure types I and IIx, and mixed types IIax (approximately 50% IIa and 50% IIx fibres) and IIb+ (60% IIb fibres, plus IIx and IIa). At rest, pure type I fibres displayed a much higher apparent Km for ADP (212 ,m) than IIx fibres (8 ,m). Within the IIax and IIb+ mixed fibre bundle types, two KADPm values were observed (70 ,m and 5 ,m). Comparison between pure IIx and mixed types indicates that the intermediate Km of 70 ,m most probably corresponds to the mitochondrial affinity for ADP in IIa fibres, the lowest Km for ADP (5 ,m) corresponding to IIx and IIb types. Activation of mitochondrial creatine and adenylate kinase reactions stimulated mitochondrial respiration only in type I and IIax fibre bundles, indicating an efficient coupling between both kinases and ADP rephosphorylation in type I and, likely, IIa fibres, since no effect was observed in pure IIx fibres. Following Ca2+ -induced activation of myosin-ATPase, an increase in mitochondrial sensitivity to ADP of 45% and 250% was observed in type IIax and I bundles, respectively, an effect mostly prevented by addition of vanadate, an inhibitor of myosin-ATPase. Ca2+ -induced activation of myosin-ATPase also prevented the stimulation of respiration rates by creatine and AMP in I and IIax bundles. In addition to differential regulation of mitochondrial respiration and energy transfer systems at rest in I and IIa versus IIx and IIb muscle fibres, our results indicate a regulation of phosphotransfer systems by Ca2+ via the stimulation of myosin-ATPases in type I and IIa fibres of rabbit muscles. [source] Genetic and epigenetic changes in aberrant crypt foci and serrated polypsCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Yutaka Suehiro Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in colorectal mucosa are the earliest known morphological precursors to colorectal cancer and can be subclassified as dysplastic, heteroplastic (non-dysplastic), and mixed types. Serrated adenoma (SA) is a polyp with serrated architecture and dysplasia, and can be subclassified as traditional SA or sessile SA. Sessile SA is thought to be preneoplastic and differs from most lesions in the traditional SA category because of their flat morphology and general lack of cytological dysplasia. Serrated polyps include hyperplastic polyps (HP), SA, and admixed hyperplastic-adenomatous polyps and are considered a morphological continuum encompassing heteroplastic ACF, HP, admixed hyperplastic-adenomatous polyps, and SA. Recent studies have uncovered other developmental pathways including a heteroplastic ACF-HP/SA-carcinoma sequence and a heteroplastic ACF,adenoma,carcinoma sequence. Heteroplastic ACF histopathologically resemble HP and SA. Sporadic HP are usually present in the left colon, are small, and are considered benign. However, adenocarcinoma arising in the setting of colorectal HP or SA, especially in patients with hyperplastic polyposis, has been described. The relationship between heteroplastic ACF, HP, and colorectal cancer is less certain than that of dysplastic ACF. Here, we discuss the current understanding of genetic and epigenetic alterations in the development of colorectal cancer. Our goal is to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the heteroplastic ACF,HP/SA,carcinoma sequence. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1071,1076) [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||