Successful Control (successful + control)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Cross-strain protection reduces effectiveness of virally vectored fertility control: results from individual-based multistrain models

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
ANTHONY D. ARTHUR
Summary 1Pest mammals have severe economic, environmental and social impacts throughout the world. Fertility control could reduce these impacts. Virally vectored immunocontraception (VVIC) has been proposed as an economic way to achieve this. However, the ability of an immunocontraceptive virus to control populations may be compromised if: (i) sufficient infected mice are not made infertile; (ii) the virus does not transmit at a sufficient rate; (iii) there is competition with field strains of virus; or (iv) its ability to induce infertility is altered by the presence of field strains. We tested this with stochastic, individual-based, disease,host models based on murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) and house mice Mus musculus domesticus. 2Using field estimates of the MCMV transmission rate, immunocontraceptive MCMV (icMCMV) could prevent mouse populations from growing rapidly to damaging levels provided > 70% of mice infected with the virus became infertile. Successful control was possible even if engineering icMCMV reduced its transmission rate to c. 30% of the field-estimated value, but greater reductions in the transmission rate compromised successful control. 3Effective control was compromised if there was competition between icMCMV and field strains because of cross-immunity to infection or if previous infection with field strains blocked the development of infertility in mice subsequently infected with icMCMV. In these cases effectiveness was diminished, particularly if the transmission rate of icMCMV was reduced relative to field strains, or if close to 100% infertility of infected mice could not be achieved. If the blocking developed early after infection with field strains, doubling the transmission rate of icMCMV relative to field strains still could not produce successful control. 4Synthesis and applications. VVIC requires preliminary estimates of its efficacy to satisfy regulatory requirements before it can be released into the environment. Our models indicate that successful control of an outbreaking species using VVIC is possible if high levels of infertility can be achieved, but this is compromised by cross-strain protection and low transmission rates of engineered virus. Future research effort should focus on determining whether these compromising effects occur for specific engineered viruses and, if so, whether they can be overcome. [source]


Successful control of severe postoperative bleeding with recombinant factor VIIa in a case of refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Carlos Aguilar
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


The GH,IGF-I axis and the cardiovascular system: clinical implications

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
Annamaria Colao
Summary Background, GH and IGF-I affect cardiac structure and performance. In the general population, low IGF-I has been associated with higher prevalence of ischaemic heart disease and mortality. Both in GH deficiency (GHD) and excess life expectancy has been reported to be reduced because of cardiovascular disease. Objective, To review the role of the GH,IGF-I system on the cardiovascular system. Results, Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that serum IGF-I levels in the low-normal range are associated with increased risk of acute myocardial infarction, ischaemic heart disease, coronary and carotid artery atherosclerosis and stroke. This confirms previous findings in patients with acromegaly or with GH-deficiency showing cardiovascular impairment. Patients with either childhood- or adulthood-onset GHD have cardiovascular abnormalities such as reduced cardiac mass, diastolic filling and left ventricular response at peak exercise, increased intima-media thickness and endothelial dysfunction. These abnormalities can be reversed, at least partially, after GH replacement therapy. In contrast, in acromegaly chronic GH and IGF-I excess causes a specific cardiomyopathy: concentric cardiac hypertrophy (in more than two-thirds of the patients at diagnosis) associated to diastolic dysfunction is the most common finding. In later stages, impaired systolic function ending in heart failure can occur, if GH/IGF-I excess is not controlled. Abnormalities of cardiac rhythm and of cardiac valves can also occur. Successful control of acromegaly is accompanied by decrease of the left ventricular mass and improvement of cardiac function. Conclusion, The cardiovascular system is a target organ for GH and IGF-I. Subtle dysfunction in the GH,IGF-I axis are correlated with increased prevalence of ischaemic heart disease. Acromegaly and GHD are associated with several abnormalities of the cardiovascular system and control of GH/IGF-I secretion reverses (or at least stops) cardiovascular abnormalities. [source]


Incontinence in the aged: contact dermatitis and other cutaneous consequences

CONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 4 2007
Miranda A. Farage
Urinary and faecal incontinence affects a significant portion of the elderly population. The increase in the incidence of incontinence is not only dependent on age but also on the onset of concomitant ageing issues such as infection, polypharmacy, and decreased cognitive function. If incontinence is left untreated, a host of dermatological complications can occur, including incontinence dermatitis, dermatological infections, intertrigo, vulvar folliculitis, and pruritus ani. The presence of chronic incontinence can produce a vicious cycle of skin damage and inflammation because of the loss of cutaneous integrity. Minimizing skin damage caused by incontinence is dependent on successful control of excess hydration, maintenance of proper pH, minimization of interaction between urine and faeces, and prevention of secondary infection. Even though incontinence is common in the aged, it is not an inevitable consequence of ageing but a disorder that can and should be treated. Appropriate clinical management of incontinence can help seniors continue to lead vital active lives as well as avoid the cutaneous sequelae of incontinence. [source]


Mindset effects on information search in self-evaluation

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2005
Ute C. Bayer
Research on mindset theory (Gollwitzer & Bayer, 1999) observed that people in an implemental mindset show an orientation towards positive illusionary self-evaluations, whereas people in a deliberative mindset opt for accurate self-evaluations. In the present study, we tested whether these self-evaluative orientations and the associated search for certain types of self-relevant information (feedback) are moderated by low versus high self-views. With high self-view participants we observed the hypothesized mindset effects on information search, but we obtained the reverse pattern for low self-view participants. The latter finding points to self-defensiveness in low self-view individuals. Implications are discussed in terms of the consequences of accurate versus positive illusionary self-evaluations for the successful control of goal pursuits, and individual differences in mindset effects. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Cross-strain protection reduces effectiveness of virally vectored fertility control: results from individual-based multistrain models

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
ANTHONY D. ARTHUR
Summary 1Pest mammals have severe economic, environmental and social impacts throughout the world. Fertility control could reduce these impacts. Virally vectored immunocontraception (VVIC) has been proposed as an economic way to achieve this. However, the ability of an immunocontraceptive virus to control populations may be compromised if: (i) sufficient infected mice are not made infertile; (ii) the virus does not transmit at a sufficient rate; (iii) there is competition with field strains of virus; or (iv) its ability to induce infertility is altered by the presence of field strains. We tested this with stochastic, individual-based, disease,host models based on murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) and house mice Mus musculus domesticus. 2Using field estimates of the MCMV transmission rate, immunocontraceptive MCMV (icMCMV) could prevent mouse populations from growing rapidly to damaging levels provided > 70% of mice infected with the virus became infertile. Successful control was possible even if engineering icMCMV reduced its transmission rate to c. 30% of the field-estimated value, but greater reductions in the transmission rate compromised successful control. 3Effective control was compromised if there was competition between icMCMV and field strains because of cross-immunity to infection or if previous infection with field strains blocked the development of infertility in mice subsequently infected with icMCMV. In these cases effectiveness was diminished, particularly if the transmission rate of icMCMV was reduced relative to field strains, or if close to 100% infertility of infected mice could not be achieved. If the blocking developed early after infection with field strains, doubling the transmission rate of icMCMV relative to field strains still could not produce successful control. 4Synthesis and applications. VVIC requires preliminary estimates of its efficacy to satisfy regulatory requirements before it can be released into the environment. Our models indicate that successful control of an outbreaking species using VVIC is possible if high levels of infertility can be achieved, but this is compromised by cross-strain protection and low transmission rates of engineered virus. Future research effort should focus on determining whether these compromising effects occur for specific engineered viruses and, if so, whether they can be overcome. [source]


Project AURORA: Infrastructure and flight control experiments for a robotic airship

JOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 3-4 2006
Ely Carneiro de Paiva
Project AURORA aims at the development of unmanned robotic airships capable of autonomous flight over user-defined locations for aerial inspection and environmental monitoring missions. In this article, the authors report a successful control and navigation scheme for a robotic airship flight path following. First, the AURORA airship, software environment, onboard system, and ground station infrastructures are described. Then, two main approaches for the automatic control and navigation system of the airship are presented. The first one shows the design of dedicated controllers based on the linearized dynamics of the vehicle. Following this methodology, experimental results for the airship flight path following through a set of predefined points in latitude/longitude, along with automatic altitude control are presented. A second approach considers the design of a single global nonlinear control scheme, covering all of the aerodynamic operational range in a sole formulation. Nonlinear control solutions under investigation for the AURORA airship are briefly described, along with some preliminary simulation results. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Alcohol Neurolysis of the Sciatic and Femoral Nerves to Improve Pressure Ulcer Healing

PAIN PRACTICE, Issue 2 2009
Denise Wilkes MD
Abstract Successful pressure ulcer treatment is challenging and is often plagued with prolonged hospitalizations, multiple surgeries, and high recurrence rates. Pressure ulcer secondary to spinal cord injury is further complicated by spasticity, which contributes to both ulcer continuance and healing. This report illustrates the use of neurolytic regional techniques for spasticity control and pressure ulcer healing. Case report: We present our experience with a paraplegic man who suffered from chronic right trochanteric and ischial pressure ulcers that failed to heal despite surgical and conservative treatment. We report the successful treatment of knee and hip flexor spasticity with a femoral and sciatic alcohol neuroablation technique. It was not until the successful control of his lower extremity spasticity that the pressure ulcers showed signs of healing. Neuroablation nay be considered for spasticity control when more conservative approaches fail or are not feasible. [source]


Effects of the Intensity of Immunosuppressive Therapy on Outcome of Treatment for CMV Disease in Organ Transplant Recipients

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2010
A. Åsberg
An effective host immune response, critical for successful control of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in solid organ transplant recipients, is affected by intensity and type of immunosuppressive therapy. We used information prospectively captured in the VICTOR-trial to investigate the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on short- and long-term outcomes of CMV treatment in organ transplant recipients. Dual, as compared to triple, immunosuppressive therapy ([odds ratios] OR of 2.55; 95% CI: 1.51,4.60; p = 0.002), lower blood concentrations of calcineurin inhibitors (OR of 5.53; CI: 1.04,29.35; p = 0.045), and longer time since transplantation (OR of 1.70; CI: 1.01,2.87; p = 0.047) all showed better early (Day 21) CMV DNAemia eradication. We observed no effect of the intensity of the immunosuppressive therapy on overall rates of viral eradication or recurrence. The type of calcineurin inhibitor (tacrolimus/cyclosporine) or use of mycophenolate did not affect treatment efficacy, although both tacrolimus and mycophenolate treated patients showed a lower rate of virological recurrence OR 0.51 (95% CI: 0.26,0.98; p = 0.044) and OR 0.45 (95% CI: 0.22,0.93; p = 0.031), respectively. Lower total intensity of immunosuppressive therapy was associated with more effective early, but not overall, CMV DNAemia eradication by valganciclovir/ganciclovir therapy. Both mycophenolate and tacrolimus (rather than cyclosporine) therapy seem to be associated with reduced risk of recurrence. [source]