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Selected AbstractsDifferences between the sexes with regard towork-related skin disease ,CONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 2 2000Birgitta Meding Work-related skin disease is common and usually presents as hand eczema. From the Occupational Injury Information System in Sweden, as well as from registers of industrial injuries in other countries, it is evident that females report skin disease more often than males. Epidemiological studies of hand eczema also show that women are more often affected than men, in particular young women. The most common type of hand eczema is irritant contact dermatitis, which is often caused by wet work. Many female-dominated occupations involve extensive wet work, e.g., hairdressing, catering, cleaning and health-care work. These occupations are also high-risk occupations for hand eczema. Experimental studies of skin irritation have not confirmed differences between the sexes; thus, the higher prevalence of irritant contact dermatitis among females is most likely due to exposure, occupational and non-occupational. Nickel allergy is the most common contact allergy, which is most frequent in young females, and in 30,40% results over time in hand eczema. Hand eczema has an impact on quality of life and females seem to report a higher degree of discomfort than males. To achieve the optimal effect of preventive efforts regarding occupational skin disease, the focus for prevention should aim at reducing wet exposure. [source] Traumatic injuries to permanent teeth in Turkish children, AnkaraDENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Ceyhan Altun From a total of 4956 children aged 6,12 years (mean age: 8.91 ± 1.95) applying to the Center, 472 children (9.5%) were found to have suffered dental injuries during a period of 2 years. Injuries were classified according to drawings and texts based on the WHO classification system, as modified by Andreasen and Andreasen. Injury rates were highest among children age 6 and ages 8,10. The most frequently injured permanent teeth were the maxillary central incisors (88.2%), and the maxillary right central permanent incisor made up 47.2% of all injured teeth. The most common cause of dental trauma was falling while walking or running (40.3%). Most injuries involved a single tooth (64.8%). The most common type of injury was enamel fracture (44.6%). There was a significant difference in gender, where boys more often suffered from a dental hard tissue and pulp injury than girls (P = 0.019), whereas there was no difference in gender (P = 0.248) in the distribution of periodontal injuries. Injuries were found to occur more frequently during the summer (P < 0.001). Children with increased overjet were 2.19 times more likely to have dental injuries than other children. Considering that the incidence of traumatic dental injury is highest among children ages 6 and ages 8,10 as well as the fact that patients with increased overjet are more prone to dental trauma, preventive orthodontic treatment in early mixed dentition may play an important role in reducing traumatic dental injuries. [source] Clinical investigation of traumatic injuries in Yeditepe University, Turkey during the last 3 yearsDENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2005Nuket Sandalli Abstract,,, The aim of this study was to evaluate etiology, types of traumatic dental injuries, treatment and to determine the incidence of complications according to dental injuries in patients who referred to Yeditepe University, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul, Turkey. The study was based on the clinical data of the 161 traumatized teeth in 92 patients. WHO classification slightly modified by Andreasen & Andreasen for dental trauma was used. The causes and localization of trauma, traumatized teeth classification, treatment and complications were evaluated both primary and permanent teeth. The distribution of complications according to diagnosis and treatment of the injured teeth were evaluated. Of 35 (38%) girls and 56 (72%) boys with a mean age 7.6 ± 3.5 (ranging 1,14.2) participated to study and the mean followed up was 1.72 ± 1.28 years (ranging 0.10,3.8 years). From the 161 affected teeth, 69 (42.9%) were in primary teeth and 92 (57.1%) in permanent teeth. The highest frequency of trauma occurred in the 6,12 year age group. Overall boys significantly outnumbered girls by approximately 1:1.6. The most common type of injury in the primary and permanent teeth was seen as luxation (38%) and enamel fracture (20%) of the maxillary central incisors, respectively. Falls were the major sources of trauma both the primary (90%) and the permanent teeth (84%). In the primary dentition, the most common type of soft tissue injury is contusion (62.5%) and in the permanent dentition, it is laceration (49%). The most of the treatment choice was determined as examination only and extraction in primary teeth (58 and 24.6%, respectively) while it was applied as restoration and pulpectomy in permanent teeth (31.5 and 18.5%, respectively). Complications were recorded on 37 teeth (23%) with a most common type of necrosis (10.5%) and dental abscess (7.4%). Necrosis was more frequent in luxation whereas dental abscess were in crown fracture with pulpal involvement in both dentitions. The study showed that boys were more prone to dental traumas than girls. Falls were more frequent trauma type with a high complication risk. It reveals that the time of the immediate treatment showed the important predisposing factors that increase the success of treatment and decrease the risk of complication. The correct diagnosis of dental injuries is more important for eliminating the occurrence of complications. [source] The prevalence of traumatic injuries treated in the pedodontic clinic of Ankara University, Turkey, during 18 monthsDENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Abstract , , ,The purpose of this study was to evaluate the type and prevalence of dental injuries referred to Ankara University, School of Dentistry, Department of Pedodontics, Turkey. One hundred and forty-seven patients with 234 traumatized teeth presented during 18-month interval. Of the 147 patients, 85 were boys and 62 were girls. The most frequent trauma occurred in the age of 11 years. The maxillary central incisors were found to be the most affected tooth in both primary and permanent dentition injuries. The maxillary arch is involved in a higher percentage of trauma cases (95.72%). The most common cause of injuries are falls (67.34%). In the primary dentition, the most common type of injury is extrusive luxation (38.23%) and in the permanent dentition, it is fracture of enamel,dentin without pulpal involvement (50.5%). From 147 patients, only 82 presented to our clinic within 1 h and 10 days after the injury time. It reveals that there is a need to inform the public of what they should do in cases of dental trauma, and how important it is to contact a dentist immediately. [source] Prevalence of dental trauma in 5,6- and 12,14-year-old boys in Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Ibrahim Al-Majed Abstract , This study involved 354 boys aged 5,6 years and 862 boys aged 12,14 years, attending 40 schools in Riyadh. All children were examined at school by a single dental examiner, using criteria similar to those employed in the survey of children's dental health in the United Kingdom. The prevalence of dental trauma in 354 Saudi boys aged 5,6 years was 33%. The most common type of dental trauma was fracture of enamel (71%) followed by loss of tooth due to trauma (13%), fracture into enamel and dentine (7%), discolouration (5%), pulp involvement (4%). No relationship between the degree of overjet and the occurrence of dental trauma in the primary dentition was observed. The prevalence of dental trauma in 862 12,14-year-old boys was 34%. The commonest dental trauma was fracture of enamel (74%) followed by fracture into enamel and dentine (15%), fracture into enamel-dentine and pulp (5%), loss of tooth due to trauma (3%), and discolouration (0.4%). A significant relationship (P=0.02) between the increased overjet (, 6 mm) and the occurrence of dental trauma in the permanent dentition was reported. The present study found no evidence of dental care provided for traumatised primary incisors in 5,6-year-old boys. The treatment of dental trauma in 12,14-year-old boys was negligible (2.4%). The present Saudi Arabian study showed higher prevalence of dental trauma in 5,6- and 12,14-year-old boys than the reported results of the United Kingdom Children's Dental Health Survey of the same age groups. [source] Use of Alternative Therapies by Patients Undergoing Surgery for Nonmelanoma Skin CancerDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 6 2002Scott M. Dinehart MD background. The use of alternative therapies is becoming increasingly common and may result in unwanted side effects and drug interactions. objective. To determine the frequency of alternative medicine use by patients undergoing Mohs surgery for nonmelanoma skin cancer. methods. A written survey concerning use of alternative therapies was given to patients undergoing Mohs surgery for nonmelanoma skin cancer. A follow-up telephone survey was used to clarify positive responses. results. Thirty-six of 192 (18.8%) patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer reported using some type of alternative therapy. Almost all patients were using these therapies for conditions unrelated to their nonmelanoma skin cancer. Herbs and botanicals were the most common type of alternative therapy utilized. conclusion. Physicians performing Mohs surgery should be aware that a significant number of their patients use alternative therapies. Since most patients do not readily volunteer information about alternative medicine usage, specific steps should be taken to obtain this information. [source] Erythema nodosum and erythema induratum (nodular vasculitis): diagnosis and managementDERMATOLOGIC THERAPY, Issue 4 2010Heidi Gilchrist ABSTRACT Erythema nodosum is the most common type of panniculitis; it may be due to a variety of underlying infectious or otherwise antigenic stimuli. The pathogenesis remains to be elucidated, but both neutrophilic inflammation and granulomatous inflammation are implicated. Beyond treating underlying triggers, therapeutic options consist mainly of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, symptomatic care, potassium iodide, and colchicine. Erythema induratum (nodular vasculitis) is a related but distinctly different clinicopathologic reaction pattern of the subcutaneous fat. It is classically caused by an antigenic stimulus from Mycobacterium tuberculosis but may be associated with several other underlying disorders. After appropriate antimicrobial treatment in tuberculous cases, therapy for erythema induratum is similar to options for erythema nodosum. [source] Is the dementia rate increasing in Beijing?ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2007Prevalence, incidence of dementia 10 years later in an urban elderly population Objective:, To examine the time trend of dementia morbidity over the past decade in Beijing, China. Method:, In 1997, 1593 community-dwelling elderly aged 60+ years were examined and followed-up over 2-years to identify incident dementia. A similar cohort study of dementia conducted in the same district 10 years prior was used as historical comparison to examine the time trend of dementia incidence. Results:, Forty prevalent dementia cases were identified at the initial examination for a prevalence of 2.51% (95% CI: 1.74,3.28) and 25 incident cases were identified at the follow-up visit for an incidence of 0.90% (0.55,1.25) among residents aged 60+ years. Alzheimer's dementia (AD) was the most common type of dementia in both prevalent and incident cases. Conclusion:, The prevalence and incidence rates of dementia in Beijing were slightly higher than those 10 years ago, which was partly because of population aging. AD became the most common subtype of dementia. [source] Detection of a subset of CD30+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridizationDIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Hyung Ju C. Shin M.D. Abstract T/null-cell anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a morphologically and clinically heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; to date several morphologic variants have been described on histologic specimens. However, the cytologic features of these variants in the fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens have not been well evaluated. The t(2;5)(p23;q35) has been identified in a subset of T/null-ALCL and is known to be associated with a favorable prognosis. We reviewed the cytomorphologic characteristics in 24 FNA specimens of ALCL. In all cases, the diagnosis was confirmed on histologic specimens, and immunohistochemical studies for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein expression were performed on the aspirates. The presence of ALK breakpoints were evaluated in nine cases, using a DNA break-apart probe on chromosome 2 covering the ALK gene by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques. Two hundred cells per case were examined. The results were expressed as the percentage of cells containing more than two signals of chromosome 2 to the total number of cells counted. FNA sites included lymph nodes (20), lung (2), breast (1), and soft tissue (1). The median age of the patients was 56 yr (range, 17,75 yr). Twenty cases had systemic involvement; in four cases, skin was the primary site with secondary involvement of the lymph nodes. All cases were CD30+ by immunohistochemistry; 20 were of T-cell phenotype and 4 were null cell type. The cytologic evaluation revealed typical anaplastic morphology (common type) with many "hallmark cells" in 16 (67%) cases. Other morphologic variants identified were small cell pattern in five cases, monomorphic pattern in two cases, and lymphohistiocytic pattern in one case. FISH studies showed that six (66.7%) of nine cases had at least two signals of chromosome 2, consistent with ALK breakpoints. With careful cytomorphologic evaluation in conjunction with appropriate immunohistochemical studies, a diagnosis of ALCL can be confidently made in the FNA specimens in the cellular aspirates and its morphologic variants also can be recognized. Furthermore, the FNA specimen is suitable in detecting ALK breakpoints by FISH study, permitting rapid identification of a subset of patients with ALCL, who may have a favorable prognosis. Using a commercially available probe, detection of ALK breakpoints in the FNA specimens is simple and can be a useful diagnostic adjunct in cases where distinction from other lymphomas or lymphoid lesions is morphologically difficult. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2003;29:61,66. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Endoscopic Injection Sclerotherapy for the Treatment of Recurrent Esophageal Varices after Esophageal TransectionDIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 3 2002Hiroshi Yoshida Background: ,We examined the hemodynamic changes associated with recurrent esophageal varices after esophageal transection (ET) and evaluated the effectiveness of endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) as the treatment for these varices. Methods: ,Nineteen patients with recurrent esophageal varices after ET were treated by EIS. Endoscopic varicealography during injection sclerotherapy, following oral blockage of flow by a balloon, identified three patterns: (i) type 1: common type, continuous filling by the feeder vessel of the varix; (ii) type 2: retrograde-disappearing type, confirmed hepatofugal flow; and (iii) type 3: immediate washout type, immediate washout of contrast medium. Results: ,Angiography revealed that the hepatofugal feeder vessel was the right gastric vein in all cases. Fourteen patients (73.7%) were classified as type 1, 4 patients (21.1%) as type 2, and 1 patient (5.3%) as type 3. Fewer treatment sessions were required in type 1 than in type 2 (P < 0.005). Recurrent varices were completely eradicated in all patients except the patient with type 3 disease. Cumulative re-recurrence rates at 5 and 10 years were similar for types 1 and 2 (28.6 and 71.4%vs 25 and 25%, respectively). The cumulative survival rates after EIS at 5 and 10 years were also similar for types 1 and 2 (77.1 and 66.1%vs 66.7 and 66.7%). Conclusion: ,Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy is an effective treatment for recurrent esophageal varices after ET, except in type 3 disease. Our classification based on endoscopic varicealography during injection sclerotherapy provides knowledge of blood flow within the varices that helps to inform the treatment strategy. [source] Algal toxicity of nitrobenzenes: Combined effect analysis as a pharmacological probe for similar modes of interactionENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2005Rolf Altenburger Abstract An analysis regarding the effects of the mixture toxicity of different nitrobenzenes on the reproduction of the green alga Scenedesmus vacuolatus was undertaken using the concepts of concentration addition and response addition. Using lipophilicity-based quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling for nitrobenzenes, the assumption is held that mononitrobenzenes may exert narcotic effects as a common type of action, whereas dinitrobenzenes show a somewhat greater toxicity. From the literature, QSARs based on quantum chemical parameters suggest that some mononitrobenzenes may be effective through additional other modes of action. The toxicity of a mixture of 14 nitrobenzenes clearly exceeds the predicted combined effects, as expected for the sum of toxic units from a uniform narcotic mode of action. Moreover, the observed combined effect is smaller than that predicted from similarly acting compounds calculated on the basis of the parameterized dose-response functions using concentration addition. Further modeling of the combined effect, joining the models of concentration addition for components with anticipated similar modes of action and of response addition for those with independent action, led us to propose that not all nitrobenzenes follow the same mode of action. This idea is in line with the hypothesis derived from quantum chemical QSAR considerations. Most interestingly, the methodology introduced here uses combined effect analysis as a pharmacological probe to test for similarity in the mode of action of mixture components. [source] SPATIOTEMPORAL REORGANIZATION OF GROWTH RATES IN THE EVOLUTION OF ONTOGENYEVOLUTION, Issue 4 2000Miriam L. Zelditch Abstract. Heterochrony, evolutionary changes in rate or timing of development producing parallelism between ontogeny and phylogeny, is viewed as the most common type of evolutionary change in development. Alternative hypotheses such as heterotopy, evolutionary change in the spatial patterning of development, are rarely entertained. We examine the evidence for heterochrony and heterotopy in the evolution of body shape in two clades of piranhas. One of these is the sole case of heterochrony previously reported in the group; the others were previously interpreted as cases of heterotopy. To compare ontogenies of shape, we computed ontogenetic trajectories of shape by multivariate regression of geometric shape variables (i.e., partial warp scores and shape coordinates) on centroid size. Rates of development relative to developmental age and angles between the trajectories were compared statistically. We found a significant difference in developmental rate between species of Serrasalmus, suggesting that heterochrony is a partial explanation for the evolution of body shape, but we also found a significant difference between their ontogenetic transformations; the direction of the difference between them suggests that heterotopy also plays a role in this group. In Pygocentrus we found no difference in developmental rate among species, but we did find a difference in the ontogenies, suggesting that heterotopy, but not heterochrony, is the developmental basis for shape diversification in this group. The prevalence of heterotopy as a source of evolutionary novelty remains largely unexplored and will not become clear until the search for developmental explanations looks beyond heterochrony. [source] Phenotype and Function of Somatic Primary Afferent Nociceptive Neurones with C-, A,- or A,/,-FibresEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002S. N. Lawson Nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones have fibres that conduct in the C, A, and A,/, conduction velocity range. The properties of nociceptive compared with non-nociceptive somatic afferent dorsal root ganglion neurones appear to fall into two patterns, A and B. Pattern A properties of nociceptive neurones, the more common type, include longer action potential duration and slower maximum rate of fibre firing, as well as a greater expression of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity. The values of pattern A properties appear to be graded according to the conduction velocity group (C, A, or A,/,) of the fibres. The most pronounced forms of A-type properties are expressed by nociceptive neurones with C-fibres, and these become less pronounced in nociceptive neurones with A,-fibres and least pronounced in those with A,/, fibres (C > A, > A,/,). Some of these properties are also expressed in a less extreme but similarly graded manner through C, A, and A,/, groups of non-nociceptive low threshold mechanoreceptive (LTM) neurone. The less common pattern B properties of nociceptive neurones have similar values in C-, A,- and A,/,-fibre nociceptive neurones but these clearly differ from LTM units with C-, A,- and A,/,-fibre conduction velocities. These features of nociceptive neurones include consistently larger action potential overshoots and longer after-hyperpolarisation durations in nociceptive than in LTM neurones. [source] Initiation and early growth of fatigue cracks in an aerospace aluminium alloyFATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 2 2002S. A. Barter Abstract Material imperfections usually play a substantial role in the early stages of fatigue cracking. This article presents some observations concerning fatigue crack initiating flaws and early crack growth in 7050-T7451 aluminium alloy specimens and in full-scale fatigue test articles with a production surface finish. Equivalent initial flaw size (EIFS) approaches used to evaluate the fatigue implications of metallurgical, manufacturing and service-induced features were refined by using quantitative fractography to acquire detailed information on the early crack growth behaviour of individual cracks; the crack growth observations were employed in a simple crack growth model developed for use in analysing service crack growth. The use of observed crack growth behaviour reduces the variability which is inherent in EIFS approaches which rely on modelling the whole of fatigue life, and which can dominate EIFS methods. The observations of realistic initial flaws also highlighted some of the significant factors in the fatigue life-determining early fatigue growth phase, such as surface treatment processes. Although inclusions are often regarded as the single most common type of initiating flaw, processes which include etching can lead to etch pitting of grain boundaries with significant fatigue life implications. [source] Prediction of coenzyme specificity in dehydrogenases/ reductasesFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006A hidden Markov model-based method, its application on complete genomes Dehydrogenases and reductases are enzymes of fundamental metabolic importance that often adopt a specific structure known as the Rossmann fold. This fold, consisting of a six-stranded ,-sheet surrounded by ,-helices, is responsible for coenzyme binding. We have developed a method to identify Rossmann folds and predict their coenzyme specificity (NAD, NADP or FAD) using only the amino acid sequence as input. The method is based upon hidden Markov models and sequence pattern analysis. The prediction sensitivity is 79% and the selectivity close to 100%. The method was applied on a set of 68 genomes, representing the three kingdoms archaea, bacteria and eukaryota. In prokaryotes, 3% of the genes were found to code for Rossmann-fold proteins, while the corresponding ratio in eukaryotes is only around 1%. In all genomes, NAD is the most preferred cofactor (41,49%), followed by NADP with 30,38%, while FAD is the least preferred cofactor (21%). However, the NAD preponderance over NADP is most pronounced in archaea, and least in eukaryotes. In all three kingdoms, only 3,8% of the Rossmann proteins are predicted to have more than one membrane-spanning segment, which is much lower than the frequency of membrane proteins in general. Analysis of the major protein types in eukaryotes reveals that the most common type (26%) of the Rossmann proteins are short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases. In addition, the identified Rossmann proteins were analyzed with respect to further protein types, enzyme classes and redundancy. The described method is available at http://www.ifm.liu.se/bioinfo, where the preferred coenzyme and its binding region are predicted given an amino acid sequence as input. [source] Experimental and analytical studies of steel joint components at elevated temperaturesFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 2-4 2004Spyros Spyrou Abstract This paper reports on experimental furnace testing and development of simple analytical models intended to initiate the development of a Component Method for modelling of steel beam-to-column connections in fire conditions. The basic theme of the Component Method is to consider any joint as an assembly of individual simple components. Each of these components is simply a non-linear spring, possessing its own level of strength and stiffness in tension, compression or shear, and these will degrade as its temperature rises. The main objective of this study was to investigate experimentally and analytically the behaviour of tension and compression zones of end-plate connections at elevated temperatures. A series of experiments has been carried out, and these are described in the paper. Simplified analytical models of the component behaviour have been developed, and these have been validated against the tests and against detailed finite element simulations. The simplified models have been shown to be very reliable for this very common type of joint, although similar equations will need to be developed for other configurations. The component models developed have been shown to produce moment-rotation curves which correlate well with the results of previous furnace tests on complete connection behaviour in fire. The principles of the Component Method can be used directly in either simplified or finite element modelling, without attempting to predict of the overall joint behaviour in fire. This will enable semi-rigid behaviour to be taken into account in the analytical fire engineering design of steel-framed buildings, for which it is inadequate simply to consider the degradation of the ambient-temperature moment-rotation characteristics of a joint without taking account of the high axial forces which also occur. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Silicone,Poly(hexylthiophene) Blends as Elastomers with Enhanced Electromechanical Transduction Properties,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 2 2008F. Carpi Abstract Dielectric elastomers are progressively emerging as one of the best-performing classes of electroactive polymers for electromechanical transduction. They are used for actuation devices driven by the so-called Maxwell stress effect. At present, the need for high-driving electric fields limits the use of these transduction materials in some areas of potential application, especially in the case of biomedical disciplines. A reduction of the driving fields may be achieved with new elastomers offering intrinsically superior electromechanical properties. So far, most attempts in this direction have been focused on the development of composites between elastomer matrixes and high-permittivity ceramic fillers, yielding limited results. In this work, a different approach was adopted for increasing the electromechanical response of a common type of dielectric elastomer. The technique consisted in blending, rather than loading, the elastomer (poly(dimethylsiloxane)) with a highly polarizable conjugated polymer (undoped poly(3-hexylthiophene)). The resulting material was characterised by dielectric spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile mechanical analysis, and electromechanical transduction tests. Very low percentages (1,6 wt %) of poly(3-hexylthiophene) yielded both an increase of the relative dielectric permittivity and an unexpected reduction of the tensile elastic modulus. Both these factors synergetically contributed to a remarkable increase of the electromechanical response, which reached a maximum at 1 wt % content of conjugated polymer. Estimations based on a simple linear model were compared with the experimental electromechanical data and a good agreement was found up to 1 wt %. This approach may lead to the development of new types of materials suitable for several types of applications requiring elastomers with improved electromechanical properties. [source] Novel genetic basis of field-evolved resistance to Bt toxins in Plutella xylostellaINSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005S. W. Baxter Abstract Insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely used to control pest insects, but evolution of resistance threatens their continued efficacy. The most common type of Bt resistance (,Mode 1') is characterized by recessive inheritance, > 500-fold resistance to at least one Cry1A toxin, negligible cross-resistance to Cry1C, and reduced binding of Bt toxins to midgut membrane target sites. Mutations affecting a Cry1A-binding midgut cadherin protein are linked to laboratory-selected Mode 1 resistance in Heliothis virescens and Pectinophora gossypiella. Here we show that field-evolved Mode 1 resistance in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, has a different genetic basis, indicating that screening for resistance in the field should not be restricted to a previously proposed DNA-based search for cadherin mutations. [source] A time-stepping method for stiff multibody dynamics with contact and friction,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2002Mihai Anitescu Abstract We define a time-stepping procedure to integrate the equations of motion of stiff multibody dynamics with contact and friction. The friction and non-interpenetration constraints are modelled by complementarity equations. Stiffness is accommodated by a technique motivated by a linearly implicit Euler method. We show that the main subproblem, a linear complementarity problem, is consistent for a sufficiently small time step h. In addition, we prove that for the most common type of stiff forces encountered in rigid body dynamics, where a damping or elastic force is applied between two points of the system, the method is well defined for any time step h. We show that the method is stable in the stiff limit, unconditionally with respect to the damping parameters, near the equilibrium points of the springs. The integration step approaches, in the stiff limit, the integration step for a system where the stiff forces have been replaced by corresponding joint constraints. Simulations for one- and two-dimensional examples demonstrate the stable behaviour of the method. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Isolating the root cause of propagated oscillations in process plantsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 4 2005Xiaoyun Zang Abstract Oscillations are a common type of propagated disturbance, whose sources might be attributable to a number of different phenomena such as poor controller tuning or actuator nonlinearity. A number of data-driven methods have already been proposed to isolate the source loop of nonlinearity induced plant-wide oscillations. Amongst these the bi-amplitude ratio index, correlation dimension, maximal Lyapunov exponent, nonlinearity index and spectral ICA show promise. The propagation of oscillations is first examined in order to gain an understanding of how this might affect the performances of the various techniques. The various methods are then described and their performance on a set of simulation generated data and two industrial case studies are compared. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prevalence and risk factors of human papillomavirus infection by penile site in uncircumcised Kenyan menINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 2 2010Jennifer S. Smith Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence was estimated from 2,705 sexually active, uncircumcised, human immunodeficiency virus seronegative men aged 17,28 years in Kisumu, Kenya. HPV prevalence was 51.1% (95% confidence interval: 49.2,53.0%) in penile cells from the glans/coronal sulcus and/or shaft. HPV prevalence varied by anatomical site, with 46.5% positivity in the glans/coronal sulcus compared with 19.1% in the shaft (p < 0.0001). High-risk HPV was detected in 31.2% of glans and 12.3% of shaft samples (p < 0.0001). HPV16 was the most common type and 29.2% of men were infected with more than one HPV type. Risk factors for HPV infection included presence of C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhea, self-reported sexually transmitted infections, and less frequent bathing. Lifetime number of sexual partners and herpes simplex virus type-2 seropositivity were also marginally associated with HPV infection. [source] Cervical carcinoma in Algiers, Algeria: Human papillomavirus and lifestyle risk factorsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 3 2005Doudja Hammouda Abstract We conducted a hospital-based case-control study in Algiers, Algeria. A total of 198 cervical carcinoma (CC) cases (including 15 adeno- and adenosquamous carcinomas) and 202 age-matched control women were included. Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical cells was evaluated using a PCR assay. Odds ratios and corresponding confidence intervals were computed by means of unconditional multiple logistic regression models. HPV infection was detected in 97.7% of CC cases and 12.4% of control women (OR = 635). Nineteen different HPV types were found. HPV 16 was the most common type in both CC cases and control women, followed by HPV 18 and 45. Twelve types (HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 66 and 73) were found as single infections in CC cases. Multiple HPV infections did not show a higher odds ratio for CC than single infections. In addition to HPV infection, husband's extramarital sexual relationships with other women (OR = 4.8) or prostitutes (OR = 3.2), residing in a rural environment for most of one's life (OR = 4.9) and indicators of poor sanitation or poor hygiene were the strongest risk factors for CC. Oral contraceptive use was unrelated to CC risk, while multiparity emerged as a significant risk factor after adjustment for sexual habits. Intrauterine device users showed a lower CC risk than nonusers. The role of major risk factors, except inside toilet, was confirmed in the analysis restricted to HPV-positive women. The distribution of HPV types in CC cases and control women in Algeria is more similar to the one found in Europe than the one in sub-Saharan Africa, where HPV 16 is less prevalent. A vaccine against HPV 16 and 18 may be effective in more than 3/4 of CCs in Algeria. [source] Once-daily desloratadine improves the signs and symptoms of chronic idiopathic urticaria: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2001Johannes Ring MD Background Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is the most common type of chronic urticaria, and pruritus is the most prominent symptom. Antihistamines are the first-line treatment for CIU. Sedation and anticholinergic adverse effects are often experienced with the first-generation antihistamines and there is a risk of cardiovascular adverse effects and drug interactions with some second-generation agents. Hence, new treatment options are needed. Desloratadine is a new, potent, nonsedating antihistamine that has an excellent cardiovascular safety profile. Methods This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to determine the efficacy and safety of desloratadine in the treatment of moderate-to-severe CIU. A total of 190 patients, aged 12,79 years, with at least a 6-week history of CIU and who were currently experiencing a flare of at least moderate severity, were randomly assigned to therapy with desloratadine 5 mg or placebo once daily for 6 weeks. Twice daily, patients rated the severity of CIU symptoms (pruritus, number of hives, and size of largest hive), as well as the impact of CIU symptoms on sleep and daily activity. Patients and investigators jointly evaluated therapeutic response and overall condition. Safety evaluations included the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events, discontinuations due to adverse events, and changes from baseline in vital signs, laboratory parameters, and ECG intervals. Results Desloratadine was superior to placebo in controlling pruritus and total symptoms after the first dose and maintained this superiority to the end of the study. Measures of sleep, daily activity, therapeutic response, and global CIU status were also significantly better with desloratadine after the first dose; these clinical benefits were also maintained throughout the 6-week study. No significant adverse events occured. Conclusions Desloratadine 5 mg daily is a safe and effective treatment for CIU with significant benefits within 24 h and maintained through the treatment period. [source] Hematological features and molecular lesions of hemoglobin gene disorders in Taiwanese patientsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 1p2 2010H.-J. LIN Summary Hemoglobin (Hb) gene disorders are one of the most common inherited diseases in Taiwan, which include ,-thalassemia, ,-thalassemia, and Hb variants. In this study, we collected and analyzed mutations found in 930 patients with Hb gene disorders except Hb Bart's Hydrops and ,-thalassemia major. The patients included 650 cases of ,-thalassemia, 225 cases of ,-thalassemia, 9 cases of ,-thalassemia combined with ,-thalassemia, and 46 cases of Hb variants or Hb variants combined with ,-thalassemia or ,-thalassemia. The most common type of ,0 -thalassemia and ,++ -thalassemia mutations in our study were the SEA type deletion and the ,3.7 deletion, respectively; the most common ,-thalassemia mutation was the IVS-2 nt 654 C,T mutation; and the most common Hb variant was the HbE. We compared the relationships between genotype and hematological phenotypes of various Hb gene disorders and found that different genotypes of ,0 -thalassemia have similar hematological features. In conclusion, the results of our study provide data of the complex interaction of thalassemias and Hb variants which might be useful for other researchers in this field. [source] Investigating Sexual Abuse: Findings of a 15-Year Longitudinal StudyJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 3 2005Bob McCormack Background, There is a lack of longitudinal large-scale studies of sexual abuse in intellectual disability services. Such studies offer opportunities to examine patterns in disclosure, investigation and outcomes, and to report on incidence and trends. Methods, All allegations of sexual abuse (n = 250) involving service users as victims or perpetrators of sexual abuse over a 15-year period in a large Irish community-based service were analysed based on the data extracted from extensive contemporaneous case notes. Results, Victims or families were the most common concern raisers of abuse. Following multidisciplinary investigation, almost half (47%) of all allegations of sexual abuse were confirmed (n = 118). In confirmed episodes, more than half the perpetrators were adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities, while almost a quarter were relatives. The most common type of abuse was sexual touch, although 31% of episodes involved penetration or attempted penetration. The most common location was the family home, followed by the day service and public places. A notable feature was the variation in the incidence of abuse over the study period, largely caused by episodes of multiple abuse. Conclusions, The incidence of confirmed episodes of sexual abuse of adults with intellectual disabilities may be higher than previously estimated. There is an urgent need for statutory guidelines, which require reporting of adult abuse, and provide protection for bona fide whistle blowers, similar to existing child protection legislation. [source] Corticosteroid Osteoporosis: Practical Implications of Recent TrialsJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 9 2000Philip N. Sambrook Abstract Corticosteroids are widely used and effective agents for control of many inflammatory diseases, but osteoporosis is a common problem associated with their long-term use. Several large double-blind controlled clinical trials in patients with corticosteroid osteoporosis recently have been published, indicating it is possible to prevent or reverse this bone loss. Ultimately, the aim of treatment is to prevent fractures, especially vertebral fractures that are the most common type of fracture associated with corticosteroid therapy, yet it remains unclear exactly which patients should receive prophylaxis. Understanding the differences between these trials is key to interpreting the results, which have important practical implications for patient management. [source] Genetic Determination of Colles' Fracture and Differential Bone Mass in Women With and Without Colles' FractureJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 7 2000Hong-Wen Deng Abstract Osteoporotic fractures (OFs) are a major public health problem. Direct evidence of the importance and, particularly, the magnitude of genetic determination of OF per se is essentially nonexistent. Colles' fractures (CFs) are a common type of OF. In a metropolitan white female population in the midwestern United States, we found significant genetic determination of CF. The prevalence (K) of CF is, respectively, 11.8% (±SE 0.7%) in 2471 proband women aged 65.55 years (0.21), 4.4% (0.3%) in 3803 sisters of the probands, and 14.6% (0.7%) in their mothers. The recurrence risk (K0), the probability that a woman will suffer CF if her mother has suffered CF is 0.155 (0.017). The recurrence risk (Ks), the probability that a sister of a proband woman will suffer CF given that her proband sister has suffered CF is 0.084 (0.012). The relative risk , (the ratio of the recurrence risk to K), which measures the degree of genetic determination of complex diseases such as CF, is 1.312 (0.145; ,0) for a woman with an affected mother and 1.885 (0.276; ,s) for a woman with an affected sister. A ,-value significantly greater than 1.0 indicates genetic determination of CF. The terms ,0 and ,s are related to the genetic variances of CF. These parameters translate into a significant and moderately high heritability (0.254 [0.118]) for CF. These parameters were estimated by a maximum likelihood method that we developed, which provides a general tool for characterizing genetic determination of complex diseases. In addition, we found that women without CF had significantly higher bone mass (adjusted for important covariates such as age, weight, etc.) than women with CF. [source] A 3-year study of medication incidents in an acute general hospitalJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 2 2008L. Song MPhil Summary Background and objective:, Inappropriate medication use may harm patients. We analysed medication incident reports (MIRs) as part of the feedback loop for quality assurance. Methods:, From all MIRs in a university-affiliated acute general hospital in Hong Kong in the period January 2004,December 2006, we analysed the time, nature, source and severity of medication errors. Results:, There were 1278 MIRs with 36 (range 15,107) MIRs per month on average. The number of MIRs fell from 649 in 2004, to 353 in 2005, and to 276 in 2006. The most common type was wrong strength/dosage (36·5%), followed by wrong drug (16·7%), wrong frequency (7·7%), wrong formulation (7·0%), wrong patient (6·9%) and wrong instruction (3·1%). 60·9%, 53·7% and 84·0% of MIRs arose from handwritten prescription (HP) rather than the computerized medication order entry in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively. In 43·1% of MIRs, preregistration house officers were involved. Most errors (80·2%) were detected before any drug was wrongly administered. The medications were administered in 212 cases (19·7%), which resulted in an untoward effect in nine cases (0·8%). Conclusions:, The most common errors were wrong dosage and wrong drug. Many incidents involved preregistration house officers and HPs. Our computerized systems appeared to reduce medication incidents. [source] Tools and strategies for searching in hypermedia environmentsJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 2 2000A. Beaufils Abstract This paper presents the results of several investigations into the use made by students of a prototype system of help for the exploitation of hypermedia documents. This prototype was derived from a common type of educational CD-ROM in which the presentation of the contents was improved and certain research and note-taking tools added. The evolving, personalised note-taking system interacts constantly with the environment being explored. Beyond the storage of personal notes (clues, personal knowledge of the area), it allows the student to keep the explored sections in mind and ultimately to plan further explorations. It also enables the extraction and structuring of the data retrieved from the body of the database. The role of this system is to facilitate more thorough searches for information which might sometimes require several sessions stretched out over a long period. It could be profitably used in the context of independent student activities. [source] QUARTZ-TUNGSTEN-HALOGEN AND LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE CURING LIGHTSJOURNAL OF ESTHETIC AND RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2006Kraig S. Vandewalle DDS Curing lights are an integral part of the daily practice of restorative dentistry. Quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH), plasma-arc (PAC), argon laser, and light-emitting diode (LED) curing lights are currently commercially available. The QTH curing light has a long, established history as a workhorse for composite resin polymerization in dental practices and remains the most common type of light in use today. Its relatively broad emission spectrum allows the QTH curing light to predictably initiate polymerization of all known photo-activated resin-based dental materials. However, the principal output from these lamps is infrared energy, with the generation of high heat. Filters are used to reduce the emitted heat energy and provide further restriction of visible light to correlate better with the narrower absorbance spectrum of photo-initiators. The relatively inefficient emission typically requires corded handpieces with noisy fans. PAC lights generate a high voltage pulse that creates hot plasma between two electrodes in a xenon-filled bulb. The irradiance of PAC lights is much higher than the typical QTH curing light, but PAC lights are more expensive and generate very high heat with an inefficient emission spectrum similar to that of QTH bulbs. Light emitted from an argon laser is very different from that emitted from the halogen or PAC lights. The photons produced are coherent and do not diverge; therefore, lasers concentrate more photons of specific frequency into a tiny area. With very little infrared output, unwanted heat is minimized. However, argon lasers are very expensive and inefficient due to a small curing tip. LED curing lights have been introduced to the market with the promise of more efficient polymerization, consistent output over time without degradation, and less heat emission in a quiet, compact, portable device. This review evaluates some of the published research on LED and QTH curing lights. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||