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Gradual Improvement (gradual + improvement)
Selected AbstractsSurvey of the year 2006 commercial optical biosensor literatureJOURNAL OF MOLECULAR RECOGNITION, Issue 5 2007Rebecca L. Rich Abstract We identified 1219 articles published in 2006 that described work performed using commercial optical biosensor platforms. It is interesting to witness how the biosensor market is maturing with an increased number of instrument manufacturers offering a wider variety of platforms. However, it is clear from a review of the results presented that the advances in technology are outpacing the skill level of the average biosensor user. While we can track a gradual improvement in the quality of the published work, we clearly have a long way to go before we capitalize on the full potential of biosensor technology. To illustrate what is right with the biosensor literature, we highlight the work of 10 groups who have their eye on the ball. To help out the rest of us who have the lights on but nobody home, we use the literature to address common myths about biosensor technology. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Axillary brachial plexus block with patient controlled analgesia for complex regional pain syndrome type I: a case report. (National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan) Reg Anesth Pain Med 2001;26:68,71.PAIN PRACTICE, Issue 4 2001Li-Kai Wang A 32-year-old man who suffered from complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I) of the right upper limb after surgical release of carpal tunnel syndrome of the right hand is the subject of this case report. Symptoms and signs over the right hand were alleviated under rehabilitation and conventional pharmacological management, but severe painful swelling of the right wrist persisted. Axillary brachial plexus block (BPB) with patient controlled analgesia (PCA) was performed on the 32nd postoperative day, which soon resulted in significant reduction of pain with gradual improvement of function of the right wrist. Conclude that axillary BPB with PCA may provide patients with CRPS I of the upper limb a feasible and effective treatment. [source] Methamphetamine psychosis in which tardive dystonia was successfully treated with clonazepamPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 6 2007NOBUTOMO YAMAMOTO md Abstract Reported herein is a case of methamphetamine psychosis in which tardive dystonia was treated successfully with clonazepam. The patient was a 69-year-old man who had taken methamphetamine habitually for approximately 40 years. Auditory hallucinations had developed 25 years previously, for which haloperidol had been prescribed. Tardive dystonia had developed in December 2005. Haloperidol was withdrawn and risperidone or olanzapine alone had been administered, but neither had improved the dystonic posture. However, when clonazepam was added, a gradual improvement in the dystonic posture became evident. Tardive dystonia is currently treated on a trial-and-error basis. Accumulation of further cases similar to the present one is very important for establishing an effective treatment. [source] Evidence for activation of KIT, PDGFR,, and PDGFR, receptors in the Ewing sarcoma family of tumorsCANCER, Issue 8 2007Fabio Bozzi PhD Abstract BACKGROUND. The Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms of children and adolescents, characterized by nonrandom translocations involving the Ewing sarcoma (EWS) gene. Over the years the adoption of intensive multimodality treatment approaches has led to a gradual improvement in the survival of patients with ESFT. The prognosis is still unsatisfactory for high-risk patients, however, and novel therapeutic approaches are desirable. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression/activation of KIT, PDGFR,, and PDGFR, receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) as potential therapeutic targets in ESFT. METHODS. RNA and proteins were extracted from 20 frozen ESFT specimens to ascertain the state activation of KIT, PDGFR,, and PDGFR,. RESULTS. No mutations were found, whereas the cognate ligands were detected in all cases by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The expression and activation of KIT, PDGFR,, and PDGFR, were confirmed by quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, and immunoprecipitation and/or Western blot analysis. In particular, when compared with a protein pool obtained from normal adult tissues, PDGFR, showed a greater protein expression and/or a stronger phosphorylation signal. CONCLUSIONS. The results are consistent with an autocrine/paracrine loop activation of the KIT, PDGFR,, and PDGFR, receptors and suggest a rationale for the use of RTK inhibitors, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society. [source] The Usefulness of Chronic Heart Failure Treatments in Chronic Cardiac Graft FailureCARDIOVASCULAR THERAPEUTICS, Issue 1 2010Osman Najam Following cardiac transplantation, registry data has demonstrated a gradual improvement in survival over the last several decades, which is testament to continual improvement in aftercare strategy. However, a significant number of patients will eventually develop a new syndrome of chronic heart failure, owing to the multitude of physiological processes that occur after transplantation. This condition, referred to as chronic graft failure (CGF) should be regarded as a unique illness rather than one that is simply analogous with chronic heart failure. In particular, the unique pathophysiological (and pharmacological) environment in the setting of CGF presents a challenging situation to the transplant physician. There is uncertainty over which treatments to offer given a paucity of clinical trial data to support the use of standard heart failure treatments in CGF. In this review, we discuss which chronic heart failure treatments could be considered in the setting of CGF based on their mechanisms of action, benefits within the native heart failure setting, and the relevant issues within the posttransplant environment. [source] Effects of magnesium sulphate on amplitude-integrated continuous EEG in asphyxiated term neonatesACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 10 2002F Groenendaal In this study it is hypothesized that magnesium sulphate in asphyxiated full-term neonates could lead to a gradual improvement in background pattern of the amplitude integrated EEG (aEEG), an early marker of hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. In a double-blind, randomized, controlled pilot study of 22 asphyxiated full-term neonates 8 received magnesium sulphate, reaching serum Mg2+ levels of 2.5 mmol/L. Magnesium sulphate had no immediate effect on aEEG-patterns. At 12 h of age, aEEG was more depressed compared with aEEG at 3 h in 6 of the 8 magnesium-treated neonates, and in 3 of the 14 placebo-treated neonates (Mg2+ vs placebo: p < 0.05, Mann-Whitney). No further significant changes in aEEG were seen between 12 and 24 h. Outcome was unfavourable in 4 of the 8 magnesium-treated neonates, and in 8 of the 14 placebo-treated neonates. Conclusion: Magnesium sulphate did not have a positive effect on aEEG patterns in this small group of asphyxiated term neonates. [source] Introducing Templates for Sustainable Product DevelopmentJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2008A Case Study of Televisions at the Matsushita Electric Group Summary We have previously developed a method for sustainable product development (MSPD) based on backcasting from basic sustainability principles. The MSPD informs investigations of product-related social and ecological sustainability aspects throughout a concurrent engineering product development process. We here introduce "templates" for sustainable product development (TSPDs) as a complement. The idea is to help product development teams to arrive faster and more easily at an overview of the major sustainability challenges and opportunities of a product category in the early development phases. The idea is also to inform creative communication between top management, stakeholders, and product developers. We present this approach through an evaluation case study, in which the TSPDs were used for a sustainability assessment of televisions (TVs) at the Matsushita Electric Group. We study whether the TSPD approach has the ability to (1) help shift focus from gradual improvements of a selection of aspects in relation to past environmental performance of a product category to a focus on the remaining gap to a sustainable situation, (2) facilitate consensus among organizational levels about major sustainability challenges and potential solutions for a product category, and (3) facilitate continued dialogue with external sustainability experts, identifying improvements that are relevant for strategic sustainable development. Our findings indicate that the TSPD approach captures overall sustainability aspects of the life cycle of product categories and that it has the above abilities. [source] Well-being changes in response to 30 years of regional integration in Maya populations from Yucatan, MexicoAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Francisco D. Gurri Infant mortality rate (IMR), overall frequency of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), sexual dimorphism in LEH, age of onset of LEH, and age at menarche were used as indicators to test the hypothesis that the origin and development of the tourist industry and increased state participation on Maya subsistence agriculturists in the early 1970s had improved the well-being of the Maya. Two historical moments where inferred from the data. The first was derived from cheap and effective immunization and sanitation campaigns that reduced IMR from 143.4/1,000 live births in the early 1960s to 97.4 in the early 1970s. State participation broke the undernutrition,disease cycle enough to reduce LEH frequencies significantly (from 71.9% in individuals born before 1971 to 51.5% in those born in 1971 or after, ,2 = 55.72; 1 df; , = 0.00001) and to eliminate the sex difference in LEH expression (from a 14.8% LEH difference between men and women before 1971 [Male/Female Odds Radio = 0.45, , significant at 0.05] to a nonsignificant 2% difference). Improvement in overall living conditions reflected in a "modern stage" infant mortality regime and an almost disappearance of LEHs, resulted from gradual improvements in living conditions that did not become apparent until the 1980s. Trends in the age at menarche are not statistically significant, probably due to methodological limitations. However, if overall living conditions continue to improve or stay as they are today, accelerations in maturation should become noticeable. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 13:590,602, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||