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Normalization
Kinds of Normalization Terms modified by Normalization Selected AbstractsNORMALIZATION AND LEGITIMATION: MODELING STIGMATIZING ATTITUDES TOWARD EX-OFFENDERS,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 1 2010PAUL J. HIRSCHFIELD Successful community reentry and the criminological impact of incarceration may depend in part on the attitudes (and consequent reactions) that prisoners encounter after release. Theories of social stigma suggest that such attitudes depend, in turn, on the levels of familiarity with the stigmatized group (the normalization thesis) as well as on the credibility and trust they accord to sanctioning agents (the legitimation thesis). To assess these two hypotheses, we present the first multivariate analysis of public attitudes toward ex-offenders. Data from a four-state, random-digit telephone survey of more than 2,000 individuals indicate that, net of controls, personal familiarity with ex-offenders may soften attitudes, whereas confidence in the courts may harden them. As expected, non-Hispanic Whites, conservatives, and southern residents hold more negative views of ex-offenders. Our findings lend indirect support to concerns that incarceration is becoming "normalized", and we suggest strategies for reducing the stigma of incarceration. [source] Letrozole normalizes serum testosterone in severely obese men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadismDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 3 2005H. De Boer Background:, Morbid obesity is associated with increased estradiol production as a result of aromatase-dependent conversion of testosterone to estradiol. The elevated serum estradiol levels may inhibit pituitary LH secretion to such extent that hypogonadotropic hypogonadism can result. Normalization of the disturbed estradiol-testosterone balance may be beneficial to reverse the adverse effects of hypogonadism. Aim:, To examine whether aromatase inhibition with Letrozole can normalize serum testosterone levels in severely obese men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Patients and Methods:, Ten severely obese men, mean age 48.2 ± 2.3 (s.e.) years and body mass index 42.1 ± 2.6 kg/m2, were treated with Letrozole for 6 weeks in doses ranging from 7.5 to 17.5 mg per week. Results:, Six weeks of treatment decreased serum estradiol from 120 ± 20 to 70 ± 9 pmol/l (p = 0.006). None of the subjects developed an estradiol level of less than 40 pmol/l. LH increased from 4.5 ± 0.8 to 14.8 ± 2.3 U/l (p < 0.001). Total testosterone rose from 7.5 ± 1.0 to 23.8 ± 3.0 nmol/l (p < 0.001) without a concomitant change in sex hormone-binding globulin level. Those treated with Letrozole 17.5 mg per week had an excessive LH response. Conclusion:, Short-term Letrozole treatment normalized serum testosterone levels in all obese men. The clinical significance of this intervention remains to be established in controlled, long-term studies. [source] "Friends, But Not Allies",Cyrus Vance and the Normalization of Relations with ChinaDIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 4 2009Breck Walker First page of article [source] Effect of pantoprazole in patients with chronic laryngitis and pharyngitis related to gastroesophageal reflux disease: clinical, proximal, and distal pH monitoring resultsDISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 4 2010S. Karoui SUMMARY Few studies had evaluated the results of proton pump inhibitors on distal and proximal pH recording using a dual-channel probe. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and pH-metric effect of treatment with pantoprazole 80 mg for 8 weeks in patients with ear, nose, and throat (ENT) manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease associated with pathological proximal acid exposure. We conducted a prospective open study. Patients included had to have chronic pharyngitis or laryngitis, and a pathological gastroesophagopharyngeal reflux. All patients received treatment with pantoprazole 80 mg daily for 8 weeks. One week after the end treatment, patients had a second ENT examination and a 24-hour pH monitoring using dual-channel probe. We included 33 patients (11 men, 22 women). A pathological distal acid reflux was found in 30 patients (91%). After treatment, the improvement of ENT symptoms was found in 51.5% of patients. Normalization of 24-hour proximal esophageal pH monitoring was observed in 22 patients (66%). After treatment, the overall distal acid exposure, the number of distal reflux events, and the number of reflux during more than 5 minutes were significantly decreased (respectively: 19.4% vs 7.2% [P < 0.0001], 62.7 vs 28.4 [P < 0.0001], and 10.4 vs 3.9 [P < 0.0001] ). Similarly, in proximal level, the same parameters were significantly decreased after treatment (respectively: 6.8% vs 1.6% [P < 0.0001], 32.6 vs 8.1 [P < 0.0001], and 3.4 vs 0.6 [P= 0.005] ). Treatment with pantoprazole reduced the frequency and severity of gastroesophagopharyngeal acid reflux in patients with chronic pharyngitis and laryngitis. [source] Liver function test abnormalities in anorexia nervosa,Cause or effectINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 4 2010Vignesh Narayanan MD Abstract Objective: Two females with severe anorexia nervosa (BMI of 10) were seen with marked abnormalities in their liver function tests before the initiation of refeeding. These paradoxically resolved with progressive refeeding and weight restoration. Method: Clinical observation during regimented medical stabilization and refeeding of two patients with severe anorexia nervosa with frequent monitoring of liver function tests. Results: Normalization of liver function tests ensued as caloric intake increased and weight gain progressed. Discussion: Although classically liver function test elevations occur during refeeding, as a manifestation of excessive calories and fat deposition in the liver, they may also be elevated due to severe malnutrition before refeeding has commenced and improved as refeeding occurs. © 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2010 [source] Color Doppler sonography examination of partially obstructed kidneys associated with ureteropelvic junction stone before and after percutaneous nephrolithotripsy: Preliminary reportINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 5 2005SÜLEYMAN KILIÇ Abstract Aim: To evaluate resistive index (RI) changes before and after unilateral percutaneous nephrolithotripsy in chronic partially obstructed kidneys due to ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) stones. Methods: Intrarenal RI of obstructed and contralateral normal kidneys of 18 patients were recorded immediately before the operations and at postoperative days 1, 7 and 30. Postoperative RI measurements were compared with baseline values for all patients without grouping and separately for different groups according to the preoperative RI value of the obstructed kidney. Results: Mean age and symptom duration were 27.5 years and 43.8 weeks, respectively. Preoperatively and at all postoperative controls, kidney diameters and renal parenchyma thicknesses were normal in all patients. Mean RI of obstructed kidneys decreased from 0.68 to 0.63 for all patients (P = 0.032), from 0.64 to 0.63 for those with preoperative RI < 0.70 (P = 0.850) and from 0.73 to 0.62 for those with preoperative RI , 0.70 (P = 0.001). In patients with preoperative RI , 0.70 in obstructed kidney, significant RI decreases were recorded at postoperative day 7 and RI differences between obstructed and contralateral kidneys disappeared after then. No difference was present pre- and postoperatively between the mean RI of obstructed and contralateral kidneys of the patients with RI < 0.70. Mean RI of contralateral kidneys were normal preoperatively and showed no significant change postoperatively. Conclusions: Preoperative RI levels may indirectly reflect the presence of functionally significant obstruction in chronic obstructed kidneys related to UPJ stones. Patients with RI , 0.70 may have a good indication for a surgical approach. Normalization of high RI occurs rapidly after percutaneous nephrolithotripsy. [source] Major and trace element provenance signatures in stream sediments from the Kando River, San'in district, southwest JapanISLAND ARC, Issue 2 2006Edwin Ortiz Abstract Basement rocks in the catchment of the Kando River in southwest Japan can be divided into two main groups. Paleogene to Cretaceous felsic granitoids and volcanic rocks dominate in the upstream section, and more mafic, mostly Miocene volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks occur in the downstream reaches. Geochemically distinctive Mount Sambe adakitic volcanic products also crop out in the west. X-ray fluorescence analyses of major elements and 14 trace elements were made of two size fractions (<180 and 180,2000 µm) from 86 stream sediments collected within the catchment, to examine contrasts in composition between the fractions as a result of sorting and varying source lithotype. The <180 µm fractions are depleted in SiO2 and enriched in most other major and trace elements relative to the 180,2000 µm fractions. Na2O, K2O, Ba, Rb and Sr are either depleted relative to the 180,2000 µm fractions, or show little contrast in abundance. Sediments from granitoid-dominated catchments are distinguished by greater K2O, Th, Rb, Ba and Nb than those derived from the Miocene volcanic rocks. Granitoid-derived <180 µm fractions are also enriched in Zr, Ce and Y. Sediments derived from the Miocene volcanic rocks generally contain greater TiO2, Fe2O3*, Sc, V, MgO and P2O5, reflecting their more mafic source. Sediments containing Sambe volcanic rocks in their source are marked by higher Sr, CaO, Na2O and lower Y, reflecting an adakitic signature that persists into the lower main channel, where compositions become less variable as the bedload is homogenized. Normalization against source averages shows that compositions of the 180,2000 µm fractions are less fractionated from their parents than are the <180 µm fractions, which are enriched for some elements. Contrast between the size fractions is greatest for the granitoid-derived sediments. Weathering indices of the sediments are relatively low, indicating source weathering is moderate, and typical of temperate climates. Some zircon concentration has occurred in granitoid-derived <180 µm fractions relative to 180,2000 µm counterparts, but Th/Sc and Zr/Sc ratios overall closely reflect both provenance and homogenization in the lower reaches. [source] Anticoagulation After Coronary Artery Surgery in Patients With Polycythemia Vera: Report of Two CasesJOURNAL OF CARDIAC SURGERY, Issue 5 2007Bilgehan Sava, Oz M.D. Normalization of the hematocrit and elevated platelet counts is obligatory to reduce the thrombotic risk of patients with PV. Therapeutic strategies include phlebotomy, myelosuppressive agents, and, more recently, interferon-,. In addition, appropriate antiplatelet therapy should be administered to prevent life-threatening complications and reducing the viscosity of the blood. Although aspirin is widely preferred in such patients, this monodrug therapy or combined with clopidogrel as an alternative approach might not be enough, especially after coronary artery surgery. Therefore, warfarin should be added to anticoagulant therapy. This short report describes the use of warfarin, associated with aspirin and clopidogrel as an anticoagulant regimen after coronary artery bypass surgery in two cases with polycythemia vera. We believe that a combination of warfarin with other oral antiplatelet agents may be more effective in preventing the coronary artery bypass graft thrombosis. [source] Normalization of serum calcium by cinacalcet in a patient with hypercalcaemia due to a de novo inactivating mutation of the calcium-sensing receptorJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2006H. J. L. M. TIMMERS Abstract. Familial benign hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia (FHH) results from a heterozygous inactivating mutation of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) and is characterized by hypercalcaemia, hypocalciuria and inappropriately normal plasma levels of parathyroid hormone. In a minority of patients, a loss of function mutation of the CaR results in severe hypercalcaemia associated with complications for which no effective surgical or medical treatment is available. We investigated the effects of the calcimimetic agent cinacalcet, an allosteric modulator of the CaR, in a 26-year-old man presenting with hypercalcaemia due to a de novo inactivating mutation of the CaR. Complicating features were recurrent psychosis and progressive severe osteoporosis. A single dose of either 30 or 60 mg of cinacalcet resulted in a 63,88% decline in plasma parathyroid hormone levels within 2 h of administration of the agent, reverting to baseline levels after 12 h. Normalization of serum calcium was more gradual but sustained for up to 12 months of treatment with a maintenance twice-daily oral dose of 60 + 30 mg cinacalcet. In addition to its beneficial effects in primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism, cinacalcet may open new therapeutic avenues in the management of a subset of patients with severe hypercalcaemia due to inactivating mutations of the CaR. [source] Voxel-Based Morphometry and Voxel-Based Relaxometry in Parkinsonian Variant of Multiple System AtrophyJOURNAL OF NEUROIMAGING, Issue 3 2010Loukia C. Tzarouchi MD ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder divided into a parkinsonian (MSA-P) and a cerebellar variant. The purpose of this study was to assess regional brain atrophy and iron content using Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and Voxel-based relaxometry (VBR) respectively, in MSA-P. METHODS Using biological parametric mapping the effect of brain atrophy was evaluated in T2 relaxation time (T2) measurements by applying analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and correlation analysis to the VBM and VBR data. Eleven patients with MSA-P (aged 61.9 ± 11.7 years, disease duration 5.42 ± 2.5 years) and 11 controls were studied. RESULTS In comparison to the controls the patients showed decreased gray matter in the putamen, the caudate nuclei, the thalami, the anterior cerebellar lobes, and the cerebral cortex, and white matter atrophy in the pons, midbrain, and peduncles. VBR analysis showed prolonged T2 in various cortical regions. On ANCOVA, when controlling for gray and white matter volume, these regions of prolonged T2 were shrunk. Negative correlation was demonstrated between T2 and gray and white matter volume. CONCLUSIONS Diffuse brain atrophy, mainly in the motor circuitry is observed in MSA-P. Normalization for atrophy should always be performed in T2 measurements. [source] Normalizing bilingualism:The effects of the Catalonian linguistic normalization policy one generation after1JOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 3 2008Michael Newman This study examines the evolution of language attitudes of linguistically diverse adolescents in urban Catalonia a generation after the instauration of Linguistic Normalization, official language policies favoring Catalan. Woolard (1984, 1989) and Woolard and Gahng's (1990) classic Catalan/Spanish matched guise studies are used as a baseline. Current data come from a modified and expanded replication of those original studies. Findings show: (1) differences in attitudes between youths of Spanish and Catalan background have softened; (2) disparities in Status and Solidarity have evened out; (3) language choice can be highly gendered; and (4) bilingual proficiency is now valued by and for both communities. The support for bilingualism and the easing of divisions are understood as signs of increased ,linguistic cosmopolitanism,' a stance that looks beyond parochial own-group communities and favors bridging linguistic boundaries. The significance is that minority languages can be valued when they take on such symbolic roles. [source] Normalization of Serum Cortisol Concentration With Opioid Treatment of Severe Chronic PainPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2002Forest Tennant MD Serum cortisol concentrations may be altered in severe, chronic pain due to excess stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Among 40 consecutive patients with severe, chronic pain 26 (65.0%) demonstrated abnormal serum cortisol concentration. After 90 days of treatment, only 7 (17.5%; p<0.01) continued to show abnormal serum cortisol concentration indicating that serum cortisol and other serologic abnormalities may serve as biologic markers of severe, chronic pain. [source] Normalization of A2A and A3 adenosine receptor up-regulation in rheumatoid arthritis patients by treatment with anti,tumor necrosis factor , but not methotrexateARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2009Katia Varani Objective To investigate A1, A2A, A2B, and A3 adenosine receptors in lymphocytes and neutrophils from patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) as well as from RA patients treated with methotrexate (MTX) or anti,tumor necrosis factor , (anti-TNF,), as compared with those in age-matched healthy controls, and to examine correlations between the status and functionality of adenosine receptors and TNF, release and NF-,B activation. Methods Adenosine receptors were analyzed by saturation binding assays and Western blot analyses. We investigated the potency of typical A2A and A3 agonists in the production of cAMP in control subjects, ERA patients, and RA patients treated with MTX or anti-TNF,. In a separate cohort of RA patients, TNF, release and NF-,B activation were evaluated in plasma and nuclear extracts, respectively. Results In ERA patients, we found a high density and altered functionality of A2A and A3 receptors. The binding and functional parameters of A2A and A3 receptors normalized after anti-TNF,, but not MTX, treatment. TNF, release was increased in ERA patients and in MTX-treated RA patients, whereas in anti-TNF,,treated RA patients, release was comparable to that in the controls. NF-,B activation was elevated in ERA patients and in MTX-treated RA patients. Anti-TNF, treatment mediated decreased levels of NF-,B activation. Conclusion A2A and A3 receptor up-regulation in ERA patients and in MTX-treated RA patients was associated with high levels of TNF, and NF-,B activation. Treatment with anti-TNF, normalized A2A and A3 receptor expression and functionality. This new evidence of A2A and A3 receptor involvement opens the possibility of exploiting their potential role in human diseases characterized by a marked inflammatory component. [source] Feasibility of T and Z scores from magnetic resonance imaging data for quantification of cartilage loss in osteoarthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2003R. Burgkart Objective T scores (an indicator of the difference between patients and young healthy subjects) and Z scores (an indicator of the difference between patients and age-matched healthy subjects) are used in the diagnosis of osteoporosis and form the current basis for the definition of osteoporosis by the World Health Organization. We tested the feasibility of using T and Z scores derived from quantitative cartilage imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA). Methods High-resolution MR images of tibial cartilage were acquired from 126 young healthy adults (ages 20,35 years), 24 age-matched elderly healthy adults (ages 50,75 years), 7 OA patients prior to tibial osteotomy, and 7 OA patients prior to knee arthroplasty. Cartilage volume, thickness, surface area, and original joint surface area (before onset of disease) were determined in the medial and lateral tibia. Results The cartilage volume of the medial tibia of osteotomy patients with varus malalignment displayed moderate T scores (,1.0), and more negative T scores (,3.8) were observed in knee arthroplasty patients with varus malalignment. Normalization of the cartilage volume to the original joint surface area substantially enhanced the scores in patients undergoing osteotomy (,2.3) and in patients undergoing knee arthroplasty (,5.5), and this was superior to the normalization ratios of cartilage volume to body height and cartilage volume to body weight, in terms of distinguishing the loss of articular cartilage. Conclusion Quantitative analysis of OA by MRI is feasible using T and Z scores. However, cartilage volume should be normalized to the individual joint surface area in order to maximize the discriminatory power of this technique for the diagnosis of OA. [source] Normalization in cointegrated time series systemsCANADIAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2009Robert J. Rossana Abstract A method for normalizing cointegrating vectors is proposed for cointegrated time series systems containing multiple cointegrating vectors, a method requiring that an identity matrix appear in the normalized cointegrating matrix with unit coefficients attached to the endogenous or choice variables. The preferred method causes the normalized cointegrating matrix and the adjustment matrix to be consistent with the implications of static and dynamic economic theory. Alternative normalizations generate cointegrating and adjustment matrices that do not match up well with economic theory and do not reveal the testable restrictions implied by static economic theory. On propose une méthode pour normaliser les vecteurs co-intégrants pour des systèmes de séries chronologiques co-intégrées contenant de multiples vecteurs co-intégrants. Cette méthode requiert qu'une matrice identitaire apparaisse dans la matrice co-intégrante normalisée avec des coefficients unitaires attachés aux variables endogènes et de choix. La méthode préférée assure que la matrice co-intégrante normalisée et la matrice d'ajustement soient consistantes avec les implications de la théorie économique statique et dynamique. Des normalisations de rechange engendrent des matrices qui s'arriment mal à la théorie économique et ne révèlent pas les restrictions vérifiables impliquées par la théorie statique. [source] Cell Shape Normalization, Dendrite Orientation, and Melanin Production of Normal and Genetically Altered (Haploinsufficient NF1)-Melanocytes by Microstructured Substrate InteractionsCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 1 2004Simon Jungbauer Abstract Little is known about how functional regulation failure in genetically altered cells is influenced by topographical confinement of cells, a situation often present in tissues in vivo. We used cultured melanocytes derived from human skin samples as a model system for such investigations. Normal melanocytes have a very well defined shape consisting of a cell body and two dendrites arranged 180° relative to each other. In contrast, neurofibromin 1-melanocytes (NF1-melanocytes) have up to a 50,% reduction of neurofibromin 1, which results in an altered morphology that can be easily measured. NF1-melanocytes deviate from the defined structure of normal melanocytes by forming more than two dendrites per cell. We show that morphology consequences of genetically altered melanocytes can be canceled if cells interact with substrates microstructured by stripes that apply mechanophysical signals in the form of physical topography. The strength of the mechanophysical signal was varied systematically by increasing the height of the microstructures. Melanocytes respond to surface topographical features that are larger than 50 nm and have lateral confinements smaller 4 ,m. The response of normal and NF1-melanocytes to different topographies was analyzed quantitatively by determining density distributions for the number of dendrites per cell, the angles between dendrites, and the orientation imprinted in the substrate. The synthesis of melanin, a pigment produced by melanocytes, differs in the case of genetically altered NF1- and normal melanocytes. In both cases, the interaction with microstripes enhanced melanin production significantly. This enhanced melanin production is speculated to be caused by the mechanical stabilization of the dendrites by substrate guidance. [source] Expression of cyclin D1 and p16 in psoriasis before and after phototherapyCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2010M. Abou EL-Ela Summary Background., Psoriasis vulgaris (PV) is characterized by keratinocyte hyper-proliferation. Altered expression of cell-cycle regulatory genes involved in the cyclin D1/p16 INK4,pRb pathway may contribute to this epidermal hyperproliferation. Aim., To assess the expression of cyclinD1 and p16 in psoriasis, and to evaluate the effect of phototherapy on their expression. Methods., The study population comprised 25 patients with PV and 10 healthy controls. Patients were treated with 24 sessions of either narrowband ultraviolet (UV) B or psoralen UVA. Skin biopsies were taken from the affected skin of each patient before and after treatment, and from the healthy controls, to examine cyclin D1 and p16 expression. Results., Before phototherapy, the mean value of cyclin D1 concentration in patients was significantly greater than that in controls and the mean value of p16 concentration in patients was significantly lower than that in controls. Following treatment, we detected a significant decrease in cyclin D1 and a significant increase in p16. Conclusion., Cyclin D1 upregulation and p16 downregulation may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Normalization of the levels of both parameters may be a mechanism by which phototherapy induces remission in psoriasis. [source] Rapid Normalization of a Highly Thickened Pericardium by Chemotherapy in a Patient with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic LymphomaCLINICAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Fethi Kilicaslan Abstract The most common tumor that affects the pericardium is malign lymphoma. T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (TLL) is a rare type of malign lymphomas. In this manuscript, we are reporting a patient with TLL with pericardial involvement diagnosed incidentally during the evaluation of pleural effusion. Echocardiographic examination showed thickened pericardium and pericardial effusion. The pericardial thickness was found to be 13 mm by computerized tomography and confirmed by echocardiography. The patient had systemic chemotherapy for TLL. On day 30 of chemotherapy, computerized tomography of the thorax and echocardiographic examination revealed normal pericardial thickness and minimal pericardial effusion. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Hyperprolactinaemia in 271 women: up to three decades of clinical follow-upCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 4 2005Katarina Berinder Summary Objective, To characterize women with hyperprolactinaemia at diagnosis and to assess the effect of treatment after long duration of the disease. Design, Retrospective chart review. Patients and measurements, Two hundred and seventy-one women with hyperprolactinaemia at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden between 1974 and 2002 were evaluated retrospectively. Criterion for inclusion was elevated S-PRL (, 20 µg/l) found on at least two occasions. Secondary hyperprolactinaemia was excluded. The patients were followed for a median time period of 111 (6,348) months. Two hundred and forty patients were treated with dopamine agonists, 17 underwent surgery, seven received radiotherapy and seven were followed without treatment. Results, Mean age at diagnosis was 31 (± 9·5) years and median PRL level was 72 (25,3500) µg/l. Menstrual disturbances were present in 87% of the women of reproductive age and 47% had galactorrhoea. Microadenomas were found in 63%, macroadenomas in 8% and idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia in 29%. Patients with menstrual disturbances had higher PRL levels than women with normal menstrual function (P < 0·001). We found no differences in PRL levels between patients with or without galactorrhoea (P = 0·578). At the end of clinical follow-up, menstrual cycle was normalized in 94% and galactorrhoea disappeared in 94%. In the medically treated patients, median PRL levels decreased from 70 (25,3100) to 13 (0,89) µg/l, (P < 0·0001). Normalization of PRL level was achieved in 71% of the patients and 80% showed a total or partial degree of tumour shrinkage. In the surgically treated patients, 53% had normal PRL levels without medication at follow-up. Conclusion, Medical treatment was effective in correcting hypogonadism, normalizing PRL levels and reducing tumour size in the majority of the patients after short-term treatment and also in the long run. However, the possibility of transsphenoidal surgery in specific cases must be considered. [source] Summary of contributions to GAW15 Group 16: Processing/normalization of expression traitsGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue S1 2007Aurélie Labbe Abstract Here, we summarize the contributions to group 16 of Genetic Analysis Workshop 15, held in Florida, U.S.A. The theme of this group was preprocessing of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies using the Affymetrix platform. The objective of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 15 problem 1 dataset was to use transcript levels that are measured using DNA microarrays as quantitative traits and localize the genes or other features of the DNA that control gene expression by quantitative trait loci linkage analyses. All contributors of this group used the microarray expression profiles (problem 1) data. Various approaches and questions were examined to investigate the effects of preprocessing methods and/or gene filtering on the interpretation of data, specifically on heritability estimates of gene expression and on linkage results. In addition, some contributors focused on the statistical issues involved in large-scale genetic analyses of quantitative traits that account for or build composite phenotypes from a large number of correlated traits. Since the true eQTLs are not known in the problem 1 data, results from the 11 studies cannot be fully evaluated for the methods employed. However, several common trends were found. All reports concluded that preprocessing statistical analyses may have an important impact on eQTL analyses and on the identification of cis -/trans -regulators and/or major biological pathways. Genet. Epidemiol. 31(Suppl. 1):S132,S138, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A perspective factorization method for Euclidean reconstruction with uncalibrated camerasCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 4 2002Mei Han Abstract Structure from motion (SFM), which is recovering camera motion and scene structure from image sequences, has various applications, such as scene modelling, robot navigation, object recognition and virtual reality. Most of previous research on SFM requires the use of intrinsically calibrated cameras. In this paper we describe a factorization-based method to recover Euclidean structure from multiple perspective views with uncalibrated cameras. The method first performs a projective reconstruction using a bilinear factorization algorithm, and then converts the projective solution to a Euclidean one by enforcing metric constraints. The process of updating a projective solution to a full metric one is referred as normalization in most factorization-based SFM methods. We present three normalization algorithms which enforce Euclidean constraints on camera calibration parameters to recover the scene structure and the camera calibration simultaneously, assuming zero skew cameras. The first two algorithms are linear, one for dealing with the case that only the focal lengths are unknown, and another for the case that the focal lengths and the constant principal point are unknown. The third algorithm is bilinear, dealing with the case that the focal lengths, the principal points and the aspect ratios are all unknown. The results of experiments are presented. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Gazing at the Hand: A Foucaultian View of the Teaching of Manipulative Skills to Introductory Chemistry Students in the United States and the Potential for Transforming Laboratory InstructionCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 3 2005STEPHEN DEMEO ABSTRACT Many studies of chemistry have described the rise of the academic chemical laboratory and laboratory skills in the United States as a result of famous men, important discoveries, and international influences. What is lacking is a perspective of the manifestations of the balances of power and knowledge between teacher and student. A Foucaultian analysis of the teaching of manipulative skills to the introductory student in high school and college in the United States during the later half of the 19th and into the 20th century has provided such a perspective. The analysis focuses on the body, specifically students' hands, and how this body has been redescribed in terms of time, space, activity, and their combinations. It is argued in the first part of this article that the teaching of manipulative skills in the chemistry laboratory can be characterized by effects of differential forms of power and knowledge, such as those provided by Foucault's ideas of hierarchical observation, normalization, and the examination. Moreover, it is evident that disciplinary techniques primarily focused on the physical hands of the student have been recast to include a new cognitive-physiological space in which the teaching of manipulative skills currently takes place. In the second part of this article, the author describes his own professional development as a laboratory instructor through a series of reflective statements that are critiqued from a Foucaultian perspective. The personal narratives are presented in order to pro- vide science educators with an alternative way for their students to think about the relationship between one's manipulative skills and the quality of their data. The pedagogical approach is related to the maturation process of the chemist and contextualized in the current paradigm of laboratory practice, inquiry-based science education. [source] Cardiac natriuretic peptides and continuously monitored atrial pressures during chronic rapid pacing in pigsACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 2 2000Changes in atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were evaluated in relation to continuously monitored atrial pressures in a pacing model of heart failure. Pigs were subjected to rapid atrial pacing (225 beats min,1) for 3 weeks with adjustments of pacing frequencies if the pigs showed overt signs of cardiac decompensation. Atrial pressures were monitored by a telemetry system with the animals unsedated and freely moving. Left atrial pressure responded stronger and more rapidly to the initiation of pacing and to alterations in the rate of pacing than right atrial pressure. Plasma natriuretic peptide levels were measured by radioimmunoassay and all increased during pacing with BNP exhibiting the largest relative increase (2.9-fold increase relative to sham pigs). Multiple regression analysis with dummy variables was used to evaluate the relative changes in natriuretic peptides and atrial pressures and the strongest correlation was found between BNP and left atrial pressure with R,2=0.81. Termination of pacing resulted in rapid normalization of ANP values in spite of persistent elevations in atrial pressures. This may reflect an increased metabolism or an attenuated secretory response of ANP to atrial stretch with established heart failure. In conclusion, 3 weeks of rapid pacing induced significant increases in atrial pressures and natriuretic peptide levels. All the natriuretic peptides correlated with atrial pressures with BNP appearing as a more sensitive marker of cardiac filling pressures than ANP and N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide. [source] Variability and minimum detectable change for walking energy efficiency variables in children with cerebral palsyDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2009SUSAN SIENKO THOMAS MA For individuals with neuromuscular disorders, the assessment of walking energy efficiency is useful as a clinical outcome measure. Issues surrounding data collection methodology, normalization of the data, and variability and clinical utility of energy efficiency data preclude universal application. This study examined the variability and the clinical utility of velocity, energy efficiency index (EEI), gross cost, and net nondimensional cost (NNcost) in children and adolescents with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP) in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to III. The energy efficiency of walking was evaluated in 23 children and adolescents (12 males, 11 females, mean age 11y 3mo [SD 3y 5mo]; range 7,17y). Day-to-day variability was similar for all energy efficiency variables, with no significant differences in magnitude of variability between GMFCS levels. Correlations between EEI and gross cost and EEI and NNcost were fairly good (r=0.65, p<0.001, and r=0.74, p<0.001 respectively). However, only gross cost and NNcost discriminated between GMFCS levels in children with CP. Gross cost required the greatest amount of change to be considered clinically significant, whereas NNcost and EEI required a similar amount of change. For cohorts of children with CP who are evaluated over time, NNcost is the best normalization method as it reduces the variability between participants of different ages, height, and weight while evaluating only the amount of energy used to ambulate. [source] Neurotrophic rationale in glaucoma: A TrkA agonist, but not NGF or a p75 antagonist, protects retinal ganglion cells in vivoDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 7 2007ZhiHua Shi Abstract Glaucoma is a major cause of vision impairment, which arises from the sustained and progressive apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGC), with ocular hypertension being a major risk or co-morbidity factor. Because RGC death often continues after normalization of ocular hypertension, growth factor-mediated protection of compromised neurons may be useful. However, the therapeutic use of nerve growth factor (NGF) has not proven effective at delaying RGC death in glaucoma. We postulated that one cause for the failure of NGF may be related to its binding to two receptors, TrkA and p75. These receptors have distinct cellular distribution in the retina and in neurons they induce complex and sometimes opposing activities. Here, we show in an in vivo therapeutic model of glaucoma that a selective agonist of the pro-survival TrkA receptor was effective at preventing RGC death. RGC loss was fully prevented by combining the selective agonist of TrkA with intraocular pressure-lowering drugs. In contrast, neither NGF nor an antagonist of the pro-apoptotic p75 receptor protected RGCs. These results further a neurotrophic rationale for glaucoma. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2007. [source] Chemoradiation therapy is effective for the palliative treatment of malignant dysphagiaDISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 3 2004J. A. Harvey SUMMARY., Between 1993 and 2001, 106 patients with esophageal cancer were reviewed at a multidisciplinary clinic and treated with palliative intent by chemoradiation therapy. This study assesses the palliative benefit on dysphagia and documents the toxicity of this treatment. The study population comprised 72 men and 34 women with a median age of 69 years. Patients were treated with a median radiation dose of 35 Gy in 15 fractions with a concurrent single course of 5 FU-based chemotherapy. Dysphagia was measured at the beginning and completion of treatment and at monthly intervals until death, using a modified DeMeester (4-point) score. Treatment was well tolerated, with only 5% of patients failing to complete therapy. The treatment-related mortality was 6%. The median survival for the study population was 7 months. The median baseline score at presentation was 2 (difficulty with soft food). Following treatment, 49% of patients were assessed as having a dysphagia score of 0 (no dysphagia). Seventy-eight per cent had an improvement of at least one grade in their dysphagia score after treatment. Only 14% of patients showed no improvement with treatment. Fifty-one per cent maintained improved swallowing until the time of last follow-up or death. This single-institution study shows that chemoradiation therapy administered for the palliation of malignant dysphagia is well tolerated and produces a sustainable normalization in swallowing for almost half of all patients. [source] Potential use of insulin as an anti-inflammatory drugDRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, Issue 3 2008Paresh Dandona Abstract Acute hyperglycemia worsens morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. The control of hyperglycemia with insulin improves clinical outcomes in patients with a stay of more than 3,5 days in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. However, clinical benefits of insulin infusion have not been seen consistently in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Since all previous studies in the ICU have centered on the normalization of glycemia, we still do not know whether insulin exerts beneficial effects over and above those observed with reduction of blood glucose concentrations. The regimens used in acute coronary syndromes infuse fixed doses of insulin with high rates of glucose and are usually associated with hyperglycemia; this may neutralize the beneficial effects of insulin. In this article, we discuss data demonstrating an anti-inflammatory effect of insulin and a pro-inflammatory effect of glucose. We provide a mechanistic justification for the benefits of maintaining euglycemia with insulin infusions in the hospitalized patients. To investigate the clinical benefits of the anti-inflammatory effects of insulin, we also suggest further investigations directed toward optimization of insulin infusion regimens to determine whether restoration of glucose levels toward normal with higher infusion rates and concentrations of insulin will lead to further improvement in outcomes in the critical care and acute coronary syndromes. Drug Dev Res 69:101,110, 2008 © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION, POLICY, AND THE EDUCATIONALIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHEDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 4 2008Naomi Hodgson Hodgson begins by analyzing educational researchers' response to the recent introduction of citizenship education in England, focusing specifically on a review of research, policy, and practice in this area commissioned by the British Educational Research Association (BERA). She argues that the BERA review exemplifies the field of education policy sociology in that it is conducted according to the concepts of its parent discipline of sociology but lacks critical theoretical engagement with them. Instead, such work operationalizes sociological concepts in service of educational policy solutions. Hodgson identifies three dominant discourses of citizenship education within the BERA review, the academic discourse of education policy sociology, contemporary political discourse, and the discourse of inclusive education , and draws attention to the relation of citizenship education to policy initiatives, and thus to educationalization. She then discusses Foucault's concept of normalization in terms of the demand on the contemporary subject to orient the self in a certain relation toward learning informed by the need for competitiveness in the European and global context. Ultimately, Hodgson concludes that the language and rhetoric of education policy sociology implicate such research in the process of educationalization itself. [source] Use of poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated capillaries for separation of amino-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimersELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 3 2007Britton Carter Abstract Characterization of amino-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimers by CE suffers from a lack of resolution for higher generations and poor between-day reproducibility of retention times. Under optimal conditions of temperature, voltage, and sample amount, 0,5,generations of dendrimers could be resolved with a bare fused-silica capillary. However, reproducibility was poor due to potential interactions of the polycationic dendrimers with the uncoated quartz capillary wall. Use of a poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated capillary significantly decreased the migration times of the nanomolecules without compromising resolution. Dendrimer mixtures containing generations,0,5 are separated as discrete, nonoverlapping peaks in about 15,min. In addition, the between-day precision of retention times was dramatically improved without the need for internal standards or data normalization. Dendrimers of various generations and cores run on different days showed an RSD of retention times of less than 4%. The poly(vinyl alcohol) coating was very stable as shown by the excellent precision of migration times obtained on a capillary used for a month with more than 100,injections. Similar to PAGE, separation of polyamidoamine dendrimers on a bare fused-silica and poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated capillary showed an exponential relationship between migration times and calculated charge density of the nanomolecules. [source] Microarrays: The Technology, Analysis and ApplicationENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2005A. Kumar Abstract DNA microarray analysis represents one of the major advances leading to the development of functional genomics and proteomics. It involves the fabrication of DNA either by in situ or on-chip photolithographic synthesis or by inkjet or microjet deposition, as microspots immobilized on the surface of miniaturized substrates like glass or membranes. The immobilized DNA molecules are then allowed to hybridize with labeled complementary DNA. The hybrid DNA so formed is read through scanning devices, such as fluorescence and radioactivity. Further, computational approaches, for example, normalization and clustering allow thousands of genetic parameters in a single experiment to be simultaneously analyzed. This review discusses the fundamental principles and data analysis of the microarray technology, while focusing on its application in gene expression analysis, genotyping for point mutation and diseases diagnostics. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||