Serum hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA in multitransfused thalassemics from eastern Sicily

To evaluate the efficacy of continuous administration of 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen for reducing pain during flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy 32 children aged 3-60 months were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. Indications for endoscopy included persistent atelectasis (6), wheezing (10) cystic fibrosis (2) pneumonia (11) persistent cough (3). All patients received Midazolam (0.3 mg/kg) atropine (20 mcg/kg) intra rectaly 20 minutes before the procedure. The flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope (Olympus BF3C4) was inserted transnasally through a face mask. Topical anesthesia with 1% lidocaine hydrochloride (3 mg/kg) was applied to the nose, larynx, trachea and bronchial tree over 15 minutes through the suction chanel of the bronchoscope. All patients were monitored with a pulse oximeter and a cardiac monitor. The experimental group (n = 16) received 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen prior (3 minutes) and during flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy, the control group (n = 16) received only oxygen. We measured pain of the children by a behavioral observation scale (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale: CHEOPS) at each phase of topical anesthesia during bronchoscopy in the two groups. At the end of bronchoscopy physician's satisfaction was scored by a visual analogue scale (VAS 0-100) in which 0 corresponded to absence of satisfaction. Nitrous oxide was associated with lesser pain scores than those with oxygen. Physician significantly preferred these procedure compared with oxygen. No complication occurred during procedure. Combined with local anesthesia midazolam and atropin the administration of 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen seems a better choice for flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy in children and should be used routinely.     

A fully automatic one-scan adaptive zooming algorithm for color images

We present an interpolation algorithm for adaptive color image zooming. The algorithm produces the magnified image in one scan of the input image, and is fully automatic since does not involve any a priori fixed threshold. Given any integer zooming factor n, each pixel of the input image generates an n×n block of pixels in the zoomed image. For the currently visited pixel of the input image, the pixels of its associated block are first assigned tentative values, which are then adaptively updated before building the next block. The method is suggested for RGB images, but can equally be employed in other color spaces. Peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and Structural SIMilarity (SSIM) are used to evaluate the performance of the algorithm.     

Medication Adherence and Diabetes Control in Urban African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes.

In 181 urban African Americans with Type 2 diabetes, medication adherence was assessed using a measure designed specifically for an urban, impoverished sociodemographic population. Hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, medication-related beliefs, and depression were assessed. Seventy-four percent of the sample reported adherence to diabetes medication. Adherence, adjusted for age, was associated with lower hemoglobin A1c. The specific behaviors associated with poorer diabetes control were forgetting to take medications and running out of medications. Knowledge of blood glucose goals differed for adherers and nonadherers. Blood pressure and cholesterol medication adherence rates were not associated with actual levels of blood pressure or lipids, respectively. These data suggest that specific medication-taking behaviors are important to diabetes control and constitute logical targets for interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hb Valletta [beta 87(F3)Thr-->Pro] due to an A-->C substitution at codon 87 in a Calabrian family with alpha-thalassemia

Genetic effects were studied in house mice caught from 1986 to 1994 in regions polluted by radionuclides as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. The dose rates of gamma-radiation on the soil surface ranged from 0.0002 to 2 mGy/h. The frequency of reciprocal translocations in mouse spermatocytes was relatively low, but increased with the dose rate. Embryo mortality was increased only in the progeny of male mice in males caught in 1987 in the area with maximal contamination. The frequency of mice heterozygous for recessive lethal mutations decreased with time after the accident.     

Method and equipment for inertia parameter identification

In this paper an equipment and a procedure for the determination of large object inertia parameter are described. The procedure is based on the rigid-body complete motion equation. A least-square optimization is used to identify the 10 inertia parameters starting from the experimental data acquired during both, static and dynamic tests. The equipment, named BTI (in Italian: Banco Tensore d’Inerzia), and the identification procedure have been calibrated using structures made of double T beam elements opportunely assembled in order to realize different standard specimens. The results of the above calibration are presented.     

A BEM sensitivity formulation for three‐dimensional active noise control

In this paper, a novel boundary element formulation for sensitivity analysis of local active noise control in a three‐dimensional field is presented. The formulation is based on the Helmholtz differential equation and is valid for internal as well as for scattering wave propagation problems. The primary noise is attenuated within an enclosure, called control volume, by adding a control source modelled as an object with a vibrating surface. Both the optimum position of the control volume and the optimum location/orientation of the secondary source are determined by minimisation of a suitable cost function. The sensitivities are determined by implicit differentiation. A hierarchical adaptive cross approximation approach in conjunction with the generalised minimal residual solver is implemented to accelerate the convergence. Four numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed formulations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A metabolic syndrome in whites and African-Americans. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities baseline study

The efficacy of microspheres made of polylactic acid polyglycolic acid copolymer mixed with blood clot as a delivery system for recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) was evaluated and the long term behaviour of rhBMP-2 in rats was studied. Twenty micro grams of rhBMP-2 in 200 microliter carrier (blood coagulum and polylactic acid polyglycolic acid porous microspheres) were implanted subcutaneously over both sides of the chest muscles in 40 5-week-old male Long Evans rats. The control group were implanted with carrier alone. Specimens were retrieved after 3 days and weekly for 9 weeks. Outcome was measured by signs of bone formation on low power radiographs, and signs of bony growth on histological examination. There were no signs of foreign body or inflammatory reactions to the carrier in either group. In the experimental group signs of bone formation had started to appear by the end of the first week, and there was a gradual increase in both radio-opacity and size during the observation period. Histologically the bony growth was beginning to mature by 4 weeks and was fully mature by 7-9 weeks. In contrast there was no sign of cartilage or bone formation in the control group and the carrier had resorbed by 4-6 weeks. It is concluded that rhBMP-2 implanted in a carrier consisting of blood clot and porous microspheres made of polylactic acid polyglycolic acid induces rapid proliferation of mesenchymal cells that lead to formation of cartilage and bone by 7 days which had matured by 9 weeks. rhBMP-2 in this carrier may be useful clinically because of its capacity to induce early formation of bone.     

Media trustworthiness verification and event assessment through an integrated framework: a case-study

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Nowadays, information is provided through diverse network channels and, above all, its diffusion occurs in an always faster and pervasive manner. Social Media...     

Serum cytokines as predictors of clinical outcome in AIDS-related intestinal cryptosporidiosis

BACKGROUND: This study examined the reliability of explicit guidelines developed using the RAND-UCLA appropriateness method. METHODS: The appropriateness of over 400 indications for colonoscopy was rated by two multispecialty expert panels (United States and Switzerland). A nine-point scale was used, which was consolidated into three categories of appropriateness: appropriate, uncertain, inappropriate. The distribution of appropriateness ratings between the two panels and the intrapanel and interpanel agreement for categories of appropriateness were calculated for all possible indications. Similar statistics were calculated for a series of 577 primary care patients referred for colonoscopy in Switzerland. RESULTS: Over 80% of all indications (348) could be directly compared. The proportions of indications classified as appropriate, uncertain, or inappropriate were 28.4%, 24.7%, 46.6% and 33.0%, 23.0%, 44.0% for the U.S. and the Swiss panels, respectively. Interpanel agreement was excellent for all the possible indications (kappa value: 0.75) and lower for actual cases (kappa value: 0.51) because of lower agreement for the most frequently encountered indications. CONCLUSIONS: Good agreement between the two sets of criteria was found, pointing to the reliability of the method. Partial disagreement occurred essentially for a few, albeit frequently encountered, indications for use of colonoscopy in cases of uncomplicated lower abdominal pain or constipation.