Current status in the diagnosis and therapy of meconium ileus

Meconium ileus is in most cases difficult to diagnose preoperatively; however, aganglionosis should be excluded in every case (rectal double-suction biopsy, manometry). In cases of uncomplicated meconium ileus (no perforation, no further intestinal obstructions) lysis of the meconium by a Gastrografin enema is tried first. In case of no relief, an intraoperative puncture of the bowel and Gastrografin instillation is performed. If there is no relief a small bowel resection is performed and a Bishop-Koop anastomosis or a chimney anastomosis established. A distinction must be made between meconium ileus, meconium disease, meconium plug syndrome, and curd obstruction. Results show a survival rate of 80%.     

Meconium ileus and intestinal atresia in fetuses and neonates

A collaborative study was performed to determine the different types and mechanisms of intestinal abnormalities during gestation. Cases had to fulfill one or more of the following three criteria: (1) meconium ileus, (2) intestinal stenosis or atresia, and (3) meconium peritonitis. Esophageal atresia, anorectal atresia, and abdominal wall defects were excluded. One hundred two cases were reviewed from the autopsies of 42 induced abortions, 22 stillborns, and the surgical findings in 38 neonates. Meconium ileus was detected mainly during the second trimester (28/38), and was associated with cystic fibrosis (15), fetal blood deglutition (4), infection (6), or multiple-abnormalities (10), in which three chromosomal aberrations were found. Intestinal stenosis or atresia was more commonly detected during the third trimester of gestation (46/56). Sixteen of the 30 duodenal malformations were associated with trisomy 21, whereas in the 26 small intestinal atresias, signs of distress or ischemia were most frequently detected. Only 8 of 25 meconium peritonitis cases were isolated. A total of 20 cystic fibrosis cases could be proved. In this series, functional abnormalities were observed predominantly in the second trimester and associated mainly with cystic fibrosis or amniotic fluid abnormalities. Anatomic lesions were commonly detected later on and associated with ischemic conditions, chromosomal aberrations, and even cystic fibrosis.     

Neonatal small left colon syndrome: its relationship to aganglionosis and meconium plug syndrome

Neonatal small left colon syndrome is a cause of functional colon obstruction in newborn infants, with a high association of maternal diabetes. There has been much confusion regarding its relationship to meconium plug syndrome and aganglionosis. Six cases of aganglionosis (2 in infants of diabetic mothers) were encountered in which the radiographic findings were identical to small left colon syndrome, indicating the need for caution in dismissing aganglionosis solely on the basis of a small left colon seen radiographically in a newborn infant with colon obstruction. Small left colon and meconium plug syndrome are overlapping entities in the total spectrum of functional intestinal obstruction in newborn infants.     

Is it possible to differentiate between choledochal cyst and congenital biliary atresia (type I cyst) by antenatal ultrasonography?

Both choledochal cyst and congenital biliary atresia (type I cyst) may share the same ultrasonographic pattern. We report 2 cases which were shown to have cystic structures on the upper abdomen by antenatal ultrasonography. The size of the choledochal cyst found at 24 weeks' gestation increased steadily as gestational age advanced. But the size of the cyst in congenital biliary atresia found at 29 weeks' gestation remained unchanged throughout the remaining pregnancy. Cyst enlargement, therefore, may suggest the possibility of a choledochal cyst.     

Measurements of exit rates to distinguish between facilitated and simple diffusion

A modification of the method of Sen and Widdas (J. Physiol. London 160:392-403, 1962) was used to measure the rate of exit of several nonelectrolytes from erythrocytes of various species. In spite of additional errors introduced by the larger half-saturation values of the carriers (phi) and concentrations, it was possible to distinguish between systems with small values of phi, systems with relatively large values of phi, and systems involving only simple diffusion. Approximate values of phi in millimoles and of maximum transfer rate (K) in isotonic units per minute were obtained using times and initial slopes measured on experimental curves. The following values in the foregoing units were obtained: human glucose, phi = 1.8, 1.0, K = 0.8, 1.1; human glycerol, phi = 178, 94, K = 4.3, 3.3; sheep thiourea, phi = 56, 56, K = 0.9, 0.6; and rabbit glycerol, phi = 328, 64, K = 2.2, 1.0. Simple diffusion was demonstrated for the following systems: ox-ethylene glycol; ox-glycerol; sheep-ethylene glycol; and sheep glycerol.     

An improved method to distinguish between scanned and rasterized document images

Office automation(OA)has evolved with the development of computer science,improving staff efficiency.Unstructured information processing is an important aspect of OA;therefore,in this paper,we propose an efficient method for distinguishing scanned and rasterized document images which can be used in this process.To ensure the efficiency and precision of our method,two steps are included:rapid processing and classification using noise features.In the first step,color,skew,and isolated noise features are used to identify the source of the images. In the second step,noise features are extracted from the input image and a support vector machine(SVM)classifier is used for classification.Our experiments show that our method has high precision and speed for distinguishing scanned and rasterized document images.     

The ability to distinguish between comprehension and memory: Failing to succeed.

The authors investigated 1st graders' ability to select the appropriate strategy for constructing a building from memory versus constructing a building while listening to instructions that included an unfamiliar word. In 2 experiments, children's strategy selections (a) preceded any construction attempts, (b) followed failed construction attempts, or (c) followed verbal feedback about construction failures. Long-term strategy maintenance also was assessed. First graders who selected strategies after concrete failure experiences were more likely to select appropriate strategies than children whose strategy selections preceded construction attempts. Failure experiences may help children recognize task goals, assess their inability to achieve these goals, and identify the source of this inability. However, concrete failure experiences did not result in long-term strategy maintenance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antagonist discrimination between ganglionic and ileal muscarinic receptors

The effects of four antagonists on the depolarization of isolated superior cervical ganglia and the contraction of isolated ileal segments of the rat were compared. pA2 values estimated from Schild plots indicated significantly higher affinities of stercuronium (x100) and pirenzepine (x23) and a significantly lower affinity of 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (x0.39) for the ganglion than for the ileum. The affinities of N-methylscopolamine for the two tissues were not significantly different. It is concluded that the two types of muscarinic receptor are not identical.     

Feeling-of-knowing ratings distinguish between genuine and simulated forgetting.

Three experiments with 104 undergraduates investigated the relation between genuine and simulated forgetting of a specific episode. Ss who had genuinely forgotten an episode and those who were instructed to simulate forgetting of the same episode made feeling-of-knowing ratings concerning the likelihood that they could remember the episode on their own or in the presence of cues. They also verbalized their thoughts as they attempted for several minutes to recall the forgotten episode. Patterns of feeling-of-knowing ratings made by genuine and simulating Ss were similar in several respects but differed systematically in that simulators consistently expressed less confidence that cues would facilitate retrieval than did genuinely forgetful Ss. A panel of psychologists and psychiatrists who judged verbal protocols of Ss' retrieval attempts could not distinguish between genuine and simulating Ss, even when they expressed certainty that they had. The role of metamnemonic knowledge in attempts to simulate forgetting is discussed. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison between results of ileal conduit and continent ileal bladder (VIP), after radical cystectomy

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study is to analyze the results achieved with the ileal bladder according to the VIP (vescica ileale Padovana) procedure. METHODS/RESULTS: We compared the results obtained in 31 patients with invasive bladder cancer who underwent radical surgery (22 underwent the ileal conduit procedure and 9 were treated by orthotopic bladder substitution) and analyzed the early complications, long-term results and physiological data of the group submitted to the VIP procedure. In the patient group submitted to the VIP procedure, there was only one case who required removal of the new bladder due to an enteroneovesical fistula. Another case developed medium serrate anular stricture of the bulbar urethra about 8 months postoperatively and was treated by endoscopic urethrotomy. The uroradiologic and urodynamic evaluations confirmed urinary tract stability integrity of renal function and good adaptation of the new reservoir. The andrological studies showed complete sexual potency in 2 of 9 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The VIP procedure appears to be a good technique, with complications no greater than those of traditional urinary diversion, and improves the quality of life of patients undergoing radical surgery for invasive bladder cancer.     

Can we learn to distinguish between "drug-like" and "nondrug-like" molecules?

We have used a Bayesian neural network to distinguish between drugs and nondrugs. For this purpose, the CMC acts as a surrogate for drug-like molecules while the ACD is a surrogate for nondrug-like molecules. This task is performed by using two different set of 1D and 2D parameters. The 1D parameters contain information about the entire molecule like the molecular weight and the the 2D parameters contain information about specific functional groups within the molecule. Our best results predict correctly on over 90% of the compounds in the CMC while classifying about 10% of the molecules in the ACD as drug-like. Excellent generalization ability is shown by the models in that roughly 80% of the molecules in the MDDR are classified as drug-like. We propose to use the models to design combinatorial libraries. In a computer experiment on generating a drug-like library of size 100 from a set of 10 000 molecules we obtain at least a 3 or 4 order of magnitude improvement over random methods. The neighborhoods defined by our models are not similar to the ones generated by standard Tanimoto similarity calculations. Therefore, new and different information is being generated by our models, and so it can supplement standard diversity approaches to library design.     

A method to distinguish between chemical shift and susceptibility effects in NMR microscopy and its application to insect larvae

We propose a simple method of distinguishing Zeeman broadening arising from susceptibility inhomogeneity and chemical shift variation, applicable to NMR microscopy. The method is based on the use of a specially built probe-head in which orthogonal sample alignment is possible using the same radiofrequency (RF) coil. This allows the investigation of alignment effects in image distortion and relies on the fact that the isotropic chemical shift is invariant under reorientation, whereas the susceptibility-related local field will depend strongly on relative orientation of bounding surfaces with the external polarizing field. We apply this approach to the study of a simple phantom, and an insect larva (Spodoptera litura Fabricius), demonstrating in the latter case that susceptibility variations are sufficiently small to allow chemical shift imaging on a scale greater than 1 ppm.     

Development of the ability to distinguish between comprehension and memory: Evidence from strategy-selection tasks.

Four experiments investigated developmental changes in children's knowledge about the types of strategies that are appropriate for achieving the goals of comprehension or memorization. We assessed 1st and 3rd graders' recognition of the differential effectiveness of a memorization strategy (repetition) and a comprehension strategy (pictorial clarification of problematic words) for achieving memorization (verbatim recall of block-building instructions) or comprehension (following instructions for constructing a block building). Only 3rd graders distinguished between comprehension and memorization by consistently selecting the more effective strategy for both memorization and comprehension. Children's ability to distinguish between comprehension and memory in their strategy selections may depend, in part, on whether the context provides clear, concrete, overt, behavioral criteria for defining memorization and comprehension as distinct goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of the ability to distinguish between comprehension and memory: Evidence from goal-state evaluation tasks.

Three experiments investigated developmental changes in children's ability to monitor and evaluate memorization and comprehension. First and 3rd graders rated the perceived difficulty of memorization (verbatim recall) and comprehension (block-building construction) after engaging in (a) a memory strategy (rote repetition) or a comprehension strategy (pictorial clarification of unfamiliar words; Exp 1); (b) no strategy or repetition (Exp 2); and (c) no strategy or clarification (Exp 3). In Exp 1, children recognized that clarification aided construction more than recall, but not that repetition aided recall more than construction. In Exp 2, children recognized that repetition aided recall but not construction. In Exp 3, children recognized that clarification aided construction more than recall. Thus, by 1st grade, children are sensitive to some aspects of the comprehension-memory distinction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Single-seed PCR of LMW glutenin genes to distinguish between durum wheat cultivars with good and poor technological properties

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify low-molecular-weight (LMW) glutenin sequences from genomic DNA extracted from a single germinating seed of several durum wheat genotypes. Electrophoretic analysis of PCR reactions showed the presence of amplified products characteristic of durum wheat cultivars with good and poor technological properties. This PCR-based approach is proposed as a very efficient and safe alternative to standard procedures for selecting durum wheat genotypes with good qualitative characteristics.     

A type-specific serological test to distinguish antibodies to equine herpesviruses 4 and 1

We describe a type-specific ELISA, which distinguishes antibody to equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV4; equine rhinopneumonitis) and EHV1 (equine abortion virus) thereby identifying horses that have been infected with either or both of these antigenically related viruses. The antigens used are parts of the EHV4 and EHV1 glycoprotein G (gG) homologues expressed in E. coli as fusion proteins [Crabb and Studdert, 1993: J Virol 67: 6332-6338). The expressed proteins comprise corresponding regions of the gG molecules that are highly divergent and encompass strong, typespecific epitopes. Plasma samples from 97 Thoroughbred and 174 Standardbred horses were tested, all of which were unvaccinated. All horses were strongly EHV4 ELISA positive while 30% were EHV1 ELISA positive. The type-specificity of the EHV1 gG antigen was tested in cross-absorption experiments and it was found that 96% (66 of 69) of EHV1 ELISA positive horses were true EHV1 antibody positives. It was also shown that 100% (26 of 26) horses known to have been exposed to EHV1, either by infection or immunisation with EHV1, had significant levels of antibody against the EHV1 gG antigen (i.e., all horses recognised the EHV1 epitope(s) contained within this molecule). Maintenance of EHV1 gG antibody was examined by testing sera obtained from mares four years after confirmed EHV1 abortion. Seven out of 10 of these mares remained EHV1 ELISA positive. In summary, the ELISA is highly specific and is sufficiently sensitive to detect all horses previously infected with EHV4 and most previously infected with EHV1.     

How Cro and lambda-repressor distinguish between operators: the structural basis underlying a genetic switch

Knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of the lambda-Cro and lambda-repressor proteins in complex with DNA has made it possible to evaluate how these proteins discriminate between different operators in phage lambda. As anticipated in previous studies, the helix-turn-helix units of the respective proteins bind in very different alignments. In Cro the recognition helices are 29 A apart and are tilted by 55 degrees with respect to each other, but bind parallel to the major groove of the DNA. In lambda-repressor [Beamer, L. J. & Pabo, C. O. (1992) J. Mol. Biol. 227, 177-196] the helices are 34 A apart and are essentially parallel to each other, but are inclined to the major grooves. The DNA is much more bent when bound by Cro than in the case with lambda-repressor. The first two amino acids of the recognition helices of the two proteins, Gln-27 and Ser-28 in Cro, and Gln-44 and Ser-45 in lambda-repressor, make very similar interactions with the invariant bps 2 and 4. There are also analogous contacts between the thymine of bp 5 and, respectively, the backbone of Ala-29 of Cro and the backbone of Gly-46 of lambda-repressor. Otherwise, however, unrelated parts of the two proteins are used in sequence-specific recognition. It appears that similar contacts to the invariant or almost invariant bps (especially 2 and 4) are used by both Cro and lambda-repressor to differentiate the operator sites as a group from other sites on the DNA. The discrimination of Cro and lambda-repressor between their different operators is more subtle and seems to be achieved primarily through differences in van der Waals contacts at bp 3', together with weaker, less direct effects at bps 5' and 8', all in the nonconsensus half of the operators. The results provide further support for the idea that there is no simple code for DNA-protein recognition.