Cardiovascular abnormalities in children with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

It is known that adults with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) have an increased incidence of cardiovascular abnormalities, including mitral valve prolapse. The cardiac manifestations of ADPKD in the pediatric population have not been well established. To determine the cardiac manifestations of children with ADPKD, echocardiography was performed in 154 children of 66 families in which one parent has ADPKD. Eighty-six affected children and 68 unaffected children were evaluated in a prospective, single-blinded manner by echocardiography. Affected children were defined as those with any cysts on a concurrent renal ultrasound or those predicted to be gene carriers by gene linkage analysis. A 12% incidence of mitral valve prolapse was found in the affected children compared with only 3% of the unaffected children (P < 0.05). ADPKD children, but not their unaffected siblings, demonstrate a significant correlation between left ventricular mass index and systolic blood pressure. Moreover, hypertensive ADPKD children have significantly larger left ventricular mass index than do normotensive ADPKD children. A 3.5% incidence of congenital heart disease was found in the affected group, whereas 2.9% of the unaffected children had congenital heart disease. It was concluded that systemic manifestations of ADPKD, particularly cardiovascular abnormalities, are present even in childhood and these warrant the clinician's attention.     

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks composed of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and vernonia oil

Semi-interpenetrating networks have been synthesized from vernonia oil-sebacic acid polyester network and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Bond interchange reactions during mixing of the two materials led to the formation of a miscible copolymer mixture, in which the vernonia oil was then cross-linked with sebacic acid. The materials were phase-separated, exhibiting two glass transitions, when the network was synthesized at 160°C, below the crystallization temperature of PET: however, a single stable glass transition (T_g) results after the material is heated to above the melting temperature of PET and cooled. When the vernonia polyester network was completely formed at 250°C, above the crystallization temperature of PET, noncrystalline, single-T_g material was created. The two-phase semi-IPNs were much tougher than were their constituent materials, with the 50% semi-IPN over 15 times tougher than the PET from which it was made and over 50 times tougher than the neat vernonia oil elastomer, with tensile energy to break of 1780 kJ/m³. The single-T_g material was nearly 2.5 times as tough as the two-phase material, with energy to break of 4400 kJ/m³. The microstructure of the two-phase 50% semi-IPN was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, which showed regularly shaped spherulites of 10–20 μm in diameter, as compared to irregularly shaped spherulites observed in a similar 50/50 castor oil urethane/PET semi-IPN, in which the network formed simultaneously with PET crystallization. Scanning electron microscopy of the semi-IPN fracture surfaces showed microscopic fibrils several hundred nanometers in diameter in both the two-phase and single-T_g materials, although only the two-phase semi-IPN had a macroscopically rough surface. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Switching Futile para‐Quinone to Efficient Reactive Oxygen Species Generator: Ubiquitin‐Specific Protease‐2 Inhibition,Electrocatalysis, and Quantification

Understanding the correlation between structural features of small‐molecule drugs and their mode of action is a fascinating topic and crucial for the drug‐discovery process. However, in many cases, knowledge of the exact parameters that dictate the mode of action is still lacking. Following a large screening for ubiquitin specific protease 2 (USP2) inhibition, an effective para‐quinone‐based inhibitor with an unclear mode of action was identified. To gain a deeper understanding of the mechanism of inhibition, a set of para‐quinones were prepared and studied for USP2 inhibition, electrocatalysis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantification. The excellent correlation obtained from the above‐mentioned studies disclosed a distinct pattern of “N?C=O?N” in the bicyclic para‐quinones to be a crucial factor for ROS generation, and demonstrated that minor changes in such a skeleton drastically altered the ROS‐generating ability. The knowledge acquired herein would serve as an important guideline for future medicinal chemistry optimization of related structures to select the preferred mode of action.     

Position estimator for underground mine equipment

A 2-D perception system that exploits the accuracy and resolution of a laser range sensor to determine the position and orientation of a mobile robot in a mine environment is described. The perception system detects features from range sensor data and matches the features to a map of the mine to compute the sensor position. The features used are line segments and corners, which represent the typical geometry of the mine walls and intersections found in room-and-pillar-type mining. The position estimate is refined by minimizing the error between the map and sensed features. This position information can be used for autonomous navigation when a map of the mine is available or to survey the mine in order to build such a map. The technique is applied to robot navigation in a mine mockup. A refinement of this system could guide machines to yield productive, safe mining operations     

When public and private self-foci clash: Self-consciousness and self-disclosure reciprocity during the acquaintance process.

Assessed in 2 experiments the responses of undergraduate Ss who differed in public and private self-consciousness to the intimate or nonintimate self-disclosures of a same-sex confederate. Results of both experiments revealed that Ss scoring high on either aspect of self-consciousness and low on the other reciprocated the intimacy of the confederate's disclosures, whereas Ss scoring either high or low on both self-aspects failed to partake in reciprocal self-disclosure. Experiment 2 provided additional information about the processes that underlie these self-consciousness effects on self-disclosure reciprocity. Taken together, the results imply that a strong and predominant focus on either the public or private aspects of self makes one more contingently responsive to the disclosures of a new acquaintance, whereas a strong concurrent focus on both self-aspects can divide one's attention, thereby limiting the extent to which either self-attribute guides self-disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Informal care can be better than adequate: Development and evaluation of the Exemplary Care Scale.

Purpose: To evaluate a new measure assessing excellent, or exemplary, informal care--an aspect of caregiving that has received little attention. The Exemplary Care Scale (ECS) was developed on the basis of insights from previous research with items generated by the authors in consultation with a multidisciplinary research team. Design: 310 informal caregivers and 283 of their elderly care recipients completed the ECS and other measures pertaining to quality of care and its presumed correlates. Results: Factor analyses indicated that the ECS consists of 2 factors reflecting provision of exceptional care (Provide) and respect for care recipient autonomy, wishes, and the like (Respect). The ECS factor structure was equivalent among caregivers and care recipients. Both factors were empirically distinct from existing measures of poor quality and adequate care. Each ECS factor was associated with other care-related constructs in predictable ways, implying construct validity. Conclusions: The ECS, in conjunction with existing measures, provides a more comprehensive assessment of the quality-of-care continuum and should prove useful to researchers and practitioners interested in quality of informal care provided to chronically ill or disabled people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)