Kathleen Bryan named new CPR president & CEO

The board of directors of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution names a new president and chief executive officer, the third in its 27‐year history. Also, training and committee news.     

CPR's second European business mediation congress sets next month's agenda

The agenda for CPR's Second European Business Mediation Congress; CPR President Thomas J. Stipanowich co‐authors a new book, and more.     

The Small Molecule GAL-201 Efficiently Detoxifies Soluble Amyloid β Oligomers: New Approach towards Oral Disease-Modifying Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Soluble amyloid β (Aβ) oligomers have been shown to be highly toxic to neurons and are considered to be a major cause of the neurodegeneration underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD). That makes soluble Aβ oligomers a promising drug target. In addition to eliminating these toxic species from the patients’ brain with antibody-based drugs, a new class of drugs is emerging, namely Aβ aggregation inhibitors or modulators, which aim to stop the formation of toxic Aβ oligomers at the source. Here, pharmacological data of the novel Aβ aggregation modulator GAL-201 are presented. This small molecule (288.34 g/mol) exhibits high binding affinity to misfolded Aβ_1-42 monomers (K_D = 2.5 ± 0.6 nM). Pharmacokinetic studies in rats using brain microdialysis are supportive of its oral bioavailability. The Aβ oligomer detoxifying potential of GAL-201 has been demonstrated by means of single cell recordings in isolated hippocampal neurons (perforated patch experiments) as well as in vitro and in vivo extracellular monitoring of long-term potentiation (LTP, in rat transverse hippocampal slices), a cellular correlate for synaptic plasticity. Upon preincubation, GAL-201 efficiently prevented the detrimental effect on LTP mediated by Aβ_1-42 oligomers. Furthermore, the potential to completely reverse an already established neurotoxic process could also be demonstrated. Of particular note in this context is the self-propagating detoxification potential of GAL-201, leading to a neutralization of Aβ oligomer toxicity even if GAL-201 has been stepwise removed from the medium (serial dilution), likely due to prion-like conformational changes in Aβ_1-42 monomer aggregates (trigger effect). The authors conclude that the data presented strongly support the further development of GAL-201 as a novel, orally available AD treatment with potentially superior clinical profile.     

Diagnosis of herpetic uveitis and keratouveitis

The use of seven benzoyl-L-amino acids for the detection of carboxypeptidase activities in strains of Gram-negative aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria is reported. A simple overnight assay was designed using ninhydrin for the demonstration of the amino acid released by hydrolysis. Detection of carboxypeptidase activity was shown to have some taxonomic relevance within the Enterobacteriaceae; it was also useful for differentiation within the genus Acinetobacter and for distinction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens.     

Age standardized incidence rates of oral cancer in South Africa, 1988-1991

While numbers of papers on oral cancer in South Africa have been published, there have been very few studies on standardized morbidity rates. This paper has developed data collected by the National Cancer Registry from the entire country for the four year period 1988-1991 to present frequency, age standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) and life-time risk (LR) for histologically-diagnosed intra-oral cancers in female and male Asian, black, coloured and white South Africans. During this period 5396 cases of oral cancer were diagnosed in a total number of 157,307 cancer cases (3.4 per cent) excluding squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BSC) of the skin. Intra-oral cancer in all South African females and males accounted, respectively, for 1.8 per cent and 5.0 per cent of all cancers. There was a male preponderance in black, coloured and white groups but females were affected more frequently than men among Asians. The incidence in Asian women (6.66) was higher than those of the women in any of the other population groups, whereas the lowest incidence was found in black women (1.75). The incidence rate in coloured men was particularly high (13.13) whereas the incidence in white males (8.06) was not substantially lower than among black males (9.05). Differences between the eight groups were not significant (X2 = 6.24, df = 3, p > 0.1). The Cumulative Life Time Risk (LR) of developing intra-oral cancer for males and females in the four population groups ranged from 1:65 in coloured males to 1:455 for black females. Gender differences in LR in both black and coloured groups, signals substantial differences in exposure to known carcinogens for this disease. It is disturbing to note that the incidence in the period 1988-1991 was higher in Indian women that it was in 1964-1966, and that educative preventive measures have failed. Similarly, the incidence of intra-oral cancer in coloured men of 13.13 is substantially higher than the figure of 8.8 reported in 1979. If this is an accurately reflected trend, then a major educative programme needs to be pursued in this direction if the relative risk of one in 65 is to be reduced.     

Dynamic computational geometry on meshes and hypercubes

Parallel algorithms are given for determining geometric properties of systems of moving point-objects. The objects are assumed to be moving in a Euclidean space such that each coordinate of a point's motion is a polynomial of bounded degree in the time variable. The properties investigated include nearest (farthest) neighbor, closest (farthest) pair, collision, convex hull, diameter, and containment. Several of these properties are investigated from both the dynamic and steady-state points of view. Efficient, and often optimal, implementations of these algorithms are given for the mesh and hypercube.Research partially supported by a grant from the Niagara University Research Council.Research partially supported by National Science Foundation grants DCR-8608640 and IRI-8800514.     

A model for training psychologists to provide services for children and adolescents.

Background and rationale for a comprehensive model of training for psychologists to provide services to children and adolescents are outlined. Eleven integrated aspects of training are described with respect to training topics, justification for the training, and ways to implement the training. The model described address the need for guidance in training specialists in psychologically based mental health services for children, adolescents, and their families. Practitioners can use this model to assess their own backgrounds, knowledge, and skills in working with these populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement and interpretation of zeolite NaA builder performance

Ion exchange isotherms are commonly used to describe the distribution of ions between a solid and liquid phase under equilibrium conditions. In the detergent industry, the Ca-Na-zeolite A isotherm can be utilized to determine the builder performance of zeolite NaA under a specific set of experimental conditions. In this paper, we demonstrate how the Ca-Na-zeolite A isotherm is developed and utilized in measuring and interpreting the calcium exchange capacity score of zeolite NaA. Owing to the large number of testing parameters that affect the equilibrium distribution of calcium between the zeolite and solution phases, and hence the calcium exchange capacity score of the zeolite, a recommendation is made as to a standard set of test conditions that provide for both analytical precision and convenience. With this approach, builder performance differences between any two zeolites can then easily be measured and assessed. As an extension to the isotherm principles developed in this paper, the prediction of zeolite performance in real detergent systems is illustrated. Particular attention is given to the more efficient utilization of the ion exchange capacity of zeolite NaA by the recently developed concentrated detergent systems. A portion of this paper was presented at the 1992 Annual AOCS Meeting in Toronto, Canada.