T cell response to two immunodominant proteolipid protein (PLP) peptides in multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls

Despite the fact that the neuroleptic drugs have been widely used for more than 40 years, one of their most common side-effects, akathisia, has been relatively neglected. There are still no universally agreed diagnostic criteria for akathisia, particularly chronic akathisia, and in this review article, we discuss the controversies surrounding the voluntary nature of its motor features and the importance of the dysphoric component. We also review the published epidemiological studies to show the great variation in frequency of occurrence. Finally, we discuss the possible neurotransmitters involved in the pathophysiology and treatment of this condition.     

Meniscal regeneration in the long-term after total meniscectomy?

A cohort of 39 patients (28 male, 11 female) that had undergone total meniscectomy as adolescents (mean age 16 years) underwent FISP 3D Magnetic Resonance Imaging at a mean follow up of 30 years. The presence of meniscal tissue was assessed by two independent observers blinded to the operation details. The volume of any meniscal tissue present was calculated. A posterior horn remnant was seen in 57% of medial and 45% of lateral meniscectomy cases. The mean volume of an operated medial meniscal remnant was 0.29 mL compared with a mean volume of 1.15 mL for an intact medial meniscus. The mean volume of an operated lateral meniscal remnant was 0.30 mL compared with 1.07 mL for an intact lateral meniscus. We have shown that the incidence of incomplete excision of the posterior horn is more common after total medial meniscectomy, and that at a mean follow up of 30 years there is no convincing in vivo MRI evidence of long-term meniscal regeneration.     

Scalar quantisation of LSF parameters using vector measurement

A new form of line spectral frequency (LSF), bounded line spectral frequency, is presented. It is shown that the new representation is more efficient than the direct line spectral frequency and the differential line spectral frequency (DLSF). By using a vector measure, the scalar quantisation of tenth-order linear predictive coding (LPC) parameters can be coded at 28 bit/frame with a transparent quantisation quality     

Variants of chromosome 9 in phenotypically normal individuals

The human chromosome 9 displays the highest degree of structural variability. Four different types of variants are described including pericentric inversion, extra G-positive band in the q arm, additional G-positive band in the p arm and duplication of band 9q21-q22. It is important to demonstrate inheritance from a phenotypically normal individual in order to differentiate between a variant chromosome and an abnormal chromosome.     

Improved strained HEMT characteristics using double-heterojunctionIn0.65Ga0.35As/In0.52Al0.48As design

The DC and microwave properties of strained In_0.65Ga _0.35As/In₀₅₂Al_0.48As HEMTs (high electron-mobility transistors) with double-heterojunction design are presented. The high sheet carrier density and good carrier confinement give rise to excellent device performance with very low output conductance. For 1×150-μm² long-gate HEMTs, the measured cutoff frequency f_T and maximum frequency of oscillation f_max are as high as 37 and 66 GHz, respectively