Global self-ratings of health and mortality: hazard in the North Carolina Piedmont

We analyzed the first 5 years of surveillance data from the Established Population for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) in the Piedmont of North Carolina (n = 4162) to estimate the effect of a global self-rating of health on survival. Covariates used in Cox proportional hazard models included sociodemographic factors, chronic medical conditions, activities of daily living, use of health services, health risk behaviors, cognitive function, affective mood, and negative life events. Adjusted risk of mortality associated with poor (compared to excellent) self-ratings of health was significantly elevated among urban men only. Confounders of the association between survival and overall health assessment varied widely by subgroup. Pooled estimates from heterogeneous populations may mask significant subgroup differences both in the pattern of variables that mediate crude risk and also in the magnitude of residual risk of global self-ratings of health.     

The effects of growth factors on Tenon''s capsule fibroblasts in serum-free culture

Recent studies from our laboratory have shown that in the mouse and rat nephron Ca2+ and Mg2+ are not reabsorbed in the medullary part of the thick ascending limb (mTAL) of Henle's loop. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the absence of transepithelial Ca2+ and Mg2+ transport in the mouse mTAL is due to its relative low permeability to divalent cations. For this purpose, transepithelial ion net fluxes were measured by electron probe analysis in isolated perfused mouse mTAL segments, when the transepithelial potential difference (PDte.) was varied by chemical voltage clamp, during active NaCl transport inhibition by luminal furosemide. The results show that transepithelial Ca2+ and Mg2+ net fluxes in the mTAL are not driven by the transepithelial PDte. At zero voltage, a small but significant net secretion of Ca2+ into the tubular lumen was observed. With a high lumen-positive PDte generated by creating a transepithelial bath-to-lumen NaCl concentration gradient, no Ca2+ and Mg2+ reabsorption was noted; instead significant and sustained Ca2+ and Mg2+ net secretion occurred. When a lumen-positive PDte was generated in the absence of apical furosemide, but in the presence of a transepithelial bath-to-lumen NaCl concentration gradient, a huge Ca2+ net secretion and a lesser Mg2+ net secretion, not modified by ADH, were observed. Replacement of Na+ by K+ in the lumen perfusate induced, in the absence of PDte changes, important but reversible net secretions of Ca2+ and Mg2+. In conclusion, our results indicate that the passive permeability of the mouse mTAL to divalent cations is very low and not influenced by ADH. This nephron segment can secrete Ca2+ and Mg2+ into the luminal fluid under conditions which elicit large lumen-positive transepithelial potential differences. Given the impermeability of this epithelium to Ca2+ and Mg2+, the secretory processes would appear to be of cellular origin.     

Transesophageal echocardiography: implications for the critical care nurse

TEE is an exciting and useful diagnostic tool that is rapidly gaining widespread acceptance in both teaching centers and community hospitals. Because of the semi-invasive nature of the procedure, nursing expertise is essential to ensure patient safety and comfort during the TEE examination.     

A new family of yeast genes implicated in ergosterol synthesis is related to the human oxysterol binding protein

We have identified three yeast genes, KES1, HES1 and OSH1, whose products show homology to the human oxysterol binding protein (OSBP). Mutations in these genes resulted in pleiotropic sterol-related phenotypes. These include tryptophan-transport defects and nystatin resistance, shown by double and triple mutants. In addition, mutant combinations showed small but apparently cumulative reductions in membrane ergosterol levels. The three yeast genes are also functionally related as overexpression of HES1 or KES1 alleviated the tryptophan-transport defect in kes1Δ or osh1Δ mutants, respectively. Our study implicates this new yeast gene family in ergosterol synthesis and provides comparative evidence of a role for human OSBP in cholesterol synthesis.     

Isotherm analyses for single component and multi-component metal sorption onto lignite

The adsorption of the three metal ions, copper, cadmium and zinc in single component and multi-component mixtures in aqueous solutions by lignite is reported. A comparison is made between the single component saturation uptake and the multi-component uptakes. The isotherms indicate a competitive uptake with copper being preferentially absorbed by the lignite in multi-component solutions. The isotherms are plotted to obtain the Langmuir constants, the Freundlich constants and the Redlich–Peterson constants. Lignite is shown to possess an affinity for the metal ions which make its use as an adsorbent a possible alternative to the use of more expensive activated carbons.     

Side-Track Erasure Processes in Perpendicular Recording

In perpendicular recording, substantial erasure of the stored data patterns can occur during the writing process. Among all those erasure processes, side-track erasure (STE) is one of the critical issues in drive head/media integration. Unlike the adjacent track erasure (ATE) process, the locations of the STE affected areas are often many tens of tracks away from the central writing track location. In this work, we report on an experimental investigation and quantification of the general attributes and the origins of the STE processes in various situations. Particularly, we thoroughly characterize some distinctive signatures and behaviors of STE processes by employing both the amplitude- and bit-error-rate-based STE measurement methods in combination with a novel magnetic force microscope characterization technique     

"Temporal encoding in fear conditioning revealed through associative reflex facilitation": Correction to Lindquist and Brown (2004).

Reports an error in "Temporal Encoding in Fear Conditioning Revealed Through Associative Reflex Facilitation" by Derick H. Lindquist and Thomas H. Brown (Behavioral Neuroscience, 2004[Apr], Vol 118[2], 395-402). The article contained several errors. On page 396, second paragraph, the sentence beginning on line 6 should read as follows: "Having a stable baseline is critical for studies of reflex facilitation because the experimental designs invariably entail repetitive CR testing, if only to achieve reasonable statistical power (see Choi et al., 2001b; Lindquist & Brown, 2004)." On page 400, the first heading should read as follows: "Comparison of New and Old Reflex Facilitation Procedures." On page 400, the first sentence under the abovementioned heading should read as follows: "We decided not to use the original measure of reflex facilitation, developed by J. S. Brown et al. (1951), because it suffers from severe interpretational limitations, elaborated in detail elsewhere (Choi et al., 2001b; Leaton & Cranney, 1990; Lindquist & Brown, 2004)." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2004-12681-016.) Temporal encoding in Pavlovian fear conditioning was examined through conditional facilitation of the short-latency (Rl) component of the rat eyeblink reflex. Rats were fear-conditioned to a tone conditional stimulus (CS) with either a 3- or 9-s interstimulus interval (ISI) between CS onset and the onset of the grid-shock unconditional stimulus (US). Rl facilitation was tested over 2 days, in counterbalanced order, at a latency of 3 s and 9 s from CS onset. CS-produced Rl facilitation, the conditional response (CR), was 3-4 times larger when the test latency equaled the conditioning ISI. These results, coupled with the known neurophysiology of Rl facilitation, suggest that this CR could disclose differences in the time course of CS-generated output from the amygdala when driven by cortical versus subcortical CS-CR pathways. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Laser-assisted sealing and testing for ceramic packaging of MEMS devices

In this work, a CO/sub 2/ laser-assisted silicon lid sealing process, utilizing Au80/Sn20 solder, for encapsulating gas breakdown test micro-electro-mechanical structures (MEMS) in a ceramic quad flatpack (CQFP) was studied. Wire bonded MEMS dies were sealed into CQFPs under various gas media, such as air, nitrogen, helium and vacuum. The gas breakdown test results showed a significantly higher breakdown voltage for vacuum packaged parts compared to those packaged in other various gas environments. Hermeticity testing according to MIL-STD-883E showed that the leak rate of the package was below 10/sup -8/ atm cc/s. The bonding was uniform and the bonding strength is believed to be comparable to the tensile strength of Au80/Sn20 solder.     

Exercise as a buffer of life stress: A prospective study of adolescent health.

Investigated stress and well-being in adolescence to examine the ability of exercise to buffer stress-induced deteriorations in physical health. 384 female 7th–8th graders completed a life events survey, the Seriousness of Illness Rating Scale, and an activity questionnaire at the beginning and end of the academic year. Analyses revealed that the negative impact of stressful life events on health declined as exercise levels increased. Findings suggest that exercise may be a valuable resource for combating life stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)