Three-dimensional CT scan of hemimandibular hyperplasia: case report

Transient absorption spectra of adenine, adenosine and 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate (dAMP) arising from 248 nm laser flash photolysis using acetone as a photosensitizer have been observed. The intermediates recorded are assigned to the excited triplet states and dehydrogenated radicals of adenine and its nucleoside and nucleotide. The excited triplet states of adenine and its derivatives are produced via triplet-triplet excitation transfer and observed for the first time, while the dehydrogenated radicals stemming from the interaction of triplet acetone with adenine and its derivatives via electron transfer through a five-member-ring electron donor-acceptor intermediate. The site of dehydrogenation is suggested to be the hydrogen atom on C(8) of the adenine moiety. Moreover, three sets of kinetic parameters of the triplet decay have been determined. The rate constants of the unimolecular decay (k0), the triplet quenching by the ground state (ksq) and by the triplet quencher Mn2+ (kq) are 1.1 x 10(5), 7.9 x 10(4), 3.7 x 10(4) s-1, 6.9 x 10(8), 8.3 x 10(8), 3.6 x 10(8) dm3 mol-1 s-1 and 4.2 x 10(8), 3.5 x 10(8), 6.0 x 10(8) dm3 mol-1 s-1 respectively for adenine, adenosine and dAMP.     

Characteristics of a human cell line transformed by DNA from human adenovirus type 5

One hundred and fifty lungs from the cases below 15 years of age with various congenital heart diseases and 80 controls were used for histometrical and histological studies. Cases with congenital heart disease were divided into two groups of the increased and the decreased pulmonary blood flow. In the former group, the thickness of the pulmonary arterial media was the same as that of controls in the neonatal period, and through the wall thickness gradually decreased in a pattern seen in controls, the thickness was constantly larger than that of controls. In some cases, the media increased gradually within 6 months after birth. Pneumonia and massive pulmonary hemorrhage were seen in a higher incidence in autopsy cases. Pneumonia in younger infants was histologically characteristic and possibly more correlated to their death. In the latter group, most of the cases were with the thinner medias of the pulmonary arteries. Massive pulmonary hemorrhage was not common in the latter group.     

Central poststroke pain and Wallenberg''s lateral medullary infarction: frequency, character, and determinants in 63 patients

BACKGROUND: Questionnaire-based surveys from several countries have consistently detected adverse health associated with home dampness and mould growth. METHODS: To test the validity of questions commonly used to indicate the presence of indoor mould, questionnaires were administered in 403 homes where dust samples were taken for viable fungi and air samples for ergosterol. RESULTS: Geometric mean concentrations of the total viable fungi were 255 (SE 116) x 10(3) CFU/g when mouldy odours were reported and 155 (SE 55) when odours were not reported (P = 0.01). Similarly, reported water damage was associated with a 50% increase (P = 0.06). Geometric mean concentrations of the predominantly indoor-source fungi, Aspergillus plus Penicillium, were twice as high when mould or mildew was reported than when not mentioned (P = 0.01). The presence of reported mould or water damage was unrelated to the presence of detectable levels of ergosterol. There was evidence for reporting bias: in the presence of low concentrations of viable fungi in dust, respondents reporting allergies were more likely to report visible mould growth (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9-3.5, P = 0.10. In the presence of elevated concentrations of dust fungi, respondents who smoked were less likely to report visible mould growth, (OR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.7, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Reported mould, water damage, and mouldy odours were associated with elevated levels of indoor fungi. However, inaccuracy was high and there was evidence of a systematic reporting bias. Future research should concentrate on developing accurate objective measures of exposure to fungi, and then use this information to develop valid questionnaires. Currently, objective measures not questionnaires, are recommended to clarify the health effects of indoor fungi.     

Effects of age, breast density, ethnicity, and estrogen replacement therapy on screening mammographic sensitivity and cancer stage at diagnosis: review of 183,134 screening mammograms in Albuquerque, New Mexico

PURPOSE: To examine how common patient factors affect screening mammographic sensitivity and cancer stage at diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors used a population-based database of 183,134 screening mammograms and a statewide tumor registry to identify 807 breast cancers detected at screening mammography. RESULTS: Sensitivity varied significantly with ethnicity, use of estrogen replacement therapy, mammographic breast density, and age. Sensitivity was 54% (13 of 24) in women younger than 40 years, 77% (121 of 157) in women aged 40-49 years, 78% (224 of 286) in women aged 50-64 years, and 81% (277 of 340) in women older than 64 years. Sensitivity was 68% (162 of 237) for dense breasts and 85% (302 of 356) for nondense breasts and 74% (180 of 244) in estrogen replacement therapy users and 81% (417 of 513) in nonusers. Sensitivity was most markedly reduced with the combination of dense breasts and estrogen replacement therapy use; there was little difference when only one factor was present. Median cancer size and the percentage of early cancers showed little change with any factors. CONCLUSION: Age is a minor determinant of mammographic sensitivity in women aged 40 years or older. Sensitivity is substantially decreased with the combination of higher breast density and estrogen replacement therapy use. There was not a notable shift in cancer outcomes in the groups with lower mammographic sensitivity. These data do not support different screening recommendations in women aged 40-49 years or in estrogen replacement therapy users.     

The case against a positivist philosophy of requirements engineering

Requirements engineering is a field with a heavy practical emphasis and for the most part is quite rightly unconcerned with philosophical reflection. However, there have been exceptions. Philosophical arguments are important because they can be used to powerful effect, facilitating explicit debate on views that may previously have been implicit, and shaping the direction of thought and research within the field. Several cases from both requirements engineering and software engineering have given prominence to the philosophy of positivism. This paper will outline arguments against such a view.

Autonomy and Common Ground in Human-Robot Interaction: A Field Study

The use of robots, especially autonomous mobile robots, to support work is expected to increase over the next few decades. However, little empirical research examines how users form mental models of robots, how they collaborate with them, and what factors contribute to the success or failure of human-robot collaboration. A two-year observational study of a collaborative human-robot system suggests that the factors disrupting the creation of common ground for interactive communication change at different levels of robot autonomy. Our observations of users collaborating with the remote robot showed differences in how the users reached common ground with the robot in terms of an accurate, shared understanding of the robot's context, planning, and actions - a process called grounding. We focus on how the types and levels of robot autonomy affect grounding. We also examine the challenges a highly autonomous system presents to people's ability to maintain a shared mental model of the robot     

Sequential cardiorespiratory patterns of anesthetic induction with ketamine in critically ill patients

Hemodynamic and O2 transport effects of ketamine anesthesia were evaluated in 22 critically ill patients. After placement of radial and pulmonary artery catheters, simultaneous measurement were made of cardiac output, intravascular pressures, arterial and mixed venous gases, saturations, pH, and Hct; cardiorespiratory values then were calculated for a preinduction control period and sequentially at frequent intervals over a 15-min observation period. In general, there was an early progressive increase in HR, cardiac index (CI), arterial and venous pressures, stroke work, and O2 delivery (DO2); O2 consumption (VO2) and O2 extraction (O2 Ext) decreased. In general, ketamine produced an inotropic cardiac response, but these responses were not uniform; a relatively small percentage had reduced pressures, flow, and reduced myocardial performance that were related to hypovolemia and associated medical conditions.