Measuring effects of a skills training intervention for drug abusers.

Examined the effectiveness of a supplemental skills training and social-network-development aftercare program with 130 drug abusers (aged 15–55 yrs) from 4 residential therapeutic communities. The program included training in assertiveness, problem-solving, stress management, and giving and receiving praise; training techniques included group discussion, modeling, role playing and feedback. Pre- and posttesting with a problem situation inventory showed that the intervention produced positive effects on Ss' performance at the conclusion of treatment. Performance improved in situations involving avoidance of drug use, coping with drug relapse, social interaction, interpersonal problem solving, and coping with stress. It is concluded that as a reentry strategy, the supplemental intervention is an effective adjunct to residential treatment. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Study of the efficacy of prostaglandins and prostacyclin in decrease of osmotic permeability of the frog urinary bladder

Washout of autacoids using a repeated change of serosal Ringer solution of the frog urinary bladder was accompanied by a pronounced rise in the osmotic water permeability. A decrease in the osmotic water permeability was achieved by addition at the serosal Ringer solution of different eikosanoids at concentrations of 10(-10)-10(-6) M. According to efficiency of the recovery of the low osmotic water permeability, the substances studied showed the following order: prostaglandin E1 > prostaglandin > E2 > prostaglandin F2 alpha > (prostaglandin I2). The data obtained indicate a role of the endogenous prostaglandin production in maintaining of the low osmotic water permeability.     

Congenital cystic diseases of liver and extrahepatic bile ducts

The paper presents 30-year experience in treating 158 patients with congenital cystic diseases of the liver and bile ducts. Depending on the pattern of hepatobiliary lesions, the diagnostic value of techniques, such as ultrasound, computerized tomography, scintigraphy of the liver duodenoscopy with THCG was defined. Analyzing the late outcomes provided recommendations for the most optimal surgical management: cystic fenestration and tunneling in hepatic polycystosis, pericystectomy in solitary cysts of the liver, different varieties of bile draining operations in choledochal cysts and Caroli's disease.     

Enantioselective dehydration of butan-2-ol using zeolite Y modified with dithiane oxides: comments on the nature of the active site

Modification of zeolite H-Y by dithiane oxides (2-R-1,3-dithiane 1-oxide, R = H, CH₃, C₆H₅) is shown to enhance significantly its activity for the acid-catalysed gas phase dehydration of butan-2-ol. The rate enhancement is observed for catalysts that are prepared using two commercial samples of zeolite H-Y. The origin of this effect is examined using in situ FTIR spectroscopy and ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectroscopy studies of the modified zeolite. The rate enhancement is considered to result from a specific interaction between the dithiane oxide modifier with both the extra-framework and framework aluminium in the zeolite. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Detection of obstructive uropathy in the fetus: predictive value of sonographic measurements of renal pelvic diameter at various gestational ages

OBJECTIVE: The goal of our study was to analyze the fetal renal pelvic diameters measured sonographically at several gestational intervals in live-born neonates subsequently found to have either obstructive uropathy or normal kidneys. This information will improve the efficacy of sonography in the diagnosis of obstructive uropathy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From an ongoing prospective study assessing the significance of fetal renal pelvic diameters of 4 mm or more at obstetric sonography, the findings in 29 obstructed kidneys in 24 babies were compared with the findings in 380 kidneys from 233 infants who had no obstruction. Twenty-three infants had unilateral obstruction of the ureteropelvic junction, two had unilateral renal obstruction at the ureterovesical junction, one had posterior urethral valves and in addition had both kidneys obstructed because of obstruction at the ureterovesical junction, one kidney was obstructed because of megaloureter, and one kidney was obstructed because of obstruction in a duplex collecting system. Obstruction was identified on nephrostograms, excretory urograms, or radionuclide renograms. The sonographic findings were compared at three gestational age ranges: 16-23 weeks' gestation, 24-30 weeks' gestation, and 31-40 weeks' gestation. The progression of pelvic dilatation in both groups (12 obstructed and 86 unobstructed) was analyzed for the subset of kidneys examined in all three time periods. RESULTS: At 16-23 weeks' gestation, the difference in mean pelvic diameter between obstructed and unobstructed kidneys was not statistically significant, but the difference between obstructed and unobstructed groups at 24-30 weeks' and 31-40 weeks' gestation was significant (p < .001). Renal pelvic diameter showed a much greater rise in diameter through pregnancy in the obstructed group than in the unobstructed group (p < .0003). The sensitivity of the cutoff point of 4-mm renal pelvic diameter for detecting obstruction was 76% before 23 weeks' gestation, including kidneys with a marked decrease in function postnatally; the sensitivity of a 10-mm cutoff point at 16-23 weeks' gestation was 12%. The likelihood that a fetus had renal obstruction increased with increasing diameter of the fetal renal pelvis in all three time periods. CONCLUSION: Kidneys with significant obstruction postnatally may have no dilatation of the renal pelvis before 23 weeks' gestation. Most obstructed kidneys had pelvic diameters of less than 10 mm before 23 weeks' gestation. During pregnancy, renal pelvic diameter increases at a greater rate in kidneys that later are shown to be obstructed than in those that are not obstructed.     

Conservative operation for infective endocarditis of the mitral valve

BACKGROUND: Subvalvular preservation is necessary to maintain left ventricular function, but accidental retention of infected tissue could cause postoperative endocarditis. METHODS: We examined 71 consecutive patients who underwent operation for mitral endocarditis. Endocarditis was uncontrolled and active in 24 patients, partially treated (unfinished antibiotic course) in 17, and healed in 30. RESULTS: Valves were repaired in 17% versus 59% versus 63% and replaced with subvalvular preservation in 25% versus 6% versus 3% of the uncontrolled active, partially treated, and healed groups, respectively. Thirty-day mortality was 29% versus 0% versus 3.3% (p=0.003), total mortality was 46% versus 18% versus 17% (p=0.035), and complications-related mortality was 38% versus 11% versus 13% (p=0.054), respectively. There was a trend toward lower complications-related mortality with subvalvular preservation than without. Postoperative endocarditis occurred in 3 of 30 patients without and 1 of 41 patients with subvalvular preservation. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative mortality in uncontrolled active mitral endocarditis remains high, but results are good with partially treated or healed endocarditis. Subvalvular preservation improves outcome, does not increase postoperative endocarditis rates, and should be performed whenever feasible.     

A longitudinal study of maternal serum inhibin-A, inhibin-B, activin-A, activin-AB, pro-alphaC and follistatin during pregnancy

Maternal serum concentrations of inhibin-A, inhibin-B, activin-A, activin-AB, pro-alphaC-related inhibin forms, total follistatin, steroids and gonadotrophins were measured longitudinally in six normal singleton pregnancies. Maternal venous blood was collected randomly during a spontaneous follicular phase prior to donor insemination, at 5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 and 36 weeks after the first missed menses and in the early puerperium. Steroid and gonadotrophin profiles conformed to previous reports. While at week 5 of gestation inhibin-A, activin-A and follistatin concentrations were similar to those at the follicular phase, all three increased progressively (P < 0.001) to maximal concentrations in week 36: approximately 48-fold (3740 +/- 1349 ng inhibin-A/ml), approximately 22-fold (6109 +/- 1443 ng activin-A/ml) and approximately 10-fold (3563 +/- 418 ng follistatin/ml) higher. Pro-alphaC concentrations reached a maximum in weeks 5 (approximately 5-fold, P < 0.001) and 36 (1027 +/- 174 pg/ml, P < 0.01). Inhibin-B (71 +/- 23 pg/ml prior to pregnancy) was undetectable (<12 pg/ml) between week 5-16 of gestation but increased slightly in the third trimester (26 +/- 7 pg/ml in week 36). Activin-AB was undetectable throughout pregnancy. Post-partum concentrations of inhibin-A (41 +/- 12 ng/ml), inhibin-B (<12 pg/ml), activin-A (950 +/- 149 pg/ml), pro-alphaC (128 +/- 22 pg/ml) and follistatin (990 +/- 79 ng/ml) were substantially lower than at week 36 of gestation. The activin-A:follistatin ratio increased from 0.5 in week 5 to 1.8 in week 36, suggesting that more free activin-A is available in the maternal circulation during late pregnancy.     

Immunizing patients with metastatic melanoma using recombinant adenoviruses encoding MART-1 or gp100 melanoma antigens

BACKGROUND: The characterization of the genes encoding melanoma-associated antigens MART-1 or gp100, recognized by T cells, has opened new possibilities for the development of immunization strategies for patients with metastatic melanoma. With the use of recombinant adenoviruses expressing either MART-1 or gp100 to immunize patients with metastatic melanoma, we evaluated the safety, immunologic, and potential therapeutic aspects of these immunizations. METHODS: In phase I studies, 54 patients received escalating doses (between 10(7) and 10(11) plaque-forming units) of recombinant adenovirus encoding either MART-1 or gp100 melanoma antigen administered either alone or followed by the administration of interleukin 2 (IL-2). The immunologic impact of these immunizations on the development of cellular and antibody reactivity was assayed. RESULTS: Recombinant adenoviruses expressing MART-1 or gp100 were safely administered. One of 16 patients with metastatic melanoma receiving the recombinant adenovirus MART-1 alone experienced a complete response. Other patients achieved objective responses, but they had received IL-2 along with an adenovirus, and their responses could be attributed to the cytokine. Immunologic assays showed no consistent immunization to the MART-1 or gp100 transgenes expressed by the recombinant adenoviruses. High levels of neutralizing antibody were found in the pretreatment sera of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: High doses of recombinant adenoviruses could be safely administered to cancer patients. High levels of neutralizing antibody present in patients' sera prior to treatment may have impaired the ability of these viruses to immunize patients against melanoma antigens.