A rejoinder to "Psychotherapy research ethics: Continuing the debate on controlled clinical trials."

Responds to C. A. Heflinger's (1987) critique of the present authors (1986) by reiterating their concern for the principle of autonomy. The present authors note that all patients were fully informed about the research plan and their right to withdraw. Nonetheless, the ethical criticism offered by Heflinger regarding randomization cannot be entirely dismissed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Flow cytometric analysis of microsporidia belonging to the genus Encephalitozoon

Flow cytometry was used in the identification of human microsporidia belonging to the genus Encephalitozoon. Microsporidian spores of Encephalitozoon hellem, E. cuniculi, and E. intestinalis were propagated in axenic cultures of monkey kidney E6 cells, purified with Percoll, and exposed to homologous and heterologous rabbit antiserum and monoclonal antibody prepared against E. hellem spores. After reaction to goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) or goat anti-mouse IgG conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate, fluorescence histograms from gated data on light-scatter profiles showed that rabbit anti-E. hellem serum was reactive to E. hellem spores but also had cross-reactivity to spores of E. cuniculi and E. intestinalis. On the other hand, fluorescence histograms showed that rabbit anti-E. cuniculi and rabbit anti-E. intestinalis sera were reactive with homologous spores only. Monoclonal antibody prepared against E. hellem reacted only with spores of E. hellem. Neither the polyclonal antibodies nor the monoclonal antibodies reacted with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. Fluorescence histograms of spores treated with 10% formalin also showed reactivity, but the number of events in the most intense peaks of fluorescence was fewer (7 to 42%, depending on species) than the number of events in the most intense peaks of fluorescence for nontreated spores. By flow cytometry, formalin-treated and nontreated spores of Encephalitozoon were identified to the species level by using gated data on light-scatter profiles and analyzing the fluorescence histograms from the indirect immunofluorescence of the spores. Once a procedure is established for the isolation of Encephalitozoon spores from clinical specimens, identification of spores by flow cytometry may be useful not only for diagnosis but also for epidemiologic studies.     

Memory improvement following cardiac transplantation

Seventeen patients with severe cardiomyopathy underwent neuropsychological evaluation prior to and at least 1 year after successful heart transplantation. Study candidates were screened, and individuals with a history of stroke, cardiac arrest, or medical and neurological conditions which might affect brain function were excluded. Pre-transplant testing revealed normal intelligence and normal attentional, language, and executive abilities but impaired recent memory. Following heart transplant, memory functioning improved significantly, reaching normal levels. Other cognitive abilities remained unchanged. Results suggest that cardiomyopathy is associated with mesial temporal dysfunction, possibly attributable to inadequate or reduced cerebral blood flow and related hypometabolism. This cerebral dysfunction is potentially reversible following successful transplantation, which restores cardiac output and cerebrovascular perfusion.     

Spontaneous and Light-Induced Resistive Transitions in Superconducting Thin Film Bridges

In order to study dynamically the resistive states which appear as jumps in the I–V curves of narrow bridges, we have submitted YBaCuO and Nb films to nanosecond current steps and laser pulses simultaneously. In constant current feed, the distinction between hot spots (HS) and phase-slip centers (PSCs) is unambiguous, since HS are compelled to grow or decay, at variance with the stable-in-time PSCs. Thanks to the transient method we show that, even if Joule dissipation associated to a current I is virtually sufficient to sustain the film above T_c, the zero resistance state remains metastable: a hot spot does not arise unless initiated by a PSC, which fact was not reported before. The domains of occurrence of HS and PSCs were then organized in a current–temperature plane. Finally, the theoretical problem of the HS velocity of growth is given an exact solution, in semiquantitative agreement with experiment.     

Pharmacokinetics of nicotine carbomer enemas: a new treatment modality for ulcerative colitis

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis is largely a disease of nonsmokers, and transdermal nicotine is of therapeutic value in the active disease. Because side effects are common, we developed a topical enema formulation of nicotine. OBJECTIVE: To study the pharmacokinetics of nicotine complexed with a polyacrylic carbomer and administered by enema to eight healthy volunteers and to eight patients with active ulcerative colitis, verified sigmoidoscopically. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All 16 subjects were nonsmokers. The mean age for normal subjects was 33 years; the mean for patients with ulcerative colitis was 60 years. Median stool frequency for patients with ulcerative colitis was four daily. Patients were taking 5-amino salicylic acid compounds and five were taking oral prednisolone (median dose, 12 mg daily). Nicotine, 6 mg, complexed with carbomer 974P, 400 mg, was administered in a 100 ml enema after an overnight fast, with serial blood measurements taken over 8 hours. Serum nicotine and cotinine were measured by gas liquid chromatography. Area under the concentration-time curves were calculated by the trapezoidal method, and the terminal elimination half-life was derived by extrapolation of the log-linear terminal phase. RESULTS: With the exception of nicotine time to reach peak concentration, which was longer in patients (median of 60 minutes compared with 45 minutes; p < 0.005), other comparisons between normal subjects and patients showed no statistically significant difference, although there was considerable inter-subject variation. Maximum concentration of nicotine, 8.1 +/- 3.5 ng/ml, in the 16 subjects occurred after a median of 60 minutes (range, 30 to 180 minutes); maximum cotinine concentrations of 60.4 +/- 11.5 ng/ml occurred after 4 hours. Side effects in five subjects were mild (four subjects) or moderate (one subject) and included lightheadedness, nausea, and headache; these five subjects were female lifelong nonsmokers of low body weight. CONCLUSION: Because most of the active ingredient of nicotine is converted to continine on the first pass through the liver, substantial concentrations can be achieved at the site of disease with only modest rises in serum nicotine, which are responsible for side effects; cotinine has low pharmacologic activity. Topical administration of nicotine may be useful treatment for distal ulcerative colitis.     

Effect of luminaire fire-resistive shell design on lighting performance

Fire-resistive shells over luminaires are required to preserve the integrity of fire-resistive floor-ceiling assemblies. What are the effects of shell design on luminaire performance? The object of the work reported here is to initiate development of guidelines for selecting the right shell for the right application.