T-cell-dependent pathways in rheumatoid arthritis

In rats carbaryl undergoes extensive biotransformation involving both albumin-mediated hydrolysis and cytochrome P-450-mediated metabolism; studies have suggested that approximately one-half of a carbaryl dose is hydrolysed and one-half is metabolized. Fluosol is known to be an inducer of cytochrome P-450, and Fluosol haemodilution reduces plasma albumin concentrations. The disposition of carbaryl was, therefore, determined in rats for 72 h after 40 mL kg-1 haemodilution with Fluosol or normal saline (0.9% NaCl). Volumes of distribution were significantly reduced after saline haemodilution for 72 h but only at 48 h after Fluosol haemodilution. Fluosol and saline haemodilution had little influence on carbaryl total body clearance (CL). These results indicate that both hepatic and non-hepatic clearance pathways were not influenced by the haemodiluents or the haemodilution procedure.     

The reality of living in passive solar homes: A user-experience study

This paper presents a study of a user-experience survey about living in passive solar homes. It was carried out at the Energy Park located in the western part of Milton Keynes. The survey focuses on the reality of living in passive solar homes as perceived or experienced by the occupant. It is hoped that the findings would come to bear on strategic passive solar design decisions that would address the improvement of the well-being of the occupant.. The survey is aimed at assessing user satisfaction with the overall performance of their homes as well as a study of some of the problems that are believed to be common in passive solar housing.Results from the survey seem to indicate that the majority of those who buy passive solar homes are motivated to do so by a desire for thermal comfort at low cost. The building aesthetics is the second most important factor, showing that passive solar home lovers are also conscious of the quality of the architectural design. The overall performance of passive solar homes in this study, with regard to thermal and visual comfort, seems to be generally satisfactory. Statistical analysis showed some significant association between some important environmental design parameters.     

Acupuncture versus metoprolol in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized trial of trigger point inactivation

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of dry needling of myofascial trigger points in the neck region to metoprolol in migraine prophylaxis. DESIGN: Randomized, group comparative study. patients, investigator and statistician were blinded as to treatment, the therapist was blinded as to results. SETTING: Outpatient pain clinic in the northern Copenhagen area. Patients were referred by general practitioners or respondents to newspaper advertisements. SUBJECTS: Included were patients with a history of migraine with or without aura for at least 2 years. Excluded were persons with contraindications against treatment with beta blockers, chronic pain syndromes, pregnancy or previous experience with acupuncture or beta-blocking agents. A total of 85 patients were included; 77 completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: After a 4-week run-in period, patients were allocated to a 17-week regimen either with acupuncture and placebo tablets or to placebo stimulation and metoprolol 100 mg daily. RESULTS: Both groups exhibited significant reduction in attack frequency (P < 0.01). No difference was found between the groups regarding frequency (P > 0.20) or duration (P > 0.10) of attacks, whereas we found a significant difference in global rating of attacks in favour of metoprolol (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Trigger point inactivation by dry needling is a valuable supplement to the list of migraine prophylactic tools, being equipotent to metoprolol in the influence on frequency and duration (but not severity) of attacks, and superior in terms of negative side-effects.     

Lipid and lipoprotein distributions in children by ethnic group, gender, and geographic location--preliminary findings of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH)

Male and female isometric strength curves for elbow fixation, shoulder flexion, and wrist supination-pronation are obtained during systematic variation in arm configuration. The shape of a given moment-angle curve is found to be a function of the orientations of joints kinematically coupled to the primary joint. It is also found that female elbow strength curves are shifted toward flexion with respect to male elbow-strength curves, suggesting that the in situ rest length of upper-limb muscles relative to joint angle may be longer for males than for females. Experimental results were contrasted with simulation results obtained using a three-dimensional musculoskeletal model which estimates the relationships between initial joint orientations, muscle tension-length behavior, and joint moments. In most of the cases, simulation results complimented experimental data and provided insights into likely in situ muscle rest lengths and moments arms, especially for the multiarticular biceps brachii muscle. Where inconsistencies exist between simulated and experimental data, subtle biomechanical complexities within the forearm and the shoulder girdle complex are identified that require future investigation.     

Comparison of voice analysis systems for perturbation measurement

Dysphonic voices are often analyzed using automated voice analysis software. However, the reliability of acoustic measures obtained from these programs remains unknown, particularly when they are applied to pathological voices. This study compared perturbation measures from CSpeech, Computerized Speech Laboratory, SoundScope, and a hand marking voice analysis system. Sustained vowels from 29 male and 21 female speakers with mild to severe dysphonia were digitized, and fundamental frequency (F0), jitter, shimmer, and harmonics- or signal-to-noise ratios were computed. Commercially available acoustical analysis programs agreed well, but not perfectly, in their measures of F0. Measures of perturbation in the various analysis packages use different algorithms, provide results in different units, and often yield values for voices that violate the assumption of quasi-periodicity. As a result, poor rank order correlations between programs using similar measures of perturbation were noted. Because measures of aperiodicity apparently cannot be reliably applied to voices that are even mildly aperiodic, we question their utility in quantifying vocal quality, especially in pathological voices.     

Correlates of osteopenia in patients with cystic fibrosis

The responses to heat shock in Tritrichomonas mobilensis, a squirrel monkey parasite and Tritrichomonas augusta, an amphibian trichomonad, were evaluated by means of metabolic labeling with [35S]methionine. Electrophoretically separated trichomonad proteins synthesized at different temperatures were visualized by autoradiography and the label incorporation quantitated by a trichloroacetic acid precipitation procedure. A considerable difference in thermotolerance between the two species was found as the protein synthesis reached a maximum at 41 C in T. mobilensis and 37 C in T. augusta. The latter tolerated temperature increases 13 C above normal cultivation temperatures as compared to only 4 C thermotolerance range above normal in T. mobilensis. Major heat shock proteins (Hsps) were expressed in both T. mobilensis (with apparent Mr 94, 72, and 58 kDa) and T. augusta (Mr 94, 70, and 56 kDa) as revealed by autoradiography. Western blot analysis with polyclonal antibody against DnaK of Escherichia coli showed the presence of antigenic Hsp70 homologs in both trichomonads. Similarly, a polyclonal antibody against Hsp60 with broad interspecies cross-reactivity detected Hsp60 homologs in both T. mobilensis and T. augusta. The anti-DnaK antibody cross-reacted with a T. mobilensis protein localized in Golgi apparatus as demonstrated by immunoelectron microscopy. Immunocytochemistry on trichomonad frozen sections revealed the presence of the Hsp60 homolog in light-microscopic granules corresponding to hydrogenosomes.