The impact of negative affect on autobiographical memory: the role of self-focused attention to moods

Five studies examined how self-focused attention affects the impact of negative moods on autobiographical memory. It was proposed that self-focused attention to moods may increase the likelihood of both mood-congruent recall and mood-incongruent recall and that the type of recall effect that occurs will depend on the manner in which people focus on their moods. In these studies, participants were led to experience negative or neutral moods, exposed to a manipulation designed to affect some aspect of their attention to their moods, and then asked to report memories. This research revealed that when people adopt a reflective orientation to their moods, they are more likely to engage in mood-incongruent recall; in contrast, when they adopt a ruminative orientation to their moods, they are more likely to engage in mood-congruent recall. Thus, the way in which people focus on their moods moderates the relation between mood and memory.     

Biocatalytic sulfur removal from fuels: applicability for producing low sulfur gasoline

Environmental regulations are driving R&D efforts to produce low sulfur fuels, including diesel fuel and gasoline for motor vehicles. Biocatalytic sulfur removal from fuels has potential applicability for producing low sulfur gasoline. Microbial biocatalysts have been identified that can biotransform sulfur compounds found in fuels, including ones that selectively remove sulfur from dibenzothiophene heterocyclic compounds. Most attention is give to the 4S pathway of Rhodococcus, which can remove sulfur from substituted and unsubstituted dibenzothiophenes, including sulfur compounds that hinder chemical catalysis and that resist removal by mild hydrotreatment. Various bioreactor and bioprocess designs are being tested for use with biocatalysts, including recombinant biocatalysts, for use in removing sulfur from fuels and feedstocks within the petroleum refinery stream. With bioprocess improvements that enhance biocatalyst stability, achieve faster kinetics, improve mass transfer limitations, temperature and solvent tolerance, as well as broaden substrate specificity to attack a greater range of heterocyclic compounds, biocatalysis may be a cost-effective approach to achieve the production of low sulfur gasoline. The challenge will be to accomplish these improvements by the time the regulations for low sulfur gasoline and other vehicle fuels go into effect in order to be competitive with emerging nonbiological desulfurization technologies.     

Human mesotheliomas contain the simian virus-40 regulatory region and large tumor antigen DNA sequences

BACKGROUND: A cohort (20%) of patients with mesothelioma will not have an exposure to asbestos. Recently, a DNA tumor virus (simian virus 40) has been shown to cause hamster mesotheliomas; we previously described simian virus 40-like DNA amino terminus sequences in 29 of 48 mesotheliomas. We analyzed an additional 42 mesotheliomas to determine (1) whether our initial observations were durable and (2) the extent to which the simian virus 40 genome is present in mesotheliomas. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from snap frozen mesothelioma tumor samples and from the simian virus 40-induced hamster mesothelioma tumor H9A. Polymerase chain reaction primers were used to amplify various simian virus 40 large T-antigen regions including a 105-base pair amino terminus fragment, a 281-base pair carboxyl terminus fragment, and a 310-base pair fragment of the enhancer promoter region. Endonuclease digestions and Southern blotting were used to verify the expected product. RESULTS: Thirty of the 42 (71%) samples amplified T-antigen amino sequences, and specificity was verified by Southern hybridization. Sixteen of 42 samples (38%) amplified the appropriate size fragment for the carboxyl terminus, and digestion with BsaB1 matched that of H9A. Twenty-two of 42 samples (52%) amplified simian virus 40 regulatory sequences and Fok1 digestion matched that of the hamster control tumor. Sequence analysis (4 patients) revealed 100% homology with the regulatory region of simian virus 40 strain 776. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest an association between the simian virus 40 virus and human mesothelioma that could be exploited for diagnostic/therapeutic options including early detection and potential vaccination strategies.     

Evaluation of low density spine software for the assessment of bone mineral density in children

Pediatric dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry spine scans often cannot be analyzed with standard software due to a failure to identify the bone edges of low density vertebrae. Low density spine (LDS) software improves bone detection compared with standard software. The objective of this study was to compare bone mineral density (BMD) measurements obtained with the standard and LDS software in 27 healthy nonobese, 32 obese, and 41 chronically ill children, ages 2-18 years. Lumbar spine (L1-L4) BMD, measured by standard analysis, ranged from 0.531-1.244 gm/cm2. Reanalysis with the LDS software resulted in a systematic increase (mean +/- SD) in estimated bone area of 17.0+/-5.0%, an increase in bone mineral content of 6.1+/-6.3%, and a mean decrease in BMD of 8.7+/-1.7% (all p < 0.001). This resulted in a mean decrease in BMD Z score of 0.7+/-0.2. Linear regression models, predicting standard BMD from LDS BMD, were fit for the three subject groups (R2 = 0.993-0.995). Small differences in slopes were detected across groups (p = 0.07); LDS BMD predicted higher standard BMD in obese subjects. In conclusion, LDS analysis resulted in a clinically significant decrease in measured BMD. The association between analysis methods was exceptionally high (R2 > 0.99), indicating that LDS BMD accurately predicts standard BMD. Although LDS BMD in obese subjects predicts higher standard BMD results than in nonobese subjects, the small difference is of questionable clinical significance. LDS software is a useful tool for the assessment of BMD in children.     

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and bladder-sparing surgery for invasive bladder cancer: ten-year outcome

PURPOSE: To evaluate the 10-year outcome of patients with invasive (T2-3N0M0, staged according to the tumor, node, metastasis system) bladder cancer who responded completely to a combination of methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin, and cisplatin (MVAC) chemotherapy followed by bladder-sparing surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 111 surgical candidates who received neoadjuvant MVAC, 60 (54%) achieved a complete clinical response (T0) on transurethral resection (TUR) of the primary tumor site. Of these, 28 requested follow-up with TUR alone, 15 had a partial cystectomy, and 17 elected a radical cystectomy. The patients were followed up for a median of 10 years (range, 8 to 13 years). RESULTS: Of 43 patients who had bladder-sparing surgery, 32 (74%) are alive, which includes 25 (58%) with an intact functioning bladder. Twenty-four patients (56%) developed bladder tumor recurrences from 5 to 96 months, which were invasive in 13 (30%) and superficial in 11 (26%). Thirteen patients required a salvage cystectomy, of whom 6 died, which includes 4 (9%) from a new invasive neoplasm. Of the 17 patients who had radical cystectomy, 11 (65%) are alive. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with invasive bladder tumors who achieve T0 status after neoadjuvant MVAC chemotherapy preserve their bladders for up to 10 years with bladder-sparing surgery. The bladder remains at risk for new invasive tumors. Cystectomy salvages the majority, but not all, of relapsing patients.     

The language of demand/withdraw: Verbal and vocal expression in dyadic interactions.

Associations between vocally expressed emotional arousal, influence tactics, and demand/withdraw behavior were examined in a treatment-seeking sample of 130 seriously and stably distressed, married, heterosexual couples and in a community sample (N = 38) of 18 married heterosexual and 20 dating heterosexual couples. Fundamental frequency was used to measure emotional arousal, and computational linguistics were used to measure influence tactics. Higher levels of demand/withdraw behavior were associated with greater use of manipulative and controlling influence tactics, higher levels of emotional arousal, and less frequent use of cooperative and compromising influence tactics. Overall, demanders tended to express more arousal and to use more influence tactics than withdrawers. Both influence tactics and emotional arousal were uniquely associated with demand/withdraw behavior. Implications of results are discussed for refining theories of demand/withdraw interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Magnetic resonance imaging in the staging of solitary plasmacytoma of bone

PURPOSE: To assess prospectively the role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the staging of patients with a solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve consecutive patients with an apparent SBP underwent MR imaging of both the primary tumor and the thoracic and lumbosacral spine to seek additional foci of marrow involvement that might have been undetected by standard skeletal survey. All patients received megavoltage irradiation (total dose, 40 Gy) to the primary lesion. RESULTS: MR imaging of the thoracic and lumbosacral spine showed additional foci of marrow replacement in four of 12 patients, with signal characteristics identical to those of the primary tumor. In all four patients, the abnormal protein persisted at greater than 50% of the pretreatment value following radiation treatment. In contrast, the myeloma protein disappeared or was reduced by greater than 50% in five of the six patients with secretory disease and without additional marrow abnormalities. One of four patients progressed to multiple myeloma 10 months after diagnosis with new lesions on conventional radiographs in the same areas as detected previously by MR imaging. CONCLUSION: Four of 12 patients considered to have a SBP by standard criteria may have been understaged, because MR imaging showed additional marrow abnormalities consistent with myeloma. MR imaging of the spine may contribute to the initial staging of SBP, especially since some patients may be cured with radiotherapy.     

High density lipoprotein conversion mediated by human plasma phospholipid transfer protein

Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) was purified from lipoprotein-free human plasma, obtained upon treatment of plasma with dextran sulfate and Ca2+, by employing a series of column chromatography. Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified PLTP showed a single main band, corresponding to the molecular mass of 78 kDa. However, isoelectric focusing of the purified preparation gave multiple bands with pI ranging from 4.3 to 5.1, indicative of microheterogeneity. Purified PLTP was shown to possess not only phospholipid transfer activity, but also high density lipoprotein (HDL) conversion activity (Tu, A.-Y., Nishida, H. I., and Nishida, T. (1990), FASEB J. 4, A2148; Jauhiainen, M., Metso, J., Pahlman, R., Blomqvist, S., van Tol, A., and Ehnholm, C. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 4032-4036). Isolated HDL3 was enlarged to the size of HDL2b upon incubation with purified PLTP for 6 h at 37 degrees C at the PLTP/HDL3 molar ratio of approximately 1:45. Both the HDL conversion and the phosphatidylcholine transfer activities of purified PLTP were effectively inhibited by rabbit anti-PLTP immunoglobulin G. The primary importance of PLTP in the HDL enlargement that occurs in human plasma upon incubation at 37 degrees C was shown by the strong inhibitory effect of the anti-PLTP immunoglobulin G. The process of PLTP-mediated HDL enlargement was accompanied by the release of apoproteins, primarily apoA-I. HDL3 enlargement mediated by PLTP was effectively inhibited by the addition of free fatty acids.     

Randomized trial of etoposide and cisplatin versus etoposide and carboplatin in patients with good-risk germ cell tumors: a multiinstitutional study

PURPOSE: This multicenter, randomized phase III clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of etoposide plus carboplatin (EC) versus etoposide plus cisplatin (EP) in good-risk germ cell tumor (GCT) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between October 1986 and December 1990, 270 patients with good-risk GCTs were randomized to receive four cycles of either EP or EC. The etoposide dose in all patients was 100 mg/m2 on days 1 through 5. EP patients received cisplatin at 20 mg/m2 on days 1 through 5 and therapy was recycled at 21-day intervals. For EC patients, the carboplatin dose was 500 mg/m2 on day 1 of each cycle and the EC recycling interval was 28 days. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-five patients were assessable: 131 patients treated with EC and 134 treated with EP. One hundred fifteen of 131 assessable patients (88%) treated with EC achieved a complete response (CR) versus 121 of 134 patients (90%) treated with EP (P = .32). Sixteen patients (12%) treated with EC relapsed from CR versus four patients (3%) treated with EP. Therefore, 32 patients (24%) who received carboplatin experienced an event (incomplete response [IR] or relapse) compared with 17 of 134 patients (13%) who received cisplatin (P = .02). At a median follow-up of 22.4 months, event-free and relapse-free survival were inferior for patients treated with EC (P = .02 and P = .005, respectively). No difference in overall survival was evident (P = .52). CONCLUSION: Two-drug therapy with EC using this dose and schedule was inferior to therapy with EP. Cisplatin remains as the standard platinum analog in the treatment of patients with good-risk GCTs. Carboplatin should be restricted to investigational trials in GCT.