Use of computed radiography in the study of an historic painting

The authors demonstrate the use of radiography in the investigation of an historic painting and describe the potential benefits of computed radiography compared with conventional screen-film radiography. The subject for the comparison was a 16 x 19-foot oil-on-canvas painting, Scipio Africanus Freeing Massiva, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Radiographs of the painting were obtained by using a portable, industrial radiographic unit and both conventional screen-film and photostimulable phosphor plate cassettes. For this investigation, computed radiography had a number of advantages over screen-film radiography, largely due to its wider dynamic range and its capabilities for enhancing the digital images with image processing tools such as magnification, edge enhancement, colorization, and airbrushing. The ability to electronically combine images from the large painting into a single composite image file was extremely valuable, as this technique was much less cumbersome and resulted in much higher quality composite images than could be achieved with conventional radiography. An additional advantage of computed radiography includes the capability to easily archive and transmit these images in a digital format for subsequent review.     

UVB irradiation alters cellular responses to cytokines: role in extracellular matrix gene expression

Chronic myeloid leukemia course was evaluated versus sex in 271 patients. Chronic stage involved more pronounced leukocytosis, thrombocytosis and splenomegaly in females, the latter showing higher susceptibility to anemia. As a result, treatment has to deal with a greater mass of tumor. A relatively longer survival time in males (44 and 42 months, respectively) suggest a higher effectiveness of therapy in such patients. When diagnosed, leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, enhanced splenomegaly and anemia should be regarded as factors of unfavorable prognosis.     

Fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging of the brain: a comparison of multi-shot echo-planar and fast spin-echo techniques

PURPOSE: To evaluate fast spin-echo and multi-shot echo-planar fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences in paediatric brain imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Matched images from 32 patients with suspected tumour or white matter disease were independently evaluated by two paediatric neuroradiologists. The observer preferences for image quality and lesion detection were analysed for differences between fast spin-echo FLAIR and multi-shot echo-planar FLAIR. Diagnostic quality was compared with that of fast spin-echo T2-weighted images. RESULTS: Images of a diagnostic quality equivalent to that of fast spin-echo T2-weighted images were achieved with both FLAIR techniques. Grey and white matter differentiation and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) nulling were significantly better on fast spin-echo FLAIR sequences. CSF flow artefact was reduced on multi-shot echo-planar FLAIR. There was no difference in lesion detection. Fast spin-echo FLAIR images were visually preferred at the expense of longer imaging time. CONCLUSION: Fast FLAIR techniques are complementary to fast spin-echo T2-weighted sequences in imaging of the paediatric brain. We find that the fast spin-echo FLAIR sequence is preferable to the multi-shot echo-planar technique.     

Flexor digitorum accessorius longus muscle: an etiology of tarsal tunnel syndrome?

Body image, as measured by the Appearance Evaluation and Body Areas Satisfaction scales of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (T.F. Cash, 1994b), was assessed in 59 obese women before, during, and after 48 weeks of weight loss treatment. Before treatment, positive ratings of body image were associated with higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of dysphoria, and fewer previous diets. After 24 weeks and a mean weight loss of 19.4 kg (SD = 6.5), participants showed significant (p < .0001) improvements in body image. A small weight gain from Week 24 to Week 48 was associated with a slight but significant worsening in both measures of body image. Nevertheless, after 48 weeks and a mean weight loss of 16.3 kg (SD = 7.1), body image was significantly improved from baseline (p < .0001). Changes in body image were not related to changes in weight. Future studies are needed to separate the effects of treatment and weight loss on body image in obese persons.     

The nurse as senior health care executive

This author describes the advantages of having a nursing, academic, and experiential background for career progression in the health care world. The combination of nursing and business competencies provide for a well-prepared leader in a rapidly changing health care environment. An historical perspective on nurses as leaders in health care as well as competencies required for health care leaders for the future is described.     

Altered thalamic response to levodopa in Parkinson's patients with dopa-induced dyskinesias

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurologic condition characterized by tremor, slowness, stiffness, and unstable posture. Degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra causes PD. Treatment with levodopa, a precursor of dopamine, initially ameliorates the clinical manifestations of PD. However, chronic levodopa treatment can produce severe involuntary movements (so-called dopa-induced dyskinesias or DID), limiting treatment. Pallidotomy, placement of a surgical lesion in the internal segment of the globus pallidus, reduces DID. Because this result is inconsistent with current theories of both basal ganglia function and DID, it prompted us to investigate the brain's response to levodopa. We measured regional cerebral blood flow response to levodopa with positron-emission tomography in 6 PD patients with DID, 10 chronically treated PD patients without DID, 17 dopa-na?ve PD patients, and 11 normals. The dose of levodopa was chosen to produce clinical benefit without inducing DID. This strategy allowed us to examine the brain response to levodopa across groups without the confounding effect of differences in motor behavior. We found that the DID group had a significantly greater response in ventrolateral thalamus than the other groups. This was associated with decreased activity in primary motor cortex. These findings are consistent with increased inhibitory output from the internal segment of the globus pallidus to thalamus after levodopa administration. They provide a physiological explanation for the clinical efficacy of pallidotomy and new insights into the physiology of the basal ganglia.     

Development and utility of anti-PepT1 anti-peptide polyclonal antibodies

We have considered the access resistance (AR) of a single conducting channel placed in a membrane bathed by an electrolyte. The classical expression for AR is due to Hall, who modeled the electrolyte as an ohmic conducting homogeneous medium. This approach is discussed in the present paper and it is shown that it is not valid in all cases, but depends on the ion concentration in solution and the ratio between solution and channel resistivities. To get a new expression for AR, we have combined the use of one-dimensional Nernst-Planck and Poisson (NPP) equations for the mouth of the channel and three-dimensional NPP equations for the outside solution. The influence of ion gradients and the channel itself on AR tums out to be considerable in diluted solutions (and also in the case of small channels in any solution). This influence is weaker in concentrated solutions, for which AR is well described by Hall's expression.     

Evolutionarily stable mutation rates

We have tested the hypothesis: (1) that presumptive negative dromotropic vagal preganglionic neurons in the ventrolateral nucleus ambiguus (NA-VL) can be selectively labelled from the heart, by injecting one of two fluorescent tracers into the two intracardiac ganglia which independently control sino-atrial (SA) rate or atrioventricular (AV) conduction; i.e., the SA and AV ganglia, respectively. The NA-VL was examined for the presence of single and/or double labelled cells. Over 91% of vagal preganglionic neurons in the NA-VL projecting to either intracardiac ganglion did not project to the second ganglion. Consequently, we also tested the hypothesis: (2) that there is a monosynaptic connection between neurons of the medial, and/or dorsolateral nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), rostral to obex, and negative dromotropic neurons in the NA-VL. An anterograde tracer was injected into the NTS, and a retrograde tracer into the AV ganglion. The anterograde marker was found in both myelinated and unmyelinated axons in the NA-VL, as well as in nerve terminals. Axo-somatic and axo-dendritic synapses were detected between terminals labelled from the NTS, and retrogradely labelled negative dromotropic neurons in the NA-VL. This is the first ultrastructural demonstration of a monosynaptic pathway between neurons in the NTS and functionally associated (negative dromotropic) cardioinhibitory neurons. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the neuroanatomical circuitry mediating the vagal baroreflex control of AV conduction may be composed of as few as four neurons in series, although interneurons may also be interposed within the NTS.