Visual-kinesthetic dissociation in treatment of victims of rape.

A visual–kinesthetic (V–K) dissociation procedure of neurolinguistic programming (NLP) was used in treating rape-induced anxiety and phobic reactions in 2 18- and 19-yr-old rape victims. NLP theory suggests that anxiety reactions experienced by rape victims is a function of the interrelated processes of synesthesia and anchoring. In these 2 case reports, the use of the V–K dissociation technique is explored. From this preliminary basis, further research entailing the use of this treatment procedure is suggested. Implications for clinical practice are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health for all: analyzing health status and determinants

Several clinical disorders are strongly influenced by hormones involved in appetite and weight regulation. Obesity and eating disorders are of major importance, because they are associated with severe morbidity and considered to be among the greatest health problems in the Western world today. This review describes recent findings in hormonal regulation of food intake by substances acting both centrally, such as corticotropin-releasing factor, neuropeptide Y and leptin, and peripherally, such as cholecystokinin and somatostatin. Sex hormones and glucocorticoids play an important role in long-term regulation of metabolism. The role of these hormones in appetite and weight changes during life as well as during pregnancy and lactation is discussed. Furthermore, the development of obesity and eating disorders is influenced, in particular, by steroid hormones. Treatment with sex hormones, as in hormone replacement therapy, affects appetite and weight and may have beneficial effects in preventing android obesity. Currently, there is great effort in developing endogenous neurohumoral substances into effective drugs for the treatment of obesity and eating disorders. Leptin and neuropeptide Y analogues are of interest as potential antiobesity agents.     

Consideration of conformational transitions and racemization during process development of recombinant glucagon-like peptide-1

This article summarizes the results of a combined analysis from two identical multicenter clinical trials that investigated the efficacy and safety of sertraline versus placebo for treating panic disorder. Patients with panic disorder who were treated with sertraline had a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of panic attacks per week (the primary efficacy measure) as compared with placebo (4.8 vs. 2.5, p < .001). Sertraline-treated patients also showed greater improvement that was statistically significant on several ratings of panic disorder symptomatology and functioning. The design characteristics, clinical rating measures, and outcome measures in these trials included most of the features deemed essential by Shear and Maser (1994) in their summary of the NIMH Consensus Conference for the development of standardized assessments for panic disorder. This suggests that the NIMH Consensus Conference played a key role in developing successful multicenter pharmacological treatment studies, such as this one that ultimately demonstrated that sertraline was an effective treatment for panic disorder.     

Prefrontal cortex and caudate nucleus in conditional associative learning: Dissociated effects of selective brain lesions in rats.

Rats with lesions to prefrontal cortex (PFC) or caudate nucleus (CN) were compared on tests of conditional associative learning (CAL) that placed varying demands on conditional rule learning and working-with-memory operations that are essential for response selection. Damage to either structure impaired performance, but the respective deficits resulted from disruption of different processes. CN lesions produced a consistent learning deficit that was thought to reflect a basic impairment in forming stimulus-response (S-R) associations. The behavior of PFC rats was more variable and depended on task requirements. When S-R learning or response selection was relatively easy, the PFC was not critical. However, when either component was made more difficult, thus requiring the contribution of strategic processes, PFC damage produced profound impairments. In addition to clarifying the roles of the PFC and CN in CAL, the results provide further evidence that multiple brain regions participate in relatively simple behavioral tasks and that their respective contributions can be dissociated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Three unusual causes of pediatric syncope: a reaffirmation for the screening electrocardiogram

A 74-year-old patient sought treatment for visual obscuration and clinically had signs of Graves orbitopathy. Past medical history was unremarkable except for the use of antihypertensive medication. During the hospital admission, a fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test was reactive, indicating infection with syphilis at some time in the past. Visual deterioration despite oral corticosteroid therapy prompted orbital decompression. At the time of surgery, she sustained a globe rupture. Presumably, syphilitic scleritis was responsible, in part, for scleral thinning and weakening, predisposing her to this complication. To the authors' knowledge, globe rupture has not been previously reported during orbital decompression.     

Peripheral O2 diffusion does not affect V(O2)on-kinetics in isolated insitu canine muscle

To test the hypothesis that muscle O2 uptake (V(O2)) on-kinetics is limited, at least in part, by peripheral O2 diffusion, we determined the V(O2) on-kinetics in 1) normoxia (Control); 2) hyperoxic gas breathing (Hyperoxia); and 3) hyperoxia and the administration of a drug (RSR-13, Allos Therapeutics), which right-shifts the Hb-O2 dissociation curve (Hyperoxia+RSR-13). The study was conducted in isolated canine gastrocnemius muscles (n = 5) during transitions from rest to 3 min of electrically stimulated isometric tetanic contractions (200-ms trains, 50 Hz; 1 contraction/2 s; 60-70% peak V(O2)). In all conditions, before and during contractions, muscle was pump perfused with constantly elevated blood flow (Q), at a level measured at steady state during contractions in preliminary trials with spontaneous Q x Adenosine was infused intra-arterially to prevent inordinate pressure increases with the elevated Q x Q was measured continuously, arterial and popliteal venous O2 concentrations were determined at rest and at 5- to 7-s intervals during contractions, and V(O2) was calculated as Q x arteriovenous O2 content difference. PO2 at 50% HbO2 saturation (P50) was calculated. Mean capillary PO2 (Pc(O2)) was estimated by numerical integration. P50 was higher in Hyperoxia+RSR-13 [40 +/- 1 (SE) Torr] than in Control and in Hyperoxia (31 +/- 1 Torr). After 15 s of contractions, Pc(O2) was higher in Hyperoxia (97 +/- 9 Torr) vs. Control (53 +/- 3 Torr) and in Hyperoxia+RSR-13 (197 +/- 39 Torr) vs. Hyperoxia. The time to reach 63% of the difference between baseline and steady-state V(O2) during contractions was 24.7 +/- 2.7 s in Control, 26.3 +/- 0.8 s in Hyperoxia, and 24.7 +/- 1.1 s in Hyperoxia+RSR-13 (not significant). Enhancement of peripheral O2 diffusion (obtained by increased PcO2 at constant O2 delivery) during the rest-to-contraction (60-70% of peak V(O2)) transition did not affect muscle V(O2) on- kinetics.     

Optically pumped submillimeter gas lasers and the prospects for constructing space-qualifiable LO systems

An optically pumped submillimeter laser operating in the 500 μm (600 GHz) to 100 μm (3 THz) spectral range is the primary and, at present, the only available local oscillator (LO) source for laboratory and astronomical heterodyne applications for this wavelength region. A short review of the state-of-the-art of submillimeter lasers as LO sources, with an emphasis given to receiver systems designed for airborne heterodyne observations, will be presented. The characteristics and prospects for constructing a spacequalifiable laser LO system will also be given.     

Corrosion of Fe-10Al-Cr alloys by coal char

Corrosion of iron-base alloys at 982°C (1800°F) by coal char is observed and the phase morphologies are discussed. No sulfidation was observed at 50 hr exposure. After 100 hr internal aluminum-rich sulfides were observed along with thick outer scales of iron oxide. The species causing the hightemperature-induced corrosion are probably sulfides and sulfates, present in most coal chars. Possible mechanisms for the corrosion are also discussed.Department of Materials Science and Mineral Engineering.