Driver distraction in an unusual environment: Effects of text-messaging in tunnels

Text messaging while driving can be distracting and significantly increases the risk of being involved in a collision. Compared to freeway driving, driving in a tunnel environment introduces factors that may interact with driver attentional resources to exacerbate the effects of distraction on driving safety. With planning and design of the 18 km Stockholm Bypass tunnel ongoing, and because of the potentially devastating consequences of crashes in long tunnels, it is critical to assess the effects of driver distraction in a tunnel environment.     

pH responsive polymer cushions for probing membrane environment interactions

A robust and straightforward method for the preparation of lipid membranes upon dynamically responsive polymer cushions is reported. Structural characterization demonstrates that complete, well-packed membranes with tunable mobility can be constructed on the polymeric cushion. With this system, membrane conformational changes induced by cellular cytoskeleton interactions can be modeled. The membrane can be tailored to screen the cushion from changes in pH or allow rapid response to the pH environment by incorporation of protein ion channels. This elementary system offers a means to replicate the conformational changes that occur with the cellular cytoskeleton and has great potential for fundamental biophysical studies of membrane properties and membrane-protein interactions decoupled from the underlying solid support.     

Paclitaxel, carboplatin, and extended-schedule etoposide in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer: comparison of sequential phase II trials using different dose-intensities

PURPOSE: In two sequential phase II studies, we evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of adding paclitaxel to a standard platinum/etoposide regimen in the first-line treatment of small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred seventeen patients with small-cell lung cancer were treated between June 1993 and July 1996. The first 38 patients received a lower-dose regimen: paclitaxel 135 mg/m2 by 1-hour infusion, carboplatin at an area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of 5.0, and etoposide 50 mg alternating with 100 mg orally on days 1 to 10. When only mild myelosuppression was observed, doses of paclitaxel and carboplatin were increased in the subsequent 79 patients (paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 by 1-hour infusion and carboplatin at an AUC of 6.0). All patients received four courses of treatment, administered at 21-day intervals. Patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer also received thoracic radiation therapy (1.8 Gy/d; total dose, 45 Gy) administered concurrently with courses 3 and 4 of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Seventy-two of 79 patients (91%) who receive the higher-dose regimen had major responses. Thirty-two of 38 (84%) with extensive-stage disease responded (21% complete response rate); median survival was 10 months for this group. With limited-stage disease, the overall response rate was 98%, with 71% complete responses; the median survival time has not been reached at 16 months. Median survival in extensive-stage patients was longer in patients who received the higher-dose regimen (10 months) than in the previous group treated with lower doses (7 months; P = .008). The higher-dose regimen was well tolerated, with myelosuppression being the major toxicity. Compared with the lower-dose regimen, grade 3/4 neutropenia increased from 8% to 38% of courses, but the incidence of hospitalization for neutropenia and fever did not increase. Other nonhematologic toxicities were uncommon, and did not increase substantially with the higher-dose regimen. CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel can be added at full dose (200 mg/m2) to a carboplatin/etoposide combination while maintaining a tolerable toxicity profile. Median survival times in both extensive- and limited-stage patients compare favorably with other reported regimens. This regimen merits further investigation, and a randomized trial to compare this regimen with a standard carboplatin/etoposide combination is underway.     

Molecular beam epitaxial growth and performance of HgCdTe-based simultaneous-mode two-color detectors

Molecular beam epitaxy was employed for the growth of HgCdTe-based n-p⁺-n device structures on (211)B oriented CdZnTe substrates. The device structures were processed as mesa isolated diodes, and operated as back-to-back diodes for the simultaneous detection of two closely spaced sub-bands in the mid-wave infrared spectrum. The devices were characterized by R₀A values in excess of 5 × 10⁵ Ω cm² at 78K, at f/2 fov and quantum efficiencies greater than 70% in each band. Infrared imagery from a focal plane array with 128 × 128 pixels was acquired simultaneously from each band at temperatures between 77 to 180K, with no observable degradation in the image quality with increase in temperature.     

Performance of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form for major depression in community and clinical samples

The CIDI Short Form is a brief survey instrument designed to identify episodes of major depression. The instrument was developed for inclusion in the US National Health Interview Survey, but has also been used in the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS). In this study, data deriving from use of the CIDI Short Form in the NPHS are compared to published data from the Mental Health Supplement of the Ontario Health Survey, which utilized a fully validated structured interview: the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). In an additional analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of the Short Form were evaluated in relation to the full CIDI mood disorders section in a clinical sample of 122 psychiatric in-patients. Relative to published data from the Ontario Health Survey, application of the CIDI Short Form in the NPHS resulted in an overestimation of major depression prevalence by approximately 50%. In the clinical sample, the CIDI Short Form was highly sensitive (98.4%), but not highly specific (72.7%). Active medical conditions, substance use disorders and dysthymia were frequently observed among subjects with false positive CIDI Short Form ratings. The CIDI Short Form appears to overestimate the 12-month period prevalence of major depression when it is applied in community samples. Since the Short Form does not make exclusions for organically induced symptoms, it is probable that some subjects with depressive symptoms secondary to physical illnesses and/or drug exposures score above the instrument's threshold, perhaps leading to an elevation in period prevalence rates.     

The new diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus

We are in the midst of an epidemic of diabetes, and the prevalence appears to be especially marked within Delaware. To prevent tragic long-term complications of diabetes, and to minimize the enormous costs associated with treating them, an emphasis must be placed on the early diagnosis and aggressive management of diabetes. The changes in the classification, diagnosis and screening for diabetes should help to redirect the focus to one of preventive care.     

Depressed versus nondepressed young adult tobacco users: Differences in coping style, weight concerns and exercise level.

Undergraduates age 18 to 24 years (n=656) completed questionnaires assessing tobacco use, depressive symptoms, coping responses, weight concerns, and exercise. The majority of participants were female (72%), White/non-Hispanic (95%), and in the 1st or 2nd year of college (80%). Current tobacco users (n=236) had a higher frequency of depression (40%) than never tobacco users (32%; p=.05). Tobacco users classified as depressed (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] score a 16) reported greater weight concerns and more frequent maladaptive coping in response to negative mood than tobacco users classified as nondepressed (CES-D score     

Effect of depressive symptoms on smoking abstinence and treatment adherence among smokers with a history of alcohol dependence.

This study examined the effect of depressive symptoms on smoking abstinence and treatment adherence among smokers with a past history of alcohol dependence. Participants (24 women, 27 men) were randomly assigned to behavioral counseling (BC) or behavioral counseling plus cognitive-behavioral mood management training (CBT). The Hamilton -Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD; A Hamilton, 1967) was administered to assess baseline depressive symptoms. Participants who received CBT and had higher HRSD scores were more likely to achieve short-term abstinence from smoking and attend more treatment sessions than those with lower depression scores, whereas for BC participants the effect of HRSD scores was the opposite. Smokers with a history of alcohol dependence reporting high levels of depressive symptoms may benefit from a mood management intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)