A woman's struggle in academic psychology (1936-2001).

Tracy S. Kendler's strong desire to get a college education had to overcome economic hardships of the Great Depression and a mother's conviction that finding a suitable husband was more important. Solomon Asch at Brooklyn College, by scholarly example, encouraged her to seek a career in psychology. At the University of Iowa she studied with both Kurt Lewin and Kenneth Spence and finally opted to conduct a research program, ultimately on cognitive development, within a neobehavioristic methodological orientation. Being married to academic psychologist Howard H. Kendler, and a mother of 2 sons, created problems in fashioning an independent academic career, but persistence and research productivity, sometimes a result of collaborative efforts with her husband, finally led to a distinguished career. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between adenovirus-mediated aquaporin 1 expression and fluid movement across epithelial cells

AdhAQP1, a recombinant adenovirus encoding the human water channel aquaporin 1 (AQP1), has been shown to be useful for gene therapy of salivary glands rendered hypofunctional following irradiation. Here we utilized AdhAQP1 to examine the relationship between AQP1 expression and fluid movement across a polarized salivary epithelial cell monolayer. In response to a 440 to 340 mosm gradient, net fluid movement across cells infected with AdhAQP1 was approximately 10-fold that seen in uninfected cells or cells infected with a control virus. At a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 5, fluid movement was linear for 15-30 min. Increasing the osmotic gradient resulted in a proportional increase in fluid movement. At low virus MOIs (0.1-1.0), fluid movement was markedly enhanced relative to that seen at higher MOIs (approximately 5.10), where the level of AQP1 expression and number of cells transduced were considerably greater. We conclude that significant, osmotically-obliged fluid movement in a salivary cell monolayer with low basal water permeability does not require high levels of AQP1 expression.     

Current surgical management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a report from the Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Study Group

BACKGROUND: Repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) has changed from an emergent procedure to a delayed procedure in the last decade. Many other aspects of management have also evolved since the first successful repair. However, most reports are from single institutions. The lack of a large multicenter database has hampered progress in the management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and makes determination of the current standard difficult. METHODS: The CDH study group was formed in 1995 to collect data from multiple institutions in North America, Europe, and Australia. Participating centers completed a registry form on all live-born infants with CDH during 1995 and 1996. Demographic information, data about surgical management, and outcome were collected for all patients. RESULTS: Sixty-two centers participated, with 461 patients entered. Overall survival was 280 of 442 patients (63%) where survival was recorded. The defect was left-sided in 78%, right-sided in 21%, and bilateral in 1%. A subcostal approach was used in 91% of patients, with pleural drainage used in 76%. A patch of some kind was used in just over half (51%) of the patients, with polytetrafluoroethylene being the most commonly used material (81%) in those patients with a patch. The mean surgical time was 102 minutes, with an average blood loss of 14 mL (range, 0 to 500 mL). The overwhelming majority of patients underwent repair between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM (289 of 329, 88%). Nineteen percent of patients had surgical repair on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) at a mean time of 170 hours into the ECMO course (range, 10 to 593 hours). The mean age at surgery in patients not treated with ECMO was 73 hours (range, 1 to 445 hours). CONCLUSIONS: The multicenter nature of this report makes it a snapshot of current management. The data would indicate that prosthetic patching of the defect has become common, that after-hours repair is infrequent, and that delayed surgical repair has become the preferred approach in many centers. Furthermore, the mean survival rate of 63% indicates that despite decades of individual effort, the CDH problem is far from solved. This highlights the need for a centralized database and cooperative multicenter studies in the future.     

Resident enteric bacteria are necessary for development of spontaneous colitis and immune system activation in interleukin-10-deficient mice

Mice with targeted deletion of the gene for interleukin-10 (IL-10) spontaneously develop enterocolitis when maintained in conventional conditions but develop only colitis when kept in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) environments. This study tested the hypothesis that enteric bacteria are necessary for the development of spontaneous colitis and immune system activation in IL-10-deficient mice. IL-10-deficient mice were maintained in either SPF conditions or germfree conditions or were populated with bacteria known to cause colitis in other rodent models. IL-10-deficient mice kept in SPF conditions developed colitis in all segments of the colon (cecum and proximal and distal colon). These mice exhibited immune system activation as evidenced by increased expression of CD44 on CD4(+) T cells; increased mesenteric lymph node cell numbers; and increased production of immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG1, and IL-12 p40 from colon fragment cultures. Mice populated with bacterial strains, including Bacteroides vulgatus, known to induce colitis in other rodent models had minimal colitis. Germfree IL-10-deficient mice had no evidence of colitis or immune system activation. We conclude therefore that resident enteric bacteria are necessary for the development of spontaneous colitis and immune system activation in IL-10-deficient mice.     

Heat stability of virulence-associated enzymes from Listeria monocytogenes SLCC 5764

A 24 year old man presented with acute endocarditis of the mitral valve. Rupture of a mycotic cerebral aneurysm on the 20th day was successfully treated by interventional catheterisation. Several days later, he underwent mitral valvuloplasty under good conditions. The postoperative period was uncomplicated but emergency surgery was required for a mycotic aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery. The patient was discharged from hospital without severe neurological sequellae and with a continent mitral valve.     

Predicting return to work. A long-term follow-up study of railroad workers after low back injuries

STUDY DESIGN: Evaluation of the long-term outcomes of 178 railroad employees with low back injury who had completed a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program. OBJECTIVES: To study two major areas: 1) outcomes of the rehabilitation program in terms of the patient's improvement in function and rate of return to work and 2) factors that predict long-term retention at work, both at the railroad and elsewhere. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Several studies have been published examining rehabilitation outcomes of individuals covered under workers' compensation law, but few exist that have examined railroad workers covered by the Federal Employers Liability Act, and few studies exist with follow-up periods longer than 3 years. METHODS: Physical/medical, self-reported, and employment/financial data were collected on each patient from medical and employment records. Follow-up data regarding employment status were obtained either from the employer or from the patient by telephone interview. RESULTS: On average, the patients improved in all objective and subjective measures after rehabilitation. Improvements in these measures were not predictive of return to work. At follow-up examination, 89% of the contacted patients were employed--61% still at the rail-road. The employment factors of lost work days and length of employment and the financial factor of wage rate were the most predictive of long-term work status. CONCLUSIONS: The multidisciplinary program in the current study was found to improve patient physical functioning and reduce pain. However, success in these measures was not predictive of long-term work status, suggesting that other factors have an impact on work status. Clinicians must be aware that employment and financial factors may have a strong influence on return-to-work outcomes.     

Peripheral blood manifestations of T(H)2 lymphocyte activation in stable atopic asthma and during exercise-induced bronchospasm

This study set out to develop the nursing care of breast cancer patients at the Central University Hospital in Turku, Finland, using the methods of action research and to evaluate the results of the development effort from the point of view of both patients and nursing staff. A theoretical model of the care of cancer patients was constructed on the basis of existing knowledge of how people react in stress and crisis situations or at different stages of a difficult illness. A specific care programme for breast cancer patients was also planned for the hospital's oncology and surgical units. Data were collected using questionnaires. Results indicated that our theoretical model of the care of cancer patients worked reasonably well. They also clearly highlighted the areas in which there is room for further improvement. Patients' experiences of the nursing staff were generally positive and the majority of the nursing staff also regarded the development project as a success.     

Dose and dose intensity as determinants of outcome in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. The Cancer and Leukemia Group B

BACKGROUND: Both total dose and dose intensity of adjuvant chemotherapy are postulated to be important variables in the outcome for patients with operable breast cancer. The Cancer and Leukemia Group B study 8541 examined the effects of adjuvant treatment using conventional-range dose and dose intensity in female patients with stage II (axillary lymph node-positive) breast cancer. METHODS: Within 6 weeks of surgery (radical mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy, or lumpectomy), 1550 patients with unilateral breast cancer were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: high-, moderate-, or low-dose intensity. The patients received cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil on day 1 of each chemotherapy cycle, with 5-fluorouracil administration repeated on day 8. The high-dose arm had twice the dose intensity and twice the drug dose as the low-dose arm. The moderate-dose arm had two thirds the dose intensity as the high-dose arm but the same total drug dose. Disease-free survival and overall survival were primary end points of the study. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 9 years, disease-free survival and overall survival for patients on the moderate- and high-dose arms are superior to the corresponding survival measures for patients on the low-dose arm (two-sided P<.0001 and two-sided P = .004, respectively), with no difference in disease-free or overall survival between the moderate- and the high-dose arms. At 5 years, overall survival (average +/- standard error) is 79% +/- 2% for patients on the high-dose arm, 77% +/- 2% for the patients on the moderate-dose arm, and 72% +/- 2% for patients on the low-dose arm; disease-free survival is 66% +/- 2%, 61% +/- 2%, and 56% +/- 2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Within the conventional dose range for this chemotherapy regimen, a higher dose is associated with better disease-free survival and overall survival.     

An anatomical approach to glabellar rhytids

OBJECTIVE: To identify surface landmarks that can serve as reference points to the underlying musculature in the treatment of glabellar rhytids. METHODS: Fifty cadaver hemibrows were dissected to assess the location, disposition, and relationships of the brow muscles, along with their variations at each of several consistent locations. Particular attention was paid to the corrugator supercilii, frontal belly of the frontalis, and procerus muscles. CONCLUSIONS: The information gained here may be applied to the pharmacological or surgical treatment of glabellar rhytids. Knowledge of the frequent location of the muscles involved, relative to easily identifiable surface landmarks, allows a more precise approach.