The Drug Evaluation Classification Program: using ocular and other signs to detect drug intoxication

BACKGROUND: A systematic approach to determining drug intoxication has been developed for use by police officers. By considering specific physiological signs, trained officers can detect the effects of seven major drug types. METHODS: Officers follow a 12-step testing sequence and evaluate signs such as pupil sizes and responses, eye movements, heart rate, body temperature, mental timing, and balance. A matrix is then used to compare that subject's signs to those that would be produced by the seven types of drugs. If a pattern match is found, the officer concludes that the subject is under the influence of a drug and specifies the drug type. RESULTS: Several field and laboratory validation studies have been conducted using these procedures. In general, officers were 70% to 90% accurate in determining intoxication status and drug classification, but poly-drug use and drug rebound effects can sometimes cause problems in interpretation. CONCLUSION: Ocular and other physiological signs can be used to detect drug intoxication and classify the type of drug taken. Knowledge of the procedures used in the Drug Recognition Program can enable optometrists to serve as consultants to the police and as expert witnesses in cases involving the use of ocular signs that indicate illicit drug use.     

The use of natural interferon alpha conjugated to a monoclonal antibody anti mammary epithelial mucin (Mc5) for the treatment of human breast cancer xenografts

An immunoconjugate composed of natural interferon alpha (nIFN alpha) bound in a noncleavable fashion to a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) recognizing a breast epithelial membrane mucin (Mc5) was used to to treat xenografts of a human mammary carcinoma cell line (MCF-7) growing in nude mice. The immunoconjugate (nIFN alpha/Mc5) was administered as 20 intralesional (i.l.) injections to 1 of 2 xenografts in each animal. It was found that nIFN alpha/Mc5 produced a significant enhancement of the growth inhibitory actions of nIFN alpha on the injected tumors. Further enhancement was obtained when nIFN gamma or nIFN gamma together with Mc5 (at a dose 10 times larger than that present in nIFN alpha/Mc5) were added to the immunoconjugate. Biodistribution experiments showed that the uptake of 125I-nIFN alpha/Mc5 by the tumors was greater and its elimination slower than for 125I-nIFN alpha alone or conjugated to irrelevant mouse IgG1. In addition, the immunoconjugate up-regulated the antigenic expression of a breast epithelial membrane mucin by the carcinoma cells, an up-regulation which was not significantly different from that produced by nIFN alpha alone. The contralateral noninjected tumors exposed to systemic levels of the immunoconjugate showed an enhancement of antitumor effects, but to a lesser extent than the injected tumors. These findings suggest that the enhancement of the growth inhibitory action of the immunoconjugate was related to the specific binding of Mc5 which targeted the IFN to the carcinoma cells and impeded its elimination. It is likely that the targeting was favored by the IFN-mediated up-regulation of antigenic expression by the carcinoma cells, thereby producing a cascade of interrelated effects. The results of this study point out the feasibility and potential usefulness of IFN treatment by means of immunoconjugates as well as the worth of pursuing and improving this form of therapy.     

Central poststroke pain and Wallenberg''s lateral medullary infarction: frequency, character, and determinants in 63 patients

BACKGROUND: Questionnaire-based surveys from several countries have consistently detected adverse health associated with home dampness and mould growth. METHODS: To test the validity of questions commonly used to indicate the presence of indoor mould, questionnaires were administered in 403 homes where dust samples were taken for viable fungi and air samples for ergosterol. RESULTS: Geometric mean concentrations of the total viable fungi were 255 (SE 116) x 10(3) CFU/g when mouldy odours were reported and 155 (SE 55) when odours were not reported (P = 0.01). Similarly, reported water damage was associated with a 50% increase (P = 0.06). Geometric mean concentrations of the predominantly indoor-source fungi, Aspergillus plus Penicillium, were twice as high when mould or mildew was reported than when not mentioned (P = 0.01). The presence of reported mould or water damage was unrelated to the presence of detectable levels of ergosterol. There was evidence for reporting bias: in the presence of low concentrations of viable fungi in dust, respondents reporting allergies were more likely to report visible mould growth (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9-3.5, P = 0.10. In the presence of elevated concentrations of dust fungi, respondents who smoked were less likely to report visible mould growth, (OR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.7, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Reported mould, water damage, and mouldy odours were associated with elevated levels of indoor fungi. However, inaccuracy was high and there was evidence of a systematic reporting bias. Future research should concentrate on developing accurate objective measures of exposure to fungi, and then use this information to develop valid questionnaires. Currently, objective measures not questionnaires, are recommended to clarify the health effects of indoor fungi.     

Design and implementation of a web mining system for organizing search engine results

We present the design and implementation of a web mining system that creates a hierarchical clustering of web documents retrieved by commercial web search engines. The cluster hierarchy is produced by a novel method called the Cluster Hierarchy Construction Algorithm (CHCA) and it can be used to explore the topics of interest related to the search query and their relationships. We discuss important design issues for our system, including stemming and dimensionality reduction, as well as some implementation details. We show examples of system results, compare them with results from similar systems, and analyze the responses to a survey of the system's users. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 607–625, 2005.