The use of tampons for identifying asymptomatic N. gonorrhoeae infections

Female contacts of males with gonococcal urethritis were screened for asymptomatic infection using self-inserted tampons. Results of cultures were compared with specimens collected with cervical swabs during a pelvic examination. The sequence of collection of specimens was randomized, and specimens were promptly incubated. Among 297 patients, 40.4% had positive cervical specimens and 35.4% had positive tampon specimens. A difference in rates of recovery by method of collection was 5.0% +/- 1.7%. A better correlation in results was noted among patients using oral contraceptives and among patients whose tampon specimen was collected after a pelvic examination. A relatively small difference in results by method of collection suggests that tampons may serve as an inexpensive screening device for sexually active women, especially in settings where pelvic examinations are not routinely performed, but where immediate processing of specimens is possible.     

The horopter in eidetic subjects.

2 early studies are examined to establish the shape of the horopter in eidetic individuals. It is concluded that "no relationship between eidetic imagery and horopter bowing has yet been shown. The horopter bowing pattern for eidetic Ss does not differ from that of noneidetic Ss. That is, it particularly does not bow in an opposite manner." The suggestion is made that the horopter phenomena and eidetic imagery may be examined independently. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perception of partly occluded objects and illusory figures: Evidence for an identity hypothesis.

Three experiments tested the hypothesis that perception of partly occluded figures (POFs) and illusory figures (IFs) derive from a single visual interpolation process. In each, 2 magnitude estimation tasks were used. One assessed perceived unity of visible parts of POFs; the other perceived clarity of edges on perceived unity and clarity. Exp 3 used randomly generated displays to test whether edge relations sampled at random would exert the same effects on POFs and IFs. All studies showed nearly perfect correlations between perceived unity and perceived edge clarity, when the physically specified parts of the figures were identical. The specific conditions under which edges are interpolated fit well with predictions of a recent theory (P. J. Kellman and T. F. Shipley, 1991). These results suggest that a single unit-formation process underlies "modal" and "amodal" completion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A role for 4-hydroxynonenal, an aldehydic product of lipid peroxidation, in disruption of ion homeostasis and neuronal death induced by amyloid beta-peptide

Peroxidation of membrane lipids results in release of the aldehyde 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), which is known to conjugate to specific amino acids of proteins and may alter their function. Because accumulating data indicate that free radicals mediate injury and death of neurons in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and because amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) can promote free radical production, we tested the hypothesis that HNE mediates A beta 25-35-induced disruption of neuronal ion homeostasis and cell death. A beta induced large increases in levels of free and protein-bound HNE in cultured hippocampal cells. HNE was neurotoxic in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, and this toxicity was specific in that other aldehydic lipid peroxidation products were not neurotoxic. HNE impaired Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity and induced an increase of neuronal intracellular free Ca2+ concentration. HNE increased neuronal vulnerability to glutamate toxicity, and HNE toxicity was partially attenuated by NMDA receptor antagonists, suggesting an excitotoxic component to HNE neurotoxicity. Glutathione, which was previously shown to play a key role in HNE metabolism in nonneuronal cells, attenuated the neurotoxicities of both A beta and HNE. The antioxidant propyl gallate protected neurons against A beta toxicity but was less effective in protecting against HNE toxicity. Collectively, the data suggest that HNE mediates A beta-induced oxidative damage to neuronal membrane proteins, which, in turn, leads to disruption of ion homeostasis and cell degeneration.     

Paget bone disease involving young adults in 3 generations of a Korean family

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease with a dismal prognosis. It has long been regarded as one of the most difficult cancers to accurately diagnose and stage preoperatively. The purpose of this review is to provide an update of the state-of-the-art for early detection, diagnosis, and staging of pancreatic cancer. These methods include spiral CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, laparoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, CA 19-9 serology, fine needle aspiration cytology, ERCP brush cytology, and screening for p53 and ras oncogenes. These advanced techniques should help us to detect pancreatic cancers in high-risk populations at a curative stage and to decrease pancreaticoduodenectomies for benign disease which could otherwise be treated with less morbid procedures. In addition, these tests will help reliably diagnose pancreatic cancer preoperatively.     

Innate immunity, cytokines, and pulmonary host defense

Effective host defense against bacterial infection is dependent on the activation and recruitment of phagocytic cells. The initiation, maintenance, and resolution of this inflammatory response in the setting of bacterial pneumonia is dependent on the expression of cytokines. As the complexities of the host-pathogen interaction are further dissected and unraveled, immunologic manipulation of cytokine expression will likely become an important adjuvant therapy in the treatment of serious lung infections.