Current concepts: spinal injuries and rehabilitation

Spinal cord injuries and their catastrophic effects require a treatment infrastructure able to provide an integrated process of management, including rehabilitation from injury and on an ongoing basis. This is particularly important because the incidence of spinal cord injuries is small. Better outcomes and cost efficiency with such an infrastructure have been established, but further knowledge is required to solve the remaining controversies in some aspects of management.     

Pulmonary vein stenosis after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND: This report describes the complication of pulmonary vein stenosis with resultant severe pulmonary hypertension that developed in 2 patients after successful catheter ablation of chronic atrial fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three months after successful catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, both patients developed progressive dyspnea and pulmonary hypertension. Both were found to have severe stenosis of all 4 pulmonary veins near the junction with the left atrium. Balloon dilation of the stenotic pulmonary veins was performed in these patients, with improvement in dyspnea and pulmonary hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The complication of pulmonary vein stenosis is potentially life-threatening, and the application of radiofrequency current within the pulmonary veins with standard catheter technology should be avoided. This complication can be treated with balloon dilation, although the long-term course is unknown.     

Application of high-performance liquid chromatograph-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry in combination with selective enzymatic modifications in the characterization of glycosylation patterns in single-chain plasminogen activator

The application of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and selective enzymatic deglycosylation treatments is demonstrated in the analysis of glycosylation patterns in recombinant Desmodus salivary plasminogen activator, a heterogeneous glycoprotein. The sample was initially digested with a proteolytic enzyme (endoproteinase Lys-C) and then further treated with either PNGase F to remove N-linked carbohydrates or a combination of neuraminidase and O-glycosidase to remove sialic acid and O-linked carbohydrates. By comparison of the LC-ESI-MS peptide maps for the fully glycosylated and deglycosylated samples, it was possible to unambiguously identify the sites of N-linked glycosylation as well a number of N-linked glycopeptides. The O-link glycopeptides, which are present at low level ( < 1%), were not detected prior to the deglycosylation, nor could changes in peptide elution in the map following deglycosylation be correlated with potential O-linked glycosylation sites.     

Site preferences for Nd in YAG films grown by LPE

We have made spin-resonance measurements of the concentration on different, though crystallographically equivalent, sites, of Nd³⁺ dilutely incorporated into thin films of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG). The films were grown on {001}, {110}, and {111} substrates of pure YAG by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). Sites which differ only in the orientation of their local axes relative to the growth direction are found to be unequally populated. The site preferences found for {110} films are close to, though larger than, those found previously for {110} facets of bulk crystals grown from the flux. This result supports the view that the growth-induced magnetic anisotropy of LPE films of mixed rare earth iron garnets arises from the same site preference mechanism as the anisotropy found under natural facets of bulk crystals. Very large site preferences, up to 4.5:1, are found in {001} films; but for {111} films they are only slight. Site preferences are not greatly affected by changes in growth temperature (850°C to 1044°C) or in overall concentration (0.1% to 5% atomic). The effective distribution coefficient varies with concentration and substrate orientation.     

The cardiovascular effects of diazepam and of diazepam and pancuronium during fentanyl and oxygen anaesthesia

A study of the physiological behaviour of the synthetic compound Orthonil (alpha-chloro-beta-(3-chloro-o-tolyl)-propionitrile revealed a strong auxin activity in higher plants. Otherwise, Orthonil appeared not to be a herbicide-auxin. It is metabolized intensively in plant tissues. Among the identified metabolites, two compounds were detected which also exert a high auxin activity. It is concluded that at least a part of the apparent auxin activity of Orthonil may be due to alpha-(3-chloro-o-tolyl) acetic acid, one metabolite of Orthonil. Although Orthonil strongly stimulates elongation growth, this growth is not accompanied by a stimulated ethylene evolution as is the case with other auxins. A possible metabolic pathway of Orthonil is discussed.     

Conceptual level and accuracy of person perception.

Conceptual systems theory asserts that abstract conceptual functioning must include a well-developed capacity to "act as if" and ability to assume the role of the other. This proposition was tested in two samples of adolescents with a person perception task that required subjects to give a target person's actual responses to Cattell's 16PF Test immediately after exposure to the target. Two videotaped targets were used. Conceptual level was found to influence accuracy as predicted in three of four analyses, and sex of subject as predicted in two of four, with the effects of intelligence controlled. Accuracy in the postdiction task, and four components of accuracy, were relatively stable across targets. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral comparisons of children from abusive and distressed families.

Investigated the problem behaviors of 35 physically abused 6–16 yr olds in comparison with 36 nonabused children from a child welfare agency and 35 nonabused children in the community. Parental report of behavioral strengths and weaknesses was examined by administering the Child Behavior Profile. Results concur with those of previous reports that abused children display a significantly greater number of behavior problems and fewer social competencies than normals. The behavior patterns of abused Ss closely resembled the range of behavior problems shown by Ss from distressed families in which abuse was not present. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Ada Language System

The ALS–a portable, retargetable, integrated environment–is being designed to meet rigorous Stoneman requirements. It addresses critical development and maintenance problems of embedded computer systems.