Oral thymic extract for chronic hepatitis C in patients previously treated with interferon. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Stress echocardiography and perfusion scintigraphy are both useful techniques in the assessment of myocardial viability. The use of one technique or the other as the first choice test depends mainly on each hospital's experience. Perfusion scintigraphy should be chosen as the first technique in the following situations: a) hospitals with little experience in stress echocardiography and a good Nuclear Medicine department; b) patients with a bad acoustic window in rest echocardiography; c) contraindication of a high dobutamine dose, and d) need of quantification of viable area. When having chosen echocardiography as the first technique, perfusion scintigraphy is indicated when the response to dobutamine of the asynergic area does not allow the confirmation or the rejection of the presence of viability.     

Age-related differences in object- and location-based inhibition of return of attention.

Four experiments examined age-related differences in inhibition of return (IOR) of visual attention. Using static stimuli, both young and older adults were slower to detect targets in previously cued objects, showing equivalent IOR. With objects that moved after they had been cued, young adults were slower to detect targets in the cued object (compared with uncued ones), revealing object-based IOR, but older adults were faster to detect targets in such objects, failing to demonstrate object-based IOR. Both age groups were slower to detect targets at the initially cued location (location-based IOR). The results show that age has a differential effect on IOR depending on the frame of reference of the inhibition: Inhibition for objects breaks down with age, but that for location does not. This pattern of results is consistent with the view that there are specific inhibitory deficits in old age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In vitro circumvention of cisplatin resistance by the novel sterically hindered platinum complex AMD473

BACKGROUND: Oral indomethacin causes villous shortening, microvascular damage, and distortion, which might induce mucosal ischaemia and necrosis. AIMS: In order to determine the early events in indomethacin induced jejunal injury we examined the temporal relations between morphological damage and changes in villous blood flow following indomethacin. METHODS: In anaesthetised rats, mid jejunal villi were exteriorised in a chamber and observed by fluorescence microscopy. Blood flow in surface capillaries was calculated from velocities and diameters. Indomethacin was applied by both luminal and intravenous routes for 90 minutes, after which the animal was perfusion fixed and the villi were processed for histological examination. Control animals received intravenous or luminal bicarbonate (1.25%). RESULTS: Blood flow slowed in individual villi at 20 minutes, and progressed to complete stasis (in another group) by 45 minutes. Histological examination at 20 minutes revealed microvascular distortion, but no villous shortening; crypt depth:villous height ratios were 0.356 (0.02) in test and 0.386 (0.01) in surrounding villi (p > 0.05). At stasis, the villi under study showed epithelial clumping and were shortened: crypt depth:villous height ratios were 0.92 (0.2) in test and 0.42 (0.06) in surrounding villi (p < 0.02). Vehicle alone had no effect on either blood flow or histology. CONCLUSIONS: Focal slowing of villous blood flow and microvascular distortion precede villus shortening and epithelial disruption, and indicate that damage to surface microvasculature is an early event in indomethacin induced mucosal injury in this model.     

Threat inoculation: Experienced and imagined intergenerational contact prevents stereotype threat effects on older people's math performance.

The authors hypothesized that experienced and imagined intergenerational contact should improve older people's math test performance under stereotype threat. In Experiment 1 (N = 51, mean age = 69 years), positive prior contact with grandchildren eliminated stereotype threat, which was mediated partially by reduced test-related anxiety. In Experiment 2 (N = 84, mean age = 72 years), the effect of threat on performance was significantly improved when participants merely imagined intergenerational contact, a situation again mediated by reduced anxiety. Previous research established that intergroup contact improves intergroup attitudes. The findings show that intergroup (intergenerational) contact also provides a defense against stereotype threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of cost, normative support, and issue importance on motivation to persuade in-group deviants.

Persuading in-group deviants to become normative may carry costs that outweigh the advantages of group consensus. This study investigates the effects of potential cost, normative support, and issue importance on group members’ efforts to change the views of in-group deviants (N = 115). In line with previous research into bystander intervention, the authors show that when costs are low, high levels of either importance or normative support are sufficient to increase persuasion action tendency. When costs are higher, higher levels of both issue importance and normative support are necessary to increase persuasion action tendency. In addition, content analysis of messages sent to in-group deviants show that high potential costs and low levels of issue importance reduce the proportion of messages sent that are persuasive. These results are discussed in terms of theories of approach/avoidance and social identity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detection of Dental Secondary Caries Using Frequency-Domain Infrared Photothermal Radiometry (PTR) and Modulated Luminescence (LUM)

The ability of frequency-domain photothermal radiometry (PTR) and modulated luminescence (LUM) to detect secondary caries is presented. Signal behavior upon sequential demineralization and remineralization of a spot (diameter ~1?mm) on a vertical wall of sectioned tooth samples was investigated experimentally. From these studies, it was found that PTR?CLUM signals change, showing a certain pattern upon progressive demineralization and remineralization. PTR amplitudes slightly decreased upon progressive demineralization and slightly increased upon subsequent remineralization. The PTR phase increased during both demineralization and remineralization. LUM amplitudes exhibit a decreasing trend at excitation/probe distances larger than 200???m away from the edge for both demineralization and remineralization; however, at locations close to the edge (up to ~200???m), LUM signals slightly decrease upon demineralization and slightly increase during subsequent remineralization.     

Tip-of-the-tongue states reveal age differences in the syllable frequency effect.

Syllable frequency has been shown to facilitate production in some languages but has yielded inconsistent results in English and has never been examined in older adults. Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states represent a unique type of production failure where the phonology of a word is unable to be retrieved, suggesting that the frequency of phonological forms, like syllables, may influence the occurrence of TOT states. In the current study, we investigated the role of first-syllable frequency on TOT incidence and resolution in young (18–26 years of age), young-old (60–74 years of age), and old-old (75–89 years of age) adults. Data from 3 published studies were compiled, where TOTs were elicited by presenting definition-like questions and asking participants to respond with “Know,” “Don't Know,” or “TOT.” Young-old and old-old adults, but not young adults, experienced more TOTs for words beginning with low-frequency first syllables relative to high-frequency first syllables. Furthermore, age differences in TOT incidence occurred only for words with low-frequency first syllables. In contrast, when a prime word with the same first syllable as the target was presented during TOT states, all age groups resolved more TOTs for words beginning with low-frequency syllables. These findings support speech production models that allow for bidirectional activation between conceptual, lexical, and phonological forms of words. Furthermore, the age-specific effects of syllable frequency provide insight into the progression of age-linked changes to phonological processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)