Sexual functioning and intimacy in African American and white breast cancer survivors: a descriptive study

This study examines ethnic differences in sexual socialization and attitudes, sexual history and current practices, and the effects of treatment in 147 African American and White breast cancer survivors. Sex-related research in younger healthy populations has shown that cultural values associated with ethnicity influence sexual functioning, but small numbers of African American participants in previous research in breast cancer survivors has limited what we know about that population. In this study, there were few differences between the 2 ethnic groups in a predominantly well-educated, high-income, highly functional sample. However, African American women were significantly less likely to be comfortable with and to practice oral sex, self-touching, and masturbatory behaviors. White women were more likely to report that breast cancer had a negative impact on their sex lives. These differences in sexual repertoire and functioning should be noted by health care practitioners treating the sexual sequelae of breast cancer treatment.     

Compliance with quality of life data collection in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Breast Cancer Prevention Trial

This paper describes compliance with the completion of a quality of life questionnaire in the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial, a large multi-centre randomized trial that is studying the efficacy of Tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer. In the first 4875 women enrolled in the control arm of the study, there was a very high rate of questionnaire completion at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months of follow-up (89.8 per cent completed forms at 12 months). The sample was examined according to demographic and risk factors, as well as by recruitment cohort. There was a significantly poorer compliance rate for the most recently recruited cohort that was followed-up during a time of substantial external negative publicity related to clinical trial research. Nevertheless, the overall compliance with completion of quality of life data in this trial is very high, which is probably attributable to the high educational status of the trial participants.     

Convergence of the SMI and the diagonally loaded SMI algorithmswith weak interference [adaptive array]

Approximations for the power levels at the output of an adaptive array that uses the diagonally loaded sample matrix inversion (SMI) algorithm are derived. Diagonal loading is a technique where the diagonal of the covariance matrix is augmented with a positive or negative constant prior to inversion. The authors examine how the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) at the array output vary with the number of samples taken when the input signals are continuous wave. It is shown that positive loading produces more rapid convergence with a reduction in output SIR. Negative loading provides an improved SIR level, but it is shown that positive loading produces more rapid convergence with a reduction in output SIR. Negative loading provides an improved SIR level, but it is shown that the output power levels are erratic and slow to converge. Simulation results which verify the theoretical procedure are given     

Proceedings of the Inter-Society Color Council Technical Conference “Instrumental Colorant Formulation 1976” Williamsburg,Virginia. III Problems of Fluorescence in Colorant Formulation

The presence of fluorescence in samples to be matched and in dyes to be used for matching requires precautions in measurement and in computation. Measurement of conventional reflectance may cause serious errors of formulation. Standard procedures for calculating matches are usually based on the additivity of the K/S values. In contrast, contributions of fluorescence have to be added to the spectral radiance factors. Specifications for a rigorous procedure are presented. Merits and shortcomings of currently used methods are discussed. An approximation making use of negative Kubelka-Munk coefficients is set forth. It is valid only for applications of a single fluorescent colorant which may be shaded slightly by minor additions of other colorants.     

Nachweis von Diethylenglycol in Wein Detection of Diethylenglycol in Wine

European Food Research and Technology - Der Nachweis von Diethylenglycol durch Dünnschichtchromatograpllie nach Anreicherung mittels Extrelut-Fertigsäule wird beschrieben. Die...     

Parameters affecting the electrical conductivity of SnO2 : Sb sol–gel coatings

SnO₂ : Sb single and multilayer coatings have been prepared by the sol–gel dip and spin coating method, and by spray pyrolysis from various precursor solutions. Subsequently, the films have been heat treated in a convection furnace or by cw CO₂ laser irradiation, respectively. The influence of the different deposition and heating techniques on the electrical and morphological properties of the resulting films has been investigated by van der Pauw/Hall method and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) cross-sectional images. It is shown that the resistivities of the dip and spin coated films are at least one order of magnitude higher compared to those of spray coated films obtained from the same precursor solution. In dip coated multilayer systems an alternating structure of loosely packed and dense layers can be observed leading to a decrease in resistivity with the number of layers. A similar densified surface structure is found in laser treated films together with larger crystallites. It is concluded that the differences in resistivity occurring from the deposition technique and the heating process are linked to structural differences of the coatings whereas the chemical composition of the solution plays a minor role for the electrical properties.     

Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation augments cerebral blood flow in the patient with cerebral vasospasm: a xenon-enhanced computed tomography study

OBJECTIVE: We previously established the ability of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) to improve cerebral blood flow (CBF) significantly in a canine model of cerebral vasospasm. This study was performed to assess the efficacy of IABC in a patient with cardiac dysfunction and severe cerebral vasospasm that was refractory to traditional treatment measures. METHODS: We report our experience with the clinical use of IABC to treat cerebral vasospasm in a patient who suffered subarachnoid hemorrhage and concomitant myocardial infarction. Hypertensive, hypervolemic, hemodilution therapy was ineffective, and IABC was instituted. Xenon-enhanced computed tomography (Xe-CT) was utilized to obtain serial measurements of CBF with and without IABC over a 4-day period. RESULTS: IABC dramatically improved cardiac function in this patient, and Xe-CT demonstrated significant improvement in CBF with IABC. The average global CBF was 20.5 +/- 4.4 ml/100g/min before versus 34.7 +/- 3.8 ml/100g/min after IABC (p < 0.0001, paired student's t-test). The lower the CBF before IABC, the greater the improvement with IABC (correlation coefficient r = 0.83, p = 0.0007). CBF improvement ranged from 33% to 161% above baseline, average 69.3%. No complications of IABC were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report demonstrating the ability of IABC to improve CBF in a patient with vasospasm. We suggest that IABC is a rational treatment option in select patients with refractory cerebral vasospasm who do not respond to traditional treatment measures.     

Region of birth and black diets: the Harlem Household Survey

Human obesity is associated with an increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA expression in adipose tissue. TNF-alpha decreases insulin-dependent glucose uptake by inhibiting autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor, suggesting that TNF-alpha may play a role in insulin resistance. In this study, we analyzed plasma levels of TNF-alpha in 40 70-year-old men with newly detected non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and in 20 age-matched controls. Twenty of the patients had a moderate level of insulin resistance and 20 were severely insulin resistant. The plasma levels of TNF-alpha were higher in patients (4.00+/-1.53 pg/mL in moderately insulin resistant and 4.91+/-1.43 pg/mL in severely insulin resistant subjects) than in controls (3.27+/-0.79 pg/mL, P<0.001). TNF-alpha was significantly related to body mass index, fasting glucose levels, and serum triglyceride levels and inversely related to the high density lipoprotein cholesterol level. The finding of an association between high plasma levels of TNF-alpha and several metabolic abnormalities characteristic for the insulin resistance syndrome suggests that TNF-alpha may be involved in the pathogenesis of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.