Depressed mood does not explain neuropsychological deficits in HIV-infected persons.

The relationship of depressed mood to cognitive disturbance in HIV infection was examined in a sample of 139 homosexual men. Ss were grouped according to the classification of the Centers for Disease Control: 39 were in Group IV, 62 were in Group II or Group III, and 38 were HIV-negative. Ss completed the Profile of Mood States and 10 neuropsychological tests. Analysis employing a classification approach indicated that, although symptoms of depression and neuropsychological impairment were more common in Ss who were HIV-positive, particularly those classified as Group IV, there were no systematic relationships between depression and neuropsychological impairment. Depressed mood and cognitive disturbance each seem to have unique associations to HIV illness status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Military tobacco use: a synthesis of the literature on prevalence, factors related to use, and cessation interventions

Tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable morbidity and premature death in the United States. As a result, military leaders are recognizing that tobacco can adversely affect military fitness levels, deployment readiness, and safety and can increase health care costs. Yet military members continue to use tobacco. Tobacco may be viewed as part of the military culture since military members have used tobacco for many decades for pleasure, comfort, and currency and as a morale booster. Most recently, the military has seen an increase in tobacco use among young military members. A number of research studies have examined the prevalence of tobacco and factors related to use in the military, and several have evaluated cessation and prevention interventions. This article provides a brief historical perspective of military tobacco use in the 20th century and a critical review of the literature published between 1991 and 2006 describing prevalence of tobacco use, factors influencing use, and cessation interventions in the military. Recommendations for future research and for interventions are provided.     

On the Auditory Modality Superiority Effect in Serial Recall: Separating Input and Output Factors.

The modality effect in immediate recall refers to superior recall of the last few items within lists presented in spoken as opposed to printed form. The locus of this well-known effect has been unclear. N. Cowan, J. S. Saults, E. M. Elliott, and M. Moreno (2002) introduced a new method to distinguish between the effects of input serial position, output serial position, and the number of items yet to be recalled and found that large modality effects occurred only in conditions in which delay and interference at output (from items already recalled) was high. The authors replicated that finding, even when the response period included output interference acoustically similar to the spoken stimuli to be recalled. However, the authors found that output delay and interference act only by lowering the level of performance to a more sensitive range. The modality effect thus originates during encoding of the list to be recalled, not during output. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of magnetron sputtered silver and titanium coatings on the compaction and properties of surface modified PM Ti-48Al powders

Thin layers of silver and titanium were deposited onto commercial Ti–₄₈Al particles by magnetron sputtering prior to their consolidation by hot isostatic pressing and subsequent heat treatment. Based on picnometry and electron probe microanalysis results, average values of 1.5 and 2.5 at.%, respectively, were obtained for the silver and titanium contents in the coated particles. The surface modified Ti–₄₈Al particles exhibited improved sintering ability than the unmodified ones. The consolidated samples have duplex microstructures formed by γ-TiAl and γ-TiAl + α₂-Ti₃Al grains. Ag-rich nanoprecipitates were detected in the microstructure of the compacted Ti-₄₈Al + Ag sample. The coatings are no longer visible at the grains boundaries after a subsequent homogenization heat treatment at 1200°C. The highest values of hardness and Young’s modulus were obtained for the Ti–₄₈Al + Ag sample, associated with a higher density and a lower percentage of pores.     

Determination of the viremia threshold for dental cross-infection in a mouse model

An animal model of dental virus transmission was developed using the lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV) of mice to study cross infection. Mouse-to-mouse cross-infection was carried out by scaling the teeth of LDV-infected donor mice with dental instruments, immediately prior to using the contaminated instruments on the teeth of recipient indicator mice. The level of donor viremia was found to correlate with the rate of virus cross-infection, with a viremia threshold level of 10(7.5) ID50/ml observed for dental cross-infection. The blood volume transferred during dental cross-infection was approximately 10(-4) to 10(-5) ml, demonstrating the inefficiency of virus cross-infection, since deposition of about 1000 virions on dental instruments was associated with the threshold limit. Virus transferred during dental cross-infection rapidly entered the blood circulation, showing that dental cross-infection was not dependent on an oral infection. The results from these model studies predict the general inefficiency of dental instrument virus cross-infection, and a further reduced likelihood of dental cross-infection with appropriately cleaned instruments.     

Ethics in the intensive care unit. Creating an ethical environment

This article discusses ethical issues that exist each and every day in interactions with patients, families, and fellow workers in the ICU, even in the absence of overt conflict or controversy. The creation of an ethical working environment in the ICU is a necessary precondition for dealing with the ethical issues raised by specific issues such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the limitation or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, the special care of children with disabilities, brain death, and organ procurement, and triage. The creation of an ethical working environment requires developing a collaborative relationship with patients, families, staff, and other health care professionals.     

A comparative study of human skin thermal response to sapphirecontact and cryogen spray cooling

Surface cooling, in conjunction with various thermally mediated therapeutic procedures, can provide a means to protect superficial tissues from injury while achieving destruction of deeper targeted structures. We have investigated the thermal response of in-vivo human skin to: (1) contact cooling with a sapphire window (6-12°C); and (2) spray cooling with a freon substitute cryogen [tetrafluoroethane; boiling point ≈-26°C at 1 atmospheric pressure (atm)]. Measurements utilizing infrared radiometry show surface temperature reductions from 30°C to 14-19°C are obtained within approximately is in response to sapphire contact cooling. Surface temperature reductions to values between 5°C and -9°C are obtained in response to 20-100-ms cryogen spurts. Computational results, based on fitting the measured radiometric surface temperature to estimate heat transfer parameters, show: (1) temperature reductions remain localized to approximately 200 μm of superficial tissue; and (2) values of heat flux and total energy removed per unit skin surface area at least doubled when using cryogen spray cooling     

High-transconductance n-type Si/SiGe modulation-doped field-effecttransistors

The authors report on the fabrication and the resultant device characteristics of the first 0.25-μm gate-length field-effect transistor based on n-type modulation-doped Si/SiGe. Prepared using ultrahigh vacuum/chemical vapor deposition (UHV/CVD), the mobility and electron sheet charge density in the strained Si channel are 1500 (9500) cm²/V-s and 2.5×10¹² (1.5×10¹² ) cm^-2 at 300 K (77 K). At 77 K, the devices have a current and transconductance of 325 mA/mm and 600 mS/mm, respectively. These values far exceed those found in Si MESFETs and are comparable to the best results achieved in GaAs/AlGaAs modulation-doped transistors     

Assessment of pseudarthrosis in pedicle screw fusion: a prospective study comparing plain radiographs, flexion/extension radiographs, CT scanning, and bone scintigraphy with operative findings

Tribal warfare is a way of life in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. In earlier times direct confrontation with bushknives and axes, and shooting with bows and arrows were common. In recent years there have not been as many instances of direct confrontation with bushknives and axes, but the use of bows and arrows is on the rise. Since 1993, guns have been increasingly used, with devastating results. In 1993, 18 deaths were reported from tribal warfare in one area of the Southern Highlands Province, especially from gunshots, while in 1994, 24 deaths were reported from another area. A five-year review of tribal fight admissions to Mendi Hospital, from 1990 to 1994, showed an increase in the number and proportion of gunshot wounds; there were none in 1990-1992 but they constituted 18% of tribal fight injuries in 1993 and 33% in 1994.