Hyperthyroidism: diagnosis and management of Graves' disease

Hyperthyroidism, or thyrotoxicosis, results when the body's tissues are exposed to excessive levels of thyroid hormone. Hyperthyroidism affects 2% of women but only one-tenth as many men. Graves' disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism, often occurring in young adults. It is an autoimmune disorder with an important genetic component. Hyperthyroidism's hallmarks include goiter and myriad signs and symptoms related to increased metabolic activity in virtually all body tissues. Increased sensitivity to circulating catecholamines adds to the clinical picture. Diagnosed by patient history, physical examination, and laboratory tests, Graves' disease is treated with antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, and/or surgery, plus supportive therapy. A good treatment outcome can be expected; long-term follow-up is indicated.     

The value of intraoperative angiography for surgical treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations in eloquent brain areas

Intraoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA) allows intraoperative assessment of outcome of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM). This study reports on 21 patients with AVMs in eloquent areas of the brain extirpated between July 1995 to March 1998. Extirpation was always followed by intraoperative DSA. Intraoperative angiography disclosed an occult residual nidus in 4 cases (19%). Complete extirpation of the AVM was achieved in all cases. Following surgery the neurological condition improved in 15 cases (71%), remained unchanged in 5 (24%), and worsened in 1. There were no secondary postoperative haemorrhages, nor complications related to the angiography. These results indicate that intraoperative DSA should be considered in the course of surgical treatment of cerebral AVMs in eloquent areas of the brain.     

Personal social networks and HIV status among women on methadone

This objective of this study was to examine the association between a women's HIV status and specific (IDUs) characteristics of her social networks with respect to (1) number of injection drug users (2) number of drug partners and (3) number of HIV-positive contacts in her personal networks, after controlling for the respondent's demographic characteristics and drug use. Participants were recruited through posted announcements in three methadone clinics in Harlem, New York City. Individuals were considered eligible if they were enrolled as patients in one of the clinics for at least three months. A social network questionnaire modeled after the General Social Survey network section was developed by the investigators. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by trained interviewers and included demographics, drug use, self-reported HIV status of the woman and her network members, and the social network structures. Univariate analyses found that HIV-positive and HIV-negative women had different network profiles. HIV-positive women were more likely to associate with a higher number of current drug users, injection drug users, injection drug users who were HIV-positive, drug partners, drug partners who used injection drugs, and drug partners who were HIV-positive. Multivariate analyses indicated that HIV-positive respondents were more likely to associate with HIV-positive network members than their HIV-negative counterparts. The findings suggest that to better understand the spread of HIV among female drug users and to design more effective HIV/AIDS prevention programmes, efforts should move beyond focusing on individual attributes to address the contextual dynamics of social networks.     

The negative suggestion effect: Pondering incorrect alternatives may be hazardous to your knowledge.

This article examines the negative suggestion effect, or the impact of exposure to incorrect alternatives on memory for correct information. All experiments used the following design: (a) cued-recall test of general facts (e.g., "second smallest planet") with immediate correct feedback, (b) interpolated exposure to incorrect information related to Test 1 items, and (c) a second test over the same items as Test 1. Test 2 was either multiple choice or cued recall and was given either immediately or 1 week after interpolation. Three experiments confirmed the existence of negative suggestion: Exposure to misinformation hindered subsequent performance on those items, relative to noninterpolated control items. The magnitude of this decrement is unrelated to retention interval, type of second test, number of incorrect alternatives exposed, and number of repetitions of incorrect alternatives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of nanobridges on the emission spectra of a quantum dot-quantum well tunneling pair

Emission in the narrow spectral range 950–1000 nm is obtained at the nanobridge optical transition involving experimentally and theoretically observed hybrid states in the InGaAs system, i.e., quantum dot-nanobridge-quantum well. It is experimentally shown that the oscillator strength of the new transition sharply increases in the built-in electric field of a pin junction. In the mode of weak currents in the system under study, the nanobridge transition is the dominant electroluminescence channel. At current densities >10 A cm², nanobridge “burning” is observed, after which the system becomes a “quasi-classical” quantum dot-quantum well tunneling pair separated by a barrier.     

Effect of x-ray irradiation on reducing the risk of listeriosis in ready-to-eat vacuum-packaged smoked mullet

Listeria monocytogenes can pose a serious threat in several areas of the nation's food supply including ready-to-eat seafood products. Use of irradiation processing can potentially reduce the risk of listeriosis caused by consumption of ready-to-eat seafood products. This study measured the effect of X-ray irradiation on reducing the population of L. monocytogenes on ready-to-eat, vacuum-packaged smoked mullet. Smoked mullet were inoculated with a five-strain mixture of L. monocytogenes (10(4) CFU/g), vacuum packaged, and irradiated (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kGy). The packaged fish were then stored at 3 and 10 degrees C for 90 and 17 days, respectively. Radiation doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 kGy reduced the initial population of L. monocytogenes by 1.1, 1.6, and 2.1 log CFU/g, respectively. The 2.0-kGy dose reduced L. monocytogenes to undetectable levels with no recovery growth at either temperature. Compared to the control, irradiation at 1.5 kGy demonstrated 1.0 and 1.7 log CFU/g less growth at 3 degrees C after 60 days and 10 degrees C after 17 days, respectively. Sensory flavor analysis was conducted to determine if a difference existed between irradiated samples. Panelists indicated that there were no differences among treated and untreated samples. An X-ray dose of 2 kGy effectively eliminated 10(4) CFU/g L. monocytogenes on smoked mullet without changing sensory quality.     

PSE-like turkey breast enhancement through adjunct incorporation in a chunked and formed deli roll

A randomized complete block design with five treatments (100% pale, soft, and exudative-like (PSE-like), 100% PSE-like+1.5% collagen, 100% PSE-like+0.30% κ-/ι-carrageenan, 100% PSE-like+1.5% soy protein concentrate, and 100% Normal) and six replications was utilized to test the effects of meat raw material, turkey collagen (TC), soy protein concentrate (SPC), and carrageenan (CG) on protein functionality in the formulation of chunked and formed turkey breast. Addition of 1.5% SPC and 1.5% TC both decreased (P<0.05) cooking loss and increased (P<0.005) the protein bind of treatments formulated with 100% PSE-like raw material. Purge loss decreased (P<0.05) in PSE-like raw material when 1.5% TC, 1.5% SPC, or 0.30% CG were utilized, and no differences (P>0.05) existed in consumer acceptability among treatments. This research demonstrates the potential to increase the water holding capacity and improve the texture of deli rolls from PSE-like raw material through the incorporation of collagen, soy protein, or carrageenan.     

Effects of ionizing irradiation and hydrostatic pressure on Escherichia coli O157:H7 inactivation, chemical composition, and sensory acceptability of ground beef patties

A randomized complete block design with three replications was utilized to determine the effects of ionizing irradiation and hydrostatic pressure on the inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, volatile composition, and consumer acceptability (n = 155) of frozen ground beef patties. E-beam and X-ray irradiation (2 kGy) inactivated E. coli O157:H7 below the limit of detection, while hydrostatic pressure treatment (300 mPa for 5 min at 4 °C) did not inactivate this pathogen. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was used to extract volatile compounds from treated ground beef patties. Irradiation and hydrostatic pressure altered the volatile composition (P < 0.05) of the ground beef patties in respect to radiolytic products. However, results were inconclusive on whether these differences were great enough to use this method to differentiate between irradiated and non-irradiated samples in a commercial setting. Irradiation did not affect (P > 0.05) consumer acceptability of ground beef patties when compared to untreated samples, but hydrostatic pressure caused decreased acceptability (P < 0.05) when compared to other treatments.     

Effects of sodium lactate and acetic acid derivatives on the quality and sensory characteristics of hot-boned pork sausage patties

Sodium lactate and acetic acid derivatives were evaluated for their effects on color retention, microbial growth, and sensory attributes of hot-boned pork sausage patties. Treatments included: (a) sodium lactate (L), (b) buffered vinegar (V), (c) sodium lactate and vinegar mixture (LV), (d) control with BHA/BHT (C), and (e) negative control (NC). Treatments L and LV decreased TPC at day 14 and day 16 when compared to control samples and reduced bacterial numbers up to 18 days. In addition, use of lactate and vinegar increased (P<0.05) acceptability and juiciness and reduced (P<0.05) off-flavor and rancidity when compared to control treatments at day 14. These results revealed that the L and LV sausage patties retained sensory acceptability and shelf-life quality from day 14 through day 17 as opposed to other treatments. Additionally, sausage patties with LV maintained redness and sensory quality throughout 17 days of shelf-life, as compared to other treatments that retained color and quality for 14 days.