Gonadotropins and glucocorticoid therapy for "low responders"--a controlled study

Traditional views of pure alexia have held that the disorder results from a disconnection between the secondary visual cortices of both hemispheres and the angular gyrus of the dominant hemisphere. Evidence has accumulated, however, suggesting the importance of the posterior inferior temporal area in visual language processing. We describe clinical-pathological support for the presence of a lateralized visual language association area residing in the dominant posterior inferior temporal lobe.     

Use of job information as a criterion in employment decisions of interviewers.

Conducted 2 factorially designed experiments to investigate the extent to which job information was used by interviewers as a criterion for their decisions. In Exp I 48 experienced and 48 unexperienced job interviewers received identical job information. Applicant information was either relevant or irrelevant to the job information. Ss' judgments were based on composites of relevant and irrelevant information segments. Each of the segments was either favorable or unfavorable. Exp II replicated Exp I, except that the 48 Ss did not receive job information. Findings indicate extensive use of job information. Availability of such information reduced the effect of irrelevant attributes on decisions but did not eliminate it. Use of job information was not enhanced by experience in interviewing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clonidine for major vascular surgery in hypertensive patients: a double-blind, controlled, randomized study

The utility of clonidine for hypertensive patients presenting for major vascular procedures remains debatable. Twenty-one hypertensive patients presenting for aortic surgery were given clonidine (n = 11) or placebo (n = 10) in a double-blind, randomized manner. Clonidine was administered 6 micrograms/kg per os 120 min before induction of anesthesia and 3 micrograms/kg intravenously (i.v.) over 60 min from aortic declamping to skin closure. Anesthesia was induced with alfentanil 20 micrograms/kg, midazolam, and atracurium and maintained with nitrous oxide 70%, an alfentanil infusion (0.25 microgram.kg-1. min-1), and isoflurane. Anesthetic requirements, circulatory variables, interventions, and isoproterenol dose-response curves (pre- and postoperatively) were determined. Plasma concentrations of clonidine, alfentanil, and vasoactive hormones were measured. When the clonidine group was compared with the placebo group, (a) isoflurane, alfentanil, and midazolam requirements were reduced by 38%, 42%, and 41%, respectively (P = 0.04, 0.03, 0.0002, respectively); (b) supplemental circulatory and anesthetic adjustments were reduced by 51% (P = 0.0006); (c) interventions with vasopressors were not significantly increased (placebo: two; clonidine: five); (d) systolic and mean arterial pressures and heart rate were reduced; (e) increases in norepinephrine, epinephrine, and plasma renin activity were suppressed, whereas vasopressin surge was attenuated; and (f) chronotropic response to isoproterenol was unaffected. Clonidine was effective in reducing anesthetic requirements and in improving circulatory stability in hypertensive patients presenting for major vascular procedures.     

NMR,optical, and plastic flow experiments in bcc3He —4 He mixture crystals — in pursuit of a vacancy fluid

We describe experiments on the properties of bcc³He —⁴ He solid mixtures on the melting curve between 0.5K and 1.9K. In this paper we focus on effects related to the presence of thermal vacancies. First, we used NMR to image the³He distribution within the solid in equilibrium with the superfluid, as well as its T₁ and t₂. The most surprising result was that above about 1K, vacancy related motion of³He atoms in the solid becomes faster than in the liquid. To check the macroscopic aspects of this motion, we used the vibrating wire technique to look at plastic flow of the bcc solid phase, by moving the wire through the crystal. The temperature dependence of the plastic flow velocity indicates that the vacancy population in the bcc solid behaves like a viscous fluid. The extent to which the vacancy population causes the solid to have liquid like properties is best demonstrated through optical observations of the distillation of³He atoms out of the crystal, which takes place via formation of fluid bubbles within the solid, which then percolate into the liquid, creating a vivid impression of boiling.     

In vitro fertilization treatment for severe male factor: a comparative study of intracytoplasmic sperm injection with testicular sperm extraction and with spermatozoa from ejaculate

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to evaluate whether the source of spermatozoa influences the results of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment in couples with severe male-factor infertility. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 40 cases of ICSI with testicular-retrieved spermatozoa, matched with 40 cases of ICSI with ejaculated spermatozoa, was performed. We included only couples with normoovulatory females younger than 37 years who were matched according to the day of ovum pickup with the patients in the study group. RESULTS: Eighty cycles were analyzed: 40 cycles using testicular spermatozoa and 40 cycles using ejaculated spermatozoa. In 32 (80%) of the 40 ICSI transcutaneous needle aspiration cycles, we obtained enough spermatozoa to inject all the mature oocytes retrieved. In eight (20%) cases there were not enough spermatozoa to inject all the oocytes. Only 76 (54%) of 141 available oocytes were injected in these eight patients. The oocyte fertilization rates were 42% for the study group and 55.5% for the controls (P < 0.005). Thirty-six (90%) patients in the group with nonobstructive a zoospermia (NOA) and 37 (92.5%) patients in the oligoteratoasthenospermia (OTA) group had embryos for replacement. The mean cleavage rates per cycle (96% with testicular and 93% with ejaculated spermatozoa), the mean number of embryos per transfer (3.72 +/- 1.6 in the NOA group and 4.24 +/- 1.5 in the OTA group), the embryo quality (cumulative embryo scoring = 34.03 +/- 22.62 in the testicular sperm group and 36.08 +/- 19.28 in the ejaculated sperm group), and the clinical pregnancy rates (22.5% in the NOA patients and 20% in the ejaculate group) were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSIONS: High fertilization, cleavage, and pregnancy rates can be achieved with intracytoplasmic testicular sperm injection from patients with NOA, reaching levels comparable with those of ICSI using ejaculated spermatozoa.     

Personality correlates of voluntary midcareer change in enterprising occupations.

Compared the personality traits of 45 midcareer changers (mean age 35.5 yrs) with those of 66 vocationally stable controls (mean age 35.4 yrs). Career-change Ss were participants in a career counseling program, while the controls were participants in a selection/promotion assessment program in the same counseling center. All Ss were male and in management and sales occupations (Holland's enterprising type). Personality measures used were the EPPS, the Gordon Personal Profile, and the Gordon Personal Inventory. Discriminant analyses showed an overall significant difference in personality structure between the 2 groups. The traits contributing mostly to this difference were ascendancy, dominance, responsibility, endurance, and order. Midcareer changers were lower on all 5 traits. Results indicate that midcareer change is related to personality incongruity, thus supporting J. L. Holland's (1973) theory of vocational choice and stability. Results also suggest that lower task discipline may be associated with career change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job involvement and satisfaction as related to mental health and personal time devoted to work.

A week-long daily record and self-report measures of job involvement, satisfaction, and mental health were completed by 54 female elementary school teachers. Results show that devoting personal time to work-related activities was positively associated with job involvement, but unrelated to job satisfaction. Mental health was positively related to job satisfaction, but did not correlate significantly with involvement. These differential relationships support the view that satisfaction and involvement should be thought of as separate and distinct job attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivation-hygiene correlates of mental health: An examination of motivational inversion in a clinical population.

Presents 2 investigations of the motivational inversion hypothesis derived from the motivation-hygiene theory. Inversion refers to the predisposition of an individual to derive the affective experiences of both relief and fulfillment from only one source-the satisfaction of the pain-avoidance needs. The inversion hypothesis postulates a direct relationship between the severity of mental disorder and the degree of motivational inversion. In the present studies, indices of inversion were obtained with F. Herzberg's critical incidents method. Measures of severity of mental illness included clinical diagnosis, number and length of hospitalizations, and several paper-and-pencil personality tests. The motivational inversion hypothesis was strongly confirmed in samples of 96 hospitalized male patients and 50 employed outpatient male schizophrenics. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Example of active therapeutic follow-up: itraconazole

The systematic fungal infections are very serious diseases, the crude mortality in invasive aspergillosis reaches 75 to 100 per cent. Systemic mycosis tends to develop in immunocompromised patients with subsequent physiopathological state, causing a risk of impairment in their digestive absorption potential; in addition these patients are polymedicated and the emergence of multiple drug interactions is frequent. Itraconazole is a very potent antifungal drug with large safety margin and the drug monitoring to maintain a satisfactory plasma level. Immunocompromised patients with suspected malabsorption and treated with oral capsule itraconazole were monitored during two years. In such difficult patients (approximately equal to 500 cases), the result has shown good trough steady-state plasma levels in 72 per cent and insufficient in 28 per cent of the observed patients. However concomitant treatments with antacids produce, in a lot of cases (approximately equal to 48 per cent), a noticeable decrease of the itraconazole availability for these patients. A training program was established to perform the analytical determination of itraconazole and hydroxyitraconazole in biological samples by HPLC method. Analytical validation procedures were associated to this training program which included 115 scientific, technical staff (pharmacists, biochemists ...) from 56 hospitals and institutes.     

Frequency-domain synthesis of a filter using Viete root functions

This paper proposes a noniterative method to fit a rational transfer function to a specified frequency response. A method using a smoothing of width-modulated pulses of the phase asymptotic-diagram is modified to provide an exact algebraic method. This is then used to synthesize a robust controller and a nonrational transfer function with a fractional differentiation order