Failure to cure Mycobacterium gordonae peritonitis associated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are increasingly recognized as important pathogens in peritonitis associated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Mycobacterium gordonae rarely causes human infection and is the least likely mycobacterium to produce clinical infection in CAPD patients. We describe a patient with persistent M. gordonae peritonitis acquired while undergoing CAPD. During 18 months of treatment, clinical improvement occurred but a microbiological cure could not be achieved. Principles of therapy for mycobacterial peritonitis developing during CAPD are reviewed, and potential explanations for our patient's failure to respond to therapy are discussed.     

Effect of shigella enterotoxin 1 (ShET1) on rabbit intestine in vitro and in vivo

The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal knot construction for interrupted dermal sutures. A synthetic braided absorbable suture, sizes 3-0 and 5-0, was selected for this evaluation. With reproducible mechanical performance tests, we determined that the construction of secure knots without ears required one additional throw as compared with secure knots with 3-mm ears. The direction of applied tension did not alter knot security, with the exception of granny knots, which required an extra throw when tension was applied parallel to the suture loop. Because interrupted dermal knot construction is accomplished without knot ears and with an applied tension parallel to the wound, one additional throw must be added to the knot to ensure knot security.     

Thermal image analysis for polygraph testing

We have designed, developed, and tested a very promising thermal image analysis method for polygraph testing. The method achieved a correct classification rate of CCR= 84% on the test population to our avail. This method, once refined, can serve as an additional channel for increasing the reliability and accuracy of traditional polygraph examination. We extract subtle facial temperature fluctuation patterns through nonlinear heat transfer modeling. The modeling transforms raw thermal data to blood flow rate information. Then, we use the slope of the average periorbital blood flow rate as the feature of a binary classification scheme. The results come to support our previous laboratory findings about the importance of periorbital blood flow in anxious states.     

The Kitty Genovese murder and the social psychology of helping: The parable of the 38 witnesses.

This article argues that an iconic event in the history of helping research--the story of the 38 witnesses who remained inactive during the murder of Kitty Genovese--is not supported by the available evidence. Using archive material, the authors show that there is no evidence for the presence of 38 witnesses, or that witnesses observed the murder, or that witnesses remained inactive. Drawing a distinction between the robust bystander research tradition and the story of the 38 witnesses, the authors explore the consequences of the story for the discipline of psychology. They argue that the story itself plays a key role in psychology textbooks. They also suggest that the story marks a new way of conceptualizing the dangers of immersion in social groups. Finally, they suggest that the story itself has become a modern parable, the telling of which has served to limit the scope of inquiry into emergency helping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lizards as hosts for immature Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in North Carolina

Previously archived museum specimens of lizards collected throughout North Carolina were examined for Ixodes scapularis (Say). Lizards (n = 1,349) collected in 80 of North Carolina's 100 counties were examined. Lizards with ticks were collected in 23 (29%) of the 80 counties from which lizards were examined. I. scapularis was detected on 8.7% (n = 117) of the lizards and was the sole species of tick obtained from lizards. Immature ticks were most frequently found on the southeastern five-lined skink, Eumeces inexpectatus, and the eastern glass lizard, Ophisaurus ventralis. Larvae were most frequently found on the six-lined racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus. One C. sexlineatus harbored 177 larvae and 2 nymphs. Nymphs were most frequently observed on E. inexpectatus. The majority of counties (chi 2, P < 0.01) where ticks were found on lizards were in the Coastal Plain.     

Genetic marking shows that Ph+ cells present in autologous transplants of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) contribute to relapse after autologous bone marrow in CML

Relapse after autologous bone marrow transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) can be due either to the persistence of leukemia cells in systemic tissues following preparative therapy, or due to the persistence of leukemia cells in the autologous marrow used to restore marrow function after intensive therapy. To help distinguish between these two possible causes of relapse, we used safety-modified retroviruses, which contain the bacterial resistance gene NEO, to mark autologous marrow cells that had been collected from patients early in the phase of hematopoietic recovery after in vivo chemotherapy. The cells were then subjected to ex vivo CD34 selection following collection and 30% of the bone marrow were exposed to a safety-modified virus. This marrow was infused after delivery of systemic therapy, which consisted of total body irradiation (1,020 cGy), cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg), and VP-16 (750 mg/m2). RT PCR assays specific for the bacterial NEO mRNA, which was coded for by the virus, and the bcr-abl mRNA showed that in two evaluable CML patients transplanted with marked cells, sufficient numbers of leukemia cells remained in the infused marrow to contribute to systemic relapse. In addition, both normal and leukemic cells positive for the retroviral transgenome persisted in the systemic circulation of the patients for at least 280 days posttransplant showing that the infused marrow was responsible for the return of hematopoiesis following the preparative therapy. This observation shows that it is possible to use a replication-incompetent safety-modified retrovirus in order to introduce DNA sequences into the hematopoietic cells of patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation. Moreover, this data suggested that additional fractionation procedures will be necessary to reduce the probability of relapse after bone marrow transplantation in at least the advanced stages of the disease in CML patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation procedures.