Rapid relief of anxiety in cancer patients with both alprazolam and placebo

This study evaluated 36 cancer patients who were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted over a 4-week period to evaluate the efficacy of alprazolam in the treatment of anxiety associated with cancer. Hamilton Anxiety Scale scores declined significantly between baseline and the end of the first week of the study in both treatment groups. There was no significant difference in response between the patients receiving alprazolam and placebo. Similar results were obtained from other instruments. These results suggest that nondrug factors or spontaneous improvement may play a more important role than pharmacotherapy in the treatment of anxiety associated with cancer.     

A kinematic analysis of the modified flight telerobotic servicer manipulator system

A reverse analysis of a 6 degree of freedom (dof) subchain of a modified 7 dof flight telerobotic servicer (FTS) manipulator system is presented. The 6 dof subchain is designated as a TR-RT* chain. At the outset, it was considered that the reverse analysis would be similar to a TTT manipulator analyzed previously for which the third and fourth joints intersect at a finite point. This was not, however, the case and a sixteenth-degree tan-half-angle polynomial was derived for the TR-RT manipulator. The elimination procedure is interesting and much simpler than the procedures for the general case.     

大角度倾转法在碳化物研究中的应用

蠕变过程中碳化物形貌，类型，数量和分布状态的变化直接影响着材料的高温性能，因而在材料的蠕变得到了广泛的重视，介绍了一种在碳膜萃取复型样品上利用Ｈ－８００透射电子显微镜的双倾样品台进行了大角度倾转，来观察碳化物形貌并鉴定其类型的试验方法。     

Implanted functional electrical stimulation hand system in adolescents with spinal injuries: an evaluation

OBJECTIVE: To study the utility and functional benefits of an implanted functional electrical stimulation (FES) system for hand grasp and release in adolescents with tetraplegia secondary to spinal cord injuries. DESIGN: Intervention study with before-after trial measurement with each subject as his or her own control. SETTING: Nonprofit pediatric orthopedic rehabilitation facility specializing in spinal cord injury. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of five adolescents between 16 and 18 years of age with C5 or C6 level tetraplegia at least 1 year after traumatic spinal cord injury. Key muscles for palmar and lateral grasp and release were excitable by electrical stimulation. INTERVENTIONS: A multichannel stimulator/receiver and eight electrodes were surgically implanted to provide stimulated palmar and lateral grasp and release. In conjunction with implantation of the FES hand system, surgical reconstruction in the form of tendon transfers, tendon lengthenings and releases, and joint arthrodeses was performed to augment stimulated hand function. Rehabilitation of the tendon transfers and training in the use of the FES hand system were provided. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measurements of pinch and grasp force, the Grasp and Release Test (GRT), and an assessment of six activities of daily living (ADL) were administered before implantation of the FES hand system and at regular follow-up intervals. Results of the stimulated response of individual muscles and surgical reconstruction were evaluated using standard and stimulated muscle testing techniques and standard assessment of joint range of motion. All subjects completed followup testing. RESULTS: Lateral and palmar forces were significantly greater than baseline forces (p = .043). Heavy objects on the GRT could only be manipulated with FES, and FES increased the level of independence in 25 of 30 ADL comparisons (5 subjects, 6 activities) as compared to baseline. After training, FES was preferred in 21 of 30 comparisons over the typical means of task completion. Of the 40 electrodes implanted, 37 continue to provide excellent stimulated responses and all of the implanted stimulators have functioned without problems. The surgical reconstruction procedures greatly enhanced FES hand function by either expanding the workspace in which to utilize FES (deltoid to triceps transfer), stabilizing the wrist (brachioradialis to wrist extensor transfer), or stabilizing joints (intrinsic tenodesis transfer, FPL split transfer). CONCLUSION: For five adolescents with tetraplegia, the combination of FES and surgical reconstruction provided active palmar and lateral grasp and release. Laboratory-based assessments demonstrated that the FES system increased pinch force, improved the manipulation of objects, and typically increased independence in six standard ADL as compared to pre-FES hand function. The study also showed that the five adolescents generally preferred FES for most of the ADL tested. Data on the benefits of the implanted FES hand system outside of the laboratory are needed to understand the full potential of FES.     

Induction of c-fos and c-jun proto-oncogene expression by asbestos is ameliorated by N-acetyl-L-cysteine in mesothelial cells

Asbestos fibers cause dose-dependent, persistent increases in mRNA levels of c-jun and c-fos proto-oncogenes in rat pleural mesothelial (RPM) cells, the progenitor cells of asbestos-induced mesothelioma (N. Heintz, Y. M. W. Janssen, and B. T. Mossman. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90: 3299-3303, 1993). Here we report that addition of N-acetyl-L-cysteine decreases asbestos-mediated induction of c-fos and c-jun mRNA levels in a dose-dependent fashion. Exposure of RPM cells to asbestos causes depletion of total cellular glutathione, a response that can be abolished by pretreatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Pretreatment of cells with buthionine sulfoximine, an agent which diminishes glutathione pools, increases the magnitude of induction of c-fos and c-jun mRNA by asbestos. To determine whether asbestos-induced effects on proto-oncogene expression could be attributed to extracellular generation of active oxygen species (AOS), RPM cells were exposed to H2O2 or xanthine and xanthine oxidase, a generating system of AOS. These oxidant stresses did not decrease cellular glutathione levels nor alter mRNA levels of c-fos or c-jun. However, increased mRNA levels of manganese-containing superoxide dismutase and heme oxygenase were observed, indicating that RPM cells respond to AOS by increased expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes. These data indicate that the signaling pathways leading to c-fos/c-jun proto-oncogene induction by asbestos are not triggered directly by formation of extracellular AOS. However, intracellular thiol levels appear to influence the expression of c-fos and c-jun, suggesting a redox-sensitive component in the signaling cascade which modulates gene expression of c-fos and c-jun by asbestos.