New use of Foley catheter for precise vesicourethral anastomosis during radical retropubic prostatectomy

PURPOSE: We describe a new method of using a Foley catheter to assist vesicourethral anastomosis during radical retropubic prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 81 patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy with this technique. Followup ranged from 4 to 48 months. Peri-catheter urethrograms were performed at 3 weeks. Patients were evaluated specifically for bladder neck contracture, urinary continence and prolonged catheterization. RESULTS: Bladder neck contracture, occurred in 4.9% of the patients and 87.6% were completely continent of urine. Only 1 patient required extended postoperative catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: Use of a Foley catheter for vesicourethral anastomosis is consistent and simple, and provided good surgical results in our experience.     

Analysis of a resonant-cavity enhanced GaAs/AlGaAs MSMphotodetector

The authors have developed a 2-D device simulator for heterostructure metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors. They have incorporated a model of multilayer optics into the simulator and used it to analyze the temporal response of a resonant-cavity enhanced heterostructure with a confining buffer layer and a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The authors show that through fine tuning the layer thicknesses, optical resonance enhancement of the light absorption can be obtained     

Sexual dimorphism of circulating somatotropin, insulin-like growth factor I and II, insulin-like growth factor binding proteins, and insulin: relationships to growth rate and carcass characteristics in growing lambs

The effects of sex and age on patterns of circulating somatotropin (ST) concentration and plasma IGF-I, IGF-II, insulin, and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were studied in ram, wether, and ewe lambs (n = 7 or 8) sampled at mean ages of 81 (I1) and 158 d (I2). Between 81 and 158 d of age, rams grew more rapidly than wethers (P < .01), and wethers grew more rapidly than ewes (P < .01). The sex differences in growth were reflected in empty body weight at slaughter: rams > wethers > ewes (P < .05). Mean plasma ST concentrations, ST pulse amplitude, and integrated plasma ST concentrations were greater (P < .05) in rams than in ewes at I1 and I2. Characteristics of the ST plasma profile in wethers were generally intermediate between those of rams and ewes. The interpulse interval was greater in ewes than in wethers at I2. The IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations were greater in rams than in ewes at both sampling times. Plasma IGF-II was greater in ewes than in rams at I2. Mean plasma ST was approximately two thirds less at I2 than at I1 regardless of sex. Mean plasma ST and IGF-I at both ages were positively correlated with growth. Mean plasma ST at I2 was negatively correlated with fatness at slaughter. Sex and age significantly affected patterns of circulating ST and concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in prepubertal growing lambs, under conditions for which growth rates and composition were also sexually dimorphic.     

Development of a vibratory white finger prevention program for shipyard workers: an exploratory study

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of thevetoside (TS), a cardiac glycoside, and an inhibitor of Na+, K(+)-ATPase, on tumor cells cultured in vitro. METHODS: The cytotoxic effects of TS on tumor cells were determined by trypan blue dye exclusion, neutral red vital staining and clonogenic assay. The time-effect relationship and growth inhibition of tumor cells by TS were assayed with trypan blue exclusion method. RESULTS: TS at low doses (0.005-0.1 mg.L-1), with dose dependence, was able to kill SMMC-7721, SGC-7901 and HeLa cells. IC50 values for SMMC-7721, SGC-7901 and HeLa cells were 0.007, 0.011 and 0.018 mg.L-1 by trypan blue dye exclusion test and 0.016, 0.055 and 0.078 mg.L-1 by neutral red vital staining test. TS inhibited the clonal forming rate of SMMC-7721 and SGC-7901 significantly with IC50 values of 0.021 and 0.036 mg.L-1, respectively. Only when the cells were continuously treated with TS for more than 8 hours, the drug-induced cell lethality could be displayed and strengthened quickly. The growth of tumor cells was notably inhibited after they were exposed to 0.1 microgram/ml of TS for 12 hours. All the experimental results of antitumor activity in vitro showed that SMMC-7721 was most sensitive to TS among the three kinds of tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS: TS has cytotoxic action on tumor cells cultured in vitro and this lethal effect must have an action process, in which tumor cells are not dead but suffer from deadly injury and lost the capability of unlimited proliferation.     

Image compression in digital mammography: effects on computerized detection of subtle microcalcifications

Our previous receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study indicated that the detection accuracy of microcalcifications by radiologists is significantly reduced if mammograms are digitized at 0.1 mm x 0.1 mm. Our recent study also showed that detection accuracy by computer decreases as the pixel size increases from 0.035 mm x 0.035 mm. It is evident that very large matrix sizes have to be used for digitizing mammograms in order to preserve the information in the image. Efficient compression techniques will be needed to facilitate communication and archiving of digital mammograms. In this study, we evaluated two compression techniques: full frame discrete cosine transform (DCT) with entropy coding and Laplacian pyramid hierarchical coding (LPHC). The dependence of their efficiency on the compression parameters was investigated. The techniques were compared in terms of the trade-off between the bit rate and the detection accuracy of subtle microcalcifications by an automated detection algorithm. The mean-square errors in the reconstructed images were determined and the visual quality of the error images was examined. It was found that with the LPHC method, the highest compression ratio achieved without a significant degradation in the detectability was 3.6:1. The full frame DCT method with entropy coding provided a higher compression efficiency of 9.6:1 at comparable detection accuracy. The mean-square errors did not correlate with the detection accuracy of the microcalcifications. This study demonstrated the importance of determining the quality of the decompressed images by the specific requirements of the task for which the decompressed images are to be used. Further investigation is needed for selection of optimal compression technique for digital mammograms.     

The cGMP modulator, LY83583 alters oxygen metabolites differently in cultured endothelial cells and isolated neutrophilic granulocytes

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of one abrasive cleaner, one non-abrasive cleaner and one non-abrasive alcohol-based cleaner on the lens parameter stability of the NOVALENS. Twenty-four lenses, all NOVALENS material of identical design, were cleaned 100 times each. Eight lenses were cleaned with MiraFlow (CIBA Vision), eight lenses with Optic-Free Daily Cleaner and eight lenses with the Gas Permeable Daily Cleaner (PBH). The base curve radius, center thickness and power were verified immediately before, immediately after and (per manufacturer's recommendation) 4 hours after cleaning at baseline, 25, 50, 75 and 100 cleanings. Lens toricity of approximately 0.50D was found with all three cleaners after 100 cleanings. No change in lens power or center thickness was found. It was concluded that extreme care must be taken in handling the NOVALENS due to the potential of induced warpage.     

Changes of respiratory chain activity in mitochondrial and synaptosomal fractions isolated from the gerbil brain after graded ischaemia

In this study we have examined (1) the integrated function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain by polarographic measurements and (2) the activities of the respiratory chain complexes I, II-III, and IV as well as the ATP synthase (complex V) in free mitochondria and synaptosomes isolated from gerbil brain, after a 30-min period of graded cerebral ischaemia. These data have been correlated with cerebral blood flow (CBF) values as measured by the hydrogen clearance technique. Integrated functioning of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, using both NAD-linked and FAD-linked substrates, was initially affected at CBF values of approximately 35 ml 100 g-1 min-1, and declined further as the CBF was reduced. The individual mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, however, showed differences in sensitivity to graded cerebral ischaemia. Complex I activities decreased sharply at blood flows below approximately 30 ml 100 g-1 min-1 (mitochondria and synaptosomes) and complex II-III activities decreased at blood flows below 20 ml 100 g-1 min-1 (mitochondria) and 35-30 ml 100 g-1 min-1 (synaptosomes). Activities declined further as CBF was reduced below these levels. Complex V activity was significantly affected only when the blood flow was reduced below 15-10 ml 100 g-1 min-1 (mitochondria and synaptosomes). In contrast, complex IV activity was unaffected by graded cerebral ischaemia, even at very low CBF levels.     

A Sampling Approach for Intentional Islanding of Distributed Generation

This paper proposes an innovative way of making a decision to island (or synchronize) distributed generators when operating conditions of a distribution system are varied. Islanding decisions are made when a network undergoes disturbances. In this approach, there is a decision-making mechanism, which samples states of the network operating condition to either synchronize or island in an identified period of time. Decision making is achieved through extended sequential sampling, which manages generator states within specific time periods. The approach can minimize the duration of islanded operation and manage generators' re-connection to the grid. Use of the proposed mechanism and sampling approach offer benefits over conventional relays; incorrect operations due to errors in measurements are reduced because the operational actions are not based on a single decision sample, but instead rely on extended sequential sampling over a number of samples. A case study is investigated using the IEEE 30-bus test system and the results are presented for this new approach