Lack of familial clustering of hepatitis C virus infection

BACKGROUND: Although transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) through parental exposure is well documented, it is still controversial whether familial clustering of HCV occurs. METHODS: To investigate risk factors for HCV infection, 109 cases and 84 non-infected controls were studied. In addition, 250 family members (104 men, 146 women) of cases and 170 family members of controls (64 men, 106 women) were tested for HCV infection using an anti-HCV antibody, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and reverse transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: In the case-control analysis, people aged > or =60 were almost three times more likely to be infected by HCV than those aged <40. Risk of HCV infection was most strongly related to a history of blood transfusion (OR = 12.6, 95% CI: 4.3-36.5) followed by a history of jaundice (OR = 4.1, 95% CI: 1.3-12.6). Only one family member of cases and no-one related to the controls had HCV infection. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, in Korea, age and parenteral exposure, such as a blood transfusion, are risk factors for HCV infection and familial clustering of HCV infection, if it occurs, is rare.     

基于PLC的瓷砖平整度在线检测系统研究

为实现瓷砖平整度的自动在线检测及分级,设计了基于PLC、组态软件和激光位移传感器的瓷砖平整度实时检测分级系统。系统由传送、检测和分级三部分组成。该检测系统采用光学三角法检测技术,通过编码器及PLC的高速计数器功能对移动中的待检测瓷砖的采样位置进行精确定位,使用激光位移传感器对瓷砖表面进行信息采集,经AD转换后在PLC内部按照特定的算法进行平整度运算,以PLC为核心实现瓷砖的分级处理和对设备的整体控制。实验表明该检测系统高效、稳定、可靠。瓷砖平整度检测精度为±0.1 mm,多次同方向检测精度为±0.05 mm,检测速度为每分钟40片,检测准确度可达到95%以上,适用于当前瓷砖生产过程的质量控制。     

Analysis of the probe-fed annular microstrip antenna for hyperthermic applicators

The exact image theory is applied to obtain the exact field distribution of an annular microstrip radiator over a two layered biological medium. First, the image functions for the three layer structure (substrate-skin-fat) are derived by expanding the Fourier domain reflection coefficient into a sum of pole terms, known also as the Mittag-Leffler expansion. Secondly, the current distribution on the strip is solved by using the Galerkin’s method with continuous trigonometrical basis functions. In order to reduce the focus of the antenna, the dependence of the focus size on the radius of the antenna is calculated.     

Clinical audit: Development of the criteria of good practices

Clinical audit is a systematic review of the procedures in order to improve the quality and the outcome of patient care, whereby the procedures are examined against agreed standards for good medical RADIOLOGICAL procedures. The criteria of good procedures (i.e. the good practice) are thus the cornerstones for development of clinical audits: these should be the basis of assessments regardless of the type of the audit--external, internal, comprehensive or partial. A lot of criteria for good practices are available through the recommendations and publications by international and national professional societies and other relevant organisations. For practical use in clinical audits, the criteria need to be compiled, sorted out and agreed on for the particular aims of an audit (comprehensive or partial, external or internal). The national professional and scientific societies can provide valuable contribution to this development. For examination--or treatment-specific criteria--preliminary consensus needs to be obtained with the help of clinical experts, while clinical audits can be useful as a benchmarking tool to improve the criteria.     

Variational formulation of open-ended coaxial line in contact withlayered biological medium

An open-ended coaxial probe designed to measure layered biological media is analyzed with a new method. The probe is considered as an electrostatic circuit element whose capacitance is solved using a stationary functional. The fundamental transverse electric and magnetic field (TEM)-mode and the series of evanescent wavemodes in the coaxial cable are used as basis functions. The field outside the probe is solved using a Hankel transform. The capacitance is calculated for homogeneous materials and two-layer structures and the results are compared with values measured with a phantom model. The method can be easily extended for structures with an arbitrary number of layers. A practical approximation for two-layer cases, originally developed to take into account the effect of subcutaneous fat in skin measurements, is presented and its validity for different combinations of dielectric constants and the thickness of the first layer is demonstrated. The static approximation limits the frequency range, but it covers biological measurements up to 500 MHz. The developed method is accurate and easy to adopt in practice     

A critical review of genetic studies of schizophrenia. I. Epidemiological and brain studies

Many patients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffer from comorbid major depression. The present study examines the responsiveness of such dual-diagnosis patients to antidepressant medication. Subjects were enrolled in the PTSD medication clinic at the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Inclusion criteria were current diagnoses of PTSD and major depression, at least 6 months of regular participation in the clinic, and treatment with antidepressant medication at therapeutic levels and durations. Exclusion criteria were current drug or alcohol abuse, primary psychotic illness, and poor compliance or frequent missed appointments. Among 72 patients meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria, 50% were estimated to be substantially improved, on the basis of Clinical Global Evaluation (CGE) scores of 2 or 1, after remaining on the same antidepressant treatment regimen at therapeutic doses for at least 1 month. Antidepressant medications affecting predominantly serotonin reuptake (sertraline, fluoxetine) were associated with better outcomes than antidepressants affecting predominantly norepinephrine reuptake (nortriptyline, desipramine).     

Exact image theory for the Sommerfeld half-space problem, part II: Vertical electrical dipole

The exact image theory, introduced earlier by the present authors for the Sommerfeld problem with a vertical magnetic dipole above a planar interface of two dielectric media, is now extended to the more complicated problem of a vertical electric dipole. The image source is seen to be a line current which lies in complex space for best convergence. The image current function is expressable as an integral expression, easily adapted for numerical calculations and unlike for the vertical magnetic dipole, its form is dependent on the dielectric factor ratio of the two half-spaces. Series expansions are given for an easy calculation of the image current. The reflection coefficient method and Sommerfeld surface-wave expressions are obtained as limit cases of the exact image theory. The method is tested for a large grid of field points and good accuracy for a modest calculation algorithm is observed.     

Effects of environment on growth, efficiency of feed utilization, carcass fatness, and their association

The effects of environmental factors (house type, temperature, and type of watering system) on gain (G), feed consumption (FC), feed conversion (FCR), accumulation of abdominal fat (AF), and the association between FCR and AF of broilers were studied in a series of seven experiments. In addition, the adjustment of broilers to new housing environments and the factors affecting this adjustment were evaluated. The 4- to 7-wk G and FC were greater in groups raised at 21.1 C than 26.7 C. There were no consistent effects of environmental temperature on FCR (significantly reduced in 21.1 C groups compared with the 26.7 C groups in two of four trials) or in AF (significantly greater in 21.1 C groups than in 26.7 C groups in one of four trials). Environmental temperatures had no consistent effect on the relationship between FCR and AF. Both waterer types and environmental temperature affected the adjustment of broilers to placement in individual cages. Adjustment was better (less mortality and shorter periods of reduced FC) in the 21.1 C environment and when cup instead of trough waterers were provided. The 4- to 6-wk G and FC were reduced in the caged birds compared with the floor pen birds, but the FCR and AF were not consistently different. The initial (4-wk) BW significantly affected the 6-wk BW, G, FC, and FCR, but was not correlated with AF.