Impaired precision, but normal retention, of auditory sensory ("echoic") memory information in schizophrenia

Working memory is the type of memory that allows one to hold information in mind while working on a task or problem. The present study investigated attention-independent auditory sensory ("echoic") memory in 18 schizophrenic participants and 17 controls. Schizophrenic participants showed impaired delayed tone matching performance in comparison with controls. However, when groups were matched for performance at 1 s by varying the difficulty of the task across groups, schizophrenic participants showed normal retention of information as reflected in normal tone matching performance. These findings demonstrate that schizophrenic may be in the sensitivity of the system rather than the duration for which memory traces were retained.     

The Structure of Reachable Sets and Geometric Optimality of Singular Trajectories for Certain Affine Control Systems in ℝ3. The Sub-Lorentzian Approach

In this paper, we investigate the structure of reachable sets from a given point q ₀ for a class of analytic control affine systems characterized, among other things, by possessing two singular trajectories initiating at q ₀. The aim of the paper is to establish the connection between the minimal number of analytic functions needed for describing reachable sets and the number of geometrically optimal singular trajectories. The paper is written in a language of the sub-Lorentzian geometry. Also, the sub-Lorentzian geometry methods are used to prove theorems.     

Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) represents a cluster of various vascular disorders with different pathological backgrounds. The advanced vasculature net of cerebral vessels, including small arteries, capillaries, arterioles and venules, is usually affected. Processes of oxidation underlie the pathology of CSVD, promoting the degenerative status of the epithelial layer. There are several classifications of cerebral small vessel diseases; some of them include diseases such as Binswanger’s disease, leukoaraiosis, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and lacunar strokes. This paper presents the characteristics of CSVD and the impact of the current knowledge of this topic on the diagnosis and treatment of patients.     

Normal Forms of Germs of Contact Sub-Lorentzian Structures on R3. Differentiability of the Sub-Lorentzian Distance Function

The aim of this paper is to construct certain normal forms for germs of contract sub-Lorentzian metrics in R³. Using them we show that there are regions in which longest curves are necessarily timelike, and where the local sub-Lorentzian distance function is smooth. By the way, we compute the null conjugate locus of a point.     

Brief Review of Endometriosis and the Role of Trace Elements

Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent, inflammatory condition that is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Despite the progress in research into the mechanisms leading to the development of endometriosis, its cause has not yet been established. It seems to be possible that the formation of oxidative stress may be one of the main causes of the development of endometriosis. There is much research that studies the potential role of trace elements in the appearance of endometrial-like lesions. Most studies focus on assessing the content of selected trace elements in the blood, urine, or peritoneal fluid in women with endometriosis. Meanwhile, little is known about the content of these elements in endometrial-like implants, which may be helpful in developing the theory of endometriosis. Investigations that are more comprehensive are needed to confirm a hypothesis that some trace elements play a role in the pathomechanism of endometriosis.     

The results of an in vitro fertilization program: two regimens of superovulation

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are increasingly used in ovarian hyperstimulation protocols in in vitro fertilization (IVF) programs. From March 1992 to June 1993, 565 patients attending our Institute underwent superovulation in 1104 IVF program cycles. Of these cycles, 650 were stimulated with clomiphene citrate and gonadotropins (human menopausal gonadotropin/hMG), and 454 with the GnRH agonist buserelin and hMG in a group of patients who had earlier failed to respond or did not conceive after clomiphene citrate/hMG stimulation. The ovarian response was similar in both groups, however, with the use of buserelin more oocytes were recovered -4.9 +/- 3.2 and 3.5 +/- 2.3 oocytes, respectively. The clinical pregnancy rate per transfer in the group of patients superovulated with buserelin/hMG was twice that of the clomiphene citrate/hMG group (21.0% vs. 10.4%). The relatively high pregnancy rate with the buserelin/hMG regimen in the group of 'poor responders' may be connected with GnRH agonist-induced pharmacological hypophysectomy and the sequelae thereof: normalization of some endocrinopathies, absence of an endogenous luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and better endometrium receptivity, oocytes and embryo quality.