Plasma concentrations of mianserin after single dose and at steady-state in depressed elderly patients

Plasma mianserin and desmethylmianserin concentrations were measured in 17 clinically depressed elderly patients after a single 30 mg dose of mianserin. The patients then received mianserin 30 mg daily for up to 6 weeks and the plasma concentrations were measured at weekly intervals. The relationship between concentrations of mianserin and desmethylmianserin at steady-state and at 16 and 24 hours after the single test dose was not good enough to be used for prediction of dosage requirements. Reasons for this finding are discussed.     

Photometrics: a new method of measuring the cross-sectional area of the subglottis.

A new endoscopic method of measuring the cross-sectional area of a subglottic stenosis is presented. The method was tested against existing techniques using a model. By standardizing the distance from the objective of the endoscope to the stenotic area we were able to measure the cross-sectional area using a graduated grid held against the video screen. This technique was then compared with the standard one of estimating the diameter of a stenosis from the external diameter of the bronchoscope which can be passed through the stenosis. The methods were found to be equally accurate in measuring the lumen diameter. However, when measuring the minimum cross-sectional area, three of five observers were significantly better (P less than 0.01) using the photometric method rather than the standard method (Wilcoxon's rank sum test for paired data). The photometric technique of measuring the cross-sectional area of the subglottis is easily performed, non-traumatic, and allows a visual record to be kept.     

Limb asymmetries in landing and jumping 2 years following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Female athletes who are at increased risk for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury demonstrate biomechanical differences between limbs during athletic tasks that may persist following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). This may limit an athlete's potential for safe return to sports competition. The purpose of this study was to determine if female athletes demonstrate lower limb asymmetries in landing and takeoff force following ACLR and clearance for return to competitive sports participation. We hypothesized that females following ACLR would demonstrate side-to-side differences in landing and jumping kinetics after their return to sport (2+ years) that would not be observed in a group of healthy female controls. DESIGN: Case control study. SETTING: The Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. PATIENTS: Fourteen female athletes at a mean of 27 months following ACLR and 18 healthy female athletes participated in the study. ASSESSMENT: All subjects executed a drop vertical jump (DVJ) task onto 2 force plates. Vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) was measured during landing and takeoff and was used to calculate landing phase loading rates. A 2-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences between the involved, uninvolved, and control limbs. RESULTS: Females who had undergone ACLR demonstrated increased VGRF (P = 0.001) and loading rate (P < 0.001) on the uninvolved limb during landing when compared with the involved limb and the control group. During takeoff, the involved limb showed significantly less ability to generate force (P = 0.03) than the uninvolved limb and the control limbs. CONCLUSIONS: Female athletes who have undergone ACLR and returned to sport may continue to demonstrate biomechanical limb asymmetries 2 years or more after reconstruction that can be identified during landing.     

The updated electrostatic potential for cytosine completes the qualitative explanations of base alkylation regiochemistry

The relationship between the structures of different alkylatingagents and the relative extents to which they modify the oxygenand nitrogen centers of nucleic acid bases has been discussedin the literature from several points of view, although eacheffectively attributes the increasing preference for oxygenalkylation to the increasing importance of electrostatic interactionsbetween the reacting moieties. This is in direct contradictionto the published electrostatic potential data for cytosine whichindicate the most attractive potential to lie in the vicinityof the 3-nitrogen. However, we have discovered the latter tobe an artefact of the use of inadequate levels of theory. Whenthe electrostatic potentials of cytosine are computed usingmore sophisticated ab initio Hartree-Fock/6–31G^* calculationsthe global minimum does indeed lie in the vicinity of the O²-positionas required by the various rationalizations of the alkylationdata.     

Alzheimer disease

In an attempt to determine the risks for and kinds of dementia most prevalent among the African American population, the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh developed a community satellite program specifically targeting the African American and historically medically underserved communities in Allegheny County, PA. The primary mission of the Alzheimer Outreach Center (AOC) was to increase the awareness of AD among the targeted population. The number of nonwhite patients participating in the studies at ADRC increased from 2 to 16% in the first year of the program. In May 1995, the AOC became a permanent ADRC program.