Functional residual capacity (FRC) does not predict response to surfactant in preterm infants

We tested the hypothesis that the initial functional residual capacity (FRC) of preterm infants with hyaline membrane disease (HMD) could predict the response to surfactant replacement (Survanta, 4 mL/kg/dose), with a better initial FRC being correlated with a greater improvement in PaO2, a/A PO2 ratio, and FRC. Thirty-four preterm infants were studied on 41 occasions. FRC and arterial blood gases were measured immediately prior to treatment. FRC was measured by the helium dilution method. Arterial blood gases were measured again after 30, 60, and 120 minutes. FRC was measured after 120 minutes. Twenty-seven treatments resulted in an increase in PaO2 >10 mmHg (responders); 14 did not (nonresponders). There was no correlation between initial FRC, change in FRC, and change in PaO2 (r2 = 0.07). These results suggest that there is no relationship between initial FRC and response to surfactant treatment.     

Evaluation of compound interference in immobilized metal ion affinity-based fluorescence polarization detection with a four million member compound collection

IMAP is a non-separation-based, antibody-independent, FP assay that can be applied to many types of protein kinases and phosphatases. This technology is currently being used in many high-throughput screening campaigns throughout the industry. In this technology, a fluorescently labeled peptide substrate is phosphorylated and then captured on immobilized metal (M(III)) nanoparticles, an interaction that is enhanced at low pH (pH 5.5). The binding of the phosphorylated peptide to the nanoparticles is detected using FP. IMAP differs from other FP formats in that the polarization signal is antibody-independent and involves metal coordination complexes detected at low pH. Here, this technology is evaluated against a 4000000-member compound collection using a 1536-well assay design that is devoid of enzymes so that only interference of the compounds with the detection system is measured. Miniaturization of the assay to 1536-well plates is discussed. Compound interference due to inhibition of phosphopeptide binding to the M(III) nanoparticles is not observed. Additionally, it is concluded that the level of fluorescence compound interference is similar to typical FP formats for the majority of the compound collection.     

Health education leadership development: a conceptual model and competency framework

A National Public Health Education Leadership Institute was developed through collaboration among national health education professional organizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a school of public health. The institute provides health educators in leadership positions throughout the country access to a 15-month integrated and sequential professional leadership development program. This article presents a conceptual model and competency framework for that program. The model contains elements considered critical for design of leadership programs in public health and can be used by both professional development and academic programs to shape their design of leadership curricula.     

基因芯片技术在脑损伤研究中的应用

基因芯片技术是最近发展起来的新兴分子生物学技术,它的并行处理特点使大规模研究脑损伤后的基因改变成为切实可能。本文综述了新近用基因芯片技术在脑损伤后基因表达时序性改变及基因表达谱分析等研究中的应用。     

Hand Preference Of Four-Year-Old Children: Its Relationship To Premature Birth And Neurodevelopmental Outcome

Information was obtained at age four years on the hand preference of 98 children who had been born prematurely with a very low birthweight and of 54 children born at term with no birth complications. Data were also collected on the hand preference of their parents. The preterm children had been assessed at age three years for IQ, expressive language, speech articulation and neurological status. A significantly lower proportion of preterm than of term children used their right hand for unimanual activities. Furthermore, those preterm children who were not right-handed were significantly more likely to have lower IQs, expressive language delays and articulation problems. Among preterm children with IQs greater than or equal to 85, language and speech problems were no more likely to occur in those who preferred the left hand or who used both hands than in those who preferred the right. The findings of this study support the theory that birth complications lead to cerebral insult which may alter hand preference, and at the same time affect mental and motor development.     

Results of randomized controlled trials of low-versus high-osmolality contrast media

The authors reviewed 100 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in humans to compare safety or efficacy of new low-osmolality contrast media (LOM) with that of high-osmolality contrast media (HOM). Findings of the 43 RCTs judged to be of the highest quality suggest that the efficacy of LOM in imaging is equal or superior to that of HOM for all routes of administration. Heat sensation occurred less often with LOM for all routes and pain occurred less often with LOM for intraarterial routes. No differences were seen in nephrotoxicity or in frequency of nausea, vomiting, urticaria, bronchospasm, laboratory test abnormalities, or neurologic events. Greater cardiovascular changes were seen with HOM, including increased or decreased heart rate, increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, decreased systolic pressure, and QT prolongation, depending on route of administration. To demonstrate whether a reduction in clinically significant adverse outcomes truly occurs with LOM, trials will need to enlist larger numbers of patients and employ appropriate outcome measures. Future trials should stratify patients according to their risk of adverse reactions to provide better information about benefits of LOM in low- versus high-risk patients.     

Isthmic spondylolysis of the lumbar spine: MR imaging at 1.5 T

The appearance on magnetic resonance (MR) images of the normal pars interarticularis in 13 patients was reviewed and contrasted with that of the pars in eight patients with spondylolysis. The pars defect usually had an intermediate signal intensity with all pulse sequences; however, this intensity was somewhat variable depending on the exact ratio of cartilage, fat, and fluid within each bone defect. The pars defect was best seen with spin-echo 600/20 (repetition time msec/echo time msec) images. In three cases, out-of-phase images showed the spondylolysis best, because of extension of fat to the borders of the defect. The sagittal view allowed one to separate spondylolysis from the joint space of posterior facets since the orientation of the defects is perpendicular to the facets; thus, a common pitfall encountered with cross-sectional axial imaging techniques is avoided. MR imaging poorly delineated bone fragments around the defect, which may produce nerve root impingement, but revealed other numerous complications that occur with spondylolysis, including spondylolisthesis and herniation of the disk above.