Measuring consciousness in coma and related states

Consciousness is a prismatic and ambiguous concept that still eludes any universal definition. Severe acquired brain injuries resulting in a disorder of consciousness (DOC) provide a model from which insights into consciousness can be drawn. A number of recent studies highlight the difficulty in making a diagnosis in patients with DOC based only on behavioral assessments. Here we aim to provide an overview of how neuroimaging techniques can help assess patients with DOC. Such techniques are expected to facilitate a more accurate understanding of brain function in states of unconsciousness and to improve the evaluation of the patient’s cognitive abilities by providing both diagnostic and prognostic indicators.     

21st century community learning centers--improving the academic performance of at-risk students: a Bronx tale

The authors of this article report on an intervention designed to improve the academic component of an extended after-school program. The agency involved in this intervention was a non-profit community action group (CAG) agency whose mission is to improve the socio-economic well-being of the residents of Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, and New York City. The agency has a staff of 200 that serve high school students. The intervention program was designed to (1) improve the working relationship between teachers, families, and students in the after-school program, (2) develop new and innovative ways to improve the academic curricula of the after-school program, and (3) provide continuous education to stakeholders to the after-school program. Improvements in student performance relating to attendance, academic work, discipline and social behaviors were reported. The intervention reported in this article has the potential of supporting learning and developmental outcomes over time.     

School-Age Children's Attributions About Their Own Naturally Occurring Minor Injuries: A Process Analysis

Objective: To analyze children's attribution of cause regardingtheir naturally occurring minor injuries in light of the pre-injuryparental acceptability of children's behavior and the emotionschildren experienced immediately after the event. Method: Sixty-one 8-year-old children were interviewed biweeklyfor one year about their naturally occurring minor injuries.Participants monitored environmental and psychosocial elementsof the injuries and later answered questions about the causeof the event Results: For a total sample of 1,037 minor injuries, childrenmost frequently designated fate as the primary cause. Furtheranalysis revealed that attributions varied by children's pre-injurybehavior and post-injury feelings. Children were equally likelyto accept primary responsibility or to assign cause to fatewhen they were engaged in unacceptable behavior before the event.Similarly, children assumed primary responsibility for the injurywhen they experienced post-injury guilt. No differences in injuryattributions were revealed by gender or by the child's frequencyof injuries during the year. Conclusions: Results highlight the significance of adult caregiversafety rule creation, endorsement, and ongoing communicationfor the socialization of children's safe behaviors.     

Genetic admixture in three mexican mestizo populations based on D1S80 and HLA‐DQA1 Loci

This study compares genetic polymorphisms at the D1S80 and HLA‐DQA1 loci in three Mexican Mestizo populations from three large states (Nuevo León, Jalisco, and the Federal District). Allele frequency distributions are relatively homogenous in the three samples; only the Federal District population shows minor differences of the HLA‐DQA1 allele frequencies compared with the other two. In terms of genetic composition, these Mestizo populations show evidence of admixture with predominantly Spanish‐European (50–60%) and Amerindian (37–49%) contributions; the African contribution (1–3%) is minor. Together with the observation that in Nuevo León, the admixture estimates based on D1S80 and HLA‐DQA1, are virtually the same as those reported earlier from blood group loci, suggests that DNA markers, such as D1S80 and HLA‐DQA1 are useful for examining genetic homogeneity/heterogeneity across Mestizo populations of Mexico. The inverse relationship of the proportion of gene diversity due to population differences (G_st) to within population gene diversity (H_s) is also consistent with theoretical predictions, supporting the use of these markers for population genetics studies. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 14:257–263, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

A brief methodological comment on possible inaccuracies induced by multimodal measurement analysis and reporting

The use of multiple response system measurement adds an important dimension to behavioral medicine research. However, multiple measurement can result in problems in both analyzing and reporting outcome data. Problems in analysis include the increasing of chance findings as the measurement number increases. Problems in reporting include a blurring of response categories when general labels are used, a biased emphasis on the minority of variables showing experimental differences, and a misleading tendency to base comparative conclusions on general labels which do not accurately represent all data measured. Some examples of these problems from methodologically sound studies are described and alternative ways of dealing with the findings from multiple measurements are suggested.     

Effect of four different opalescence tooth-whitening products on enamel microhardness

OBJECTIVES: The purpose was to evaluate the effect of various Opalescence tooth-whitening products on enamel. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Enamel blocks were exposed to Opalescence PF 10% Carbamide Peroxide (n = 10), Opalescence PF 20% Carbamide Peroxide (n = 10), Opalescence Trèswhite Supreme 10% Hydrogen Peroxide (n = 10) and Opalescence Quick PF 45% Carbamide Peroxide (n = 10) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The control group was enamel blocks (n = 10) kept in artificial saliva. The values were obtained before exposure and after the 14-days treatment period. Enamel blocks were kept in saliva between treatments. Indent marks on enamel blocks were examined using the scanning electron microscope for treatment effects. RESULTS: All four different Opalescence products damaged enamel. The most damage was done when treated for a long period (112 hours). SEM images also showed damage to enamel by all 4 products. Opalescence with 10% and with 20% Carbamide Peroxide showed the highest damage, which also differed significantly (p < 0.05) from the saliva control group (p < 0.05; Tukey-Kramer Multiple comparison test). CONCLUSION: All 4 Opalescence products damaged enamel. Higher damage was done by the 10% carbamide peroxide and 20% carbamide peroxide products because of the much longer exposure period (112 hours in comparison to 7 hours).     

Cytotoxicity of a dentine bonding agent on four different cell-lines.

The aim of this study was to compare the cytotoxicity of a recently available dentine bonding agent on four different cell-lines (three human dental pulp fibroblast cell-lines and one mouse 3T3 fibroblast cell-line). METHODOLOGY: Three human dental pulp cell-lines from 3 different donors and one established 3T3 mouse cell-line were grown and sub-cultured. Cell viability following exposure to Scothbond was then compared to a similar number of controls using the MTT assay. RESULTS: Scotchbond 1 was cytotoxic to all four cell-lines. 3T3 cells showed a survival rate of about 60% as compared to two of the human dental pulp cells which showed a significantly lower survival rate (p<0.05, Kruskal-Wallis Multiple-Comparison Test). CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that is cytotoxic to both human pulp and 3T3 cell-lines. In general, the human pulp cell-lines showed higher sensitivity than the 3T3 cell-lines. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Scotchbond 1 cannot be recommended for direct pulp capping techniques and care should be taken when using this dentine bonding agent in cavities where the remaining dentine layer is minimal.