Noninvasive Estimation of Blood Alcohol Concentrations: Ethanol Vapor Above the Eye

The present study describes, in animals, a novel approach to the in vivo, noninvasive determination of alcohol in the body. The concentration of ethanol in vapor above the lacrimal fluid in the eye was analyzed in situ by the use of a fast (1-min) gas sensor method developed previously for biological liquids. After an oral dose of 1 g/kg to 11 animals, eye vapor measurements and blood samples were obtained over 4 hr. The correlation of 61 blood ethanol concentrations obtained by the two methods yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.92 and a slope of 0.99. The metabolic rates of ethanol determined by gas chromatographic analysis of blood and by ethanol eye vapor analysis are virtually identical. The data suggest that ethanol eye vapor analysis may be an attractive, noninvasive method for the determination of ethanol in animals. The method is not subject to false high readings due to alcohol in the buccal cavity and thus might constitute an alternative to breath analysis in the human. In a separate series, ethanol was determined by head space gas chromatography in samples of blood and lacrimal fluid while the animals were under ketamine anesthesia. The correlation of ethanol concentrations in blood and lacrimal fluid (r = 0.99) shows that ethanol is distributed in lacrimal fluid which comprises part of total body water.     

'Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted'– towards a critical exploration of modes of satisfaction measurement in sheltered housing

This paper reflects on a research project funded by a consortium of leading sheltered housing (SH) providers and their regulatory body, the Housing Corporation. The project aimed to ascertain which aspects of SH older people perceived to be central to their satisfaction and the methods they judged most appropriate to measuring this. We outline key policy developments of importance to SH (specifically the development of performance measurement regimes), and changes in the nature of SH, which are driving providers to re‐evaluate how they measure user satisfaction. We discuss the aims of the project, our methodology and findings, and conclude by raising critical questions about the process of measuring satisfaction within an increasingly managerialised housing system. We argue that this favours standardised methods of information gathering (such as questionnaires) rather than engage with clients in order to develop methods and systems capable of eliciting qualitative issues of concern to them. Our conclusions are, we believe, applicable to health and social care provision, where similar tensions exist around performance measurement and user satisfaction.     

Combined Excimer Laser and Topical Tacrolimus for the Treatment of Vitiligo: A Pilot Study

Background. Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder that is characterized by well-defined, often symmetric white patches. Although current therapeutic modalities are directed toward increasing melanocyte melanin production, few treatment modalities address the immunologic nature of the disease.
Objective. To determine whether excimer laser, a known therapeutic modality, in combination with tacrolimus, a topical immunomodulator, accelerate response time and/or improve the degree of response in patients with this disorder.
Methods. Eight subjects diagnosed with vitiligo were recruited to participate in this institutional review board–approved double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Twenty-four symmetric vitiliginous patches (elbows, knees) from eight subjects received excimer laser treatment three times per week for 24 treatments or 10 weeks. Additionally, topical tacrolimus 0.1% ointment (Protopic) and placebo (Aquaphor) were applied to randomized patches (left or right) twice daily throughout the length of the trial. Vitiliginous patches were monitored with photographs at baseline, every 2 weeks, and 6 months after treatment. Biopsies were performed on subjects with significant results.
Results. Twenty vitiliginous patches from six subjects qualified for evaluation. Fifty percent of patches treated with combination excimer laser and tacrolimus achieved a successful response (75% repigmentation) compared with 20% for the placebo group. Subjects who responded successfully repigmented faster (19%) with combination therapy compared with excimer laser alone. Additionally, three subjects experienced transient hyperpigmentation in lesions treated with combination therapy.
Conclusion. Combining topical immunomodulators with known phototherapeutic modalities may represent a key advancement in the treatment of disease.     

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-dependent recruitment of Ret into lipid rafts enhances signaling by partitioning Ret from proteasome-dependent degradation

The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) Ret is activated by the formation of a complex consisting of ligands such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and glycerophosphatidylinositol-anchored coreceptors termed GFRalphas. During activation, Ret translocates into lipid rafts, which is critical for functional responses to GDNF. We found that Ret was rapidly ubiquitinated and degraded in sympathetic neurons when activated with GDNF, but, unlike other RTKs that are trafficked to lysosomes for degradation, Ret was degraded predominantly by the proteasome. After GDNF stimulation, the majority of ubiquitinated Ret was located outside of lipid rafts and Ret was lost predominantly from nonraft membrane domains. Consistent with the predominance of Ret degradation outside of rafts, disruption of lipid rafts in neurons did not alter either the GDNF-dependent ubiquitination or degradation of Ret. GDNF-mediated survival of sympathetic neurons was inhibited by lipid raft depletion, and this inhibitory effect of raft disruption on GDNF-mediated survival was reversed if Ret degradation was blocked via proteasome inhibition. Therefore, lipid rafts sequester Ret away from the degradation machinery located in nonraft membrane domains, such as Cbl family E3 ligases, thereby sustaining Ret signaling.     

The combination of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulates bone repair in adult Yucatan miniature pigs

The combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and platelet-derived growth factor-BB has previously been shown to stimulate healing of soft tissue wounds and the formation of bone and ligament around teeth. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I individually and in combination on the healing of osseous wounds. Four standardized cortical wounds were created in each tibia of 11 adult Yucatan miniature pigs. The wounds in one tibia per animal were treated with either purified recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, or both in a methylcellulose gel. The wounds in each contralateral tibia received placebo gel alone. Coded serial sections of each wound were evaluated by computer-aided histomorphometry 21 days after surgery. The area and perimeter of the newly formed mineralized callus, the thickness of the total callus, and the percentage of mineralized tissue within the callus were significantly increased compared with the values of matched controls only in wounds treated with a combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and platelet-derived growth factor-BB. No significant differences in the measured parameters of callus formation were found in wounds treated with either insulin-like growth factor-I or platelet-derived growth factor-BB alone. Cartilage was present only in sites treated with insulin-like growth factor-I alone. These results suggest that the combination of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulates bone formation in wounds in long bones of adult animals and that these growth factors act via different pathways during the repair process.     

Group coping skills training for anxiety and depression: its application with chronic patients

The literature on group coping skills training is reviewed and a model involving the use of a wide range of coping strategies with patients heterogeneous in terms of presenting problem is advocated. This study evaluates the effect of such an approach with a chronic inpatient and day-hospital patient population (n = 36) presenting with problems of anxiety and depression. Results suggest that the use of such groups can facilitate the transition from hospital to community. Further they are associated with symptomatic improvement that is of clinical significance in up to 50% of cases, which is largely maintained at 1 year follow-up and which is associated with a positive change in social functioning. In the light of this experience suggestions are made regarding the screening of patients and ways of enhancing group cohesion.     

Patient teaching or patient counselling?

Careless or confused use of terms such as information giving, teaching and counselling may lead to inadequate understanding and practice. In view of the progress made in this area, designed to help patients cope with illness and treatment, this paper aims to clarify and identify similarities and differences between these activities and discuss their relevance for those in most need of these types of care. Having recognised the complexity and persistence of such needs, patients, their relatives and nurses should perhaps decide their respective roles and work towards improving the quality of and opportunities for such interventions.     

Psychological Assessment of the Headache Patient

Most clinicians agree that psychological factors are important considerations in the evaluation and treatment of headache patients. There has been a lack of systematic research, however, that has examined the relationship between these variables. Attention to such factors may become a greater concern as the frequency of a patient's headaches increases, there is increased disability secondary to headaches, and/or there is an inadequate response to usually effective treatment. In addition, there is no consensus as to the proper method to assess psychopathology in headache patients.     

膨胀型聚氨酯防火涂料阻燃机理的研究

用自制的新型成炭剂和聚磷酸铵复配作为聚氨酯防火涂料的阻燃体系。采用热失重分析、扫描电镜、红外光谱和元素分析等手段对膨胀型聚氨酯防火涂料的阻燃机理进行了较为深入的研究．     

585-nm Pulsed Dye Laser in the Treatment of Surgical Scars Starting on the Suture Removal Day

BACKGROUND: The optimal time frame to improve the quality and cosmetic appearance of scars by laser therapy has not been clearly elucidated by prior controlled clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of the 585-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) in the treatment of surgical scars starting on the day of suture removal. METHODS: Eleven patients (skin types I-IV) with 12 postoperative linear scars that were greater than 2 cm were treated three times on monthly intervals with the 585-nm PDL (450 micro s, 10-mm spot size, 3.5 J/cm2 with 10% overlap) on one scar half, whereas the other half received no treatment. Scars were later evaluated by a blinded examiner using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) for pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and height. Scars were then blindly examined for cosmetic appearance using a visual analog scale. RESULTS: One month after the last treatment, final scar analysis by the blinded examiner revealed a significant difference between treated and untreated sites, with the treated halves scoring better in all scar parameters in the VSS and in cosmetic appearance. The treated halves demonstrated an overall average improvement in the VSS between the first treatment score and the final score of 54% versus 10% in the controls (P=0.0002). The cosmetic appearance score (0=worst; 10=best) at final assessment was significantly better for the treated scars, scoring 7.3 versus the averaged control score of 5.2 (P=0.016). CONCLUSION: The 585-nm PDL is effective and safe in improving the quality and cosmetic appearance of surgical scars in skin types I-IV starting on the day of suture removal.