Power spectral and microvector frequency analysis of dynamic standing foot force patterns in a normal male subject

Power spectral and microvector frequency analyses of dynamic standing foot force patterns in a normal male subject were performed using a multiple-trial experimental protocol. Power spectral analysis of eight eyes-open vs. eyes-closed 50-sec trials revealed significant power increases in the 0.14 to 0.66 Hz range with eye closure, which were repeatable in trials performed on the same subject 2 wk later. Since power spectral differences are difficult to interpret biomechanically, a (micro)vector analysis of 1/20 sec changes in proportional weight transfer was employed. This methodology was able to reveal that foot force weight transfer exhibited a distinct preferred directionality, and that the eyes-closed condition was characterized by significant increases in both the occurrence and average magnitudes of these preferred microvectors.     

Dietary behaviors predict glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE—To investigate the association between dietary adherence and glycemic control among youth with type 1 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 119 youth aged 9–14 years (mean ± SD 12.1 ± 1.6 years) with diabetes duration ≥1 year (5.4 ± 3.1 years). Dietary adherence was assessed using the Diabetes Self-Management Profile diet domain. Higher score defined greater dietary adherence. Glycemic control was determined by A1C.RESULTS—Dietary adherence score was inversely correlated with A1C (r = −0.36, P < 0.0001). In a multivariate model (R² = 0.34, P < 0.0001), dietary adherence (P = 0.004), pump use (P = 0.03), and caregiver education (P = 0.01) were associated with A1C. A1C of youth in the lowest (9.0%) tertile of diet score was higher than A1C of youth in the middle (8.1%, P = 0.004) and upper (8.4%, P = 0.06) tertiles. Dietary adherence uniquely explained 8% of the variance in A1C in the model.CONCLUSIONS—Greater dietary adherence was associated with lower A1C among youth with type 1 diabetes.Data for youth with type 1 diabetes demonstrate a gap between attained glycemic control and age-specific goals (1–3). With intensive insulin therapy, dietary behaviors become central to optimizing glycemic control. Studies have shown that greater dietary adherence improves glycemic control among adults with type 1 diabetes (4,5). In this study, we investigated the relationship between dietary adherence and glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes.     

Effectiveness of upper versus lower cervical adjustments with respect to the amelioration of passive rotational versus lateral-flexion end-range asymmetries in otherwise asymptomatic subjects.

The effects of cervical spinal adjustments delivered bilaterally either to the upper cervical region (C2-C3) or to the lower cervical region (C6-C7), were compared in groups of asymptomatic subjects exhibiting goniometrically verified left-right rotational or left-right lateral-flexion passive end-range asymmetries of greater than 10 degrees. Goniometric evaluation both prior to, and again within 30 min following treatments revealed that lower cervical adjustments were far more effective for the amelioration of lateral-flexion asymmetries than were upper cervical ones, whereas upper cervical adjustments were found to be more effective for the amelioration of rotational asymmetries than those delivered to the lower cervical region. These results are consistent with the view that passive movement restriction exhibited along the rotational axis is attributable to factors related primarily to the upper cervical region, whereas restrictions of passive movement along the lateral axis are more attributable to factors related to the lower cervical region. Further support for the regional independence of these axis-specific relationships is provided by similar results obtained in groups of subjects who happened to exhibit both rotational as well as lateral-flexion asymmetries of greater than 10 degrees on the day of the experiment.     

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor crosses the placenta and stimulates fetal rat granulopoiesis

We studied the effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony- stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) administration to pregnant rats upon fetal and neonatal myelopoiesis. Pregnant rats were treated with rhG-CSF twice daily for 2, 4, and 6 days before parturition. rhG-CSF crossed the placenta and reached peak fetal serum concentrations 4 hours after administration. Peak fetal serum levels were 1,000-fold lower than levels detected in the dam. Hematopoietic effects of rhG-CSF were assessed by cytologic analysis of the newborn blood, spleen, bone marrow, thymus, and liver. White blood cell counts were increased twofold to fourfold in newborns. This increase was due to circulating numbers of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). rhG-CSF induced a myeloid hyperplasia in the newborn marrow consisting of immature and mature myeloid cells in the day-2 and day-4 treated pups. Bone marrow of pups treated for 6 days contained mostly hyper-segmented PMN with little or no increase in myeloid precursors. An increase in the number of postmitotic (PMN, bands, and metamyelocytes) and mitotic (promyeloblasts, myeloblasts, and metamyeloblasts) myeloid cells in the spleen of neonates was observed. No change was detected in splenic lymphocytes or monocytes. No effect of rhG-CSF was noted in the newborn liver or thymus. These results demonstrate that maternally administered rhG-CSF crosses the placenta and specifically induces bone marrow and spleen myelopoiesis in the fetus and neonate. The significant myelopoietic effects of rhG-CSF at low concentrations in the fetus suggest an exquisite degree of developmental sensitivity to this cytokine and may provide enhanced defense mechanisms to the neonate.     

白花前胡中前胡香豆素D和前胡香豆素E的分离和鉴定

从中药白花前胡(Peucedanum Praeruptorum Dunn)根中分到5个化合物,经理化常数、波谱数据及化学反应分别鉴定为前胡香豆素D(I),Pd-Ib(II),前胡香豆素E(III),nodakenetin(IV)和scopoletin(V)。其中化合物I和III为两个新化合物,与巳知化合物凯林内酯的化学沟通确定了其绝对构型,其化学结构分别为3'(S),4'(S)-二乙酰氧基-3',4'-二氢邪蒿内酯(I)和3'(R)-惕各酰氧基-4'-酮基-3',4'-二氢邪蒿内酯(III)。化合物IV和V为首次从该植物中分离得到。通过DEPT,¹H-¹HCOSY和¹³C-¹HCOSY等实验归属了II的碳氢信号。     

Comparison of Phaconit Rollable IOL with Acrylic Foldable IOL

Background

Phaconit or ultra micro incision phacoemulsification cataract surgery involves phacoemulsification through a 0.9 millimetre sleeveless phaco tip and irrigating chopper followed by implantation of a rollable intraocular lens. The procedure leads to negligible astigmatism and faster visual recovery as compared to phacoemulsification with a foldable intraocular lens.

Methods

This prospective study analysed 80 cases of sub millimetre phaconit surgery with implantation of rollable intraocular lenses(IOL) in 40 cases and acrylic foldable IOL in the remaining 40 cases. Evaluation of efficacy and adaptability of procedure, equipment settings, operative constraints, postoperative complications, keratometric and topographic evaluation of induced astigmatism with visual outcome and patient''s rehabilitation were studied.

Results

The intraoperative complications were surge/ chamber collapse in 16 (20%), iris chaffing in one and corneal burns in two cases. All cases had an induced astigmatism of less than or equal to ± 0.25 D in four to six weeks after rollable IOL and ± 0.5 D to ± 0.75 D after acrylic IOL implantation. All patients had best-corrected visual acuity of 6/6 by third post operative day.

Conclusion

Phaconit with rollable IOL is a perfect blend of surgical skill, application of technology and ultra thin IOL.Key Words: Phaconit, Ultra micro phaco, Submillimetre incision, Rollable IOL implantation     

Global cost of correcting vision impairment from uncorrected refractive error

Objective

To estimate the global cost of establishing and operating the educational and refractive care facilities required to provide care to all individuals who currently have vision impairment resulting from uncorrected refractive error (URE).

Methods

The global cost of correcting URE was estimated using data on the population, the prevalence of URE and the number of existing refractive care practitioners in individual countries, the cost of establishing and operating educational programmes for practitioners and the cost of establishing and operating refractive care facilities. The assumptions made ensured that costs were not underestimated and an upper limit to the costs was derived using the most expensive extreme for each assumption.

Findings

There were an estimated 158 million cases of distance vision impairment and 544 million cases of near vision impairment caused by URE worldwide in 2007. Approximately 47 000 additional full-time functional clinical refractionists and 18 000 ophthalmic dispensers would be required to provide refractive care services for these individuals. The global cost of educating the additional personnel and of establishing, maintaining and operating the refractive care facilities needed was estimated to be around 20 000 million United States dollars (US$) and the upper-limit cost was US$ 28 000 million. The estimated loss in global gross domestic product due to distance vision impairment caused by URE was US$ 202 000 million annually.

Conclusion

The cost of establishing and operating the educational and refractive care facilities required to deal with vision impairment resulting from URE was a small proportion of the global loss in productivity associated with that vision impairment.     

High-dose cytosine arabinoside and daunorubicin as consolidation therapy for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia in first remission: a pilot study

High-dose (HD) cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C) is more effective treatment than conventional-dose ARA-C regimens for patients with relapsed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). We report here that HD ARA-C given during the first remission of ANLL has resulted in long remission durations and a high proportion of patients who survive more than three years free of disease. From August 1979 to September 1983, 36 adult patients with ANLL in first remission received one to three courses of HD ARA-C (3 g/m2 by one-hour infusion every 12 hours for 12 doses on days 1 through 6) alone or with daunorubicin (30 mg/m2 for two or three doses on days 7 through 9). Three patients died of sepsis or hemorrhage during consolidation, and 14 patients have relapsed from five to 48 months after diagnosis. The remaining 19 patients are in continued complete remission (CCR) from 11 to 62 months. Denoting all deaths in remission as relapse, the actuarial probability of CCR is 42% at 62 months, with an apparent plateau in the survival curve. Of the first 22 patients treated, ten remain in CCR from 37 to 62 months with no therapy for at least three years. Due to its heightened anti-leukemic activity, HD ARA-C allows brief but effective consolidation of ANLL in first remission, with long-term disease-free survival comparable to other approaches.     

Allogeneic marrow transplantation for refractory anemia: a comparison of two preparative regimens and analysis of prognostic factors

From 1990 to 1993 we performed a prospective study of busulfan (16 mg/kg) and cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) in 30 patients with refractory anemia (RA) undergoing related (n = 17) or unrelated (n = 13) donor marrow transplantation. Nineteen patients survive disease free (63% 3- year actuarial disease-free survival [DFS]) and no patient relapsed. These results were compared to those of 38 historical controls with RA treated with cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation, of whom 22 are disease-free survivors and 1 relapsed. After correcting for significant variables between the two treatment groups, we found no statistically significant difference in outcome based on preparative regimen. Combining data from these 68 patients plus 2 additional patients with RA treated before 1993 with busulfan and cyclophosphamide, we identified four variables independently associated with improved survival: younger age, shorter disease duration, lower neutrophil count pretransplant, and lower hematocrit pretransplant. We also found that 15 patients 40 to 55 years of age had a 46% 3-year actuarial DFS and 26 patients receiving unrelated or mismatched related donor marrow had a 50% 3-year actuarial DFS. We conclude that there does not appear to be any significant difference in outcome based on preparative regimen in this patient population. In addition, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation may be a reasonable approach to therapy of RA early after diagnosis. However, whether early intervention with transplantation prolongs survival over that expected without transplantation cannot be ascertained with certainty from available data.