A comparison of hair quality and cosmetic acceptance following the use of two anti-dandruff shampoos

Dandruff is a chronic condition of the scalp requiring vigilant treatment to ameliorate the symptoms of scaling and itching. Frequent shampooing is key to controlling these symptoms while contributing to the cosmetic appearance of the hair. The success of the treatment depends not only on the ability of the shampoo to control the dandruff but also on patient compliance engendered by the cosmetic attributes of the shampoo. This double-blind cross-over study enrolled 40 women with mild to moderate dandruff. Following a 1-wk washout with an unmedicated basic cleansing shampoo, all subjects used each of the two study shampoos for 1 wk. Subjects preferred the 1% pyrithione zinc conditioning shampoo over the 2% ketoconazole shampoo by 75% in terms of overall performance. The dermatologist investigator confirmed the subject preference by noting that hair-combing ease, hair smoothness, and hair frizz/flyaway were statistically significantly better in subjects who used the 1% pyrithione zinc conditioning shampoo for 1 wk. This study suggests that hair condition is an important consideration in the treatment of dandruff due to compliance.     

Protective factors against suicidal behavior in Latinos

Latinos appear to be relatively protected against suicidal behavior, but the factors that mediate this effect are not known. Some protective factors may be related to cultural constructs that provide a buffer against suicidal behavior in the face of psychiatric illness. We sought to determine whether the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFLI) might capture protective factors against suicidal behavior in Latinos and non-Latinos. Patients with major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia were interviewed regarding their depressive symptomatology and lifetime history of suicidal behavior. The RFLI, which measures protective factors against suicidal acts, was also administered. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationship between suicide measures, ethnicity, and selected clinical and demographic variables. Although Latinos and non-Latinos did not differ significantly in attempter status (attempter/nonattempter), number of attempts, or suicide intent, Latinos reported significantly less suicidal ideation and made less lethal attempts. On the RFLI, Latinos scored significantly higher on subscales regarding survival and coping beliefs, responsibility to family, and moral objections to suicide, possibly reflective of cultural norms endorsed by Latino groups. Multivariate analyses suggested that although being Latino was independently associated with less suicidal ideation, other suicidal behaviors held a stronger relationship to moral objections to suicide and survival and coping skills than to ethnicity. Self-identification as Latino may be associated with espousing cultural constructs that mediate protective effects against suicidal behavior. Constructs identified in the RFLI may protect Latinos from acting on suicidal thoughts, affecting moral objections to suicide and survival and coping beliefs. Further studies to elucidate the impact of these factors on suicidal behavior and their relationship to specific cultural constructs would be of interest.     

Reducing radiation exposure from survey CT scans

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to focus attention on the technique factors commonly used in survey CT scans (e.g., scout, topogram, or pilot scans) to measure the radiation exposure from typical survey CT scans, to compare their exposure to that of typical chest radiographs, and to explore methods for radiation exposure reduction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The default survey CT scans on 21 CT scanners, representing three different vendors and 11 different models, were investigated. Exposure measurements were obtained with an ion chamber at isocenter and adjusted to be consistent with standard chest radiographic exposure measurement methods (single posterior-anterior projection). These entrance exposures were compared with those of typical chest radiographs, for which the mean for average-sized adults is 16 mR (4.1 x 10(-6) C/kg). RESULTS: The entrance exposures of the default survey CT scans ranged from 3.2 to 74.7 mR (0.8 to 19.3 x 10(-6) C/kg), which is equivalent to approximately 0.2 to 4.7 chest radiographs. By changing the default scan parameters from 120 kVp to 80 kVp and the tube position from 0 degrees (tube above table) to 180 degrees (tube below table), the entrance exposure for the survey CT scan was reduced to less than that of one chest radiograph for all CT scanners. CONCLUSION: For institutions at which the interpreting radiologists do not rely heavily on the appearance of the survey CT image, we recommend adjusting the technique parameters (kilovoltage and X-ray tube position) to decrease radiation exposure, especially for vulnerable patient populations such as children and young women.     

Characterization of an aquaporin-2 water channel gene mutation causing partial nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in a Mexican family: evidence of increased frequency of the mutation in the town of origin

A Mexican family with partial congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) that resulted from a mutation in the aquaporin-2 water channel (AQP2) was characterized, and the source of this rare mutation was traced to the family's town of origin in Mexico. Affected individuals with profound polyuria and polydipsia were homozygous for an autosomal recessive missense V168M mutation in the AQP2 gene. Expression in oocytes revealed that, although retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to a great extent, a considerable amount of the partially functional AQP2-V168M was expressed at the plasma membrane, and that its ER retention was less than AQP2-T126M, a functional mutant in severe recessive NDI. None of the affected AQP2-V168M individuals had neurologic deficits, which also suggested a milder form of the disease. The homozygous individuals reported subjective improvement in polyuria and polydipsia with the use of dDAVP (1-desamino-8-D-arginine-vasopressin). When clinically tested, infusion of dDAVP at variable doses produced a partial increase in the urinary osmolality in homozygous individuals and decreased their water intake. Heterozygotes were unaffected when compared with controls. Samples were obtained from the population of the Mexican town of origin of the family; 30% of the population was heterozygous for the V168M AQP2 mutation and 1% was homozygous for the mutation. The high frequency of this rare mutation in the town provides evidence for an important health care problem in the village with consequences for future generations.     

The impact of group singing on mood, coping, and perceived pain in chronic pain patients attending a multidisciplinary pain clinic

This study explored the impact of group singing on mood, coping, and perceived pain in chronic pain patients attending a multidisciplinary pain clinic. Singers participated in nine 30-minute sessions of small group singing, while comparisons listened to music while exercising. A short form of The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was administered before and after selected singing sessions to assess whether singing produced short-term elevations in mood. Results indicated that pre to post difference scores were significantly different between singing and control groups for only one of the 15 mood variables (i.e., uneasy). To test the longer term impacts of singing the Profile of Mood States, Zung Depression Inventory, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Pain Rating Self-Statement, and Pain Disability Questionnaire were administered immediately before and after the singing sessions. All inventories other than the POMS were re-administered 6 months later. One-way ANCOVAs indicated that participants who attended the singing sessions showed evidence of postintervention improvements in active coping, relative to those who failed to attend, when preintervention differences in active coping were controlled for. While the singing group showed marked improvements from pre to postintervention on all mood, coping, and perceived pain variables, these improvements were also observed among comparison participants. The results of this study suggest that active singing may have some benefits, in terms of enhancing active coping, though the limitations of the study and small effect sizes observed suggest that further research is required to fully explore such effects.     

Music performance anxiety and occupational stress amongst opera chorus artists and their relationship with state and trait anxiety and perfectionism

This study explored the inter-relationships among state and trait anxiety, occupational stress, perfectionism, aspiration, and music performance anxiety in a group of elite operatic chorus artists employed full-time by a national opera company. The chorus artists reported higher trait anxiety, higher occupational role concerns, and higher occupational personal strain than normative samples. Higher scores on personal resources were associated with the higher scores on trait anxiety. It appears that these resources were used adaptively to manage anxiety. High trait anxiety was also associated with high personal strain in the work environment. Anxiety was not related to occupational roles or issues related to the physical environment or working conditions. These results suggest that while trait anxiety and music performance anxiety were closely associated, occupational stress makes a separate contribution to the quality of working life experienced by elite choral artists.     

Microglia enhance dorsal root ganglion outgrowth in Schwann cell cultures

Transplantation of cellular populations to facilitate regrowth of damaged axons is a common experimental therapy for spinal cord injury. Schwann cells (SC) or microglia grafted into injury sites can promote axonal regrowth of central projections of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons. We sought to determine whether the addition of microglia or microglia-derived secretory products alters DRG axon regrowth upon cultures of SC. Rat DRG explants were grown on monolayers consisting of either SC, microglia, SC exposed to microglia-conditioned medium (MCM), or co-cultures with different relative concentrations of microglia. Image analysis revealed that, compared to SC alone, the extent of neurite outgrowth was significantly greater on SC-microglia co-cultures. Immunocytochemistry for extracellular matrix molecules showed that microglial cells stained positively for growth-promoting thrombospondin, whereas laminin and the inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) were localized primarily to SC. Notably, immunoreactivity for CSPGs appeared reduced in areas associated with DRG outgrowth in co-cultures and SC exposed to MCM. These results show that microglia or their secreted products can augment SC-mediated DRG regrowth in vitro, indicating that co-grafting SC with microglia provides a novel approach to augment sensory fiber regeneration after spinal cord injury.     

Digit representation is more than just hand waving

Lip-reading and interpreting hand gestures help provide nonverbal information that aids speech comprehension in noisy environments and places emphasis on certain key utterances. In this fMRI study, we examined if viewing the similar semantic information presented by either finger movements or lip movements was processed by common or discrete brain regions. Subjects viewed videos of a hand conveying number information via finger movements and a face whose lip movements conveyed the same numerical information. Control stimuli consisted of meaningless finger and lip movements. Lip-reading numbers activated left posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), while identifying numbers presented by fingers activated the intraparietal region (IPR) bilaterally. Conjunction analysis highlighted common activation in right IPR to numbers presented via fingers and lips. Our data indicate that left hemisphere decodes human movements conveying semantic information, although the specific brain region that is engaged may depend on the body part that is moving.