Treatment of Specific Phobia in Children: Are All the Components of the Phobic Response of Equal Importance?

Davis and Ollendick provide a review on the efficacy of treatments for childhood specific phobias, thereby analyzing to what extent various treatments are effective in altering the three components of the pathological fear response (i.e., subjective, behavioral, physiological). In this commentary, it is noted that there are marked differences in the reactivity of the three response systems among various types of specific phobias and among individuals suffering from this anxiety disorder, suggesting that it is important to tailor the intervention to the individual response pattern of the phobic patient. However, because outcome research indicates that effective treatments for phobias should include exposure-based exercises, a reduction of the behavioral fear response seems to be the primary target of intervention. Furthermore, it is largely unknown to what extent the three-systems model is applicable to childhood phobias. In the meantime, there is emerging evidence demonstrating that developmental processes have a clear impact on children's perception of fear-related symptoms.     

Computer-controlled mechanical lung model for application in pulmonary function studies

A computer controlled mechanical lung model has been developed for testing lung function equipment, validation of computer programs and simulation of impaired pulmonary mechanics. The construction, function and some applications are described. The physical model is constructed from two bellows and a pipe system representing the alveolar lung compartments of both lungs and airways, respectively. The bellows are surrounded by water simulating pleural and interstitial space. Volume changes of the bellows are accomplished via the fluid by a piston. The piston is driven by a servo-controlled electrical motor whose input is generated by a microcomputer. A wide range of breathing patterns can be simulated. The pipe system representing the trachea connects both bellows to the ambient air and is provided with exchangeable parts with known resistance. A compressible element (CE) can be inserted into the pipe system. The fluid-filled space around the CE is connected with the water compartment around the bellows; The CE is made from a stretched Penrose drain. The outlet of the pipe system can be interrupted at the command of an external microcomputer system. An automatic sequence of measurements can be programmed and is executed without the interaction of a technician.     

Finite element solution of steady state temperature distribution in the human torso

A finite element model of the steady state temperature distribution in the human torso is developed. The torso is approximated by a circular cylinder of core surrounded by a layer of muscle and insulating layers of fat and skin. The model is simplified by neglecting longitudinal heat flow. The region occupied by a circular cross-section of the torso is discretized into a mesh of triangles and the boundary of the torso, that is, the skin surface, is consequently approximated by a polygon. The elliptic partial differential equation governing the steady state temperature distribution, together with the associated boundary conditions, are expressed in equivalent variational form. Linear basis functions are used and the resulting integral is minimized over the region bounded by the approximating polygon. Results for two numerical experiments are determined by solving systems of linear equations.     

Role of group A streptococcal IgG-binding proteins in triggering experimental glomerulonephritis in the rabbit

Our previous studies have indicated that the IgG-binding M-family proteins (IgGBP) of group A streptococci may be involved in eliciting experimental acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) in the rabbit. These surface proteins were also found to trigger production of anti-IgG, which might conceivably act to enhance renal deposition of immune complexes (IC). In the present study, a clinical isolate of serotype M22 (strain AL168), an isogenic double mutant deficient for both the IgGBPs Mrp and Emm, as well as mutants deficient in only one of the proteins were tested for capacity to induce glomerulonephritis. Streptococci to be used for injecting rabbits were heat-killed. Surface-bound IgG was removed by 1 M KSCN and cells were then repeatedly washed in PBS before use. Rabbits were injected intravenously with 109 cells three times a week for 8 weeks and, following one month of rest, for another 6 weeks. Deposits of IgG and C3 as well as induced chemokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 were traced in cryostat sections using specific antibodies and appropriate peroxidase-labelled anti-antibodies. In four rabbits immunized with the double mutant strain, no deposits were found, and as examined by TEM, only subtle and transient renal changes were observed. In contrast, the original strain AL168 induced pronounced inflammatory and degenerative glomerular changes in all four rabbits injected, and deposits of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 were found in mesangial and endothelial cells. Similar deposits and glomerular changes were seen in all eight rabbits injected with the mrp-emm+ mutant and in four out of seven animals receiving the mrp+emm- mutant. There was a highly significant correlation between high levels of circulating anti-IgG and development of APSGN. These results confirm an important role of streptococcal IgGBP in triggering experimental APSGN as earlier proposed by our group.     

In vivo efficacy of cefotaxime and amoxicillin against penicillin-susceptible, penicillin-resistant and penicillin-cephalosporin-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae in a mouse pneumonia model

Objective: To compare cefotaxime (CTX) to amoxicillin (AMO) (usually considered the definitive therapy for penicillinsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae infections) in an immunocompromised mouse pneumonia model.
Methods: Three S. pneumoniae clinical isolates were used: two serotype 19 strains, a penicillin-susceptible (P^s) strain (penicillin MIC = 0.03 μ/mL) and a highly penicillin-resistant (P^r) strain (penicillin MIC = 4 μ/mL), and one serotype 23F strain, a penicillin-cephalosporin-resistant (CFTR) strain (CTX MIC = 4 μ/mL).
Results: CTX activity in this mouse model of pneumonia induced by the highly penicillin-resistant strain of S. pneumoniae was lower than expected from its low MIC against this organism. Furthermore, AMO had greater efficacy than CTX against a CFTR S. pneumoniae strain.
Conclusion: Our data suggest that there is no major difference in the in vivo efficacy of the two agents, cefotaxime and amoxicillin, against penicillin-resistant and penicillin-cephalosporin-resistant S. pneumoniae.     

ACh and 5-HT stimulated thermogenesis at different core temperatures in the He-Cold hypothermic hamster

Hamsters in deep experimentally induced hypothermia, at body temperatures between 7 degrees C and 11.5 degrees C, were microinjected with 5-HT and ACh at brain sites in the anterior-preoptic area of the hypothalamus (AH/POA). ACh or 5-HT was injected into an AH/POA site at different starting core temperatures in different groups of hypothermic hamsters. Colonic temperatures (Tc) were maintained, following He-Cold induction, in a temperature controlled environmental chamber and measured with a YSI thermister probe and YSI telethermometer. Injections of either 5-HT or ACh at Tc's between 7.0 degrees C and 9.0 degrees C elicited only modest increases in Tc i.e., 0.3 degrees C--0.6 degrees C, respectively. As Tc increased, however, to ranges between 9.1 degrees C--10.0 degrees C and in different animals to greater than 10 degrees C both ACh and 5-HT at the same sites elicited significant increases in Tc, 1.5 degrees C for 5-HT and 2.2 degrees C for ACh compared to saline injections. These data suggest that at the lowest Tc's we are observing a "cold block" of temperature sensitive sites in the AH/POA. Increasing the starting Tc beyond 9.0 degrees C however, evokes significant increases in heat-gain following AH/POA injection of either ACh or 5-HT. These data are consistent with Myers' observations concerning the organization of heat-gain mechanisms at AH/POA sites. In addition, they suggest that both the afferent limb of the heat-gain circuit (5-HT) and the efferent limb of the circuit (ACh) are functionally impaired when Tc is close to the physiological limit in the He-Cold hypothermic hamster.     

东方田鼠室内繁殖与生长发育观察

近年来,逐渐增多的小鼠突变系资源已对现有的动物设施和品种（系）的保存方法提出严峻的挑战,小鼠胚胎和配合子的低温保存是目前保存小鼠种群资源中应用最为广泛的方法,通过低温保存不仅使原有的或新开发的小鼠品系得以安全的,长期的保存下来,同时也使这些小 模型的规模化生产,推广普及变得更为简单化,无疑,小鼠模型的保存将为21世纪哺乳类遗传学的飞速发展和最终攻克人类目前的疑难疾病创造了有利条件。     

高血压病以昼夜血压模式指导治疗初探

目的：探讨高血压以昼夜血压模式指导药物治疗的疗效。方法：124例高血压患者被随机分为两组：观察组80例,采用以昼夜血压模式为依据,指导选用药物进行治疗,着重加强异常升高血压部份的降压治疗,同时加强血压监测;对照组仍按照常规方法治疗,6周为1疗程,治疗前和治疗后都检测血压和24小时动态血压。结果：观察组降压的总有效率和昼夜血压模式转为正常杓形态明显高于对照组,结论：高血压病患者以昼夜血压模式为依据指导用药降压治疗有较好的医疗效果。     

Kubelka-Munk模型下的兔血管对氦-氖激光的散射与吸收特性

测量了兔动脉和静脉对 He-Ne激光的反射和透射传输特性。实验采用两积分球系统及波长为632.8nm的He-Ne激光器,并根据测量数据及采用 Kubelka-Munk模型分析和计算了兔动脉和静脉组织对该长激光的吸收系数、散射系数及总的光强I（x）及前向散射通量i(x）和后向散射通量j(x）随厚度的变化情况。结果表明,兔动脉和静脉的漫反射率和透射率有明显差别,而且,动脉对激光的吸收系数明显较静脉的要小,而动脉对激光的散射系数却明显较静脉的要大,在动脉和静脉组织中总的光强I（x）及前向散射通量i(x）和后向散射通量j(x）随组织厚度的变化情况也有明显的区别。     

预测加氢裂化过程的产率

以缓和加氢裂化数据为基础,对于两种典型的加氢裂化动力学模型－－Stangeland模型和改进MHC模型,使用Shor最优化法进行了参数的拟合,比较了这两种动力学模型的结果、算法、复杂度以及预测能力。结果表明,改进MHC模型是一种更为合理的动力学模型,该模型也可用于实际加氢过程。