Spatial frequency content of the Cardiff and related acuity tests

In the Cardiff acuity test, simple pictures on an otherwise neutral grey card are defined by borders consisting of a relatively broad white band flanked by black bands each half the width of the white band. Higher levels of acuity correspond to the ability to detect figures defined by narrower borders, the figure size remaining constant. It is sometimes implied that the acuity limit corresponding to each card can be equated with different levels of grating resolution, the total width of the border corresponding to the overall grating period. It is shown that although the spatial frequency spectra of the Cardiff figures, like those of other vanishing optotypes, lack very low-frequency components, they have a complex two-dimensional form. The figures have wide spatial bandwidth and no well-defined discrete frequency components. As a result, the relationship between measured Cardiff and grating acuity will vary somewhat, depending upon the particular optical, neural or other deficits of the individual being tested.     

Behavioral models in mice. implication of the alpha noradrenergic system

1. The mechanism of action of drugs might change according to the test used. Several noradrenergic drugs were tested in order to understand their implication in the mobility tests.

2. It was found that clonidine, an Alpha 2 agonist, acted differently according to the tast used. It provoked sedation in spontaneous activity test, and anti-immobility effects in the other tests.

3. Tall suspension test is able to show the double acting of clonidine.

4. Idazoxan might act either as an alpha 2 antagonist or as partial alpha 2 agonist. TST shown the unexpected partial alpha agonist effect of the molecule.

5. Forced swimming test is more specific for predicting antidepressant activity than tail suspension test which is close to a spontaneous activity model.     

Assessment of anti-inflammatory activity of Poria cocos in sodium lauryl sulphate-induced irritant contact dermatitis

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of Poria cocos (PoCo) on experimentally induced irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) in a repeated sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) irritation model. METHODS: The anti-irritative effect of PoCo was evaluated with a visual score and quantified by non-invasive bioengineering methods, namely chromametry and transepidermal water loss. Three concentrations of PoCo in base cream DAC (amphiphilic emollient; German pharmacopoeia) were tested in a 4-day repetitive irritation test using SLS. RESULTS: A statistically significant anti-inflammatory activity was observed for PoCo by all three methods when applied in parallel to the induction period of ICD. Application of PoCo after induction of ICD once a day for 5 days, starting just at the end of 4 days, was without any effect. CONCLUSION: An anti-inflammatory efficacy of PoCo on the elicitation phase of the ICD induced by repeated SLS test could be observed and quantified by three independent, non-invasive biophysical assessment parameters. This effect can be explained by its influence on pro-inflammatory enzymes, namely phospholipase A2.     

Sick day management using blood 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) compared with urine ketone monitoring reduces hospital visits in young people with T1DM: a randomized clinical trial.

AIMS: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening acute complication of Type 1 diabetes, may be preventable with frequent monitoring of glycaemia and ketosis along with timely supplemental insulin. This prospective, two-centre study assessed sick day management using blood 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) monitoring compared with traditional urine ketone testing, aimed at averting emergency assessment and hospitalization. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-three children, adolescents and young adults, aged 3-22 years, and their families received sick day education. Participants were randomized to receive either a blood glucose monitor that also measures blood 3-OHB (blood ketone group, n = 62) or a monitor plus urine ketone strips (urine ketone group, n = 61). All were encouraged to check glucose levels > or = 3 times daily and to check ketones during acute illness or stress, when glucose levels were consistently elevated (> or = 13.9 mmol/l on two consecutive readings), or when symptoms of DKA were present. Frequency of sick days, hyperglycaemia, ketosis, and hospitalization/emergency assessment were ascertained prospectively for 6 months. RESULTS: There were 578 sick days during 21,548 days of follow-up. Participants in the blood ketone group checked ketones significantly more during sick days (276 of 304 episodes, 90.8%) than participants in the urine ketone group (168 of 274 episodes, 61.3%) (P < 0.001). The incidence of hospitalization/emergency assessment was significantly lower in the blood ketone group (38/100 patient-years) compared with the urine ketone group (75/100 patient-years) (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Blood ketone monitoring during sick days appears acceptable to and preferred by young people with Type 1 diabetes. Routine implementation of blood 3-OHB monitoring for the management of sick days and impending DKA can potentially reduce hospitalization/emergency assessment compared with urine ketone testing and offers potential cost savings.     

A quantitative analysis of valgus torque on the ACL: a human cadaveric study.

The loads needed to elicit a positive pivot shift test in a knee with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture have not been quantified. The coupled anterior tibial translation (ATT), coupled internal tibial rotation (ITR), and the in situ force in the ACL in response to a valgus torque, an inherent component of the pivot shift test, were measured in 10 human cadaveric knee specimens. Using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system, valgus torques ranging from 0.0 to 10.0 Nm were applied in nine increments on the intact and ACL-deficient knee in flexion ranging from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. At 15 degrees of knee flexion, the coupled ATT and ITR were significantly increased in the ACL-deficient knee when compared to the intact knee. Coupled ATT increased a maximum of 291% (6.7 mm, p<0.05), while coupled ITR increased a maximum of 85% (5.1 degrees, p<0.05). At 30 degrees, the increases in coupled ATT and ITR were significant at valgus loads of 3.3 Nm and greater with a maximum increase in coupled ATT of 137% (6.3 mm, p<0.05) and a maximum increase in coupled ITR of 38% (3.6 degrees, p<0.05). At 45 degrees, coupled ATT increased significantly (maximum of 69%, 4.4 mm, p<0.05), but only at torques > or =6.7 Nm. The in situ force in the ACL was less than 20 N for all flexion angles when a torque between 3.3 and 5.0 Nm was applied. Low valgus torque elicited tibial subluxation in the ACL-deficient knee with low in situ ACL forces, similar to a positive pivot shift test. Thus, application of a valgus torque may be suitable to evaluate ACL-deficient and ACL-reconstructed knees, since subluxation can be achieved with minimal harm to the ACL graft. This work is important in understanding one load component needed for the pivot shift examination; further studies quantifying other load components are essential for better comprehension of the in vivo pivot shift examination.     

Systemic effects of two nasally administered glucocorticosteroids

Two topical corticosteroids, budesonide (BUD) and beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), both administered as suspensions in water, were investigated in healthy volunteers regarding influence on cortisol in plasma and urine (U-cortisol) after nasal application. In the first study, single doses of 200, 400, and 800 μg of BDP and BUD were given at 10:00 pm. In the second study, 100, 200, and 400 μg were given mornings and evenings for 4 days. In the single-dose study, none of the drugs or doses showed any significant influence on cortisol in plasma. However, U-cortisol decreased significantly after BUD 400 and 800 μg. In the multidose study, U-cortisol values were significantly reduced after all doses of BUD and the highest dose of BDP. The compounds tested showed different ability to cause measurable systemic effects after nasal application. The clinical implication is that the prescriber, when choosing a compound, should take the application site into consideration and should also be encouraged to find the lowest effective dose.     

马杜霉素渣抗球虫的效果

测定了马杜霉素渣中铅、砷、镉、铬的含量及对小白鼠的毒性和对鸡的抗球虫性能。试验结果：马杜霉素渣中铅含量１．０５ｍｇ／ｋｇ，砷含量小于１．０ｍｇ／ｋｇ，镉含量１．２ｍｇ／ｋｇ，铬含量２６ｍｇ／ｋｇ；马杜霉素渣对小白鼠的ＬＤ５０为３５４．６５ｍｇ／ｋｇ，比马杜霉素毒性大。马杜霉素渣的抗球虫指数为１７３～１７５．１，属中等强度抗球虫药。以上结果表明，马杜霉素渣可以作为抗球虫药应用，但应用时要防止中毒的发生。     

Improved sib-pair linkage test for disease susceptibility loci

An improved sib-pair test for linkage is introduced which is superior to the previously proposed tests. The test is derived from the standard chi-squared goodness of fit statistic by restricting the alternative hypothesis to the genetically possible. Critical values are given and exact power comparisons are made with the previously proposed tests. The new test is shown to be more powerful for finite samples as well as being asymptotically uniformly most powerful. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Going, going, gone . . . ? Implicit and explicit tests of conceptual knowledge in a longitudinal study of semantic dementia

Patients suffering from semantic dementia provide important constraints on theories of the structure and organisation of semantic memory. In this article we report one such patient, AM, whose progressive deterioration of semantics enables us to address the much-debated issue of whether conceptual structure is hierarchically organised. The hierarchical account predicts that brain damage should impair lower levels of the hierarchy (property information) before affecting higher level (category) information (Warrington and Shallice, Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 1975, 27, 635–657). We evaluate this prediction by repeated testing of AM in two studies—a semantic priming task and a verification task—over an 18 month period, contrasting the progressive deterioration of properties (functional and perceptual) and category relations (category co-ordinates and category labels). Properties were preserved longer than category information, arguing against a hierarchical account of semantic memory. In addition, functional properties were most robust to brain damage, supporting our claim that functional information plays a special role in semantic representations (Durrant-Peatfield et al., Proc. 19th Ann. Conf. of the Cognitive Science Society. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, 1997, pp. 193–198. Tyler et al., Cognitive Neuropsychol. 1997, 14, 511–545).