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This quantitative and qualitative cohort study of adolescents who have experienced sexual assault offers valuable, nuanced and sensitive insights into their mental health, physical health and social outcomes 13 to 15 months post-trauma. As in other studies, external stigma and internalized shame, as well as the subjective meaning of sexual assault, often mediate the relationship between assault and prospective health/functioning [[4]]. The concept of being a "survivor" of sexual assault has been criticised, for the implication of placing the trauma at the centre of the person's identity and their being defined by the sexual assault [[7]]. [Extracted from the article]

Conventional scientific definitions of dementia, or its newer proposed alternate—neurocognitive disorders place emphasis upon cognitive function, particularly memory. The changes in thought, emotion, behavior, personality, and biological function are usually considered only of secondary importance. At the core of the illness, however, lies a progressive loss of self, and by extension, of personhood, identity, autonomy, and agency. The identity of the person living with dementia, and the deterioration of a sense of self assumes significance in planning end of life care, including palliative care. A consideration of self and identity is also significant where physician assisted death, incorporating euthanasia, has legal sanctity. As dementia progresses, there is usually a progressive loss of personal decision making capacity and legal competence. Shared decision making, advance care directives and proxy representatives are options available to safeguard autonomy and agency in such cases. Advance care directives are often treated as static documents. The loss of self and deterioration of identity in persons with dementia means, that there is a psychological discontinuity across time and space, though biological continuity is retained. The discontinuity in self and identity however, imply that the person with dementia changes considerably and so too may values and beliefs. A document which best reflected the wishes of the person with dementia in the past, may not always do so now. Advance directives and proxy representatives may need to be dynamic and evolve over time, particularly where end of life care and physician assisted death is being invoked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic field (0–5 T) and temperature (10–300 K) dependence of terahertz radiation from InAs surfaces excited by femtosecond laser pulses has been studied in detail. The radiation intensity is strongly enhanced under the magnetic field and at low temperatures, which is explained based on simple classical motion of photoexcited electrons under a built-in surface electric field and Lorentz force undergoing scattering. The radiation spectra are broad even at low temperatures under high magnetic fields, which suggests that strong electron scattering mechanisms exist for photoexcited electrons at InAs surfaces. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction MC710, a 1:10 protein weight ratio mixture of plasma-derived activated factor VII ( FVIIa) and factor X ( FX), is a novel bypassing agent for haemostasis in haemophilia patients with inhibitors. We evaluated the haemostatic efficacy and safety of one to two administrations of MC710 in 21 joint, muscle, and subcutaneous bleeding episodes in 14 male patients, in a multi-centre, open-label, non-randomized clinical trial. Methods Subjects were intravenously administered one or two doses of 60 or 120 μg kg−1 MC710 (as FVIIa) once or twice (to a maximum of 180 μg kg−1) over up to five bleeding episodes per subject. The haemostatic efficacy of MC710 was determined for each episode by investigator evaluation, using changes in visual analogue scale ( VAS) for pain relief, and/or knee joint or muscle circumference for swelling reduction, and range of motion ( ROM) for improvement of joint mobility. Results In 21 treatments for bleeding episodes, 19 were rated 'excellent' or 'effective' 8 h after the last treatment. VAS significantly decreased over time, and ROM significantly improved over time compared with the values before treatment. One mild adverse reaction, decreased blood potassium, and two serious adverse events, both knee joint bleeding, were observed within 1 week after first administration, with no significant effect on safety. Furthermore, diagnostic markers did not show any signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation ( DIC). Conclusion These results show that MC710 has sufficient haemostatic efficacy and safety, and can be used as a potential bypassing agent to control bleeding in haemophilia patients with inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which fabricated p-n junction in nitrogen-doped p-type zinc selenide/undoped n-type zinc selenide on n-type gallium arsenide. Utilization of metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy; Formation of a zinc selenide p-n junction; Emission observed from the p-n junction.

MC710, a mixture of plasma-derived activated factor VII and factor X at a protein weight ratio of 1:10, is a novel bypassing agent for haemostasis in haemophilia patients with inhibitors. In a Phase II trial, we evaluated the haemostatic efficacy and safety of single doses of MC710, and investigated pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters in nine joint bleeding episodes in six male haemophilia patients with inhibitors. This trial was a multi-centre, open-label, non-randomized study of two doses (60 and 120 μg kg−1 as FVIIa dose), allowing the re-administration of different MC710 dosages to the same subjects. Haemostatic efficacy was assessed by evaluating reduction in pain and swelling, as well as increase in range of motion in a bleeding joint. The results of the study showed that in nine bleeding episodes, seven treatments were rated as 'excellent' or 'effective' according to investigator's rating system of efficacy at 8 h after administration. No serious or severe adverse events were observed after administration; furthermore, measurement of several diagnostic markers revealed no signs or symptoms of disseminated intravascular coagulation ( DIC). The haemostatic potential of MC710 was confirmed at doses of 60 and 120 μg kg−1 in this trial. MC710 is thus expected to be a safe and efficacious novel bypassing agent for controlling bleeding in haemophilia patients with inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:To evaluate the clinical utility of urinary β-2-microglobulin (B2M) at birth, an alternative to proinflammatory cytokines, as an indicative marker of fetal inflammatory response and subsequent higher risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants.Study Design:The relationship between urinary B2M at birth and the occurrence of BPD was examined in 96 premature infants with a description of perinatal backgrounds. Constructing a receiver-operating characteristic curve to determine the cutoff value of urinary B2M at birth for the development of BPD, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate whether elevated urinary B2M at birth can be used as a predictor of BPD.Results:BPD was diagnosed in 34% (33/96) of the infants. Neonates with BPD had a significantly higher occurrence rate of chorioamnionitis and greater levels of median urinary B2M at birth than did those without BPD. The selected cutoff value of urinary B2M at birth correlated with the development of BPD, even after adjusting for gestational age and other confounding factors.Conclusions:Elevated urinary B2M levels at birth can be used as an alternative marker of fetal inflammatory response and subsequent higher risk of BPD in premature infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:To evaluate the clinical utility of urinary β-2-microglobulin (B2M) at birth, an alternative to proinflammatory cytokines, as an indicative marker of fetal inflammatory response and subsequent higher risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants.Study Design:The relationship between urinary B2M at birth and the occurrence of BPD was examined in 96 premature infants with a description of perinatal backgrounds. Constructing a receiver-operating characteristic curve to determine the cutoff value of urinary B2M at birth for the development of BPD, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate whether elevated urinary B2M at birth can be used as a predictor of BPD.Results:BPD was diagnosed in 34% (33/96) of the infants. Neonates with BPD had a significantly higher occurrence rate of chorioamnionitis and greater levels of median urinary B2M at birth than did those without BPD. The selected cutoff value of urinary B2M at birth correlated with the development of BPD, even after adjusting for gestational age and other confounding factors.Conclusions:Elevated urinary B2M levels at birth can be used as an alternative marker of fetal inflammatory response and subsequent higher risk of BPD in premature infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An experimental study of orderly flow structures in turbulence with background rotation is presented. Experiments are performed on grid-generated turbulent flows of water filling a rotating tank. Flow velocity fields are visualized using a tracer-particle technique and measured using a laser Doppler velocimeter. Six types of orderly flow structures are found to depend on the Rossby and Reynolds numbers. The effect of the background rotation on the mean circumferential velocity, turbulence intensity and wavenumber spectrum of the flow is investigated. When the Rossby number is small, the variations of the mean velocity and turbulence intensity with depth are kept small, and the deviation of the wavenumber spectrum from the law is noticeable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aims/hypothesis. Bone marrow cells contain at least two distinct types of stem cells which are haematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. Both cells have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types derived from all three germ layers. Thus, bone marrow stem cells could possibly be used to generate new pancreatic beta cells for the treatment of diabetes. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of bone marrow-derived cells to differentiate into beta cells in pancreas. Methods. Using green fluorescent protein transgenic mice as donors, the distribution of haematogenous cells in the pancreas was studied after bone marrow transplantation. Results. In the pancreas of green fluorescent protein chimeric mice, green fluorescent protein-positive cells were found in the islets, but none of these cells expressed insulin. Previous data has suggested that tissue injury can recruit haematopoietic stem cells or their progeny to a non-haematopietic cell fate. Therefore, low-dose streptozotocin (30 or 50 mg/kg on five consecutive days) was injected into the mice 5 weeks after bone marrow transplantation, but no green fluorescent protein-positive cells expressing insulin were seen in the islets or around the ducts of the pancreas. Conclusions/interpretation. Our data suggests that bone marrow-derived cells are a distinct cell population from islet cells and that transdifferentiation from bone marrow-derived cells to pancreatic beta cells is rarely observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Natural Killer (NK) cell activity was examined in a 16-month-old Japanese boy with Shwachman syndrome associated with severe vitamin E deficiency. As evaluated by 51Cr-release assay from K562 cells, NK cell activity was constantly decreased. After 8 weeks of oral alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc) supplementation (100 mg/day), NK cell activity had normalised. When alpha-Toc supplementation was interrupted for 16 weeks. NK cell activity again decreased. Flow cytometry of peripheral lymphocytes revealed a lowered number of CD16+ CD 56- fraction, which has the most potent NK cell activity. Single cell-in-agarose assay, to investigate the binding and cytolytic activity of NK cell at the single cell level, revealed that the number of NK cells which bind to K562 cell was decreased, but that the cytolytic activity of the individual binding cell was relatively unaffected. A second supplementation of alpha-Toc for 8 weeks successfully restored NK cell activity, the number of cells expressing NK cell markers and the number of K562-binding cells as compared to the age-matched normal range.Conclusion: These results indicate that severe vitamin E deficiency caused impaired NK cell activity due to a decrease in the number of CD16+ CD56- NK cells and that this abnormality is reversible with alpha-Toc supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural Killer (NK) cell activity was examined in a 16-month-old Japanese boy with Shwachman syndrome associated with severe vitamin E deficiency. As evaluated by [sup 51] Cr-release assay from K562 cells, NK cell activity was constantly decreased. After 8 weeks of oral α-tocopherol (α-Toc) supplementation (100 mg/day), NK cell activity had normalised. When α-Toc supplementation was interrupted for 16 weeks, NK cell activity again decreased. Flow cytometry of peripheral lymphocytes revealed a lowered number of CD16[sup +] CD 56[sup -] fraction, which has the most potent NK cell activity. Single cell-in-agarose assay, to investigate the binding and cytolytic activity of NK cell at the single cell level, revealed that the number of NK cells which bind to K562 cell was decreased, but that the cytolytic activity of the individual binding cell was relatively unaffected. A second supplementation of α-Toc for 8 weeks successfully restored NK cell activity, the number of cells expressing NK cell markers and the number of K562-binding cells as compared to the age-matched normal range.Conclusion These results indicate that severe vitamin E deficiency caused impaired NK cell activity due to a decrease in the number of CD16[sup +] CD56[sup -] NK cells and that this abnormality is reversible with α-Toc supple-mentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Older adults are at disproportionate risk of serious disease and mortality due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Further, the global response to the lockdown has rendered older adults particularly vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation due to the physical distancing and shelter in place mandate. We hypothesized that both these factors would lead to an increase in geriatric mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: We undertook a clinical audit of all geriatric patients (above 60 years of age) attending the psychiatry emergency services at a tertiary care hospital. This audit was conducted over a period of 52 days dating from the cessation of non-essential services at the hospital as part of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic (lockdown). We used descriptive statistics to summarize the number, age, sex, presenting complaint and diagnoses of our patients. We further compared the average number of geriatric patients attending the psychiatry emergency services in the hospital during the lockdown to that of geriatric patients attending the same in the year before the lockdown. Results: A total of 112 geriatric patients attended the psychiatry emergency services during the lockdown period. Of these, 62 were male and 50 female. The average number of geriatric patients attending the emergency services daily during this period (μ1 2.15) was significantly higher (z 5.36, p ≤ 0.01) than the average number of patients attending the emergency services in the year preceding the lockdown (μ2 1.34). The most common presenting complaint was agitation in the preceding weeks. The most common diagnoses were late onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders followed by affective disorders and major neurocognitive disorders. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic and the global response to the same constitute life events for older adults. They may contribute to biological, psychological and social risk factors for mental health problems in older adults during this period. The increase in geriatric patients attending our emergency services, despite an increase in restrictions on mobility which act as barriers in the pathway to care, is worrying. Under stimulation in older adults during this period may contribute to an increase in agitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THz radiation from InAs surfaces excited by ultrashort laser pulses has been studied under low (∼0.6 μJ/cm[sup 2] fluence) and high (∼6 mJ/cm[sup 2] fluence) pump power densities. The THz radiation amplitude is affected in both cases. We found that the radiation wave form is broadened by applying magnetic fields for the low-density-excitation case whereas it is not for the high-density-excitation case. This result is explained by the difference of the effect of the magnetic field on the THz radiation due to the transient photocurrent and optical rectification effects. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 15-month-old girl with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), Letterer-Siwe disease, was referred to our hospital in 1984. Whilst on treatment with cytotoxic drugs, a perirenal mass was detected and hydronephrosis became evident when she was 29 months old. Percutaneous nephrostomy tubes were placed in the pelvis, bilaterally and replaced every 6 months. The mass was not completely controlled and chronic pyelonephritis continued. Biopsy of the mass convoluted kidney hilus revealed histiocytic invasion. Although multiple organ systems are involved in LCH and abdominal malignant tumours may be accompanied by hydronephrosis, to our knowledge, this is the first case report of abdominal LCH and the ensuing hydronephrosis. Percutaneous nephrostomy tubes proved useful, but more convenient, less painful and infection-limited approaches need to be designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

p-type ZnSe with resistivity low enough for device application has been realized by metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy. This method has enabled growth of p-type ZnSe doped with nitrogen at concentrations as high as 1019 cm-3 by using ammonia as a dopant source. The dependence of photoluminescence and electrical properties on substrate temperature has been investigated. Hall measurements show p-type conductivity with a resistivity of 0.57 Ω cm, a carrier concentration of 5.6×1017 cm-3, and a Hall mobility of 20 cm2/V s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]