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Limbic event-related potentials related to verbal but not to visual recognition memory have been found to be attenuated within the epileptic hippocampus of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). To identify hippocampal contributions to visual processing and memory we recorded intracranial ERPs directly from within the epileptic and the non-epileptic hippocampus in 12 patients with unilateral TLE during a visual object decision and naming task. While the non-epileptic hippocampus differentiated reliably between real and nonsense objects, this effect was completely eliminated within the epileptic mesial temporal lobe. This finding suggests that the hippocampus proper contributes to the semantic processing of visual objects and may help to explain visual memory deficits in TLE.

The effect of the inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) on ovum transport and oviductal motility in rats was investigated. Three different NOS inhibitors were injected into the ovarian bursa at oestrus or day 3 of pregnancy. Oviducts and uteri were flushed 24 h later and the presence of ova was recorded. In oestrous and pregnant rats, treatment resulted in accelerated egg transport, as shown by a decrease in the number of ova present in the oviducts. In cyclic rats, intrabursal injection of 1 mg kg-1 of either N-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) or N omega nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) elicited a 30% reduction in the number of ova present in the oviducts, whereas in pregnant animals, the same dose of L-NMMA produced a reduction of 40%. Simultaneous administration of the NO donor spermine NONOate (5 mg kg-1) completely reversed the effect of L-NMMA. Tubal motility was assessed by microsphere displacement analysis within the oviduct. Surrogate ova were transferred to the oviductal lumen at oestrus and 24 h later the effect of intraoviductal injection of 1 microgram L-NMMA or vehicle was assessed. The microspheres in the isthmus showed an oscillating motion, and periods in which movement was not detectable. However, L-NMMA treatment produced a 3.6-fold increase in the maximum instant velocities and a significant reduction in the resting periods of the microspheres compared with the control group (P < 0.001). These results provide evidence that NO inhibition increases tubal motility that results in accelerated ovum transport, and indicate that NO could act as a paracrine signal between different layers of the oviductal wall, providing a role for endogenous NO in regulation of tubal function.

The peculiar features of the mixing in the neutral pseudoscalar mesons $$K^0 - \overline {K^0 }$$can be introduced by the analogy to the optical polarization. The time-reversed not-invariant processes and the related phenomenon of CP-nonconservation can be then joined to the dissipative effects which yield a not vanishing imaginary part in the relevant propagation of electromagnetic radiation in a medium. Thus, the propagation of the two transverse polarization states can reproduce the peculiar asymmetries which are so common in the realm of high energy particle physics.

We propose a complex approach to evaluating afunction sum of two noncommuting non-Hermitianoperators. We propose an explicit expansion of theevolution operator in the case of the neutral K-mesonsystem influenced by an external interaction. Theimportance is pointed out of considering the algebraicexpansion of the time evolution operator whenever thedynamics decouples the internal transitions andcenter-of-mass motion.

Abstract: The WKB approximation to the scattering problem is developed without the divergences which usually appear at the classical turning points. A detailed procedure of complexification is shown to generate results identical to the usual WKB prescription, but without the cumbersome connection formulas.

We studied the pharmacokinetics of cefepime (2 g bd) in six burns patients. Blood, urine and skin samples were collected to measure cefepime concentrations. A two-compartment model was fitted to the data. At day 1, t(1/2beta) was 2.45 +/- 0.56 h, V(ss) 0.36 +/- 0.1 L/kg, total clearance 152 +/- 25.2 mL/min, and AUC 217 +/- 34 mg*h/L. There was no statistical difference between day 1 and day 3 for any of the pharmacokinetic parameters. We demonstrated good penetration of cefepime in skin. These results show that it is not necessary to change the standard dosage of cefepime in burns patients.

Mivacurium, a new short acting non depolarizing neuromuscular blocker, is metabolized, as suxamethonium, by plasma cholinesterase. Therefore its duration of action is increased in patients with reduced plasma cholinesterase activity. We report a case of prolonged neuromuscular block after an i.v. bolus of mivacurium (0,20 mg·kg−1) in a 69 year-old ASA II woman with an unrecognized cholinesterase deficiency undergoing a lumbar sympathectomy for arteriopathy of the lower limbs. The duration of the block was 6 h and plasma cholinesterase concentrations were very low (540 and 610 UI·L−1), as well as the dibucaine number (16 %), which suggests an homozygous enzymatic deficiency. Mechanical ventilation and sedation were continued until spontaneous return of full neuromuscular function.

A case of Saccharomyces boulardii fungaemia in a burn patient is reported. S. boulardii was administered in order to improve the digestive tolerance to enteral nutrition. After a surgical procedure, a sepsis syndrome occurred, with a white blood cell count increase, abdominal meteorism and respiratory insufficiency, associated with seven blood cultures positive to S. boulardii. Digestive translocation of the yeast seems to be the most likely origin of this fungaemia. Some fungaemias from S. boulardii have been published. However it is not usual to find such severe clinical features as in our case which leads us to reconsider the therapeutic use of S. boulardii in situations including a gastrointestinal tract suffering.