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Objective The scaphoid is proposed to be driven by the distal carpal row in scapholunate instability (SLI) as it is dissociated from the proximal row. The aim of this study was to describe the 6 degrees of freedom kinematics of the scaphoid using dynamic CT in the normal and SLI wrists. We hypothesised that the SLI scaphoid would demonstrate kinematic evidence conforming to distal row motion. Materials and methods We studied dynamic CT scans of 17 SLI and 17 normal wrists during ulnar to radial deviation and extension to flexion. The radio-scaphoid angles in three anatomic planes were calculated in the wrist neutral position and during wrist motion. The centroid position was also calculated in the wrist neutral position and during wrist motion. The scapho-capitate motion index (SCI) was calculated as a ratio between the scaphoid and the capitate motion. Results In the neutral position of the wrist, the SLI scaphoid was flexed, internally rotated, and radially translated compared to the normal scaphoid. During wrist motion, the SLI scaphoid had more ‘in-plane’ motion and less ‘out-of-plane’ motion with a higher SCI during wrist neutral to radial deviation and extension to neutral. Conclusion We have described the malalignment of the SLI scaphoid in the neutral position of the wrist and 6 degrees of freedom kinematics during wrist motion of the SLI scaphoid compared to the normal. The SLI scaphoid conformed more to the distal row motion than the normal scaphoid. This information may help define the surgical reconstruction techniques for SLI.

Histamine is well known for mediating peripheral inflammation, but histamine is also found in high concentrations in the brain where amongst other roles, this amine is thought to be neuromodulator. Neuromodulation is critical for brain function, yet histamine dynamics are very difficult to measure and thus several fundamental aspects of the mechanisms that control the extracellular and modulatory behavior of this messenger remain undefined. In this work we undertake the first in-depth characterization of in vivo histamine dynamics in real time using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon fiber microelectrodes. We measure electrically evoked histamine in the mouse hypothalamus and find that histamine release is sensitive to pharmacological manipulation at the level of synthesis, packaging, autoreceptor control of release, and metabolism. We find two breakthrough aspects of histamine modulation. First, there are differences in H3 receptor regulation of histamine between sexes showing that histamine release in female mice is more much tightly regulated than in male mice under H3 or inflammatory drug challenge. We hypothesize that this finding may contribute to hormone-mediated neuroprotection mechanisms in female mice. Second, we find that a high dose of a commonly available antihistamine, the H1 receptor inverse agonist diphenhydramine, rapidly decreases serotonin levels. This high dose is considered overdose; however, this finding highlights the sheer significance of better consideration of the modulatory nuances of histamine on serotonin.We, thus, present the first in depth in vivo characterization of fast histamine dynamics and highlight two breakthrough regulatory aspects of this elusive modulator. The implications of our study are new avenues to better understand and treat histamine related disorders of the brain (such as neuroinflammation), emphasizing that sex and modulation (of serotonin) are critical factors to consider when studying/designing new histamine targeting therapeutics.

Histamine is well known for mediating peripheral inflammation, but histamine is also found in high concentrations in the brain where amongst other roles, this amine is thought to be neuromodulator. Neuromodulation is critical for brain function, yet histamine dynamics are very difficult to measure and thus several fundamental aspects of the mechanisms that control the extracellular and modulatory behavior of this messenger remain undefined. In this work we undertake the first in-depth characterization of in vivo histamine dynamics in real time using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon fiber microelectrodes. We measure electrically evoked histamine in the mouse hypothalamus and find that histamine release is sensitive to pharmacological manipulation at the level of synthesis, packaging, autoreceptor control of release, and metabolism. We find two breakthrough aspects of histamine modulation. First, there are differences in H3 receptor regulation of histamine between sexes showing that histamine release in female mice is more much tightly regulated than in male mice under H3 or inflammatory drug challenge. We hypothesize that this finding may contribute to hormone-mediated neuroprotection mechanisms in female mice. Second, we find that a high dose of a commonly available antihistamine, the H1 receptor inverse agonist diphenhydramine, rapidly decreases serotonin levels. This high dose is considered overdose; however, this finding highlights the sheer significance of better consideration of the modulatory nuances of histamine on serotonin.We, thus, present the first in depth in vivo characterization of fast histamine dynamics and highlight two breakthrough regulatory aspects of this elusive modulator. The implications of our study are new avenues to better understand and treat histamine related disorders of the brain (such as neuroinflammation), emphasizing that sex and modulation (of serotonin) are critical factors to consider when studying/designing new histamine targeting therapeutics.

Clinical studies indicate that obese individuals have an increased risk of developing co-morbid depressive illness and that these patients have reduced responses to antidepressant therapy, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Obesity, a condition of chronic mild inflammation including obesity-induced neuroinflammation, is proposed to contribute to decreases in synaptic concentrations of neurotransmitters like serotonin (5HT) by decreasing 5HT synthesis in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and/or affecting 5HT reuptake in DRN target regions like the hippocampus. In view of these observations, the goal of the current study was to examine inflammatory markers and serotonergic dynamics in co-morbid obesity and depression. Biochemical and behavioral assays revealed that high-fat diet produced an obesity and depressive-like phenotype in one cohort of rats and that these changes were marked by increases in key pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus. In real time using fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), we observed no changes in basal levels of hippocampal 5HT; however responses to escitalopram were significantly impaired in the hippocampus of obese rats compared to diet resistant rats and control rats. Further studies revealed that these neurochemical observations could be explained by increases in serotonin transporter (SERT) expression in the hippocampus driven by elevated neuroinflammation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that obesity-induced increases in neuroinflammation adversely affect SERT expression in the hippocampus of obese rats, thereby providing a potential synaptic mechanism for reduced SSRI responsiveness in obese subjects with co-morbid depressive illness.

Presented here is a novel non-contact method of film thickness measurement based on wavefront sensing. We describe a simplified measurement technique based on the measurement of the spatial separation of reflections from each of the film interfaces. Effectively we are measuring a single aberration, tilt. We present some analysis to show how the technique works, and describe the experimental set-up and procedure used to capture the results. We then present some of our results to date, and discuss how the system may be calibrated to give an absolute measure of film thickness. Finally we describe some of the future work to be carried out to encompass full wavefront sensing and allow not only film thickness to be measured but also information on surface roughness, surface profile and refractive index to be gathered.

PURPOSE: Controversy exists as to whether pouchitis represents a reactivation of the immunologic mechanisms that lead to ulcerative colitis (UC). The aims of this study were to determine local levels of the cytokines: interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF α ) in the mucosa of patients with “asymptomatic” ileoanal pouch (n=25), pouchitis (n=9), active UC (n=20), normal ileum (n=15), proctitis (n=10), and normal colon (n=15). METHODS: Lamina propria mononuclear cells were isolated from mucosal biopsies by enzymatic dispersion and cultured for 48 hours. Proinflammatory cytokine levels were measured in the supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: IL-1 β,IL-6, IL-8, and TNF α secretions were significantly greater in pouchitis and active UC than in the noninflamed ileoanal pouch and normal controls ( P

Within the next decade, China’s labour force will begin to contract, while that of India will expand faster than its population. Relative labour abundance will bring higher capital returns and an increasing share of global FDI to India. Yet China may relax its One Child Policy further and India’s fertility could follow the pattern elsewhere in Asia and decline faster than expected. These linkages are explored using a global demographic sub-model that is integrated with an adaptation of the GTAP-Dynamic global economic model in which regional households are disaggregated by age and gender. Even with a two-child-policy, China’s growth is projected to slow in future with India becoming the fastest growing economy in the world on the strength of its continued population expansion. While GDP depends positively on fertility and per capita income negatively in both countries, the price of more GDP growth in terms of lost per capita income is lower in China than in India, a result that depends critically on India’s initially higher fertility, its higher youth dependency and the age-gender pattern of its participation rates. India therefore has considerably more to gain, at least in per capita terms, from further reducing its fertility

Background Percutaneous endoscopic colostomy (PEC) on the left side of the colon is a minimally invasive endoscopic technique, increasingly used to treat lower-GI conditions. Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a PEC tube insertion at a single unit. Design Retrospective data collection. Setting District general and teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Patients Data collected from patients with lower-GI disorders who had a PEC tube inserted. Interventions Data collection. Main Outcome Measurements Incidence of complications and patient outcome. Results Between 2001 and 2005, 31 patients presented for a PEC. Insertion was possible in 27 patients. Indications included functional constipation (n = 8), recurrent sigmoid volvulus (n = 8), colonic pseudo-obstruction (n = 5), and neurologic constipation (n = 6). In 22 patients (81%), symptoms were markedly improved after insertion. Sigmoid volvulus did not recur with a PEC tube in place. The mean (standard error of the mean) duration with tubes in situ was 9.5 ± 1.6 months. Only 2 patients still had a PEC tube in situ. A total of 77% of patients had episodes of infection. Infective episodes led to tube removal in 44% of the total group. Other complications included buried internal bolster, fecal leakage, and pain. Mortality was high (26%), with 7 deaths: 5 from unrelated causes and 2 deaths from fecal peritonitis. Limitations This was a retrospective study. A prospective study in our unit is unlikely because of these results. Conclusions Symptoms were effectively controlled by a PEC tube insertion, and recurrent sigmoid volvulus was prevented. Recurrent complications caused significant morbidity. Infection necessitated tube removal in the majority of patients. Fatal fecal peritonitis occurred in 2 patients. Indiscriminate use of a PEC in the left side of the colon is not recommended. A PEC should only be considered in carefully selected cases.

China’s maintenance of a de facto peg against the US dollar during and following the Asian financial crisis caused a realignment of exchange rates in the Asian region. This paper explores the “equilibrium” level of China’s real effective rate in the lead-up to, during and following that crisis. An adaptation of the Devarajan-Lewis-Robinson three-good general equilibrium model is employed to estimate time paths of the equilibrium real effective exchange rate under a variety of assumptions about the balance of trade. Key requirements of the model are indices of import and export prices in time series. Since these are unavailable from secondary sources they are here constructed from trade data. The results suggest that, while there is no clear evidence of undervaluation as of 2004, China’s real effective exchange rate was on the low side in the lead-up to and during the crisis, due in part to an extraordinary rate of accumulation of foreign reserves and an associated trade surplus following the integration of its hitherto multiple exchange rates in 1994. If, instead, China had run a more typical trade deficit, say amounting to 10 per cent of export revenue or 1.5 per cent of GDP, it is estimated that China’s real effective exchange rate would have been higher by about a tenth prior to the crisis.

This paper will present some of the recent work undertaken to extend the use of the wavefront sensor to provide both surface profile measurements and thickness measurements simultaneously using a single instrument. Some theoretical studies of the effect of thin film structures on wavefront shape will be presented along with discussion on how such knowledge can be used to gain reliable measurements of thickness and surface profile. Our experimental methods will be described with the inclusion of experimental results from a number of different sample thicknesses and materials. In addition, some initial data will be presented to illustrate how the technique can be extended to carry out surface profiling measurements on some etched and periodic structures. Finally some suggestions for future work and optimisation will be made to conclude.

Hot stamping foils are used in the printing industry to achieve metallic effects on packaging, pseudo-holographic images for security applications, and other products. The performance of the foil in the stamping process is in part determined by the thickness of the release coating on the carrier foil. This coating is too thin (approximately 10nm) for successful application of conventional measurement methods. We describe a fluorescence-based optical technique to measure the thickness of this release coating on-line. A fluorescent rhodamine dye added to the release coating allows excitation and detection in the visible part of the spectrum. Multimode optical fibre is used for excitation beam delivery and signal collection from a probe head situated on the coating machine. We outline the system calibration and show some representative results form industrial trials.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.