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Acute cholecystitis can occur both inside and outside hospital settings. However, little is known about the clinical characteristics of hospital-acquired cholecystitis (HAC).To investigate the clinical characteristics of HAC in a tertiary academic hospital.This retrospective cohort study included hospitalized patients who were found to have gallstones without cholecystitis or cholangitis on admission between January 2018 and December 2021. Multi-variate logistic regression analysis was used to make comparisons between patients with and without HAC.In total, 890 patients met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated in this study. Forty-one patients (4.6%) developed HAC during the study period. Multi-variate logistic regression analysis showed that a history of cholecystitis or cholangitis, fasting for ≥1 day, and gallstones in the gallbladder neck were independently associated with increased risk of HAC. HAC occurred most frequently after several weeks of admission, and only four patients (9.8%) had bacteraemia.HAC was relatively common among hospitalized patients. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of HAC in symptomatic hospitalized patients with certain risk factors.

There is a strong need for a non-invasive measurement technique that is capable of accurately identifying the physiological condition change or heterogeneity of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) by localizing the abnormalities within the compartment. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) to assess the interstitial fluid in subcutaneous adipose tissue as an enhancement method of bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS). Here, we demonstrate the preliminary result of EIT with a wearable 16 electrodes sensor. The image-based reference EIT with fat weighted threshold method is proposed. In order to evaluate the performance of our novel method, a physiological swelling experiment is conducted, and Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (MFBIA) is also applied as a comparison with EIT results. The experimental results showed that the proposed method was able to distinguish the physiological swelling condition and effectively to remove the unexpected background noise. Furthermore, the conductivity variation in the subcutaneous layer had a good correlation with extracellular water volume change from MFBIA data; the correlation coefficient R2 = 0.927. It is concluded that the proposed method provides a significant prospect for SAT assessment.

AIM To evaluate the effect of augmented training datasets in a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) used for detecting abnormal chest radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chest radiographs were corrected to conform to a DCNN dataset, with 288 abnormal and 447 normal radiographs. The radiographic images were divided into training and validation sets (441, 60%), and a test set (294, 40%). The training and validation sets were augmented to generate a total of 12,789 training and validation images. The augmentation consisted of operations such as rotation, horizontal and vertical flipping, Gaussian blur, and brightness variation, either alone or combined. The DCNN performed binary classification of the images as being abnormal or normal chest radiographs, and accuracy was used as measure to assess the model performance. RESULTS The accuracy of the DCNN trained with the augmented dataset tended to be higher than that of the DCNN trained with the non-augmented dataset. The augmented datasets combining rotation and horizontal flipping had a high accuracy of 0.91, showing the highest accuracy among the applied augmentation techniques and combinations. CONCLUSION Augmentation of training datasets can improve the performance of DCNN for radiographic image classification depending on the applied augmentation technique.

Enhancing the diversity of the scientific workforce is critical to achieving the mission of NIH: “To seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.” However, specific groups have historically been, and continue to be, underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce, especially academia. Career choice is a multi-factorial process that evolves over time; among all trainees, expressed interest in faculty research careers decreases over time in graduate school, but that trend is amplified in women and members of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (Fuhrmann, Halme, O’Sullivan, & Lindstaedt, 2011; Gibbs, McGready, Bennett, & Griffin, 2014; C. Golde & Dore, 2004; Roach & Sauermann, 2017; Sauermann & Roach, 2012). Neuroscience as a discipline has characteristics that may exacerbate the overall trends seen in the life sciences, such as a greater growth in the number of awarded neuroscience PhDs than in other life sciences fields (US National Science Foundation, 2016b). This work was designed to investigate how career interest changes over time among recent neuroscience PhD graduates, and whether differences in career interests are associated with social identity (i.e. gender and race/ethnicity), experiences in graduate school and postdoctoral training (e.g. relationship with advisor; feelings of belonging), and personal characteristics (e.g. confidence in one’s potential to be an independent researcher). We report results from a survey of 1,479 PhD neuroscientists (including 16% underrepresented (UR) and 54% female scientists). We saw repeated evidence that individual preferences about careers in general, and academic careers specifically, predict current career interest. These statistically significant preferences mostly had medium to low effect size that varied by career type. These findings were mediated by social identity and experiences in graduate school and postdoctoral training. Our findings highlight the important influence of the advisor in shaping a trainee’s career path, and the ways in which academic culture is perceived as unwelcoming or incongruent with the values or priorities of certain groups. For women, issues of work/life balance and structural issues of academia, and for UR women in particular, lower confidence in their ability to be an independent researcher, affected their interest in academia. Both women and UR men in our study report a lower importance of autonomy in their careers. UR respondents report feeling less like they were a part of the social and intellectual community. However, they have formed beneficial relationships with faculty outside their PhD institutions that, particularly for UR women, are associated with increased interest in academia. Our findings suggest several areas for positive growth, ways to change how we think about the impact of mentorship, and policy and programmatic interventions that extend beyond trying to change or “fix” the individual and instead recognize the systemic structures that influence career choices.

Shear failure yield line in Drucker-Prager yield surface for iron powder on different particle size and amount of interparticle lubricant has been estimated. Critical stress state and uniaxial failure stress state have been determined by a single shear test and uniaxial failure test for a green compact. Compaction cap parameter has been estimated by the lateral force measurement test by instrumented die compaction system. By those estimations, materials input parameters for the Drucker-Prager Cap (DPC) model have been determined successfully, and differences in particle size and amount of lubricant can be recognized. Finite element method (FEM) analysis of simple closed-die compaction has been conducted. As a result, the materials input parameters for the DPC model on different powder properties have been successfully identified as the FEM analysis fairly predicts compaction pressure and density distribution on uniaxial compaction.

Treating burn scar contracture remains a challenging problem for reconstructive surgeons. At present, no consensus exists on when to use what kind of technique. Therefore, a systematic review was performed on the effectiveness of the different surgical techniques after burn scar contracture release. Electronic databases were searched using a predefined search strategy. Studies evaluating the outcome of surgical techniques for the treatment of burn scar contractures were included. The methodological quality was tested and the data were summarized. One thousand six hundred fourty-nine papers were identified of which 17 met the inclusion criteria. Three papers reported on a controlled trial, 14 were cohort studies, including 10 of a pre-post operative design and 4 of a comparative design. The papers described outcomes of grafts, flaps with random or defined vascularization, and dermal substitutes. All studies had methodological shortcomings and most used inappropriate statistical methods. The current evidence on the effectiveness of reconstruction techniques for burn scar contractures was summarized. Due to the scarcity and low quality of the included studies, no definitive conclusions could be reached about the effectiveness of different techniques. Therefore, no direct implications for daily practice could be made. However, recommendations could be given for improvement of the quality of further primary research on the effectiveness of surgical treatment strategies for burn scar contracture release.

To examine the diagnostic capabilities of feature-tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance (FT-CMR), tagged cine magnetic resonance (MR), and wall thickening (WT) analyses to detect infarcted segments in patients with established myocardial infarction (MI).Twenty patients with established MI were selected retrospectively and the peak endocardial circumferential strain (CS) was quantified based on the 16-segment model. According to CMR with late gadolinium enhancement, segments were categorised as transmural MI, subendocardial MI, and no MI.A total of 320 segments (62 transmural MI, 50 subendocardial MI, and 208 no MI) were analysed. Peak endocardial CS was significantly lower for transmural MI compared with subendocardial MI (p0.05) and no MI (p0.001). Cut-off values of -11.2% for CS by FTCMR, -10.9% for CS by tagged MR, and 23.8% for %WT, differentiated between infarcted and non-infarcted segments with a sensitivity of 72%, 71%, and 56%; specificity of 71%, 75%, and 67%; accuracy of 72%, 73%, and 63%; positive predictive value of 57%, 60%, and 48%; negative predictive value of 83%, 83%, and 74%; and an area-under-the-curve of 0.77, 0.79, and 0.64, respectively.FT-CMR was diagnostically superior to %WT, and could differentiate between subendocardial and transmural MI. Unlike tagged MR, FT-CMR did not require the acquisition of additional sequences.

The 3-D structure of living organisms is influenced by various physical factors, including gravity, atmospheric pressure, and water pressure. These constant, seemingly unremarkable mechanical forces are in fact essential for forming, maintaining, and changing the dynamic structures and functions of our cells, tissues, and organs. “Mechanobiology” is the study of the molecular cascades and cellular responses that are triggered by mechanical forces. A more comprehensive and improved understanding of mechanobiology may greatly facilitate the development of new therapies that act by controlling mechanical forces and thereby specifically induce desired molecular, cellular, tissue, and/or organ formation, changes, or repair. We have denoted these therapies as “mechanotherapies.”

BACKGROUND: Keloids are pathological scars that arise from a fibroproliferative disorder of the skin, which causes injured skin to undergo abnormal wound healing. Recent studies suggest that keloid scarring may be a "multifactorial disorder" that is driven by various genetic factors along with local mechanophysiological skin factors. Thus, it appears that keloid scarring is a hyperplastic disorder of the skin that is determined by local factors rather than being a neoplasm like benign skin tumors, which can occur all over the body. This paper presents a review of previous papers and proposes new strategies for the prevention and treatment of keloids. METHODS: Review. RESULTS: To prevent the development of keloids, it is important to remove four primary factors that hamper proper wound healing, namely an inadequately moist environment, strong mechanical forces on the wound, foreign body reactions and allergies, and infections. If these factors are allowed to influence a wound, they can cause strong and continuous inflammation that can produce noticeable and/or growing keloids. Keloids can be treated by surgical methods, including tension-reduction sutures, z-plasties, core incision methods, and flap surgery. Adjuvant therapies of surgical or non-surgical therapies include corticosteroid injection, laser therapy (dye or Nd:YAG lasers), cryotherapy, radiotherapy, antitumor/immunosuppressive agents, stabilization/compression therapy, and make-up therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Over the last decade, many high quality studies that address keloid management and treatment have been performed. There is now sufficient evidence-based information for keloid treatment. This is likely to improve significantly as our knowledge of scar biology progresses and new agents to treat keloids are developed.

Propeller flaps feature a highly reliable reconstructive method, based on a perforator vessel. Since their introduction in 1991, a great variety of propeller flaps have been described, according to their shape and their potential of coverage. Indeed, these flaps have progressively been refined and modified, concerning their vascularity and space design. The authors present a classification of propeller flaps. This anatomical classification is necessary to understand the dissection procedure and the differences between the numerous types of propeller flaps nowadays described. It is the international classification, which should be used for the description and conception of these flaps.

A primary filter is often used for low-concentration analysis by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. We determined the material and thickness of the primary filter and calculated the theoretical intensities of the fluorescent X-rays and scattered X-rays using lead in brass, for which the concentration is known. The filter materials were zirconium, nickel, titanium, aluminum, and molybdenum with a thickness between 20 and 125 µm. For verification, we calculated the lower limits of detection using theoretical intensities for several filters and compared them with values calculated using the measured intensities. For example, both values were similar for a 125 µm zirconium filter: 128.0 ppm using theoretical intensities and 147.7 ppm using measured intensities. The theoretical intensity values are obtained by measurements and calculations, but require no primary filters for the measurements. This method is extremely effective for selecting the optimal filter for multiple samples and elements. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In order to investigate how the composition and the pinning affect the behavior of the Hall effect in the mixed state, we measure the Hall resistivity for iron-chalcogenide superconductor FeSe1−x Te x films near the superconducting transition temperature. We observe a sign change of the Hall resistivity in FeSe0.5Te0.5 (x = 0.5) films, but FeSe0.8Te0.2 (x = 0.2) films do not show the sign reversal. Increasing applying current density, the sign change of the Hall resistivity in the film with x = 0.5 disappeared. We evaluated the strength of the pinning in samples from an activation energy and a scaling law, and found that the film with x = 0.5 has the stronger pinning than that of the film with x = 0.2. All of those results suggest that the pinning has related to the Hall resistivity anomaly in Fe chalcogenides.

Cladistic relationships among genera and subtribes of Danaini (the milkweed butterflies) were inferred by analysis of data combined from five sources: morphology of adults and immature stages, and DNA sequences from three gene regions. The results corroborate and greatly increase support for prior hypotheses based on morphology alone. A new index summarizing incongruence among data partitions, the Partition Congruence Proportion (PCP), is introduced. The significance of the inferred pattern of phylogenetic relationships for comparative chemical ecology of milkweed butterflies is briefly discussed.

We propose a revised higher classification for the genera of Hesperiidae (skipper butterflies) of the world. We have augmented our published DNA data matrix with 49 morphological characters in order to infer relationships for taxa not sampled in the molecular study. We use the results of a combined analysis to identify morphological synapomorphies of the suprageneric clades of Hesperiidae, and to hypothesize a phylogenetic classification of the world’s genera of Hesperiidae, the first of its kind for this diverse group. Monophyly of the family Hesperiidae is strongly supported, as are some of the traditionally recognized subfamilies. The results presented here largely corroborate those of our molecular study, but differ in several details. The Australian endemic Euschemon rafflesia is given subfamily status, as is Eudaminae. We recognize seven subfamilies of Hesperiidae: Coeliadinae, Euschemoninae (confirmed status), Eudaminae (new status), Pyrginae, Heteropterinae (confirmed status), Trapezitinae and Hesperiinae. We treat Pyrrhopygini, Tagiadini, Celaenorrhinini, Carcharodini, Achlyodidini, Erynnini and Pyrgini as tribes of Pyrginae. Circumscriptions of Achlyodidini and Pyrgini require further elucidation. Tribes of Hesperiinae include Aeromachini, Baorini, Taractrocerini, Thymelicini, Calpodini (reinstated status), Anthoptini (new tribe), Moncini and Hesperiini. The tribal placement of many Old World hesperiine genera remains ambiguous.

A comprehensive tribal-level classification for the worlds subfamilies of Hesperiidae, the skipper butterflies, is proposed for the first time. Phylogenetic relationships between tribes and subfamilies are inferred using DNA sequence data from three gene regions (cytochrome oxidase subunit I-subunit II, elongation factor-1a and wingless). Monophyly of the family is strongly supported, as are some of the traditionally recognized subfamilies, with the following relationships: (Coeliadinae + (‘‘Pyrginae’’ + (Heteropterinae + (Trapezitinae + Hesperiinae)))). The subfamily Pyrginae of contemporary authors was recovered as a paraphyletic grade of taxa. The formerly recognized subfamily Pyrrhopyginae, although monophyletic, is downgraded to a tribe of the ‘‘Pyrginae’’. The former subfamily Megathyminae is an infra-tribal group of the Hesperiinae. The Australian endemic Euschemon rafflesia is a hesperiid, possibly related to ‘‘Pyrginae’’ (Eudamini). Most of the traditionally recognized groups and subgroups of genera currently employed to partition the subfamilies of the Hesperiidae are not monophyletic. We recognize eight pyrgine and six hesperiine tribes, including the new tribe Moncini. � The Willi Hennig Society 2008.

A new species, Chaoborus sampsera, is described from male and female adults collected from Papua Province in western New Guinea, Indonesia. Based on leg banding, wing pigmentation, and possession of a median paramere sclerite in males, the new species belongs to the Chaoborus “pallidus” group of Colless. Chaoborus sampsera is distinguished from other species of the “pallidus” group by the scimitar-shaped parameres. Although relationships among these Chaoborus species are unclear, there are morphological characters that support the “pallidus” group.

The Pediatric Task Force reviewed all questions submitted by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) member councils in 2010, reviewed all council training materials and resuscitation guidelines and algorithms, and conferred on recent areas of interest and controversy. We identified a few areas where there were key differences in council-specific guidelines based on historical recommendations, such as the A-B-C (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) versus C-A-B (Circulation, Airway, Breathing) sequence of provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), initial back blows versus abdominal thrusts for foreign-body airway obstruction, an upper limit for recommended chest compression rate, and initial defibrillation dose for shockable rhythms (2 versus 4 J/kg). We produced a working list of prioritized questions and topics, which was adjusted with the advent of new research evidence. This led to a prioritized palate of 21 PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) questions for ILCOR task force focus. The 2015 process was supported by information specialists who performed in-depth systematic searches, liaising with pediatric content experts so that the most appropriate terms and outcomes and the most relevant publications were identified. Relevant adult literature was considered (extrapolated) in those PICO questions that overlapped with other task forces, or when there were insufficient pediatric data. In rare circumstances (in the absence of sufficient human data), appropriate animal studies were incorporated into reviews of the literature. However, these data were considered only when higher levels of evidence were not available and the topic was deemed critical. When formulating the PICO questions, the task force felt it important to evaluate patient outcomes that extend beyond return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or discharge from the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). In recognition that the measures must have meaning, not only to clinicians but also to parents and caregivers, longer-term outcomes at 30 …

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Objectives: To characterize glucocorticoid receptor expression in peripheral WBCs of critically ill children using flow cytometry. Design: Prospective observational cohort. Setting: A university-affiliated, tertiary PICU. Patients: Fifty-two critically ill children. Interventions: Samples collected for measurement of glucocorticoid receptor expression and parallel cortisol levels. Measurements and Main Results: Subjects with cardiovascular failure had significantly lower glucocorticoid receptor expression both in CD4 lymphocytes (mean fluorescence intensity, 522 [354–787] vs 830 [511–1,219]; p = 0.036) and CD8 lymphocytes (mean fluorescence intensity, 686 [350–835] vs 946 [558–1,511]; p = 0.019) compared with subjects without cardiovascular failure. Subjects in the upper 50th percentile of Pediatric Risk of Mortality III scores and organ failure also had significantly lower glucocorticoid receptor expression in CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes. There was no linear correlation between cortisol concentrations and glucocorticoid receptor expression. Conclusions: Our study suggests that patients with shock and increased severity of illness have lower glucocorticoid receptor expression in CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes. Glucocorticoid receptor expression does not correlate well with cortisol levels. Future studies could focus on studying glucocorticoid receptor expression variability and isoform distribution in the pediatric critically ill population as well as on different strategies to optimize glucocorticoid response.

This study examined predictions from preschool parenting measures to middle childhood cognitive and socioemotional child outcomes to explore whether parenting assessment methodologies that require more time, training, and expense yield better predictions of child outcomes than less intensive methodologies. Mother-child dyads (N = 278) in low-income African American families were assessed when the child was in preschool, using maternal report, the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment-Short Form (P. Baker & F. Mott, 1989; R. Bradley & B. Caldwell, 1984), and structured observational measures of parenting. Child outcomes reported by children, mothers, teachers, and direct assessment were collected 4 years later. All parenting methodologies showed some predictive value; however, observational parenting measures showed the strongest and most consistent predictions of child outcomes.

The adult male of Dixella humeralis is redescribed and adult female and immature life stages are described for the first time. Originally described from the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, the current range is extended to include the pasture lands of the Dorrigo Plateau. Larval and pupal chaetotaxy are illustrated and their putative homology with the Culicidae is discussed. Adult and larval characters are presented that separate the known endemic Australian Dixella species.

This study examined predictability of observed parent-child interaction from preschool to middle childhood in 283 mother-child dyads. Participants were welfare recipients enrolled in the Observational Study of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program. Structured observational sessions were conducted both at preschool age and middle childhood, and were coded for maternal social behavior, child social behavior, and dyadic interaction. Analyses explored direct relations between the assessments; relations between the assessments with possible third-variable influences, such as maternal literacy, covaried out; and moderated relations. Results indicated that observed mother-child interaction in middle childhood could be significantly predicted from observed interaction 4 years earlier. Risk status moderated the relations such that those families with greater risk factors tended to show more stability, although this stability was, at times, through maintaining suboptimal functioning.

We have studied a measuring method of a critical current (I/sub c/) for NbTi superconducting wires having a Cu matrix and Cu/CuNi matrices. To prevent the wires from prematurely quenching before reaching their I/sub c/, we tried grease impregnations to sample coils. When the NbTi/Cu wire was used for the coil, silicon grease impregnation was enough to fix the wire and to measure the I/sub c/ of the wire. In case that we used the NbTi/Cu/CuNi wire when measuring the I/sub c/, restraint of wire motion by the silicon grease impregnation was insufficient and the sample coil easily quenched before reaching the I/sub c/. Accordingly, the Apiezon/spl reg/ (type: M) grease was used for an impregnation material, and we found the Apiezon grease was effective in fixing the NbTi/Cu/CuNi wire.

Nine analogues of thymic humoral factor (THF)-gamma 2 were prepared by the solid-phase method and their in vitro restoring effect on the impaired blastogenic response of phytohemagglutinin(PHA)-stimulated T-lymphocytes of uremic patients with infectious diseases were examined. The results were as follows: [Arg6]-THF-gamma 2 exhibited higher restoring activity than that of our synthetic THF-gamma 2. [Sar4]-, [Val1]-, [Arg3]-, [Gly5]-, and [Asn3]-THF-gamma 2 were also active, but less potent than that of our synthetic THF-gamma 2. Three other peptides, [beta Ala4]-, [Arg2]-, and [Gln2]-THF-gamma 2, did not show any restoring activity on the impaired blastogenic response of uremic patients with infectious disease.

Double-sheathed Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O x (Bi-2212) multifilamentary wire has proven that overall critical current density and mechanical strength, which meet the requirement of the driven-mode operation of the superconducting magnet of 1 GHz-class nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). For the persistent-current (PC) mode operation, superconducting joint techniques in both cases of oxide–oxide and oxide–NbTi have been developed. It has been clarified that superconducting currents over 300 and 100 A can be transported through the joints, respectively, at 4.2 K in 0 T.

Quench characteristics of NbTi superconducting wires with Cu and CuNi matrices have been experimentally studied to standardize a measuring method of critical current (Ic) for the wires. In the previous work, the superconducting wires frequently quenched caused by abrupt wire motions before reaching their Ic. Hence, we tried to measure Ic under various fixing conditions of the wires (1, 5, and 10 N of winding tensions to the wires, dry windings and impregnation by two types of grease (silicone and Apiezon(R)), non-metallic and metallic sample mandrels). The experimental results showed that 10 N of the winding tension was best in the three tensions, and Apiezon grease impregnation was effective. However, the wire currents in the above conditions did not reach their Ic at low magnetic fields. When the wires were fixed by solder on the metallic mandrels, the wire currents always reached their Ic with no premature quenches due to the wire motions. We obtained a prospect to standardize the measuring method of Ic for the three-component superconducting wires.

To overcome the cross-breeding barriers between the cultivated tomato Lycopersicon esculentum and the 'peruvianum-complex', hybrid production ability (HPA) and pistillate-parental differences were investigated. As a criterion of HPA, the number of germinated ovules per fruit (GPF) was used. GPF was expressed as GPF = OPF × GPO, where OPF is the number of ovules per fruit, and GPO is the proportion of germinated ovules to total ovules obtained. The interspecific crossing between nine varieties and three 'peruvianum-complex' accessions revealed that the cultivars 'Sekaiichi', 'Ponde Rooza' and 'Early Pink' showed quite high and stable GPF over the years, but the cv. 'Best of All' produced no hybrids. Variance analysis for GPF, OPF and GPO, and their correlation with seven sexual organ morphological traits and three fruit morphological traits were performed. These results indicated that choosing both the pistillate parents with wider reproductive organs for high OPF and appropriate environmental conditions for high GPO might be significant for enhancing GPF in interspecific crossing.

Thrombotic microangiopathy is a well-known heterogeneous disorder that occurs as a complication of allogenic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We evaluated 12 consecutive patients receiving HLA-matched unrelated BMT and 12 consecutive recipients of HLA-identical related BMT for the development of bone marrow transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (BMT-TM) on days 30 and 60 following BMT. A diagnosis was made in four of 12 (33.3%) unrelated compared to none of 12 (0%) HLA-identical cases. Levels of serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), fibrin degraded products (FDP) and de novo thrombocytopenia were elevated in eight of 12 patients (66.7%) receiving unrelated donor BMT, and none of the patients receiving related donor BMT. Our findings suggest clinical or subclinical microangiopathic changes may occur frequently in unrelated donor BMT. FDP elevation is possibly an important marker of microangiopathic changes as early complications of BMT.

Dissociative behaviors and their relation to both the self and self-organization were examined using the developmental psychopathology perspective in a prospective longitudinal study of high-risk children. Participants were 168 young adults (n = 79 females, n = 89 males, age = 18–19 years) considered high-risk for poor developmental outcomes at birth due to poverty. The present study investigated whether trauma, sense of self, quality of early mother–child relationship, temperament, and intelligence were related to dissociative symptomatology measured at four times across 19 years. Findings were (a) age of onset, chronicity and severity of trauma were highly correlated and predicted level of dissociation; (b) both the avoidant and disorganized patterns of attachment were strong predictors of dissociation; (c) dissociation in childhood may be a more normative response to disruption and stress, while dissociation in adolescence and young adulthood may be more indicative of psychopathology; (d) preliminary support was found for a model proposed by G. Liotti that links disorganized attachment, later trauma, and dissociation in adulthood; and (e) strong support was found for N. Waller, F. W. Putnam, and E. B. Carlson's contention that psychopathological dissociation should not be viewed as the top end of a continuum of dissociative symptomatology, but as a separate taxon that represents an extreme deviation from normal development.

Forty-one adolescents ages 15-16, a subset of participants from an ongoing longitudinal study, were observed and interviewed during a 2-day-long camp reunion. Early attachment information was available for all participants. Counselors rated them on several personal and interpersonal characteristics after the reunion, including social competence. The participants were also interviewed regarding their experience and their thoughts about friendships and romantic interests of themselves and other campers. The interviews were coded for the extent to which the adolescent was willing to discuss people and relationships during the interview and the degree to which the participants were aware of the patterns of interaction in the social network around them. Results show that concurrent interest in relationships is a stronger predictor of social competence for participants with anxious histories, although participants with secure histories are more socially competent overall. This may indicate that participants wit...

(1997). Adult Attachment: Implications for the Therapeutic Process in a Home Visitation Intervention. Applied Developmental Science: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 43-52.

We successfully detected the oxyradical production in human synovial A (macrophage-like) and B (fibroblast-like) cells by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) using the luminol-chemiluminescence method. The PMA (0.1 microgram/ml)-induced photon generation was abolished by an O2- scavenger, superoxide dismutase, and an H2O2 scavenger, catalase, suggesting that the stimulus produced oxyradicals in synovial cells. Both of these responses were abolished by a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, calphostine C, but unaffected by an intracellular Ca2+ chelator, BAPTA-AM, and Ca2+ removal from the extracellular medium. These findings suggest that synovial A and B cells produce oxyradicals through PKC-mediated and [Ca2+]i-independent mechanisms, probably through the activation of NADPH oxidase.

After the skin is injured, the healing process usually leaves a flat scar. Keloid is a special type of scar that develops on the wound and has a pink or purple colour. Keloids are irregularly shape...