bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epistemologia da comunicação intersubjetiva: aproximações sociológicas, filosóficas e interdisciplinares
Authors: García Marta Rizo
Published: May 2017

The text presents a map of authors and prospects for an intersubjective communication approach. Antecedents are in discussions developed within the research group “intersubjectivecommunication” of the Mexican Association of Communication Researchers (AMIC). Initially these pages offered some elements to understand the basic differences between interpersonal communication and intersubjective communication. Subsequently,the text presents some authors – from sociology (Mead, Schütz, Sennett and Collins) and philosophy (Heidegger, Habermas and Onfray) – for addressing intersubjective communication; and we added two more authors, whose production is, in our view, eminently interdisciplinary (Elias and Maturana).
Audiovisual industry and the structural factors of the television crisis
Authors: Richeri Giuseppe
Published: May 2017

This article analyzes the current state of traditional television financing resources, detecting a critical situation in its three main sources (advertising, signatures and service charges). Next, it discusses the most dynamic part of the television sector: Video on Demand (VoD) and Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) services, which could generate new resources for audiovisual production. However, the analysis of the catalogs of these services shows a low supply of European films compared to the United States. Thus, as on other occasions, the development of new television services and new business models could be a missed opportunity for the European audiovisual industry.
Imagens do passado e do futuro: o papel da fotografia entre memória e projeção
Authors: Martins Portanova Barros Ana Taís
Published: May 2017

The theme of this article is the issue of memory related to photography and its possible alterations due to an exponential increase in the production and sharing of images. Startingoff from both a philosophy of photography (Barthes, Virilio, Flusser) and a philosophy of images and the imaginary (Belting, Bachelard, Durand, Eliade, Merleau-Ponty), we problematize memory as a carrier of the past in a context of ephemerality of the now and dissolution of the stability of categories such as time and space. We propose the idea of memory as anticipation more than recollection. The conclusion is that the part of photography, despite its dematerialization and detemporization, is intact for the anticipatory memory, which updates the mythical past in order to respond to a desire for what is coming.
Perfis de ouvintes: perspectivas e desafios no panorama radiofônico
Authors: Bianchi Graziela Soares , De Quadros Cláudia Irene , Bespalhok Flávia Bazan , Kaseker Mônica
Published: May 2017

The main purpose of this paper is to consider possible radio listeners’ profiles that can be used in a converging communication context. Based on literature review, we observe listeners’ role, as well as communication exchanges over radio’s history, and we think over reception in the age of convergence. We work with the habitus concept, according to Pierre Bourdieu and Norbert Elias, to analyze listeners and their relations towards radio. We also rely on Reception and on Digital Communication Studies to complement the theoretical discussion. Eight listeners categories have been created to understand these types of action regarding conventional and expanded radio.
Facilitating the Musician's Engagement with New Musical Interfaces: Counteractions in Music Performance
Authors: Tahiroğlu Koray , Vasquez Juan Carlos , Kildal Johan
Published: May 2017

The level of engagement of a musician performing on an instrument is related to the degree of satisfaction derived from that activity. With our work, we aim to assist musicians performing live on a new musical instrument, Network of Interactive Sonic Agents (NOISA), by helping them maintain or increase their level of engagement with the activity. The NOISA system can learn from performers through observation and estimate their engagement level in real time. The new response module, which includes new sound design, comparison of gestures, and audio-analysis features, can also decide what action to take, and when to implement it, to help the performer recover from lowering engagement levels. We report on a formative user study that evaluates the impact of this response module.
Real-Time Timbre Classification for Tabletop Hand Drumming
Authors: Jathal Kunal
Published: May 2017

The plethora of electronic drum controllers on the market today are designed for “location-oriented” striking techniques, resulting in an interaction paradigm for finger drumming that is increasingly “controllerist.” Interfaces such as these use the controller in the manner of a musical instrument rather than a simple mixer. The minority of controllers that allow hand-drumming techniques also either conform to region-based triggering design, or, in a trade-off for expressivity, skip out on hardware connectivity options that are vital to the context of the electronic rhythm producer. This article describes the design and implementation of HandSolo, a real-time, timbre-classification drum controller that allows the use of natural hand-drumming strokes, while offering the same end-goal functionality that drum controller users have come to familiarize themselves with over the past decade.
Paso Libre: Border Enactment, Infrastructure, and Crisis Resolution at the Port of Laredo 1954–1957
Authors: Peña Elaine A.
Published: May 2017

In 1954, Hurricane Alice destroyed the International Bridge at Laredo, Texas (USA) and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (Mexico). Eager to protect trade, the Mexican federal government and the City of Laredo rushed to rebuild but right-to-toll disagreements stalled construction. Laredo officials used the long-standing tradition of George Washington’s birthday celebration and the paso libre enacted for the festivities to resolve the crisis. Mexican citizens crossed the bridge without documentation during the festivities for almost 20 years.
Choreographing Freedom: Mass Performance in the Festivals of the French Revolution
Authors: Jannarone Kimberly
Published: May 2017

The French Revolution generated four large-scale festivals in Paris from 1790 to 1794. The festival project housed a foundational and ultimately insurmountable tension: liberty was to be established through a manipulation of people’s natural free will by means of their leaders’ methodical organization. How do you orchestrate fraternal attachment without imprisoning the participants in new rules? How do you, in short, choreograph freedom?
Joël Pommerat Stages the French Revolution: Ça ira: Fin de Louis, I
Authors: Biet Christian , Miller Judith
Published: May 2017

Joël Pommerat created and staged with his Company Louis Brouillard a version of the onset of the French Revolution. Ça ira: La Fin de Louis focuses on the formation of a National Assembly by recreating debates from within the audience’s space. The energetic production, like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, foregrounds possibilities rather than lamenting dead ends. Any resemblance to today’s political scene is, of course, intentional.
“Madness Is Contagious”: Language and Violence in the Goodman Theatre’s 2666
Authors: Hilton Leon J. , Ramos Iván A.
Published: May 2017

A marathon adaptation of Roberto Bolaño’s epic novel 2666 at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre revealed how the act of artistic creation has become implicated in the global machinery of political violence. Repeated throughout the five-hour play, the refrain “madness is contagious” seems to permeate 2666 like the stench of a body left to decompose on the side of a road.
Theolatry and the Making-Present of the Nonrepresentable
Authors: Wolfson Elliot R.
Published: May 2017

In this essay, I place Buber’s thought in dialogue with Eckhart. Each understood that the theopoetic propensity to imagine the transcendent in images is no more than a projection of our will to impute form to the formless. The presence of God is made present through imaging the real, but imaging the real implies that the nonrepresentable presence can only be made present through the absence of representation. The goal of the journey is to venture beyond the Godhead in light of which all personalistic depictions of the divine person are rendered idolatrous. Perhaps this is the most important implication of Eckhart’s impact on Buber, an insight that may still have theopolitical implications in a world where too often personifications of the God beyond personification are worshipped at the expense of losing contact with an absolute person that cannot be personified absolutely.
Ancient Greco-Roman Magic and the Agency of Victimhood
Authors: Eidinow Esther
Published: May 2017

Scholarship on ancient Greco-Roman magic over time and place, has largely focused on the role and identity of ritual practitioners, investigating the nature and source of their perceived expertise and often locating it in their linguistic skills. Less attention has been paid to those identified as the targets of magical rituals, who tend to be described as passive recipients of the ritual or victims of the social power of another. In contrast, drawing on the theory of ritual form developed by Robert McCauley and E. Thomas Lawson, alongside the ritualization theories of Catherine Bell, this article argues that victims of magic were also agents of ritual. Focusing on an experience of hostile magic reported by the fourth-centuryc.e.orator Libanius, it explores how conceptions of magical power were co-created by spell-makersandtheir so-called victims and should be regarded as relational, that is, as emerging from the interactions of people and groups.
New insights into Plectospira genus (Oomycetes, Straminipila): morphological and molecular analyses
Authors: HENRIQUE JERÔNIMO GUSTAVO , JESUS ANA L. , ROCHA SARAH C.O. , GONÇALVES DANILO R. , PIRES-ZOTTARELLI CARMEN L.A.
Published: May 2017

We analyzed the morphology and phylogenetic placement of three isolates of Plectospira belonging to Plectospira gemmifera and P. myriandra that were isolated from soil, water bodies and reservoir sediment. The molecular data are from the partial large subunit and the complete internal transcribed regions of the ribosomal DNA. The genus is characterized by the presence of lobulated zoosporangia and mode of zoospore discharge forming an evanescent cluster in the exit orifice. Our isolates clustered together with the single isolate of the genus available in GenBank, however, our phylogenetic analysis and morphological characterization showed that the isolate identified as Plectospira myriandra CBS 523.87 is possibly another taxon. In addition, P. gemmifera is recorded for the first time in Brazil and its sequences were inserted for the first time in a phylogenetic reconstruction.
An old familiar face: Tremella anaptychiae sp. nov. (Tremellales, Basidiomycota)
Authors: ZAMORA JUAN CARLOS , DIEDERICH PAUL , MILLANES ANA M. , WEDIN MATS
Published: May 2017

Tremella anaptychiae, a lichenicolous fungus growing on Anaptychia ciliaris, is described as new. Both morphological and molecular data (DNA sequences from the ITS and 28S regions) are used to characterize and distinguish it from other Tremella s. l. species. Tremella anaptychiae is closely related to T. parmeliarum but comparatively distantly related to other previously recognized lichenicolous species groups.
Ophiorrhiza meghalayensis (Rubiaceae: Ophiorrhizeae), a new species from Meghalaya, North-East India
Authors: HAREESH VADAKKOOT SANKARAN , LEI WU , JOE ALFRED , SABU MAMIYIL
Published: May 2017

A new species of Rubiaceae, Ophiorrhiza meghalayensis Hareesh, A.Joe, M.Sabu & L.Wu is described from Meghalaya, North-East India. This species is allied to Ophiorrhiza caudipetala Deb & Mondal and O. hirsutula Wight ex Hooker but can be distinguished from the latter by its triangular calyx lobes, corolla without villous ring within and deeply keeled corolla lobes. Detailed description, distribution, ecology, phenology and relevant taxonomic notes are provided along with colour photographs.
Two new species of the subgenus Brachyphytodecta Bechyně, 1948 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Gonioctena) from Sichuan, Southwest China
Authors: CHO HEE-WOOK
Published: May 2017

Two new species, Gonioctena (Brachyphytodecta) davidi sp. nov. and G. (B.) kangdingensis sp. nov., are described from Sichuan, China. Both are easily distinguished from other species by the presence of many micro-denticles on apicolateral surface of aedeagus, which is a unique character in the genus Gonioctena Chevrolat, 1836. A distribution map, photographs and diagnostic characters with illustrations of each species are included.
A new species of Cornutalis Sakakibara (Membracidae: Smiliinae: Acutalini) from Colombia
Authors: FLÓREZ-V CAMILO
Published: May 2017

The genus Cornutalis Sakakibara currently includes two valid species, Cornutalis cauca Sakakibara, 1997 (from Colombia) and C. valida Sakakibara, 1997 (from Ecuador). Herein, a new species, Cornutalis andinum sp. n., is described from the highlands in Colombia; additionally, a host plant is recorded for the first time for the genus. Also, a distribution map, a key to the species, and observations on the location and preservation state of type-specimens are included.
Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Evaluation of Chlorobutanol, Potassium Carbonate, and Irrigation in Cerumen Removal
Authors: Caballero Miguel , Navarrete Pilar , Prades Eduard , Domenech Juan , Bernal-Sprekelsen Manuel
Published: May 2017

Objectives

We evaluated the efficacy over a short period of time of two ceruminolytic products, Otocerum (chlorobutanol, phenol, turpentine essence, ethyl alcohol; Reig Jofre Laboratories, Barcelona, Spain) and Taponoto (potassium carbonate, ethyl alcohol, glycerol, thymol; Teofarma Iberica SA, Barcelona), in adult subjects with complete occlusion of the ear canal due to cerumen.

Methods

Ninety subjects with complete occlusion of the ear canal were enrolled in a randomized, subject- and observer-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three different treatments: Otocerum, Taponoto, or sterile saline solution (control group). The test medication was instilled into an occluded ear for 15 minutes. After this treatment, the subject's ear was irrigated with 50 mL of water. The main outcome was the proportion of tympanic membranes completely visualized after treatment.

Results

One subject among the 90 enrolled did not accept a second ear irrigation and was excluded from the study. Neither Otocerum nor Taponoto was superior to saline solution. Cerumen occlusion resolved in 21 of 32 subjects treated with Otocerum (65.6%), 16 of 29 treated with Taponoto (55.2%), and 12 of 28 treated with saline solution (42.9%).

Conclusions

The use of Taponoto or Otocerum did not significantly improve the proportion of tympanic membranes that were completely visualized compared with saline solution when they were instilled 15 minutes before ear irrigation.
Biosimulation of Inflammation and Healing in Surgically Injured Vocal Folds
Authors: Li Nicole Y. K. , Vodovotz Yoram , Hebda Patricia A. , Verdolini Abbott Katherine
Published: May 2017

Objectives

The pathogenesis of vocal fold scarring is complex and remains to be deciphered. The current study is part of research endeavors aimed at applying systems biology approaches to address the complex biological processes involved in the pathogenesis of vocal fold scarring and other lesions affecting the larynx.

Methods

We developed a computational agent-based model (ABM) to quantitatively characterize multiple cellular and molecular interactions involved in inflammation and healing in vocal fold mucosa after surgical trauma. The ABM was calibrated with empirical data on inflammatory mediators (eg, tumor necrosis factor) and extracellular matrix components (eg, hyaluronan) from published studies on surgical vocal fold injury in the rat population.

Results

The simulation results reproduced and predicted trajectories seen in the empirical data from the animals. Moreover, the ABM studies suggested that hyaluronan fragments might be the clinical surrogate of tissue damage, a key variable that in these simulations both is enhanced by and further induces inflammation.

Conclusions

A relatively simple ABM such as the one reported in this study can provide new understanding of laryngeal wound healing and generate working hypotheses for further wet-lab studies.
Normalization of Temporal Aspects of Swallowing Physiology after the McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program
Authors: Lan Yue , Ohkubo Mai , Berretin-Felix Giédre , Carnaby-Mann Giselle D. , Crary Michael A.
Published: May 2017

Objectives

We examined the timing of physiological swallowing events in patients before and after completion of an exercise-based dysphagia intervention (McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program; MDTP) and compared their performance to that of healthy volunteers.

Methods

Eight adults (mean age, 57.5 years) with chronic dysphagia (mean, 45 months) completed 3 weeks of the MDTP. Before and after the MDTP we measured lingual-palatal and pharyngeal manometric pressures during swallows of thin liquid, thick liquid, and pudding material in 5-mL volumes. Using the pressure peak of the pharyngoesophageal segment clearing wave as the anchor point, we measured the relative timing of pressure peaks from the anterior, middle, and posterior parts of the tongue and the manometric peaks from the base of the tongue, the hypopharynx, and the nadir of the pharyngoesophageal segment. We compared these results to identical measures obtained from 34 healthy adults (mean age, 44.0 years).

Results

The timing of physiological events before the MDTP was significantly slower than that of the group of healthy volunteers. The timing data from after the MDTP were not significantly different from those of the healthy group. The magnitude change was greatest for thin liquid.

Conclusions

Dysphagia therapy with the MDTP improves the timing of physiological events during swallowing. Temporal coordination of swallowing components after therapy approximates that of healthy adults, suggesting a normalization of swallow timing after the MDTP.
Specific Learning Disability and Response to Intervention: State-Level Guidance
Authors: Hauerwas Laura Boynton , Brown Rachel , Scott Amy N.
Published: May 2017

This study investigates how state departments of education are defining response to intervention (RTI) assessment processes as they relate to specific learning disability (SLD) eligibility 5 years after the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2006 regulations were published. A qualitative research design of directed content analysis was used to examine each state's regulatory criteria for SLD and state guidance documents on the use of RTI for SLD identification. Best practices were identified in three areas: (a) frequency of data collection, (b) criteria for responsiveness, and (c) multidimensional assessment. Results showed no national consensus for how multidisciplinary teams should use RTI data as part of SLD identification. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.
Critical Issues in Advancing the Special Education Technology Evidence Base
Authors: Edyburn Dave L.
Published: May 2017

The field of special education technology is devoted to a variety of activities that ultimately serve to augment, bypass, or compensate for a disability. Much like a kaleidoscope, perceptions of the field may be viewed through the reflection of multiple lenses. The three lenses of innovation, policy, and theory provide a mechanism for filtering, viewing, and using the special education technology research and practice knowledge base. This article examines characteristics of the emerging special education technology knowledge base when viewed through each of the three lenses. The intent is to provide readers with an analysis of qualities found in the emerging special education knowledge base in order to highlight critical issues needed to advance the evidence base of the field through future research, theory, development, policy, and practice.
A Test of Randomness for Finite Spatial Distributions
Authors: O'brien Frank
Published: May 2017

A statistical method is presented for determining randomness of points spatially distributed in two-dimensional space. The procedure is based on a distance-to-particle (nearest neighbor) model derived from an elementary Poisson process. In a previous derivation of the method, an extension to the model was proposed and used without adequate empirical justification. Herein the test is derived in detail and its performance evaluated with Monte Carlo simulations. Results indicate that the model extension provides adequate representations when the null hypothesis is true.
One-Legged Balance Test Times
Authors: Bohannon Richard W.
Published: May 2017

Means and ranges of single-leg balance times for 8 studies of men and women from 50 to 90 years of age are generally consistent, except the 50- to 59-yr.-old men's mean from the Rudisill and Toole study.
Contextual Interference Effects with Skilled Baseball Players
Authors: Hall Kellie Green , Domingues Derek A. , Cavazos Richard
Published: May 2017

The learning benefits of contextual interference have been frequently demonstrated in different settings using novice learners. The purpose of the present study was to test such effects with skilled athletic performers. Scheduling differences for biweekly additional (“extra”) batting-practice sessions of a collegiate baseball team were examined. 30 players (ns = 10) were blocked on skill and then randomly assigned to one of three groups. The random and blocked groups received 2 additional batting-practice sessions each week for 6 wk. (12 sessions), while the control group received no additional practice. The extra sessions consisted of 45 pitches, 15 fastballs, 15 curve-balls, and 15 change-up pitches. The random group received these pitches in a random order, while the blocked group received all 15 of one type, then 15 of the next type, and finally 15 of the last type of pitch in a blocked fashion. All subjects received a pretest of 45 randomly presented pitches of the three varieties. After 6 wk. of extra batting practice, all subjects received two transfer tests, each of 45 trials; one was presented randomly and one blocked. The transfer tests were counterbalanced across subjects. Pretest analysis showed no significant differences among groups. On both the random and blocked transfer tests, however, the random group performed with reliably higher scores than the blocked group, who performed better than the control group. When comparing the pretest to the random transfer test, the random group improved 56.7%, the blocked group 24.8%, and the control group only 6.2%. These findings demonstrate the contextual interference effect to be robust and beneficial even to skilled learners in a complex sport setting.
Effect of Testing Procedure on Corsi's Block-Tapping Task in Normal Subjects and Alzheimer-Type Dementia
Authors: Trojano L. , Chiacchio L. , De Luca G. , Fragassi N. A. , Grossi D.
Published: May 2017

Corsi's block-tapping task was given to 30 normal subjects and 38 Alzheimer-type demented patients following two different procedures. The first is the most widely standardized (scoring criterion: 3 correct reproductions out of 5 sequences), while the second is more lenient since it does not require subjects to replicate a certain performance three times. Demented patients' scores were lower than those of controls in both conditions, and scores on the two tasks were significantly correlated for patients and controls. However, the requirement of replicating the visuospatial memory performances was more detrimental for demented patients than for controls so the two procedures cannot be considered equivalent.
The Sensed Presence as Right Hemispheric Intrusions into the Left Hemispheric Awareness of Self: An Illustrative Case Study
Authors: Persinger Michael A. , Bureau Yves R. J. , Peredery Oksana P. , Richards Pauline M.
Published: May 2017

The hypothesis of vectorial hemisphericity predicts that left hemispheric intrusions of the right hemispheric equivalent of the sense of self should be associated with the experience of a “presence” of someone else. The neurophenomenological profile of a woman whose medical history satisfied these theoretical criteria (verified electrical anomalies that could encourage phasic discharges within the right temporal lobe and atrophy within the left temporoparietal region) is presented. In addition to interactions between electrical seizures and thinking, she reported a long history of sensed presences, ego-alien intrusions, and “sudden knowing of the subsequent sequences of seizures” before they occurred clinically. The existence of these neurocognitive processes demands a reevaluation of the psychiatric default explanations of “hysteria” and questions the belief that “awareness during seizures” or “premonition of subsequent somatosensory experience” contraindicates an epileptic process.
Intraluminal Stenting in the Management of Adhesional Intestinal Obstruction
Authors: Defriend D J , Klimack O E , Humphrey C S , Schraibman I G
Published: May 2017

Intraluminal stenting of the small bowel has been advocated as a method of reducing the risk of recurrent adhesional obstruction in patients requiring adhesolysis. We reviewed the complications and efficacy of this technique in 25 patients undergoing surgery for relief of intestinal obstruction due to complex, extensive and dense adhesions.

Five patients developed minor and three patients major complications. Three (13%) of 23 patients alive after mean follow-up of 4 years had had episodes of recurrent intestinal obstruction, but none had required reoperation.

Intraluminal stenting remains of unproven efficacy. It may find a place as an adjunct to adhesolysis in patients requiring repeated operations for the relief of obstruction due to extensive and dense adhesions; but, in view of the high rate of complications, careful case selection will be necessary.
First Two Years of a Follow-up Breast Clinic Led by a Nurse Practitioner
Authors: Earnshaw J J , Stephenson Y
Published: May 2017

After special training a nurse practitioner ran an independent clinic for follow-up patients with breast disease. All patients referred to a single surgical firm with breast cancer and most patients with benign disease who required follow-up were included.

In the first 2 years of the service 382 clinic visits were recorded (median 5/clinic, range 1–12). The nurse practitioner reviewed 236 (62%) patients alone but involved the consultant surgeon in the remainder. No significant lesion was missed in these patients.

The nurse-led clinic is popular with patients and, subject to careful supervision, offers an attractive option for follow-up of patients with breast disease.
Exacerbation of Atopic Dermatitis after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination
Authors: Dalton S J , Haeney M R , Patel Leena , David T J
Published: May 2017

In two children with atopic dermatitis, routine vaccination with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) was followed by severe exacerbation of skin disease. If the sequence is cause and effect, a possible mechanism is stimulation of a Th2 lymphocyte cytokine profile by the vaccine, with migration of activated lymphocytes to inflamed skin. In children with active atopic dermatitis, BCG vaccination is best deferred until remission.
Dwarfism and gigantism in historical picture postcards
Authors: Enderle A
Published: May 2017

A collection of 893 historical picture postcards from 1900 to 1935, depicting dwarfs and giants, was analysed from medical and psychosocial viewpoints. In conditions such as ‘bird headed dwarfism’, achondroplasia, cretinism, so-called Aztecs or pinheads, Grebe chondrodysplasia, and acromegalic gigantism, the disorder could be diagnosed easily. In hypopituitary dwarfism, exact diagnosis was more difficult because of heterogeneity. The most common conditions depicted were pituitary dwarfism and achondroplasia. Most of those with gigantism had pituitary gigantism and acromegaly. Brothers and sisters or parents and their children provided evidence of mendelian inheritance of some of these disorders. The cards suggest that being put on show provided, at least in some cases, social benefits.
The long-term course of mastalgia
Authors: Davies E L , Gateley C A , Miers M , Mansel R E
Published: May 2017

Mastalgia is a common condition in women of reproductive years. We have assessed the long-term course in patients with severe mastalgia by distributing a postal questionnaire to 212 patients previously studied in 1983 who had attended the mastalgia clinic at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

175 patients (83%) responded, with an original diagnosis of cyclical mastalgia (CM) in 120 and non-cyclical mastalgia (NCM) in 55. The median age of onset of breast pain was 36 years (range 12–63 years). The average duration of pain was long (median 12 years), especially if it started in the second or third decade of life. Pain persisted in 68 (57%) of CM and 35 (64%) of NCM patients. In CM patients resolution was commonly associated with a ‘hormonal' event, notably the menopause; in NCM patients it more often seemed to be spontaneous. Severe mastalgia ran a chronic relapsing course often requiring repeated drug treatments.
Vitamin B status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
Authors: Heap L C , Peters T J , Wessely S
Published: May 2017

Some patients with chronic fatigue syndrome say they benefit from taking vitamin supplements. We assessed functional status for the B vitamins pyridoxine, riboflavin and thiamine in 12 vitamin-untreated CFS patients and in 18 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Vitamin-dependent activities—aspartate aminotransferase (AST) for pyridoxine, glutathione reductase (GTR) for riboflavin, transketolase (TK) for thiamine—were measured in erythrocyte haemolysates before and after in-vitro addition of the relevant vitamin.

For all three enzymes basal activity (U/g Hb) was lower in CFS patients than in controls: AST 2.84 (SD0.62) vs 4.61 (1.43), P<0.001; GTR 6.13 (1.89) vs 7.42 (1.25), P<0.04; TK 0.50 (0.13) vs 0.60 (0.07), P<0.04. This was also true of activated values: AST 4.91 (0.54) vs 7.89 (2.11), P<0.001; GTR 8.29 (1.60) vs 10.0 (1.80), P<0.001; TK0.56 (0.19) vs 0.66 (0.08), P<0.07. The activation ratios, however, did not differ between the groups.

These data provide preliminary evidence of reduced functional B vitamin status, particularly of pyridoxine, in CFS patients.
Switching to statins: a challenge for primary care
Authors: Fisher N G , Marshall A J , Went J
Published: May 2017

In 1997, doctors in England received official guidelines on the use of statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitors) for primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). Six months later we determined the status of patients who had been discharged from a specialist lipid clinic in 1989. 195 patients received questionnaires, with the consent of their general practitioners, regarding morbidity in the subsequent decade and present medication, and were asked to have their cholesterol checked. Analysis was confined to the 86 with a current cholesterol measurement.

Of 61 patients who had been discharged on a regimen of dietary advice and/or medication for primary prevention of CHD, 8 had been changed to a statin and 6 had been started on one. According to the new guidelines, none of these qualified for treatment. Of 25 patients who had been discharged on drugs for secondary prevention, all qualified for a statin but only 14 were receiving one—in 6 cases without achieving the recommended reductions in cholesterol.

In many of the patients reviewed, treatment had not been altered to conform with the new guidelines. If hyperlipidaemic patients are to benefit promptly from advances in treatment, one solution might be a central registry that arranged regular tests and reported back to general practitioners. However, since many patients at risk do not have very high cholesterol levels, a coordinated approach to CHD risk factors would be preferable.
Congenital Vascular Malformations: General Diagnostic Principles
Authors: Lee B B , Laredo J , Lee S J , Huh S H , Joe J H , Neville R
Published: May 2017

Venous malformation (VM) is the most common congenital vascular malformation (CVM), which usually presents as a single lesion in the majority of cases. It also presents as a mixed lesion combined with other CVMs (e.g. lymphatic malformation and arteriovenous malformation [AVM]). Therefore, the diagnosis of VM should include an appropriate work-up, to not only confirm and characterize the VM as either extratruncular or truncular but also to diagnose or exclude the presence of other CVMs. The diagnosis of VM can be made safely using non-invasive to minimally invasive studies, which can also distinguish VM from infantile haemangioma. Invasive studies, such as venography and arteriography, are generally reserved for therapeutic planning and diagnosis of more virulent CVMs (e.g. AVM). The work-up of VM should include a complete assessment of the extent and severity of the primary VM lesion. In addition, its embryologic origin, as well as its haemodynamic characteristics and secondary effects should also be determined.
Methodologies for Interpretation of Short-Term Test Results which may Allow Reduction in the use of Animals in Carcinogenicity Testing
Authors: Ennever Fanny K. , Rosenkranz Herbert S.
Published: May 2017

Assessment of the risk to humans posed by chemical substances currently relies primarily on experimental exposure of animals in lifetime feeding studies. Short-term tests for genotoxicity are much less costly and use fewer or no animals, but have not replaced the long-term animal bioassay because their results do not coincide completely. We have developed methodologies for interpretation of short-term tests which improve the usefulness of their results, and may allow them to replace the long-term animal bioassay in some circumstances.
Detection of Chemically Induced Aneuploidy by the Vicia Faba Root Tip Assay
Authors: Sandhu Shahbeg S. , Acedo Georgia N.
Published: May 2017

Six chemicals selected for their ability to induce aneuploidy in short-term bioassays were tested for their aneuploidy-inducing potential in the Vicia faba root assay system. Para-fluorophenylalanine, griseofulvin, maleic hydrazide, lithium chloride, and cyclophosphamide all induced significant levels of hyperdiploidy in V. faba root tip cells. Lithium chloride and sodium azide were negative for hyperdiploidy induction. In addition to the numerical loss or gain in chromosome number, the chemicals induced other specific chromosomal effects, possibly indicating different mechanisms by which these chemicals bring about genomic imbalance. Judging from the lowest effective aneuploidy-inducing dose of each chemical, the V. faba root tip assay system appears to be a sensitive and promising tool for evaluating the potential of chemicals to induce aneuploidy.
Promotion of Peripheral Axonopathies by Certain Esterase Inhibitors
Authors: Moretto Angelo , Lotti Marcello
Published: May 2017

Certain esterase inhibitors were found to exacerbate the clinical signs of polyneuropathy caused by various neurotoxic compounds and to delay the recovery from nerve crush. This phenomenon is referred to as promotion of axonopathies. The molecular target of promotion has not yet been identified. However, all known promoters are also inhibitors of neuropathy target esterase (NTE), the putative target of organophosphate neuropathy, but it has been shown that the target of promotion is unlikely to be NTE. Available data suggest that promoters might affect a target and a mechanism present in the nervous system that is not activated by axonal lesions. Promotion may be important to understand the physiological mechanism of nerve damage and repair. This finding also implies a changing perspective for the risk assessment of exposures to esterase inhibitors, some of which are used as pesticides and might be promoters.
Neurospect in Neurotoxic Chemical Exposure Demonstration of Long-Term Functional Abnormalities
Authors: Heuser Gunnar , Mena Ismael
Published: May 2017

Patients who had experienced well-documented neurotoxic exposure months or years earlier were evaluated. Seventy-two right-handed adults who claimed continuing abnormalities of cognitive and memory function were examined after Xenon-133 inhalation and i.v. HMPAO. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) results were statistically compared with age-matched controls. Bilateral, often asymmetrical, impairment of perfusion was found, mostly in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. This hypoperfusion was predominantly left-sided in young patients and predominantly right-sided in the elderly. Abnormalities were found months and years after neurotoxic exposure had ceased. Our findings suggest that NeuroSPECT can provide evidence of impaired cerebral function and may therefore help to further define neurotoxic exposure and its chronic effects.
Bending fatigue design of case-hardened gears based on test specimens
Authors: Meneghetti Giovanni , Dengo Carlo , Lo Conte Fulvio
Published: May 2017

Different design methods against bending fatigue are reported in ISO 6336 standard. The standard suggests primarily the method based on reference test gears and provides the relevant fatigue curves. Additionally, the standard suggests the use of specimens (instead of gears) to generate the reference fatigue curves, but it also advices that specimen-based methods can be used when gears are not available and that specimens are particularly useful for comparing fatigue performances of gear materials relative to one another. The purpose of the present paper is to evaluate the accuracy of the specimen-based methods mentioned in the ISO standard when applied to design gears against bending fatigue. Experimental data were generated by means of pulsator fatigue tests on case-hardened gears used in off-highway vehicles. Afterwards, experimental results were compared with theoretical estimations according to the approaches based on reference test gears (as suggested by the ISO standard) and test specimens. Concerning the latter approach, the relevant fatigue design curves were generated by testing smooth as well as notched specimens made of the same case-hardened gear steel. It was found that the specimens-based methods are as accurate as the reference gears-based method, provided that the material notch sensitivity factor is properly calibrated on the experimental results obtained from specimens.
Fatigue limits of titanium-bar joints made with the laser and the electric resistance welding techniques: microstructural characterization and hardness properties
Authors: Degidi Marco , Nardi Diego , Morri Alessandro , Sighinolfi Gianluca , Tebbel Florian , Marchetti Claudio
Published: May 2017

Fatigue behavior of the titanium bars is of utmost importance for the safe and reliable operation of dental implants and prosthetic constructions based on these implants. To date, however, only few data are available on the fatigue strength of dental prostheses made with electric resistance welding and laser welding techniques. This in-vitro study highlighted that although the joints made with the laser welding approach are credited of a superior tensile strength, joints made with electric resistance welding exhibited double the minimum fatigue strength with respect to the joints made with laser welding (120 vs 60 N).
Supporting immigrants’ political integration through discussion and debate in public libraries
Authors: Johnston Jamie , Audunson Ragnar
Published: May 2017

Using Habermas’ theory of the public sphere, this article examines the potential of conversation-based programming (e.g. conversation groups and language cafes) in public libraries to bring immigrant voices into the public sphere and thereby to facilitate their political integration. To both support and illustrate the theoretical explorations of the article, research findings are presented from a study on language cafes and integration at Oslo and Akershus University College, Norway. Four ways in which the language cafes can support immigrants’ political integration and the formation of a comprehensive public sphere include the fostering of linguistic competence, expansion of social networks, promotion of information exchange relevant to political integration, and facilitation of ‘messy conversation’.
Remission of Symptoms of Chemotherapy-Refractory Metastatic Insulinoma using Octreotide
Authors: Longnecker Stephen M.
Published: May 2017

The symptoms resulting from the hyperinsulinemia of severe refractory metastatic insulinoma were palliated using self-administered divided doses of a long-acting minisomatostatin analog, octreotide. The substance was well tolerated and the attributable side effects were minimal (primarily gastrointestinal complaints). There were significant improvements in peripheral edema, ascites, and serum electrolytes throughout therapy. Serum insulin and glucagon levels were largely unchanged. Computed tomography scans performed during therapy showed stabilization of pancreatic and hepatic disease. Severe, recurrent hypoglycemic episodes due to hyperinsulinemia were reduced both in number and severity for almost a three-month period. This allowed the elimination or reduction of other chronic, supportive medications and improved quality of life.
Bacterial Vaccines for Splenectomized Patients
Authors: Kafidi Kondjeni T. , Rotschafer John C.
Published: May 2017

The spleen is an important organ in the defense of the body against pathogenic bacteria. Major functions of the spleen include antibody production and mechanical filtration of blood. Anatomically or functionally asplenic individuals are at increased risk of fulminant infection by encapsulated bacteria, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis. Polysaccharide vaccines are available against some strains of these pathogenic bacteria. More data are required to define specific age and risk groups. A search for better and more immunogenic vaccines, which may prove effective in a wider variety of patients, is currently under way. Although the current vaccines are not always effective and future revaccination may increase the incidence of adverse effects, most asplenic persons should receive the currently available vaccines to minimize their risk of life-threatening infection.
Elevations in Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone in Normal Subjects after Receiving Short-Term Lithium Carbonate
Authors: Nelson Merlin V. , Tutag-Lehr Vickie , Evans R. Lee
Published: May 2017

Nine normal, healthy male subjects had significantly elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations while receiving oral lithium carbonate for two weeks. The mean minimum lithium serum concentration was 0.765 mEq/L. The TSH concentrations after 15 days on lithium were significantly correlated to the TSH concentration at baseline. No correlation was found between mean minimum lithium steady-state concentration and TSH concentration after 15 days on lithium. Further research is necessary to determine if a high baseline TSH concentration or an early rise in TSH will predict those patients who will eventually develop hypothyroidism after long-term lithium therapy.
Comparison of Pharmacokinetic Procedures for Dosing Lithium Based on Analysis of Prediction Error
Authors: Browne Jerry L. , Patel Rajesh A. , Huffman Camerson S. , Hussey Betty K.
Published: May 2017

Five pharmacokinetic methods for estimating maintenance dosage requirements of lithium carbonate were compared retrospectively in 20 inpatients with acute bipolar illness. Specific pharmacokinetic methods tested included the method of Cooper, the multiple-point method of Perry, the single-point method of Perry, the method of Zetin, and the method of Pepin. Data analysis was based on evaluation of prediction error or the difference between the predicted steady-state lithium concentration and the measured steady-state lithium concentration at equivalent daily doses. Each dosing method was assessed in regard to accuracy and bias of predicted steady-state serum lithium concentrations. Bias was assessed by comparison of the median value of the prediction error with zero. The dosing recommendation based on the Cooper nomogram resulted in a significant positive bias (p ≤ 0.05). Intermethod accuracy was assessed by comparison of the absolute prediction errors of each dosing method. Significant differences in accuracy were observed between the method of Pepin when compared with the single-point method of Perry (p ≤ 0.05, k-sample sign test). All other comparisons were nonsignificant.
Antipsychotics: How Strict the Formulary?
Authors: Alexander Bruce
Published: May 2017

Seventeen antipsychotic medications are available in the U.S. Antipsychotic formulary considerations include relative efficacy, individual patient response, relative differences in adverse effects, dosage form availability, blood level monitoring, and generic availability. Chlorpromazine, thioridazine, haloperidol, and fluphenazine are recommended for formulary inclusion based on research and clinical considerations. A recommendation for managing a patient receiving a nonformulary antipsychotic is presented.
Iofetamine Hydrochloride I 123: A New Radiopharmaceutical for Cerebral Perfusion Imaging
Authors: Druckenbrod Richard W. , Williams Craig C. , Gelfand Michael J.
Published: May 2017

Iofetamine hydrochloride I 123 permits cerebral blood perfusion imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). SPECT is more widely available than positron emission tomography, and complements anatomic visualization with X-ray computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging. Iofetamine is an amphetamine analog that is rapidly taken up by the lungs, then redistributed principally to the liver and brain. The precise mechanism of localization has not been determined, but is believed to result from nonspecific receptor binding. Brain uptake peaks at 30 minutes postinjection and remains relatively constant through 60 minutes. The drug is metabolized and excreted in the urine, with negligible activity remaining at 48 hours. When compared with CT in stroke patients, visualization may be performed sooner after symptom onset and a larger zone of involvement may be evident with iofetamine. Localization of seizure foci and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease may also be possible. As CT has revolutionized noninvasive imaging of brain anatomy, SPECT with iofetamine permits routine cerebral blood flow imaging.
Topical Vancomycin for the Treatment of Staphylococcus Epidermidis and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Conjunctivitis
Authors: Ross Johnanne , Abate Marie A.
Published: May 2017

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are organisms that frequently cause conjunctivitis or blepharoconjunctivitis. We describe a patient with methicillin-resistant S. aureus and S. epidermidis conjunctivitis who was treated successfully using an extemporaneously prepared topical ophthalmic solution of vancomycin hydrochloride 31 mg/mL. Studies describing the preparation, stability, and comfort of this solution, as well as reports pertaining to efficacy, are reviewed. Controlled clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of vancomycin ophthalmic solution have not yet been performed.
Drugs for Treatment of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis: Comparative Efficacy of Agents and Regimens
Authors: Doering Paul L. , Santiago Tamara M.
Published: May 2017

Various agents are available for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Imidazole agents (clotrimazole, miconazole, butoconazole, and terconazole) are preferred because of their greater efficacy, shorter treatment regimens, and ease of administration. Although the various imidazole compounds are equaly efficacious, different treatment schedules are recommended depending on clinical situations. Additionally, different formulations are available that provide clinicians and patients with the opportunity to select the most appropriate agent.