bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of maternal dexamethasone administration on fetal Doppler flow velocity waveforms
Authors: Chitrit Yvon , Caubel Patrick , Herrero Rafael , Schwinte Anne Lyse , Guillaumin Denis , Boulanger Marie‐Christine
Published: August 2005

Objective
To investigate the effects of maternal dexamethasone administration on umbilical and fetal cerebral artery flow velocity waveforms.

Design
Cross‐sectional study.

Setting
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Robert Ballanger Hospital, Aulnay‐sous‐Bois, France.

Sample
Twenty‐six pregnant women with singleton pregnancies considered at risk for preterm delivery. At baseline, all pregnancies had normal fetoplacental vascular resistance.

Methods
These women were given weekly six intravenous doses of 4 mg of dexamethasone eight hours apart.

Main outcome measures
Doppler studies were performed from both umbilical artery (UA) and fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) before (day 0), during (day 2), immediately after (day 4) and shortly after (day 7) every steroid course.

Results
No significant variation was noted in both umbilical artery pulsatility index (PI) and fetal heart rate through dexamethasone therapy. Compared with mean initial values, we found on day 4 a significant decrease in MCA PI of 0.28 (F = 7.17, P < 0.001) and a significant increase in UA:MCA PI ratio of 0.08 (F = 3.85, P= 0.013); in contrast no significant change was documented on days 2 and 7 in both MCA pulsatility index and UA:MCA PI ratio. After multiple regression analysis, only the decrease in fetal middle cerebral artery pulsatility index on day 4 remained significant (F=5.84, P= 0.001).

Conclusions
The current study finds in healthy fetuses a transient, significant and unexplained decrease in fetal middle cerebral artery impedance on the fourth day following maternal dexamethasone administration. Further basic research and clinical studies including larger sample sizes or pregnancies with fetoplacental dysfunction are needed.
Comparison of two doses of mifepristone in combination with misoprostol for early medical abortion: a randomised trial
Authors:   World Health Organisation Task Force on Post‐ovulatory Methods of Fertility Regulation Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training, World Health Organisation, Geneva
Published: August 2005

Objectives
To compare the efficacy of two different regimens of mifepristone followed by misoprostol for medical abortion in women with menstrual delay of ≤ 35 days.

Design
Double‐blind, randomised controlled trial.

Setting
Seventeen centres internationally.

Participants
We enrolled 1589 healthy pregnant women with menstrual delay of ≤ 35 days who were requesting nonsurgical abortion.

Interventions
Within gestational age strata, we randomly assigned women to receive a single oral dose of mifepristone, either 200 mg or 600 mg, followed in 48 h by misoprostol 400 μg by mouth. We concealed the allocation assignments from investigators and participants and maintained double‐blinding throughout the study.

Main outcome measures
Complete abortion was the principal outcome measure. We also compared rates of side effects such as abdominal pain.

Results
The complete abortion rate with the lower dose of mifepristone was similar to that with the higher dose (89.3%vs 88.1%) The crude relative risk of failure to achieve complete abortion with the 200 mg dose compared with the 600 mg dose was 0.9 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.2). The likelihood of complete abortion was inversely related to gestational age, although this finding is exploratory in nature. Among failures the percentage of women with continuing pregnancies increased from 1.4% at menstrual delay of two weeks or less to 9.0% when the delay was 4–5 weeks. Low efficacy led to stopping enrolment at 29 to 35 days' menstrual delay. Stopping criteria were also met at completion of the study in the group with 22–28 days' menstrual delay. No significant differences emerged in the frequency of side effects between the two mifepristone groups.

Conclusions
Both regimens had similar efficacy. Women with a menstrual delay of four to five weeks had twice the risk of failure to abort compared with those who received treatment within two weeks of the expected menses. The efficacy of the mifepristone‐prostaglandin regimen was not reduced by decreasing the dose of mifepristone from 600 mg to 200 mg. The regimens of 600 mg or 200 mg of mifepristone, followed by a single oral dose of misoprostol 400 μg 48 hours later, were not sufficiently efficient in inducing abortion when the menstrual delay was > 21 days.
A clinical review of borderline glandular cells on cervical cytology
Authors: Mohammed D. Kusnah A. , Lavie Ofer , Lopes Alberto de B. , Cross Paul , Monaghan John M.
Published: August 2005

Objective
To review the diagnoses and diagnostic pathway of women presenting with borderline glandular cells on cervical cytology. To outline the basis of clinical approach of these women.

Design
Retrospective review.

Population
Forty‐three women referred to the hospital department over a 32‐month period.

Methods
Review of the casenotes for the demographic data, previous cervical cytology and/or histology report, indication for the smear resulting in borderline glandular cells, colposcopic findings, diagnostic and/or treatment procedures, final diagnosis and current status.

Results
The average age was 36.7 years. Twenty‐four women (56%) had clinically significant lesions: seven women (16%) presented with cancers, of which one was endometrial in origin, and 17 (40%) with intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN and cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia (CGIN)). Sixty‐seven percent of all clinically significant lesions were of squamous origin. Thirty‐seven had histological diagnosis, while six went on to cytological surveillance. Colposcopy was the most significant predictor for clinically significant lesions (P < 0.05). Punch biopsies and loop excisions were diagnostic when based on abnormal colposcopic findings. Brush cytology was appropriate follow up for asymptomatic, premenopausal women with no colposcopic abnormality. In addition, endometrial sampling was recommended in the peri‐ and postmenopausal women.

Conclusion
Borderline glandular cells have a high incidence of clinically significant lesions. Immediate referral for colposcopy and assessment is strongly recommended in women with two borderline glandular smears to avoid delays in potential cancer diagnosis.
Identifying the indications for laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy: a prospective, randomised comparison with abdominal hysterectomy in patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids
Authors: Ferrari Maria Maddalena , Berlanda Nicola , Mezzopane Raffaella , Ragusa Guglielmo , Cavallo Michela , Pardi Giorgio
Published: August 2005

Objective
To compare laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) in patients with uterine fibroids.

Design
A prospective randomised study.

Setting
The San Paolo Hospital, Milan.

Population
Sixty‐two patients, who were not suitable for a vaginal hysterectomy, requiring treatment for uterine fibroids.

Methods
Randomisation between LAVH and TAH. Comparison of outcomes on the whole series, patients with uteri ≤ 500 g (Group 1) and patients with uteri > 500 g (Group 2).

Main outcome measures
To establish operating time, blood loss, complications, febrile morbidity, analgesics administration and hospital stay for both treatment approaches.

Results
Median uterine weight was 400 g in both LAVH and TAH group. Median operating time was longer for LAVH (135 min compared with 120 min for TAH; P= 0.001), but patients undergoing LAVH had less analgesics administration (23% compared with 77%, P < 0.001) and a shorter median hospital stay (3.8 compared with 5.8 days; P < 0.001). LAVH, when compared with TAH in the two weight subgroups, required a significantly longer operating time only in Group 2, significantly reduced analgesics administration only in Group 1, and significantly reduced hospital stay in both groups. Conversions of LAVH to laparotomy were significantly more frequent in Group 2 (3/11) than in Group 1 (0/20) (P= 0.04).

Conclusions
Compared with TAH, LAVH has advantages in removing uteri weighing ≤ 500 g, with comparable operating time, less post‐operative pain and shorter recovery. Among uteri weighing > 500 g LAVH showed a shorter recovery, but longer operating time than TAH and a 27% rate of conversion to laparotomy.
An epidemic of parvovirus B19 in a population of 3596 pregnant women: a study of sociodemographic and medical risk factors
Authors: Jensen Inge Panum , Thorsen Poul , Jeune Bernard , Møller Birger R. , Vestergaard Bent F.
Published: August 2005

Objectives
To estimate the incidence of human parvovirus B19 among pregnant women before and during an epidemic, to elucidate possible sociodemographic and medical risk factors during pregnancy and to estimate the association between parvovirus B19 infection and negative pregnancy outcome.

Design
Prospective study among pregnant women followed from their first antenatal visit before 24 full weeks of gestation until delivery.

Setting
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark, November 1992 to February 1994.

Methods
3596 pregnant women were invited to participate. The women were examined at first antenatal visit in the period from November 1992 to February 1994 and at delivery. The last delivery was in August 1994 and samples were thus collected before and during a large parvovirus B19 epidemic in Denmark January to September 1994. A blood sample for parvovirus B19 serology was taken at enrolment and from the umbilical cord at delivery. Three questionnaires were completed during 2nd and 3rd trimesters and a registration form at delivery. In total, 3174 (87.6%) were enrolled and 79.5% completed the study.

Results
The prevalence of B19 IgG seropositivity at the first antenatal visit before 24 full weeks of gestation was 66%. The cumulative prevalence proportion of acute parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy among IgG negative women was found to be 10.3% (IgM seropositivity and/or IgG sero‐conversion). The IgG seroconversion incidence increased significantly from 1.0% to 13.5% among 932 seronegative pregnant women before and during the epidemic, respectively (P < 0.001). Independent risk factors related to increased risk of B19 infection during pregnancy, adjusted for other sociodemographic and medical factors, were: children at home (adjusted OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3–3.2); serious medical disease (adjusted OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.0–8.5); and a stressful job (adjusted OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.0–3.3). Parvovirus B19 IgM seropositivity was associated with events of late spontaneous abortions and stillbirths (crude OR 9.9; 95% CI 3.3–29.4).

Conclusion
Before and during an epidemic of acute B19 infection incidences were measured among pregnant women to be 1.0% and 13.5%, respectively. Three factors, significantly increasing the risk of acute B19, were identified as: having children at home; suffering from serious medical diseases; and having a stressful job. IgM positivity for parvovirus B19 was associated with negative outcome of pregnancy.
Fetal haemodynamic changes in fetuses during fetal development evaluated by arterial pressure pulse and blood flow velocity waveforms
Authors: Mori Akira , Iwabuchi Michiko , Makino Tunehisa
Published: August 2005

Objective
To study the relation between diameter pulse (pressure pulse) and flow velocity waveforms in the fetal descending aorta in fetuses with intrauterine growth retardation and acceleration.

Design
Blood flow through a tubular system can be expressed by the ratio of blood pressure to vascular resistance. Doppler ultrasound and a phase locked loop echo tracking system coupled to a B‐mode ultrasonic imager (central frequency 3.5 MHz) were used to assess downstream resistance and change in blood pressure, respectively.

Setting
Tertiary referral unit in a teaching hospital

Participants
Serial study between 21 and 40 weeks of 22 women with normally grown fetuses at intervals of four weeks; 25 women with small for gestational age fetuses with uteroplacental insufficiency (high umbilical artery pulsatility index); and six women with large for gestational age fetuses.

Main outcome measures
We measured the maximum systolic and minimum diastolic diameter of the fetal descending aorta (the pulse amplitude) and then calculated the pulsatile waveform time integral above the least diastolic diameter (pulsatile area) and total waveform time integral (perfusion area).

Results
Normal fetal growth was associated with an increase in systolic and diastolic diameters in the fetal descending aorta with advancing gestational age. Pulse amplitude, pulsatile and perfusion areas increased with gestational age. The increased pulse amplitude and increased pulsatile area in association with a decrease of the pulsatility index in the descending aorta during the second trimester suggested that pulse pressure and stroke volume were increased. In the group with intrauterine growth retardation, systolic and diastolic diameters of the descending aorta and perfusion area were within the normal range. Moreover, there was an increase in the diastolic diameter per unit fetal weight and a decrease in the pulsatile area. In the large for gestational age fetuses, there was an increase in the pulse amplitude and pulsatile area.

Conclusion
These findings suggest that in growth restricted fetuses there is an increase in diastolic pressure and a reduction in stroke volume, while in large for gestational age fetuses there is an increase in the pulse pressure and stroke volume. It is possible that measurement of pressure pulse waveform in relation to Doppler velocity waveform may be used to infer changes of blood flow.
A population study of birth weight and the risk of caesarean section: Scotland 1980–1996
Authors: Smith Gordon C. S.
Published: August 2005

Objectives
1. To describe the relation between birthweight and risk of emergency caesarean section at term; 2. to determine whether the relation between birthweight and caesarean section differed between male and female babies; and 3. to determine what proportion of the increased rates of caesarean section could be related to greater birthweights.

Design
Retrospective population study.

Setting
Data collected from Scottish Morbidity Record 1980 to 1996.

Population
All first singleton deliveries by emergency caesarean section and non‐elective vaginal birth of live babies at 40 weeks of gestation (n= 120,854).

Main outcome measure
Delivery by emergency caesarean section.

Results
There was a U‐shaped relation between birthweight and the risk of caesarean section, with the lowest risk associated with weights in the range 3000–3500 g. Overall, males were more likely to be delivered by caesarean section (relative risk = 1.2, 95% CI 1.2–1.3). The association between male sex and increased risk of caesarean section persisted after adjusting for birthweight, but only males weighing < 4000 g were at increased risk of caesarean section compared with similarly sized females. Between 1980 and 1996, there were linear increases in the rate of caesarean section (from 7.1% to 10.7%, r2= 0.8, P < 0.001) and median birthweight (from 3360 g in 1980 to 3420 g in 1996, r2= 0.8, P < 0.001). The population attributable fraction of caesarean sections related to year of delivery 1981–1996 was not significantly altered by adjusting for birthweight (22.3%vs 21.6%).

Conclusions
There is no evidence to suggest that increasing birthweights have contributed to increasing rates of caesarean section in Scotland between 1980 and 1996 among singleton first births non‐elec‐tively delivered at 40 weeks of gestation.
The relationship between intrauterine growth restriction and preterm delivery: an empirical approach using data from a European case‐control study
Authors: Zeitlin J. , Ancel P. Y. , Saurel‐Cubizolles M. J. , Papiernik E.
Published: August 2005

Objective
To test whether being small for gestational age, defined as having a birthweight less than the 10th centile of intrauterine growth references, is a risk factor for preterm delivery for singleton live births.

Design
A case‐control study.

Setting
Maternity hospitals in 16 European countries.

Sample
Four thousand and seven hundred preterm infants between 22 and 36 completed weeks of gestation and 6460 control infants between 37 and 40 weeks of gestation.

Methods
Newborn babies are identified as being small for gestational age using customised reference standards derived from models of fetal growth. The impact of being small for gestational age on preterm delivery is estimated using logistic regression.

Main outcome measure
Spontaneous or induced preterm delivery.

Results
Being small for gestational age is significantly associated with preterm birth, although the magnitude of this association differs greatly by type of delivery and gestational age. Over 40% of induced preterm births for reasons other than the premature rupture of membranes are small for gestational age compared with 10.7% of control infants (OR 6.41). For spontaneous or premature rupture of membranes related preterm births, the association is also significant, but weaker (OR 1.51). The relationship between growth restriction and preterm delivery is strongest for preterm births before 34 weeks of gestation.

Conclusions
These findings highlight the phenomenon of abnormal fetal growth in all premature infants and, in particular, infants delivered by medical decision for reasons other than premature rupture of membranes. The observed association between being small for gestational age and preterm delivery among spontaneous preterm births merits further attention because the causal mechanisms are not well understood.
Game‐Playing Epilepsy
Authors: Siegel Michael , Kurzrok Neal , Barr William B. , Rowan A. James
Published: August 2005

Summary: A 25‐year‐old woman with documented generalized seizures evoked by playing checkers was given a battery of psychological tests as well as a series of cognitive and non‐game‐related tasks during a session of intensive EEC‐video monitoring. Generalized epileptiform discharges during each task, as well as during intervals of checkers playing, were quantified to determine possible triggering factors. Previous reports have discussed the roles of attention, concentration, stress, thinking, and spatial processing in similar cases. Our analysis showed significant activation of the EEG only with tasks involving strategic thinking, i.e., considering a sequence of moves based on evaluating the consequences of previous moves.
Preliminary Assessment of the Efficacy of Org 6370 in Photosensitive Epileptic Patients: Paradoxical Enhancement of Photosensitivity and Provocation of Myoclonic Seizures
Authors: Kasteleijn‐Nolst Trenité D. G. A. , van Emde Boas W. , Groenhout C. M. , Meinardi H.
Published: August 2005

Summary: Photosensitivity has proved to be a useful model to study the acute effects of experimental antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). The photosensitivity range is usually diminished or even abolished after administration of a known or experimental AED. An increase in photosensitivity, an unexpected reaction, was found in four photosensitive epileptic patients after oral ingestion of 500, 100, or 50 mg of Org 6370. Moreover, the three patients receiving doses of 100 and 500 mg reported nausea, dizziness, restlessness, and an increase in spontaneous epileptic seizures (myoclonus and in one patient a generalized tonic‐clonic convulsion). The side effects coincided with peak Org 6370 serum levels. Our findings indicate that in the photosensitivity model experimental drugs with proven anticonvulsant properties in animals may increase rather than decrease the degree of patient photosensitivity. Photosensitive patients may represent a special subgroup of epileptic patients and therefore need to be classified as such.
Effect of Unilateral Dentate Nucleus Lesions on Amygdaloid Kindling in Rats
Authors: Tsuru Noriko , Kawasaki Hidenari , Genda Satoru , Hara Kosuke , Hashiguchi Hiroyuki , Ueda Yuto
Published: August 2005

Summary: Amygdala kindling is used to investigate cerebellar dentate nucleus participation in the neuronal plasticity of the cerebrum. We studied the behavioral change, the occurrence of epileptiform events, and the duration of afterdischarge during amygdaloid kindling under control conditions and after a dentate lesion of the contralateral cerebellum. Our results indicate that the dentate lesion induced the facilitation of the behavioral development of the amygdaloid kindling, whereas there was only a slight increase in the duration of afterdischarge and the spontaneous epileptiform potential of the amygdala. There was a discrepancy between the behavioral kindling and the electroencephalographic epileptic activity. Therefore the dentate lesion must play a role in controlling the generalization mechanism of epilepsy. We also found that on a right amygdala that had been influenced by a left dentate lesion there were few spikes, while on the left amygdala there were frequent spikes. These results suggest that the dentate nucleus plays an important role in amygdaloid kindling as well as in the neuronal plasticity of the amygdala.
Lasting Nature of Both Transfer and Interference in Amygdaloid Kindling in Cats: Observation Upon Stimulation with 11‐Month Rest Following Primary Site Kindling
Authors: Hiyoshi Toshio , Wada Juhn A.
Published: August 2005

Summary: Eleven months after the completion of primary site amygdaloid (AM) kindling, three cats experienced kindling of the secondary site AM. At the secondary site, animals developed kindled seizure with a mean of eight stimulations, which was significantly fewer than the 29 required at the primary site, indicating a presence of a positive transfer effect. However, the ictal architecture of the secondary site‐kindled seizure was significantly different from that of the primary site: in the former, there was a marked delay in secondary generalization, with individual kindled seizure having a significantly prolonged seizure duration. Both the transhemispheric positive and negative transfer effects observed with the secondary site AM kindling reflect the lasting nature of the neural remodeling induced by the primary site AM kindling. This finding may have clinical relevance.
Seizure Activity in Pyridoxine‐Deficient Adult Rats
Authors: Sharma S. K. , Dakshinamurti K.
Published: August 2005

Summary: This investigation tested the hypothesis that the degree of pyridoxine depletion rather than the status of neuronal maturity determines seizure proneness in the pyridoxine‐deficient rat. Dietary pyridoxine deficiency was induced in neuronally mature rats. Seizure activity was monitored using computerized EEG analysis. Dietary pyridoxine deficiency of 10 weeks’duration induced in neuronally mature rats led to spontaneous convulsive seizure activity. Even moderately pyridoxine‐deficient adult rats (on the deficient diet for <8 weeks) exhibited seizure‐like diffuse spike and wave activity and electrocortical inhibition. Picrotoxin‐, pentylenetetrazol‐, or domoic acid‐induced seizure thresholds were significantly reduced in pyridoxine‐deficient rats when compared with normal controls. Pyridoxine‐deficient rats exhibited increased dominance of delta and theta activities and increased hemispherical asymmetries in response to convulsant treatment.
Differential Effects of Left and Right Anterior Temporal Lobectomy on Verbal Learning and Memory Performance
Authors: Hermann Bruce P. , Wyler Allen R. , Bush Andrew J. , Tabatabai Farrokh R.
Published: August 2005

Summary: The California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was utilized to identify the quantitative and qualitative alterations in verbal learning and memory performance that discriminated between patients following partial resection of the left (dominant) (n = 26) or right (nondominant) (n = 31) temporal lobe. Patients were administered the CVLT preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively, and the differential effects of laterality of resection on verbal learning and memory performance were determined. Following left temporal resection, patients showed significantly more serial clustering, a lower proportion of words recalled from the middle of the list, and more intrusion errors in free recall. Patients who under‐went right temporal resection showed significantly greater recall of words from the middle and fewer words from the end of the list, more semantic clustering, and greater ability to recall verbal material after a short delay. These findings suggest that anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) results in changes in the way verbal material is acquired, and affects the rate of forgetting. Patients who undergo left ATL become more dependent on less effective and efficient learning strategies, and forget the material that they have acquired at a faster rate. The opposite tendencies characterize patients who undergo right ATL.
Effects of Generalized Interictal EEG Discharges on Sleep Stability: Assessment by Means of Cyclic Alternating Pattern
Authors: Terzano Mario Giovanni , Parrino Liborio , Anelli Sivio , Boselli Mirella , Clemens Béla
Published: August 2005

Summary: Generalized interictal EEG discharges are influenced by a biphasic (phase A and B) modality of arousal control during non‐rapid eye movement (REM) sleep termed cyclic alternating pattern (CAP). Each phase A and the following phase B compose a CAP cycle. The percentage ratio of total CAP time to total non‐REM sleep time is the CAP rate, a sleep parameter that measures the instability and fragmentation of sleep. Since CAP exerts a powerful influence on generalized interictal EEG discharges during sleep, the polysomnograms of seven epileptic patients affected by a clinically active form of primary generalized epilepsy were matched with those of seven healthy volunteers of the same age and sex to assess the influence of interictal discharges on sleep organization. No remarkable differences emerged when the traditional polysomnographic parameters were compared between the two groups. However, the epileptic patients showed significantly higher CAP rate values (52.7 vs. 34.6% p < 0.003), indicating a greater arousal instability in the sleep records of these subjects. Within the epileptic group, the CAP cycles that included at least one interictal paroxysm were significantly longer than those without EEG discharges (31.2 vs. 25.4 s; p < 0.007). The selective lengthening of CAP cycles is likely due to an exaggeration of the natural activating power of phase A when coupled with EEG paroxysms and an intensification of the inhibitory properties of the following phase B. The dynamic relationships and differences between spindles in animals, k‐complexes, and slow‐wave bursts in humans may have a functional linkage with epileptic phenomena during sleep.
Effect of Acute Doses of Controlled‐Release Carbamazepine on Clinical, Psychomotor, Electrophysiological, and Cognitive Parameters of Brain Function
Authors: van der Meyden C. H. , Bartel P. R. , Sommers De K. , Blom M. , Becker P. , Erasmus S. , Griesel D.
Published: August 2005

Summary: The neurotoxic effect of acute doses of carbamazepine controlled‐release (CBZ‐CR) divitabs (800, 1,200, and 1,600 mg) was assessed on clinical, psychomotor, electrophysiological, and cognitive parameters of brain function in 10 healthy volunteers in a double‐blind, randomised, placebo‐controlled, phase I study. Significant changes compared to placebo were demonstrated for the clinical scales, ataxia (AT), convergence of the nearpoint (CNP), peak saccadic velocity (PSV), critical flicker fusion (CFF), spectral analysis of the EEG, and brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) tests. Digit repetition, digit symbol substitution, Sternberg memory scanning time, Sternberg choice reaction time, saccadic latency, and saccadic accuracy showed important negative findings. Significant clinical tolerance to side effects developed within 20 to 33 h after CBZ‐CR dosage during a period in which the mean CBZ blood levels remained virtually unchanged. CBZ‐CR, 800, 1,200, and 1,600 mg yielded low, medium, and high therapeutic blood levels, respectively, for + 10 to + 33 h after dosage without the development of severe clinical side effects.
Differences of In Vitro Electrophysiology of Hippocampal Neurons from Epileptic Patients with Mesiotemporal Sclerosis Versus Structural Lesions
Authors: Knowles W. Douglas , Awad Issam A. , Nayel Mohamed H.
Published: August 2005

Summary: In vitro electrophysiologic studies of animal hippocampal slice models of epilepsy have generated hypotheses regarding cellular pathophysiologies associated with epileptogenesis. We tested some of these hypotheses using in vitro intracellular recordings of hippocampal neurons from patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. We compared the electrophysiology of hippocampal neurons from 14 patients with mesiotemporal sclerosis with hippocampal neurons from 7 epileptic patients with structural lesions near the hippocampal biopsy. Both spontaneous and stimulus‐evoked synaptic function and action potential firing patterns were observed. Presumed pyramidal neurons from sclerotic hippocampus were significantly less likely to display stimulus‐evoked inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) and were more likely to fire spontaneously in bursts of action potentials than were hippocampal neurons from patients with structural lesions. No significant differences were detected in spontaneous postsynaptic potentials, spontaneous rhythmic synaptic events, spontaneous or anode break action potentials, stimulus‐evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials, or stimulus‐evoked action potential bursts. Cellular membrane parameters were similar in the two groups, including resting membrane potential, action potential amplitude, action potential half‐width, action potential threshold, input resistance, time constant, input/output relationship, and afterhyperpolarization amplitude.
Prognosis of Epilepsy in a Rural African Community: A 30‐Year Follow‐Up of 164 Patients in an Outpatient Clinic in Rural Tanzania
Authors: Jilek‐Aall Louise , Rwiza Henry T.
Published: August 2005

Summary: While working as a physician in Tanzania in the early 1960s, Dr. Louise Jilek‐Aall founded an outpatient clinic for epilepsy among the Pogoro people of Mahenge mountains where epilepsy (locally termed Kifafa) had brought misery and death to an unusually high percentage of the population. With local assistance and overseas donations of phenobarbital (PB), this clinic treated ∼200 patients for 10 years. The area was revisited 30 years later to trace these patients. Of the 164 patients who had started treatment, 86 (52.4%) achieved complete seizure suppression, 59 (36.0%) experienced reduction in seizure frequency, 13 (7.9%) experienced no change, and in 1 (0.6%) seizures were worse. The effect of treatment could not be assessed in 5 (3.0%) patients. After 30 years, only 36 (21.9%) of the 164 patients were known to be alive. Of the patients, 110 (67.1%) had died, and the whereabouts of 18 (11%) could not be traced. The causes of death were epilepsy related (status epilepticus, drowning, burns, dying in or after a seizure) in <50% of the patients. Epilepsy‐related deaths were proportionately higher after drug supply was stopped and among patients who were receiving drugs irregularly or who had only partial seizure control. Patients with epilepsy showed an increased mortality rate, which was twice that of the general rural Tanzanian population of similar age. Management of epilepsy in rural Africans should also emphasize methods to prevent epilepsy‐related causes of death among patients with epilepsy.
Classification of Complex Features of Febrile Seizures: Interrater Agreement
Authors: Berg Anne T. , Steinschneider Mitchell , Kang Harriet , Shinnar Shlomo
Published: August 2005

Summary: As part of a prospective study of febrile seizures, three independent pediatric neurologists rated each of 100 febrile seizures for the presence of complex features: focality, long duration (≥10 min), and occurrence of multiple seizures. Seizure descriptions were assembled from all information available in the medical record and from a semistructured interview of a person who had witnessed the seizure. Interrater agreement assessed by kappa indicated excellent agreement with regard to whether the seizures were multiple or prolonged (kappa ≥ 0.85) and fair to good agreement with regard to focality (kappa = 0.61–0.78). Disagreement occurred most often regarding assessment of focality. Reasons for disagreement included variation in interpretation of lateral eye deviation, staring episodes, and motor asymmetries in the context of a bilateral convulsion.
Intraction of the Anticonvulsant Ameltolide with standard Anticonvulsants
Authors: Leander J. David
Published: August 2005

Summary: The newly characterized anticonvulsant ameltolide was studied in mice in combination with the standard antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), phenytoin (PHT), carbamazepine (CBZ), and valproate (VPA). In combination with either PHT or CBZ, ameltolide produced dose‐ additive effects in the maximal electroshock (MES) lest and in the horizontal screen (HS) test for neurologic impairment. The large separation between the doses for the anticonvulsant effects and the neurologically impairing effects (protective index, PI) were maintained as well in the combinations as in the individual compounds. VPA was impotent in the MES test and did not have a clear separation between the doses that produce the anticonvulsant effects and those that are neurologically impairing (low PI). When VPA and ameltolide were combined, the effects were less than additive by isobolographic analysis on both the MES and HS tests. At high oral doses (20 and 40 mg/kg, p.o.), ameltolide produced impairment on the HS test and decreased body temperature. The effects on the HS test were enhanced twofold, whereas the effects on body temperature were not markedly enhanced, by coadministration of the MES ED95, of PHT and CBZ. VPA (MES ED95) appeared to antagonize the tempera‐ ture‐lowering effects of ameltolide. These interaction studies suggest that ameltolide would be safe, with no unexpected effects, when used in epileptic patients con‐ currently receiving these standard AEDs. These studies also suggest that the effects of ameltolide would be lessened by simultaneous administration of VPA.
Young Adult Moral Exemplars: The Making of Self Through Stories
Authors: Matsuba M. Kyle , Walker Lawrence J.
Published: August 2005

The purpose of our research was to explore the differences between young adult moral exemplars and comparison individuals by studying their life stories. Moral exemplars were nominated for their extraordinary moral commitment to the social organizations where they volunteered or worked. Forty moral exemplars, along with 40 matched comparison individuals (total N=80), participated in a life narrative interview. These interviews were coded for specific narrative features such as narrative tone, awareness of others' suffering, helpers and enemies, agency and communion themes, redemptive experiences, contamination scenes, personal ideology, and future goals. Moral exemplars differed from comparison individuals on agency themes, redemptive experiences, contamination scenes, awareness of others' suffering, enemies, ideological depth, and future goals. These findings are discussed within a narrative identity development framework.
Managerial Opportunism during Corporate Litigation
Authors: HASLEM BRUCE
Published: August 2005

Using a large sample of litigation events involving publicly listed defendants, we document a surprising fact. The resolution of litigation through a court's decision dominates settlement of litigation from the shareholders' point of view, even when the firm loses. We develop a model using agency costs within the firm to explain why the market views settlement as a negative outcome on average and find empirical evidence supporting the implications of the model. Specifically, firms with weak corporate governance settle litigation more quickly, and the market reacts more negatively to settlements involving firms with higher agency costs.
FUNCTIONAL APPROACH FOR THE ANALYSIS OF TIME INTENSITY CURVES USING B‐SPLINES
Authors: LEDAUPHIN STÉPHANIE , VIGNEAU EVELYNE , CAUSEUR DAVID
Published: August 2005

This article deals with a functional approach based on the projection upon a B‐spline basis in order to analyze Time Intensity curves. The modelization is followed, on the one hand, by the assessment of the repeatability and the discrimination ability of the panelists, and on the other hand, by the determination of a good compromise over repetitions. Finally, a multidimensional analysis enables the comparison of the shapes of the curves associated with the assessors (assessors’ signature) and the characterization of the products. The properties of this functional approach are illustrated with TI curves describing sweetness variations of drinks.
THE STATE OF DATA MANAGEMENT IN SENSORY EVALUATION: RESULTS FROM A WEB‐BASED SURVEY
Authors: URIYO MARIA , OTTO EDWIN R.
Published: August 2005

Sensory evaluation departments (SEDs) in most companies underutilize the expertise of the internal information technology departments (ITDs). This research reports on the state of sensory evaluation data management practices (SEDMP) and the level of interaction with the ITD. An Internet‐based survey was distributed to sensory evaluation professionals (n = 378) and 21.4% responded. About half (50.6%) of the respondents were satisfied with SEDMP while 40.7% were not. Inadequate data storage systems and the lack of resources negatively influenced their satisfaction with SEDMP, while interaction with the ITD had a positive effect. Excel, MS Access and Oracle were used by 67.9%, 38.2% and 2.4% of the respondents, respectively. Most sensory professionals (86.4%) reported not having training in data management. Although 48.2% of the SEDs had the ability to develop relational databases, this skill was not reflected in how data were being managed.
Relative contribution of Ia inhibitory interneurones to inhibition of feline contralateral motoneurones evoked via commissural interneurones
Authors: Jankowska E. , Krutki P. , Matsuyama K.
Published: August 2005

The aim of the study was to examine to what extent the crossed inhibition of hindlimb lumbar alpha‐motoneurones is evoked via interneurones that mediate reciprocal inhibition between flexors and extensors (Ia inhibitory interneurones), and to what extent via other spinal interneurones. The crossed inhibition was evoked by reticulospinal and vestibulospinal tract fibres, stimulated in the contralateral medullary longitudinal fascicle and the lateral vestibular nucleus, respectively, or by group II muscle afferents in the contralateral quadriceps nerve. The components of the IPSPs recorded in motoneurones that were mediated by Ia inhibitory interneurones were identified by their depression following activation of Renshaw cells. Trisynaptic components of IPSPs of reticulospinal and vestibulospinal origin, and polysynaptic (but not trisynaptic) components of IPSPs from group II afferents were found to be depressed in the majority of the motoneurones, while disynaptic components, those due to direct actions of inhibitory commissural interneurones, were not depressed. These results indicate that the coordination of left and right hindlimb movements based on crossed inhibition from reticulospinal and vestibulospinal neurones, depends on the degree of activation of Ia inhibitory interneurones by muscle spindle afferents and on their inhibition by Renshaw cells. Our results also indicate that Ia inhibitory interneurones do not operate as last‐order inhibitory interneurones in crossed trisynaptic pathways from group II afferents, even though they mediate inhibition evoked by interneurones in shared polysynaptic pathways of crossed flexor and extensor reflexes coactivated by group II and other high‐threshold muscle, skin and joint afferents.
Role of aspartate 298 in mouse 5‐HT3A receptor gating and modulation by extracellular Ca2+
Authors: Hu Xiang‐Qun , Lovinger David M.
Published: August 2005

The TM2–TM3 extracellular loop is critical for activation of the Cys‐loop family of ligand‐gated ion channels. The contribution of aspartate 298 (D298), an amino acid that links the transmembrane domain 2 (TM2) to the TM2–TM3 loop, in mouse 5‐hydroxytryptamine3A (5‐HT3A) receptor function was probed with site‐directed mutagenesis in the present study. This negatively charged residue was replaced with an alanine to neutralize the charge, with a glutamate to conserve the charge, or with an arginine to reverse the charge. Human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells transfected with the wild‐type and mutant receptors were studied by combining whole‐cell patch‐clamp recording with fast agonist application. The D→A or D→R mutations resulted in a receptor with reduced 5‐HT potency, and accelerated kinetics of desensitization and deactivation. In addition, the efficacy of partial agonists was reduced by the D→A mutation. The D→E mutation produced a receptor with properties similar to those of the wild‐type receptor. In addition, the potential role of this residue in modulation of the receptor by extracellular calcium ([Ca2+]o) was investigated. Increasing [Ca2+]o inhibited 5‐HT‐activated currents and altered receptor kinetics in a similar manner in the wild‐type and D298E receptors, and this alteration was eliminated by the D→A and D→R mutations. Our data suggest that the charge at D298 participates in transitions between functional states of the 5‐HT3A receptor, and provide evidence that the charge of the side‐chain at residue D298 contributes to channel gating kinetics and is crucial for Ca2+ modulation.
Veering Phenomena in Systems With Gyroscopic Coupling
Authors: Vidoli Stefano , Vestroni Fabrizio
Published: August 2005

The sharp divergence of two root-loci for a critical value of the parameters is called veering. Veering phenomena are interesting since they involve relevant energetic exchanges between the eigenmodes and strongly affect the undamped forced response of the system. A straightforward perturbation approach has already been used in the literature to analyze the dependence of the eigensprectrum on a system parameter and formulate a veering criterion. This perturbation approach and other ideas are generalized to the study of veering in discrete and continuous systems with gyroscopic operators of internal coupling and the results applied to a real electromechanical interaction.
A Stabilized Mixed
Finite Element Method for Nearly Incompressible
Elasticity
Authors: Masud Arif , Xia Kaiming
Published: August 2005

We present a new multiscale/stabilized finite element method for compressible and incompressible elasticity. The multiscale method arises from a decomposition of the displacement field into coarse (resolved) and fine (unresolved) scales. The resulting stabilized-mixed form consistently represents the fine computational scales in the solution and thus possesses higher coarse mesh accuracy. The ensuing finite element formulation allows arbitrary combinations of interpolation functions for the displacement and stress fields. Specifically, equal order interpolations that are easy to implement but violate the celebrated Babushka-Brezzi inf-sup condition, become stable and convergent. Since the proposed framework is based on sound variational foundations, it provides a basis for a priori error analysis of the system. Numerical simulations pass various element patch tests and confirm optimal convergence in the norms considered.
Free Vibrations of Thick, Complete Conical Shells of Revolution From a Three-Dimensional Theory
Authors: Kang Jae-Hoon , Leissa Arthur W.
Published: August 2005

A three-dimensional (3D) method of analysis is presented for determining the free vibration frequencies and mode shapes of thick, complete (not truncated) conical shells of revolution in which the bottom edges are normal to the midsurface of the shells based upon the circular cylindrical coordinate system using the Ritz method. Comparisons are made between the frequencies and the corresponding mode shapes of the conical shells from the authors' former analysis with bottom edges parallel to the axial direction and the present analysis with the edges normal to shell midsurfaces.
Duane Roller, Recipient of the 1946 Oersted Medal for Notable Contributions to the Teaching of Physics
Authors: Gibbs R. Clifton
Published: August 2005

The American Association of Physics Teachers has made to Professor Duane Roller, of Wabash College, the eleventh of its annual awards for notable contributions to the teaching of physics. The addresses of recommendation and presentation were made by Professor Lloyd W. Taylor, Chairman of the Committee on Awards, and Professor R. C. Gibbs, President of the Association, in a ceremony held in McMillan Theatre, Columbia University, on January 31, 1946, during the sixteenth annual meeting.
Benjamin Harrison Brown: Recipient of the 1939 Oersted Medal for Notable Contributions to the Teaching of Physics
Authors: Knowlton A. A.
Published: August 2005

The American Association of Physics Teachers has made the fourth of its annual awards for notable contributions to the teaching of physics to Benjamin Harrison Brown, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Whitman College. The addresses of recommendation and presentation were made by Professor A. A. Knowlton, Vice President, and Professor Harvey B. Lemon, President of the Association, in a ceremony held on Wednesday afternoon, December 27, during the ninth annual meeting of the Association at Ohio State University.
Photochemical Mass-Independent Sulfur Isotopes in Achondritic Meteorites
Authors: Rai Vinai K. , Jackson Teresa L. , Thiemens Mark H.
Published: August 2005

Sulfides from four achondrite meteorite groups are enriched in
33
S (up to 0.040 per mil) as compared with primitive chondrites and terrestrial standards. Stellar nucleosynthesis and cosmic ray spallation are ruled out as causes of the anomaly, but photochemical reactions in the early solar nebula could produce the isotopic composition. The large
33
S excess present in oldhamite from the Norton County aubrite (0.161 per mil) suggests that refractory sulfide minerals condensed from a nebular gas with an enhanced carbon-oxygen ratio, but otherwise solar composition is the carrier. The presence of a mass-independent sulfur effect in meteorites argues for a similar process that could account for oxygen isotopic anomalies observed in refractory inclusions in primitive chondrites.
Radiosonde Daytime Biases and Late-20th Century Warming
Authors: Sherwood Steven C. , Lanzante John R. , Meyer Cathryn L.
Published: August 2005

The temperature difference between adjacent 0000 and 1200 UTC weather balloon (radiosonde) reports shows a pervasive tendency toward cooler daytime compared to nighttime observations since the 1970s, especially at tropical stations. Several characteristics of this trend indicate that it is an artifact of systematic reductions over time in the uncorrected error due to daytime solar heating of the instrument and should be absent from accurate climate records. Although other problems may exist, this effect alone is of sufficient magnitude to reconcile radiosonde tropospheric temperature trends and surface trends during the late 20th century.
Heavy Ion Physics and Quark-Gluon Plasma
Authors: Nagle J. L.
Published: August 2005

These proceedings represent a brief overview of the exciting physics coming out from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The experimental results from BRAHMS, PHOBOS, PHENIX and STAR indicate a strongly-coupled state of matter that can only be described on the partonic level. We review some of the latest experimental results as we presented at the meeting of the Division of Particles and Fields of the American Physical Society in Riverside, CA in August 2004.