bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A pilot study of tele-oncology in Scotland
Authors: Kunkler Ian H. , Rafferty Paul , Foreman David , Hill David , Henry Maureen
Published: October 2002

A pilot study of tele-oncology linking a cancer centre with a rural district general hospital was carried out; it involved patients, physicians, surgeons, radiologists and nursing staff. Its purpose was to complement the existing on-site outpatient services, providing oncological advice on non-clinic days. During the six months of the trial, 18 videoconferences were conducted. Their median duration was 17 min range 7-40 . Eight videoconferences involved patients directly. Acceptability of videoconferencing to doctors, nurses and patients was assessed by a questionnaire. Patients and staff found the technique acceptable and were satisfied with the results. The addition of a teleradiology system to teleconsultations was found to be important when decisions on patient management were taken. Following the success of this pilot trial, larger studies of tele-oncology in the UK with measures of cost-effectiveness are needed.
The potential for telemedicine in home nursing
Authors: Wootton R , Loane M , Mair F , Moutray M , Harrisson S , Sivananthan S , Allen A , Doolittle G , Mclernan A
Published: October 2002

We assessed the proportion of home nursing visits that could be replaced by home telenursing in the UK. A retrospective review of nursing notes in the UK was undertaken using an abstraction instrument developed and tested in the US. A total of 1951 episodes of patient care at home were reviewed: 1450 from Liverpool and 501 from Belfast. A total of 1626 83 of the episodes involved 'hands-on' interventions. In Belfast two observers estimated that 14 of home nursing visits could be done via telemedicine while in Liverpool two more observers gave an estimate of 16 . Inter-rater agreement was high kappa 0.93 for the Belfast observers and 0.79 for the Liverpool observers . Pilot trials of an analogue video-phone in Belfast suggested that even relatively low-quality compressed video might be useful for home nursing. These findings suggest that telemedicine may have a significant role in the delivery of home health care in the UK.
Design and implementation of a telemedicine system in Palestine
Authors: Zatari Daoud I , Tahboub Radwan , Nawahda M , Aljabari T
Published: October 2002

The shortage of expert physicians and health-care providers in Palestine has created the need for a telemedicine system. The difficulty and the cost of transfer between Palestinian cities in the current political situation makes it important to use such systems. This paper describes the project's progress. The software and hardware required were developed in our laboratories. The software included modules for the preprocessing, enhancement, manipulation, compression and decompression of medical images. The hardware included the communication protocols, physical layer interface circuit and selection of a suitable medium for communication. In tests a radiograph was transmitted from one computer to a not her. The second and third phases will be to establish a communication link between Palestinian hospitals at different locations and to examine the realtime transfer of medical images.
The Internet and an orthopaedic discussion group
Authors: Callanan Ian , Devitt Aidan , O'brien Tim
Published: October 2002

Since its inception, the Internet has created many new opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge. We have developed an Internet-based orthopaedic discussion group. There are 93 members from Ireland and elsewhere in the world. Precautions are taken to ensure the confidentiality of all cases submitted to the group. All patient identifiers are removed from images, radiographs and reports before submission. In the first 18 months more than 100 cases were discussed by the group. The use of an Internet-based discussion group in orthopaedics has expanded the educational and communication opportunities for the Irish orthopaedic profession both nationally and internationally.
Nuclear medicine teleradiology in regional and rural centres of Western Australia
Authors: Tually Peter , Parrish Frank , Walker John
Published: October 2002

We have established a nuclear medicine teleradiology service for rural and regional areas of south-west Western Australia. This study aimed to evaluate whether existing treatment models had altered in ways which were directly related to improved medical outcomes and reduced cost. Preliminary observation into musculoskeletal injury of the ankle joint included diagnosis of 10 radio-occult talar dome lesions which in some cases had not been identified until six months after the trauma. Several cases suggest that nuclear medicine provided a more timely diagnosis and actively altered treatment. Further, the potential role of radiologists as primary-care extenders in guiding appropriate investigations and defining the nature of the illness before specialist consultation may lessen the economic burden on public health care while creating economies of scale by expanding the clinical usefulness of the nuclear physician over a large rural area.
Evaluation of a training and diagnostic ultrasound service for general practitioners using narrowband ISDN
Authors: Hussain P , Melville D , Mannings R , Curry D , Kay D , Ford P
Published: October 2002

We carried out a four-month pilot study of telemedicine for the delivery of training and diagnostic ultrasound services for general practitioners (GPs). Two health centres and a district general hospital were linked using ISDN (128 kbit/s) and PC-based videoconferencing units. Sixteen videoconferencing sessions were conducted, with 64 patients scanned over the ISDN link for a range of clinical conditions. Nine cases of pathology were demonstrated and confirmed by a consultant radiologist. A total of 229 images were transmitted using the store- and -forward facility, of which 194 (85%) images were of diagnostic quality and 35 (15%) were regarded as non-diagnostic. Allowing for sampling error, we would expect 79–89% of stored images to provide diagnostic information at a 95% confidence level. A total of 115 store- and-forward images (SAFI) were randomly selected and compared with hard-copy images (HCI) for technical quality. There was a significant difference in the quality of images. The results show that SAFI are far superior to HCI, traditionally used by clinicians for making primary diagnosis and that the superior quality of the SAFI improved diagnostic accuracy. This pilot study showed a high degree of confidence in videoconferencing for training GPs to carry out ultrasound clinics, enhancing their ability to make accurate diagnoses, and providing them with immediate access to second and higher opinion.
Evaluation of the First International Teleconference in Ophthalmology
Authors: Papakostopoulos D , Williams A , Ramani V , Hart C J Dean , Dodson K , Papakostopoulos S
Published: October 2002

The First International Teleconference in Ophthalmology was held during March 1998 between five sites in the UK, USA, Greece and Malaysia. ISDN transmission at 128 kbit/s was used to reduce costs while maintaining the clarity of the presented material. Specialized lecture theatres were not available at all sites and conventional halls had to be adapted for videoconferencing. For this reason initial point-to-point testing was carried with Bristol to simplify problem solving. Thereafter, a multipoint bridge was used to connect all sites together. During the conference a number of individual presentations were given, all followed by extensive discussion periods. Special instructions were given before hand on the production of slide material, with particular reference to fount sizes and colour combinations. Full use was made of various presentation media, including slides, videos and live demonstrations. The conference was attended by over 500 delegates, all of whom were specialists in ophthalmology. The technology employed was ideal for teaching purposes. However, if used in a clinical field, it should be kept in mind that the choice of transmission rate makes certain features not easily apparent in images but they become clearer when pointed out by the presenter.
An analysis of the suitability of home health visits for telemedicine
Authors: Allen Ace , Doolittle Gary C , Boysen Cathy D , Komoroski Karen , Wolf Milton , Collins Bart , Patterson James D
Published: October 2002

To determine what percentage of traditional home health nursing visits could be done by telemedicine, we carried out a retrospective review of nursing charts clinical records . Data of two types were recorded. The objective data, which were abstracted from the records, included demographic information, patient assessments, teaching activities and interventions. The subjective data were the opinions of four observers as to whether the visit could have been done using currently available telemedicine technology. Records were sampled randomly for patients who had received home nursing care from three home health agencies in rural and urban areas during the winter and summer of 1996. A 54-item coding instrument was applied to 906 different charted home nursing visits. For 412 46 of these, the on-site nursing could reasonably have been replaced by telenursing. Significant factors determining the possible use of telenursing included primary diagnosis, number of interventions and patient age. Among the 10 most common primary diagnoses, the most amenable to telenursing care were chronic airway obstruction and joint disorders; the least amenable were coagulation disorders and anaemia. Telenursing visits could substitute for a substantial fraction of on-site home nursing visits. This has important implications in terms of reducing the cost of home nursing care.
Virtual microscopy and public-key cryptography for Internet telepathology
Authors: Strauss J S , Felten C L , Okada D H , Marchevsky A M
Published: October 2002

The Internet is a potentially inexpensive, widely available medium for telepathology, but there are concerns about its reliability and security. Using a digital camera, 41 photomicrographs of transbronchial biopsies, at 100 optical magnification, were captured and digitized at 2700 image files were saved in JPEG format at medium compression, attached to text files with patient information, encrypted for security in the S MIME format using a digital signature and digital envelope, and transmitted by email. Received email files were decrypted automatically and the images viewed with standard software. Telepathology diagnoses were compared with original interpretations. The images averaged 810 kByte in size. The encryption and decryption did not cause significant delays in overall transmission time and, together with transmission, did not produce noticeable image degradation. The received image files could be viewed in a manner that simulated light microscopy. There was agreement between telepathology and original diagnoses in 92 of the cases. All the discrepancies were due to inadequate area selection because the pathological features of interest were present in histological levels other than those photographed. The use of highresolution digital photomicrography, the Internet and public-key cryptography offers an effective and relatively inexpensive method of telepathology consultation. The method is best suited for the diagnosis of small biopsy specimens that require the transmission of only a few digital images that represent the majority of the biopsy materials. 3400 pixel, 24 bit pixel resolution. The
An assessment of the quality and usefulness of the EuroTransMed satellite programmes in continuing medical education
Authors: Wasyluk Janusz S , Wegrzyn Zbigniew , Mienkowska Beata , Orton Peter K
Published: October 2002

The quality and usefulness of the EuroTransMed ETM international satellite medical educational programmes were assessed. Medical educational sessions are broadcast once a week from London in English to over 140 sites in Europe. The aim is to provide an update of medical information to physicians as a part of their continuing medical education CME . A questionnaire was distributed to two groups of postgraduate medical trainees, internists and family doctors. The groups viewed two video-recordings of the satellite broadcasts, translated into Polish. The first programme was watched by 219 doctors and the second by 265. There was a 96 response rate to the questionnaires. Results suggest that the ETM satellite programmes are both relevant and of good quality, but are of limited usefulness to the target audience. These limitations result mainly from a shortage of time available for such a form of education, as well as from difficulty understanding the English broadcasts, because of a lack of fluency among general practitioners in Poland.
Evaluation of a PC-based teleconferencing system for reading chest radiographs
Authors: Xu Zhixing , Yamauchi Kazunobu , Ikeda Mitsuru , Yang Shu , Hasegawa Yoshinori
Published: October 2002

Chest radiographs from 50 patients, including 25 with lung cancer, were digitized at a resolution of 100dots inch 40 dots cm and saved in JPEG format at a low compression ratio. The average size of the stored images was 55kByte range 6-86 kByte . Four respiratory specialists observed these images on the cathode ray tube CRT display of a PC-based teleconferencing system with a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. One month later they observed the original chest radiographs. A receiver operating characteristic ROC analysis was performed on their diagnoses, based on a five-point confidence scale about the presence of lung cancer. The observer-specific Az values for the teleconferencing system ranged from 0.801 to 0.944, and the corresponding Az values for the conventional radiographs from 0.926 to 0.957. No significant differences were found between the teleconferencing images and the original images, which suggests that a PC-based teleconferencing system could be useful in the diagnosis of lung cancer on chest radiographs.
Protocols for minor injuries telemedicine
Authors: Benger Jonathan
Published: October 2002

Protocols are essential in a nurse-ledminor injuries unit. They allow the identification of agreed steps that need to occur in a sequential and timely fashion for a given process. Protocols fall into four categories: (1) for the management of specific clinical conditions; (2) for ordering and interpreting radiographs; (3) for prescribing and dispensing medications; (4) for conducting the teleconsultation itself. Current examples are given which offer a clear demonstration of the types of protocol that are in use in the UK for minor injuries telemedicine and how they are presented.
Domiciliary midwifery support in high-risk pregnancy incorporating telephonic fetal heart rate monitoring: a health technology randomized assessment
Authors: Dawson Andrew , Cohen David , Candelier Claire , Jones Gill , Sanders Julia , Thompson Andy , Arnall Cliff , Coles Edward
Published: October 2002

We conducted a health technology assessment of the care of women with high-risk pregnancies in the South Wales valleys. Women in the control arm were intended to receive conventional care with standard midwifery visits. Women in the intervention arm received additional or longer visits and domiciliary fetal heart rate telemonitoring. Eighty-one mothers were randomized. There were significant differences in midwifery intervention resources between domiciliary and control groups, with the former receiving a mean of 3.7 visits lasting 33.5 min, compared with 1.4 visits lasting 12.8 min for the latter. There were slightly more spontaneous labours and fewer Caesarean sections in the domiciliary group. Maternal satisfaction and anxiety were high in both groups. Domiciliary care increased the service costs by 21.02 per woman in terms of extra midwife travel and visiting time, and by a further £18.38 per woman in home monitoring equipment costs. This, however, was more than offset by health service savings from fewer clinic visits (£35.60) and fewer clinic ultrasound scans (£9.01). Adding the reductions in lost productivity to women and their partners (£34.51) suggests that domiciliary care was cheaper than conventional care, even if it did not greatly reduce inpatient days (a reduction nonetheless saving £184.24). While clinical processes were similar in both groups, there were useful practical advantages and savings for patients and the health service from the domiciliary intervention.
Continuing exposure to hexavalent chromium, a known lung carcinogen: An analysis of OSHA compliance inspections, 1990–2000
Authors: Lurie Peter , Wolfe Sidney M.
Published: October 2002

Background

Hexavalent chromium is widely recognized to be a lung carcinogen. However, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has failed to reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL), despite having acknowledged in 1994 that the current limit is too high. In 1993, Public Citizen and the Paper, Allied‐Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) petitioned to lower the PEL from the current 100 μg/m3 to 0.5 μg/m3 as an 8‐hr time‐weighted average (TWA).

Methods

To assess industry compliance with the current PEL, and to determine the feasibility of achieving the proposed lower limit of 0.5 μg/m3, we conducted a secondary data analysis of OSHA's Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) database. This database contains 813 measurements of hexavalent chromium exposure from inspections performed during the years 1990–2000.

Results

There was a statistically significant decline in the annual number of measurements over the study period from 127 in 1990 to 67 in 2000 (F = 0.0009; linear regression). The median TWA measurement was 10 μg/m3 (range: 0.01–13,960 μg/m3) and the median ceiling measurement was 40.5 μg/m3 (range: 0.25–25,000 μg/m3). Neither median TWA nor median ceiling exposures (if hexavalent chromium was detected) declined significantly during the study period (F = 0.065 and 0.57, respectively). Overall, 13.7% of TWA measurements were at or below the Public Citizen/PACE proposed standard; 65.0% were between the Public Citizen/PACE proposal and the current OSHA PEL; and 21.3% exceeded the OSHA PEL. Compared to OSHA measurements, state measurements were less likely to detect hexavalent chromium (40.2% vs. 52.1%; P = 0.0007; chi‐square) and less likely to issue any citation (9.3% vs. 19.1%; P = 0.0003), including citations for overexposure if the exposure exceeded the PEL (54.8% vs. 78.8%; P = 0.012).

Conclusions

U.S. workers continue to be exposed to dangerously high hexavalent chromium levels, but low exposure levels were found in some industries. Further investigations should examine whether state plans provide weaker enforcement than federal OSHA. Am. J. Ind. Med. 42:378–383, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Smoking cessation in a blue‐collar population: Results from an evidence‐based pilot program
Authors: Ringen Knut , Anderson Norman , McAfee Tim , Zbikowski Susan M. , Fales Donald
Published: October 2002

Background

Taft Hartley Funds provide group health care coverage for 10 million union workers as well as their dependents in industries such as construction and transportation. The adult smoking rate in these populations is estimated at approximately 40%, therefore, these funds include 9 million adult smokers. The absence of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs has kept Taft Hartley Funds from investing in smoking cessation benefits.

Methods

A prototype for Taft Hartley Funds consistent with the Federal Clinical Guidelines for Smoking Cessation was designed and implemented in a pilot demonstration in the Carpenters Health and Security Trust of Western Washington. Participants chose a 1‐call or more intensive 5‐call smoking cessation counseling plan provided by the Group Health Cooperative's Free and Clear program. Medications were limited to the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and Bupropion. Assessment of outcomes was performed by Free and Clear through a telephone survey 12 months following the enrollment date.

Results

Nine hundred thirty‐five smokers participated in the program. This pilot evaluation covers 325 participants with at least 12 months since enrollment; 75% were male, the average age was 41.4 and 63% had smoked at least one pack per day for more than 20 years. Sixty‐one percent selected 5‐Call Counseling; 39% 1‐Call. Seventy‐five percent also used smoking cessation medications: gum, 4%; patch, 32%; Bupropion 21.5%; patch plus Bupropion, 15.7%. The point‐prevalence‐quit rates were: overall, 27.5%; 1‐Call, 25.5%; and 5‐Call, 28.9%. The cost of the program was $1025.28 per smoker who quit, or $11.78 per full‐time equivalent employee covered by the Fund per year. The compounded savings in reduced lifetime tobacco‐related medical costs for the participants who quit are estimated to be 15 times the cost of the program, yielding an annual return on investment of 27.6%.

Conclusions

These results strongly suggest that smoking cessation programs can be effective even in such hard‐to‐reach populations as itinerant building trades workers, provided that the program is designed to their needs and environment. Based on these findings, health plans need to consider whether they are at risk of violating their fiduciary duties if they fail to offer smoking cessation benefits. Am. J. Ind. Med. 42:367–377, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proportionate mortality of crop and livestock farmers in the United States, 1984–1993
Authors: Lee Eunil , Burnett Carol A. , Lalich Nina , Cameron Lorraine L. , Sestito John P.
Published: October 2002

Background

Livestock farmers are more likely to be exposed to a variety of different farming hazards than crop farmers. An analysis of occupation and industry‐coded U.S. death certificate data from 26 states for the years 1984–1993 was conducted to evaluate mortality patterns among crop and livestock farmers.

Methods

Cause‐specific proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) were calculated using a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) computer program designed to calculate sex and race specific PMRs for occupations and industries in population‐based data.

Results

Among white male (WM) livestock farmers, there was a significantly higher mortality from cancer of the pancreas, prostate and brain, non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma, acute and chronic lymphoid leukemia, and Parkinson's disease. WM crop farmers showed significantly higher mortality risk for cancer of the lip, skin, multiple myeloma, and chronic lymphoid leukemia.

Conclusions

These disease trends suggested that livestock farmers might be exposed to more carcinogens or agricultural chemicals than crop farmers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 42:410–420, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Membrane self‐assembly processes: Steps toward the first cellular life
Authors: Monnard Pierre‐Alain , Deamer David W.
Published: October 2002

This review addresses the question of the origin of life, with emphasis on plausible boundary structures that may have initially provided cellular compartmentation. Some form of compartmentation is a necessary prerequisite for maintaining the integrity of interdependent molecular systems that are associated with metabolism, and for permitting variations required for speciation. The fact that lipid‐bilayer membranes define boundaries of all contemporary living cells suggests that protocellular compartments were likely to have required similar, self‐assembled boundaries. Amphiphiles such as short‐chain fatty acids, which were presumably available on the early Earth, can self‐assemble into stable vesicles that encapsulate hydrophilic solutes with catalytic activity. Their suspensions in aqueous media have therefore been used to investigate nutrient uptake across simple membranes and encapsulated catalyzed reactions, both of which would be essential processes in protocellular life forms. Anat Rec 268:196–207, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Minimal difference in pain associated with change in quality of life in children with rheumatic disease
Authors: Dhanani Sonny , Quenneville Josee , Perron Megan , Abdolell Mohamed , Feldman Brian M.
Published: October 2002

Objective

To establish the minimal change on a pain visual analog scale (VAS) associated with change in self‐reported quality of life in pediatric rheumatology patients.

Methods

Subjects were a cohort of 533 pediatric rheumatology patients in Toronto. Pain and perceived quality of life were measured at 2 consecutive visits to a clinic.

Results

Among patients who rated quality of life at the second visit as “a little better” and “much better,” the mean change in pain score on a 10‐cm VAS was reduced by 0.82 and 1.45 cm, respectively. For those whose quality of life changed to “a little worse” and “much worse,” the pain scores increased by 1.90 and 3.69 cm.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that future studies of the assessment and treatment of pain in this population should aim for a minimum reduction in pain score of 0.82 cm on a 10‐cm VAS to achieve clinical improvement in quality of life.
Open‐label study of infliximab treatment for psoriatic arthritis: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging measurements of reduction of inflammation
Authors: Antoni Christian , Dechant Claudia , Hanns‐Martin Lorenz P. D. , Wendler Joerg , Ogilvie Alexandra , Lueftl Mathias , Kalden‐Nemeth Dolores , Kalden Joachim R. , Manger Bernhard
Published: October 2002

Objective

To evaluate infliximab efficacy and safety in disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug–unresponsive psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods

In a 54‐week, open‐label, compassionate‐use study, 10 patients received intravenous infliximab (5 mg/kg; weeks 0, 2, 6; individualized dosing after week 10). Patients continued their current therapy (stable dose) until week 10. Assessments were performed at weeks 2, 6, 10, and 54. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) objectively measured joint inflammation at weeks 0 and 10.

Results

Patients achieved a 20% improvement according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria (ACR20) in all patients by week 2; 8 patients improved 70% (ACR70) at week 10; 6 patients maintained ACR70 after week 54. Week 10 MRI revealed an 82.5% mean reduction in inflammation from baseline, and psoriasis area and severity index scores were reduced by 71.3% ± 16.7%. There were no significant adverse events, severe infections, or infusion reactions.

Conclusion

Infliximab was effective, safe, and well tolerated in PsA. Arthritis and psoriasis improved in all patients during the 54‐week evaluation. Further investigation of the use of infliximab for PsA and psoriasis is warranted.
Comparative analysis of thermoadaptation within the archaeal glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenases from mesophilic Methanobacterium bryantii and thermophilic Methanothermus fervidus
Authors: Charron Christophe , Vitoux Bernard , Aubry André
Published: October 2002

To gain insight into the molecular determinants of thermoadaptation within the family of archaeal glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenases (GAPDH), a homology‐based 3‐D model of the mesophilic GAPDH from Methanobacterium bryantii was built and compared with the crystal structure of the thermophilic GAPDH from Methanothermus fervidus. The homotetrameric model of the holoenzyme was initially assembled from identical subunits completed with NADP molecules. The structure was then refined by energy minimization and simulated‐annealing procedures. PROCHECK and the 3‐D profile method were used to appraise the model reliability. Striking molecular features underlying the difference in stability between the enzymes were deduced from their structural comparison. First, both the increase in hydrophobic contacts and the decrease in accessibility to the protein core were shown to discriminate in favor of the thermophilic enzyme. Besides, but to a lesser degree, the number of ion pairs involved in cooperative clusters appeared to correlate with thermostability. Finally, the decreased stability of the mesophilic enzyme was also predicted to proceed from both the lack of charge–dipole interactions within α‐helices and the enhanced entropy of unfolding due to an increase in chain flexibility. Thus, archaeal GAPDHs appear to be governed by thermoadaptation rules that differ in some aspects from those previously observed within their eubacterial counterparts. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 65: 263–273, 2002
Cloning of BCAS3 (17q23) and BCAS4 (20q13) genes that undergo amplification, overexpression, and fusion in breast cancer†
Authors: Bärlund Maarit , Monni Outi , Weaver J. Donald , Kauraniemi Päivikki , Sauter Guido , Heiskanen Mervi , Kallioniemi Olli‐P. , Kallioniemi Anne
Published: October 2002

In breast cancer, several chromosomal sites frequently undergo amplification, implicating the location of genes important for tumor development and progression. Here we cloned two novel genes, breast carcinoma amplified sequence 3 (BCAS3) and 4 (BCAS4), from the two most common amplification sites in breast cancer, 17q23 and 20q13. The BCAS3 gene at 17q23 spans more than 600 kb at the genomic level and was predicted to encode a 913 amino acid nuclear protein. The BCAS4 gene at 20q13.2 encodes a 211 amino acid cytoplasmic protein. Both BCAS3 and BCAS4 represent novel genes with no homologies to any other known gene or protein. In the MCF7 breast cancer cell line, the BCAS3 and BCAS4 genes were co‐amplified, and cloning of a highly overexpressed 1.3‐kb transcript revealed a rearrangement fusing the last two exons of BCAS3 with BCAS4. The fusion led to a novel message in which only the first exon of BCAS4 and part of exon 23 of BCAS3 were transcribed. The BCAS4–BCAS3 fusion transcript was detected only in MCF7 cells, but the BCAS4 gene was also overexpressed in nine of 13 breast cancer cell lines. In conclusion, our results indicate that these novel genes, BCAS3 at 17q23 and BCAS4 at 20q13.2, undergo amplification, overexpression, and fusion in breast cancer and therefore may have a role in the frequent chromosomal alterations affecting these two loci. Published 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rationale for medical director acceptance or rejection of allogeneic plateletpheresis donors with underlying medical disorders
Authors: Strauss Ronald G.
Published: October 2002

A survey was completed by 25 medical directors at different institutions performing plateletpheresis. The practices of these 25 physicians were analyzed regarding the acceptance/rejection of plateletpheresis donors with a history of cardiac disease/surgery, seizures/epilepsy, cancer, or autoimmune diseases. Although available medical literature documents little risk of these disorders either to donors (i.e., donation reactions) or to transfusion recipients (i.e., disease transmission), up to 24% of medical directors outright reject some of these potential donors while others accept patients/donors with these illnesses, providing they meet certain medical/health criteria. Acceptance/rejection of individuals with medical disorders has relevance for the availability of the blood supply and blood product shortages because several million Americans, diagnosed with these illnesses, represent a sizable pool of potential blood and platelet donors. J. Clin. Apheresis 17:111–117, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis of radio‐iodinated melatonergic agents
Authors: Dischino Douglas D. , Mattson Ronald J. , Ogan Marc D. , Parker Michael F. , Yevich Joseph P.
Published: October 2002

The synthesis of two 125I‐labeled trisubstituted aromatic melatonergic agents is reported. N‐[[2‐[125I]iodo‐5‐methoxyphenyl)‐1R, 2R‐cyclopropyl]methyl] butanamide was prepared from the corresponding thallium salt and Na 125I in radiochemical yields of 13–45% (n = 3). High performance liquid chromatography separation of the two resulting radioiodinated isomers (8:2) from each other and the parent compound required the use of two different columns run in series. Synthesis of N‐[[2‐[125I]iodo‐5‐fluorophenyl)‐1R, 2R‐cyclopropyl]methyl] butanamide was prepared from the corresponding trimethylstannane precursor in radiochemical yields consistently in the range of 60–65% (n = 6). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular determinants of the hanatoxin binding in voltage‐gated K+‐channel drk1
Authors: Lou Kuo‐Long , Huang Po‐Tsang , Shiau Yu‐Shuan , Shiau Yuh‐Yuan
Published: October 2002

The carboxyl terminus of S3 segment (S3C) in voltage‐gated potassium channels was proposed to bear the binding site for gating modifier toxins like Hanatoxin and a helical secondary structural arrangement was suggested. Due to the lack of complete structure in high resolution for such a channel molecule, no further direct experimental data to elucidate the mechanism for their binding conformations could thus far be derived. In order to examine the putative three‐dimensional structure of S3C and to illustrate the residues required for Hanatoxin binding, molecular simulation and docking were performed, based on the solution structure of Hanatoxin and the structural information from lysine‐scanning results for S3C fragment. From our results, it is indicated that both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions are utilized to stabilize the toxin binding. Detailed docking residues and appropriate orientation for binding regarding hydrophobic/‐philic environments are also described. Compared with the functional data proposed by previous studies, the helical structural arrangement for the C‐terminus of S3 segment in voltage‐gated potassium channels can therefore be further emphasized. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development and evolution of inner ear sensory epithelia and their innervation
Authors: Fritzsch B. , Beisel K. W. , Jones K. , Fariñas I. , Maklad A. , Lee J. , Reichardt L. F.
Published: October 2002

The development and evolution of the inner ear sensory patches and their innervation is reviewed. Recent molecular developmental data suggest that development of these sensory patches is a developmental recapitulation of the evolutionary history. These data suggest that the ear generates multiple, functionally diverse sensory epithelia by dividing a single sensory primordium. Those epithelia will establish distinct identities through the overlapping expression of genes of which only a few are currently known. One of these distinctions is the unique pattern of hair cell polarity. A hypothesis is presented on how the hair cell polarity may relate to the progressive segregation of the six sensory epithelia. Besides being markers for sensory epithelia development, neurotrophins are also expressed in delaminating cells that migrate toward the developing vestibular and cochlear ganglia. These delaminating cells originate from multiple sites at or near the developing sensory epithelia and some also express neuronal markers such as NeuroD. The differential origin of precursors raises the possibility that some sensory neurons acquire positional information before they delaminate the ear. Such an identity of these delaminating sensory neurons may be used both to navigate their dendrites to the area they delaminated from, as well as to help them navigate to their central target. The navigational properties of sensory neurons as well as the acquisition of discrete sensory patch phenotypes implies a much more sophisticated subdivision of the developing otocyst than the few available gene expression studies suggest. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 53: 143–156, 2002
Castration reduces motoneuron soma size but not dendritic length in the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus of wild‐type and BCL‐2 overexpressing mice
Authors: Park J.‐J. , Zup S.L. , Verhovshek T. , Sengelaub D.R. , Forger N.G.
Published: October 2002

Motoneurons in the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) and their target muscles, bulbocavernosus and levator ani (BC/LA), constitute an androgen‐sensitive neuromuscular system. Testosterone regulates SNB soma size, SNB dendritic length, and BC/LA muscle mass in adult male rats. Recent evidence indicates that the cell death‐regulatory protein, Bcl‐2, may also play a role in adult neural plasticity. The present study examined whether gonadal hormones and/or the Bcl‐2 protein influence the morphology of the SNB neuromuscular system in adult B6D2F1 mice. In Experiment 1, adult wild‐type and Bcl‐2 overexpressing males were castrated and implanted with silastic capsules containing testosterone or left blank. Six weeks after castration, cholera toxin‐horseradish peroxidase was injected into the BC muscle to label SNB dendrites. Animals were killed 48 h later, and BC/LA muscle mass, SNB soma size, and SNB dendritic arbors were examined. In Experiment 2, wild‐type and Bcl‐2 overexpressing males were castrated or sham castrated, implanted with testosterone‐filled or blank capsules, and examined 12 weeks later. In both experiments, BC/LA muscle mass and SNB soma size were significantly reduced in castrates receiving blank capsules. Surprisingly, however, there was no effect of hormone manipulation on any of several measures of dendritic length. Thus, the dendritic morphology of SNB motoneurons appears to be relatively insensitive to circulating androgen levels in B6D2F1 mice. Bcl‐2 overexpression did not influence BC/LA muscle mass, SNB soma size, or SNB dendritic length, indicating that the morphology of this neuromuscular system and the response to castration are not altered by forced expression of the Bcl‐2 protein. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 53: 403–412, 2002
Brain lesions that impair vocal imitation in adult budgerigars
Authors: Plummer Thane K. , Striedter Georg F.
Published: October 2002

Vocal imitation is a complex form of imitative learning that is well developed only in humans, dolphins, and birds. Among birds, only some species are able to imitate sounds in adulthood. Of these, the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) has been studied in most detail. Previous studies suggested that the vocal motor system in budgerigars receives auditory information from the lateral frontal neostriatum (NFl). In the present study, we confirm this hypothesis by showing that infusions of the GABA agonist muscimol into NFl reduce the strength of auditory responses in a telencephalic vocal motor nucleus, the central nucleus of the lateral neostriatum (NLc). To test whether the auditory information conveyed from NFl to NLc plays a role in vocal imitation, we lesioned parts of NFl and the overlying ventral hyperstriatum (HVl) in seven adult male budgerigars and then examined whether the lesioned males would imitate the calls of females with whom they were paired. We found that, compared to sham‐lesioned controls, the lesioned birds were significantly impaired in their imitation of female calls. Yet, the lesioned males were clearly not deaf (e.g., their previously learned calls did not degrade as they do after deafening). Therefore, the data suggest that NFl/HVl lesions impair vocal imitation by reducing the amount of auditory information that reaches the vocal motor system. Interestingly, the females that were paired with lesioned males displayed more vocal plasticity than the females in the control group, and some even imitated their male's prepairing calls. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 53: 413–428, 2002
Sinistrality in subtypes of schizophrenia
Authors: Dollfus Sonia , Buijsrogge Jacqueline A. , Benali Karim , Delamillieure Pascal , Brazo Perrine
Published: October 2002

Sinistrality, characterized by an excess of non-right-handedness, has been reported in schizophrenic patients, but the findings are controversial.

Aim.

As sinistrality could be linked to a failure of hemisphere specialization in schizophrenia that would translate into language disorders, sinistrality was found out in disorganized and positive schizophrenic patients characterized by language disorders.

Methods.

Seventy-three schizophrenic patients (DSM IV) and 81 controls were evaluated with the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI). Patients were evaluated and classified into five subtypes (deficit, positive, disorganized, mixed and residual) with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome.

Results.

Disorganized patients had a significantly more severe sinistrality in comparison to the deficit, residual and mixed subtypes and controls. A negative correlation was found between the disorganization and the EHI scores (r= – 0.34;P< 0.01). A significantly more severe sinistrality was also observed in the positive subtype in comparison to controls, but there was no correlation between hallucinatory and EHI scores (r= 0.06).

Conclusion.

The findings provided further evidence that the defects in the normal process of lateralization observed in schizophrenia affects primarily disorganized patients.
Cloning and Characterization of SmeT, a Repressor of the
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Multidrug Efflux Pump SmeDEF
Authors: Sánchez Patricia , Alonso Ana , Martinez Jose L.
Published: October 2002

We report on the cloning of the gene
smeT
, which encodes the transcriptional regulator of the
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
efflux pump SmeDEF. SmeT belongs to the TetR and AcrR family of transcriptional regulators. The
smeT
gene is located upstream from the structural operon of the pump genes
smeDEF
and is divergently transcribed from those genes. Experiments with
S. maltophilia
and the heterologous host
Escherichia coli
have demonstrated that SmeT is a transcriptional repressor. S1 nuclease mapping has demonstrated that expression of
smeT
is driven by a single promoter lying close to the 5′ end of the gene and that expression of
smeDEF
is driven by an unique promoter that overlaps with promoter
PsmeT
. The level of expression of
smeT
is higher in
smeDEF
-overproducing
S. maltophilia
strain D457R, which suggests that SmeT represses its own expression. Band-shifting assays have shown that wild-type strain
S. maltophilia
D457 contains a cellular factor(s) capable of binding to the intergenic
smeT-smeD
region. That cellular factor(s) was absent from
smeDEF
-overproducing
S. maltophilia
strain D457R. The sequence of
smeT
from D457R showed a point mutation that led to a Leu166Gln change within the SmeT protein. This change allowed overexpression of both
smeDEF
and
smeT
in D457R. It was noteworthy that expression of wild-type SmeT did not fully complement the
smeT
mutation in D457R. This suggests that the wild-type protein is not dominant over the mutant SmeT.
TEM-103/IRT-28 β-Lactamase, a New TEM Variant Produced by
Escherichia coli
BM4511
Authors: Alonso Rodrigo , Gerbaud Guy , Galimand Marc , Courvalin Patrice
Published: October 2002

Clinical isolate
Escherichia coli
BM4511 was resistant to broad-spectrum penicillins in the presence or in the absence of β-lactamase inhibitors but remained susceptible to cephalosporins. Resistance was due to production of a new TEM-type β-lactamase, designated TEM-103/IRT-28, characterized by the Arg
275
Leu substitution and encoded by the ca. 62-kb pIP845 conjugative plasmid of the IncI1 incompatibility group.
Developing artificial neural network models of water treatment processes: a guide for utilities
Authors: Baxter C W , Stanley S J , Zhang Q , Smith Daniel W
Published: October 2002

Because of the complex nature of drinking water treatment unit processes, utilities have difficulty quantifying the interactions and relationships that exist between process inputs and process outputs. Process models, where they exist, are often site specific and are unable to simultaneously handle continuous variations in more than one or two key process variables. The artificial neural network (ANN) technology is a robust artificial intelligence technology that can handle the complex and dynamic nature of treatment processes. As such, the technology has been gradually gaining acceptance in the drinking water treatment industry as a tool for process modelling and control. While publications on modelling results and applications abound, a detailed account of ANN modelling methodology is lacking. Presented is a detailed methodology for developing successful ANN models of drinking water treatment processes. The utility and applicability of this methodology is demonstrated through a case study where a successful ANN model to predict filtration performance was developed. Key words: artificial neural networks, process modelling, process optimization, water treatment.
ON THE COMPLEXITY OF COMPUTING VALUES OF RESTRICTED GAMES
Authors: BILBAO J. M. , FERNÁNDEZ J. R. , LÓPEZ J. J.
Published: October 2002

The aim of this paper is to compute Shapley's and Banzhaf's values of cooperative games restricted by a combinatorial structure. There have been previous models developed to study the problem of games with partial cooperation. Games restricted by a communication graph were introduced by Myerson and Owen. Another type of combinatorial structure introduced by Gilles, Owen and van den Brink is equivalent to a subclass of antimatroids. Cooperative games in which the set of players is a partially ordered set, that is, games on distributive lattices was investigated by Faigle and Kern. We introduce a new combinatorial structure called augmenting system which is a generaligation of the antimatroid structure and the system of connected subgraphs of graph. We present new algorithmic procedures for computing values of games under augmenting systems restrictions and we show that there exist problems with polynomial algorithm complexity.
REMARKS CONCERNING THE D0L ω-EQUIVALENCE PROBLEM
Authors: HONKALA JUHA
Published: October 2002

Culik II and Harju have shown that the ω-equivalence problem is decidable fot D0L systems. We give a partially new proof of this result by using elementary morphisms.
LIFETIMES AND STRUCTURE OF EXCITED STATES OF 73AS
Authors: BUCURESCU D. , CĂTA-DANIL I. , IVAŞCU M. , MĂRGINEAN N. , STROE L. , UR C. A. , DINU N.
Published: October 2002

The lifetimes of twelve low spin excited states in 73 As , below 2 MeV excitation, have been measured with the DSA method in the 73 Ge ( p , n γ) reaction. The existing data (energy levels, electromagnetic moments, transition probabilities and branching ratios, one-nucleon transfer spectroscopic factors) are discussed in the frame of multi-shell interacting boson-fermion model calculations. A good agreement is obtained for a large number of levels.
CLUSTER PRODUCTION IN 14.5A GeV/c Si-NUCLEUS COLLISIONS
Authors: SHAKEEL A. , TAK W. B. , AHMAD N. , KHAN A. R. , ZAFAR M. , IRFAN M. , TUFAIL A. , AHMAD A.
Published: October 2002

Characteristics of clusters of relativistic charged secondaries produced in 14.5A GeV/c Si-nucleus collisions are investigated by examining the behaviour of the rapidity gap distribution. The findings reveal that the maximum number of relativistic charged particles constituting a cluster is four. Further, the size of the cluster is observed to remain essentially independent of the mass of the struck nucleus. A comparison of the result of the present study with those reported earlier for hadron-hadron and hadron-nucleus collisions indicates that similar mechanisms may operate in the production of secondary particles in both hadronic and nuclear collisions at high energies.
RELATIVISTIC HARTREE APPROACH INCLUDING BOTH POSITIVE- AND NEGATIVE-ENERGY BOUND STATES
Authors: MAO G. , STÖCKER H. , GREINER W.
Published: October 2002

We develop a relativistic model to describe the bound states of positive energy and negative energy in finite nuclei at the same time. Instead of searching for the negative-energy solution of the nucleon's Dirac equation, we solve the Dirac equations for the nucleon and the anti-nucleon simultaneously. The single-particle energies of negative-energy nucleons are obtained through changing the sign of the single-particle energies of positive-energy anti-nucleons. The contributions of the Dirac sea to the source terms of the meson fields are evaluated by means of the derivative expansion up to the leading derivative order for the one-meson loop and one-nucleon loop. After refitting the parameters of the model to the properties of spherical nuclei, the results of positive-energy sector are similar to that calculated within the commonly used relativistic mean field theory under the no-sea approximation. However, the bound levels of negative-energy nucleons vary drastically when the vacuum contributions are taken into account. It implies that the negative-energy spectra deserve a sensitive probe to the effective interactions in addition to the positive-energy spectra.