Structural Evolution of GaOx-Shell and Intermetallic Phases in Ga-Pt Supported Catalytically Active Liquid Metal Solutions

We present a comprehensive scale-bridging characterization approach for supported catalytically active liquid metal solutions (SCALMS) which combines lab-based X-ray microscopy, nano X-ray computed tomography (nano-CT), and correlative analytical transmission electron microscopy. SCALMS catalysts consist of low-melting alloy particles and have demonstrated high catalytic activity, selectivity, and long-term stability in propane dehydrogenation (PDH). We established an identical-location nano-CT workflow which allows us to reveal site-specific changes of Ga-Pt SCALMS before and after PDH. These observations are complemented by analytical transmission electron microscopy investigations providing information on the structure, chemical composition, and phase distribution of individual SCALMS particles. Key findings of this combined microscopic approach include (i) structural evolution of the SCALMS particles' GaOx shell, (ii) Pt segregation toward the oxide shell leading to the formation of Ga-Pt intermetallic phases, and (iii) cracking of the oxide shell accompanied by the release of liquid Ga-Pt toward the porous support.

The development of tone discrimination in infancy: Evidence from a cross-linguistic, multi-lab report

We report the findings of a multi-language and multi-lab investigation of young infants' ability to discriminate lexical tones as a function of their native language, age and language experience, as well as of tone properties. Given the high prevalence of lexical tones across human languages, understanding lexical tone acquisition is fundamental for comprehensive theories of language learning. While there are some similarities between the developmental course of lexical tone perception and that of vowels and consonants, findings for lexical tones tend to vary greatly across different laboratories. To reconcile these differences and to assess the developmental trajectory of native and non-native perception of tone contrasts, this study employed a single experimental paradigm with the same two pairs of Cantonese tone contrasts (perceptually similar vs. distinct) across 13 laboratories in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North-America testing 5-, 10- and 17-month-old monolingual (tone, pitch-accent, non-tone) and bilingual (tone/non-tone, non-tone/non-tone) infants. Across the age range and language backgrounds, infants who were not exposed to Cantonese showed robust discrimination of the two non-native lexical tone contrasts. Contrary to this overall finding, the statistical model assessing native discrimination by Cantonese-learning infants failed to yield significant effects. These findings indicate that lexical tone sensitivity is maintained from 5 to 17 months in infants acquiring tone and non-tone languages, challenging the generalisability of the existing theoretical accounts of perceptual narrowing in the first months of life. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This is a multi-language and multi-lab investigation of young infants' ability to discriminate lexical tones. This study included data from 13 laboratories testing 5-, 10-, and 17-month-old monolingual (tone, pitch-accent, non-tone) and bilingual (tone/non-tone, non-tone/non-tone) infants. Overall, infants discriminated a perceptually similar and a distinct non-native tone contrast, although there was no evidence of a native tone-language advantage in discrimination. These results demonstrate maintenance of tone discrimination throughout development.

Neural correlates of lexical-tone and vowel-quality processing in 6- and 9-month-old German-learning infants and adults

We examined the neurophysiological underpinnings of lexical-tone and vowel-quality perception in learners of a non-tonal language. We tested 25 6- and 25 9-month-old German-learning infants, as well as 24 German adults and expected developmental differences for the two linguistic properties, as they are both carried by vowels, but have a different status in German. In adults, both lexical-tone and vowel-quality contrasts elicited mismatch negativities, with a stronger response to the vowel-quality contrast. Six-month-olds showed positive mismatch responses for lexical-tone and vowel-quality contrasts, with an emerging negative mismatch response for vowel-quality only. The negative mismatch responses became more pronounced for the vowel-quality contrast at 9 months, while the lexical-tone contrast elicited mainly positive mismatch responses. Our data reveal differential developmental changes in the processing of vowel properties that differ in their lexical relevance in the ambient language.

Asymmetries in Infants' Vowel Perception: Changes in Vowel Discrimination in German Learning 6- and 9-Month-Old Infants

Infants' speech perception is characterized by substantial changes during the first year of life that attune the processing mechanisms to the specific properties of the ambient language. This paper focuses on these developmental changes in vowel perception. More specifically, the emergence and potential cause of perceptual asymmetries in vowel perception are investigated by an experimental study on German 6- and 9-month-olds' discrimination of a vowel contrast that is not phonemic in German. Results show discrimination without any asymmetry in the 6-month-olds but an asymmetrical pattern with better performance when the vowel changes from the less focal to the more focal vowel than vice versa by the 9-month-olds. The results concerning the asymmetries are compatible with the Natural Referent Framework as well as with the Native Language Magnet model. Our results foster two main conclusions. First, bi-directional testing must be mandatory when testing vowel perception. Second, when testing non-native vowel perception, the relation of the stimuli to the native language vowel system has to be considered very carefully as this system impacts the perception of non-native vowels.

Tübinger Training for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TüTASS): a structured group intervention on self-perception and social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

In autism spectrum disorders (ASD), social communication and stereotypical behaviour patterns affect all areas of life, and can result in a decrease of its quality. Previous research has shown promising results for the social skills of groups of children with ASD. Furthermore, a pilot study of the Tübingen Group Training for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TüTASS) has demonstrated that mindfulness-based elements achieve additional positive effects. To build on these findings, the TüTASS training was adapted and expanded. Indeed, the TüTASS currently includes 20 90-min appointments starting with the basic skills of emotions, body, and communication, which are then transferred to personal, family, peer, and school spheres. The appointments have a fixed, consistent structure and each includes a body awareness exercise. In this study, we evaluated the TÜTASS with 27 children with ASD. The results showed improvements in pre-post comparison in behaviours associated with autism, as well as in externalising and internalising behaviours as assessed by parent reports, participant self-reports, and independent raters in participating children. Furthermore, the perceived parent burden in relation to their children decreased, whereas the participants' self-rated quality of life increased. Overall, both the participants and their parents rated the TüTASS very positively in rating sheets and in free feedback. If replicated in larger controlled trials, TÜTASS training might be a useful treatment tool for groups of children with ASD.

Does Musicality Assist Foreign Language Learning? Perception and Production of Thai Vowels, Consonants and Lexical Tones by Musicians and Non-Musicians

The music and spoken language domains share acoustic properties such as fundamental frequency (f0, perceived as pitch), duration, resonance frequencies, and intensity. In speech, the acoustic properties form an essential part in differentiating between consonants, vowels, and lexical tones. This study investigated whether there is any advantage of musicality in the perception and production of Thai speech sounds. Two groups of English-speaking adults-one comprising formally trained musicians and the other non-musicians-were tested for their perception and production of Thai consonants, vowels, and tones. For both groups, the perception and production accuracy scores were higher for vowels than consonants and tones, and in production, there was also better accuracy for tones than consonants. Between the groups, musicians (defined as having more than five years of formal musical training) outperformed non-musicians (defined as having less than two years of formal musical training) in both the perception and production of all three sound types. Additional experiential factors that positively influenced the accuracy rates were the current hours of practice per week and those with some indication of an augmentation due to musical aptitude, but only in perception. These results suggest that music training, defined as formal training for more than five years, and musical training, expressed in hours of weekly practice, facilitate the perception and production of non-native speech sounds.

Dietary exposure to four sizes of spherical polystyrene, polylactide and silica nanoparticles does not affect mortality, behaviour, feeding and energy assimilation of Gammarus roeseli

The abundance and persistence of plastic nanoparticles in aquatic habitats are considered a threat to marine and freshwater biota. However, the risk assessment of plastic particles is complicated due to various factors that need to be considered, including composition, size and environmental abundance. This study investigated the behavioural response of a key river species, Gammarus roeseli, to dietary exposure of plain biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastic as well as to natural small micro- and nanoparticles. Mortality, feeding, swimming velocity and energy assimilation endpoints were examined by considering four particles sizes ranging from 30 to 1000 nm in two concentrations. Contrary to our expectations, neither decreasing size nor increasing abundance of each tested particle impacted any of the examined endpoints. Likewise, dietary exposition with biodegradable plain polylactide did not induce other or stronger effects than non-biodegradable plain polystyrene or natural silica micro- and nanoparticles, as all three particle types did not lead to adverse effects on G. roeseli. These findings also suggest that the functional role of Gammarus roeseli as a shredder is not impaired due to particle occurrence within the exposure range of this study.

How Tone, Intonation and Emotion Shape the Development of Infants’ Fundamental Frequency Perception

Fundamental frequency (ƒ₀), perceived as pitch, is the first and arguably most salient auditory component humans are exposed to since the beginning of life. It carries multiple linguistic (e.g., word meaning) and paralinguistic (e.g., speakers’ emotion) functions in speech and communication. The mappings between these functions and ƒ₀ features vary within a language and differ cross-linguistically. For instance, a rising pitch can be perceived as a question in English but a lexical tone in Mandarin. Such variations mean that infants must learn the specific mappings based on their respective linguistic and social environments. To date, canonical theoretical frameworks and most empirical studies do not view or consider the multi-functionality of ƒ₀, but typically focus on individual functions. More importantly, despite the eventual mastery of ƒ₀ in communication, it is unclear how infants learn to decompose and recognize these overlapping functions carried by ƒ₀. In this paper, we review the symbioses and synergies of the lexical, intonational, and emotional functions that can be carried by ƒ₀ and are being acquired throughout infancy. On the basis of our review, we put forward the Learnability Hypothesis that infants decompose and acquire multiple ƒ₀ functions through native/environmental experiences. Under this hypothesis, we propose representative cases such as the synergy scenario, where infants use visual cues to disambiguate and decompose the different ƒ₀ functions. Further, viable ways to test the scenarios derived from this hypothesis are suggested across auditory and visual modalities. Discovering how infants learn to master the diverse functions carried by ƒ₀ can increase our understanding of linguistic systems, auditory processing and communication functions.

Perceptual narrowing in face- and speech-perception domains in infancy: A longitudinal approach

During the first year of life, infants undergo a process known as perceptual narrowing, which reduces their sensitivity to classes of stimuli which the infants do not encounter in their environment. It has been proposed that perceptual narrowing for faces and speech may be driven by shared domain-general processes. To investigate this theory, our study longitudinally tested 50 German Caucasian infants with respect to these domains first at 6 months of age followed by a second testing at 9 months of age. We used an infant-controlled habituation-dishabituation paradigm to test the infants' ability to discriminate among other-race Asian faces and non-native Cantonese speech tones, as well as same-race Caucasian faces as a control. We found that while at 6 months of age infants could discriminate among all stimuli, by 9 months of age they could no longer discriminate among other-race faces or non-native tones. However, infants could discriminate among same-race stimuli both at 6 and at 9 months of age. These results demonstrate that the same infants undergo perceptual narrowing for both other-race faces and non-native speech tones between the ages of 6 and 9 months. This parallel development of perceptual narrowing occurring in both the face and speech perception modalities over the same period of time lends support to the domain-general theory of perceptual narrowing in face and speech perception.

Bimodal familiarization re-sensitizes 12-month-old infants to other-race faces

Perceptual narrowing in the domain of face perception typically begins to reduce infants' sensitivity to differences distinguishing other-race faces from approximately 6 months of age. The present study investigated whether it is possible to re-sensitize Caucasian 12-month-old infants to other-race Asian faces through statistical learning by familiarizing them with different statistical distributions of these faces. The familiarization faces were created by generating a morphed continuum from one Asian face identity to another. In the unimodal condition, infants were familiarized with a frequency distribution wherein they saw the midpoint face of the morphed continuum the most frequently. In the bimodal condition, infants were familiarized with a frequency distribution wherein they saw faces closer to the endpoints of the morphed continuum the most frequently. After familiarization, infants were tested on their discrimination of the two original Asian faces. The infants' looking times during the test indicated that infants in the bimodal condition could discriminate between the two faces, while infants in the unimodal condition could not. These findings therefore suggest that 12-month-old Caucasian infants could be re-sensitized to Asian faces by familiarizing them with a bimodal frequency distribution of such faces.

Perceptual Narrowing in Speech and Face Recognition: Evidence for Intra-individual Cross-Domain Relations

During the first year of life, infants undergo perceptual narrowing in the domains of speech and face perception. This is typically characterized by improvements in infants’ abilities in discriminating among stimuli of familiar types, such as native speech tones and same-race faces. Simultaneously, infants begin to decline in their ability to discriminate among stimuli of types with which they have little experience, such as non-native tones and other-race faces. The similarity in time-frames during which perceptual narrowing seems to occur in the domains of speech and face perception has led some researchers to hypothesize that the perceptual narrowing in these domains could be driven by shared domain-general processes. To explore this hypothesis, we tested 53 Caucasian 9-month-old infants from monolingual German households on their ability to discriminate among non-native Cantonese speech tones, as well among same-race German faces and other-race Chinese faces. We tested the infants using an infant-controlled habituation-dishabituation paradigm, with infants’ preferences for looking at novel stimuli versus the habituated stimuli (dishabituation scores) acting as indicators of discrimination ability. As expected for their age, infants were able to discriminate between same-race faces, but not between other-race faces or non-native speech tones. Most interestingly, we found that infants’ dishabituation scores for the non-native speech tones and other-race faces showed significant positive correlations, while the dishabituation scores for non-native speech tones and same-race faces did not. These results therefore support the hypothesis that shared domain-general mechanisms may drive perceptual narrowing in the domains of speech and face perception.

Perceptual Reorganization of Lexical Tones: Effects of Age and Experimental Procedure

Findings on the perceptual reorganization of lexical tones are mixed. Some studies report good tone discrimination abilities for all tested age groups, others report decreased or enhanced discrimination with increasing age, and still others report U-shaped developmental curves. Since prior studies have used a wide range of contrasts and experimental procedures, it is unclear how specific task requirements interact with discrimination abilities at different ages. In the present work, we tested German and Cantonese adults on their discrimination of Cantonese lexical tones, as well as German-learning infants between 6 and 18 months of age on their discrimination of two specific Cantonese tones using two different types of experimental procedures. The adult experiment showed that German native speakers can discriminate between lexical tones, but native Cantonese speakers show significantly better performance. The results from German-learning infants suggest that 6- and 18-month-olds discriminate tones, while 9-month-olds do not, supporting a U-shaped developmental curve. Furthermore, our results revealed an effect of methodology, with good discrimination performance at 6 months after habituation but not after familiarization. These results support three main conclusions. First, habituation can be a more sensitive procedure for measuring infants' discrimination than familiarization. Second, the previous finding of a U-shaped curve in the discrimination of lexical tones is further supported. Third, discrimination abilities at 18 months appear to reflect mature perceptual sensitivity to lexical tones, since German adults also discriminated the lexical tones with high accuracy.

[Plain abdominal radiograph - is there any additional clinical value based on the supine projection?]

BACKGROUND

To assess the diagnostic value of an additionally acquired plain abdominal radiograph in supine position.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two experienced radiologists evaluated retrospectively 2148 consecutive patients having plain abdominal radiographs acquired in a tertiary care center. There were 1385 patients having an erect view and 763 patients with a left lateral decubitus view. All patients had a second examination in supine position. First the radiographs in erect or decubitus view were evaluated regarding the presence and details of pathological changes. After 4 weeks all radiographs including the supine view were evaluated again. Next to pathological changes the additional value of the supine projection was assessed. The results were compared and the additional diagnostic value using the supine view was noted.

RESULTS

We evaluated 2148 patients having a plain abdominal radiograph (1325 men, 823 women, mean 58.9 years, range 15-96 years). The average age within the group acquired with left decubitus view was 61.1 years, while patients having an erect view had a mean age of 57.0 years. For the first evaluation we found pathological changes in 10.5% (decubitus view: 13.1%, erect view 9.5%; p = 0.01). The most frequent diagnosis was ileus (7.7%) followed by abdominal free air (2.4%). The results were confirmed during the second reading in 99.2%. In 3.5% (decubitus view 5.8%, erect view 2.2%) more anatomical structures were depicted considering the supine projection and the decubitus/erect projections. The anatomical information was in no case relevant for the diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

Having the information of an supine view additionally to an decubitus/erect view increases the depiction of anatomical structures up to 5.8%. Nevertheless there was no additional diagnostic relevant information based on the supine view.

Stigmatization experience, coping and sense of coherence in vitiligo patients

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the extent of stigmatization experienced by vitiligo patients considering the visibility of the lesions.

METHODS

363 vitiligo patients were assessed using the Experience with Skin Complaints (QES), Adjustment to Chronic Skin Disorders (ASC), and Sense of Coherence (SOC) questionnaires. Out of the total patients group two representative samples with 52 patients each were identified comparable for age, gender, and the duration of the skin disease, the first with visible and the second with invisible lesions.

RESULTS

Data indicate a significant negative correlation between the QES dimensions, except for 'Composure', and between coping scales with sense of coherence withstanding. The 'visible lesions' group scored higher compared to the 'invisible lesions' group on the two QES scales 'Self-Esteem' and 'Refusal', i.e., patients with visible lesions experienced a higher level of stigmatization.

CONCLUSION

This study provides new information which supports the notion that the stigmatization experience of vitiligo patients is psychologically relevant.

A new approach to determining the content and 15N abundance of total dissolved nitrogen in aqueous samples: TOC analyser-QMS coupling

The standard method for determining the 15N abundance of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in aqueous samples (e.g., soil leachate, sewage, urine) is currently Kjeldahl digestion followed by steam distillation or diffusion to isolate the ammonium, and then 15N measurement using IRMS. However, this technique is both time-consuming and laborious. One way of overcoming these disadvantages could be to couple a TOC analyser to determine the TDN with a sufficient quadrupole MS to determine the 15N abundance. The high TOC analyser (Elementar Analysensysteme Hanau, Germany), which catalytically oxidises the sample's total nitrogen with a high, constant yield to nitrogen monoxide (NO), appeared particularly suitable. The quadrupole-MS ESD 100 (InProcess Instruments Bremen, Germany) proved to be a suitable mass spectrometer for the 15N determination of NO. This combination of instruments was found to provide a workable method in numerous measurements of standard and actual samples. The detection limit concerning the N amount required per analysis is 2 microg, corresponding to an N concentration of 0.7 mg/l in a maximum sample volume of 3ml. Depending on the N concentration, 15N abundances starting from 0.5 at.% can be measured with the required precision of better than 3% (simple standard deviation). For example, measuring the abundance of 0.5 at.% requires about 50 microg N, whereas for 1 at.% or more only about 5 microg N is needed per analysis.

[Only for limited indications. Biventricular pacemaker improves severe heart failure]

In patients with congestive heart disease in whom left ventricular dilatation is associated with severely disordered contraction due to delayed ventricular conduction, a new form of treatment not requiring drugs is currently becoming established--biventricular pacing. Via an implanted electrode, biventricular stimulation accelerates conduction in the left ventricle and resynchronizes its contraction. Patients being considered for such therapy must have stable stage III disease (NYHA classification) under optimal medication, and a left bundle branch block with a QRS of at least 150 ms. Definitive recommendations with regard to indications will be possible only when current randomized mortality studies have been concluded.

[Clinical symptoms, origin, and therapy of the "pusher syndrome"]

Stroke patients may exhibit the peculiar behavior of actively pushing away from the nonhemiparetic side, leading to lateral postural imbalance and a tendency to fall towards the paralyzed side. These patients use the nonparetic extremities to stem actively against attempts of passive correction towards upright orientation. This phenomenon has been called the "pusher syndrome". Recent findings disclose that the deficit leading to contraversive pushing is an altered perception of the body's orientation in relation to gravity. Pusher patients experience their body as upright when they are actually tilted to the nonhemiparetic side. In contrast, processing of visual and vestibular inputs for the determination of visual vertical was undisturbed. The results argue for a separate pathway in humans for sensing gravity apart from that for perception of the visual world. This second graviceptive system decisively contributes to our control of upright body posture. The present article describes this still largely unknown neurological disease. The clinical examination of contraversive pushing, its underlying disturbance, lesion location, and approaches for therapy are considered.

Exogenous isolation of antibiotic resistance plasmids from piggery manure slurries reveals a high prevalence and diversity of IncQ-like plasmids

Antibiotic resistance plasmids were exogenously isolated in biparental matings with piggery manure bacteria as plasmid donors in Escherichia coli CV601 and Pseudomonas putida UWC1 recipients. Surprisingly, IncQ-like plasmids were detected by dot blot hybridization with an IncQ oriV probe in several P. putida UWC1 transconjugants. The capture of IncQ-like plasmids in biparental matings indicates not only their high prevalence in manure slurries but also the presence of efficiently mobilizing plasmids. In order to elucidate unusual hybridization data (weak or no hybridization with IncQ repB or IncQ oriT probes) four IncQ-like plasmids (pIE1107, pIE1115, pIE1120, and pIE1130), each representing a different EcoRV restriction pattern, were selected for a more thorough plasmid characterization after transfer into E. coli K-12 strain DH5alpha by transformation. The characterization of the IncQ-like plasmids revealed an astonishingly high diversity with regard to phenotypic and genotypic properties. Four different multiple antibiotic resistance patterns were found to be conferred by the IncQ-like plasmids. The plasmids could be mobilized by the RP4 derivative pTH10 into Acinetobacter sp., Ralstonia eutropha, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and P. putida, but they showed diverse patterns of stability under nonselective growth conditions in different host backgrounds. Incompatibility testing and PCR analysis clearly revealed at least two different types of IncQ-like plasmids. PCR amplification of total DNA extracted directly from different manure samples and other environments indicated the prevalence of both types of IncQ plasmids in manure, sewage, and farm soil. These findings suggest that IncQ plasmids play an important role in disseminating antibiotic resistance genes.

Detection of membrane-bound tumor necrosis factor (TNF): an analysis of TNF-specific reagents

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) exists in two bioactive forms, the membrane integrated form and the proteolytically derived soluble cytokine. Both forms of TNF are involved in a variety of different physiological and pathophysiological situations. Here we analyzed different human and mouse TNF-specific reagents for their ability to determine the expression of membrane-expressed TNF. The data prove some antibodies to be very useful for the analysis of transmembrane TNF expression because these antibodies distinguish between the transmembrane form of TNF and soluble TNF bound to cellular TNF receptors. In addition, we found that recombinant human TNF receptor fusion proteins are advantageous tools to analyze both human and mouse transmembrane TNF expression.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor CGP 57148 (ST1 571) induces apoptosis in BCR-ABL-positive cells by down-regulating BCL-X

CGP 57148 is a potent inhibitor of the ABL protein tyrosine kinase and a promising new compound for the treatment of a variety of BCR-ABL-positive leukemias. We used this enzyme inhibitor to characterize the biological effects of BCR-ABL in primary cells and two growth factor-dependent BCR-ABL-transfected cell lines. The effect of CGP 57148 on primary cells is dependent on the stage of differentiation. The growth of maturing chronic myeloid leukemia cells is independent of BCR-ABL in the presence of growth factors. However, the proliferation of leukemic immature cobblestone-forming area cells is almost completely blocked after the inhibition of the BCR-ABL kinase. In the BCR-ABL-transfected cell lines, M07/ p210 and Ba/F3/p185, CGP 57148 induces apoptosis by releasing cytochrome c, activating caspase 3, and cleavage of PARP. No alteration of the expression level of the apoptosis regulator BCL-2 was observed. In contrast, BCL-X was down-regulated after exposure to CGP 57148. Inhibitors of signal transduction proteins such as PI-3 kinase, mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase, and Janus-activated kinase 2 pathways were not capable of a comparable down-regulation of BCL-X. The Fas/Fas ligand system was not involved either in the induction of apoptosis by CGP 57148. We conclude that the inhibition of the BCR-ABL kinase by CGP 57148 (a) preferentially inhibits the growth of immature leukemic precursor cells, (b) efficiently reverts the antiapoptotic effects of BCR-ABL by down-regulation of BCL-X, and (c) is more effective than the inhibition of the downstream signal transduction pathways of PI-3 kinase, mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase, and Janus-activated kinase 2.

Transport of lipids from golgi to plasma membrane is defective in tangier disease patients and Abc1-deficient mice

Mutations in the gene encoding ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 ( ABC1) have been reported in Tangier disease (TD), an autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by almost complete absence of plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL), deposition of cholesteryl esters in the reticulo-endothelial system (RES) and aberrant cellular lipid trafficking. We demonstrate here that mice with a targeted inactivation of Abc1 display morphologic abnormalities and perturbations in their lipoprotein metabolism concordant with TD. ABC1 is expressed on the plasma membrane and the Golgi complex, mediates apo-AI associated export of cholesterol and phospholipids from the cell, and is regulated by cholesterol flux. Structural and functional abnormalities in caveolar processing and the trans-Golgi secretory pathway of cells lacking functional ABC1 indicate that lipid export processes involving vesicular budding between the Golgi and the plasma membrane are severely disturbed.

Surgical versus medical care for postoperative cardiac surgical patients at the general ward

OBJECTIVES

To shorten hospital stay after cardiac surgery, several risk factors have been defined to identify patients who can be discharged early. These risk factors are dependant on the patient; no studies exist on the influence of the treating physician himself on postoperative patient stay.

METHODS

In a university affiliated cardiac surgical clinic we investigated patients who were postoperatively treated either on medical wards with no cardiac surgeon's presence or on a cardiac surgical ward; at both types of wards physicians had several years experience with cardiac surgical patients. Taking several risk factors for postoperative morbidity into account, postoperative length of stay and incidence of wound healing complications have been compared.

RESULTS

Within a 3-month period, 84 patients were treated at the cardiac surgical ward, 102 patients at the medical wards. Risk factors for postoperative morbidity were present in 87% of patients, statistically independent of postoperative wards. Although demographic data and median ICU-stay of both patient groups was comparable, the median post-ICU stay was 9 days at the surgical and 13 days at the medical wards (P < 0.0001). Incidence of wound healing complication was higher (19.6%) at the medical wards than at the surgical ward (10.7%), without reaching statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

As patients at the respective wards were statistically not different, the difference in post-ICU stay, infection and costs must depend on the treating physicians. As a consequence, postoperative care for cardiac surgical patients in all cases should include direct cardiac surgical participation.

[Porokeratosis Mibelli gigantea: case report and literature review]

Porokeratos of Mibelli is a rare inherited disorder of epidermal keratinization, whose pathogenesis is not fully understood. The common clinical feature is a erythematous plaque surrounded by a hyperkeratotic border. The histopathologic hallmark is a parakeratotic cornoid lamella. An unusual case of porokeratosis gigantea, a morphological variant of classical porokeratosis of Mibelli, is reported. The pathogenesis, taking in account especially the clonal hypothesis and premalignant nature of porokeratosis, is discussed.

Detection and characterization of broad-host-range plasmids in environmental bacteria by PCR

Primer systems for PCR amplification of different replicon-specific DNA regions were designed on the basis of published sequences for plasmids belonging to the incompatibility (Inc) groups IncP, IncN, IncW, and IncQ. The specificities of these primer systems for the respective Inc groups were tested with a collection of reference plasmids belonging to 21 different Inc groups. Almost all primer systems were found to be highly specific for the reference plasmid for which they were designed. In addition, the primers were tested with plasmids which had previously been grouped by traditional incompatibility testing to the IncN, IncW, IncP, or IncQ group. All IncQ plasmids gave PCR products with the IncQ primer systems tested. However, PCR products were obtained for only some of the IncN, IncP, and IncW group plasmids. Dot blot and Southern blot analyses of the plasmids revealed that PCR-negative plasmids also failed to hybridize with probes derived from the reference plasmids. The results indicated that plasmids assigned to the same Inc group by traditional methods might be partially or completely different from their respective reference plasmids at the DNA level. With a few exceptions, all plasmids related to the reference plasmid at the DNA level also reacted with the primer systems tested. PCR amplification of total DNA extracted directly from different soil and manure slurry samples revealed the prevalence of IncQ- and IncP-specific sequences in several of these samples. In contrast, IncN- and IncW-specific sequences were detected mainly in DNA obtained from manure slurries.

Characteristic but unfamiliar--the cowpox infection, transmitted by a domestic cat

An 11-year-old girl had been suffering from 2 recently developed reddish ulcerated nodules on the right side of her neck and, concomitantly, from a very hard swelling as well as from painless lymphadenopathy. Subsequently, thick black eschars appeared on the surface of the ulcers. Using the negative staining technique, an orthopox virus infection could be identified by electron microscopy. The patient's characteristic history as well as her close contact with a cat frequently hunting nice indicated the diagnosis of a cowpox infection, which was unequivocally confirmed by identification of both the viral culture and specific antibodies in the serum of the patient.

The IRMM--International Measurement Evaluation Program (IMEP). IMEP-3--trace elements in synthetic and natural water

The aim of the IRMM--International Measurement Evaluation Program (IMEP) is to test out a possible realization of international measurement comparability for field laboratories through traceability of their measurements to the SI Unit for amount of substance: the mole. In IMEP-3, 10 different trace elements, B, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Pb, Rb, and Zn, were determined in a synthetic and a natural water by participating laboratories using their routine methods and graphically compared (in coded form) to certified values, established by IRMM and NIST using an isotope-specific method (Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry, Neutron Activation Analysis). The number of participants was 70; 64 laboratories have reported results. The results show a spread of more than 50% asymmetrically around the certified value. The Youden graphs allow evaluation of the overall performance of the laboratories in the IMEP-3 round.

[Enzyme liberation and activation of the kallikrein-kinin system in experimental pancreatitis. Studies of portal vein blood, pancreatic lymph and peritoneal effusion]

The clinical course of acute pancreatitis is strongly influenced by secondary cardiac, pulmonary and renal damage. The aim of the present study was to gather information about the compartment promoting the systemic damage. Therefore the activity of lipase, phospholipase A and plasma pro-kallikrein and the concentration of tissue kallikrein and kininogen were measured in portal venous blood, pancreatic lymph and peritoneal exudate. Anaesthetized pigs were subjected to fluid resuscitation to keep systemic haemodynamic parameters constant. The pancreas was isolated in situ. The pigs were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 9) or one of the two pancreatitis groups (n = 10 each). Pancreatitis was induced by i.a. infusion of free fatty acid (FFS) or retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate intraductally (NaT). In both pancreatitis groups the activity of lipase and phospholipase A increased. The most pronounced changes were seen in the peritoneal exudate (phospholipase A activity 40 min after induction: control 10.0 U/l, NaT 72.2 U/l). In both pancreatitis groups there was evidence for activation of the tissue kallikrein kinin system in the form of an increase in the kallikrein concentration and a decrease in the kininogen concentration. Again the changes were most pronounced in the peritoneal exudate (tissue kallikrein 40 min after induction: control 14.7 ng/ml, NaT 452 ng/ml).

Comparison of fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and thermal ionization quadrupole mass spectrometry for the measurement of zinc absorption in human nutrition studies

A method is described for the measurement of apparent zinc absorption in human nutrition studies. An enriched source of the stable isotope 67Zn was given to adult subjects together with a wheat cereal and the unabsorbed 67Zn measured in the feces. After drying, subsamples of the homogenized fecal material were ashed at 480 degrees C, purified for analysis by ion exchange chromatography, and the 64Zn/67Zn ratios determined by both fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and thermal ionization quadrupole mass spectrometry. Good agreement was found between the two sets of results with mean precisions of approximately 0.5% for both techniques.

Pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone in serum and in gynecological tissues

The suitability of Ceftriaxone in gynecologic infections has been investigated in twenty-two patients. The long half life of Ceftriaxone seems to demonstrate its suitability for an effective preoperative prophylaxis in gynecology.

Ticarcillin/clavulanic acid treatment of gynecological infections

Forty patients have been treated with a Ticarcillin/Clavulanic acid combination. This drug has proven to be effective in the treatment of gynecological soft tissues and wound infections.

[Changes in the fetal cardio-vascular system in cases of intra-uterine growth retardation ( a measurement of the cardiac volume and the cardiac flow by the Doppler method)]

In 28 patients with suspected intra-uterine growth retardation during the last trimester of pregnancy the cardiac volume measurements and the flow measurements by the Doppler method showed diminished values. The suspicion of growth retardation was later confirmed by the birth weight. Changes of the cardio-vascular system in the foetus therefore are helpful in the diagnosis of intra-uterine growth retardation. Other parameters such as cardio-tocography, L/S ratio and hormone determinations are also used in the diagnosis.