Hyphomycetes in the water of peatmoss (Sphagnum)

The authors investigated hyphomycetes in the water of peatmoss (Sphagnum) collected from forest peatbogs in the Augustowska and Knyszyńska Forests in northeastern Poland. The presence of 28 hyphomycete species was noted. Cordana musae, Helicoon macrosporum, Sporidesmiella aspera, Stemphyliomma tambopata?nse and Tripospermum pes-gallinae were recorded for the first time from Poland.     

Early morning dystonia in Parkinson''s disease

Proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells has held center stage as the culprit in restenosis for almost two decades. Many strategies for combating restenosis target smooth muscle replication. However, none have proven beneficial in clinical trials. Indeed, inhibition of smooth muscle proliferation in human patients might produce the undesired effect of destabilizing vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques because these cells furnish the collagen responsible for the biomechanical strength of the plaque. Actually, in some cases the benefit of angioplasty may depend on stimulating smooth muscle replication and collagen elaboration, converting an "unstable" to a more stable plaque. Moreover, recent clinical and experimental evidence suggests that restenosis depends less on neointimal hyperplasia than on constrictive remodeling (i.e., advential scarring, producing a smaller lumen), a process independent of smooth muscle replication. The recognition that plaques vulnerable to disruption often do not produce flow-limiting stenoses highlights a need for reassessment of the strategies to treat or prevent the acute coronary syndromes. We should strive to treat aggressively risk factors such as hyperlipidemia whose control appears to stabilize plaques. Trials are even underway comparing such risk factor management with coronary artery intervention. If we could identify potentially unstable atheroma before they are evident, clinically, we might even contemplate angioplasty of nonsignificant stenoses to induce smooth muscle cell proliferation and reinforce the plaque's fibrous cap. This proposal may seem preposterous, yet we perform "primary" angioplasty every day in patients with an acute myocardial infarction whose "culprit" lesions underlying the thrombus are often not critical. Our knowledge of the biology of restenosis has lagged behind our practice of coronary intervention. Advances in understanding the biology of the complications of interventional therapy, hand in hand with technical advances, should help us to devise more rational and enduring approaches to benefiting our patients.     

Documenting the educational content of morning report

OBJECTIVES: To document the educational content of a pediatric morning report and to determine if it represents a curriculum. SETTING: A midwestern, tertiary care, pediatric training program. DESIGN: A prospective, observational study was conducted of case presentations discussed during pediatric morning report from July 1995 through July 1996. Presented cases were analyzed for demographics, clinical venues where patients were encountered, case diagnoses, and ensuing discussion. RESULTS: Morning report by study criteria was considered a curriculum. A wide variety of patient ages (aged from birth to 41 years) and all clinical venues were represented. A broad spectrum of diagnoses covered 30 of 31 Pediatrics Review and Education Program (American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Ill) Content Specification headings and most (72%) of the Educational Objectives listed (N = 977 [72%]). The most common topic areas were infectious diseases (n = 137 [18.2%]), disorders of the blood/neoplasms (n = 85 [11.2%]), neurological disorders (n = 57 [7.5%]), genetics or dysmorphology (n = 56 [7.4%]), and gastrointestinal tract disorders (n = 44 [5.8%]). Top discussion categories were patient clinical presentation (n = 399 [19.6%]), evaluation (n = 375 [18.4%]), and management (n = 377 [18.5%]). CONCLUSIONS: Morning report represents a curriculum in a pediatric residency training program. It can be used effectively to address nontraditional or rarely discussed topics that are important to the overall professional development of pediatric residents.     

Capillary haemangiomas in association with morning glory disc anomaly

The potential roles of specific antibodies of the different immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses in the serological diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) were investigated by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on hydatid fluid as antigen. Specific antibodies of subclass 1 were found to be of major importance. In sera collected at the time of diagnosis (i.e., before any therapeutic intervention was initiated) they could be demonstrated in 14 of 15 sera from patients with CE and in all 12 sera from patients with AE. The most discriminatory and the most specific antibodies found in this study belonged to IgG subclass 4. Only one false-positive reaction was observed with 253 sera from healthy volunteers, and no cross-reactions occurred in 80 sera from patients with different parasitic infections. Specific IgG4 antibodies could be demonstrated in 61.0 to 66.7% (CE) or 47.6 to 66.7% (AE) of the cases. Antibody levels of IgG subclass 2 were elevated only moderately, and subclass 3 antibodies were detected in a few cases only. In addition, nonspecific reactions in sera of healthy volunteers or patients with other parasitic infections could partially be attributed to antibodies of subclasses 2 and 3.     

过时效段露点对双相钢表面色差的影响

 冷轧双相钢具有较高的抗拉强度和较低的屈强比,成形性能优异,被汽车工业广泛用于生产形状比较复杂的结构件。由于冷轧双相钢中含有较多的易氧化的合金元素如锰、硅等,因此在退火时容易出现表面色差缺陷。采用镀锌模拟器研究了退火的过时效段工艺对该缺陷的影响,分别采用扫描电镜和辉光放电光谱分析了冷轧双相钢试样的表面形貌以及元素分布。结果表明,过时效段的露点温度对表面合金元素的富集和氧化有显著影响,较高的过时效露点温度会导致出现明显的色差缺陷。     

露点对预氧化还原QP钢表面选择性氧化的影响

以0.2％C-1.8％Si-1.8％Mn成分的QP钢为研究对象,采用预氧化还原模拟试验,在露点分别为-40℃和+10℃的N2-5％(体积分数)H2气氛中制备了预氧化还原试样,使用GD-OES分析了表层5 μm深度范围Fe、Si、Mn、O的元素深度分布,使用SEM观察了表面形貌,使用TEM观察了 FIB制备的截面试样微观形貌.结果表明:预氧化试样表面氧化铁/基板界面位置已存在Si、Mn富集,经过还原退火后,还原铁/基板界面位置的Si、Mn富集进一步增加.提高退火气氛露点促进了 Si、Mn在钢板次表层形成内氧化;减少了还原铁/基板界面位置的Si、Mn外氧化;改变了还原铁/基板界面位置的氧化物组成和结构,由Si-O和Mn-Si-O的双层结构变为Mn-Si-Fe-O复合氧化物结构.     

Prediction of nocturnal plasma melatonin from morning urinary measures

The utilization of paraprofessional peer counselors for pregnant and postpartum women in recovery represents a nonthreatening and innovative departure from conventional medical and social service models. However, it must be acknowledged that these are women in recovery confronting the same daily stresses as their clients. In essence, they require the same social support services as their clients. Therefore, program planners must be reminded to build in the necessary social support systems for them at the outset. The rewards in terms of the peer counselors' capacity to engage and retain women with whom they can identify and help is well worth the investment. As a consequence of extensive community outreach and supportive activities undertaken by peer counselors, barriers to client receptivity may be removed, greater compliance and service utilization will be achieved, and the potential for successful recovery will be enhanced.     

An analysis of morning report at a pediatric hospital

The purpose of this study was to determine the types of cases residents select for morning report discussion and the educational value of postdischarge follow-up of unknown cases. Between April and December of 1994, at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, random, resident, and group-selected patients listed at morning report were followed up throughout hospitalization. Patients were categorized based upon whether or not their morning report and discharge diagnoses were the same or different. Patients discharged without a diagnosis were followed up by chart review at 6 months to determine whether a diagnosis had been made. Data were analyzed by Chi-square analysis with Bonfferoni adjustment factor for multiple comparisons. Residents were more than two times more likely to select cases for discussion in which the diagnosis changed during hospitalization (P < 0.01). The 6-month follow-up yielded new diagnoses in only 21% of previously unknown cases. We concluded that residents do an exceptional job of selecting difficult diagnostic cases for discussion at morning report. Postdischarge follow up of unknown cases adds little new information for discussion at morning report.     

Beauveria bassiana (Hyphomycetes) as a possible agent for biological control of Chagas disease vectors

Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (isolate CG306) was tested on 3rd instars of 9 Triatoma spp., 4 Rhodnius spp., 2 Panstrongylus spp. and Dipetalogaster maxima (Uhler) at 25 degrees C and 50% RH. Quantitative sporulation of the fungus on cadavers was studied at 25 degrees C and 97% RH. Mortality, estimates of survival time, and conidial production on cadavers differed significantly among the genera and species tested. Panstrongylus herreri Wygodzinsky, Dipetalogaster maxima, Triatoma picturata Usinger, Rhodnius robustus Larrousse, Rhodnius prolixus St?l, Triatoma infestans (Klug), and Triatoma brasiliensis Neiva were most susceptible to fungal infection. Most conidia per cadaver were produced on Triatoma williami Galv?o, Souza & Lima and Triatoma lecticularia (St?l). Results indicate that B. bassiana (CG306) might be a candidate for control of important or potential vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi using the fungus as a bioinsecticide.     

System ergonomic analysis of the morning ward round in an intensive care unit

The effects of 3,9-bis(N,N-dimethylcarbamoyloxy)-5H-benzofuro[3,2-c]quinoli ne-6-one (KCA-098), a derivative of coumestrol, on bone resorption was studied in organ cultures of 20-day fetal rat femora. KCA-098 increased the length, dry weight, and calcium and phosphorus contents of parathyroid hormone (PTH)-treated fetal rat femur. As PTH significantly reduced the calcium and phosphorus contents of the femora, probably by stimulating bone resorption, KCA-098 seems to inhibit bone resorption. In fact, KCA-098 inhibited the PTH-induced release of 45Ca from pre-labeled fetal rat femora into the medium in organ culture. Coumestrol also inhibited the release of 45Ca from bone into the medium. However, KCA-098 did not increase the uterine weight of ovariectomized rats, whereas coumestrol did so. Thus KCA-098 is a unique, new inhibitor of bone resorption that has no estrogenic activity.     

Effects of exposure to morning bright light in the blind and sighted controls

Seven blind subjects and 11 sighted controls were exposed to 3300 lux of cool-white fluorescent light for either 1 h or 15 min in the morning for 2 weeks during the winter. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentration, melatonin concentration in saliva, body temperature from the armpit, subjective sleepiness, and depressive symptoms were measured before and after the 2-week trial. The intervention resulted in a significant elevation in the concentration of melatonin at 21.00 hours in the healthy controls but at 23:00 hours in the blind subjects. The body temperatures measured were increased in the controls but decreased in the blind in the morning following the cessation of the intervention, and these opposite changes resulted in significant differences in the temperatures between the two groups. The decreases in the body temperature were associated with the increases in the levels of melatonin in the blind but not in the controls. Bright light administered in the morning decreased subjective sleepiness and improved mood in the healthy controls and in the blind subjects as well. The intervention had no effect on the levels of vitamin D in either of the two groups.     

Relationship of daytime asthma symptom frequency to morning peak expiratory flow

This study examined appraisal of self and others, as measured by semantic differential ratings of Police, State, Society, Family, Friend, Myself as a Man/Woman, and Myself as a Political Person, in 55 tortured political activists in Turkey, 55 nontortured political activists, and 55 nontortured, politically noninvolved controls. There were no remarkable differences between tortured and nontortured political activists; both groups differed from controls in having a more negative appraisal of the police and the state and stronger perceptions of danger, mistrust, and injustice in relation to state authority. Lack of beliefs concerning a "benevolent state" may have protected the survivors from the traumatic effects of state-perpetrated torture. Further research into the possible protective role of belief systems in posttraumatic stress disorder is needed.     

Failure of nocturnal changes in growth hormone to alter carbohydrate tolerance the following morning

To determine whether the increases in growth hormone that occur during sleep alter carbohydrate tolerance the following morning, two groups of volunteers were studied on two occasions. In one group saline alone was injected and infused (i.e. no octreotide) on one occasion and on the other octreotide was injected at 23.00 hours to inhibit endogenous growth hormone secretion followed by saline infusion to create a state of relative nocturnal growth hormone deficiency. In the other group the octreotide injection was followed on one occasion by a constant growth hormone infusion designed to maintain growth hormone concentrations at "basal" levels throughout the night whereas on the other it was followed by a constant infusion plus two supplemental growth hormone infusions given at midnight and 02.30 hours to mimic the normal nocturnal rise in growth hormone. The next morning, subjects were fed a radiolabelled mixed meal. The differences in the nocturnal growth hormone concentrations had no effect on the glucose, insulin, C-peptide and glucagon concentrations following breakfast ingestion nor did they alter postprandial rates of glucose production, disappearance or substrate oxidation. Thus, the normal nocturnal rise in growth hormone does not appear to be an important regulator of carbohydrate tolerance the following morning.     

Neuropsychological functioning and determinants of morning alertness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Neuropsychological functioning is reported to be impaired in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). This syndrome is characterized by nocturnal respiratory disturbances, blood oxygen desaturations, sleep fragmentation, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Opinions are divided concerning the exact relationship between the observed cognitive deficits, nocturnal hypoxia, sleep disruption, and impaired daytime alertness. In the present study, morning neuropsychological function of 26 moderate to severe middle-aged sleep apneics is compared to that of 22 primary insomniacs. There were no performance differences on a range of neuropsychological tests among the two patient groups. In addition, the data suggest that morning alertness impairment, which is closely associated with a lack of slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, is of major importance in inducing poorer cognitive performance in patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea.     

Subjective effects of caffeine among introverts and extraverts in the morning and evening.

In previous studies of psychomotor performance, the stimulant effects of caffeine differed by personality characteristics. For example, caffeine improved the task performance of extraverts but overaroused introverts and thus impaired their performance. The present study compared the effects of caffeine on subjective arousal among introverts and extraverts. Seventeen introverts and 19 extraverts drank coffee that contained doses of 0, 2, and 4 mg/kg caffeine during morning and evening sessions in a within-subjects, randomized, double-blind, crossover design. At 30-min intervals for 180 min after drinking, participants completed the Profile of Mood States, a battery of self-report visual analog scales, and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Caffeine effects on mood and task performance did not significantly interact with extraversion, except for nonsignificant trends for caffeine to increase happiness and vigor more among extraverts than introverts. No 3-way interactions of group, time, and dose were found on any scales or on the DSST. Results do not support the hypothesis that caffeine differentially affects extraverts and introverts, particularly at different times of the day. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)