Bone Densitometry of the Femoral Midshaft the Protein-Deprived Rat

Densitometric assessment of radiographs of the femoral midshafts in protein-deprived and age-matched control rats, has shown a significant loss of total bone density in the protein-deprived group. This reduction is no greater than can be accounted for by the loss of cortical bone surface area, suggesting that while bone mass is reduced as a result of protein deprivation, the mineral composition of the residual bone is likely to be normal. These findings are supported by data on the ash content of extirpated bone in the same group of animals.S. Afr. Med. J., 47, 1 (1973

An early Cambrian agglutinated tubular lophophorate with brachiopod characters.

The morphological disparity of lophotrochozoan phyla makes it difficult to predict the morphology of the last common ancestor. Only fossils of stem groups can help discover the morphological transitions that occurred along the roots of these phyla. Here, we describe a tubular fossil Yuganotheca elegans gen. et sp. nov. from the Cambrian (Stage 3) Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Yunnan, China) that exhibits an unusual combination of phoronid, brachiopod and tommotiid (Cambrian problematica) characters, notably a pair of agglutinated valves, enclosing a horseshoe-shaped lophophore, supported by a lower bipartite tubular attachment structure with a long pedicle with coelomic space. The terminal bulb of the pedicle provided anchorage in soft sediment. The discovery has important implications for the early evolution of lophotrochozoans, suggesting rooting of brachiopods into the sessile lophotrochozoans and the origination of their bivalved bauplan preceding the biomineralization of shell valves in crown brachiopods

Tongue acceleration in humans evoked with intramuscular electrical stimulation of genioglossus

Genioglossus was stimulated intramuscularly to determine the effect of regional activation of the muscle on tongue movement in eight healthy adults. Stimulation at motor threshold was delivered with a needle electrode inserted to different depths in the anterior and posterior regions of genioglossus. The current amplitude that induced muscle contraction was ∼80% higher for anterior than posterior sites. Evoked tongue movements were determined from stimulus-triggered averages (150 pulses) of the outputs from an accelerometer fixed to the posterosuperior surface of the tongue. The median amplitude [95% confidence intervals] for the resultant acceleration was 0.0 m/s2 [0.0, 0.2] for anterior and 0.6 m/s2 [0.1, 2.8] for posterior sites. There was a positive relationship between acceleration amplitude and stimulation depth in the posterior of genioglossus (p < 0.001), but acceleration amplitude did not vary with stimulation depth in the anterior region (p = 0.83). This heterogeneity in acceleration responses between muscle regions may contribute to differences in collapsibility of the upper airway

Malaria control-two years' use of insecticide treated bednets compared with insecticide house spraying in KwaZulu-Natal

Objectives. The objective of this study was to produce data indicating whether insecticide-treated bednets should replaced insecticide house spraying as a malaria control method in South Africa. We report 2 years of preliminary data on malaria incidence comparing areas receiving insecticidetreated bednets and those subjected to house spraying in northern KwaZulu-Natal.Design, setting and subjects. In order to measure significant reductions in malaria incidence between the two interventions, a geographical information system (GIS) was used to identify and create seven pairs of geographical blocks (areas) in the malaria high-risk areas of Ndumu and Makanis in Ingwavuma magisterial district, KwaZulu-Natal. Individual blocks were then randomly allocated to either insecticide-treated bednets or house spraying with  deltamethrin. Malaria cases were either routinely recorded by surveillance agents at home or were reported to the nearest health facility.Results and conclusions. The results show that 2 years' use of insecticide-treated bednets by communities in Ndumu and Makanis, KwaZulu-Natal, significantly reduced the malaria incidence both in 1997 (rate ratio (RR) = 0.879, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80- 0.95, P = 0.04) and in 1998 (RR = 0.667, CI 0.61 - 0.72, P= 0.0001). Using a t-test, these significant reductions were further confirmed by an assessment of the rate of change between 1996 and 1998, showing a 16% reduction in malaria incidence in blocks using  treated bednets and an increase of 45% in sprayed areas (t =2.534, P = 0.026 (12 df)). In order to decide whether bednets should replace house spraying in South Africa, we need more data on the efficacy of treated bednets, their long-term acceptability and the cost of the two interventions

Age-related macular degeneration and smoking cessation advice by eye care providers: a pilot study

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the link in this record.Smoking is a modifiable risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the United States. We conducted a pilot study among eye care providers and AMD patients to assess smoking cessation preferences and cessation services offered at a large academic medical center. Most patients who smoke reported never being advised to quit smoking, although most eye care providers reported that they had advised smokers to quit. Two-thirds of providers expressed a desire for additional training and resources to support patient quit attempts, indicating the need for the integration of smoking cessation opportunities in the clinic setting.Support for this study was provided in part by a National Eye Institute grant (no. R21-EY019096)

Cell cycle regulatory proteins and oral squamous cell carcinoma development

Abstract no. 1279published_or_final_versio

The depression in visual impairment trial (DEPVIT): trial design and protocol

&lt;b&gt;Background&lt;/b&gt; The prevalence of depression in people with a visual disability is high but screening for depression and referral for treatment is not yet an integral part of visual rehabilitation service provision. One reason for this may be that there is no good evidence about the effectiveness of treatments in this patient group. This study is the first to evaluate the effect of depression treatments on people with a visual impairment and co morbid depression.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Methods/design&lt;/b&gt; The study is an exploratory, multicentre, individually randomised waiting list controlled trial. Participants will be randomised to receive Problem Solving Therapy (PST), a ‘referral to the GP’ requesting treatment according to the NICE’s ‘stepped care’ recommendations or the waiting list arm of the trial. The primary outcome measure is change (from randomisation) in depressive symptoms as measured by the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI-II) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include change in depressive symptoms at 3 months, change in visual function as measured with the near vision subscale of the VFQ-48 and 7 item NEI-VFQ at 3 and 6 months, change in generic health related quality of life (EQ5D), the costs associated with PST, estimates of incremental cost effectiveness, and recruitment rate estimation.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Discussion&lt;/b&gt; Depression is prevalent in people with disabling visual impairment. This exploratory study will establish depression screening and referral for treatment in visual rehabilitation clinics in the UK. It will be the first to explore the efficacy of PST and the effectiveness of NICE’s ‘stepped care’ approach to the treatment of depression in people with a visual impairment.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

Muon capture on light nuclei

This work investigates the muon capture reactions 2H(\mu^-,\nu_\mu)nn and 3He(\mu^-,\nu_\mu)3H and the contribution to their total capture rates arising from the axial two-body currents obtained imposing the partially-conserved-axial-current (PCAC) hypothesis. The initial and final A=2 and 3 nuclear wave functions are obtained from the Argonne v_{18} two-nucleon potential, in combination with the Urbana IX three-nucleon potential in the case of A=3. The weak current consists of vector and axial components derived in chiral effective field theory. The low-energy constant entering the vector (axial) component is determined by reproducting the isovector combination of the trinucleon magnetic moment (Gamow-Teller matrix element of tritium beta-decay). The total capture rates are 393.1(8) s^{-1} for A=2 and 1488(9) s^{-1} for A=3, where the uncertainties arise from the adopted fitting procedure.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to Few-Body Sys

Algebraic charge liquids

High temperature superconductivity emerges in the cuprate compounds upon changing the electron density of an insulator in which the electron spins are antiferromagnetically ordered. A key characteristic of the superconductor is that electrons can be extracted from them at zero energy only if their momenta take one of four specific values (the `nodal points'). A central enigma has been the evolution of the zero energy electrons in the metallic state between the antiferromagnet and the superconductor, and recent experiments yield apparently contradictory results. The oscillation of the resistance in this metal as a function of magnetic field indicate that the zero energy electrons carry momenta which lie on elliptical `Fermi pockets', while ejection of electrons by high intensity light indicates that the zero energy electrons have momenta only along arc-like regions. We present a theory of new states of matter, which we call `algebraic charge liquids', which arise naturally between the antiferromagnet and the superconductor, and reconcile these observations. Our theory also explains a puzzling dependence of the density of superconducting electrons on the total electron density, and makes a number of unique predictions for future experiments.Comment: 6+8 pages, 2 figures; (v2) Rewritten for broader accessibility; (v3) corrected numerical error in Eq. (5

Automatically generating streamlined constraint models with ESSENCE and CONJURE

Streamlined constraint reasoning is the addition of uninferred constraints to a constraint model to reduce the search space, while retaining at least one solution. Previously, effective streamlined models have been constructed by hand, requiring an expert to examine closely solutions to small instances of a problem class and identify regularities. We present a system that automatically generates many conjectured regularities for a given Essence specification of a problem class by examining the domains of decision variables present in the problem specification. These conjectures are evaluated independently and in conjunction with one another on a set of instances from the specified class via an automated modelling tool-chain comprising of Conjure, Savile Row and Minion. Once the system has identified effective conjectures they are used to generate streamlined models that allow instances of much larger scale to be solved. Our results demonstrate good models can be identified for problems in combinatorial design, Ramsey theory, graph theory and group theory - often resulting in order of magnitude speed-ups.Postprin