Auditory brain-stem evoked potentials in cat after kainic acid induced neuronal loss. I. Superior olivary complex

Auditory brain-stem potentials (ABRs) were studied in cats for up to 45 days after kainic acid had been injected unilaterally or bilaterally into the superior olivary complex (SOC) to produce neuronal destruction while sparing fibers of passage and the terminals of axons of extrinsic origin connecting to SOC neurons. The components of the ABR in cat were labeled by their polarity at the vertex (P, for positive) and their order of appearance (the arabic numerals 1, 2, etc.). Component P1 can be further subdivided into 2 subcomponents labeled P1a and P1b. The correspondences we have assumed between the ABR components in cat and man are indicated by providing a Roman numeral designation for the human component in parentheses following the feline notation, e.g., P4 (V). With bilateral SOC destruction, there was a significant and marked attenuation of waves P2 (III), P3 (IV), P4 (V), P5 (VI), and the sustained potential shift (SPS) amounting to as much as 80% of preoperative values. Following unilateral SOC destruction the attenuation of many of these same ABR components, in response to stimulation of either ear, was up to 50%. No component of the ABR was totally abolished even when the SOC was lesioned 100% bilaterally. In unilaterally lesioned cats with extensive neuronal loss (greater than 75%) the latencies of the components beginning at P3 (IV) were delayed to stimulation of the ear ipsilateral to the injection site but not to stimulation of the ear contralateral to the injection. Binaural interaction components of the ABR were affected in proportion to the attenuation of the ABR. These results are compatible with multiple brain regions contributing to the generation of the components of the ABR beginning with P2 (III) and that components P3 (IV), P4 (V), and P5 (VI) and the sustained potential shift depend particularly on the integrity of the neurons of the SOC bilaterally. The neurons of the lateral subdivision (LSO) and the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) of the SOC have a major role in generating waves P3 (IV) and P4 (V)

What Lies behind the Wish to Hasten Death? A Systematic Review and Meta-Ethnography from the Perspective of Patients

BACKGROUND: There is a need for an in-depth approach to the meaning of the wish to hasten death (WTHD). This study aims to understand the experience of patients with serious or incurable illness who express such a wish. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative studies from the patient's perspective. Studies were identified through six databases (ISI, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, CUIDEN and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials), together with citation searches and consultation with experts. Finally, seven studies reporting the experiences of 155 patients were included. The seven-stage Noblit and Hare approach was applied, using reciprocal translation and line-of-argument synthesis. Six main themes emerged giving meaning to the WTHD: WTHD in response to physical/psychological/spiritual suffering, loss of self, fear of dying, the desire to live but not in this way, WTHD as a way of ending suffering, and WTHD as a kind of control over one's life ('having an ace up one's sleeve just in case'). An explanatory model was developed which showed the WTHD to be a reactive phenomenon: a response to multidimensional suffering, rather than only one aspect of the despair that may accompany this suffering. According to this model the factors that lead to the emergence of WTHD are total suffering, loss of self and fear, which together produce an overwhelming emotional distress that generates the WTHD as a way out, i.e. to cease living in this way and to put an end to suffering while maintaining some control over the situation. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of the WTHD in these patients is a response to overwhelming emotional distress and has different meanings, which do not necessarily imply a genuine wish to hasten one's death. These meanings, which have a causal relationship to the phenomenon, should be taken into account when drawing up care plans

Art is above politics but not humanity: the art and politics of Michael Farrell

Micheal Farrell claimed that his \u27Madonna Irelanda\u27 was the \u27Very First Real Irish Political Picture\u27. Was it? What is the distinction between art which is \u27nationalistic\u27 and art which is \u27political\u27? What is the role of the artist in society

mdrl Ribozyme mediated reversal of the multi-drug resistant phenotype in human lung cell lines

An mdrl hammerhead was introduced into two adriamycin-selected multi-drug resistant human lung cell lines both of which over-express p-glycoprotein. Expression of the ribozyme resulted in a decrease in mdrl mRNA expression and an increase in drug sensitivity in both cell lines. This would suggest that the use of specific ribozymes may represent an effective and specific approach in order to restore cellular sensitivity towards anti-cancer drugs

mdrl Ribozyme mediated reversal of the multi-drug resistant phenotype in human lung cell lines

An mdrl hammerhead was introduced into two adriamycin-selected multi-drug resistant human lung cell lines both of which over-express p-glycoprotein. Expression of the ribozyme resulted in a decrease in mdrl mRNA expression and an increase in drug sensitivity in both cell lines. This would suggest that the use of specific ribozymes may represent an effective and specific approach in order to restore cellular sensitivity towards anti-cancer drugs

mdrl Ribozyme mediated reversal of the multi-drug resistant phenotype in human lung cell lines

An mdrl hammerhead was introduced into two adriamycin-selected multi-drug resistant human lung cell lines both of which over-express p-glycoprotein. Expression of the ribozyme resulted in a decrease in mdrl mRNA expression and an increase in drug sensitivity in both cell lines. This would suggest that the use of specific ribozymes may represent an effective and specific approach in order to restore cellular sensitivity towards anti-cancer drugs

Acupuncture to Induce Labor: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveTo estimate the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture to induce labor.MethodsThis study was a randomized controlled trial of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture. Women who were scheduled for a postterm induction with a singleton pregnancy and cephalic presentation were eligible for the study. Women received two acupuncture or sham acupuncture sessions over a 2-day period before the planned medical/pharmacological induction. The principal primary outcomes related to the need for induction methods and time from the administration of the intervention to delivery.ResultsThree hundred sixty-four women were randomly assigned to the trial (treatment n=181 and control n=183). Women did not differ in their need for induction methods between groups: prostaglandin induction: relative risk (RR) 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-1.51, P=.11; artificial rupture of membranes only: RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.72-1.20, P=.57; oxytocin only: RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.60-1.32, P=.55; artificial rupture of membranes plus oxytocin: RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.57-1.33, P=.52; prostaglandins, artificial rupture of membranes, and oxytocin: RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.37-1.91, P=.68. The median time from acupuncture to delivery was 68.6 hours (interquartile range 53.9-79.5) compared with 65 hours (interquartile range 49.3-76.3) for women in the control group.ConclusionTwo sessions of manual acupuncture, using local and distal acupuncture points, administered 2 days before a scheduled induction of labor did not reduce the need for induction methods or the duration of labor for women with a postterm pregnancy.Clinical trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, www.anzctr.org.au, ACTRN12606000494538Level of evidenceI.Caroline A. Smith, Caroline A. Crowther, Carmel T. Collins and Meaghan E. Coyl

Differential Increases in Average Isokinetic Power by Specific Muscle Groups of Older Women Due to Variations in Training and Testing

As a person ages, leg speed and power decrease. These changes are associated with increased falls and reduced gait speed. It has been shown that upper leg training in younger persons results in increased strength and power at the specific speed at which resistance training is applied, although there are only limited data concerning speed-specific training effects on lower leg activity. However, because both upper and lower leg speed and power influence gait and balance, it is important to determine the training speeds that selectively improve these variables in older persons. No studies have examined selective speed-specific changes in performance for the upper and lower leg muscles in older individuals. Therefore, we compared shifts in the power-velocity relationship after high-speed (HS) and low-speed (LS) isokinetic training of knee extensors (KE) and flexors (KF), dorsiflexors (DF), and plantar flexors (PF) in community-dwelling women (ages 61 to 75). Subjects were randomly assigned to a HS training, LS training, or control (C) group. Training occurred three times a week for 12 weeks. HS training occurred at 4.73 rad.s(-1) (knee) and 3.14 rad.s(-1) (ankle); LS training for both joint actions was at 1.05 rad.s(-1). HS training improved KE power at intermediate (3.14 rad.s(-1); p =.0007) and high (5.24 rad.s(-1); p =.0004) testing speeds. Neither the HS nor LS group showed any change in KF as a result of the training. Both LS and HS training improved DF power at all testing speeds; however, PF power improved only with LS training and only at 1.05 rad.s(-1) (p =.0132) and 3.14 rad.s(-1) (p =.0310). Our results suggest that, in older women, lower leg training should occur at lower training speeds than upper leg training. Additionally, attention to differential speed-specific training of knee and ankle actions could improve power production, mobility, balance, and other functional measures in older persons