study protocol for a randomized-controlled trial

Background Functional abdominal pain (FAP) is not only a highly prevalent disease but also poses a considerable burden on children and their families. Untreated, FAP is highly persistent until adulthood, also leading to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders. Intervention studies underscore the efficacy of cognitive behavioral treatment approaches but are limited in terms of sample size, long-term follow-up data, controls and inclusion of psychosocial outcome data. Methods/Design In a multicenter randomized controlled trial, 112 children aged 7 to 12 years who fulfill the Rome III criteria for FAP will be allocated to an established cognitive behavioral training program for children with FAP (n = 56) or to an active control group (focusing on age-appropriate information delivery; n = 56). Randomization occurs centrally, blockwise and is stratified by center. This study is performed in five pediatric gastroenterology outpatient departments. Observer- blind assessments of outcome variables take place four times: pre-, post-, 3- and 12-months post-treatment. Primary outcome is the course of pain intensity and frequency. Secondary endpoints are health-related quality of life, pain- related coping and cognitions, as well as selfefficacy. Discussion This confirmatory randomized controlled clinical trial evaluates the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral intervention for children with FAP. By applying an active control group, time and attention processes can be controlled, and long-term follow-up data over the course of one year can be explored

Osmoregulators proline and glycine betaine counteract salinity stress in canola

Salt inundation leads to increased salinization of arable land in many arid and semi-arid regions. Until genetic solutions are found farmers and growers must either abandon salt-affected fields or use agronomic treatments that alleviate salt stress symptoms. Here, field experiments were carried out to study the effect of the osmoregulators proline at 200 mg L-1 and glycine betaine at 400 mg L-1 in counteracting the harmful effect of soil salinity stress on canola plants grown in Egypt. We assessed growth characteristics, yield and biochemical constituents. Results show first that all growth characters decreased with increasing salinity stress but applied osmoregulators alleviated these negative effects. Second, salinity stress decreased photosynthetic pigments, K and P contents, whilst increasing proline, soluble sugars, ascorbic acid, Na and Cl contents. Third, application of osmoregulators without salt stress increased photosynthetic pigments, proline, soluble sugars, N, K and P contents whilst decreasing Na and Cl contents. It is concluded that the exogenously applied osmoregulators glycine betaine and proline can fully or partially counteract the harmful effect of salinity stress on growth and yield of canola.© INRA and Springer-Verlag, France 2012

Complete hepatitis B virus genome analysis in HBsAg positive mothers and their infants with fulminant hepatitis B

BACKGROUND: After perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus, infants of anti-HBe positive HBsAg carrier mothers may develop fulminant hepatitis B. Previously it has been suggested, that fulminant hepatitis B in adults was associated with specific mutations in the HBV-genome. The aim of this study was to investigate, whether specific viral variants are associated with fulminant hepatitis B in young infants. METHODS: The complete HBV-genomes of five mothers and their infants with fulminant hepatitis were isolated from the sera, amplified and directly sequenced. RESULTS: Between 6 and 43 base pair exchanges between the HBV genomes of the infants and their mothers were identified. The mutations spread over the entire virus genome. Nucleotide exchanges in the basic core promotor and precore region were identified in all cases. A heterogeneous virus population was detected in four mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Many new mutations were proved to emerge during fulminant hepatitis B in infants, who had been perinatally infected. HBeAg negative variants were the predominant population in all children, whereas these mutants could only be detected as subpopulations in four mothers. The data suggest that the selection of a specific HBeAg negative viral strain may be associated with the development of fulminant hepatitis B in children

Equivalence of Open-Loop and Closed-Loop Operation of SAW Resonators and Delay Lines

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors in the form of two-port resonators or delay lines are widely used in various fields of application. The readout of such sensors is achieved by electronic systems operating either in an open-loop or in a closed-loop configuration. The mode of operation of the sensor system is usually chosen based on requirements like, e.g., bandwidth, dynamic range, linearity, costs, and immunity against environmental influences. Because the limit of detection (LOD) at the output of a sensor system is often one of the most important figures of merit, both readout structures, i.e., open-loop and closed-loop systems, are analyzed in terms of the minimum achievable LOD. Based on a comprehensive phase noise analysis of these structures for both resonant sensors and delay line sensors, expressions for the various limits of detection are derived. Under generally valid conditions, the equivalence of open-loop and closed-loop operation is shown for both types of sensors. These results are not only valid for SAW devices, but are also applicable to all kinds of phase-sensitive sensors

Noise Analysis of Open-Loop and Closed-Loop Readout Systems for Phase Sensitive Magnetic Field Sensors

International audienceransmission surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors are widely used in various fields of application. In order to maximize the limit of detection (LOD) of such sensor systems, it is of high importance to understand and to be able to quantify the relevant noise sources. In this paper, low noise readout systems for the application with a SAW delay line magnetic field sensor in an open-loop and closed-loop configuration are presented and analyzed with regard to their phase noise contribution. By applying oscillator phase noise theory to closed-loop sensor systems, it is shown that the phase noise of the SAW delay line oscillator can be predicted accurately. This allows the derivation of expressions for the limits of detection for both readout structures. Based on these equations, the equivalence between the LOD of open-loop and closed-loop SAW delay line readout can be shown analytically, assuming that the sensor contributes the dominant phase noise. This equality is verified by measurements. These results are applicable to all kinds of phase sensitive delay line sensors

Noise Analysis and Comparison of Phase-and Frequency-Detecting Readout Systems: Application to SAW Delay Line Magnetic Field Sensor

International audienceTransmission surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors are widely used in various fields of application. In order to improve the limit of detection (LOD) of such sensor systems, it is essential to understand and quantify the relevant noise sources. Only then, strategies for noise reduction can be developed. In this paper, low noise readout systems for the application with SAW sensors in an open-loop and a closed-loop configuration are presented and experimentally investigated with regard to their phase noise on the example of a SAW delay line magnetic field sensor. Besides a comprehensive analysis of the phaseand frequency modulated signals, respectively, previously derived equations in a theoretic study for describing the LOD of both readout structures are utilized in the experimental context. According to the theory, the same LOD is also obtained in the experiment for all frequencies for which the noise contributions of the readout electronics are negligible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental study that directly compares both operating modes for the same sensor and in terms of the overall achievable LOD. The results are applicable to all kinds of phase-sensitive delay-line sensors