Computer Communications: Government Regulation

As the sole suppliers of telephone or telegraph services, certain carriers have the market power to tie or compel the purchase of their data processing services; they can subsidize the cost of their data processing services with the revenue derived from their monopoly; and they are able to divert resources needed to provide basic telecommunications services to promote their competitive data processing business. The issues raised by such competition will ultimately affect the services and facilities available to all users of computers and communications components needed to link the computer to the user. In this Article, Herbert E. Marks and Stephen R. Bell maintain that the present federal regulatory scheme is unsatisfactory because the areas within which the computer and communications industries may permissibly operate are not clearly defined. As a result, there is considerable overlap and competition. Congress and the FCC in its Second Computer Inquiry are presently considering new methods of regulation

Formaldehyde-releasers: relationship to formaldehyde contact allergy. Contact allergy to formaldehyde and inventory of formaldehyde-releasers

This is one of series of review articles on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasers (others: formaldehyde in cosmetics, in clothes and in metalworking fluids and miscellaneous). Thirty-five chemicals were identified as being formaldehyde-releasers. Although a further seven are listed in the literature as formaldehyde-releasers, data are inadequate to consider them as such beyond doubt. Several (nomenclature) mistakes and outdated information are discussed. Formaldehyde and formaldehyde allergy are reviewed: applications, exposure scenarios, legislation, patch testing problems, frequency of sensitization, relevance of positive patch test reactions, clinical pattern of allergic contact dermatitis from formaldehyde, prognosis, threshold for elicitation of allergic contact dermatitis, analytical tests to determine formaldehyde in products and frequency of exposure to formaldehyde and releasers. The frequency of contact allergy to formaldehyde is consistently higher in the USA (8-9%) than in Europe (2-3%). Patch testing with formaldehyde is problematic; the currently used 1% solution may result in both false-positive and false-negative (up to 40%) reactions. Determining the relevance of patch test reactions is often challenging. What concentration of formaldehyde is safe for sensitive patients remains unknown. Levels of 200-300 p.p.m. free formaldehyde in cosmetic products have been shown to induce dermatitis from short-term use on normal skin

Noncanonical function of DGCR8 controls mESC exit from pluripotency

Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) deficient for DGCR8, a key component of the microprocessor complex, present strong differentiation defects. However, the exact reasons impairing their commitment remain elusive. The analysis of newly generated mutant mESCs revealed that DGCR8 is essential for the exit from the pluripotency state. To dissociate canonical versus noncanonical functions of DGCR8, we complemented the mutant mESCs with a phosphomutant DGCR8, which restored microRNA levels but did not rescue the exit from pluripotency defect. Integration of omics data and RNA immunoprecipitation experiments established DGCR8 as a direct interactor of Tcf7l1 mRNA, a core component of the pluripotency network. Finally, we found that DGCR8 facilitated the splicing of Tcf7l1, an event necessary for the differentiation of mESCs. Our data reveal a new noncanonical function of DGCR8 in the modulation of the alternative splicing of Tcf7l1 mRNA in addition to its established function in microRNA biogenesis

Comparison between antithymocyte globulin and alemtuzumab and the possible impact of KIR-ligand mismatch after dose-reduced conditioning and unrelated stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma

We compared antithymocyte globulin (ATG) with alemtuzumab in 73 patients with multiple myeloma, who underwent reduced conditioning with melphalan/fludarabine, followed by allogeneic stem cell transplantation from human leucocyte antigen-matched or -mismatched unrelated donors. The ATG group had more prior high-dose chemotherapies (P < 0.001), while bone marrow was used more as the stem cell source in the alemtuzumab group (P < 0.001). Alemtuzumab resulted in faster engraftment of leucocytes (P = 0.03) and platelets (P = 0.02) and in a lower incidence of acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) grades II-IV (24% vs. 47%, P = 0.06). More cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositive patients in the alemtuzumab group experienced CMV reactivation (100% vs. 47%, P = 0.001). The cumulative incidence of treatment-related mortality at 2 years was 26% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 12-37%] for ATG vs. 28% (95% CI = 15-55%) for alemtuzumab, P = 0.7. There was no significant difference in the estimated 2-year overall and progression-free survival between ATG and alemtuzumab: 54% (95% CI: 39-75%) vs. 45% (95% CI: 28-73%) and 30% (95% CI: 16-55%) vs. 36% (95% CI: 20-62%) respectively. In multivariate analysis, treatment with alemtuzumab had a higher risk for relapse (hazard ratio: 2.37; P = 0.05) while killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)-ligand mismatch was protective for relapse (P < 0.0001). We conclude that alemtuzumab produced less acute GvHD, but higher probability of relapse. The data implicated a major role of KIR-ligand mismatched transplantation in multiple myeloma

The organisation and delivery of health improvement in general practice and primary care: a scoping study

Background This project examines the organisation and delivery of health improvement activities by and within general practice and the primary health-care team. The project was designed to examine who delivers these interventions, where they are located, what approaches are developed in practices, how individual practices and the primary health-care team organise such public health activities, and how these contribute to health improvement. Our focus was on health promotion and ill-health prevention activities. Aims The aim of this scoping exercise was to identify the current extent of knowledge about the health improvement activities in general practice and the wider primary health-care team. The key objectives were to provide an overview of the range and type of health improvement activities, identify gaps in knowledge and areas for further empirical research. Our specific research objectives were to map the range and type of health improvement activity undertaken by general practice staff and the primary health-care team based within general practice; to scope the literature on health improvement in general practice or undertaken by health-care staff based in general practice and identify gaps in the evidence base; to synthesise the literature and identify effective approaches to the delivery and organisation of health improvement interventions in a general practice setting; and to identify the priority areas for research as defined by those working in general practice. Methods We undertook a comprehensive search of the literature. We followed a staged selection process involving reviews of titles and abstracts. This resulted in the identification of 1140 papers for data extraction, with 658 of these papers selected for inclusion in the review, of which 347 were included in the evidence synthesis. We also undertook 45 individual and two group interviews with primary health-care staff. Findings Many of the research studies reviewed had some details about the type, process or location, or who provided the intervention. Generally, however, little attention is paid in the literature to examining the impact of the organisational context on the way services are delivered or how this affects the effectiveness of health improvement interventions in general practice. We found that the focus of attention is mainly on individual prevention approaches, with practices engaging in both primary and secondary prevention. The range of activities suggests that general practitioners do not take a population approach but focus on individual patients. However, it is clear that many general practitioners see health promotion as an integral part of practice, whether as individual approaches to primary or secondary health improvement or as a practice-based approach to improving the health of their patients. Our key conclusion is that there is currently insufficient good evidence to support many of the health improvement interventions undertaken in general practice and primary care more widely. Future Research Future research on health improvement in general practice and by the primary health-care team needs to move beyond clinical research to include delivery systems and be conducted in a primary care setting. More research needs to examine areas where there are chronic disease burdens – cancer, dementia and other disabilities of old age. Reviews should be commissioned that examine the whole prevention pathway for health problems that are managed within primary care drawing together research from general practice, pharmacy, community engagement, etc

Entwicklungsförderung und Gewaltprävention für junge Menschen. Impulse des DFK-Sachverständigenrates für die Auswahl & Durchführung wirksamer Programme. Ein Leitfaden für die Praxis

Die Stiftung Deutsches Forum für Kriminalprävention (DFK) befasst sich kontinuierlich und schwerpunktmäßig mit der Frage, wie Gewaltprävention systematisch und nachhaltig gestaltet und verbreitet werden kann. Ergebnis ist der vorliegende Leitfaden „Entwicklungsförderung und Gewaltprävention für junge Menschen“, der im Rahmen des 18. Deutschen Präventionstages (DPT) in Bielefeld vorgestellt und diskutiert wird. Er knüpft an die Expertise „Gelingensbedingungen für die Prävention von interpersonaler Gewalt im Kindes- und Jugendalter“ an und erweitert die fördernde und präventive Perspektive insbesondere um Aspekte der Effektivität, der Messung von Wirksamkeit und Umsetzungsqualität sowie der Implementierung in Kitas und Schulen. Schließlich werden Fragen des Transfers und einer weitergehenden Verbreitung (Dissemination) von wirksamen und praxistauglichen Präventionsangeboten erörtert. Der Leitfaden richtet sich an professionelle Praktiker, aber auch an Entscheidungsverantwortliche in Institutionen, in Verwaltung und nicht zuletzt in Politik

FMRFamide-Like Peptides (FLPs) Enhance Voltage-Gated Calcium Currents to Elicit Muscle Contraction in the Human Parasite Schistosoma mansoni

Schistosomes are amongst the most important and neglected pathogens in the world, and schistosomiasis control relies almost exclusively on a single drug. The neuromuscular system of schistosomes is fertile ground for therapeutic intervention, yet the details of physiological events involved in neuromuscular function remain largely unknown. Short amidated neuropeptides, FMRFamide-like peptides (FLPs), are distributed abundantly throughout the nervous system of every flatworm examined and they produce potent myoexcitation. Our goal here was to determine the mechanism by which FLPs elicit contractions of schistosome muscle fibers. Contraction studies showed that the FLP Tyr-Ile-Arg-Phe-amide (YIRFamide) contracts the muscle fibers through a mechanism that requires Ca2+ influx through sarcolemmal voltage operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs), as the contractions are inhibited by classical VOCC blockers nicardipine, verapamil and methoxyverapamil. Whole-cell patch-clamp experiments revealed that inward currents through VOCCs are significantly and reversibly enhanced by the application of 1 µM YIRFamide; the sustained inward currents were increased to 190% of controls and the peak currents were increased to 180%. In order to examine the biochemical link between the FLP receptor and the VOCCs, PKC inhibitors calphostin C, RO 31–8220 and chelerythrine were tested and all produced concentration dependent block of the contractions elicited by 1 µM YIRFamide. Taken together, the data show that FLPs elicit contractions by enhancing Ca2+ influx through VOCC currents using a PKC-dependent pathway