Which tool is most useful in diagnosing bipolar disorder in children?

No single, well-validated screening instrument for clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children exists. That said, the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS), a semi-structured interview, along with clinical evaluation by a childhood mental health specialist, is used most frequently in major research studies (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C)

How does colonoscopy compare with fecal occult blood testing as a screening tool for colon cancer?

No studies have directly compared colonoscopy with fecal occult blood testing (FOBT). Multiple screening trials have demonstrated that a primary strategy of 3-card home FOBT with follow-up colonoscopy for positive results is associated with a significant reduction in mortality from colorectalcancer (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, based on systematic reviews of randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials). A single negative office-based digital FOBT does not decrease the likelihood of advanced neoplasia (SOR: B, based on a single prospective cohort study). There are no publications of screening trials with colonoscopy, but the odds of dying from colorectal cancer are lower for patients undergoing colonoscopy compared with patients not having a colonoscopy (SOR: B, based on extrapolation from a case-control study). Both strategies are cost-effective (SOR: A, based on a systematic review of high-quality cost-effective analyses)

Defining Identity Crimes

The objective of this paper is to report on the definitions of the terms used and in use across different regions for identity crime, namely, identity fraud, identity theft, and identity deception. The purpose is to clarify the meaning of the terms used with a view to gaining a consensus amongst the various stakeholders. This consensus is essential to enable further research. Without consensus measurement and comparisons are meaningless. Our study of identity fraud has an industry-driven research agenda. A grounded theory research methodology is used when interviewing government agencies and private organisation participants. Interviews sought to better understand current information and communications technology (ICT) practitioners’ security and privacy issues with respect to identity fraud perpetrator attacks. We found there to be consensus among stakeholders for the meaning of identity fraud and identity theft but less agreement for identity deception

Efficient Part Load Combined Cycle Operation.

LecturePg. 31-36During the oil crisis in the 1970s, many electric utilities assigned their base load portion of electric generation requirements to nuclear and coal fired steam plants. The intermediate duty in some cases was assigned to combined cycles or to oil fired steam plants. The peak duty under 1000 hr was assigned in many cases to combustion turbines. By innovative boiler modification, the peaking combustion turbine can be combined with a steam plant to provide the combustion air for the steam plant boiler with a wide load variation at good efficiency. In addition to maintaining high efficiency at part load, it increases the plant capacity 6 to 7 percent at full load, decreases NO(subscript x) generation, varies the air flow to an existing boiler 10 percent and up to 20 percent using a new combustion turbine and provides a system such that the gas turbine can automatically be removed from the cycle without tripping the steam cycle

TGF-β mimic proteins form an extended gene family in the murine parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus

We recently reported the discovery of a new parasite-derived protein that functionally mimics the immunosuppressive cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. The Heligmosomoides polygyrus TGF-β Mimic (Hp-TGM) shares no homology to any TGF-β family member, however it binds the mammalian TGF-β receptor and induces expression of Foxp3, the canonical transcription factor of both mouse and human regulatory T cells. Hp-TGM consists of five atypical Complement Control Protein (CCP, Pfam 00084) domains, each lacking certain conserved residues and 12–15 amino acids longer than the 60–70 amino acids consensus domain, but with a recognizable 3-cysteine, tryptophan, cysteine motif. We now report on the identification of a family of nine related Hp-TGM homologues represented in the secreted proteome and transcriptome of H. polygyrus. Recombinant proteins from five of the nine new TGM members were tested for TGF-β activity, but only two were functionally active in an MFB-F11 reporter assay, and by the induction of T cell Foxp3 expression. Sequence comparisons reveal that proteins with functional activity are similar or identical to Hp-TGM across the first three CCP domains, but more variable in domains 4 and 5. Inactive proteins diverged in all domains, or lacked some domains entirely. Testing truncated versions of Hp-TGM confirmed that domains 1–3 are essential for full activity in vitro, while domains 4 and 5 are not required. Further studies will elucidate whether these latter domains fulfill other functions in promoting host immune regulation during infection and if the more divergent family members play other roles in immunomodulation

Early prediction of treatment response to high-dose salvage chemotherapy in patients with relapsed germ cell cancer using [18F]FDG PET

To assess the ability of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for the early prediction of response in patients with relapsed metastatic germ cell tumours undergoing salvage high-dose chemotherapy. The role of positron emission tomography was compared with established means of tumour response assessment such as CT scans/MRI and serum tumour marker changes. In addition, positron emission tomography was compared with a current prognostic score which differentiates three prognostic groups with failure-free survival rates ranging from 5–50%. [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose uptake of metastases from germ cell tumours as well as CT scans and serum tumour marker were acquired after 2–3 cycles of induction chemotherapy but before the start of high-dose chemotherapy and CT scans/serum tumour marker were compared with the baseline examinations in 23 patients with relapsed germ cell tumours. To evaluate the validity of early response prediction by positron emission tomography, radiological monitoring and serum tumour marker decline, histopathologic response after resection of residual masses and/or the clinical course over 6 months after the end of treatment (relapse vs freedom of progression) were used. Overall, 10 patients (43%) achieved a marker-negative partial remission, three (13%) a marker-positive partial remission, five (22%) a disease stabilization and five (22%) progressed during treatment. Nine patients (39%) remained progression-free over 6 months following treatment, whereas 14 (61%) progressed. The outcome of high-dose chemotherapy was correctly predicted by positron emission tomography/CT scan/serum tumour marker in 91/59/48%. Eight patients with a favourably predicted outcome by CT scans plus serum tumour marker but a positive positron emission tomography prior to high-dose chemotherapy, failed treatment. This results in the following sensitivities/specificities for the prediction of failure of high-dose chemotherapy: positron emission tomography 100/78%; radiological monitoring 43/78%; serum tumour marker 15/100%. The positive and negative predictive values of positron emission tomography were 88 and 100%, respectively. As compared with the prognostic score, positron emission tomography was correctly positive in all patients of the three risk groups who failed treatment. In addition, a negative positron emission tomography correctly predicted a favourable outcome in the good and intermediate group. [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography imaging can be used to assess response to chemotherapy in patients with relapsed germ cell tumours early in the course of treatment and may help to identify patients most likely to achieve a favourable response to subsequent high-dose chemotherapy. In patients with response to induction chemotherapy according to CT scans or serum tumour marker evaluation, positron emission tomography seems to add information to detect patients with an overall unfavourable outcome. It may also be a valuable addition to the prognostic model particularly in the good and intermediate group for further selection of patients who will profit from high-dose chemotherapy

Search for Higgs Bosons in e+e- Collisions at 183 GeV

The data collected by the OPAL experiment at sqrts=183 GeV were used to search for Higgs bosons which are predicted by the Standard Model and various extensions, such as general models with two Higgs field doublets and the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of approximately 54pb-1. None of the searches for neutral and charged Higgs bosons have revealed an excess of events beyond the expected background. This negative outcome, in combination with similar results from searches at lower energies, leads to new limits for the Higgs boson masses and other model parameters. In particular, the 95% confidence level lower limit for the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson is 88.3 GeV. Charged Higgs bosons can be excluded for masses up to 59.5 GeV. In the MSSM, mh > 70.5 GeV and mA > 72.0 GeV are obtained for tan{beta}>1, no and maximal scalar top mixing and soft SUSY-breaking masses of 1 TeV. The range 0.8 < tanb < 1.9 is excluded for minimal scalar top mixing and m{top} < 175 GeV. More general scans of the MSSM parameter space are also considered.Comment: 49 pages. LaTeX, including 33 eps figures, submitted to European Physical Journal

A Measurement of the Product Branching Ratio f(b->Lambda_b).BR(Lambda_b->Lambda X) in Z0 Decays

The product branching ratio, f(b->Lambda_b).BR(Lambda_b->Lambda X), where Lambda_b denotes any weakly-decaying b-baryon, has been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP. Lambda_b are selected by the presence of energetic Lambda particles in bottom events tagged by the presence of displaced secondary vertices. A fit to the momenta of the Lambda particles separates signal from B meson and fragmentation backgrounds. The measured product branching ratio is f(b->Lambda_b).BR(Lambda_b->Lambda X) = (2.67+-0.38(stat)+0.67-0.60(sys))% Combined with a previous OPAL measurement, one obtains f(b->Lambda_b).BR(Lambda_b->Lambda X) = (3.50+-0.32(stat)+-0.35(sys))%.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, 3 eps figs included, submitted to the European Physical Journal