All-or-Nothing Transforms as a Countermeasure to Differential Side-Channel Analysis

All-or-Nothing Encryption was introduced by Rivest as a countermeasure to brute force key search attacks. This work identifies a new application for All-or-Nothing Transforms, as a protocol-level countermeasure to Differential Side-Channel Analysis (DSCA). We describe an extension to the All-or-Nothing protocol, that strengthens the DCSA resistance of the cryptosystem. The resultant scheme is a practical alternative to Boolean and arithmetic masking, used to protect implementations of encryption and decryption operations on electronic devices

Prospective Study of Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Prostate Biopsy Involving >1100 Men

We aimed to compare infection rates for two 3-day antibiotic prophylaxis regimens for transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUSgbp) and demonstrate local microbiological trends. In 2008, 558 men and, in 2009, 625 men had TRUSgpb. Regimen 1 (2008) comprised 400 mg Ofloxacin immediately before biopsy and 200 mg 12-hourly for 3 days. Regimen 2 (2009) comprised Ofloxacin 200 mg 12-hourly for 3 days commencing 24 hours before biopsy. 20/558 (3.6%) men had febrile episodes with regimen 1 and 10/625 (1.6%) men with regimen 2 (P = 0.03). E. coli was the most frequently isolated organism. Overall, 7/13 (54%) of positive urine cultures were quinolone resistant and (5/13) 40% were multidrug resistant. Overall, 5/9 (56%) patients with septicaemia were quinolone resistant. All patients were sensitive to Meropenem. There was 1 (0.2%) death with regimen 1. Commencing Ofloxacin 24 hours before TRUSgpb reduced the incidence of febrile episodes significantly. We observed the emergence of quinolone and multidrug-resistant E. coli. Meropenem should be considered for unresolving sepsis

Cost-Effectiveness of Long-Acting Injectable Paliperidone Palmitate Versus Haloperidol Decanoate in Maintenance Treatment of Schizophrenia

This study assessed the relative cost-effectiveness of a first generation and a second generation long-acting injectable antipsychotic: haloperidol decanoate (HD) and paliperidone palmitate (PP), respectively

FPGA Implementations of SHA-3 Candidates:CubeHash, Grøstl, L{\sc ane}, Shabal and Spectral Hash

Abstract: Hash functions are widely used in, and form an important part of many cryptographic protocols. Currently, a public competition is underway to find a new hash algorithm(s) for inclusion in the NIST Secure Hash Standard (SHA-3). Computational efficiency of the algorithms in hardware will form one of the evaluation criteria. In this paper, we focus on five of these candidate algorithms, namely CubeHash, Grøstl, L{\sc ane}, Shabal and Spectral Hash. Using Xilinx Spartan-3 and Virtex-5 FPGAs, we present architectures for each of these hash functions, and explore area-speed trade-offs in each design. The efficiency of various architectures for the five hash functions is compared in terms of throughput per unit area. To the best of the authors\u27 knowledge, this is the first such comparison of these SHA-3 candidates in the literature

The impact of obesity on health care costs among persons with schizophrenia

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the US, and is twice as common among individuals with schizophrenia as the general population

A Smartphone-based Decision Support Tool Improves Test Performance Concerning Application of the Guidelines for Managing Regional Anesthesia in the Patient Receiving Antithrombotic or Thrombolytic Therapy

BACKGROUND: The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) consensus statement on regional anesthesia in the patient receiving antithrombotic or thrombolytic therapy is the standard for evaluation and management of these patients. The authors hypothesized that an electronic decision support tool (eDST) would improve test performance compared with native physician behavior concerning the application of this guideline. METHODS: Anesthesiology trainees and faculty at 8 institutions participated in a prospective, randomized trial in which they completed a 20-question test involving clinical scenarios related to the ASRA guidelines. The eDST group completed the test using an iOS app programmed to contain decision logic and content of the ASRA guidelines. The control group completed the test by using any resource in addition to the app. A generalized linear mixed-effects model was used to examine the effect of the intervention. RESULTS: After obtaining institutional review board's approval and informed consent, 259 participants were enrolled and randomized (eDST = 122; control = 137). The mean score was 92.4 ± 6.6% in the eDST group and 68.0 ± 15.8% in the control group (P < 0.001). eDST use increased the odds of selecting correct answers (7.8; 95% CI, 5.7 to 10.7). Most control group participants (63%) used some cognitive aid during the test, and they scored higher than those who tested from memory alone (76 ± 15% vs. 57 ± 18%, P < 0.001). There was no difference in time to completion of the test (P = 0.15) and no effect of training level (P = 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: eDST use improved application of the ASRA guidelines compared with the native clinician behavior in a testing environment

Efficiency of the CATIE and BACS neuropsychological batteries in assessing cognitive effects of antipsychotic treatments in schizophrenia

Efficient and reliable assessments of cognitive treatment effects are essential for the comparative evaluation of procognitive effects of pharmacologic therapies. Yet, no studies have addressed the sensitivity and efficiency with which neurocognitive batteries evaluate cognitive abilities before and after treatment. Participants were primarily first episode schizophrenia patients who completed baseline (n = 367) and 12-week (n = 219) assessments with the BACS (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia) and CATIE (Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness) neuropsychological batteries in a clinical trial comparing olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that performance on both batteries was characterized by a single factor of generalized cognitive deficit for both baseline performance and cognitive change after treatment. Both batteries estimated similar levels of change following treatment, although the BACS battery required half the administration time. Because a unitary factor characterized baseline cognitive abilities in early psychosis as well as cognitive change after treatment with atypical antipsychotic medications, short batteries such as the BACS may efficiently provide sufficient assessment of procognitive treatment effects with antipsychotic medications. Assessment of cognitive effects of adjunctive therapies targeting specific cognitive domains or impairments may require more extensive testing of the domains targeted to maximize sensitivity for detecting specific predicted cognitive outcomes

Impact of Second-Generation Antipsychotics and Perphenazine on Depressive Symptoms in a Randomized Trial of Treatment for Chronic Schizophrenia

According to the American Psychiatric Association Clinical Practice Guidelines for schizophrenia, second-generation antipsychotics may be specifically indicated for the treatment of depression in schizophrenia. We examined the impact of these medications on symptoms of depression using the data from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE), conducted between January 2001 and December 2004

A Randomized Trial Examining the Effectiveness of Switching From Olanzapine, Quetiapine, or Risperidone to Aripiprazole to Reduce Metabolic Risk: Comparison of Antipsychotics for Metabolic Problems (CAMP)

We conducted a multi-site, randomized controlled trial examining the strategy of switching from olanzapine, quetiapine, or risperidone to aripiprazole to ameliorate metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease