Testing Auditory Comprehension in Aphasia: A Clinical Alternative to the Token Test

TB

A Preliminary Assessment of the Potential Application of Glaciochemical Investigations on Heard Island, South Indian Ocean

Analyses of fluoride, chloride, sodium, sulfate, bromide. nitrate, and iron from a 3 m snow pit on Heard Island, collected at an elevation of 2450, m are used to assess the potential of glaciochemical studies on Heard Island glaciers. Sources Cor the chemical species are identified and, in particular, chloride, sodium, and sulCate are found to be useful seasonal indication. The total record measured is believed to be less than one mass-balance year

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals

The Effects of High Volume Aquatic Plyometric Training on Vertical Jump, Muscle Power, and Torque

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of high volume aquatic-based plyometrics versus lower volume land and aquatic plyometric training on vertical jump (VJ), muscular peak power and torque in the dominant knee. Thirty-nine adult participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: aquatic group 1 (APT1), aquatic group 2 (APT2), land group (LPT1), and control group (CON). All groups performed a 6-week plyometric training program. The APT1 and LPT performed the same volume of training where, APT2 doubled the volume. All participants were pre- and post-tested on performance variables. A 4 (group) X 2 (time) ANOVA with repeated measures was used to determine differences between the performance variables. We found no significant differences between groups for all tested variables. However, APT2 showed the greatest increased average in the performance variables. The high volume aquatic plyometric protocol is useful to help increase performance and minimize muscle soreness

Perspectives in quality: designing the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist

The World Health Organization's Patient Safety Programme created an initiative to improve the safety of surgery around the world. In order to accomplish this goal the programme team developed a checklist with items that could and, if at all possible, should be practised in all settings where surgery takes place. There is little guidance in the literature regarding methods for creating a medical checklist. The airline industry, however, has more than 70 years of experience in developing and using checklists. The authors of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist drew lessons from the aviation experience to create a safety tool that supports essential clinical practice. In order to inform the methodology for development of future checklists in health care, we review how we applied lessons learned from the aviation experience in checklist development to the development of the Surgical Safety Checklist and also discuss the differences that exist between aviation and medicine that impact the use of checklists in health car

Antarctic streams as a potential source of iron for the Southern Ocean

Due to iron’s role in oceanic primary production, there has been great interest in quantifying the importance of Fe in regions where concentrations are very low and macronutrients, nitrate and phosphate, are available. Measurements of filterable (i.e., \u3c0.4 μm) Fe concentrations in streams from Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, suggest that coastal-zone stream Fe input to the Southern Ocean could potentially play an important role in primary production in nearshore regions. Filterable Fe (fFe) data from streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys were used to represent glacier meltwater that flows through ice-free landscape with the potential of transporting Fe to the Antarctic coastal zone. Estimates of potential fFe flux to the Antarctic Peninsula region using our mean fFe concentration of 10.6 µg L–1 combined with an estimate of ice-free area for the Antarctic Peninsula result in an fFe flux of 1.2 × 107 g yr–1. Although small compared to iceberg and aeolian Fe fluxes, future stream input to the Southern Ocean could increase due to glacier retreat and melting, thus increasing the fFe flux from glacier meltwater streams

Effects of deep sedation or general anesthesia on cardiac function in mice undergoing cardiovascular magnetic resonance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetically engineered mouse models of human cardiovascular disease provide an opportunity to understand critical pathophysiological mechanisms. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) provides precise reproducible assessment of cardiac structure and function, but, in contrast to echocardiography, requires that the animal be immobilized during image acquisition. General anesthetic regimens yield satisfactory images, but have the potential to significantly perturb cardiac function. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of general anesthesia and a new deep sedation regimen, respectively, on cardiac function in mice as determined by CMR, and to compare them to results obtained in mildly sedated conscious mice by echocardiography.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 6 mildly sedated normal conscious mice assessed by echo, heart rate was 615 ± 25 min^-1(mean ± SE) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 0.94 ± 0.01. In the CMR studies of normal mice, heart rate was slightly lower during deep sedation with morphine/midazolam (583 ± 30 min^-1), but the difference was not statistically significant. General anesthesia with 1% inhaled isoflurane significantly depressed heart rate (468 ± 7 min^-1, p < 0.05 vs. conscious sedation). In 6 additional mice with ischemic LV failure, trends in heart rate were similar, but not statistically significant. In normal mice, deep sedation depressed LVEF (0.79 ± 0.04, p < 0.05 compared to light sedation), but to a significantly lesser extent than general anesthesia (0.60 ± 0.04, p < 0.05 vs. deep sedation).</p> <p>In mice with ischemic LV failure, ejection fraction measurements were comparable when performed during light sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia, respectively. Contrast-to-noise ratios were similar during deep sedation and during general anesthesia, indicating comparable image quality. Left ventricular mass measurements made by CMR during deep sedation were nearly identical to those made during general anesthesia (r²= 0.99, mean absolute difference < 4%), indicating equivalent quantitative accuracy obtained with the two methods. The imaging procedures were well-tolerated in all mice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In mice with normal cardiac function, CMR during deep sedation causes significantly less depression of heart rate and ejection fraction than imaging during general anesthesia with isoflurane. In mice with heart failure, the sedation/anesthesia regimen had no clear impact on cardiac function. Deep sedation and general anesthesia produced CMR with comparable image quality and quantitative accuracy.</p

Semiquantal dynamics of fluctuations: Ostensible quantum chaos

The time-dependent variational principle using generalized Gaussian trial functions yields a finite dimensional approximation to the full quantum dynamics and is used in many disciplines. It is shown how these 'semi-quantum' dynamics may be derived via the Ehrenfest theorem and recast as an extended classical gradient system with the fluctuation variables coupled to the average variables. An extended potential is constructed for a one-dimensional system. The semiquantal behavior is shown to be chaotic even though the system has regular classical behavior and the quantum behavior had been assumed regular.Comment: 9 pages, TeX, 2 figures (not attached; hard copies available immediately on request). To appear in Physical Review Letter

High-fat diets and seizure control in myoclonic-astatic epilepsy: A single center's experience

AbstractPurposeTo determine the efficacy of the Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) and Ketogenic Diet (KD) in seizure control within a population of myoclonic-astatic epilepsy (MAE) patients.MethodsThis was a retrospective, single center study evaluating the seizure control by high fat diets. Seizure diaries kept by the parents performed seizure counts. All patients met the clinical criteria for MAE.ResultsNine patients met the clinical criteria. We found that both the MAD and KD were efficacious in complete seizure control and allowed other medications to be stopped in seven patients. Two patients had greater than 90% seizure control without medications, one on the KD and the other on the MAD. Seizure freedom has ranged from 13 to 36 months, and during this time four patients have been fully weaned off of diet management. One patient was found to have a mutation in SLC2A1.ConclusionOur results suggest that strictly defined MAE patients respond to the MAD with prolonged seizure control. Some patients may require the KD for seizure freedom, suggesting a common pathway of increased requirement for fats. Once controlled, those fully responsive to the Diet(s) could be weaned off traditional seizure medications and in many, subsequently off the MAD or KD