Incidental Encoding Strategies Did Not Improve Contextual Memory in Parkinson`s Disease Patients

Background. This study investigated the performance of patients with idiopathic Parkinson`s disease (PD) without dementia for incidental recognition memory and the effect of encoding strategies on contextual memory. Methods. The authors studied 21 patients with PD (ages 60-85, 12 women; Hoehn and Yahr I-III, Activities of Daily Living 70%-100%) and 22 healthy controls (ages 60-84, 18 women). Participants completed the vocabulary subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). To assess the incidental recognition memory for item (object) and context (location of the object), participants of each group were assigned to 1 of 2 encoding conditions: (a) an incidental associative instruction to bind the object to its location or (b) a nonassociative, nonspecific instruction. Results. PD patients showed performance comparable to the control group`s on the vocabulary subtest and WCST. In contrast to controls, PD patients were unable to take advantage of the associative encoding instruction, which also had a deleterious effect on item recognition. Conclusion. This sample of participants with PD showed diminished item and context recognition memory and an impaired ability to use incidental memory encoding strategy, suggesting a compromised cognitive reserve. The fact that these alterations occurred in early stages of PD, and prior to more general cognitive alterations such as executive dysfunction, should be considered in the management of patients by using specific cognitive rehabilitation interventions.

Conceptualizing impulsivity and risk taking in bipolar disorder: importance of history of alcohol abuse

Elevated levels of impulsivity and increased risk taking are thought to be core features of both bipolar disorder (BD) and addictive disorders. Given the high rates of comorbid alcohol abuse in BD, alcohol addiction may exacerbate impulsive behavior and risk-taking propensity in BD. Here we examine multiple dimensions of impulsivity and risk taking, using cognitive tasks and self-report measures, in BD patients with and without a history of alcohol abuse. Thirty-one BD subjects with a prior history of alcohol abuse or dependence (BD-A), 24 BD subjects with no history of alcohol abuse/dependence (BD-N), and 25 healthy control subjects (HC) were assessed with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and the computerized Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). Both BD groups scored significantly higher than controls on the BIS. In contrast, only the BD-A group showed impaired performance on the BART. BD-A subjects popped significantly more balloons than the BD-N and HC groups. In addition, subjects in the BD-A group failed to adjust their performance after popping balloons. Severity of mood symptomatology was not associated with performance on either task. The current study supports a primary role of prior alcohol abuse in risk-taking propensity among patients with bipolar disorder. In addition, findings suggest that impulsivity and risky behavior, as operationalized by self-report and experimental cognitive probes, respectively, are separable constructs that tap distinct aspects of the bipolar phenotype.

Performance of patients with refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder in the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale

Objective: To compare the performance of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) refractory to conventional treatments to healthy controls according to the Frontal Systems Behaviour Scale (FrSBe), comparing the scale scores within each group (Self or Family) and correlating FrSBe with Y-BOCS, DY-BOCS, tic disorder and age of first symptoms. Method: Twenty OCD patients and 20 healthy controls were assessed using the FrSBe, a scale designed to evaluate frontal syndromes. Results: The patients had higher scores when compared with the control group (p value .001) in terms of total score on the scale for both profile forms (Self and Family). In addition, there was a significant difference between the scores reported by the patients and their respective relatives. However, no correlation was observed between the scale and the other variables. Conclusions: The scale was able to clearly differentiate patients with OCD from healthy controls. This finding suggests that the FrSBe can be used not only in neurologic patients but also in psychiatric cases such as refractory OCD.

Incidence of ipsilateral postoperative deep venous thrombosis in the amputated lower extremity of patients with peripheral obstructive arterial disease

Objective: Patients undergoing amputation of the lower limb due to peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are at risk of developing deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Few studies in the research literature report the incidence of DVT during the early postoperative period or the risk factors for the development of DVT in the amputation stump. This prospective study evaluated the incidence of DVT during the first 35 postoperative days in patients who had undergone amputation of the lower extremity due to PAD and its relation to comorbidities and death. Methods: Between September 2004 and March 2006, 56 patients (29 men), with a mean age of 67.25 years, underwent 62 amputations, comprising 36 below knee amputations (BKA) and 26 above knee amputations (AKA). Echo-Doppler scanning was performed preoperatively and on postoperative days 7 and 31 (approximately). All patients received acetylsalicylic acid (100 mg daily) preoperatively and postoperatively, but none received prophylactic anticoagulation. Results: DVT occurred in 25.8% of extremities with amputations (10 ARA and 6 BKA). The cumulative incidence in the 35-day postoperative period was 28% (Kaplan-Meier). There was a significant difference (P = .04) in the incidence of DVT between AKA (37.5%) and BKA (21.2%). Age >= 70 years (48.9% vs 16.8%, P = .021) was also a risk factor for DVT in the univariate analysis. Of the 16 cases, 14 (87.5%) were diagnosed during outpatient care. The time to discharge after amputation was averaged 6.11 days in-hospital stay (range, 1-56 days). One symptomatic nonfatal pulmonary embolism occurred in a patient already diagnosed with DVT. There was no relation between other comorbidities and DVT. The multivariate analysis showed no association between risk factors and the occurrence of DVT in the amputated extremity. DVT ipsilateral to the amputation did not influence the mortality rate (9.7%). Conclusion: The incidence of DVT in the early postoperative period (<= 35 days) was elevated principally in patients aged >= 70 years and for AKA. Patients with PAD who have recently undergone major amputations should be considered at high risk for DVT, even after hospital discharge. Given the high rate of postoperative DVT observed in this study, we now recommend prophylactic anticoagulation for these patients, but further study is needed to determine the optimal duration and efficacy of this treatment. (J Vasc Surg 2008;48:1514-9.)

Oral Medication With Diazepam or Midazolam Associated or Not With Clonidine for Oculoplastic Office Surgery Under Local Anesthesia

Purpose: To compare the level of sedation of oral administration of diazepam or midazolam associated or not with clonidine and their effects on upper eyelid margin position, heart rate, arterial pressure, and oxygen saturation. Methods: Seventy consecutive healthy patients American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I-II scheduled for lower eyelid blepharoplasty were randomized into 4 groups according to the oral sedative agent used (group 1, diazepam 10 mg; group 2, diazepam 10 mg plus clonidine 0.15 mg; group 3, midazolam 15 mg; group 4, midazolam plus clonidine 0.15 mg). For all patients, the midpupil-to-upper eyelid margin distance, the heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were recorded before and 1 hour after the administration of oral medication. The level of sedation at the time of surgery was measured with the Michigan University scale. Results: The depth of sedation was significantly more pronounced with midazolam (median score = 2) than with diazepam (median score = 1). Clonidine slightly increased the level of sedation of both diazepam and midazolam. The diastolic arterial blood pressure drop with midazolam associated or not with clonidine was significantly greater than with diazepam. The mean upper eyelid margin position shift (-1.42 mm) verified when clonidine was associated with midazolam was also significantly greater than with diazepam. Discussion: Oral sedation with diazepam or midazolam associated or not with clonidine is safe for ASA grade I-II patients. The systemic effects of diazepam and midazolam were small and very similar. The sedation induced by midazolam was clearly greater than that induced by diazepam. However, this higher level of sedation was accompanied by a more important shift in upper eyelid margin position.

Inter-rater reliability study of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer

Objective To evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer. Design All participants were evaluated twice, first by one examiner and 30 days later by a second examiner. Measurements of vaginal squeeze pressure were compared with the results from the palpation test. Participants Nineteen women with a mean age of 23.7 years (range 21 to 28 years). Results Inter-rater reliability for vaginal palpation was fair (kappa = 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.09 to 0.57). Using the Peritron manometer, the difference between examiners was less than 10 cmH(2)O in 11 of the 19 (58%) cases. The palpation test did not differentiate between weak, moderate, good and strong muscle contractions. This study found fair inter-rater reliability for the modified Oxford Grading Scale and moderate inter-rater reliability for the Peritron manometer. Conclusions The inter-rater reliability of vaginal squeeze pressure measurement using the Peritron manometer is acceptable and can be used in re-evaluations performed by different examiners in clinical practice. However, for research purposes, the ideal situation would be for a single examiner to assess and re-assess the subject. Vaginal palpation is important in the clinical assessment of correctness of a pelvic floor muscle contraction, but this study does not support the use of the modified Oxford Grading Scale as a reliable and valid method to measure and differentiate pelvic floor muscle strength. (C) 2010 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pfaffia paniculata (Brazilian ginseng) roots decrease proliferation and increase apoptosis but do not affect cell communication in murine hepatocarcinogenesis

Pfaffia paniculata (Brazilian ginseng) roots and/or its extracts have shown anti-neoplastic, chemopreventive, and anti-angiogenic properties. The aim of this work was to investigate the chemopreventive mechanisms of this root in Mice Submitted to the infant model of hepatocarcinogenesis, evaluating the effects oil cellular proliferation, apoptosis. and intercellular communication. Fifteen-day-old BALB/c male mice were given, i.p., 10 mu g/g of the carcinogen N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN). Animals were separated into three groups at weaning and were given different concentrations of powdered P. paniculata root (0%, 2%, or 10%) added to commercial food for 27 weeks. Control group (CT) was not exposed to the carcinogen and was given ration without the root. After euthanasia, the animals` liver and body weight were measured. Liver fragments were sampled to Study intercellular communication, molecular biology, and histopathological analysis. Cellular proliferation was evaluated by immunohistochemistry for PCNA, apoptosis was evaluated by apoptotic bodies count and alkaline cornet technique, and inter-cellular communication by diffusion of lucifer yellow dye, immunofluorescence, western blot and real-time PCR for connexins 26 and 32. Chronic treatment with powdered P. paniculata root reduced cellular proliferation and increased apoptosis in the 2%, group. Animals in the 10% group had an increase in apoptosis with chronic inflammatory process. Intercellular communication showed no alterations in any of the groups analyzed. These results Indicate that chemopreventive effects of P. paniculata are related to the control of cellular proliferation and apoptosis, but not to cell communication and/or connexin expression, and are directly Influenced by the root concentration. (C) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Behavioral effects of acute stimulation of kappa-opioid receptors during lactation

The behavioral effects of the K-opioid receptor agonist U69593 were examined in lactating rats. On day 5 of lactation, animals were treated with 0.1 mg/kg of U69593 to determine whether it influences general activity and maternal latencies toward pups. Because little attention has been given to the possibility that pre-mating treatment with morphine may modulate the response to K-opioid receptor stimulation, another group of animals was submitted to the same acute challenge after abrupt withdrawal from repeated treatment with morphine sulfate during the pre-mating period (5 mg/kg on alternate days for a total of five doses). Acute F;opioid stimulation reduced total locomotion, rearing frequency, and time spent self-grooming and increased immobility duration. These K agonist effects were not observed in animals pretreated with morphine. Similarly, latencies to retrieve pups were longer only in animals pretreated with saline and challenged acutely with U69593. None of these effects were observed in morphine sulfate-pretreated animals. The present results suggest that pre-mating repeated exposure to morphine produces a tolerance-like effect on behavioral responses to low-dose K-opioid receptor stimulation in active reproductive females. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychometric evaluation of the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale (DEAS). English version

Eating attitudes are defined as beliefs, thoughts, feelings, behaviors and relationship with food They could influence people`s food choices and their health status Objective This study aimed to adapt from Portuguese to English the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale (DEAS) and evaluate its validity and reliability. The original scale in Portuguese was translated and adapted into English and was applied to female university students of University of Minnesota USA (n = 224). Internal consistency was determined (Cronbach`s Alpha). Convergent validity was assessed by correlations between Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) and Restrain Scale (RS). Reliability was evaluated applying twice the scale to a sub-sample (n = 30). The scale was back translated into Portuguese and compared with the original version and discrepancies were not found. The internal consistency was .76 The DEAS total score was significantly associated with EAT-26 (r = 0.65) and RS (r = 0 69) scores The correlation between test-retest was r = 09 The English version of DEAS showed appropriate internal consistency, convergent validity and test-retest reliability and will be useful to assess eating attitudes in different population groups in English spoken countries. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

New perspectives on the synoptic and mesoscale structure of Hurricane Catarina

This work explores in detail synoptic and mesoscale features of Hurricane Catarina during its life cycle from a decaying baroclinic wave to a tropical depression that underwent tropical transition (TT) and finally to a Category 2 hurricane at landfall over Santa Catarina State coast, southern Brazil. This unique system caused 11 deaths mostly off the Brazilian coast and an estimated half billion dollars in damage in a matter of a few hours on 28 March 2004. Although the closest meteorological station available was tens of kilometres away from the eye, in situ meteorological measurements provided by a work-team sent to the area where the eye made landfall unequivocally reproduces the tropical signature with category 2 strength, adding to previous analysis where this data was not available. Further analyses are based mostly on remote sensing data available at the time of the event. A classic dipole blocking set synoptic conditions for Hurricane Catarina to develop, dynamically contributing to the low wind shear observed. On the other hand, on its westward transit, large scale subsidence limited its strength and vertical development. Catarina had relatively cool SST conditions, but this was mitigated by favourable air-sea fluxes leading to latent heat release-driven processes during the mature phase. The ocean`s dynamic topography also suggested the presence of nearby warm core rings which may have facilitated the transition and post-transition intensification. Since there were no records of such a system at least in the past 30 years and given that SSTs were generally below 26 degrees C and vertical shear was usually strong, despite all satellite data available, the system was initially classified as an extratropical cyclone. Here we hypothesise that this categorization was based oil inadequate regional scale model outputs which did not account for the importance of the latent heat fluxes over the ocean. Hurricane Catarina represents a dramatic event on weather systems in South America. It has attracted attention worldwide and poses questions as whether or not it is a symptom of global warming. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Climate perspective on the large-scale circulation associated with the transition of the first South Atlantic hurricane

The landfall of Cyclone Catarina on the Brazilian coast in March 2004 became known as the first documented hurricane in the South Atlantic Ocean, promoting a new view oil how large-scale features can contribute to tropical transition. The aim of this paper is to put the large-scale circulation associated with Catarina`s transition in climate perspective. This is discussed in the light of a robust pattern of spatial correlations between thermodynamic and dynamic variables of importance for hurricane formation. A discussion on how transition mechanisms respond to the present-day circulation is presented. These associations help in understanding why Catarina was formed in a region previously thought to be hurricane-free. Catarina developed over a large-scale area of thermodynamically favourable air/sea temperature contrast. This aspect explains the paradox that such a rare system developed when the sea surface temperature was slightly below average. But, although thermodynamics played an important role, it is apparent that Catarina would not have formed without the key dynamic interplay triggered by a high latitude blocking. The blocking was associated with an extreme positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) both hemispherically and locally, and the nearby area where Catarina developed is found to be more cyclonic during the positive phase of the SAM. A conceptual model is developed and a `South Atlantic index` is introduced as a useful diagnostic of potential conditions leading to tropical transition in the area, where large-scale indices indicate trends towards more favourable atmospheric conditions for tropical cyclone formation. Copyright (c) 2008 Royal Meteorological Society

Measurement of the epicycle frequency in the Galactic disc and initial velocities of open clusters

A new method to measure the epicycle frequency kappa in the Galactic disc is presented. We make use of the large data base on open clusters completed by our group to derive the observed velocity vector (amplitude and direction) of the clusters in the Galactic plane. In the epicycle approximation, this velocity is equal to the circular velocity given by the rotation curve, plus a residual or perturbation velocity, of which the direction rotates as a function of time with the frequency kappa. Due to the non-random direction of the perturbation velocity at the birth time of the clusters, a plot of the present-day direction angle of this velocity as a function of the age of the clusters reveals systematic trends from which the epicycle frequency can be obtained. Our analysis considers that the Galactic potential is mainly axis-symmetric, or in other words, that the effect of the spiral arms on the Galactic orbits is small; in this sense, our results do not depend on any specific model of the spiral structure. The values of kappa that we obtain provide constraints on the rotation velocity of the in particular, V(0) is found to be 230 +/- 15 km s(-1) even if the scale (R(0) = 7.5 kpc) of the Galaxy is adopted. The measured kappa at the solar radius is 43 +/- 5 km s(-1) kpc(-1). The distribution of initial velocities of open clusters is discussed.

DENSITY PROFILE, VELOCITY ANISOTROPY, AND LINE-OF-SIGHT EXTERNAL CONVERGENCE OF SLACS GRAVITATIONAL LENSES

Data from 58 strong-lensing events surveyed by the Sloan Lens ACS Survey are used to estimate the projected galaxy mass inside their Einstein radii by two independent methods: stellar dynamics and strong gravitational lensing. We perform a joint analysis of these two estimates inside models with up to three degrees of freedom with respect to the lens density profile, stellar velocity anisotropy, and line-of-sight (LOS) external convergence, which incorporates the effect of the large-scale structure on strong lensing. A Bayesian analysis is employed to estimate the model parameters, evaluate their significance, and compare models. We find that the data favor Jaffe`s light profile over Hernquist`s, but that any particular choice between these two does not change the qualitative conclusions with respect to the features of the system that we investigate. The density profile is compatible with an isothermal, being sightly steeper and having an uncertainty in the logarithmic slope of the order of 5% in models that take into account a prior ignorance on anisotropy and external convergence. We identify a considerable degeneracy between the density profile slope and the anisotropy parameter, which largely increases the uncertainties in the estimates of these parameters, but we encounter no evidence in favor of an anisotropic velocity distribution on average for the whole sample. An LOS external convergence following a prior probability distribution given by cosmology has a small effect on the estimation of the lens density profile, but can increase the dispersion of its value by nearly 40%.

Bayesian nonlinear regression models with scale mixtures of skew-normal distributions: Estimation and case influence diagnostics

The purpose of this paper is to develop a Bayesian analysis for nonlinear regression models under scale mixtures of skew-normal distributions. This novel class of models provides a useful generalization of the symmetrical nonlinear regression models since the error distributions cover both skewness and heavy-tailed distributions such as the skew-t, skew-slash and the skew-contaminated normal distributions. The main advantage of these class of distributions is that they have a nice hierarchical representation that allows the implementation of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods to simulate samples from the joint posterior distribution. In order to examine the robust aspects of this flexible class, against outlying and influential observations, we present a Bayesian case deletion influence diagnostics based on the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Further, some discussions on the model selection criteria are given. The newly developed procedures are illustrated considering two simulations study, and a real data previously analyzed under normal and skew-normal nonlinear regression models. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MODELING THE EVOLUTION OF COMPLEX NETWORKS THROUGH THE PATH-STAR TRANSFORMATION AND OPTIMAL MULTIVARIATE METHODS

The topology of real-world complex networks, such as in transportation and communication, is always changing with time. Such changes can arise not only as a natural consequence of their growth, but also due to major modi. cations in their intrinsic organization. For instance, the network of transportation routes between cities and towns ( hence locations) of a given country undergo a major change with the progressive implementation of commercial air transportation. While the locations could be originally interconnected through highways ( paths, giving rise to geographical networks), transportation between those sites progressively shifted or was complemented by air transportation, with scale free characteristics. In the present work we introduce the path-star transformation ( in its uniform and preferential versions) as a means to model such network transformations where paths give rise to stars of connectivity. It is also shown, through optimal multivariate statistical methods (i.e. canonical projections and maximum likelihood classification) that while the US highways network adheres closely to a geographical network model, its path-star transformation yields a network whose topological properties closely resembles those of the respective airport transportation network.