Impact ionization in semiconductors: Effects of high electric fields and high scattering rates.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K Hess.
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We examined the effect of vitamin-K-rich vegetables, vitamin-K-poor vegetables and phytomenadione on the stability of warfarin-induced anticoagulation. Patients on stable anticoagulant treatment were randomized to either 1 (n = 5), 2 (n = 7) or 7 (n = 13) d with high intake of vitamin-K-rich vegetables (median daily vitamin K intake 1100 micrograms) or high intake of vitamin-K-poor vegetables (daily vitamin K intake 135 micrograms) for 6 d (n = 7), or habitual diet supplemented with 1000 micrograms of phytomenadione daily (n = 5). Nine patients (69%; 95% CI, 39-91%) who consumed vitamin-K-rich vegetables for 7 d reached activities above the therapeutic level. Two (40%; 95% CI, 5-85%) and three patients (43%; 95% CI, 10-86%) who consumed vitamin-K-rich vegetables for 1 and 2 d, respectively, exceeded the upper therapeutic limit. No changes were observed in the vitamin-K-poor group. All patients who received phytomenadione exceeded the upper therapeutic limit. Dietary vitamin K should be regarded as an important environmental factor contributing to unwanted disturbances in warfarin-induced anticoagulation.
By means of a wrist accelerometer, motor activity of 14 narcoleptic patients was continuously monitored. The accelerometer registered accelerations exceeding a threshold value of 0.1 gr and stored activity integrated over 3 minutes. After a registration period of 20 days, the data were read out, graphically displayed and compared to the patient's diary. Interruptions of night sleep and some sleep attacks during day correlated closely with the patient's diary. However, sleep attacks of less than about 5 minutes duration were not identified, because they could not be differentiated from normal rest. Except for that, activity monitoring with this accelerometer is a useful and simple method for ambulatory activity recording in narcoleptics.
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Twelve patients who developed radiation-induced brachial plexopathy (RIBP) after receiving radiation therapy for breast carcinoma (7 patients) or Hodgkin's lymphoma (5 patients) were followed for 12 or more years, with a mean follow-up time of 20 years. Tingling and numbness of the fingers as well as weakness of the hand or arm were the most prominent presenting symptoms of RIBP. Whereas pain in most patients evolved only later in the course, it became a predominant feature in only 2. In 8 of the 12 patients, the plexopathy was surgically treated, either by neurolysis only or by neurolysis plus omental grafting in order to stop progression or paresis and/or pain. In 8 patients, including 6 of the operated group, there was slow and steady progression of RIBP over time, with the final outcome being almost complete paralysis of the arm (2 patients) or severe sensorimotor paresis rendering the hand useless (6 patients). In only 4 patients, including 2 of the non-operated group, was there absence of progression and stabilization of the paresis with only slight functional loss of the affected arm in 3 patients and severe palsy in 1. None of the 12 patients had any clear long-lasting improvement of their sensorimotor impairment. It is concluded from this study that RIBP, irrespective of surgery (neurolysis and/or omentum transplant), left two-thirds of the patients with severe or total paresis of the arm. However, the almost complete relief of severe pain (6 of 8 patients), both immediately and in follow-up patients treated with neurolysis and/or omental transplant, indicates that surgical treatment has a beneficial effect on pain relief.
We prospectively randomized 47 patients with acute ischemic stroke of the middle cerebral artery of less than 24 hours' duration to either adjusted hypervolemic hemodilution or control treatment and followed them up for 90 days. Rapid hemodilution to a target hematocrit of 30-35% as monitored with bedside determinations was achieved by using infusions of dextran 40, venesections, and infusions of additional crystalloid solution when necessary. There was no difference in the death rate between the two treatment groups. Of these 47 patients, 37 (19 in the hemodilution group and 18 in the control group) could be followed up for the entire study period of 3 months. The relative improvement in neurologic function from day 1 to days 8, 21, and 90 was significantly better in the hemodilution group than in the control group. In accordance, special tests for fine motor control of the paretic arm disclosed better performance in the hemodilution group. The frequency of patients with severe disability was significantly lower in the hemodilution group on days 8 and 21. Plasma viscosity (measured in 11 patients) was not affected by infusions of dextran 40. Vigorous hypervolemic hemodilution in patients with acute ischemic stroke is well tolerated and improves early neurologic outcome with an effect lasting at least 3 months.
Forty patients (14 women and 26 men) with slight to moderate hypercholesterolaemia received dietary advice and were followed-up for 12 weeks, the majority for 26 weeks. After 12 weeks, the total cholesterol had decreased by an average of 12% (from 7.92 to 6.97 mmol/l), the high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol had increased by 5.3% (from 1.14 to 1.20 mmol/l) and thus the ratio of total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol had decreased by 17% (from 7.42 to 6.15). In the 35 patients who were followed-up for 26 weeks, the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol decreased further (to 22% below the original value). HDL cholesterol was found by univariate regression analysis to be correlated significantly with the dietary content of the patients of fats (negative), polyunsaturated fatty acids (positive), sugar (negative), fibre (positive) and the total value (positive). Employing multivariate analysis with stepwise reduction, fats and fish sandwich spreads were found to be significantly correlated. The ratio of total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol by means of univariate analysis was found to be inversely correlated with the same dietary factors as HDL cholesterol while multivariate analysis revealed the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, sugar and alcohol intake to be significantly correlated.
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24 patients with neoplasia of the central nervous system (CNS-N) were investigated for the presence of B-cell stimulatory factor-2/interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Whereas IL-6 was detected in 21 (88%) of these CSF samples, only 6% of CSF from non-inflammatory brain diseases and 12% of the samples from multiple sclerosis patients were positive. IL-6 was found in both primary and secondary CNS-N. The presence of IL-6, a cytokine which activates B-lymphocytes to produce high-rate immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis, is in contrast to the ineffective intrathecal B-cell activation as suggested by the failure to detect oligoclonal bands of Igs in CNS-N.
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To examine the expression of human placental lactogen, we investigated transcription in isolated placental nuclei. Using SH-agarose affinity chromatography, we have isolated Hg-RNA synthetized in vitro. These RNA are translated in a wheat germ cell-free system. hPL synthetized in vitro, accounting for 20% of total protein. This system should prove useful for the study of gene expression of hPL.
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