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At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Magic Lite Chlamydia immunoassay in urogenital samples and urine versus chlamydial culture.

Magic Lite Chlamydia assay (commercial test kit for the identification of Chlamydia trachomatis) was evaluated on urogenital samples and urine with chlamydial culture as the reference method. The sediment of the transportation buffer of specimens which were Magic Lite positive but culture negative or toxic was investigated for elementary bodies with fluorescein-labelled anti-chlamydial antibodies. The prevalence of chlamydial infection among the 577 men investigated was 13.7% as estimated by culture and direct immunofluorescence and 6.4% among the 173 women. In order to improve the sensitivity a cut-off value below that recommended by the manufacturer was used. The sensitivity of Magic Lite in male urethral specimens was then 60.8% and that in female urethral/cervical specimens 90.9%. The specificity was 99.6% and 100%, respectively. In urine specimens the sensitivity of Magic Lite was 63.3% (men) and 63.6% (women). The specificity was 99.4% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity of Magic Lite on male urethral specimens was related to the number of inclusion bodies per well in culture and it was higher among men attending with clinical findings of urethritis (69%) than among asymptomatic men sampled as a screening procedure (36%) (P < 0.05). Corresponding differences between the sexes and between those with and without symptoms were not noted for Magic Lite applied on urine samples.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Investigation into the formation of proportions of "realistic thinking vs magical thinking" in paranoid schizophrenia].

Both magical thinking among healthy persons and magical and symbolic thinking in schizophrenia were discussed. The investigation covered 100 paranoid schizophrenics. They also underwent an examination in connection with the formation of the remaining 3 proportions. Both "realistic thinking and magical thinking" scales were used. An ability to think realistically was preserved, to a varying degree, in all patients, with 50% of those examined having shown an explicit or very explicit ability to follow realistic thinking. The above findings deviate from a simplified cognitive model within the discussed range. It was further confirmed that realistic thinking may coexist with magical thinking, and, in some cases, it concerns the same events. That type of disorders of the content of thinking are referred to as magical-realistic interpenetration. The results, and particularly high coefficient of negative correlation within the scales of the examined proportions, confirm the correctness of the assumption that the investigated modes of thinking form an antithetic bipolarity of proportions, aggregating antithetic values, therefore being also complementary.

Cognition↗
PubMed1992

Comparison between MAGIC LITE- and CAP-system: two automated specific IgE antibody assays.

The MAGIC LITE system, a newly developed immunochemiluminometric assay for specific and total IgE antibody using paramagnetic particles coupled with standardized allergens as solid phase, was compared to the CAP system, a recently introduced immunoassay based on a cellulose polymer encased in a capsule. A total of 357 serum samples of patients with suspected inhalant allergies and a positive skin prick test (SPT) to common allergens (birch, timothy-grass, mugwort, cat dander, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Alternaria) were investigated. Fifty SPT negative subjects served as controls (total number of tests in each assay = 1600). Both assays were highly precise (overall intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 2.9% and 4.5% in MAGIC LITE, 4.7% and 5.5% in CAP) and showed excellent linearity (mean r2 of eightfold log2 serum dilutions were 99.7% and 99.3% in MAGIC LITE and CAP). Good correlations were found between the absolute specific IgE antibody values detected by both methods (correlation coefficient r: birth 0.86, grass 0.93, mugwort 0.96, cat 0.91, D. pteronyssinus 0.73, Alternaria 0.90). Excellent specificity (greater than or equal to 98%) occurred in both assays and with all allergens, and sensitivity was related to the allergen (MAGIC LITE/CAP): birch 91%/89%, grass 83%/90%, mugwort 50%/69%, cat 83%/83%, D. pteronyssinus 72%/78%, Alternaria 75%/81%. Our results indicate that both in vitro tests are useful tools for the detection of specific IgE antibody.

Allergens↗
PubMed1991

Rotational diffusion effects on absorbance measurements: limitations to the magic-angle approach.

Optical absorbance changes are commonly used to characterize intermediates which appear in the bleaching sequence of rhodopsin and in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin. Absorbance changes can be caused by an intermediate's rotational diffusion, and when this occurs it can distort absorbance changes due to the structural evolution of intermediates. Linear polarization of an optical probe source at 54.7 degrees (the magic angle) relative to the polarization direction of a linearly polarized actinic source has often been used to eliminate signals due to rotational diffusion. We used Jones calculus to investigate the validity of the magic-angle strategy. Taylor expansion of the result in powers of the absorbances of the bleached ground state and of the intermediates leads to a relatively simple expression which can be used to determine whether rotational contributions are likely under various experimental conditions. This expression shows that in first order no dichroism-dependent term appears in the absorbance measured at magic angle. In second order, however, linear dichroism contributes to signals. For the sequence of rhodopsin intermediates: rhodopsin hv----bathorhodopsin in equilibrium BSI----lumirhodopsin, where BSI is a recently discovered blue-shifted intermediate, we determined the magnitude of the dichroism signals to be, on average, less than 2% of the true absorbance change due to the intermediates themselves (and hence undetectable). Freedom from dichroism artifacts in this case results from the fact that the transition dipoles of these intermediates are similar to that of rhodopsin. Larger and certainly detectable dichroism signals are predicted to occur, even at the magic angle, for later intermediates which have transition dipole moments which differ significantly from that of rhodopsin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacteriorhodopsins↗
PubMed1993

[Evaluation of the Magic Lite SQ specific IgE kit].

The new IgE specific antibody assay kit (Magic Lite SQ) was evaluated by comparing its results with those obtained by the Phadebas RAST and the skin prick tests. Sera from allergic children were used in the tests. The correlation coefficients between the Magic Lite SQ and the Phadebas RAST were as follows: 0.87 for D.p., 0.89 for D.f., 0.87 for HD1, 0.55 for HD2, 0.76 for orchard grass, 0.93 for cat dander, 0.78 for Alternaria, 0.88 for egg white, 0.75 for egg york, 0.81 for milk, 0.75 for say bean, and 0.60 for shrimp. The concordance rate of the two methods was high, except on the case of HD2. The sensitivity and specificity of Magic Lite SQ to the skin prick test was high, except on the case of HD2 and orchard grass. Dilution tests using samples from D.f. positive patients showed a good linearity and excellent quantitativeness. When mite allergen was added to D.f. positive pool serum, mite specific IgE antibody yielded an excellent inhibition curve of up to a maximum of 96%. Since the Magic Lite SQ requires only a small sample of serum and can completed the test in a short time, it is a useful and specific IgE antibody assay kit.

Child↗
PubMed1988

From Mantra to Mataráa: opacity and transparency in the language of Tobelo magic and medicine (Halmahera Island, Indonesia).

This paper presents a definition of the Tobelo concept of 'magic/medicine', and examines the role of mataráa ('magical formulae') within Tobelo magical/medical activities. The curative use of opaque, esoteric formulae is widely reported; Tobelo also have a specialized speech I call 'neo-Ternatese' used for this purpose. Several explanations for the opacity of magical formulae are examined; some apply to the Tobelo case and some do not. Examining the full range of registers in which neo-Ternatese is used, with sample texts, we find a continuum from transparent to opaque, paralleling a continuum of contexts from public to private (or esoteric), and we can identify the techniques used to produce (or increase) a text's opacity. Magical formulae, at the opaque end of that continuum, represent a secret, prestigious, and relatively liquid asset whose high value is maintained by several cultural conventions.

Humans↗
PubMed1993

Freud, Piaget, or neither? Beliefs in controlling others by wishful thinking and magical behavior in young children.

Tests showed that 4- to 6-year-old children believe that people can be influenced or "controlled" both by thinking (e.g., both wishful thinking and magical behavior) and by realistic means (e.g., positive reinforcement, example, and group pressure). Belief in control by thinking did not vary by the subjects' sex or age, influence type (wishing or magical behavior), or target response (behavior, emotion, or thought). Quantitative measures, however, suggested that magical behavior was seen by subjects as being more efficient than wishing, and that emotion was considered easier to influence than thinking. Beliefs in control by thinking were not related to a measure of fantasy-reality differentiation (realism).

Child↗
PubMed1984

The resurrection of a magical reality: treatment of functional migraine in a child.

A magical world view and logic were used in the treatment of a 10-year-old girl who was referred because of suicidal threats due to migrainous pain. The treatment consisted of a one-session intervention with three-week, six-month, and one-year follow-up indicating elimination of migraine. Within a strategic family therapy, a magical ritual was prescribed that derived from the preoperational logic explicated by Piaget and from the healing practices described in anthropological studies. Such a ritual casts the symptom in a different context, alters the meaning of migraine to the family system, and leads to different interactional patterns. Piaget's theory and anthropological data are discussed as sources of a magical world view to help families and children disengage from a symptomatic system of interactions.

Child↗
PubMed1996

[Birth representation with reference to the magical coriander prescription of Codex Vindobonensis 93, fol. 102r, of the Austrian National Library].

One of the most impressive manuscript illustrations of the medieval history of midwifery is found in the Codex Vindobonensis 93, fol. 102r (a manuscript from the early 13th century), illustrating a magic prescription of herba coriandrum to accelerate childbirth. The composition of the omnibus manuscript is critically delineated in its historical context. The illustration, being isolated without any obstetrical teaching text, is judged as part of the ancient tradition of teaching by images which has no parallel north of the Alps. The different image traditions are reflected in the historical use and illustration of the midwifery chair, which can be traced back only to the beginning of the 16th century in Central Europe and on the British Isles. The importance of the magic prescription is shown by comparison within the same and other collections used in the Middle Ages and classified in the context of further traditions of magic in midwifery.

Europe↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Magical thinking and self development].

Based on a historical survey of the term "magic thinking" structural aspects of primary process and prelogical thinking will be elucidated. Developmental necessities for the emergence of magic interpretations in children of pre-school age are proposed. The thesis will be formulated, that magic interpretations may help the developing self in the management of life-circumstances during a period of cognitive egocentrism: feelings of non-competence may be compensated, and the locus of control may be held in the face of experiences of inferiority.

Child↗
PubMed1996

Magic echoes and NMR imaging of solids.

Solid state NMR imaging techniques based on magic echoes are reviewed. The theoretical background of magic echoes in general and their spatial encoding in particular is treated. The magic-echo imaging pulse sequences presently in use are described and discussed. Particular emphasis is devoted to those techniques, which allow the incorporation of spectroscopic or parameter-selective information. The applicability of these methods for the investigation of materials is demonstrated and perspectives for materials science are outlined.

Image Enhancement↗
PubMed1981

Magic angle spinning carbon-13 NMR of tobacco mosaic virus. An application of the high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy to very large biological systems.

Magic angle spinning 13C NMR was used to study tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in solution. Well-resolved 13C NMR spectra were obtained, in which several carbon resonances of amino acids of the TMV coat protein subunits that are not observable by conventional high-resolution NMR spectroscopy can be designed. RNA resonance were absent, however, in the magic angle spinning 13C NMR spectra. Since three different binding sites are available for each nucleotide of the RNA, this is probably due to a line broadening caused by distributions of isotropic chemical shift values. In 13C-enriched TM 13C-13C dipolar interactions also gave rise to line broadening. By suitable pulse techniques that discriminate carbon resonances on the basis of their T1 and T1 rho values, it was possible to select particular groups of carbon nuclei with characteristic motional properties. Magic angle spinning 13C NMR spectra obtained with these pulse techniques are extremely well resolved.

Carbon Isotopes↗
PubMed1995

Solid-state magic-angle spinning 31P-NMR studies of native casein micelles.

Solid-state magic-angle spinning 31P-NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the structure and composition of native casein micelles. The features of the magic-angle spinning 31P-NMR spectra, including overlapping resonances from mobile/immobile phosphorylated serine residues and inorganic calcium phosphates, have been determined using different experimental techniques and assigned by comparison with spectra of the presumed constituents within the casein micelle. Comparison with 31P-NMR spectra of alpha s1-, alpha s2-, and beta-caseins in dissolved and freeze-dried forms demonstrated that a major fraction of the phosphoserines in these proteins was in an immobilized state within the micelle. Likewise, from 31P-NMR spectra of the C-terminal part of kappa-casein, it was shown that this region of the micelle has a considerable conformational mobility. Finally, magic-angle spinning 31P-NMR spectra for a series of inorganic calcium phosphates and mineralized bone tissue revealed that the micellar inorganic calcium phosphates exhibit structural similarities to hydroxyapatite and hence resemble mineralized bone tissue.

Caseins↗
PubMed1995

Increased signal in the normal supraspinatus tendon on MR imaging: diagnostic pitfall caused by the magic-angle effect.

OBJECTIVE: Increased signal intensity within the distal portion of the supraspinatus tendon during MR imaging is a frequent observation even in healthy subjects. This finding has been variously attributed to the presence of fat, muscle, connective tissue, abnormal vascularity, or degenerative changes. More recently, the effect of tendon orientation in the static magnetic field (Bo) has been implicated. It has been shown that tendons at the magic angle of 55 degrees to Bo show markedly increased signal. This study was designed to determine the contribution of the magic-angle effect to the MR signal in the distal portion of the supraspinatus tendon. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Five healthy volunteers were imaged in a 1.5-T unit using short TR/TE sequences in standard supine position; they were then reimaged laterally flexed at the waist to reorient the plane of the distal portion of the supraspinatus tendon by approximately 20 degrees relative to Bo. In the second part of the study, three cadaveric shoulders were similarly imaged, first in standard position and then reoriented approximately 35 degrees by simple rotation of the specimen. The supraspinatus tendon was evaluated in each subject by noting the length of the segment with increased signal and the position of this segment relative to the insertion of the tendon on the greater tuberosity. Comparisons were made for each live and cadaveric subject between neutral and rotated positions. RESULTS: Segments of increased signal changed in length and position for each live and cadaveric subject from the neutral to the reoriented position. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that tendon orientation contributes significantly to the presence of increased signal within the supraspinatus tendon, as caused by the magic-angle effect. Failure to recognize this effect may lead to diagnostic inaccuracy when evaluating the rotator cuff on short TR/TE sequences.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Magical contagion and AIDS risk perception in a college population.

This study examined whether common reactions to AIDS are consistent with operation of the "magical law of contagion," a traditional belief that describes the transfer of properties, whether moral or physical, harmful or beneficial, through contact. Three features of magical contagion, explored in previous work, were re-examined. These features sometimes contrast with microbial contamination as described by modern germ theory. They are: permanence of effects; dose-insensitivity; and potential for effects to act backwards (i.e., from recipient back onto source). A fourth characteristic, previously unaddressed, was also explored: "moral-germ conflation," i.e., the tendency to incompletely distinguish illness from evil. Three hundred and ninety-nine college students completed a survey assessing each feature with regard to AIDS-related scenarios. Also assessed was general AIDS knowledge. Subjects were very well-informed about AIDS, yet a significant subset showed "magical" features of thinking. Consistent with moral-germ conflation, degree of worry about getting AIDS was better predicted by guilt than by risk behaviors and knowledge that they are risky. Implications are discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Magical thinking in healthy people and in schizophrenia].

Different conditions of magical thinking have been analyzed. A formation of the proportion "realistic thinking - magical thinking" in paranoid schizophrenia has been discussed and the characteristic features of magical thinking in schizophrenia have been indicated.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

MAGIC: an experimental system for generating multimedia briefings about post-bypass patient status.

We describe MAGIC, an experimental system for generating multimedia briefings about the clinical status of post-bypass patients entering a cardiac ICU. MAGIC is a distributed system whose components use knowledge-based techniques for planning and generating briefings in text, speech, and graphics. These briefings are coordinated together by reasoning with dynamically generated temporal and spatial constraints. Formative evaluation using system mock-ups with ICU nurses and residents have been used to determine the general format and content of these briefings. We present an overview of MAGIC's architecture and show what it can currently generate.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1987

Medicine and magic among the Maka Indians of the Paraguayan Chaco.

The Maká Indians are an ethnic group of hunters and gatherers of the Paraguayan Chaco. In order to heal illnesses and counteract different kinds of evil, they practice shamanism, magic and the use of medicines of vegetal and animal origin. A general review of the history, magic and medicine in this culture is undertaken. A list of the components of their pharmacopoeia, with details of their use and particular indications is presented.

Humans↗