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Pattern of 111In-chloride bone marrow scintigraphy in myelodysplastic syndrome; comparison with clinical characteristics.

111In-chloride bone marrow scintigraphy (bone marrow scintigraphy) was performed in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), tracer accumulation was classified into patterns, and the relationship between the accumulation patterns and prognostic factors was investigated to assess the usefulness of bone marrow scintigraphy. The subjects were 14 patients diagnosed with MDS. Accumulation of the bone marrow scintigraphy tracer was classified according to the degree of accumulation in the axial bone marrow and peripheral expansion. International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), which are frequently used for prognostic evaluation of MDS, and conversion to leukemia were investigated in prognostic factors. We also investigated the relationship between enlargement of the liver and spleen and the prognostic factors. The accumulation patterns were as follows: pattern I, The normal accumulation pattern (2 cases); pattern II, the expanded accumulation pattern (6 cases); pattern III, low accumulation pattern (5 cases); and pattern IV, heterogeneous accumulation pattern (1 case). The relationships between the two prognostic factors and accumulation patterns were investigated, and the prognosis was found to be significantly poorer in the patients with the low accumulation pattern than the expanded accumulation pattern. Enlargement of the liver and spleen was not significantly correlated with the prognostic factors.

Adult↗

Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after percutaneous ablation therapy: helical CT patterns.

BACKGROUND: To categorize the helical computed tomographic (CT) intrahepatic recurrence patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after treatment with percutaneous ablation procedures. METHODS: Double-phase helical CT studies of 67 patients with HCC recurrence were reviewed. The study population had undergone percutaneous ablation therapy procedures (multisession or single-session ethanol injection therapy, radiofrequency thermal ablation therapy, and interstitial laser photocoagulation therapy) for 120 HCC nodules. RESULTS: Four patterns were defined. (A) Enhancing tissue within the edge of the ablated nodule on arterial phase images (ingrowth): this pattern was seen in five treated lesions (4.2% of all treated nodules) in five patients (7.5% of all patients with recurrence) 3-7 months after treatment (mean = 4 months). (B) Enhancing tissue around the treated nodule but continuously to its border on arterial-phase images (outgrowth): this pattern was found in 12 (10%) treated lesions in 12 patients (18%) 3-6 months after ablation (mean = 4 months). (C) Enhancing tissue within the same segment of the treated nodule on arterial phase images (spread): this pattern was detected in 10 (8%) treated lesions in 10 patients (15%) 3-6 months after treatment (mean = 5 months). (D) Enhancing tissue within different segments from the treated nodule on arterial phase images (progression): this pattern was identified in 34 patients (51%) with 53 (44%) treated tumors 5-22 months after ablation (mean = 8 months). A mixed pattern was found in six subjects (9%) with seven (6%) treated nodules. Among the 61 patients with a nonmixed pattern, there were 85 treated nodules with persistent necrosis, 17 treated nodules with local recurrence (pattern A or B), and 107 new nodules due to nonlocal recurrence (pattern C or D). Portal phase enhanced images and especially unenhanced images showed a lower detection rate and a lower lesion-to-liver conspicuity score (for all patterns but mainly for pattern C). CONCLUSION: Four patterns of recurrence after percutaneous ablation procedures can be categorized on double-phase helical CT and are best depicted on arterial phase images. Knowledge of these patterns is relevant for early detection and may be helpful in understanding the recurrence mechanism.

Adult↗

Detection of temporal patterns in dog-human interaction.

A new time structure model and pattern detection procedures developed by (Magnusson, M.S., 1996. Hidden real-time patterns in intra- and inter-individual behaviour description and detection. Eur. J. Psychol. Assess. 12, 112-123; Magnusson, M.S., 2000. Discovering hidden time patterns in behaviour: T-patterns and their detection. Behav. Res. Methods, Instrum. Comput. 32, 93-110) enables us to detect complex temporal patterns in behaviour. This method has been used successfully in studying human and neuronal interactions (Anolli, L., Duncan, S. Magnusson, M.S., Riva G. (Eds.), 2005. The Hidden Structure of Interaction, IOS Press, Amsterdam). We assume that similarly to interactions between humans, cooperative and communicative interaction between dogs and humans also consist of patterns in time. We coded and analyzed a cooperative situation when the owner instructs the dog to help build a tower and complete the task. In this situation, a cooperative interaction developed spontaneously, and occurrences of hidden time patterns in behaviour can be expected. We have found such complex temporal patterns (T-patterns) in each pair during the task that cannot be detected by "standard" behaviour analysis. During cooperative interactions the dogs' and humans' behaviour becomes organized into interactive temporal patterns and that dog-human interaction is much more regular than yet has been thought. We have found that communicative behaviour units and action units can be detected in the same T-pattern during cooperative interactions. Comparing the T-patterns detected in the dog-human dyads, we have found a typical sequence emerging during the task, which was the outline of the successfully completed task. Such temporal patterns were conspicuously missing from the "randomized data" that gives additional support to the claim that interactive T-patterns do not occur by chance or arbitrarily but play a functional role during the task.

Animals↗

Defining left ventricular segmental and global function by echocardiographic intraventricular contrast flow patterns.

Contrast echocardiography improves left ventricular (LV) endocardial border delineation by enhancement of the blood-tissue interface. In particular, the contrast appearing within the LV chamber exhibits characteristic flow patterns over the cardiac cycle, which may be related to the surrounding myocardial wall motion. To determine the relation between the LV intracavitary contrast flow pattern and surrounding wall motion, we reviewed the contrast-enhanced images of 348 consecutive patients studied at rest. We defined 2 different patterns of intracavitary contrast flow as visualized from apical views: a swift, vertical, and homogeneous flow towards the apex (pattern A), and a distinctly protracted, swirling, and heterogeneous flow (pattern B). Images recorded on videotapes were reviewed and the type of pattern (A or B) was determined within the initial 30 to 45 seconds of contrast appearance in the left ventricle. Contrast flow patterns interpreted by independent reviewer were then compared with the interpretation of the LV segmental and global function in each patient. Results demonstrate that 224 of 245 (91%) patients exhibiting pattern A had normal LV segmental function. Furthermore, all but 1 patient (102 of 103) with pattern B had > or =1 wall motion abnormality (p <0.0001). Contrast flow pattern B was observed irrespective of the location of LV wall motion abnormality. Global LV function was normal in 93% of patients exhibiting pattern A, whereas varying degrees of LV dysfunction were noted in 83% of patients with pattern B (p <0.0001). The presence of mitral regurgitation (p = 0.46), aortic insufficiency (p = 0.066), or mitral inflow Doppler abnormality (p = 0.102) was not significantly associated with either pattern. Thus, during contrast echocardiography, the LV intracavitary contrast flow pattern complements the assessment of global and segmental LV function.

Adult↗

Patterns of visual field progression in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine whether distinct patterns of visual field progression are present in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and to evaluate the correlation between these patterns, if present, and different genetic subtypes of RP. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of patterns of visual field progression in RP was performed. PARTICIPANTS: Visual fields of 162 patients with RP, including 55 with type 2 Usher syndrome, who had at least 3 Goldmann visual field examinations during a period of at least 3 years were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Goldmann visual fields. RESULTS: Visual fields of 86 patients could be classified into one of three specific patterns of visual field progression. Pattern I included those patients with a progressive concentric loss of visual fields; pattern II included those with visual field loss that began superiorly and subsequently developed an arcuate scotoma that progressed either from the nasal (IIA) or the temporal (IIB and IIC) side; and pattern III included patients whose visual field loss was characterized initially by a complete or incomplete midperipheral "ring scotoma" that broke through into the periphery. The end stage of all these patterns was a residual central visual field, sometimes also associated with a small peripheral island. In 53 of the 162 patients, the pattern of visual field loss could not be categorized because of an advanced stage of field loss at the time of the initial examination. CONCLUSIONS: Distinctive patterns of visual field progression can be observed in patients with retinitis pigmentosa and type 2 Usher syndrome. There were no intrafamilial variations in the pattern of visual field loss in our data on 24 patients from 11 families. Within certain genetic subtypes, there was a predilection for a preponderance of a specific pattern of visual field progression. Future studies may be able to correlate these patterns of visual field loss with different genetic mutations. A greater understanding as to why certain patterns of field loss exist could potentially provide greater insight into the various pathogenetic mechanism(s) by which photoreceptor cells degenerate in this group of patients.

Deafness↗

Gender, age, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors associated with major dietary patterns in the Spanish Project SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra).

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the major dietary patterns in the cohort 'SUN' and to assess the association of several sociodemographic (including age and gender) and lifestyle variables with the adherence to these dietary patterns. DESIGN: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of 3847 subjects (1587 men and 2260 women) belonging to a prospective cohort study based on self-reported questionnaires. A factor analysis based on 30 predefined food groups was conducted to ascertain the major dietary patterns in the cohort. Multiple regression models were fitted to assess the relationship between several sociodemographic and lifestyle variables and the adherence to these dietary patterns (measured using two scores with observed values ranging from -3.2 to +4.6 for the Western pattern and -3.1 to +5.5 for the Mediterranean pattern). RESULTS: Two major dietary patterns were found. The first pattern was labelled as a 'Western' dietary pattern and the other as a 'Spanish-Mediterranean' dietary pattern. Younger subjects were more likely to follow a 'Western' dietary pattern; the coefficient representing the change for every 10 y increase in age was b=-0.24 (P<0.001) for men and b=-0.12 (P<0.001) for women. More physically active subjects were less likely to follow a 'Western' dietary pattern and more likely to follow a 'Spanish-Mediterranean' dietary pattern. CONCLUSIONS: An association between a higher level of physical activity during leisure time and adherence to a 'Spanish-Mediterranean' diet was apparent. However, the profile of being a young, sedentary and single male was identified as the most likely to exhibit a departure from the traditional 'Spanish-Mediterranean' diet and follow a 'Western' dietary pattern.

Adult↗

Gastric siderosis: patterns and significance.

Recently, we encountered 2 cases of diffuse iron deposition in gastric antral and fundic glandular epithelium, which in 1 patient eventually led to the diagnosis of hemochromatosis. Gastric mucosal siderosis (GS) has previously been described in hemochromatosis patients, alcoholics, and in association with iron medications. However, the prevalence of various patterns of iron deposition in the gastric mucosa and their clinical significance have not been studied in detail. The 2 index cases mentioned above and 500 additional consecutive gastric biopsies examined over a period of 8 months at our institution were stained for iron by the Prussian blue method. In addition, all patients with genetic hemochromatosis diagnosed by liver biopsy in our department between 1998 and 2003 who also had gastric biopsies were identified from the surgical pathology files and included in the study (n = 3). The location of iron deposition [stromal cells (endothelium, fibroblasts, macrophages), glandular epithelium, or extracellular] was recorded and subjectively graded as 1+ to 3+ according to the severity of deposition within the mucosa. Relevant histologic changes (inflammation, presence of H. pylori, ulceration) and clinical features were reviewed. Three patterns of GS were identified: A) "nonspecific GS" with predominant iron deposition in the stromal cells including macrophages, and focally in epithelium; B) "iron-pill gastritis" with often mild gastritis and reactive gastropathy type changes, and mostly extracellular deposition with focal stromal cells and epithelial deposition; and C) predominant deposition in antral and fundic glandular epithelium. Of the 500 cases studied, a total of 18 (3.6%) cases were found to have GS. Of these 18 cases, 11 (2.2%) showed pattern A, 4 (0.8%) showed pattern B, and 3 (0.6%) showed pattern C. The GS in patterns A and B was always focal or patchy (1+ to 2+), whereas in pattern C it was generally diffuse and strong (2+ to 3+). A history of oral iron medication was present in 2 (n = 11, 0.4%) patients with pattern A, in all patients with pattern B (n = 4, 100%), and in none of patients with pattern C (n=3, 0%). Varying degrees of mucosal inflammation were noted in patients with pattern A cases, and 2 had evidence of active Helicobacter pylori infection. Of the 3 cases with known hemochromatosis, only one gastric biopsy showed pattern C GS (1+). In conclusion, gastric mucosal siderosis is relatively uncommon (3%) but is important to look for as it may lead to a diagnosis of hemochromatosis in some cases. Three patterns are recognized: A) a "nonspecific" stromal cell predominant pattern, which may be associated with gastric inflammation, possibly prior mucosal hemorrhages or iron medications; B) extracellular coarse clumps of crystalline iron deposition associated with oral iron medications, mild gastritis, and reactive gastropathy type changes ("Iron-pill gastritis"); and C) gastric glandular siderosis, which may be associated with systemic iron overload/hemochromatosis.

Biopsy↗

A logical coronal pattern classification of 2,000 consecutive idiopathic scoliosis cases based on the scoliosis research society-defined apical vertebra.

STUDY DESIGN: Two thousand consecutive idiopathic scoliosis records and radiographs were reviewed for coronal pattern typing and categorization, based on Scoliosis Research Society definitions of the apical vertebra. Apical frequency was determined for each of the patterns identified, and represents a database from a large series of cases for the already accepted Scoliosis Research Society definitions. OBJECTIVES: To identify and numerically pattern-type a large series of idiopathic coronal curves, for the basic purpose of written and oral communication. Some pattern types were not described previously. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although spinal deformity must be considered three dimensional for treatment in 1998, no comprehensive, databased, and user friendly coronal or sagittal classification of idiopathic scoliosis has been reported. METHODS: Two thousand idiopathic curve patterns from charts and radiographs were reviewed and the coronal patterns categorized by the apical vertebra. The resulting classification was tested for inter- and intraobserver reliability by 12 spine surgeons and 6 orthopedic residents. Apical frequencies were determined for each pattern type. RESULTS: Twenty-one pattern categories were identified, and all were right or left mirror image patterns (except for a quadruple pattern) that permitted separation into 11 types. Incorporating the widely recognized five numbered King types mad pattern recognition simple. Interobserver reliability testing was 98.2%. The left single thoracic curve pattern was included in this classification because only 9 (20.4%) of 44 patients with left thoracic curves had intraspinal pathology. CONCLUSION: Two thousand consecutive idiopathic coronal curve patterns separated into eleven readily identifiable types, and incorporating the widely referenced five King types, makes recognition simple for purposes of identification and communication. Sagittal and 3D factors excluded from this classification are equally important in the process of treatment decisions. Apical frequency data determined in this study lends credence to Scoliosis Research Society definitions for idiopathic curve patterns.

Adolescent↗

Temporal Patterns in Spontaneous and Odour-evoked Mitral Cell Discharges Recorded in Anaesthetized Freely Breathing Animals.

This study investigates in detail how mitral cell activity is distributed during the respiratory cycle in freely breathing animals and how this temporal pattern changes under odour stimulation. Results were obtained from 1408 sequences composed of a 30-s period of spontaneous activity followed by a 10-s period of stimulation. Spontaneously, a majority of the patterns did not show any clear relationship with respiration and were categorized as unsynchronized. Stimulations evoked a high proportion of synchronized patterns. About 40% displayed a single period of firing rate increase superimposed on no background activity or on sustained background activity, and were categorized as simple excitatory synchronized patterns. Thirty-six per cent showed a single inhibitory trough, and were categorized as simple suppressive synchronized patterns, whereas the remaining 24% showed a succession of peaks and troughs, and were categorized as complex synchronized patterns. Under pure air delivery, the position in time of the firing peak in simple excitatory synchronized patterns was found to be generally phase-locked on late inhalation and early exhalation. During stimulation, its position did not change in patterns which originated from spontaneous patterns having the same type whereas it was shifted towards earlier portions of the cycle in patterns originating from another type. Lastly, the possibilities of transition between spontaneous and odour-evoked patterns seemed to follow general rules. Whereas any type of spontaneous patterns may transform into any other type under stimulation, a majority of synchronized odour response patterns originated from unsynchronized spontaneous patterns. This may reflect some potential of cells having a non-modulated spontaneous activity to be more responsive to peripheral inputs.

Journal Article↗

Dynamic patterns of allergic patch test reactions to 10 European standard allergens. An analysis of data recorded by the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK).

Insight into the dynamic time courses of patch test reactions may be useful for patch test evaluation. To put this to the proof, we have analysed the time courses of allergic patch test reactions that were filed between 1990 and 1994 by the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology in Germany (IVDK). Based on reaction strength at days 1 to 3, each allergic patch test was assigned to 1 of 5 distinct dynamic reaction patterns: crescendo, plateau, decrescendo, crescendo/decrescendo, or decrescendo/ crescendo. The frequencies of these patterns were determined for those 10 standard allergens yielding the highest numbers of allergic reactions (n between 180 and 1240), and dynamic patterns were classified as type 1 (crescendo or plateau patterns) or type 2 (other patterns). Influences of population characteristics upon the classification of patterns were evaluated by logistic regression analyses. Different frequencies of reaction patterns were found for distinct allergens. For all 10 allergens, type-1 patterns were significantly more often observed for allergic reactions assessed as clinically relevant. For 5 allergens, female sex of patients was associated with a lower frequency of type-2 patterns. A history of atopic dermatitis and the age of patients were only weakly associated with a certain classification of reaction patterns in some of the allergens. In a comparison of reaction patterns obtained with different allergens in the same population, we found that nickel sulfate elicited type 1 reaction patterns more often than fragrance mix. We conclude that the dynamic reaction patterns should be taken into account in the evaluation of patch tests. The relation of type-1 patterns to clinical relevance of the reaction needs further attention.

Adult↗

A single-unit analysis of inferior colliculus in unanesthetized bats: response patterns and spike-count functions generated by constant-frequency and frequency-modulated sounds.

1. Single-unit activity evoked by constant-frequency (CF) and frequency-modulated (FM) sounds was recorded from the inferior colliculus of unanesthetized Mexican free-tailed bats. The FM bursts were designed to mimic the natural orientation cries emitted by this species. 2. The feature of greatest concern in this study is the response patterns evoked by acoustic signals. Four major types of response patterns are recognized: a) the phasic on patterns where up to 4 spikes were evoked with a total firing duration occurring within a period of about 5 ms, b) the on-off patterns characterized by a phasic on-response followed by a silent interval with a brief burst of impulses occurring to the off-set of the signal, c) the phasic burst patterns where the unit typically fired 3-7 spikes over a 5-10 ms (or longer) duration with the same response pattern being evoked by a wide range of signal durations, d) the tonic or sustained patterns characterized by a sustained firing whose duration faithfully followed the signal duration. 3. Constant frequency and FM signals were not equally effective for eliciting the various response patterns. While all of the major response categories and most of the subtypes were evoked with CF stimulation, FM signals, which mimicked the natural echolocation cries, evoked predominantly phasic on-responses and a much smaller number of phasic bursters. Tonic and on-off patterns were never observed with FM signals. 4. Many units exhibited a particular response pattern with CF signals which differed from the pattern evoked by FM signals. This finding demonstrated that utilizing CF signals to investigate encoding features relevant for echolocation is an inappropriate approach and can result in misleading conclusions. 5. In many electrode penetrations most units, and in some cases all units, had the same response pattern. This was observed for phasic constant-latency responders (pELRs), phasic erratic-latency responders (pELRs), phasic burst, and tonic units, and provides evidence that units having a particular response pattern are organized in vertical arrays within the volliculus. 6. Several of the response patterns were strongly correlated with a particular spike-count function. The pCLRs almost always had a steeply rising monotonic function, phasic bursters were always nonmonotonic but never upper threshold, while the tonic units typically had monotonic functions. The pELRs were heterogeneous with regard to spike counts having monotonic, nonmonotonic, and upper-threshold functions. Upper-threshold functions were observed only in pELRs.

Animals↗

Dietary patterns and associated lifestyles in individuals with and without familial history of obesity: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Familial history of obesity (FHO) and certain dietary habits are risk factors for obesity. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were 1) to derive dietary patterns using factor analysis in a population of men and women with and without FHO; 2) to compare mean factor scores for each dietary pattern between individuals with and without FHO; and 3) to examine the association between these patterns and anthropometric, lifestyle and sociodemographic variables. METHODS: A total of 197 women and 129 men with a body mass index <30 kg/m2 were recruited. A positive FHO (FHO+) was defined as having at least one obese first-degree relative and a negative FHO (FHO-) as no obese first-degree relative. Dietary data were collected from a food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis was performed to derive dietary patterns. Mean factor scores were compared using general linear model among men and women according to FHO. Regression analyses were performed to study the relationship between anthropometric, lifestyle and sociodemographic variables, and each dietary pattern. RESULTS: Two dietary patterns were identified in both men and women : the Western pattern characterized by a higher consumption of red meats, poultry, processed meats, refined grains as well as desserts, and the Prudent pattern characterized by greater intakes of vegetables, fruits, non-hydrogenated fat, and fish and seafood. Similar Western and Prudent factor scores were observed in individual with and without FHO. In men with FHO+, the Western pattern is negatively associated with age and positively associated with physical activity, smoking, and personal income. In women with FHO-, the Prudent pattern is negatively associated with BMI and smoking and these pattern is positively associated with age and physical activity. CONCLUSION: Two dietary patterns have been identified among men and women with and without FHO. Although that FHO does not seem to influence the adherence to dietary patterns, results of this study suggest that anthropometric, lifestyle and sociodemographic variables associated with dietary patterns differ according to FHO and gender.

Journal Article↗

Sequential super-stereotypy of an instinctive fixed action pattern in hyper-dopaminergic mutant mice: a model of obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette's.

BACKGROUND: Excessive sequential stereotypy of behavioral patterns (sequential super-stereotypy) in Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is thought to involve dysfunction in nigrostriatal dopamine systems. In sequential super-stereotypy, patients become trapped in overly rigid sequential patterns of action, language, or thought. Some instinctive behavioral patterns of animals, such as the syntactic grooming chain pattern of rodents, have sufficiently complex and stereotyped serial structure to detect potential production of overly-rigid sequential patterns. A syntactic grooming chain is a fixed action pattern that serially links up to 25 grooming movements into 4 predictable phases that follow 1 syntactic rule. New mutant mouse models allow gene-based manipulation of brain function relevant to sequential patterns, but no current animal model of spontaneous OCD-like behaviors has so far been reported to exhibit sequential super-stereotypy in the sense of a whole complex serial pattern that becomes stronger and excessively rigid. Here we used a hyper-dopaminergic mutant mouse to examine whether an OCD-like behavioral sequence in animals shows sequential super-stereotypy. Knockdown mutation of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT) causes extracellular dopamine levels in the neostriatum of these adult mutant mice to rise to 170% of wild-type control levels. RESULTS: We found that the serial pattern of this instinctive behavioral sequence becomes strengthened as an entire entity in hyper-dopaminergic mutants, and more resistant to interruption. Hyper-dopaminergic mutant mice have stronger and more rigid syntactic grooming chain patterns than wild-type control mice. Mutants showed sequential super-stereotypy in the sense of having more stereotyped and predictable syntactic grooming sequences, and were also more likely to resist disruption of the pattern en route, by returning after a disruption to complete the pattern from the appropriate point in the sequence. By contrast, wild-type mice exhibited weaker forms of the fixed action pattern, and often failed to complete the full sequence. CONCLUSIONS: Sequential super-stereotypy occurs in the complex fixed action patterns of hyper-dopaminergic mutant mice. Elucidation of the basis for sequential super-stereotypy of instinctive behavior in DAT knockdown mutant mice may offer insights into neural mechanisms of overly-rigid sequences of action or thought in human patients with disorders such as Tourette's or OCD.

Animals↗

Physiological responses to single versus double stepping pattern of ascending the stairs.

The aim of this study was to compare the physiological responses and energy cost between two ascending patterns, the single-step (SS) and the double-step (DS), in climbing a public staircase. In the SS pattern, a person climbs one step at a time whilst in the double-step (DS) pattern, the individual traverses two steps in a single stride. Advocates of each stepping pattern claimed that their type of ascent is physically more taxing and expends more calories. Thirty subjects (10 males and 20 females) climbed a typical 11-storey flat (each step height of 0.15 m, a total of 180 steps and a vertical displacement of 27.0 m). The subjects climbed using either the SS pattern at a tempo of 100 steps x min(-1) or the DS pattern at 50 steps x min(-1). The prescribed stepping frequencies ensured that an equal amount of total work was performed between the SS and DS patterns. The climbing patterns were performed in random order. Physiological measures during the last 30 s of the climbs were used in the comparative analysis. The results showed that ventilation, oxygen uptake and heart rate values were significantly higher (all p < 0.01) in the SS as compared to the DS pattern. However, the caloric expenditure during the SS pattern was calculated to be only marginally higher than the DS pattern. In conclusion, ascending with the SS pattern led to significantly higher physiological responses compared to the DS pattern. The higher calorie expended with the SS compared to the DS pattern was deemed to be of little practical significance.

Adult↗

The effects of complexity on the perception of vibrotactile patterns presented to separate fingers.

Pairs of vibrotactile patterns were presented to subjects' left middle and index fingerpads (unilateral presentation) or left and right index fingerpads (bilateral presentation), using two Optacon arrays. A set of simple (one-line) patterns and a set of complex (two-line) patterns were constructed so that they were equally identifiable when presented individually. In Experiment 1, discrimination performance was lower for two-line patterns than it was for one-line patterns, and it was lower for unilateral presentation than it was for bilateral presentation. Communality, the number of lines that two patterns share in common, was a major factor in reducing discrimination performance for two-line patterns. Subjects' abilities to identify one member of the pair of patterns were measured in Experiment 2. There were no significant differences in performance between pattern sets or type of presentation when subjects attended to a single pattern. However, when subjects were required to attend to both patterns, identification performance was lower for two-line patterns than it was for one-line patterns, and it was lower for unilateral presentation than it was for bilateral presentation. The results suggest that there are limited attentional resources for processing vibrotactile patterns and that more resources are available bilaterally than are available unilaterally.

Adult↗

The effects of complexity on the perception of vibrotactile patterns.

Vibrotactile patterns were presented to subjects' left index fingerpads using the array from the Optacon. A set of simple (one-line) patterns and a set of complex (two-line) patterns were constructed so that they were equally identifiable when presented individually. In Experiment 1, discrimination performance was lower for two-line patterns than for one-line patterns. Communality, the number of lines that two patterns share in common, appeared to be the major factor in reducing discrimination performance for two-line patterns. Experiment 2 measured the time required to identify individual patterns. There was no significant difference in identification times for one- and two-line patterns, suggesting that features within a pattern were processed simultaneously. In the presence of a temporal masking stimulus (Experiment 3), two-line patterns were more difficult to identify than one-line patterns, but reaction times were similar for the two sets of patterns. The results suggest that varying complexity affects perception of patterns at later stages of processing.

Discrimination, Psychological↗

Early corneal topography patterns after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy for myopia.

OBJECTIVES: We defined early patterns of corneal topography following excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with a Summit Apex laser without pretreatment software, investigated changes in patterns over time, and identified factors associated with different topography patterns. METHODS: Fifty-eight eyes of 39 myopic patients were studied. EyeSys videokeratography data were analyzed at 1 week and 1, 2, and 3 months after surgery and were classified using a standardized classification system. RESULTS: At 1 week, 4.3% (n = 2) of corneas showed a homogeneous topography, 0.0% showed a toric-with-axis configuration, 2.2% (n = 1) showed a toric-against-axis configuration, 8.7% (n = 4) showed an irregularly irregular topography, 17.4% (n = 8) showed a keyhole pattern, 23.9% (n = 11) showed a semicircular pattern, 41.3% (n = 19) showed a central island pattern, and 2.2% (n = 1) showed focal topographic variants. From 1 week to 1 month, 78.9% of maps changed; from 1 to 2 months, 33.3% of maps changed; and from 2 to 3 months, 40.0% of maps changed, generally to more regular patterns. The central island pattern, which predominated at 1 week, was not seen at 3 months; most had changed to the keyhole or semicircular pattern. An association was found between the central island pattern and irregularity of reflected rings on the video-image of the cornea (P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: The central island pattern is an early and usually transient topography pattern following PRK. Keyhole and semicircular patterns taken together were the most prevalent in the early postoperative period. In some cases, central islands may be a consequence of corneal epithelial irregularity, and the meridional orientation of the keyhole and semicircular patterns suggests an influence of epithelial healing over time.

Cornea↗

A genetic basis for anomalous band patterns encountered during DNA STR profiling.

Since 1995 the Forensic Science Service (FSS) has carried out DNA profiling of reference samples for the UK National DNA Database and in forensic casework using two multiplex STR profiling systems. During this period, profiles with anomalous banding patterns, although comparatively rare, have been encountered regularly. The FSS has collected instances of triallelic patterns and aberrant diallelic patterns. A systematic examination of these patterns has provided insight into their underlying genetic cause. The triallelic patterns could be classified into two types based on the relative intensities of their component alleles. In the Type 1 pattern the alleles were of uneven intensity, whereas in the Type 2 pattern, all three alleles were of even intensity. Evidence is presented that the more frequent Type 1 pattern is the result of somatic mutation at a heterozygous locus, and the Type 2 pattern is the result of a localized chromosomal rearrangement at a heterozygous locus. Directly from the Type 1 pattern, it was possible to deduce the size difference between the progenitor and mutated allele. All mutational changes were found to be multiples of four nucleotides, suggesting the loss or addition of one or more tetrameric repeat units. Aberrant diallelic patterns were identified by analysts due to an unexpectedly large difference in intensity between alleles at a heterozygous locus. While some of these diallelic patterns are likely caused by the same genetic phenomena described above occurring at a homozygous locus, others are demonstrated to be caused by a mutation in the primer binding sequence, leading to a reduction in amplification efficiency of one allele. It is concluded that based on a visual inspection of a profile, it is possible to infer a likely genetic basis directly from the triallelic pattern. By contrast, the aberrant diallelic patterns can be due to any one of a number of possible genetic effects.

Child↗