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The K shell excitation of H-like uranium (U(91+)) in relativistic collisions with different gaseous targets has been studied at the experimental storage ring at GSI Darmstadt. By performing measurements with different targets as well as with different collision energies, we were able to observe for the first time the effect of electron-impact excitation (EIE) process in the heaviest hydrogenlike ion. The large fine-structure splitting in H-like uranium allowed us to unambiguously resolve excitation into different L shell levels. State-of-the-art calculations performed within the relativistic framework which include excitation mechanisms due to both protons (nucleus) and electrons are in good agreement with the experimental findings. Moreover, our experimental data clearly demonstrate the importance of including the generalized Breit interaction in the treatment of the EIE process.

Using 98% linearly polarized radiation at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, the performance of a prototype two-dimensional microstrip Ge(i) detector for x-ray imaging and as a Compton polarimeter has been evaluated. Using the energy and position sensitivity of the detector, the ability to obtain a complete reconstruction of the Compton event has been demonstrated. The modulation coefficient of the polarimeter is in good agreement with the theoretical limit of a perfect detector.

Background: Several experiments point to a participating role of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in the vascular events leading to restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)., Methods and Results: We measured fasting serum total (extractable) IGF-I in 553 patients in a controlled clinical trial. Half of the patients received continuous subcutaneous infusion of the somatostatin analogue lanreotide from the day before (baseline) and for 4 days after PTCA. We also measured ultrafiltrated serum free IGF-I and IGF-II, total IGF-II, IGF-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), IGFBP-3, and insulin in a subgroup of 18 placebo-treated and 20 lanreotide-treated patients. Total IGF-I had decreased by 7% (P < .0001) 1 day after initiation of lanreotide infusion and stayed reduced, whereas no early changes occurred in placebo-treated patients. The same pattern was observed in the subgroup. Free IGF-I decreased significantly from baseline by 22% to 27% (P < .05) in lanreotide-treated patients and increased insignificantly by 10% to 30% (P = .054) in placebo-treated patients. IGFBP-1 increased (P < .05) in both groups postoperatively, but levels in lanreotide-treated patients exceeded (P < .05) those of placebo-treated patients. Lanreotide treatment resulted in minor reductions (P < .05) in free and total IGF-II and IGFBP-3, whereas insulin was unaltered., Conclusions: Lanreotide administration acutely decreases circulating total and free IGF-I, the latter relatively more, and increases IGFBP-1. These alterations in the IGF system may participate in the improvement of the long-term outcome after PTCA noted with lanreotide treatment.

This investigation was conducted in 7 consultation centers in child psychiatry of the Lyon region (France). The aim was to evaluate the influence of the care professional's response to the demands of the consulting party, on the evolution of the child. The investigation is based on what is said about the difficulties of the child, as manifested in the way care professionals, parents and children perceive them. Relevant instruments and a reliable methodology are used in assessing these various parameters. Results indicate that what happens in the first interview might be more important than the effective type of intervention in determining the evolution of the subsequent intervention.

The computerized investigation of the results of urinary calculus analysis, using the program UROQUANT, can be supplemented by using a PC program to analyse 10 typical constellations of results. Dietary and therapeutic measures, as well as further laboratory diagnostic procedures are produced in verbal form.

A survey was carried out on 7 pedopsychiatric outpatient centres in the area of Lyon in order to evaluate the general outcome of care in consulting children and their families. Five public centres (centres médico-psychologiques) and 2 non-profit making private centres (centre médico-psychopédagogiques and centre d'action médico-sociale précoce) were part of the survey which included 706 children and adolescents. The survey showed that many children stop attending these centres; although, the numbers were significantly higher in the public centres compared with the non-profit making private centres. The authors suggest that differences in status and management between the two types of centres, leading to different conditions of functioning, on a practical as well as on a symbolic level, may be responsible, at least in part, for the different outcome in care between the 2 types of centres.

ADDH children are often reported to display signs of allergies to various substances and/or atopic (AT) symptoms (i.e., atopic eczema, hay fever, or asthma). Since, at least for a subgroup of these children, a common biological background for both ADD and atopy may be assumed that may involve brain catecholamines, our hypothesis was that in a group of AT children (mainly atopic eczema) signs of ADD should appear more often than in controls. Parental hyperactivity ratings revealed a significantly higher frequency of ADD symptoms in the AT group, and laboratory tests sensitive to attentional capacity and inhibitory functions showed poorer performance in the AT children, the findings being similar to those reported in hyperactives. Thus, our results add support to the assumption of a common predisposing factor for both AT and ADDH in a subgroup of children.

A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed to determine the efficiency of single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing septic complications after appendectomy. The infection rate increased significantly in the control group without antibiotic prophylaxis (9.3% to 20.3%). Older patients with severe appendicitis had more advantages from the prophylaxis than younger one. We have suggested to perform antibiotic prophylaxis individually only in those patients with high risk of septic complications after appendectomy.

It was the aim of our study to examine the interhemispherical and extrahemispherical integration that is possibly disturbed in patients suffering from schizophrenic psychoses, using an easy method of EEG performance spectral analysis. For this purpose, the EEG at rest and the functional EEG were determined in 69 schizophrenic patients (ICD) and 22 healthy subjects and the EEG reactivity was calculated. Differences especially in alpha-2 reactivity were seen both intrahemispherically and interhemispherically. This supports the concept of left hemispheric dysfunction in patients suffering from schizophrenic psychoses.

Radio-density analysis of selected muscles of normal probands exhibited differences in dependence on age and sex of the probands. Men have a higher muscle density than women. With increasing age muscle densities decrease but with different extent for various muscles. The main value for the decreasing muscle density is 2 HE in 10 years. Well trained sportsmen exhibit slightly increased densities with a significant decreased range of derivations from the mean values. That means their muscles show a more homogeneous density distribution than the controls.

A simple and reliable possibility to recognize at once sudden deteriorations of the renal function is the demonstration of IgKr accompanying the disease by means of semilogarithmic paper. Up to now probably no special importance has been attached to an intensive treatment of hypertension. The kinetics of the initial loss of function further remains unclear. The importance and possible influence on the accelerating factors must be defined exactly in a longer period of observation and with a greater number of patients. If we succeed in avoiding the acceleration and even in retarding the progression this would be connected with an essential delay of the time of the dependence upon dialysis for a number of patients.

Extra proviral copies of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) are known to be present in the genomes of certain T-cell lymphomas of mice. Analysis of additional non-mammary tumor cell types known to express MMTV transcripts and antigens revealed the presence of extra acquired MMTV proviruses in a pituitary tumor cell line, a macrophage line, and Leydig testicular tumor cells. The nature of the amplified MMTV proviruses in these various tumor cell types differed with regard to copy number and presence of alterations in the long terminal repeat region.

Eight healthy probands received 1.0 to 1.3 g ethanol per kg body weight within a period of 30 minutes. The average hourly elimination rate of ethanol during the postresorptive phase was found to be 0.18 g/l. No significant increase in the elimination rate was seen either after administration of 200 mg metoprolol per day in slow release form for a period of one week, or after a single dose of 200 mg metoprolol in standard formulation taken at the beginning of ethanol ingestion. On the other hand, long-term administration of metoprolol resulted in a steeper rise and a delayed decrease of blood alcohol concentration. Simultaneous intake of metoprolol and of alcohol in high dosage should be avoided.

The evaluation system suggested allows the results of urinary-calculi analysis centres to be compared after estimating the calculus stages present, the distinction between primary and secondary components and the deviation from normal composition. Afterwards the quality of the results of analysis of urinary calculi improved using the standard method.

By genealogic and laboratory-diagnostic investigations in the county of Magdeburg 79 patients with haemophilia A and 23 patients with haemophilia B were established. Characteristic coagulation-analytic findings in patients without and with additional thrombocytic functional disturbances are shown. In female conductors of haemophilia A the reliability in the diagnostics could be increased with the help of the discriminance analysis by combination of the genealogic tree information with the coagulation-analytic findings.

A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed to determine the efficiency of single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing septic complications after appendectomy. The infection rate increased significantly in the control group without antibiotic prophylaxis (9.3% to 20.3%). Older patients with severe appendicitis had more advantages from the prophylaxis than younger ones. We have suggested to perform antibiotic prophylaxis individually only in those patients with high risk of septic complications after appendectomy.

Habituation in psychiatric patients to repeated stimuli has typically been described in connection with the measurement of the skin conductance orienting response. Here EEG power spectra of acute schizophrenic patients and normals to 4 trials of an acoustic stimulation were examined for evidence of habituation. In response to stimulation the alpha EEG reactivity was less distinct in schizophrenics than in normals. This is in agreement with the theory of hypovariability or hyperstability of the EEG in schizophrenics. Signs of habituation in acute schizophrenics were clearer in fast beta frequencies of the parietal leads.

Twenty-two subjects (11 patients with major endogenous depression and 11 controls) received an intravenous test dose of 100 micrograms human corticotropin-releasing hormone (h-CRH). Corticotropin (ACTH), but not cortisol, responses were blunted in depressives. Basal cortisol secretion was higher in depressives than in controls and was negatively correlated to the corticotropin response following h-CRH. This finding indicates the integrity of the glucocorticoid-dependent negative feedback regulation in depression and supports the view that hypercortisolism in depression is primarily due to a suprapituitary disturbance. Comparison of ACTH responses after h-CRH with thyrotropin (TSH) output following thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) revealed a positive correlation (r = 0.65, p less than 0.001). The concordance between ACTH and TSH responses after specific challenges suggests that regulation of both systems is at least in part under a common control.

The experiment aimed at elucidating electromyographic signs of fatigue of lumbar muscles. On two days, 4 subjects had to hold 4 different target forces to fatigue. Bipolar surface EMG's were derived at the L3 level. The time series structure of the EMG's was characterized by means of autoregressive models. The r.m.s.- value did not reveal uniform time-dependent changes, except for an increase during the highest force level. The variance explained by a linear stochastic process systematically increased during the sustained contractions. The mean power frequencies exhibited similar changes.

Of 108 patients with chronic terminal renal insufficiency in 81 patients controls of the course were possible. In 50 patients an lg-linear course of the increase of creatinine against the time was the result. The running through time from 200 to 1,000 mumol/l creatinine was measured. In 31 patients the at first flatter, also linearly recognizable increase of creatinine suddenly changed into a second steeper, also lg-linear part of the straight line. The exact knowledge of the accelerating factors might postpone the time of the dialysis dependence in one part of the patients.

The aim of the study was to obtain information on changes in surface electromyograms from the lumbar erector spinae muscles during fatiguing isometric contractions. Four male subjects held different target extension forces to fatique in a prone position under carefully controlled biomechanical conditions. Standard deviations of the distribution of EMG amplitudes (RMS values), autoregressive (AR) time series models of the 15th order and spectral densities were computed. At lower force levels, i.e., at about 50 to 100 Nm or 20-40% of estimated maximum voluntary contraction force (MVC), RMS values significantly decreased over time; at the highest level examined (on average 162 Nm), they increased. Over all force levels, the explained variances of AR models increased and mean power frequencies (MPF) decreased with increasing force. The first and second AR coefficients also exhibited significant changes, depending on both contraction time and strength. The AR time series structure of EMGs during short isometric test contractions at the lowest force level within 30 s after the failure point clearly indicated muscle fatigue and some differences remained in their dependence on the preceding force. The results suggest a concept of 'selective fatigue', and provide a basis for refined electromyographic evaluation of back muscle fatigue. Such an evaluation has to consider the force history preceding the failure point, or serious errors become unavoidable. The increase in RMS values does not constitute a criterion of back muscle fatigue at low force levels. AR time series models are recommended for the description of fatigue-induced electromyographic changes.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) during information processing is influenced by specific changes in brain electrical activity. Based on the theory of a disturbed information processing in schizophrenics we analysed auditory stimulus induced EEG changes by Fast Fourier Transformation. The most important of the significant stimulation dependent EEG power changes were measured in the 0.5-3.5 Hz and 10-13.5 Hz frequency bands in the left parietal lead. In a multivariate analysis the separation of the subjects examined into acute schizophrenics and normals was incorrect in only 21% of the cases (resubstitution rate): using the pi-method an error of 31% was estimated.

Spontaneous activity was recorded extracellularly by glass microelectrodes from 54 neurons of the Gyrus sigmoideus posterior of unnarcotized and gallamine-immobilazed cats, and the sequential and nonsequential interspike-interval histograms were determined using the multi-channel analyzer CAT 400 C. The interval distributions were characterized by graphic criteria, and it was attempted to describe these distributions mathematically by four biparametric distributions, the Weibull, lognormal, gamma and normal distributions. 80% of the frequency distributions of type I (exponential), II (left skew, gamma-similar) and IV (almost symmetrical) could be assigned to these distributions, namely 43% of the lognormal distribution, 32% of the Weibull distribution, and 5% of the gamma distribution. The interval histograms of the type III (left skew, steep) and V (bimodal) could not be described by any of the distributions selected.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) during information processing is influenced by specific changes in brain electrical activity. Based on the theory of disturbed information processing in schizophrenics, we analysed auditory stimulus induced EEG changes by Fast Fourier Transformation. The most important of the significant stimulation-dependent EEG power changes were measured in the 0.5-3.5 Hz and 10-13.5 Hz frequency bands in the left frontoparietal lead. In a multivariate analysis the separation of the subjects examined into acute schizophrenics and normals was incorrect in only 21% of the cases (resubstitution rate); using pi-method an error of 31% was estimated.