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Tiiis study has two key objectives. The first objective is to determine the characteristics of servicescape, while the second is to investigate the impact of servicescape on tourist satisfaction and the overall tour guiding experience. The linkages are attempted on a sample of 385 local and foreign visitors to Taman Negara National Park (TNNP) through the application of exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression. The experimental results show that: (a) there are five characteristics of servicescape in the TNNP, and (b) servicescape has a positive impact on tourist satisfaction and the overall tour guiding experience. The theoretical and managerial consequences of the findings of the study are esented and recommendations have been made for researches in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine maternal morbidity in primary surgical management of placenta accreta., Design: Retrospective case series., Setting: Quaternary perinatal referral center in Melbourne, Australia., Population: Clinically suspected and histologically confirmed cases of placenta accreta, increta and percreta., Methods: Women were identified from our hospital database coded for placenta accreta, increta, percreta and peripartum hysterectomy. Relevant details were sought from medical records., Main Outcome Measures: Predefined maternal morbidities: blood loss, transfusion requirements, surgical complications, reoperation rate, duration in hospital. Predefined neonatal outcomes: gestational age at birth, birth-weight, admission to intensive (NICU) or special care nurseries (SCN), respiratory distress syndrome., Results: Between 1999 and 2009, 33 women were diagnosised with invasive placentation. A total of 27 were confirmed histologically after hysterectomy: 12 accreta, one increta, and 14 percreta. Median blood loss was 2 L. There was a 1.8-L reduction in mean blood loss with elective vs. emergency hysterectomy (p = 0.04). Nearly two-thirds of women required four or more units of packed red-blood-cells. Half of the women suffered from surgical complications, mostly from bladder injury. The risk of returning to theater for further surgery was 20%. Women with placenta percreta were more likely to require additional blood products (p = 0.03), sustain renal tract injury (p = 0.003) and require intensive care admission (p = 0.002)., Conclusions: A primary surgical approach to management of placenta accreta is associated with significant maternal morbidity, even when managed in a dedicated quaternary perinatal referral center., (© 2013 The Authors Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica © 2013 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

The Probeliatrade mark Salmonella sp. PCR amplification and detection kits (Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur, Marnes La Coquette, France) were evaluated for the rapid and specific detection of Salmonella agona artificially inoculated into skim milk powder and ricotta cheese. The Probeliatrade mark results were compared with those obtained using the Australian Standard Method. Using a pure culture of Salm. agona, the detection limit of Probeliatrade mark was between 8 and 79 cfu ml-1, equivalent to 0.2-2 cfu per PCR reaction. Detection of Salm. agona inoculated in skim milk powder (at 5-10 cfu g-1, stored at 5, 15 or 25 degrees C) and ricotta cheese (at 1-2, 10-20 and 100-200 cfu per 25 g) was effected by using non-selective enrichment prior to the PCR determinations. For all of the 40 milk powder samples and 12 ricotta cheese samples, the Probeliatrade mark results were consistent with those using the Australian Standard Method. Using Probeliatrade mark, Salmonella was detected to genus level in the dairy products within 24-28 h, whereas the cultural technique required 3-4 d for presumptive positive isolates and further time for confirmation.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by a history of impulsivity, hyperkinesis, short attention span, and poor peer relations. Treatment of ADHD with stimulants, such as methylphenidate, reduces motor activity and improves performance of tasks requiring attention, learning, and memory. The ADHD children may have a central neurophysiological disturbance involving catecholamine metabolism. However, the ADHD children may have deviation in the reticular system, which causes them difficulty in sensory integration and eventually disturbs their attention span. In addition, a recent study reports that methylphenidate enhances motivational strength of the ADHD children. Therefore, ADHD pathology may not be as simple as just an "uninhibitory" locomotor activity; several systems must have been affected. The present research aimed to clarify each specific component of behavior, and to trace the possible neural substrate involved. Male Wistar rats of three different ages were used to distinguish the biological maturation effect on the locomotor activity. The methylphenidate-injected rats showed significantly higher activity times (AT) compared to the controls at 8 and 12 weeks old. The in-vitro kinase assay results show that CaM-kinase II in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens of methylphenidate-injected rats had significantly higher calcium independent activity compared to the controls at 12 weeks old. Furthermore, the percentage of calcium independent CaM-kinase II activity in the nucleus accumbens was directly correlated with AT. This suggests that the underlying mechanism of the effect of methylphenidate might be via CaM-kinase II activation in nucleus accumbens.

Treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with stimulants such as methylphenidate reduces motor activity and improves performance of tasks requiring attention, learning, and memory. The present study reports the patterns of behavioral activity of rats of different ages, and the effect of methylphenidate on the behavioral activity. The behavioral activity of Wistar male rats was measured on the nine hole-board apparatus. In experiment I, the behavioral activity of rats from three age groups (4, 8 and 12 weeks old) were measured in terms of the activity time, specific exploratory behavior, diverse exploratory behavior and defecation number. The rats were re-exposed to the hole-board again every two weeks until they 14 weeks old. The younger rats showed higher activity level compared to the older rats. The activity level decreased as the rats grew older. The younger rats also showed more diverse exploratory behavior, but less specific exploratory behavior compared with the older rats. These suggested that the younger rats may be more hyperactive in nature, and less prone to focus on the specific targets. In experiment II, the methylphenidate (4 mg/kg, i.p.) injected rats showed higher activity level than the controls across the three age groups. The exploratory behavioral patterns were not significantly different among the three age groups. This suggests that the methylphenidate injection raises the motor activity level without affecting the exploratory tendency of rats.

This study investigated the role of hippocampal CaM-kinase II (calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) in spatial learning. In Experiment I, three groups of rats received 1, 2 or 5 days of training on a spatial task in the Morris water maze with a hidden platform, while a control group was trained on a nonspatial task with a visible platform. The acquisition rate in the spatial task was slower than that in the nonspatial task. However, rats receiving 5 days of spatial training had the highest Ca(2+)-independent activity of CaM-kinase II compared with the controls receiving nonspatial training and rats having 1 or 2 days of spatial training. Furthermore, the level of hippocampal Ca2+-independent CaM-kinase II activity was correlated with the final performance on the spatial task. In Experiment II, rats received intra-hippocampal injections of a specific CaM-kinase II inhibitor-KN-62-before each training session. In comparison with the vehicle-injected controls, pretraining injection of KN-62 retarded acquisition in the spatial task but had no effect on the nonspatial task. These results, taken together, indicated that the activation of CaM-kinase II in the hippocampus is not only correlated to the degree of spatial training on the Morris water maze, but may also underlie the neural mechanism subserving spatial memory.

Kindling is a model of neuronal plasticity underlying both epilepsy and memory. One of the cellular mechanisms associated with the increased synaptic efficacy is the modification of the structural configuration of synaptic membrane proteins. The present study examined changes in protein phosphorylation associated with olfactory bulb kindling. The differences in the degree of protein phosphorylation in four brain regions, i.e., olfactory bulb, pyriform cortex, hippocampus and frontal cortex, were examined in kindled, non-kindled and implanted control rats. Two phosphoproteins (45k and 48k, named according to their mol. wt.) in frontal cortex were altered after kindling. There was a two-fold increase in phosphorylation of a 48k phosphoprotein in the frontal cortex of kindled rats compared to controls. This phosphorylation was stimulated by Ca2+/calmodulin, and depressed by ACTH1-24. The 45k phosphoprotein in frontal cortex of kindled rats was decreased to 52% of the controls. The changes in protein phosphorylation found in frontal cortex are consistent with the hypothesis that permanent information storage may reside in cortical areas, while hippocampus and pyriform cortex may be the major relaying centers. This phenomenon could theoretically model an information storage process occurring in the cortex following relay of experiential input from subcortical areas.

Administration of haloperidol for 2 weeks causes an increase within the caudate nucleus of asymmetrical synapses associated with a discontinuous or perforated, postsynaptic density (PSD) [Meshul et al. (1992), Psychopharmacology, 106:45-52; Meshul et al. (1992), Neuropsychopharmacology, 7:285-293]. Coadministration of the N-methyl-D-aspartate noncompetitive antagonist, MK-801, with haloperidol blocked the increase in striatal synapses containing a perforated PSD [Meshul et al. (1994), Brain Res., 648:181-195]. Examination of the caudate using immuno-gold electron microscopy revealed the vast majority (90%) of asymmetrical synapses were labelled with a glutamate antibody [Meshul et al. (1994), Brain Res., 648:181-195]. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any changes in the density of glutamate immunoreactivity within presynaptic terminals of asymmetric synapses within the striatum following treatment with haloperidol for 1 month that would correlate with the previously observed increase in synapses with perforated PSDs. We also determined the activity of striatal calcium/calmodulin kinase II (CaMK II), an enzyme known to be localized within the synaptic region, after administration of haloperidol. We report here that haloperidol causes an increase in the activity of CaMK II and a decrease in the density of immuno-gold labelling for glutamate within the nerve terminals of asymmetrical synapses containing a perforated or nonperforated PSD. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the haloperidol-induced increase in activity of CaMK II and the increase in glutamate release, as suggested by the decrease in presynaptic glutamate immunoreactivity, may ultimately lead to an increase in the number of synapses displaying a perforated PSD. These results support the speculation that the haloperidol-induced increase in synapses containing a perforated PSD may be associated with enhanced activity at excitatory synapses.

Phosphorylation of glutamate receptors (GluRs) is emerging as an important regulatory mechanism. In this study 32P labeling of non-NMDA GluRs was investigated in cultured hippocampal neurons stimulated 2-15 min with agonists that selectively stimulate either Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II), Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC), or cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). Treatment of hippocampal neurons with glutamate/glycine (Glu/Gly), ionomycin, or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) increased 32P labeling of immunoprecipitated alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprionate (AMPA)-type GluRs by 145%, 180%, and 227%, respectively, of control values. This increased phosphorylation of GluRs was predominantly 32P-Ser with little 32P-Thr and no detectable 32P-Tyr. Glu/Gly and ionomycin, but not TPA, also increased 32P labeling of CaM-kinase II by 175% and 195%, respectively, of control values. Of these three agonists, only TPA stimulated phosphorylation of MARCKS (225% of control), a specific substrate of PKC. Forskolin treatment gave a three- to fourfold increase in the active catalytic subunit of PKA but did not result in the 32P labeling of AMPA-type GluRs, CaM-kinase II, or MARCKS. Phosphorylation of GluRs in response to Glu/Gly was blocked by a specific NMDA receptor/ion channel antagonist (DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid) or by a cell-permeable inhibitor of CaM-kinase II (1-[N,O-bis(1,5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4- phenylpiperazine, KN-62). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Ca2+ influx through the NMDA-type ion channel can activate CaM-kinase II, which in turn can phosphorylate and regulate AMPA-type GluR ion channels (McGlade-McCulloh et al., 1993).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The major postsynaptic density (PSD) protein at glutaminergic synapses is calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-K II), but its function in the PSD is not known. We have examined glutamate receptors (GluRs) as substrates for CaM-K II because (1) they are colocalized in the PSD, (2) cloned GluRs contain consensus phosphorylation sites for protein kinases including CaM-K II, and (3) several GluRs are regulated by other protein kinases. Regulation of GluRs, which are involved in excitatory synaptic transmission and in mechanisms of learning and memory, by CaM-K II is of interest because of the postulated role of CaM-K II in synaptic plasticity and its known involvement in induction of long-term potentiation. Furthermore, mice lacking the major neural isoform of CaM-K II exhibit deficits in models of learning and memory that require hippocampal input. We report here that CaM-K II phosphorylates GluR in several in vitro systems, including the PSD, and that activated CaM-K II enhances kainate-induced ion current three- to fourfold in cultured hippocampal neurons. These results are consistent with a role for PSD CaM-K II in strengthening postsynaptic GluR responses in synaptic plasticity.

Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats consumed an ethanol-containing liquid diet containing 0%, 17.5% or 35% ethanol-derived calories (EDC) from gestation day 8 until parturition. A fourth group was fed standard rat chow as an ad lib diet control. Animals prenatally exposed to ethanol had lower birth weights and impaired passive avoidance learning at 17 days of age. At 90 days of age synaptic potentials in area CA1 were characterized electrophysiologically in hippocampal slices. Slices from ethanol-exposed rats had significantly greater paired-pulse facilitation compared to 0% EDC and ad lib controls. Histological examination of brains from litter mates did not indicate altered number, density or nuclear volumes for neurons in area CA1. These data indicate that prenatal ethanol exposure can result in abnormal hippocampal synaptic physiology and suggest that these changes may contribute to the learning impairments observed in rats following such exposure.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride (Librium) or a combination of these drugs, were administered to pregnant mice on gestation days 6 to parturition. Levels of THC in blood were dose-related and approximated levels attained in humans after smoking one to two marijuana cigarettes. Blood cannabinoid levels in mice were elevated by concurrent administration of chlordiazepoxide. Maternal weight gain was significantly reduced by THC but not by chlordiazepoxide. Neither drug affected implantations, but THC significantly increased resorptions. Both THC and chlordiazepoxide decreased fetal weight. There was no indication of synergism between the two drugs for any of the measures examined in this study.

delta 9-THC, sodium phenobarbital, or a combination of these drugs, were administered to pregnant mice on gestation days 6 to parturition. Levels of delta 9-THC in blood approximated levels attained in humans after smoking one to two marijuana cigarettes. Blood cannabinoid levels in mice were not significantly elevated by concurrent drug administration. Both drugs significantly reduced litter size and weight per pup at birth, but the combination of these drugs did not affect these outcomes to a significantly greater degree than either drug by itself. Phenobarbital but not delta 9-THC increased resorption rate.

The incidence of typhoid and paratyphoid in Singapore from 1976 to 1979 is reviewed. Common Vi-phage types were A, B1, B2, D1, D2 and E1. Most of the paratyphoid cases were imported but an outbreak of paratyphoid A started in 1979 for the first time in Singapore with a predominance of untypable phage type strains. Most of the strains of Salmonella typi and Salmonella paratyphi A & B were susceptible to antibiotics, except for 4 strains of S typhi isolated from imported cases. Infections caused by Salmonella typhimurium were most common in children under five. The strains were initially multiple-resistant to antibiotics, but gradually became more susceptible with decline in the number of cases. Among the salmonella serotypes isolated from clinical materials, Salmonella oranienburg showed multiple-resistance to antibiotics and started an outbreak among children in October 1978. A total of 55 serotypes other than salmonella typhimurium was isolated between 1976 and 1979, with most of them susceptible to the antibiotics except triple-sulpha.

Male rats were divided into 3 groups and were given ad lib access to a liquid alcohol diet containing 35% ethanol derived calories (EDC) or were pair-fed with an isocaloric control diet, containing 17.5% or 0% EDC, for a minimum of 52 days. A fourth group was fed rat chow ad lib. Males were then mated with non-treated females. Males consuming alcohol did not differ in sexual behavior but were less fertile and sired offspring that were significantly less active than controls and the effects on activity were dose-related. Females sired by males consuming alcohol also performed worse in a two-way shock avoidance learning task although differences in this task were not dose-related. There were no significant effects, however, on body weight of offspring at birth or at 21 days of age or on other behavioral measures such as spontaneous alternation or passive avoidance learning.