PSYCHOTHERAPY OF FUNCTIONAL DERMATOSES,Its Value and Limitations as Applied to Neurodermatitis

Etiologically, neurodermatitis is interpreted as an often manifestly hereditary diathesis which is frequently complicated and exacerbated by disturbances of the patient''s emotional and psychic structure. The following traits are commonly exhibited, singly or in combination: a tendency toward excitability and an exaggerated capacity for response to stimuli, polyvalent dermal hypersensitivity, a propensity to vascular disturbances, a personality somewhat obsessional in structure and evidence of deep-seated emotional conflict.Shallow psychotherapy, an indispensable adjunct to the treatment of neurodermatitis, can be successfully applied by any dermatologic physician adequately endowed with patience, sympathy and tact. This method does not achieve a cure, but, properly applied, it can immeasurably improve the patient''s lot.     

Therapeutic plasmapheresis using a cell separator

For the purpose of improving disturbances of the immunosystem 188 plasmaphereses were carried out in 64 patients. This reports deals with the results of 85 therapeutic plasmaphereses in 39 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and neurodermatitis or pregnant women with rhesus antibodies for diminishing antibody titres. The Soviet equipment of the type RK-0.5, PF-0.5 and FK-3.5 as well as the US devices Aminco and IBM were used. A decrease of the serum protein content from 9-13% appeared immediately after plasmaphereses with 1.3 l of plasma withdrawal per week and an average substitution of 40% of the protein loss by using a 5% solution of albumin. A continual control of this parameter is necessary.     

Utilization of feedback signals from patient's own endogenous rhythms for non-drug correction of human functional disturbances

The most advanced approach to non-drug correction of human functional disturbances via utilization of feedback signals from patient's own endogenous rhythms, i.e., EEG rhythms, respiratory and heart rate is presented and substantiated. The advantages of its application to biofeedback training procedures are reviewed. Alternative way to utilize the feedback signals through automatic modulation of stimulation parameters by patient's endogenous rhythms is analyzed. The author's own contributions to the field are presented and the most promising ways of further approach development are delineated.     

RENAL VASCULAR HYPERTENSION

The use of corticosteroids systemically in dermatology has benefited patients with pemphigus and systemic lupus erythematosus in that they now have a better chance to carry on a productive life. These hormones, used cautiously, can alleviate some of the tremendous suffering during the explosive exacerbations and acute crises of atopic and neurodermatitis. Corticosteroids are useful in the widespread and acute contact dermatitis and drug eruptions; they are contraindicated in the treatment of ordinary psoriasis.Every attempt should be made by history-taking, clinical examination and necessary laboratory studies to reach an accurate diagnosis before corticosteroids are used. If use of them is indicated, then total patient care is required to avoid complications, and a very careful follow-up is mandatory.     

Anthropogenic Halo Disturbances Alter Landscape and Plant Richness: A Ripple Effect

Although anthropogenic landscape fragmentation is often considered as the primary threat to biodiversity, other factors such as immediate human disturbances may also simultaneously threaten species persistence in various ways. In this paper, we introduce a conceptual framework applied to recreation landscapes (RLs), with an aim to provide insight into the composite influences of landscape alteration accompanying immediate human disturbances on plant richness dynamics. These impacts largely occur at patch-edges. They can not only alter patch-edge structure and environment, but also permeate into surrounding natural matrices/patches affecting species persistence–here we term these “Halo disturbance effects” (HDEs). We categorized species into groups based on seed or pollen dispersal mode (animal- vs. wind-dispersed) as they can be associated with species richness dynamics. We evaluated the richness of the two groups and total species in our experimental landscapes by considering the distance from patch-edge, the size of RLs and the intensity of human use over a six-year period. Our results show that animal-dispersed species decreased considerably, whereas wind-dispersed species increased while their richness presented diverse dynamics at different distances from patch-edges. Our findings clearly demonstrate that anthropogenic HDEs produce ripple effects on plant, providing an experimental interpretation for the diverse responses of species to anthropogenic disturbances. This study highlights the importance of incorporating these composite threats into conservation and management strategies.     

Four-dimensional model of the lower extremity after total hip arthroplasty

We have developed a four-dimensional (4D) model of the lower extremities after total hip arthroplasty in patients. The model can aid in preventing complications such as dislocation and wearing of the sliding surface. The skeletal structure and implant alignment were obtained from CT data. We applied registration method using CAD data to estimate accurate implant alignment from scattered CT data. The reconstructed three-dimensional (3D) skeletal model was combined with motion capture data that were acquired by an optical tracking system. We displayed the patient's skeletal movement and analyzed several parameters that relate to complications. The patient's skeletal model was superimposed onto video footage that was taken by a synchronized and calibrated digital video camera. For validation of the measurement error in this system, we used open MRI to evaluate the relative movement between skin markers and bones. This system visually represents not only the 3D anatomical structure, but also 4D dynamic functions that include the time sequential transitions of components and their positions. The open MRI results indicated that the average error in hip angle was within 5° for each static posture. This system enables clinicians to analyze patient's motions on the basis of individual differences. We found that our system was an effective tool in providing precise guidance of daily postoperative motions that was individualized for each patient. This system will be applicable for surgical planning, assessment of postoperative activities, and the development of new surgical techniques, materials, and prosthetic designs.     

UNDECYLENIC ACID IN THE TREATMENT OF PSORIASIS AND NEURODERMATITIS

Undecylenic acid in a dosage tolerated by most patients is of doubtful value in the treatment of psoriasis and neurodermatitis.Thirty-one patients were given the drug. Exudative dermatitis developed in one case, generalized pruritus in another. One patient may have had a cardiac accident attributable to the drug.     

基于有害干扰的森林生态系统健康评价指标体系的构建

在分析国内外提出的众多森林生态系统健康评价指标的不足后,对评价指标进行研究和筛选。最终在森林生态系统健康评价指标体系的构建上提出了一个新的思路,即从森林火灾、林业有害生物、大气污染、人为有害干扰以及森林生态系统内部的增益干扰5个方面选取20个指标构建森林生态系统健康评价指标体系。其中森林火灾干扰包括平均降水量、平均气温、郁闭度、海拔、坡度、坡向、易燃树种的比例和林道距离8个指标,林业有害生物包括有害生物等级、危害程度和寄主树的比例3个指标,大气污染干扰通过叶片、土壤和污染物的分析测定,人为有害干扰包括森林经营措施、采伐措施和林下植被管理3个方面,而森林生态系统内部的增益干扰由物种多样性、群落结构和近自然度3个指标构成。同时对关键评价指标的意义进行了具体分析。此指标体系摒弃传统的评价观念,结合了近年来影响全国森林健康的几个重要原因,更能准确的反应目前森林生态系统的健康状况。研究思路和方法的提出在一定程度上可以丰富森林生态系统健康评价研究理论与方法体系。     

Integration of the study of natural and anthropogenic disturbances using severity gradients

Disturbance is an integral part of every ecosystem, but humans are altering disturbance regimes in fundamental ways that can alter outcomes for ecosystem structure and function. Fortunately, advances in understanding ecosystem responses to natural disturbances can address the ecological consequences of the novel suite of disturbances now created by humans. Complex interactions among both natural and anthropogenic disturbances at many overlapping spatial and temporal scales can be examined across severity gradients. The gradient approach applies ecological tools to differential conditions of stability and fertility, degrees of biological legacy and rates of successional recovery and can help address modern concerns about socio‐economic consequences of disturbance and the sustainability of ecosystem services.     

Significant and persistent impact of timber harvesting on soil microbial communities in Northern coniferous forests

Forest ecosystems have integral roles in climate stability, biodiversity and economic development. Soil stewardship is essential for sustainable forest management. Organic matter (OM) removal and soil compaction are key disturbances associated with forest harvesting, but their impacts on forest ecosystems are not well understood. Because microbiological processes regulate soil ecology and biogeochemistry, microbial community structure might serve as indicator of forest ecosystem status, revealing changes in nutrient and energy flow patterns before they have irreversible effects on long-term soil productivity. We applied massively parallel pyrosequencing of over 4.6 million ribosomal marker sequences to assess the impact of OM removal and soil compaction on bacterial and fungal communities in a field experiment replicated at six forest sites in British Columbia, Canada. More than a decade after harvesting, diversity and structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities remained significantly altered by harvesting disturbances, with individual taxonomic groups responding differentially to varied levels of the disturbances. Plant symbionts, like ectomycorrhizal fungi, and saprobic taxa, such as ascomycetes and actinomycetes, were among the most sensitive to harvesting disturbances. Given their significant ecological roles in forest development, the fate of these taxa might be critical for sustainability of forest ecosystems. Although abundant bacterial populations were ubiquitous, abundant fungal populations often revealed a patchy distribution, consistent with their higher sensitivity to the examined soil disturbances. These results establish a comprehensive inventory of bacterial and fungal community composition in northern coniferous forests and demonstrate the long-term response of their structure to key disturbances associated with forest harvesting.     

Postural dynamics of walking in humans

The dynamics of postural control in human biped locomotion were studied using(1) a model, and(2) experimentally applied impulsive force disturbances. The model was planar, and contained five rigid segments, articulating at frictionless pin joints. The model was used to identify joint torque combinations which would successfully correct for an impulsive force disturbance applied at different points in the walking cycle. The simulation results suggested that(1) early responses (within 80ms) can be effective in compensating for impulsive disturbances,(2) the same strategies which successfully counteract similar disturbances during quiet standing are also effective in certain phases of the walking cycle,(3) modifications in the response strategies are needed to accomodate differences in the dynamics over the stride cycle, and(4) the swing leg is ineffective in compensating for disturbances in the short term. These model predictions were tested experimentally. Subject responses to an impulsive force disturbance applied during walking were studied. The electromyographic results generally support the model predictions.     

Plastic surgery and psychotherapy in the treatment of 100 psychologically disturbed patients

This paper reviews the senior author's long-term experience with the surgical-psychiatric treatment of 100 aesthetic surgery patients with significant psychological disturbances. Patients with psychological disturbances of a magnitude generally considered an "absolute contraindication" for surgery were operated on and later assessed to determine the psychological impact of surgery. Patient follow-up averaged 6.2 years (maximum follow-up 25.7 years). Of the 87 patients who underwent operation (7 patients were refused surgery and 6 voluntarily deferred surgery), 82.8 percent had a positive psychological outcome, 13.8 percent experienced "minimal" improvement from surgery, and 3.4 percent were negatively affected by surgery. There were no lawsuits, suicides, or psychotic decompensations. Patients with severe psychological disturbances frequently benefited from combined surgical-psychiatric treatment designed to address the patient's profound sense of deformity. This study suggests that plastic surgeons are "passing up" a significant number of patients who may be helped by combined surgical-psychological intervention.     

Estimation and control techniques for continuous culture fermentation processes

This article presents results obtained when some modern estimation and control techniques are applied to a simulated fermentation process. The control structure uses a particular observer of the substrate concentration and assumes the biomass concentration is measurable. The overall structure has been tested for both external and parametric disturbances, with very good results.     

Construction of Sand Shinnery Oak Communities of the Llano Estacado: Animal Disturbances, Plant Community Structure, and Restoration

In land restoration it is imperative to study the potential role of disturbances, biotic or abiotic, that may provide sites for colonization by specific plants. Disturbances can alter community composition by removing species or allowing others to become established. In communities where animal-generated disturbances open sites for seedling establishment, animals may have important indirect effects on several aspects of plant community structure. Animal disturbances in Quercus havardii communities of western Texas appear to open sites for colonization by herbaceous species. These animal disturbances vary in spatial distribution, density, and abiotic and biotic characteristics. The abundance of herbaceous plant seedlings is positively related to bare ground and the number of distinct disturbances. Thus, the density and the spatial distribution of these disturbances may be expected to have an important influence on the abundance and dispersion of plant species. Therefore, successful restoration efforts of sand shinnery oak communities and other similar habitats must consider the effects of animal disturbances and the role of plant-animal and plant-soil microbe interactions on plant community composition and the maintenance of plant species diversity.     

Estimating the effect of continual disturbances on discrete-time population models

In this paper, methods for estimating the effect of continual (but bounded) disturbances on ecosystems modelled by difference equations are discussed. The approach adopted is to estimate the region of state space (called a reachable set) which can be reached by the disturbed system from an initial healthy state in a given time period. Liapunov stability methods for estimating these reachable sets are presented and applied to two specific population models.     

Structural-functional characteristics of the surface of the blood mononucleocytes in children suffering from chronic dermatoses. I. The correction of the glycocalyx structure by UV irradiation of the blood and in the course of treatment with an autotransfusion of UV-irradiated blood

In children suffering from chronic dermatoses (psoriasis and neurodermatitis), the glycocalix of blood mononuclears displays an Alcian blue dye sorption by 23-25% less than that in healthy children. The UV irradiation of their blood (254 nm), in addition to a course of UV-irradiated blood autotransfusion, resulted in an elevated sorption capacity of the mononuclear glycocalix up to the normal. A possible involvement of these changes in immunocompetent cell glycocalix in the pathogenesis of chronic dermatoses is discussed, as well as the significance of glycocalix normalization in the medicinal effect of UV-irradiated blood autotransfusion.     

A method of correction for curvature and inhomogeneities in computer aided calculation of external beam radiation dose distributions.

This paper deals with the problem of finding the effective pathlength along a ray passing through a patient's outline and internal structure. The pathlength contributes to the correction applied for curvature and inhomogeneities in the computer-aided calculation of external beam radiation dose distributions. The pathlength is found by first determining the intersections of the ray with the contours defining the patient's body and the interior inhomogeneities. From these intersections the geometric length within each contour is obtained. This information is then employed in a treatment planning program for high energy gamma and X-rays and electrons, in which the radiation dose distribution is computed taking into account the actual inhomogeneous tissue structures. Other applications of the techniques described to problems in the field of radiation therapy are briefly discussed.     

Blue light filtering intraocular lenses in phacoemulsification cataract surgery

Blue light can damage retina and cause age related macular degeneration. After cataract surgery and lens removal retina stays unprotected. Blue light filtering intraocular lenses (IOL) increase protection of the retina. In our prospective study we investigated clinical results after bilateral implantation of Acrysof Natural IOL to 30 patients (N = 60 eyes). In a control group (N = 60 eyes, 30 patients), standard acrysof IOL was implanted bilaterally. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and Nd YAG laser capsulotomy rate were measured and compared with control group. Subjective patient's satisfaction and subjective colour perception were also investigated. There was no significant difference in UCVA, BCVA and Nd YAG laser capsulotomy rate between the two groups. High patient's satisfaction was noticed (96.7% of patients would implant Acrysof Natural IOL again). Acrysof Natural IOL enables good visual acuity VA, low rate of Nd YAG laser capsulotomy and high patient's satisfaction without colour perception disturbances.     

Effects of physical and biological disturbances on algal turfs in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

Disturbance in coral reef environments commonly results in an algal community dominated by highly productive, small filamentous forms and cyanobacteria, collectively known as algal turf. Research on the types of disturbance responsible for this community structure has concentrated mainly on biological disturbance in the form of grazing, although physical and other forms of biological disturbances may be important in many coral reef areas. On the reef flat in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, algal turfs grow primarily upon coral rubble that tumbles with passing swells. We manipulated the frequency of rubble tumbling in field experiments to mimic the effects of physical disturbance by abrasion and light reduction on algal biomass, canopy height, and community structure. Treatments approximated a gradient of disturbance intensities and durations that occur on the reef flat. Although sea urchins and herbivorous fishes are not widespread and abundant on the reef flat, biological disturbances to algal turf communities in the form of herbivory by small crabs and abrasion by tough macroalgae contributed significantly to the variation in algal turf biomass. Within all experiments increasing disturbance significantly reduced algal biomass and canopy heights and the community structure shifted to more disturbance-tolerant algal forms. This study shows that the chronic physical disturbances from water motion and biological disturbances other than grazing from large herbivores can control algal communities in coral reef environments.     

Clinical Studies with Topical Fluocinolone Acetonide in the Treatment of Various Dermatoses

Fluocinolone acetonide cream is a new, potent topical corticosteroid. When used in conjunction with an occlusive plastic film dressing, herein described, it is highly effective in the treatment of psoriasis of the glabrous skin, pustular and paronychial psoriasis, neurodermatitis, and lichen planus. Psoriasis of the intertriginous areas responds to the local use of the fluocinolone cream alone. Relapses on cessation of treatment respond as a rule to retreatment.Indications, limitations, reactions and contraindications to this form of treatment are discussed.