Treatment of painful hand neuromas by their transfer into bone

Painful neuromas in the hand are not only very disabling for the patient, but difficult to treat. We present the results of 20 painful neuromas treated by burying the neuroma in the bone. Eighteen of the 20 neuromas operated on had acceptable results, according to the criteria of Herndon et al. We present our technique and compare our results with other treatments in the literature.     

The role of challenging incentives in feedback-assisted heart rate reduction for coronary-prone adult males

Three experiments were performed to study the influence of challenging incentives on feedback-assisted heart rate reduction for coronary-prone (Type A) and non-coronary-prone (Type B) males. In the first experiment, when subjects were given a competitive instructional set, Type As were significantly more successful relative to Type Bs in reducing their heart rate; with a noncompetitive set, Type Bs were significantly more successful than were Type As. In the second experiment, when told that heart rate reduction was a scarce ability, Type As reduced heart rate significantly better than did Type Bs; when told that heart rate reduction was a common ability, Type Bs achieved significantly greater heart rate reduction than did Type As. In the third experiment, when heart rate reduction was described as being instrumental to time-urgency (i.e., getting more done in less time), Type As reduced heart rate significantly bettern than did Type Bs; when heart rate reduction was described as being instrumental to relaxation, Type Bs were significantly better able to reduce heart rate. In all three studies, the incentives had no effect on heart rate when feedback was not provided. The results are discussed as support for the notion that Type A behavioral pattern characteristics can be exploited to reduce Type A symptoms. Implications for how coronary-prone individuals may be challenged to modify symptoms within the clinical setting are discussed.     

Ribonuclease III: new sense from nuisance.

RNases play an important role in the processing of precursor RNAs, creating the mature, functional RNAs. The ribonuclease III family currently is one of the most interesting families of endoribonucleases. Surprisingly, RNase III is involved in the maturation of almost every class of prokaryotic and eukaryotic RNA. We present an overview of the various substrates and their processing. RNase III contains one of the most prominent protein domains used in RNA-protein recognition, the double-stranded RNA binding domain (dsRBD). Progress in the understanding of this domain is summarized. Furthermore, RNase III only recently emerged as a key player in the new exciting biological field of RNA silencing, or RNA interference. The eukaryotic RNase III homologues which are likely involved in this process are compared with the other members of the RNase III family.     

Trace feature map: a model of episodic associative memory

An approach to episodic associative memory is presented, which has several desirable properties as a human memory model. The design is based on topological feature map representation of data. An ordinary feature map is a classifier, mapping an input vector onto a topologically meaningful location on the map. A trace feature map, in addition, creates a memory trace on that location. The traces can be stored episodically in a single presentation, and retrieved with a partial cue. Nearby traces overlap, which results in plausible memory interference behavior. Performance degrades gracefully as the memory is overloaded. More recent traces are easier to recall as are traces that are unique in the memory.This research was supported in part by an ITA Foundation grant and by fellowships from the Academy of Finland, the Emil Aaltonen Foundation and the Foundation for the Advancement of Technology (Finland) when the author was at UCLA     

A retrospective study of disease and mortality in zebra finches

Few published reports exist describing morbidity and mortality in domestic zebra finch colonies maintained in a laboratory animal setting. A retrospective study of clinical disease and mortality in quarantined adult zebra finches was performed. Animals were observed during the 2 week quarantine period and for at least 1 month afterwards (42 days). Signs of disease, including feather and beak abnormalities, oculonasal discharge, increased respiratory rate or stridor, abdominal enlargement, pasty vent, diarrhea, lameness and pectoral muscle loss, were evaluated in our colony during this time. History, physical examination, laboratory testing and postmortem evaluation were used to determine causes of clinical disease. Common clinical findings in sick finches included sudden death, ruffled feathers, increased respiratory rate or gape mouthed breathing, pasty vent or frank diarrhea, and beak discoloration. Organisms frequently isolated were Staphylococcus spp., E. coli, Enterobacter spp., and Coccidia spp. Of the finches that died while in the colony (29.5%), 23.0% died in the first week after arrival. Pathogens frequently isolated from tissues cultured at necropsy included: E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter spp., and Candida albicans. When observed, pathological lesions consisted of air sacculitis, fibrinopurulent polyserositis and ventriculitis.