Biofeedback control of migraine headaches: A comparison of two approaches

In order to assess the relative effectiveness of finger warming and temporal blood volume pulse reduction biofeedback in the treatment of migraine, 22 female migraine patients were assigned to one of three experimental conditions: temporal artery constriction feedback, finger temperature feedback, or waiting list. Biofeedback training consisted of 12 sessions over a 6-week period. All patients completed 5 weeks of daily self-monitoring of headache activity (frequency, duration, and intensity) and medication before and after treatment. Treatment credibility was assessed at the end of Sessions 1, 6, and 12. Results showed that temporal constriction and finger temperature biofeedback were equally effective in controlling migraine headaches and produced greater benefits than the waiting list condition. Power analyses indicated that very large sample sizes would have been required to detect any significant differences between the two treatment groups. No significant relationships were found between levels of therapeutic gains and levels of thermal or blood volume pulse self-regulation skills. Likewise, treatment outcome was not found to be related to treatment credibility. Further analyses revealed that changes in headache activity and medication were associated with changes in vasomotor variability. Because blood volume pulse variability was not significantly affected by biofeedback training, questions about its role in the therapeutic mechanism are raised.This research was supported in part by grants from the Quebec Ministry of Education and the Quebec Ministery of Social Affairs to the first author, and an award from the Medical Research Council of Canada to the second author. The authors are indebted to Drs. Frank Andrasik, Howard Barbaree, Edward Blanchard, Martin Ford, and Patrick McGrath, as well as to two anonymous reviewers, for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

Vegetation succession on the dunes near Oostvoorne,The Netherlands,since 1934, interpreted from air photographs and vegetation maps

The vegetation succession on the dunes near Oostvoorne, The Netherlands has been followed by means of a novel combination of repeated large-scale vegetation mapping and air photograph interpretation. Vegetation units have been discerned on the formation level because these could be distinguished fairly easily on the photographs and because the rates of change are appropriate to the time interval chosen. Nineteen formations were distinguished. Five 1:6250 maps were constructed, reflecting the formation pattern in 1934, 1943, 1959, 1972 and 1980. An overlay with 2736 grid points at 25 m field distance was used to quantify changes in the formation pattern.The results suggest a pronounced multiple pathway succession with nevertheless three principal trajectories of succession from pioneer to woodland vegetation. The outer dunes, which have originated since 1910, are distinct in successional characteristics from the inner dunes, which already existed but were released from heavy grazing pressure in 1910. The rate of change in the outer dunes was high in the beginning and is slowly decreasing eversince. In the inner dunes it went the other way around. Through visual extrapolation the likely formation patterns in 1910 and in 2000 were estimated.Transition frequencies proved highly variable for most formations. Moreover, strong spatial dependence was found. Limitations in the use of Markov models in cases of long-term succession in heterogeneous environments are discussed.Nomenclature follows the same sources as in van der Maarel et al. (1984).Field work carried out 1980–1981 when the authors were at the Division of Geobotany, University of Nijmegen. We thank Jos Rijntjes, Nijmegen, for his cooperation in the field. Vegetation maps were prepared and calculations performed at Uppsala. We thank the Foundation Het Zuid-Hollands Landschap, Rotterdam, for providing facilities and a grant for fieldwork as well as additional means to reproduce the vegetation maps. Two reviewers gave useful comments.     

湖北贝母的染色体核型分析

本文报道了我国特有植物湖北贝母(Fritillaria hupehensis Hsiao et K.C.Hsia,百合科)的体细胞染色体数目和核型(2n=24=2m+2sin+4st+14t+2st~(sat).)     

甲型流感病毒自然温度敏感株的宿主依赖性

用鸡胚细胞(CEC)和Madin-Darby Canine Kidney(MDCK)两个宿主细胞系统,检查甲型流感病毒各亚型不同时期流行株的温度敏感性状(ts),发现自然界存在许多宿主依赖的温度敏感性突变株(hd-ts)。它们在CEC上是ts,在MDCK上却是ts~ 。检出的hd-ts株中有些曾经过人体接种观察证明为减毒株。这表明在CEC中鉴定的ts表型与对人减毒性状密切相关。     

Binding of 5-methoxypsoralen to human serum low density lipoproteins

5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP) binds to human serum low density lipoproteins (LDL) according to a two-step process. Scatchard analysis of the first step yields K = 1.4 × 10⁵ M^?1 and 4 binding sites. It involves the LDL apoprotein. The second step corresponds to a solubilization, in the lipidic core, of ? 45 molecules of 5MOP per LDL molecule. It is accompanied by a large blue shift of the 5MOP fluorescence. The ability of LDL to bind 5MOP and to carry it into various cells may explain some biological effects sometimes encountered during PUVA therapy.     

Estimation of the mechanical parameters of the human respiratory system

A numerical algorithm has been developed for the estimation of the mechanical parameters of the human respiratory system. In order to estimate the pulmonary resistance and the dynamic pulmonary elastance, the transpulmonary pressure and the airflow at the mouth or nose are expanded in Chebyshev series. The nonlinear mathematical lung model and a set of measurements for airflow and pressure are then handled by the numerical technique. The lung model includes a component to account for turbulent flow in the larynx and trachea. This contribution presents an alternative method for lung parameter estimation and differs from most existing methods in that it does not need measurements for the tidal volume. It therefore eliminates the use of a body plethysmograph. The method may also find potential application to various other parameter identification problems.     

Infection and development of Nosema bombycis (Microsporida: Protozoa) in a cell line of Antheraea eucalypti

Spores of Nosema bombycis derived from diseased insects were highly purified by Urografin density gradient centrifugation. Antheraea eucalypti cells were inoculated with the purified spores primed with 0.1 n KOH solution to start a continuous propagation of N. bombycis in cell culture. The first increase in the number of infected A. eucalypti cells was observed at 48 hr postinoculation, and it was caused by the secondary infective forms of N. bombycis. The secondary infective forms were produced during the course of sporoblast differentiation. The parasites in cell cultures divided synchronously until 36 hr postinoculation. Mature spores were observed initially 6 days postinoculation at 27°C. The infected cultures were subcultured extensively for more than 1 year with the addition of healthy A. eucalypti cells.     

贵州部分森林群落物种多样性初步研究

 本文根据贵州省178个森林群落样地的数据研究了群落物种的多样性。测定的指标有群 落物种丰富度,群落Simpson多样性指数和群落均匀度。测定结果表明;不同垂直带生物气 候条件下的森林群落有不同的多样性。相同垂直带生物气候条件下,基质生境相同时,不同森林植被亚型的群落的多样性近似,基质生境不同时,群落多样性则不同;同一群落类型的各个样地的多样性也有变化,结构不同的群落个体,其多样性指数不同,演替趋势也不同。乔木第二亚层的多样性普遍地高于乔木第一亚层。同一演替系列中,越接近顶极阶段多样性越高。多样性指数与群落物种丰富度,均匀度呈紧密的正相关,与群落个体总数没有相关。认为多样性测定在比较、说明群落的结构、类型、组织特征、生境、演替等方面有一定意义。     

青枯假单胞杆菌噬菌体ZP-2和ZP-3的生物学性状

噬菌体可作为检测和区分植物病原细菌的一种手段。有关青枯假单胞杆菌(Pseudomo-n~(as solanacearum) 噬菌体的研究工作报道不多,姜瘟菌株上的噬菌体则还未见报道。本文所报道的关于分离自土壤的青枯假单胞杆菌姜瘟菌株(ZO-12)的噬菌体ZP-2和ZP-3生物学性状的研究结果,可为这些噬菌体的利用提供参考依据。