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PubMed2001

[Perspectives of veterinary science--from the viewpoint of consumer health protection].

Concerning the causal chain "healthy animal--healthy food--healthy man" there's no doubt that mainly veterinarians are responsible for a safe preharvest area. In the food processing sector, of which economical importance is increasing in inverse proportion to agricultural activity of developed nations, the veterinarians must win through against many other professions. In this competition the specific veterinarian competence to prevent or to control microbiological, parasitological and some chemical hazards should be used. Therefore scientific work in veterinary public health has to concentrate on risk management. Additionally to developing methods for rapid and/or discriminative determination of causative agents the implementation of integrated quality assurance systems is needed in future according to the spirit of "intelligent" food hygiene.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bioterrorism.

Although biological agents have been used in warfare for centuries, several events in the past decade have raised concerns that they could be used for terrorism. Revelations about the sophisticated biological-weapons programs of the former Soviet Union and Iraq have heightened concern that countries with offensive-research programs, including those that sponsor international terrorism, might assist in the proliferation of agents, culturing capability, and dissemination techniques, and might benefit in these undertakings from the availability of skilled laboratory technicians. Release of sarin nerve agent in the Tokyo subway system in 1995 by the Aum Shinrikyo cult demonstrated that in the future terrorists might select unconventional weapons. Certain properties of biological pathogens may make them the ideal terrorist weapon, including 1) ease of procurement, 2) simplicity of production in large quantities at minimal expense, 3) ease of dissemination with low technology, and 4) potential to overwhelm the medical system with large numbers of casualties. Dissemination of a biological agent would be silent, and the incubation period allows a perpetrator to escape to great distances from the area of release before the first ill persons seek medical care. Countermeasures include intelligence gathering, physical protection, and detection systems. Medical countermeasures include laboratory diagnostics, vaccines, and medications for prophylaxis and treatment. Public health, medical, and environmental health personnel need to have a heightened awareness, through education, about the threat from biological agents.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed1998

The role of negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia outcome.

Schizophrenia is a lifelong illness, with symptoms beginning in late adolescence/early adulthood and persisting throughout the rest of the patient's life. Positive psychotic symptoms may fluctuate during the course of the illness, but negative symptoms, especially primary negative symptoms, and cognitive dysfunction are relatively constant. The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are both primary (associated with the illness) and secondary (due to depression, neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism or acute psychosis). While secondary negative symptoms may be reduced by treating the causative agent, primary negative symptoms are viewed as enduring, persisting between psychotic episodes. Conventional antipsychotics treat the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, but they have little effect on primary negative and cognitive symptoms. Primary negative symptoms are often associated with poor premorbid function, the male sex, and low IQ (Intelligence Quotient). In addition, most studies find that negative symptoms are associated with a poor overall outcome. Several studies, including our own, have suggested that primary negative symptoms are functionally localized to the frontal and parietal cortices. These kinds of data raise the possibility that primary negative symptoms may have a pathophysiological basis distinct from positive psychosis. Cognitive impairment also appears to be a relatively independent aspect of schizophrenia. Impairment may be evident in a subtle form from early childhood, and often precedes the development of psychotic symptoms. Additional impairment accrues with the onset of psychotic illness with little evidence, in the vast majority of cases, of progression over the course of the illness. Cognitive impairment is only modestly related to psychotic symptom severity and type. However, the extent, and perhaps specific types of cognitive impairment, appear to be predictive of functional outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Cognitive functions in tardive dyskinesia.

Cognitive functions of psychiatric patients with and without tardive dyskinesia were evaluated using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Wechsler Memory Scale and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Schizophrenic patients with and without tardive dyskinesia did not differ in their performance on the administered psychological tests. However, affective disorder patients with tardive dyskinesia showed significantly more impairment on the Wechsler Memory Scale and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test than affective disorder patients without tardive dyskinesia. These findings suggest that affective disorder patients who develop tardive dyskinesia may have some predisposing brain damage or that tardive dyskinesia in these patients represents both a motor and a dementing disorder.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1999

"Circadian" variation in cardiovascular events and implications for therapy?

For many years, it was thought that acute cardiovascular events occurred in a random fashion. However, over the past 13 years or so, a significant amount of research, both retrospective and prospective, has shown that there is an excess of ischaemic activity, arrhythmic activity and acute cardiovascular events in the first few hours after waking and commencing activity. This excess may well be at least partly linked to the known physiological changes which occur after waking, including a surge in heart rate, blood pressure and catecholamine release, activation of the renin-angiotensin system, an increase in platelet aggregability on assuming the upright posture, and the final trough in the fibrinolytic system. Because of the relatively short half-life and duration of the therapeutic effect (<24 h) of many anti-ischaemic and anti-arrhythmic agents, it is likely that single day agents taken in the morning will have reached subtherapeutic levels at the time of waking and commencing activity the following morning. As many patients do not take their daily (morning) medication immediately on rising, and allowing for time for adsorption, it is likely that, despite our knowledge of "circadian variations" in both physiological responses and pathophysiological events in the morning waking hours, patients are in fact at least protection at this particular high-risk time of the 24 h day. With our knowledge about when events are more likely to happen, we should consider carefully the timing of administration of medications, having factored in the likely length of therapeutic effect in each instance. It is likely that the almost universal inability to demonstrate prognostic benefit with many anti-ischaemic and anti-arrhythmic agents to date relates at least in part to a lack of appropriate "protection" at the time of apparent greatest risk in the patient with cardiovascular disease. Intelligent prescribing might indeed improve outcome, and even in the absence of proof on this regard, it would seem appropriate that we at least strive to achieve such an outcome.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2000

Artificial neural network applied to prediction of fluorquinolone antibacterial activity by topological methods.

A new topological method that makes it possible to predict the properties of molecules on the basis of their chemical structures is applied in the present study to quinolone antimicrobial agents. This method uses neural networks in which training algorithms are used as well as different concepts and methods of artificial intelligence with a suitable set of topological descriptors. This makes it possible to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of quinolones. Analysis of the results shows that the experimental and calculated values are highly similar. It is possible to obtain a QSAR interpretation of the information contained in the network after the training has been carried out.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1996

Citicoline improves verbal memory in aging.

OBJECTIVE: To test the verbal memory of older volunteers given citicoline. DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design was employed in the initial study. After data analysis, a subgroup was identified whose members had relatively inefficient memories. These subjects were recruited for a second study that used a crossover design. The subjects took either placebo or citicoline, 1000 mg/d, for 3 months in the initial study. In the crossover study, subjects took both placebo and citicoline, 2000 mg/d, each for 2 months. SUBJECTS: The subjects were 47 female and 48 male volunteers 50 to 85 years old. They were screened for dementia, memory disorders, and other neurological problems. Of the subjects with relatively inefficient memories, 32 participated in the crossover study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Verbal memory was tested at each study visit using a logical memory passage. Plasma choline concentrations were measured at baseline; at days 30, 60, and 90 in the initial study; and at day 60 of each treatment condition in the crossover study. Plasma choline concentrations and memory scores were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and covariance, followed by planned comparisons when appropriate. RESULTS: In the initial study, citicoline therapy improved delayed recall on logical memory only for the subjects with relatively inefficient memories. In the crossover study, the higher dosage of citicoline was clearly associated with improved immediate and delayed logical memory. CONCLUSIONS: Citicoline therapy improved verbal memory functioning in older individuals with relatively inefficient memories. Citicoline may prove effective in treating age-related cognitive decline that may be the precursor of dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Psychological performance of anxious patients in tests used in anxiolytic drug trials.

Tested sixty anxious inpatients under drug free conditions with a performance battery commonly used for the evaluation of impairment deficits in anxiolytic drug trials to examine the interrelations among the various performance tasks and to gain some preliminary indication of the underlying factor structure. A factor of general performance ability accounted for 40% of the total variance and contributed to the performance of tasks with cognitive as well as motor components. Performance was related to age and intellectual efficacy, while personality variables and state anxiety had a transcurable influence on performance.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Artificial consciousness, artificial emotions, and autonomous robots.

Nowadays for robots, the notion of behavior is reduced to a simple factual concept at the level of the movements. On another hand, consciousness is a very cultural concept, founding the main property of human beings, according to themselves. We propose to develop a computable transposition of the consciousness concepts into artificial brains, able to express emotions and consciousness facts. The production of such artificial brains allows the intentional and really adaptive behavior for the autonomous robots. Such a system managing the robot's behavior will be made of two parts: the first one computes and generates, in a constructivist manner, a representation for the robot moving in its environment, and using symbols and concepts. The other part achieves the representation of the previous one using morphologies in a dynamic geometrical way. The robot's body will be seen for itself as the morphologic apprehension of its material substrata. The model goes strictly by the notion of massive multi-agent's organizations with a morphologic control.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2026

Integrating ex vivo platforms with AI to guide glioblastoma treatment.

PURPOSE: Ex vivo platforms can rapidly and cost-effectively screen patient-derived tumor cells or tissue. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can search and identify patterns in large datasets and provide predictions. This review focuses on integrating microphysiological platforms with AI to inform physician and patient decision-making. METHODS AND RESULTS: Combining efficacy, safety, and pharmacology results from drug screens with the output of extensive AI searches can yield insights to guide physician and patient decision-making and potentially improve a patient's prognosis. We detail ex vivo platforms at different stages of development that represent the diversity of approaches: a microphysiological system and a high-throughput screen that assesses drug cytotoxicity in both bulk and drug-tolerant tumor cells. We review AI approaches that can enhance the utility of microphysiological platforms. CONCLUSION: Integrating emerging microphysiological platforms with AI is expected to significantly impact physician and patient choice of treatment.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

DNA tumor viruses -- the spies who lyse us.

Identifying the molecular lesions that are 'mission critical' for tumorigenesis and maintenance is one of the burning questions in contemporary cancer biology. In addition, therapeutic strategies that trigger the lytic and selective death of tumor cells are the unfulfilled promise of cancer research. Fortunately, viruses can provide not only the necessary 'intelligence' to identify the critical players in the cancer cell program but also have great potential as lytic agents for tumor therapy. Recent studies with DNA viruses have contributed to our understanding of critical tumor targets (such as EGFR, PP2A, Rb and p53) and have an impact on the development of novel therapies, including oncolytic viral agents, for the treatment of cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Cognitive dysfunctions in medicated and unmedicated patients with recent-onset schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is associated with impairments in many cognitive domains on which the influence of antipsychotics, whether conventional or atypical, remains unclear. We conducted a study of recent-onset schizophrenic patients (DSM IV) that included unmedicated (n=19), and medicated (n=19) patients matched for age and IQ. Both groups of patients had comparably low extra-pyramidal symptoms (EPS). Cognitive tasks included attentional tasks (alertness and divided attention tests), a working memory task (a verbal n-back test) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). After adjustment for the Total PANSS score, we found no significant difference between the two groups of patients in any of the cognitive tasks. When compared to a group of healthy controls (n=20) matched for IQ level, unmedicated patients performed significantly worse in all cognitive tasks, with significantly longer reaction times for alertness, divided attention and working memory. These results confirm the presence of cognitive impairments in attentional and executive functions in recent-onset patients whether or not they are medicated. There was no evidence that either conventional or atypical antipsychotics had an influence on patients when EPS were excluded. Altogether, our results further support the idea that cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are enduring features per se and cannot be considered as secondary to psychiatric symptoms or to the adverse effects of medication. In addition our results suggest that antipsychotics do not have a major effect on these impairments.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

IQ scores of treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients before and after the onset of the illness.

In this study we examined the correlations of actual pre-morbid IQ scores (obtained from routine educational assessments) and estimated current IQ scores in 27 treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients. Pre-morbid (mean = 93) and current (mean = 83) IQ scores were significantly correlated (r = 0.807, P < 0.0001), while duration of illness (10-40 years) was unrelated to the magnitude of IQ score decline (r = -0.103, P = 0.575). These data suggest that pre-morbid IQ test scores are highly predictive of post-morbid scores.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Automated monitoring of medical protocols: a secure and distributed architecture.

The control of the right application of medical protocols is a key issue in hospital environments. For the automated monitoring of medical protocols, we need a domain-independent language for their representation and a fully, or semi, autonomous system that understands the protocols and supervises their application. In this paper we describe a specification language and a multi-agent system architecture for monitoring medical protocols. We model medical services in hospital environments as specialized domain agents and interpret a medical protocol as a negotiation process between agents. A medical service can be involved in multiple medical protocols, and so specialized domain agents are independent of negotiation processes and autonomous system agents perform monitoring tasks. We present the detailed architecture of the system agents and of an important domain agent, the database broker agent, that is responsible of obtaining relevant information about the clinical history of patients. We also describe how we tackle the problems of privacy, integrity and authentication during the process of exchanging information between agents.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed2000

Cognitive consequences and central nervous system injury following treatment for childhood leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between membrane damage and intellectual and academic abilities in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and pilot test a math intervention for children with ALL who were affected. DATA SOURCES: Research studies and review articles. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the prophylactic central nervous system (CNS) treatment for long-term disease-free survival, many children with ALL subsequently experience declines in intellectual and academic skills. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Improving academic abilities in children who have received CNS treatment is of high priority and may have longlasting implications on quality of life.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1994

Dyskinesia in mentally handicapped women: relationship to level of handicap, age and neuroleptic exposure.

The prevalence of dyskinesia in a randomly selected set of 61 mentally handicapped women with a range of diagnoses, levels of IQ and exposure to neuroleptics was assessed using the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale (AIMS). Overall, 64% of patients had dyskinesia on the AIMS. There was no correlation with neuroleptic exposure, although 43% of patients had been significantly exposed. There was no correlation between the presence of dyskinesia and the original handicapping diagnosis, and there was no increase in dyskinesia as the patients age increased. There was a significant increase in dyskinesia as IQ fell. This study backs the contention that there is a close association between cognitive impairment and movement disorder.

Adult↗