Popperl,G.; Lochmuller,E.; Becker,H.; Mall,G.; Steinlechner,M.; Eckstein,F.; The objective of this study was to determine the reproducibility of ultrasonic bone properties with a system for measuring calcanei ex situ; the influence of changes of the measurement site; and the effects of fixation, storage, and maceration. We examined 14 fixed calcanei and 12 fresh bones. Ultrasonic measurements were performed ex situ after degassing, using an Achilles+ system and a special positioning device. The instrument precision was 0. [Read More]

Kurzthaler,I.; Hummer,M.; Miller,C.; Sperner-Unterweger,B.; Gunther,V.; Wechdorn,H.; Battista,H.J.; Fleischhacker,W.W.; BACKGROUND: Neither experimental nor epidemiologic approaches have so far given definitive answers to the question of the potential effect of cannabis on driving ability. METHOD: To shed more light on this topic, we conducted a placebo-controlled double-blind study including 60 healthy volunteers (a negative urine drug screening test was prerequisite). On the first day, baseline data were obtained from a physical examination and a psychological test battery for the investigation of visual and verbal memory as well as cognitive perceptual performance. [Read More]

Angermayr,K.; Parson,W.; Stoffler,G.; Haas,H.; A new member of the ABC superfamily of transmembrane proteins in Aspergillus nidulans has been cloned and characterized. The topology of conserved motifs subgroups AtrC in the P-glycoprotein cluster of ABC permeases, the members of this subfamily, are known to participate in multidrug resistance (MDR) in diverse organisms. Alignment results display significant amino acid similarity to AfuMDR1 and AflMDR1 from Aspergillus fumigatus and flavus, respectively. Northern analysis reveals that atrC mRNA levels are 10-fold increased in response to cycloheximide. [Read More]

Herberhold,C.; Faber,S.; Stammberger,T.; Steinlechner,M.; Putz,R.; Englmeier,K.H.; Reiser,M.; Eckstein,F.; The deformational behavior of articular cartilage has been investigated in confined and unconfined compression experiments and indentation tests, but to date there exist no reliable data on the in situ deformation of the cartilage during static loading. The objective of the current study was to perform a systematic study into cartilage compression of intact human femoro-patellar joints under short- and long-term static loading with MR imaging. [Read More]

Baubin,M.; Sumann,G.; Rabl,W.; Eibl,G.; Wenzel,V.; Mair,P.; A prospective, randomised out-of-hospital study in a two-tiered system with active compression-decompression (ACD) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) versus standard (STD) CPR in patients following non-traumatic cardiac arrest was planned to test the hypothesis that ACD-CPR by the first tier may increase the occurrence of ventricular fibrillation as compared with STD-CPR. Furthermore, in a later phase of the study, sternal and rib fractures induced by both CPR methods were determined by extensive autopsy. [Read More]