On the observation of intervalence charge transfer bands in hydrogen-bonded mixed-valence complexes.

Ruthenium clusters of the type [Ru3(µ3-O)(OAc)6(CO)(L)(nic)], where L = 4-dimethylaminopyridine (dmap) and nic = isonicotinic acid, form hydrogen-bonded mixed-valence dimers upon a single electron reduction. Electrochemical responses show two overlapping reduction waves, indicating the presence of a thermodynamically stable mixed-valence dimer with considerable electronic coupling across the hydrogen bond. Electronic spectra of the singly reduced hydrogen-bonded mixed-valence dimer reveal two intervalence charge transfer bands in the near-infrared region consistent with a Robin-Day class II system. These bands are assigned as metal-to-metal and metal-to-bridge charge transfer, and their behavior is best described by a semiclassical three state model. Infrared spectroscopy suggests localized behavior indicating electron transfer between the two clusters is slower than 10(10) s(-1).

Incidence, clinical characteristics, and natural history of pediatric IBD in Wisconsin: a population-based epidemiological study.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies of pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are needed to generate etiological hypotheses and inform public policy; yet, rigorous population-based studies of the incidence and natural history of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in the United States are limited. METHODS: We developed a field-tested prospective system for identifying all new cases of IBD among Wisconsin children over an 8-year period (2000-2007). Subsequently, at the end of the study period, we retrospectively reconfirmed each case and characterized the clinical course of this incident cohort. RESULTS: The annual incidence of IBD among Wisconsin children was 9.5 per 100,000 (6.6 per 100,000 for CD and 2.4 per 100,000 for UC). Approximately 19% of incident cases occurred in the first decade of life. Over the 8-year study period, the incidence of both CD and UC remained relatively stable. Additionally, (1) childhood IBD affected all racial groups equally, (2) over a follow-up of 4 years, 17% of patients with CD and 13% of patients with patients with UC required surgery, and (3) 85% and 40% of children with CD were treated with immunosuppressives and biologics, respectively, compared with 62% and 30% of patients with UC. CONCLUSIONS: As in other North American populations, these data confirm a high incidence of pediatric-onset IBD. Importantly, in this Midwestern U.S. population, the incidence of CD and UC seems to be relatively stable over the last decade. The proportions of children requiring surgery and undergoing treatment with immunosuppressive and biological medications underscore the burden of these conditions.

The redevelopment and validation of the Rehabilitation Adherence Questionnaire for injured athletes.

This study was designed to redevelop and examine the validity of the Rehabilitation Adherence Questionnaire (RAQ), which can be used in both research and medical rehabilitation settings. The participants in the study were composed of 240 injured athletes (first analysis 120, second analysis 120 athletes) who participated in a physical rehabilitation program. Scale development, descriptive analysis, and factor analysis (exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis) developed 25 items of RAQ for injured athletes. RAQ had six subscales such as support from significant others (five items), pain tolerance (five items), scheduling (four items), self-motivation (five Items), perceived exertion (three items), and environmental conditions (three items). Criterion-related validity, differential validity, and test-retest reliability of RAQ indicated that RAQ can be used both in clinic-based study and rehabilitation settings. In summary, this study showed good psychometric properties of RAQ.

A comparison of cholecystectomy and observation in children with biliary dyskinesia.

PURPOSE: The success rate of ameliorating the preoperative symptoms of biliary dyskinesia in a pediatric population has been reported to be approximately 80%. The purpose of this study was to identify patient characteristics that may help to predict successful clinical outcomes in pediatric patients with biliary dyskinesia by comparing 2 groups of pediatric patients: those who underwent cholecystectomy and those who received no surgical intervention (control group). METHODS: The medical charts of pediatric patients who had an ejection fraction of less than 35% and no other identifiable abnormalities revealed on diagnostic testing were retrospectively reviewed. Information regarding psychological diagnoses/treatment, diagnostic examination findings, histologic findings, and outcomes were collected. Patients were evaluated at 1 month and 2 years postoperatively. RESULTS: From 1995 through 2003, 55 pediatric patients were identified. All patients had an abnormal ejection fraction on hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those who underwent cholecystectomy (n = 35) and a control group who did not receive surgical intervention (n = 20). Of those who underwent cholecystectomy, 74% improved, whereas 75% of the control group showed improvement after 2 years. Of all patient characteristics evaluated, only weight loss was found to be significant for determining patient outcomes. CONCLUSION: When followed for a long enough period of time, outcomes were similar between the 2 groups. Of the patients whose symptoms improved, those who underwent cholecystectomy had a quicker resolution of abdominal pain than those who did not undergo surgery. With the exception of weight loss, none of the patient characteristics evaluated in this study proved to be statistically significant for predicting a positive outcome.

Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of children with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease in Wisconsin: a statewide population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To define epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of newly diagnosed pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a large population-based model. STUDY DESIGN: All pediatric gastroenterologists providing care for Wisconsin children voluntarily identified all new cases of IBD during a 2-year period. Demographic and clinical data were sent to a central registry prospectively for analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of IBD in Wisconsin children was 7.05 per 100,000, whereas the incidence for Crohn's disease was 4.56, more than twice the rate of ulcerative colitis (2.14). An equal IBD incidence occurred among all ethnic groups, and children from sparsely and densely populated counties were equally affected. The majority (89%) of new IBD diagnoses were nonfamilial. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides novel, prospective, and comprehensive information on pediatric IBD incidence within the United States. The surprisingly high incidence of pediatric IBD, the predominance of Crohn's disease over ulcerative colitis, the low frequency of patients with a family history, the equal distribution of IBD among all racial and ethnic groups, and the lack of a modulatory effect of urbanization on IBD incidence collectively suggest that the clinical spectrum of IBD is still evolving and point to environmental factors contributing to the pathogenesis.

Sometimes what everybody thinks they know is true.

This essay responds to D. Davis and W. C. Follette (2002), who question the value of motive evidence in murder cases. They argue that the evidence that a husband had extramarital affairs, that he heavily insured his wife's life, or that he battered his wife is ordinarily of infinitesimal probative value. We disagree. To be sure, it would be foolish to predict solely on the basis of such evidence that a husband will murder his wife. However, when this kind of evidence is combined with other evidence in a realistic murder case, the evidence can be quite probative. We analyze cases in which it is virtually certain that the victim was murdered but unclear who murdered her, and in which it is uncertain whether the husband murdered the wife or she died by accident. We show that in each case motive evidence, such as a history of battering or of infidelity, can substantially increase the odds of the husband's guilt. We also consider the actual case on which Davis and Follette base their paper. We argue that testimony of Davis on the basis of the analysis presented in their paper was properly excluded, for it would have been misleading and unhelpful.