Plasma levels of granulocyte lactoferrin, granulocyte myeloperoxidase and granulocyte elastase in complex with alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (E-alpha 1PI) were investigated in regular hemodialysis patients dialyzed with hollow-fiber dialyzers made from polycarbonate (FD 100) or cuprophan (GFS 120 H). Plasma levels of all these main granulocyte components increased significantly during hemodialysis. E-alpha 1PI levels were significantly higher in patients dialyzed with the polycarbonate compared with the cuprophan membrane, whereas the increases of myeloperoxidase and lactoferrin were not different for the two dialyzers. On the other hand, plasma C3a levels were higher in patients dialyzed with the cuprophan compared with the polycarbonate dialyzer. Therefore, granulocyte activation during hemodialysis does not necessarily need complement activation.
The figures and speech of passion are clinically polymorphous and heterogeneous: from the baroque of the mystical ecstasy, the iconophily of religious and political ideologies, the collector's usual fetishism and the paranoiac insanity of hatred to the passions of knowing and loving. These are at the same time a passion for life as well as for self-destruction, for showing oneself as well for not knowing oneself, for representing oneself as well as for non representing oneself. Passion bares the impossible of mourning, its real point that gives a boost to the continual work. Passion confronts us to the essence of the being, to its fundamental distress. The being, whose shadow is projecting itself on the object of the passion, gives a name and a face to that object, and receives back its marks. That explains why passion is always accompanied by suffering. Moreover, passion is suffering according to its etymology: until the XVIth century, the word "passionate" meant somebody who suffered physically. The nature of the object of the passion (a relic, a part of a sentence, an indication, the track of an object or any other subject) changes nothing to the structure of the speech of passion.
There was no evidence of efficacy of NABUREN in reducing the incidence, severity, and duration of acute radiation proctitis. There was a correlation between some endpoints and clinical risk factors.
Much lip service is given today to values-based decision making, with the implication that the underlying values are values, occupying high moral ground. But the fact is that all decisions � whether highly ethical, grossly unethical or anywhere in between � are values-based. That is, a decision necessarily involves an implicit or explicit trade-off of values. The values represented in a particular decision are not always easy to identify and evaluate, however, and the shortcuts that people often take in decision making can make deeper analysis of values all the more difficult. This article presents a framework designed to explore the values implicit in decisions. Moving systematically from concrete consequences to higher-ordered values, the framework, embodied in a decision-mapping technique, helps the decision maker think through what is gained and what is given up as a result of a decision. It also encourages an expansion of choice options, motivates a more balanced view of positive and negative consequences, and provides insight into the dynamics of decision making. When good people at times say yes to bad � unethical or illegal � actions, there are four possible reasons: (a) the organization's values are fuzzy to them, leading them to resort to undeveloped intuition and expedient criteria, (b) they may not be clear on their own values, (c) their interpretation of probability conveniently favors their a priori preferred option, or (d) they see no other options (they believe their hands are tied). Each of these possibilities reflects issues that senior managers need to account for directly in addressing ethical decision making in their organizations. Illustrating the framework through a case study based on actual events, the article aims to help managers build a culture that better integrates the organization's values into staff members' decisions.
In recent years, researchers and consultants have advanced a number of customer metrics to explain the connections between customer behavior and growth. But these efforts have generated more smoke than heat. Despite claims to the contrary, the authors argue that the most popular metrics have shown only modest correlations to growth. None of them have shown themselves to be universally effective across all competitive environments. Early customer metrics tried to explain why people buy. To many companies, it came down to marketing. Yet, as the authors explain, the issues that affect customer loyalty are complex and go beyond standard marketing. This gave rise to a new category of metrics aimed at understanding the customer experience. Although managers have learned a lot about the components of service quality (including reliability, responsiveness and empathy), the approach doesn't point managers to specific actions they can take. Beginning in the 1990s, many managers began paying closer attention to customer retention � in particular, understanding what makes for dissatisfaction and satisfaction. But as the authors note, the linkages among satisfaction, customer behavior and positive financial outcomes have been modest. Today's most popular metric, the Net Promoter Score, focuses on how customer word of mouth � both negative and positive � can advance growth. Developed by Bain & Company Inc. consultant Fred Reichheld, it claims the ability to predict future growth from customer replies to one question: How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague? The authors found that the linkage between the Net Promoter Score and subsequent customer behavior was modest at best; models based on multiple variables consistently outperformed models based on Net Promoter. The authors are skeptical that there can be a single metric that reduces complex, multifaceted constructs to one or two dimensions; if there is, they write, there's a good chance it will ignore one or more important aspects of the equation.