The Processing of Pitch Combinations

In this chapter, we shall examine ways in which pitch combinations are ab-stracted by the perceptual system. First, we shall inquire into the types of abstrac-tion that give rise to the perception of local features, such as intervals, chords, and pitch classes. Such features can be considered analogous to those of orientatio

Adhesion molecules (E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1)) in sera from patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia with or without endocarditis

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate if patients with endocarditis display a more extensive endothelial activation than those with bacteraemia but without endocarditis. Sixty-five patients with blood culture-verified Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia were included and serum samples collected on admission were analysed by enzyme immunoassays. Elevated serum concentrations of adhesion molecules were found in most of the patients with S. aureus bacteraemia. Patients with endocarditis (n = 15) showed significantly higher serum E-selectin (median 156 ng/ml) and VCAM-1 (median 1745 ng/ml) concentrations compared with those with S. aureus bacteraemia but without endocarditis (80 ng/ml and 1172 ng/ml, respectively; P = 0.01 and P = 0.003). No significant difference was found between the groups concerning ICAM-1 (median 451 ng/ml versus 522 ng/ml). In addition, serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentrations were significantly correlated (P < 0.002) to serum levels of E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1