cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chloride-driven 3,3′-dipropylthiodicarbocyanine (DiSC3-(5)) and tetraphenylphosphonium cation (TPP+) uptake by thylakoids: Inhibition of uptake by antibodies raised to the major polypeptides of the chloride efflux active particle(s)

Abstract The membrane potential probes, 3,3′-dipropylthiodicarbocyanine (DiSC 3 -(5)) and tetraphenylphosphonium cation (TPP + ), were employed as qualitative sensors of Cl − translocation through the electrogenic Cl − channel in thylakoid membranes. DiSC 3 -(5) fluorescence was quenched in media containing Cl − (outside > inside), suggesting that an inward-directed Cl − diffusion potential resulted in additional uptake of DiSC 3 -(5). Tri- n -butyltin, chloride, which abolishes Cl − gradients, largely abolished the Cl − -induced DiSC 3 -(5) fluorescence quenching. Imposing a Cl − gradient across the thylakoid membrane resulted in uptake of the radiolabeled membrane potential probe, TPP + . The Cl − -induced [ 3 H]TPP + uptake was inhibited by polyclonal antibodies raised to the 62-kDa polypeptide of the Cl − -efflux active particle(s). These results suggest that the 62-kDa polypeptide may constitute an integral part of the Cl − channel in thylakoid membranes.
Green's function technique for near-zone scattering by cylindrical wires with finite conductivity

With a technique not requiring matrix inversion, the current distribution induced on a straight thin wire by an incident plane wave or a nearby sinusoidal dipole is determined. The wire may have any length exceeding 0.05\lambda and any finite conductivity such that the radius is equal to or greater than the skin depth.
Hydration Contributions to Association in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers and Complexes: Visualizing Hydrophobicity

Thin films of polyelectrolyte complex were assembled using the multilayering method with direct, in situ observation of all multilayer components using attenuated total internal reflectance FTIR (ATR-FTIR). Buildup and ion doping of two representative combinations of positive and negative polyelectrolytes are controlled by salt type. The internal hydration of multilayers, measured precisely by ATR-FTIR, depends on the chemical identities of the polymers and the salt ions. The efficiency of doping inversely tracks the degree of hydration: less hydrated (“hydrophobic”) ions are more efficient dopants, and less hydrated polyelectrolye complexes are harder to dope. Given that polyelectrolyte complexation is essentially entropy-driven, driving forces for doping, or association (the inverse of doping), are rationalized by counting all species in the condensed polyelectrolyte phase, including water molecules. For any combination of uni-univalent salt ions and polyelectrolyte, the strength of polyelectrolyte asso...
Effect of lithium on parathyroid hormone-induced calcium release from bone rudiments.

Lithium treatment of humans and animals has been associated with adverse effects on bone and mineral metabolism. In order to determine whether lithium was altering the skeletal response to parathyroid hormone, we incubated bone rudiments for 5 days in the presence or absence of the drugs. Lithium had no effect on either parathyroid hormone-induced cyclic AMP generation or45Ca release from the bone rudiments. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the skeletal effects of lithium are not mediated via inhibition of the parathyroid hormone-adenyl cyclase-cyclic AMP system.
Identification of sex pheromones from cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus, and related studies with C. analis (Coleoptera : Bruchidae)

Female cowpea weevils,Callosobruchus maculatus, produce a sex pheromone that elicits orientation and sexual behavior in males. Bioassay-directed isolation of the sex pheromone was conducted and compounds in the active fraction were identified and synthesized. Volatiles were collected from individual virgin females by adsorption on filter paper dises and hexane extraction. A bioassay was used in which the locomotory response of single males in glass vials was recorded upon exposure to treatments or controls. Crude extracts were subjected to silica gel column chromatography with solvents of increasing polarity; all activity eluted with methanol. Activity in the highly polar methanol fraction suggested a carboxylic acid or a compound with multiple polar functionality. Acid-base partitioning of the crude extract isolated all activity in the acid fraction, confirming that the pheromone was a carboxylic acid. The acid fraction was further fractionated by preparative GC with a Carbowax column. The most active GC fraction contained the following five 8-carbon acids identified by GC-MS and comparison with synthetic candidates: 3-methyleneheptanoic acid, (Z)-3-methyl-3-heptenoic acid, (E)-3-methyl-3-heptenoic acid, (Z)-3-methyl-2-heptenoic acid, and (E)-3-methyl-2-heptenoic acid. Each of the synthetic acids was active individually for males, and combinations of two or more of the acid pheromones had an additive effect. Upwind flight responses to natural and synthetic pheromones were observed in a flight tunnel. (Z)-3-Methyl-2-heptenoic acid was previously identified as the sex pheromone for the relatedC. analis, but this and the other four acid pheromones fromC. maculatus were inactive for maleC. analis. There was no cross-attraction betweenC. maculatus andC. analis in reciprocal studies using extracted volatiles from females of both species, GC-MS analysis ofC. analis female volatiles failed to detect any of theC. maculatus compounds but did find an unidentified C-8 acid with a GC retention time different from any of theC. maculatus pheromones.
Childhood trauma and impulsivity. Possible relevance to suicidal behavior

Social factors are thought to contribute to impulsivity. As childhood traumas predispose to suicidal behavior it was decided to examine whether they may be a determinant of impulsivity, a personality dimension often associated with suicidal behavior. Thus 268 abstinent drug dependent patients completed both the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). The results showed that there were significant relationships, albeit small, between CTQ scores and BIS impulsivity scores. These results suggest that childhood trauma may be one determinant of impulsivity as an adult.
Cyclic-3',5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase isozymes in cell biology and pathophysiology of the kidney.

Cyclic-3′,5′-nucleotide phosphodiesterase isozymes in cell biology and pathophysiology of the kidney. Investigations of recent years revealed that isozymes of cyclic-3′,5′-nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) are a critically important component of the cyclic-3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. The superfamily of cyclic-3′,5′-phosphodiesterase (PDE) isozymes consists of at least nine gene families (types): PDE1 to PDE9. Some PDE families are very diverse and consist of several subtypes and numerous PDE isoform-splice variants. PDE isozymes differ in molecular structure, catalytic properties, intracellular regulation and location, and sensitivity to selective inhibitors, as well as differential expression in various cell types. A number of type-specific "second-generation" PDE inhibitors have been developed. Current evidence indicates that PDE isozymes play a role in several pathobiologic processes in kidney cells. In rat mesangial cells, PDE3 and PDE4 compartmentalize cAMP signaling to the PDE3-linked cAMP-PKA pathway that modulates mitogenesis and PDE4-linked cAMP-PKA pathway that modulates generation of reactive oxygen species. Administration of selective PDE isozyme inhibitors in vivo suppresses proteinuria and pathologic changes in experimental anti-Thy-1.1 mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis in rats. Increased activity of PDE5 (and perhaps also PDE9) in glomeruli and in cells of collecting ducts in sodium-retaining states, such as nephrotic syndrome, accounts for renal resistance to atriopeptin; diminished ability to excrete sodium can be corrected by administration of the selective PDE5 inhibitor zaprinast. Anomalously high PDE4 activity in collecting ducts is a basis of unresponsiveness to vasopressin in mice with hereditary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Apparently, PDE isozymes apparently also play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute renal failure of different origins. Administration of PDE isozyme–selective inhibitors suppresses some components of immune responses to allograft transplant and improves preservation and survival of transplanted organ. PDE isozymes are a target for action of numerous novel selective PDE inhibitors, which are key components in the design of novel "signal transduction" pharmacotherapies of kidney diseases.
Correlates of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Stroke Survivors

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after life-threatening events, including illness, but correlates of PTSD after stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) have not been well described. Methods We measured the prevalence of stroke-induced PTSD with the PTSD Checklist Specific for stroke (PCL-S) in adults who had a stroke or TIA within 5 years. A PCL-S score of 50 or more indicated likely PTSD. We tested for potential predictors of stroke-associated PTSD, including demographics, stroke history, disability, medical comorbidities, depression, and emotional support and then examined the association between poststroke PTSD and measures of physical and mental health. Results Of 535 participants, 95 (18%) had a PCL-S score of 50 or more; the mean score was 35.4 ± 13.7 (range 17-80 of 85). In logistic regression analysis, low income (odds ratio [OR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-3.61), recurrent stroke or TIA (OR 1.86, 1.10-3.16), more disability (OR 1.79, 1.43-2.23), and increased comorbidities (OR 1.90, 1.05-3.45) were independently associated with PTSD. Older age (OR .93, .90-.95), marriage or partnership (OR .52, .28-.98), and having emotional support (OR .25, .11-.54) were protective against developing PTSD. Participants with likely PTSD had worse physical and mental health. Conclusions In this racially and ethnically diverse cohort of stroke and TIA survivors, stroke-induced PTSD was associated with younger age, recurrent strokes, greater disability, and comorbidities. PTSD was associated with a substantially increased physical, mental, and quality of life burden in this already vulnerable population. Having social support was protective, suggesting a potential target for intervention.
The effects of glucose and lithium chloride on the appearance of β-1,3-glucanohydrolase activity in sand dollar plutei

Abstract The appearance of β-1,3-glucanohydrolase activity occurs coincident with the differentiation of the gut of sand dollar larvae. Alterations of the synthetic pattern in larvae are reported here. The product of the catalysis of the larval β-glucanase is glucose, and it was found that its presence in the ambient seawater of plutei decreased the appearance of the enzyme activity. This depression could not be reversed by cyclic AMP but is completely abolished if glucose is removed. Glucose has no effect on the activity of the enzyme under the assay conditions used. Other monosaccharides failed to decrease the pattern of β-glucanase increase during development. Lithium chloride treatment from fertilization until just before hatching affects β-glucanase increase in one of two ways depending on the fate of the embryo at gastrulation. If the LiCl-treated blastulae invaginate normally, the maximum attainable specific activity is 23% higher than the untreated control. If the LiCl-treated blastulae exogastrulate, the specific activity of the enzyme is only slightly lower than that of the controls which is remarkable when one considers the gross abnormality of this condition. The increase in β-glucanase activity by LiCl-treated, but normally developing, larvae may represent an amplification of the synthetic activity of the larvae. The guts of exogastrulae were isolated from the larval bodies and contained 1.5 times as much β-glucanase activity when compared to the total culture from which they were derived. This supports the idea that the β-glucanase is a digestive enzyme.
Partition and chemical analysis of mitochondrial lipoprotein lipides

Abstract The partition of lipides from salt-extracted mitochondria and an alkalisoluble mitochondrial lipoprotein material into at least three fractions, and the chemical nature of these fractions have been presented and discussed.
The hydrogenation of carbon monoxide over rhodium oxide surfaces

Hydrated and anhydrous rhodium oxides, Rh2O3 · 5H2O and Rh2O3 crystallites, were used as catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO at 6 atm and in the range of 250–350 °C. The anhydrous oxide reduced to metallic rhodium rapidly, while the hydrated oxide was quite stable under the reaction conditions. The hydrated oxide produces a high concentration of oxygenated hydrocarbons, mostly acetaldehyde in addition to C2C5 alkenes and methane, in contrast to the unsupported metal which is a mediocre methanation catalyst. The activation energy for the formation of all of the products is 26 ± 2 kcal/mole indicating that they are likely to be produced from a common precursor intermediate, CxHy. The addition of ethylene to CO and H2 results in the conversion of the olefin to propionaldehyde. This carbonylation reaction was not observed on the rhodium metal. The slower rates of hydrogenation on the oxide and its ability to insert CO into the CxHy, intermediates appear to be responsible for the changed product distribution in the CO/H2 reaction. Electron spectroscopy studies indicate the presence of patches of oxide and metal both participate in the reaction and control the product distribution.
Relating Friction in CMP to Topography Evolution

Die-scale models of chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) have been previously reported for a number of different CMP processes used in integrated circuit manufacturing, including oxide, dual material shallow trench isolation, and dual material copper damascene processes. These models can dynamically predict the evolution of surface topography (e.g., local feature step heights, film thickness nonuniformity across the different pattern density regions of the chip, dishing, and erosion) for any time point during CMP. This topography evolution information can be applied to better understand the basis for observed friction and wear in the CMP process. In this work, we explore models of the macroscopic frictional force based on the surface topography. CMP endpoint measurements, such as those from motor current traces, enable verification of model predictions relating friction to CMP surface topography evolution, for different types of CMP processes and patterned chips.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Cross-species mapping of bidirectional promoters enables prediction of unannotated 5' UTRs and identification of species-specific transcripts.

Background Bidirectional promoters are shared regulatory regions that influence the expression of two oppositely oriented genes. This type of regulatory architecture is found more frequently than expected by chance in the human genome, yet many specifics underlying the regulatory design are unknown. Given that the function of most orthologous genes is similar across species, we hypothesized that the architecture and regulation of bidirectional promoters might also be similar across species, representing a core regulatory structure and enabling annotation of these regions in additional mammalian genomes.
Predictive validity of the Gesell School Readiness Tests

Abstract The predictive validity of the Gesell School Readiness Tests (GSRT) is examined by correlating measured developmental age and performance in first grade. A sample of 45 students referred by their teachers for developmental testing and a random sample of 106 students chosen expressly for this study were tested with the GSRT. A small positive relationship was found between Gesell developmental age and first-grade report card grades ( r = .23). Additional outcome measures were available for a subgroup of the total sample and indicated that the GSRT has modest predictive validity for standardized tests and low validity for teacher judgment of performance in first grade. Issues concerning misidentification of ready children and treatment efficacy are also discussed. The low predictive validity of the GSRT does not support its use for school readiness assessments leading to placement decisions.
DMD and IL1RAPL1: Two large adjacent genes localized within a common fragile site (FRAXC) have reduced expression in cultured brain tumors

Common fragile sites (CFSs) are large regions of profound genomic instability found in all individuals. Spanning the center of the two most frequently expressed CFS regions, FRA3B (3p14.3) and FRA16D
Outcome of self-inflicted gunshot wounds of the brain.

A consecutive series of 67 patients who had sustained self-inflicted gunshot wounds of the brain was reviewed retrospectively to evaluate factors determining outcome. Weapon caliber, site of bullet entry, degree of brain wounding on computerized tomographic scan, and presenting Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score were examined. Overall mortality, degree of disability in survivors, and survival time after injury in fatally wounded patients were assessed. Ninety-eight percent of all patients with an initial GCS score of 8 or less died. When the GCS score was more than 8, 91% of patients survived ( P P
Loads Bias Bistable Switches in Synthetic and Natural Systems

A traditional view of biological modules is that they operate the same in the presence and absence of downstream targets including gene promoters and other proteins. Recent theoretical work [1] suggests that this may not be the case and the properties of biochemical networks are affected by the interactions that the output of the network has with downstream elements. Downstream components can change the dynamic and static properties of the upstream circuit without explicit feedback. Understanding the properties of network modules connected in different ways to downstream components is therefore necessary before we can reliably use these modules as parts of larger synthetic biology circuits. Bistable circuits play an important role in both natural and synthetic biology. using computer modeling and simulations, we study a variety of bistable circuits including the synthetic genetic toggle switch under the action of a downstream binding element (a “load”). We find that the load can have profound effects on the dynamic properties of the network, significantly affecting the ability of the system to switch from one state to another. Construction of an energy landscape picture using stochastic simulations show that loads significantly bias the bistable switch towards one state. Surprisingly in the genetic toggle switch this effect is particularly strong when the load is on the other state. This is a simple but novel way of tuning bistable protein circuits in synthetic biology and may be ubiquitous in natural systems.[1] Del Vecchio, D., A.J. Ninfa, and E.D. Sontag, Modular cell biology: retroactivity and insulation. Mol Syst Biol, 2008. 4: p. 161.
Size of Penguin Pollution of the CKM CP Violating Phase in B-bar_s -> rho K_s

We use the perturbative QCD methods of Lepage and Brodsky to calculate the rate for B-bar_s -> rho K_s, with an eye toward the CP violating unitarity triangle angle gamma. We show that, although the penguins are large, there are regions of the allowed parameter space of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa mixing matrix wherein gamma is measurable in the sense that penguins change the value of sin(2gamma) one would extract from the attendant time dependent asymmetry measurement by less than 29 per cent, so that a 3sigma measurement of sin(2gamma) as being different from 0 is allowed by the corresponding theoretical uncertainty. This would establish CP violation in B_s decays. The rates which we find tend to favor the type of luminosities now envisioned for hadron-based B-factories.
Skin Protection for (SPF) Kids Program

Skin cancer is increasing faster than any other cancer in the United States. Individuals who have had excessive sun exposure during childhood and adolescence set the stage for the development of skin cancers later in life. In 2009, there were more than 1 million newly diagnosed cases of skin cancer in the United States. This primary prevention program combined the guidelines in the literature resulting in a unique evidence-based program for teachers and informational guidelines for parents. These guidelines were used in classrooms and at home, supporting intervention among school-age children, specifically those in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Effect of hematocrit on regional oxygen delivery and extraction in an adult respiratory distress syndrome animal model.

Background: The purpose of this prospective, randomized, controlled study was to investigate the effects of hematocrit (Hct) on regional oxygen delivery and extraction following induction of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in an animal model. Methods: Animals were instrumented to monitor central venous pressure (CVP), systemic mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP), and cardiac output (CO) and to measure blood flow in the renal, hepatic, and superior mesenteric arteries and portal vein. ARDS was induced, positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) applied and CO was maximized with volume loading and epinephrine infusion. Data were acquired at baseline (BL) and at Hct levels ranging from 25% to 50%. Results: Systemic DO2 increased steadily and significantly with increased Hct. Systemic O2 extraction ratio (O2ER) decreased significantly with increasing Hct until a threshold value of 40%, after which further increases in Hct did not cause a statistically significant decrease in O2ER. Similarly, renal and hepatic DO2 increased and O2ER decreased in a statistical significant manner with transfusions up to a Hct of 35%. In the splanchnic circulation blood transfusions did not cause any statistically significant increase in DO2, and O2ER showed no decrease after an Hct of 35%. Systemic, renal, hepatic, and splanchnic VO2 were not affected by changes in Hct. Blood viscosity decreased from a baseline value of 2.9 ± 0.2 centipoise at a Hct of 38% to 2.3 ± 0.1 centipoise at a Hct of 25% (P <0.05). Viscosity increased progressively with increasing hematocrits and reached the value of 4.2 ± 0.2 centipoise at an Hct of 50% (P <0.05 versus Hct 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%). Conclusions: Based on the results of this non–supply-dependent animal model we conclude that a progressive increase in Hct up to 40% causes a corresponding increase in systemic DO2 associated with a decrease in O2ER. However, there is no improvement in renal, hepatic, and splanchnic DO2 and O2ER after a threshold Hct of 35%. All other factors being the same, an Hct greater than 35% may in fact cause a decrease in blood flow rate and change in blood flow characteristics as a consequence of increased blood kinematic viscosity, which may alter and compromise cellular oxygen transfer.
Hemodynamics of Penile Erection: III. Measurement of Deep Intracavernosal and Subtunical Blood Flow and Oxygen Tension

Previous studies have shown that intracavernosal blood flow increases during penile erection, but little is known about intracavernosal hemodynamics. Using a previously developed canine model of erection, we measured intracavernosal blood flow and oxygen tension at 2 sites within the corpus cavernosum: directly beneath the tunica albuginea and deep within the cavernous tissue. We chose to measure oxygen tension as an indicator of arterial blood flow. Penile erection was induced by pelvic nerve stimulation as well as by injection of papaverine and phentolamine. In the flaccid penis, blood flow measured directly under the tunica albuginea was significantly higher than deep intracavernosal blood flow. Subtunical oxygen tension in the flaccid penis was consistent with a largely arterial circulation. These observations provide physiological evidence of an important subtunical circulation that carries most of the intracavernosal blood flow when the penis is flaccid. With pelvic nerve stimulation, deep intracavernosal blood flow increased significantly followed by an increase in oxygen tension. Oxygen tension deep within the corpus cavernosum increased during penile erection from a level consistent with venous blood to a level consistent with arterial blood. Injection of papaverine and phentolamine caused a significant increase in intracavernosal pressure and a significant decrease in subtunical blood flow but did not cause statistically significant change in intracavernosal blood flow or oxygen tension. In contrast to nerve-induced erection, pharmacologically induced erection appears to depend more on intracavernosal shunting of blood than on increased total arterial blood flow to the penis. Hypogastric nerve stimulation during established erection caused detumescence by contracting cavernosal smooth muscle, reducing deep cavernosal blood flow and reestablishing blood flow through the subtunical space. Our observations suggest that the subtunical space contains an important circulation that may play a role in the hemodynamics of the flaccid, as well as the erect, penis.
The Tragic Link of Poverty and Hunger: A Report on the Annual Food Day Teleconference

Ulijaszek, S. J. 1997. "Anthropometric Measures," in Design Concepts in Nutritional Epidemiology. Edited by B. M. Margetts and M. Nelson, pp. page numbers. New York: Oxford University Press. Yip, R. 1997. "Famine," in The Public Health Consequences of Disasters. Edited by E. K. Noji, pp. 305-335. New York: Oxford University Press. Zaman, Mohammad Q. 1999. "Vulnerability, Disaster, and Survival in Bangladesh: Three Case Studies," in The Angry Earth: Disaster in Anthropological Perspective. Edited by A. Oliver-Smith and S.M. Hoffman, pp. 192-212. New York: Routledge.
The synthesis, characterization, and polymerization of 1-ethyl-4-[(2-methacryloxy)ethyl carbamoyloxymethyl]-2,6,7-trioxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane

The synthesis of a monomer bearing polymerizable acrylic and bicyclic ortho ester groups is described. The monomer 1-ethyl-4-[(2-methacryloxy)ethyl carbamoyloxymethyl]-2,6,7-trioxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane is characterized by elemental analysis, 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra, mass spectra, and heat of polymerization. The free-radical and ionic polymerization of 4 is probed as is its copolymerization with several vinyl monomers.
Research Ethics Education in the STEM Disciplines: The Promises and Challenges of a Gaming Approach

While education in ethics and the responsible conduct of research (RCR) is widely acknowledged as an essential component of graduate education, particularly in the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math), little consensus exists on how best to accomplish this goal. Recent years have witnessed a turn toward the use of games in this context. Drawing from two NSF-funded grants (one completed and one on-going), this paper takes a critical look at the use of games in ethics and RCR education. It does so by: (a) setting the development of research and engineering ethics games in wider historical and theoretical contexts, which highlights their promise to solve important pedagogical problems; (b) reporting on some initial results from our own efforts to develop a game; and (c) reflecting on the challenges that arise in using games for ethics education. In our discussion of the challenges, we draw out lessons to improve this nascent approach to ethics education in the STEM disciplines .
Fluctuation-driven molecular transport through an asymmetric membrane channel

Channel proteins that selectively conduct molecules across cell membranes often exhibit an asymmetric structure. By means of a stochastic model, we argue that channel asymmetry in the presence of nonequilibrium fluctuations, fueled by the cell's metabolism as observed recently, can dramatically influence the transport through such channels by a ratchetlike mechanism. For an aquaglyceroporin that conducts water and glycerol, we show that a previously determined asymmetric glycerol potential leads to enhanced inward transport of glycerol, but for unfavorably high glycerol concentrations also to enhanced outward transport that protects a cell against poisoning.
Laryngotracheal separation surgery for intractable aspiration: Our experience with 12 patients

Abstract Objective Laryngotracheal separation surgery (LTS) was performed as a treatment for recurrent or intractable aspiration pneumonia in 12 pediatric patients. The effectiveness of LTS surgery for preventing aspiration pneumonia, and the complications of this procedure were investigated. Methods A retrospective chart review, conducted at a tertiary academic hospital in conjunction with a private practice, was used to identify children who underwent Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery (LTS) from September 2001 to July 2007. The main outcome measure was the number of hospital admissions for pneumonia in the pre LTS and post LTS period. A student's t -test was used for statistical analysis. Results LTS surgery decreased the frequency of pulmonary infections and respiratory events in all patients, resulting in far fewer hospitalizations. These patients experienced an average of 5 hospital admissions for pneumonia in the 2 years prior to LTS surgery, and an average of 1.1 hospital admissions for pneumonia after the LTS surgery. There were no major complications related to the surgery. Several minor complications following surgery were easily and effectively dealt with in the perioperative period. Conclusions LTS surgery is an effective and safe procedure in children with intractable aspiration. Parents do not perceive the care of the LTS stoma as burdensome. This procedure should be considered as an option in the surgical intervention for the management of chronic aspiration pneumonia in severely neurologically impaired children.
Diagnosis of a facial artery pseudoaneurysm using emergency bedside ultrasound.

Background: Pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial arterial system are rare. We report a case of a facial artery pseudoaneurysm initially mistaken for an abscess. With bedside ultrasound performed in the Emergency Department (ED) by the treating physician, the mass was identified as a pseudoaneurysm. Objectives: In this report we review the anatomy of the extracranial arterial system of the head and neck, discuss the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of pseudoaneuryms, and present diagnostic imaging and treatment options for pseudoaneurysms of the face. Case Report: A 51-year-old man presented with facial swelling and pain at the site of a laceration that he had sustained 1 month previously. Before incision and drainage, bedside ultrasound was performed in the ED by the treating physician to confirm the presumptive diagnosis of abscess with possible foreign body. The ultrasound revealed the mass to be a pseudoaneurysm. Conclusions: Although pseudoaneurysms of the head and neck are rare, a history of trauma should prompt the consideration of a vascular injury with the need for imaging before drainage procedures of a presumed abscess. To our knowledge, the use of clinician-performed bedside ultrasound to detect facial artery pseudoaneurysms has never been reported.
Oxytocin receptor subtypes in the pregnant rat myometrium and decidua: pharmacological differentiations.

Oxytocin (OT) has a dual action in the uterus: a uterotonic action on myometrial cells and a prostaglandin (PG)-releasing action on endometrial/decidual cells. It had not been determined whether the OT-binding sites or receptors on the myometrial and the endometrial/decidual membranes are of the same type or may represent two subtypes. Our studies presented in this paper show that isolated day 19-22 pregnant rat uterine horns and myometrial tissues (uterine horns with decidual tissues removed) incubated in Kreb's buffer at 37 C released PGF2 alpha in sustained quantities into the bathing medium. OT stimulated PG release over the basal release rate in a dose-dependent manner in the whole uterine horn but not in the myometrial tissue. Two OT antagonists, P[Phe(Me)2,Thr4]ornithine vasotocin (antagonist A) and desGly-NH2(9),d(CH2)5(1)[Tyr(Me)2,Thr4]ornithine vasotocin (antagonist B) were found to have different effects on the PG-releasing action of OT. At antiuterotonic doses, antagonist A had no antagonism o...
Changes in habitual food intake during weighed inventory surveys and duplication diet collections. A short review

It has been suggested that food consumption changes during prospective dietary surveys if the method used places too many demands on the subject. Because of the practical difficulties in its estimation, this possible source of error has been ignored to a large extent. Studies which indirectly measure the size and direction of such changes are reviewed. In the study populations, collection of duplicate diets resulted in decreases in energy intake of as much as 20 %. Any effect of the weighed inventory appeared to be weaker than this, but quantification was not possible with the methods used.
The need for cellular elements during axonal regeneration in the sea lamprey spinal cord.

Abstract Spinal axons in the larval sea lamprey regenerate following a complete spinal transection. It is not known whether regenerating growth cones require contact with cellular elements or whether the basement membrane and collagenous meninx primitiva which surround the spinal cord are sufficient for neurite outgrowth. To determine this, a freeze lesion was made which severed axons, destroyed neuronal perikarya, and greatly reduced the number of glial cells. After at least 10 weeks of recovery, 50 neurites from 31 Muller and Mauthner axons were labeled by intracellular injection of HRP. Eighty-six percent of these neurites did not regenerate into the lesion site. No neurites grew through the lesion. No animals recovered coordinated swimming. These results suggest that glial and/or neuronal surfaces are required for axonal regeneration. Moreover, a monolayer of glial cells appears to be suboptimal and a three-dimensional matrix of cells may be necessary to promote regeneration in the lamprey spinal cord.
Neuroprotective effects of estrogens following ischemic stroke

Our laboratory has investigated whether and how 17β-estradiol (E2) protects the brain against neurodegeneration associated with cerebrovascular stroke. We have discovered that low, physiological concentrations of E2, which are strikingly similar to low-basal circulating levels found in cycling mice, dramatically protect the brain against stroke injury, and consequently revealed multiple signaling pathways and key genes that mediate protective action of E2. Here we will review the discoveries comprising our current understanding of neuroprotective actions of estrogens against ischemic stroke. These findings may carry far reaching implications for improving the quality of life in aging populations.
A chronotherapeutic approach to the management of hypertension.

Patients with hypertension have a characteristic circadian pattern of blood pressure (BP) variability in a 24-h period, characterized by a wide range while awake and active, and a narrower range during sleep and inactivity. Blood pressure in the untreated hypertensive individual declines by approximately 10% to 20% during sleep compared with the mean awake BP values. Early in the morning (assuming a typical daynight activity cycle), the BP rises sharply on awakening, when physical and mental activities increase. Antihypertensive therapy has been traditionally dosed in the morning after awakening, and in recent years most of the newly developed antihypertensive agents have been once-daily, long-acting preparations. However, theoretically, this pattern of drug dosing may be suboptimal since pharmacodynamic activity is attenuated at the end of the dosing period, when a large rise in BP may occur. Presently, only a few studies have been performed to evaluate the effects of nocturnal dosing of standard long-acting drugs. Consequently, we undertook an assessment of the effects of a new formulation of verapamilontrolled onset extended release verapamil HC1 (COER-24)—that is dosed nocturnally and has a controlled onset of delivery (4 to 5 h postdose) and an extended release for the remainder of the dosing period. Through ambulatory BP monitoring, evaluation revealed that this verapamil formulation produced changes in BP that followed the circadian rhythm of BP: lower reductions during sleep, when the BP is intrinsically lowest, and appropriately larger reductions during the early morning and daytime hours, when ambulatory BP values accelerate and plateau to their highest levels. These data demonstrate that it is possible to design antihypertensive therapy for once-nightly dosing, thereby providing a chronotherapeutic regimen for patients with hypertension. Am J Hypertens 1996;9:29S–33S
Prostate specific antigen recurrence rates are low after radical retropubic prostatectomy and positive margins.

Purpose: Treatment in patients with a positive surgical margin after radical retropubic prostatectomy is controversial. Options are observation, radiation therapy and early hormone therapy. Making the appropriate choice should be based on an understanding of the risk of recurrence without treatment.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of 1,383 patients after radical retropubic prostatectomy was performed by a single surgeon. All specimens were analyzed by a single pathologist. Of the patients 936 met criteria for analysis.Results: Mean followup in these 936 patients was 45.8 months (minimum 12). The overall PSA biochemical recurrence rate was 11.5% (108 of 936 cases). Of the 936 patients 350 (37%) had tumor at an inked margin. These patients had a recurrence rate of 19% (67 of 350), while patients with negative margins had a recurrence rate of 7% (41 of 586). This difference was statistically significant (p <0.01). Multivariate HR analysis revealed that significant risk factors for recurrence in...
The relationship of foraminifera and submarine topography on the New Jersey-Delaware continental shelf

This study relates the distribution and abundance of foraminifera to the system of ridges and swales (L = several kilometres; ht = 10 to 20 m) off the New Jersey coast. Foraminiferal communities were sampled, and environmental variables (grain size, organic carbon, sediment temperature, depth, percentage of silt-clay, and bacterial populations) were measured at eight stations located in ridge and swale areas during eight quarterly cruises in 1976 and 1977. From 125 core samples (depth = 3 cm; diam = 5 cm), 118 species of living foraminifera were identified, and populations ranging to nearly 1,200 per 20 cm 3 were recorded. Foraminiferal populations differ in response to mesoscale topography, with significantly greater densities of living foraminifera in the swales (x = 305 ± 52) than on the ridges (x = 78 ± 12). Species compositions of faunas on ridges are not obviously different from those in swales. Three hypotheses to explain differences in foraminiferal densities between swales and ridges were tested. (1) Autochthonous environmental conditions: foraminiferal densities are correlated with finer grain size and amount of organic carbon when ridges and swales are compared together; within swales, foraminiferal densities vary inversely with temperature, perhaps as the result of increased predation at elevated temperatures. (2) Differential transportation of foraminifera: size-frequency distributions of Reophax atlantica suggest that transportation of living foraminifera from ridges to swales is not important. (3) Removal by mechanical destruction or predation: laboratory experiments demonstrate that breakage may be significant on ridges where turbulence is greatest.
Surface plasmon-photosensitizer resonance coupling: an enhanced singlet oxygen production platform for broad-spectrum photodynamic inactivation of bacteria

Singlet oxygen plays a critical role in a great number of applications including photodynamic therapy of cancers, photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms, photooxidation, and photodegradation of polymers. Herein we demonstrate a general platform to improve singlet oxygen production via resonance coupling between surface plasmon and photosensitizers. By loading photosensitizers into mesoporous silica containing silver nanoparticles, strong resonance coupling between the photosensitizers and the silver core markedly increases the singlet oxygen production, by up to three orders of magnitude in some cases. It is observed that the more spectral overlap between the surface plasmon resonance spectrum of the silver core and the photosensitizers' absorption spectra, the greater the singlet oxygen production. The as-synthesized hybrids have shown exceptionally high photoinactivation efficiency against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This work establishes a general platform to improve singlet oxygen production and to develop more effective and efficient hybrid photosensitizers for broad-spectrum photodynamic inactivation of bacteria.
The development of cervical and vaginal adenosis as a result of diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero.

Exposure to exogenous hormones during development can result in permanent health problems. In utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) is probably the most well documented case in human history. DES, an orally active synthetic estrogen, was believed to prevent adverse pregnancy outcome and thus was routinely given to selected pregnant women from the 1940s to the 1960s. It has been estimated that 5 million pregnant women worldwide were prescribed DES during this period. In the early 1970s, vaginal clear cell adenocarcinomas (CCACs) were diagnosed in daughters whose mother took DES during pregnancy (known as DES daughters). Follow-up studies demonstrated that exposure to DES in utero causes a spectrum of congenital anomalies in female reproductive tracts and CCACs. Among those, cervical and vaginal adenoses are most commonly found, which are believed to be the precursors of CCACs. Transformation related protein 63 (TRP63/p63) marks the cell fate decision of Mullerian duct epithelium (MDE) to become squamous epithelium in the cervix and vagina. DES disrupts the TRP63 expression in mice and induces adenosis lesions in the cervix and vagina. This review describes mouse models that can be used to study the development of DES-induced anomalies, focusing on cervical and vaginal adenoses, and discusses their molecular pathogenesis.
Chromatographic behavior of immunoglobulin-bound creatine kinase on DEAE-Sephadex A-50.

Abstract We investigated the Chromatographie behavior of CK isoenzymes and immunoglobulin-bound macro-CK by discontinuous gradient elution from DEAE-Sephadex A-50 at pH 7 and 8. In four of five patients with macro-CK, the macro-CK was eluted with the MB buffer at pH 8, but a significant portion of the complex was eluted with the MM buffer at pH 7, in a region between CK-MM and CK-MB. In the fifth patient, the macro-CK was eluted with the MB buffer at both pH values. The immunoglobulin patterns of all five patients and of normal serum showed that IgG and IgM are eluted mainly with the MM and MB buffers, respectively, at both pH values, whereas IgA is eluted mainly with the MB buffer at pH 8, but at pH 7, shows a significant shift similar to that of macro-CK. These characteristic patterns allowed the identification of the immunoglobulin in macro-CK as IgA in the first four patients, and as IgM in the fifth patient.
Studies of amino acid administration

B ETWEEN 1912 and 1916 several reports appeared in the literature concerning the utilization of amino acids prepared by digestion of caseinY, 2, 3, ~ Recently, due to the development by the Mead Johnson LaboratoriesL, 5~ of a particularly promising casein digest which became available for study, observations concerning its utilization in human beings when administered by both parentera] and oral routes have been reported by Elman, 6 Carbould, 7 Fetzer, 8 Shohl, 9 Farr, ~~ ~0~ Altshuler,~ and their co-workers. Still more recently, studies concerning the possible value o~ such amino acid mixtures in promoting regeneration of plasma protein and in correcting hypoproteinemia have been made by 1V[adden, ~2' ~ Ho]man, ~ and Elman, ~ and their co-workers and by us (unpublished data). The work to be reported here was undertaken during the summer and fall of 1940 as part o~ a broad study o~ parenteral feeding. Its chief purpose was investigation of the possibilities of parenteral administration of the digest and comparison o~ its Utilization when given enterally and parenterally.
Impact of fellowship training on robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: benchmarking perioperative safety and outcomes

To provide perioperative benchmark data for surgeons entering practice from formal robotic training and performing robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN). Perioperative outcomes of the first 100 RAPN from a surgeon entering into practice directly from robotic fellowship training were analyzed. Postoperative complications were categorized by Clavien-Dindo grade. Surgical "trifecta scores" and Margin, Ischemia, and Complication (MIC) scoring were utilized to assess surgical outcomes. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS (version 9.2; SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina). Median age of the cohort was 63 years (22-81 years), and 34 (34.3%) patients were over age 65. Forty-one (41.4%) patients had a BMI > 30. Thirteen (13.1%) had RENAL 10-12 tumors, 22 of which (22.2%) were >4 cm in size. Median warm ischemia time was 17 min, and 13 patients had resection without warm ischemia. Five patients were converted to open partial nephrectomy, and 1 patient was converted to laparoscopic nephrectomy. Twenty-one patients (21.2%) experienced a complication, 6 of whom had a major (Clavien grade 3 or higher) complication with one grade 5 complication. Operating room time decreased with experience, but surgical complications and hospital stay did not change with experience. MIC score of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients was 74.7%, while the surgical trifecta was reached in 71.3 % of RCC patients. Surgeons may enter practice directly from formal robotic training and perform RAPN with perioperative outcomes, surgical complications, surgical trifecta scores, and MIC scoring in line with those the most experienced robotic partial nephrectomists.
Analysis of NF-κB Pathway Proteins in Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma: Correlations with EBV Status and Clinical Outcome-A Children's Oncology Group Study.

Constitutively active nuclear factor-B (NF-B) is integral to the survival of Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells (H/RS) in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). To investigate NF-B pathway proteins in pediatric HL, we utilized a tissue microarray compiled from 102 children enrolled in the Children's Oncology Group intermediate-risk clinical trial AHOD0031 (56 male, 78 Caucasian, median age 15 years (range 1–20 years), 85 nodular sclerosing subtype, 23 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive, and 24 refractory/relapsed disease). We examined the intensity, localization, and pathway correlations of NF-B pathway proteins (Rel-A/p65, Rel-B, c-Rel, NF-B1, NF-B2, IB-, IKK-, IKK-, IKK-/NEMO, NIK, and A20), as well as their associations with EBV status and clinical outcome. NF-B pathway proteins were overexpressed in pediatric HL patients compared to controls. Patients with EBV− tumors, or with rapid early therapy response, had tightly coordinated regulation of NF-B pathway proteins, whereas patients with EBV