cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oral Versus Parenteral Antibiotics for Osteoarticular Infections: You PICC.

A previously healthy 8-year-old girl presented to the emergency department with right hip pain and inability to bear weight on the right lower extremity. She had been afebrile at home, although was receiving ibuprofen for pain. Inflammatory markers were elevated, including a C-reactive protein (CRP) of 76.4 mg/L and an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 40 mm per hour. A radiograph of the pelvis did not show any obvious joint effusion. Given the concern for septic hip, orthopedics was consulted and she was taken to the operating room for aspiration of her right hip joint. Aspiration showed cloudy yellow fluid with a white blood cell count >85 000. Orthopedics proceeded with incision and drainage and she was admitted for parenteral antibiotics. She was empirically started on cefazolin. The broth from her hip culture grew coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species, but the fluid culture was negative, and this was presumed to be a contaminant. The orthopedic and infectious disease teams made a joint decision to treat empirically with cefazolin for a total of 4 weeks for presumed septic hip. A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) was placed on hospital day 3 and she was discharged on hospital day 4. At the time of discharge, the patient had no hip pain, was afebrile, able to bear weight, and had a CRP of 8.8 mg/L. Four days after discharge, the patient presented to the emergency department with pain, erythema, and swelling above the site of her PICC line. A duplex ultrasound of the arm showed a deep vein thrombus. Her PICC line was removed and she was started on enoxaparin for 3 months. She was discharged on oral high-dose cephalexin. Total duration of treatment was 16 days; antibiotics were then discontinued based on a normal clinical examination and inflammatory markers. This case illustrates the harm that can …
Role of Tissue Repair and Death Proteins in Liver Injury

The extraordinary ability of the liver to regenerate after tissue loss from resection of liver tissue or due to injury has been known for a long time. Investigations during the last third of a century have revealed a similar dynamic regeneration response to toxic drugs and chemicals. Upon initiation of drug-induced injury, a cascade of signaling mechanisms is activated by cytokines and growth factors stimulate the surrounding cells to divide and replace the lost tissue, thereby restoring the structure and function of the liver. Drugs such as acetaminophen and toxicants such as carbon tetrachloride and thioacetamide stimulate cell division and tissue repair. The newly divided liver cells also impart resiliency to additional injury. At low-to-moderate doses, tissue repair restores the lost tissue. At higher doses, such as lethal doses, drug-induced liver injury continues to progress and expand, leading to liver failure and animal death. The mechanisms of injury expansion remained undefined until recently. Recent findings indicate that the liver cells affected by initiation of injury lose osmoregulation, and swelling cells develop blebs on the plasma membrane and rupture, spilling their cytoplasm in the calcium-rich extracellular space. The hydrolytic enzymes contained in the leakage are highly activated, and activated death proteins hydrolyze their respective substrates contained within the plasma membranes of surrounding cells, thereby establishing a self-perpetuating cycle of tissue destruction. When liver cells divide, they overexpress endogenous inhibitors of the death proteins, thus stopping the expansion of liver injury. Unabated expansion of liver injury can also be arrested by synthetic inhibitors of death proteins, thus enabling the survival of lethally drug overdosed or poisoned animals. These new findings raise the possibility of saving life by stopping the progressive expansion of liver injury, liver failure, and death.
Towards Evolutionary Multimodal Interaction

One of the main challenges of Human Computer Interaction researches is to improve naturalness of the user’s interaction process. Currently two widely investigated directions are the adaptivity and the multimodality of interaction. Starting from the adaptivity concept, the paper provides an analysis of methods that make multimodal interaction adaptive respect to the final users and evolutionary over time. A comparative analysis between the concepts of adaptivity and evolution, given in literature, is provided, highlighting their similarities and differences and an original definition of evolutionary multimodal interaction is provided. Moreover, artificial intelligence techniques, quantum computing concepts and evolutionary computation applied to multimodal interaction are discussed.
Preoperative radioactive seed localization of nonpalpable soft tissue masses: an established localization technique with a new application

To describe the technique of iodine125 (I125) seed deployment into nonpalpable soft tissue masses under direct ultrasound (US) or CT guidance for intraoperative localization. Patients considered candidates for radioactive seed localization (RSL) based on advanced imaging findings underwent an ultrasound examination of the area of concern to verify sonographic visualization of the targeted mass. If the mass was not visible sonographically, CT was used for guidance. Patients were scheduled for surgery 1–4 days after seed implantation. Intraoperative frozen section pathological analysis was performed on all patients. Operative time, specimen volume, intraoperative margin status, and final margin status were recorded. Following the surgery, patients and surgeons completed satisfaction surveys. Ten patients underwent seed placement between 1 and 4 days prior to surgery. All patients had successful surgical resection of the targeted mass with removal of all implanted radioactive seed(s). There was no seed migration. Intraoperative frozen-section margins were negative (>2 mm) in 6/10 patients. Final surgical margins were negative in 9/10 patients. The patient with a positive margin at final pathology did not undergo further resection due to the benign nature of the mass. Patient and surgeon satisfaction survey results were highly positive. All four surgeons reported a strong preference for seed localization over wire localization. RSL is an effective, reliable, and safe technique for preoperative localization of nonpalpable soft tissue masses and yields high patient and surgeon satisfaction.
Nominal ellipsis as a collaborative effort

Following fundamental minimalist assumptions, this study aims to explain the distribution of nominal ellipsis (NE, henceforth) in Spanish as the result of last resort constraints at different components of the grammar. The current proposal is that NE in Spanish is a special case of trace deletion that results from the creation of an imperfect/defective/smaller copy, which must be interpreted as an anaphora (concretely, as a (definite) pronoun) at the semantic interface (hence, SEM) due to its ‘reduced’ size. Therefore, the structure created in narrow syntax will be interpreted as any other copy at the phonological interface (hence, PHON), where it is not pronounced, but it will be interpreted as a (definite) pronoun at SEM. This approach derives the partitive character of the NE construction and the impossibility of having NE with some Determiners and prenominal Adjectives as the result of an SEM clash between the presence of the anaphora and the meaning of the Determiner
Preoperative planning for accurate glenoid component positioning in reverse shoulder arthroplasty

Abstract Background Glenoid component positioning in reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is challenging. Patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) has been advocated to improve accuracy, and is based on precise preoperative planning. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of glenoid component positioning when only the glenoid surface is visible, compared to when the entire scapula is visible on a 3D virtual model. Methods CT scans of 30 arthritic shoulders were reconstructed in 3D models. Two surgeons then virtually placed a glenosphere component in the model while visualizing only the glenoid surface, in order to simulate typical intraoperative exposure (“blind 3D” surgery). One surgeon then placed the component in an ideal position while visualizing the entire scapula (“visible 3D” surgery). These two positions were then compared, and the accuracy of glenoid component positioning was assessed in terms of correction of native glenoid version and tilt, and avoidance of glenoid vault perforation. Results Mean version and tilt after “blind 3D” surgery were +1.4° (SD 8.8°) and +7.6° (SD 6°), respectively; glenoid vault perforation occurred in 17 specimens. Mean version and tilt after “visible 3D” surgery were +0.3° (SD 0.8°) and +0.1° (SD 0.5°), respectively, with glenoid vault perforation in 6 cases. “Visible 3D” surgery provided significantly better accuracy than “blind 3D” surgery (P Conclusion When the entire scapula is used as reference, accuracy is improved and glenoid vault perforation is less frequent. This type of visualization is only possible with pre-operative 3D CT planning, and may be augmented by PSI. Level of evidence Basic science study. Level III.
Structural and Dynamical Properties of Tetraalkylammonium Bromide Aqueous Solutions: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study Using a Polarizable Force Field

Understanding the behavior of aqueous solutions containing tetraalkylammonium (TAA) cations is of great significance in a number of applications, including polymer membranes for fuel cells. In this work, a polarizable force field has been used to perform atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of aqueous solutions containing tetramethylammonium (TMA) or tetrabutylammonium (TBA) cations and Br counterions. Extensive MD simulations of TMA-Br/water and TBA-Br/water systems were conducted as a function of solution composition (ion pair:water molar ratios of 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:63, and 1:500) at atmospheric pressure and 298 K. Our simulations demonstrate excellent agreement with available experimental data for solution densities and diffusion coefficients of different species as a function of solution composition, providing us confidence in analyzed structural and dynamic correlations. Various ion–ion and ion–water spatial distributions and the extent of cation aggregation are discussed in light of chang...
Sociocultural variability in the Latino population: Age patterns and differences in morbidity among older US adults.

Background The US Latino population is rapidly aging and becoming increasingly diverse with respect to nativity and national origin. Increased longevity along with medical advancements in treatment have resulted in a higher number of older Latinos living with morbidity. Therefore, there is a need to understand variability in Latino health among older adults. Objectives This paper documents mid- and late-life health differences in morbidity by race/ethnicity, nativity, and country of origin among adults aged 50 and older. Methods We use data from the 2000-2015 National Health Interview Survey to calculate age-and gender-specific proportions based on reports of five morbidity measures: hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes among non-Latino Whites and seven Latino subgroups. Results The foreign-born from Mexico, Cuba, and Central/South America, regardless of gender, exhibit an immigrant advantage for heart disease and cancer in comparison to non-Latino Whites across all age categories. Conversely, island-born Puerto Ricans are generally characterized with higher levels of morbidity. Similarly, US-born Puerto Ricans and Mexicans exhibit morbidity patterns indicative of their minority status. Latinos, regardless of gender, were more likely to report diabetes than non-Latino Whites. Hypertension and stroke have significant variability in age patterns among US-and foreign-born Latinos. Conclusion Recognizing the importance of within-Latino heterogeneity in health is imperative if researchers are to implement social services and health policies aimed at ameliorating the risk of disease. Contribution Considering intersectional ethnic, nativity, and country-of-origin characteristics among older Latinos is important to better understand the underlying causes of racial/ethnic disparities in morbidity across the life course.
Basic Plastic Surgery for Orthopedic Surgeons

Wounds can be closed primarily or by secondary intension, but complex wounds associated with orthopedic trauma often need skin grafts or flaps. This chapter has instructions for flaps useful to orthopedic surgeons.
Pimtool, an expert system to troubleshoot computer hardware failures

This paper describes a tool to diagnose the cause of failure of a HP computer server. We do this by analyzing the dump of Processor Internal Memory (PIM) and maximizing the leverage of expert learning from one hardware failure situation to another. The tool is a rule-based expert system, with some nested rules which translate to decision trees. The rules were implemented using a metalanguage which was customized for the hardware failure analysis problem domain. Pimtool has been deployed to 25 users as of December 1996. We plan to expand usage to over 400 users by end of 1997. Using Pimtool, we expect to save over 15 minutes in Mean-Time-to-Repair (MTIR) per call. We have recognized that knowledge management will be a key issue in the future and are developing tools and strategies to address it.
Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells for Wound Healing

Amniotic fluid-derived stem (AFS) cells are an attractive cell source for applications in regenerative medicine due to their proliferation capacity, multipotency, immunomodulatory activity, and lack of significant immunogenicity. In addition, they have the ability to modulate inflammatory responses and secrete therapeutic cytokines. Because of these characteristics, AFS cells have been explored for treatments in wound healing and skin regeneration. Studies show that AFS cells are effective in accelerating wound healing in skin in fetal environments, and more recently in adult wounds. Evidence indicates that delivered cells are often transient, not permanently integrating into the final skin tissue. Instead, they secrete a portfolio of potent growth factors that are integral to skin regeneration and angiogenesis, suggesting a trophic mechanism of augmenting wound healing. These initial works of research suggest that delivery of AFS cells has potential to be an effective cell therapy for facilitating wound healing and should be further considered for clinical use in excessive skin wounds in human patients.
American's desire for less wealth inequality does not depend on how you ask them

A large body of survey research offers evidence that citizens are not always fully aware of the economic and political realities in their respective countries. Norton and Ariely (2011) extended this research to the domain of wealth inequality, showing that Americans were surprisingly unaware of the shape of the wealth distribution in America. Using an alternative methodology, Eriksson and Simpson (2012) found that asking Americans to estimate the average wealth of quintiles, rather than the percent of wealth owned by each quintile, led to relatively more accurate estimates. We note, however, that the Eriksson and Simpson (2012) results do not challenge Norton and Ariely’s (2011) conclusion that Americans desire a much more equal distribution of wealth.
Physiological Lesion Assessment in STEMI and Other Acute Coronary Syndromes

Invasive coronary physiology is a key instrument in decision-making for the interventional cardiologist. Fractional flow reserve has been well validated in chronic stable coronary artery disease. Its practical applications have expanded into other clinical situations such as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) including ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Recently, other invasive indices of coronary physiology including instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR), index of microvascular resistance (IMR), hyperemic stenosis resistance (HSR), and coronary flow reserve (CFR) have been explored in the context of ACS. This review will focus on the fundamentals and role of physiologic lesion assessment in the ACS patient.
A bone mineralization defect in the Pahenu2 model of classical phenylketonuria involves compromised mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.

Abstract Osteopenia is observed in some patients affected by phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficient phenylketonuria (PKU). Bone density studies, in diverse PKU patient cohorts, have demonstrated bone disease is neither fully penetrant nor uniform in bone density loss. Biochemical assessment has generated a muddled perspective regarding mechanisms of the PKU bone phenotype where the participation of hyperphenylalaninemia remains unresolved. Osteopenia is realized in the Pahenu2 mouse model of classical PKU; although, characterization is incomplete. We characterized the Pahenu2 bone phenotype and assessed the effect of hyperphenylalaninemia on bone differentiation. Employing Pahenu2 and control animals, cytology, static and dynamic histomorphometry, and biochemistry were applied to further characterize the bone phenotype. These investigations demonstrate Pahenu2 bone density is decreased 33% relative to C57BL/6; bone volume/total volume was similarly decreased; trabecular thickness was unchanged while increased trabecular spacing was observed. Dynamic histomorphometry demonstrated a 25% decrease in mineral apposition. Biochemically, control and PKU animals have similar plasma cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D. PKU animals show moderately increased plasma parathyroid hormone while plasma calcium and phosphate are reduced. These data are consistent with a mineralization defect. The effect of hyperphenylalaninemia on bone maturation was assessed in vitro employing bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their differentiation into bone. Using standard culture conditions, PAH deficient MSCs differentiate into bone as assessed by in situ alkaline phosphatase activity and mineral staining. However, PAH deficient MSCs cultured in 1200 μM PHE (metric defining classical PKU) show significantly reduced mineralization. These data are the first biological evidence demonstrating a negative impact of hyperphenylalaninemia upon bone maturation. In PAH deficient MSCs, expression of Col1A1 and Rankl are suppressed by hyperphenylalaninemia consistent with reduced bone formation and bone turnover. Osteopenia is intrinsic to PKU pathology in untreated Pahenu2 animals and our data suggests PHE toxicity participates by inhibiting mineralization in the course of MSC bone differentiation.
Proceedings of the First International Workshop on User Evaluation for Software Engineering Researchers

The workshop schedule is divided into four sections. Each section has a dual purpose - first, to provide you an opportunity to learn about and practice an aspect of developing and running a user evaluation, and second, to build community by learning about one another's research and brainstorming together. We begin by exploring early investigative and organizational methodologies: contextual inquiry, interviews, and affinity diagramming. We follow by developing research questions and refining them into testable hypotheses. Third, we survey various experimental designs and use that knowledge to create study plans. We conclude by piloting the most promising studies on one another, reflect on how they went, and refine their design.
Use of Claims Data for Cost and Cost-Effectiveness Research

Administrative claims data are big data generated from healthcare encounters. Claims data contain information on insurance payment as well as clinical diagnoses and procedure codes to ascertain medical conditions and treatments, making them valuable sources for economic evaluation research. This paper offers an introductory overview of the use of claims data for oncology-related cost-of-illness, cost comparison, and cost-effectiveness analyses. We reviewed analytical methods commonly employed in these analyses, such as the phase of care approach and net costing method for cost-of-illness studies, propensity score matching methods for cost comparison studies, and net benefit regression models for cost-effectiveness studies. We used published studies to explain each method and to discuss methodological challenges of conducting economic studies using claims data.
Energy Prediction for Cache Tuning in Embedded Systems

Modern embedded systems are longer tasked at operating a single application or function and are increasingly required to operate more like general purpose desktop computers. Conforming to modern usage demands is extremely challenging given an embedded system's stringent design constraints, such as power, energy, and performance. Adherence to these constraints can be achieved by specializing/tuning the underlying system to application-specific execution requirements and characteristics by tuning a system's configurable parameters to meet these requirements given design constraints. Configurable parameters include architectural voltage, frequency, cache size, line size, and associativity, etc. However, given the complexity of modern systems, exploring these large design spaces is infeasible when the number of configurable parameters and valid parameter values increases beyond a trivial amount. In this paper, we propose using machine learning in lieu of traditional design space exploration techniques. In this work, we evaluate the potential for using an artificial neural network (ANN)-based prediction module for energy prediction. Since the cache hierarchy has a large impact on total energy consumption, without loss of generality, we study a configurable cache hierarchy with configurable cache size, associativity, and line size. We design and train an energy prediction module to infer the best cache configuration for an application based on the application's execution characteristics. Our approach requires only a single profiling run of the application to collect these characteristics. Our energy prediction module then predicts the energy consumption for all the configurations in the cache design space based on these characteristics, and outputs the configuration with the lowest energy consumption, thus essentially performing exhaustive design space exploration with a single execution. Our results show that our prediction module predicts the best instruction and data cache configurations for the majority of the applications, yielding an average energy degradation of less than 2% for both the instruction and data caches as compared to the optimal configuration determined by exhaustive design space exploration.
A ferrobotic system for automated microfluidic logistics

Automated technologies that can perform massively parallelized and sequential fluidic operations at small length scales can resolve major bottlenecks encountered in various fields, including medical diagnostics, -omics, drug development, and chemical/material synthesis. Inspired by the transformational impact of automated guided vehicle systems on manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution industries, we devised a ferrobotic system that uses a network of individually addressable robots, each performing designated micro-/nanofluid manipulation-based tasks in cooperation with other robots toward a shared objective. The underlying robotic mechanism facilitating fluidic operations was realized by addressable electromagnetic actuation of miniature mobile magnets that exert localized magnetic body forces on aqueous droplets filled with biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles. The contactless and high-strength nature of the actuation mechanism inherently renders it rapid (~10 centimeters/second), repeatable (>10,000 cycles), and robust (>24 hours). The robustness and individual addressability of ferrobots provide a foundation for the deployment of a network of ferrobots to carry out cross-collaborative logistics efficiently. These traits, together with the reconfigurability of the system, were exploited to devise and integrate passive/active advanced functional components (e.g., droplet dispensing, generation, filtering, and merging), enabling versatile system-level functionalities. By applying this ferrobotic system within the framework of a microfluidic architecture, the ferrobots were tasked to work cross-collaboratively toward the quantification of active matrix metallopeptidases (a biomarker for cancer malignancy and inflammation) in human plasma, where various functionalities converged to achieve a fully automated assay.
IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOW-UP ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN CARDIAC AMYLOIDOSIS: PROGNOSIS ASSOCIATED WITH APICAL STRAIN HAS A LIMITED WARRANTY PERIOD

We previously reported how relative regional strain ratio (RRSR) is prognostic in cardiac amyloidosis (CA), with RRSR > 1 (apical sparing strain pattern) as a significant categorical indicator of poor survival. What is unknown is how RRSR changes over time and how this influences survival. 96
Chronic sphenoid sinusitis after anterior skull base reconstruction with MEDPOR

Abstract Objective To review a sequela of skull base reconstruction with a porous polyethylene implant. Methods Case report. Results A 61-year old patient with a past surgical history of transsphenoidal hypophysectomy presented with chronic post nasal drip. Endoscopy demonstrated crusting along the residual intersinus sphenoid septum. The patient was taken to the operating room to remove the residual septum, which was discovered to be a porous polyethylene implant. The implant was removed and the patient's symptoms resolved. Repeat endoscopy showed healthy mucosalization of the sphenoid sinus. Conclusions While porous polyethylene has a relatively safe biocompatibility profile, infection, extrusion, or migration of the implant are potential complications after skull base reconstruction, and subsequent chronic sinusitis can develop. It is important for surgeons to recognize these potential complications when planning reconstruction and select appropriately.
Anxiety reduction after pre-procedure meetings in patients with CHD.

Background:Cardiac catheterisations for CHD produce anxiety for patients and families. Current strategies to mitigate anxiety and explain complex anatomy include pre-procedure meetings and educational tools (cardiac diagrams, echocardiograms, imaging, and angiography). More recently, three-dimensionally printed patient-specific models can be added to the armamentarium. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pre-procedure meetings and of different educational tools to reduce patient and parent anxiety before a catheterisation.Methods:Prospective study of patients ≥18 and parents of patients <18 scheduled for clinically indicated catheterisations. Patients completed online surveys before and after meeting with the interventional cardiologist, who was blinded to study participation. Both the pre- and post-meeting surveys measured anxiety using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. In addition, the post-meeting survey evaluated the subjective value (from 1 to 4) of individual educational tools: physician discussion, cardiac diagrams, echocardiograms, prior imaging, angiograms and three-dimensionally printed cardiac models. Data were compared using paired t-tests.Results:Twenty-three patients consented to participate, 16 had complete data for evaluation. Mean State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores were abnormally elevated at baseline and decreased into the normal range after the pre-procedure meeting (39.8 versus 31, p = 0.008). Physician discussion, angiograms, and three-dimensional models were reported to be most effective at increasing understanding and reducing anxiety.Conclusion:In this pilot study, we have found that pre-catheterisation meetings produce a measurable decrease in patient and family anxiety before a procedure. Discussions of the procedure, angiograms, and three-dimensionally printed cardiac models were the most effective educational tools.
Effect of Simulation-Based Training and Neurofeedback Interventions on Radiation Technologists’ Workload, Situation Awareness, and Performance

Abstract Purpose Our purpose was to assess the effect of a combined intervention – simulation-based training supported by neurofeedback sessions – on radiation technologists' (RTs') workload, situation awareness, and performance during routine quality assurance and treatment delivery tasks. Methods and Materials As part of a prospective institutional review board approved study, 32 RTs previously randomized to receive versus not receive simulation-based training focused on patient safety were again randomized to receive versus not receive a 3-week neurofeedback intervention (8 sessions of alpha-theta protocol) focused on stress reduction as well as conscious precision, strong focus, and ability to solve arising problems. Perceived workload was quantified using the NASA Task Load Index. Situation awareness was quantified using the situation awareness rating technique. Performance score was calculated using procedural compliance with time-out components and error detection. Results RTs randomized to simulation-based training followed by neurofeedback sessions demonstrated no significant changes in perceived workload or situation awareness scores, but did have better performance compared with other study groups (P Conclusions This finding is encouraging and provides basis for using neurofeedback as means to possibly augment performance improvements gained during simulation-based training.
Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Offspring Early Childhood Growth

BACKGROUND Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with fetal overgrowth, and certain treatments are associated with an increased risk of macrosomia. However, there are limited data about the long-term effect of GDM treatment on childhood growth. METHODS Cohort study of 816 women with GDM and their offspring delivered between 2009 and 2012. Childhood height and weight through age 3 were collected from the medical record and z-scores and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. We assessed the association between GDM treatment and childhood growth using linear mixed modeling. RESULTS Treatment was divided into medical nutritional therapy (MNT) (n = 293), glyburide (n = 421), and insulin (n = 102). At delivery, birthweight, z-score, and BMI were higher in the offspring of women treated with either glyburide or insulin compared to MNT. However, weight, z-score, and BMI were similar among all offspring at 6 months and 1, 2, and 3 years of age. After controlling for covariates, there were differences in the weight z-score (P = 0.01) over the 3-year period by treatment group, but no differences in weight (P = 0.06) or change in BMI (P = 0.28). Pairwise comparisons indicated that insulin was associated with more weight gain compared with MNT (0.69 kg; 95% CI, 0.10-1.28; P = 0.02) and glyburide was associated with a trend toward lower weight z-score compared with MNT (-0.24; 95% CI, -0.47 to 0.003; P = 0.05). CONCLUSION Despite growth differences detected at birth, we observed no meaningful differences in childhood growth from 6 months to 3 years among treatment groups, including in the offspring of women with GDM treated with glyburide.
Val16a sod2 polymorphism promotes epithelial–mesenchymal transition antagonized by muscadine grape skin extract in prostate cancer cells

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a key event in cancer metastasis, allows polarized epithelial cells to assume mesenchymal morphologies, enhancing invasiveness and migration, and can be induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Val16A (Ala) SOD2 polymorphism has been associated with increased prostate cancer (PCa) risk. We hypothesized that SOD2 Ala single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may promote EMT. We analyzed SOD2 expression and genotype in various prostate cell lines. Stable overexpression of Ala-SOD2 or Val-SOD2 allele was performed in Lymph Node Carcinoma of the Prostate (LNCaP) cells followed by analysis of intracellular ROS and EMT marker protein expression. Treatments were performed with muscadine grape skin extract (MSKE) antioxidant, with or without addition of H2O2 to provide further oxidative stress. Furthermore, MTS cell proliferation, cell migration, and apoptosis assays were completed. The results showed that SOD2 expression did not correlate with tumor aggressiveness nor SOD2 genotype. We demonstrated that the Ala-SOD2 allele was associated with marked induction of EMT indicated by higher Snail and vimentin, lower E-cadherin, and increased cell migration, when compared to Val-SOD2 allele or Neo control cells. Ala-SOD2 SNP cells exhibited increased levels of total ROS and superoxide and were more sensitive to co-treatment with H2O2 and MSKE, which led to reduced cell growth and increased apoptosis. Additionally, MSKE inhibited Ala-SOD2 SNP-mediated EMT. Our data indicates that treatment with a combination of H2O2-generative drugs, such as certain chemotherapeutics and antioxidants such as MSKE that targets superoxide, hold promising therapeutic potential to halt PCa progression in the future.
Nontrivial point-gap topology and non-Hermitian skin effect in photonic crystals

We show that two-dimensional non-Hermitian photonic crystals made of lossy material can exhibit nontrivial point-gap topology in terms of topological winding in its complex frequency band structure. Such crystals can be made of either lossy isotropic media which is reciprocal or lossy magneto-optical media which is nonreciprocal. We discuss the effects of reciprocity on the properties of the point-gap topology. We also show that such a nontrivial point-gap topology leads to the non-Hermitian skin effect when the photonic crystal is truncated. In contrast to most previous studies on point-gap topology which used tight-binding models, our work indicates that such non-Hermitian topology can studied in photonic crystals, which represent a more realistic system that has technological significance.
Cell Phones and Oracles: Legal Globalization Meets the Marabout's Mystical Justice in the West African Republic of Niger

The West African Republic of Niger, like many countries in the developing world, is in the midst of a root and branch revision of its legal system with the aim of bringing it into conformity with global - and by global, of course, we mean Western - legal norms. The law that exists in Niger today is a mixed bag of African and Western, traditional and modern, religious and secular. However, the vast majority of Niger's people, particularly its rural people, ignores the Western, modern, and secular aspects of the country's law and governs its affairs according to longstanding tradition. In spite of the population's preference for traditional law, Niger's government, under the influence of Western donor countries and international financial institutions, appears determined to phase it out in favor of a legal system that is more consistent with and acceptable to the globalized world. Much of this paper will be devoted to describing a particular aspect of Niger's popular, contemporary, non-Western law: the use of magio-religious oracles to identify wrongdoers and resolve disputes. The paper will then argue that Niger's current approach to state legal reform - an approach dictated largely by the West - is flawed because it is rooted in a fundamentally foreign conception of law and justice, and because it fails to take account of existing practices and beliefs such as the reliance on oracles. The paper concludes that the effort - in Niger and elsewhere - to introduce modern law will fail unless it is sufficiently flexible to recognize and make use of traditional methods of achieving justice.
Lipoprotein abnormalities associated with lipopolysaccharide-induced lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase and lipase deficiency.

Density gradient ultracentrifugation was used to isolate and characterize the plasma lipoproteins from African green monkeys before and 24 and 48 h after subcutaneous injection of 300 µg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce an acute phase response. Compared with 0 h values, reductions occurred in plasma cholesterol (39%), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (54%), lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity (55%), and post-heparin plasma lipase activity (68%) 48 h after LPS injection while plasma triglyceride concentrations increased 700%. Cholesterol distribution among lipoproteins shifted from 7 to 41% in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), 65 to 38% in low density lipoproteins (LDL), and 28 to 21% in HDL after LPS injection. At 48 h after LPS injection, all lipoprotein classes were relatively enriched in phospholipid and triglyceride and depleted of cholesteryl ester. The plasma concentration of all chemical constituents in VLDL was increased 3–9-fold within 48 h after LPS injection. By negative stain electron microscopy, HDL were discoidal in shape while VLDL and LDL appeared to have excess surface material present. Even though total HDL protein concentration in plasma was unaffected, the plasma mass of the smallest HDL subfractions (HDL3b,c) doubled while the mass of intermediate-sized subfractions (HDL3a) was dramatically decreased within 24 h after treatment. HDL became enriched in apoE, acquired apoSAA, and became depleted of apoA-I, A-II, and Cs by 48 h after LPS injection while apoB-100 remained the major apoprotein of VLDL and LDL. We conclude that administration of LPS to monkeys prevents normal intravascular metabolism of lipoproteins and results in the accumulation of relatively nascent forms of lipoproteins in plasma. These immature lipoproteins resemble those isolated from the recirculating perfusion of African green monkey livers, which are relatively deficient of LCAT activity and those isolated from the plasma of patients with familial LCAT deficiency.
Inherited Neuromuscular Disease

Inherited neuromuscular disease encompasses a broad array of diseases afflicting people at all stages of life. The main categories of inherited neuromuscular disease are diseases of peripheral nerve (neuropathy), neuromuscular junction (myasthenia), diseases of muscle (myopathy and dystrophy) and diseases of spinal cord motor neurons (motor neuron disease). The number of genes underlying such disorders has expanded greatly in the past 10 years. The discovery of such genes has allowed development of specific therapeutic approaches based on genetic diagnosis, as well as the ability to tackle pathways involved in multiple disorders. It has also complicated diagnosis, with mutations in single genes causing multiple clinical phenotypes. Research is starting to have concrete benefits, with treatments beginning to emerge from basic science research with the hope that many more will show efficacy over the next decade. Key Concepts Expanded genetic testing has led to the identification of dozens of new genes implicated in neuromuscular disorders. Single genes can cause a wide spectrum of neuromuscular disease, and multiple genes can cause very similar clinical phenotypes. Identification of pathways involved in neuromuscular disease may allow for therapies that are not specific to a single gene or mutation. Pathways involved in inherited neuromuscular disorder are also involved in sporadic and acquired disease. Gene-specific therapy is being developed for multiple inherited neuromuscular disorders, including antisense oligonucleotides and gene therapy. Keywords: neuropathy; myopathy; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; spinal muscular atrophy; muscular dystrophy
Bayesian Multiscale Methods for Poisson Count Data

We present an overview of recent work on a flexible frame-work for multiscale modeling of Poisson count data, such as is encountered regularly in the field of high-energy astrophysics, that allows for intuitive, easily interpretable, computationally efficient implementations of Bayesian inference for standard tasks like smoothing, deconvolution, and segmentation. At the foundation of this approach is a multiscale factorization of the Poisson likelihood, which can be viewed formally as deriving from a blending of concepts from the literatures on wavelets, recursive partitioning, and graphical models.
Ovarian homografts in the primate: experience with millipore filter chambers.

Abstract Application of methods previously used in successful homotransplants in laboratory animals to human cases has demanded a modification in technique. It appears to be important to schedule simultaneous operations on donor and recipient in order to minimize the time lost in transfer of the grafts. A special clamp and cement have been developed to use with nylon-toughened Millipore membranes. Almost 2 grams of minced ovary distributed in approximately 10 chambers of 1 inch diameter is the maximum we have thus far found it practical to transplant. Although there has been clear evidence of the production of estrogenic steroids by laboratory indices for several weeks to months in 3 cases of ovarian dysgenesis, there has been practically no evidence of mammary growth or pubic or axillary hair. All 3 patients were recorded as chromatin-negative (male) genetic types. It is possible that this factor may be important in the failure of target organ response as compared with that produced by similar homotransplants and a heterotransplant (human to Macacus rhesus ) in adult female castrated monkeys.
Method for Collecting Naturally Occurring Airborne Bacterial Spores for Determining Their Thermal Resistance

The ability to determine the thermal resistance of naturally occurring air borne bacterial spores associated with spacecraft and their assembly areas has been hindered by lack of an effective collecting system. Efforts to collect and concentrate spores with air samplers or from air filters have not been successful. A fallout method was developed for this purpose and tested. Sterile Teflon ribbons (7.6 by 183 cm) were exposed in pertinent spacecraft assembly areas and subsequently treated with dry heat. Thermal inactivation experiments were conducted at 125 and 113 C. Heating intervals ranged from 1 to 12 h at 125 C and 6, 12, 18, and 24 h at 113 C. Eight hours was the longest heating time yielding survivors at 125 C, whereas survivors were recovered at all of the heating intervals at 113 C. D125C values were calculated using the fractional-replicate-unit-negative technique of Pflug and Schmidt (1968) and ranged from 25 to 126 min. This variation indicated that the most probable number of survivors at each heating interval did not fall on a straight line passing through the initial spore population. However, the most-probable-number values taken alone formed a straight line suggesting logarithmic thermal destruction of a subpopulation of spores with a D125C value of 6.3 h.
Excision Repair is Enhanced by WR-2721 Radioprotection

To assess uracil glycosylase activity, we have assayed execision repair in irradiated, and radioprotected ((S-2-[3 aminopropylamino] ethylphosphorothioic acid — WR-2721; 10−4M) HeLa cells. DNA containing [3H]-uracil was euployed as substrate for uracil glycosylase assays in HeLa cells. HeLa demonstrated activity tbat increased with the amount of protein homogenate employed. Confirmation of base release was carried out by HPLC, which separates radiolabeled base from nucleoside and nucleotide. Glycosylase activity was maintained and increased with the use of radioprotector, even after exposure of HeLa cell lines to ionizing radiation fron 10 to 80 Gray (Gy; Cesium 137). This may imply induction or enhancement of repeir activity by chemical radioprotection. Also, to quantify radiation effects of both enzyme and DNA substrate, both were irradiated and analyzed separately. Excision repair was reduced in irradiated homogenates and HeLa cells, but this effect could be overcome by the addition of more protein. Excision repair substrate specificity, studies employing DNA containing [3H]-uracil exposed to 80 Gy revealed markedly reduced [3H]-uracil excision as compared to un-irradiated DNA, which may be due to significant intra- and interstrand crosslinking in DNA, inhibiting glycosylase excision capability. S1 nuclease activity in DNA exposed to radiation (100 Gy) was not demonstrated to be increased, precluding uracil excision from single stranded substrate.
The independent and interactive effects of snail grazing and nutrient enrichment on structuring periphyton communities

We investigated the independent and interactive effects of nutrient enrichment and snail grazing on structuring periphyton communities in a northern temperate lake. Nutrient releasing substrates and grazer enclosures were used to simultaneously manipulate nutrient availability and herbivory. Periphyton was allowed 18 days to accrue before grazers
Relationship Between Graph Theory and Percolation Approaches in the Passivity of Fe–Cr Binary Alloys

The passive film on Fe-Cr binary alloys has been modeled using a network in which Cr +3 ions occupy sites on a honeycomb lattice and O -2 ions form a Kagome lattice. Percolation theory is used to determine the critical composition of the oxide film where -Cr +3 -O -2 -Cr +3 - bonds percolate across the oxide film. The calculated result of 0.34 cation fraction Cr +3 in the oxide film is in excellent agreement with the result obtained previously using graph theory.
Diagonal Flaking from Kotzebue, Alaska

The illustrated blade fragment (Fig. 22) turned up in a purchased lot of archaeological specimens at Kotzebue, in 1941. It appears to be the tip of a long, thin blade broken clean near the middle. It is diagonally flaked from translucent, smoky chalcedony, a material which shows up occasionally in sites of the Kobuk River region. The Yumalike flaking, in some cases all the way across the blade leaving each face rounded rather than longitudinally ridged, is not, however, reported from other sites in Alaska. This object was offered for sale along with various artifacts of types common in our excavations. The Eskimo to whom they belonged said they had been all collected and saved for some time by members of his family.
Evidence of Phase Changes in Zirconia from Thermal Etching

ZIRCONIA is known to exist in at least two crystallographic forms. The stable form at room temperatures is monoclinic1, but this transforms to a tetragonal lattice at some temperature between 950° and 1,250° C. (ref. 2), depending on the purity of the oxide. Cohn3 has claimed a third form, hexagonal, obtained by heating for prolonged periods above 1,900° C. in a solar furnace. Up to the present, this has not been confirmed, but we believe we may have obtained evidence of three forms of zirconia.
Therapeutic targets for neuroblastomas.

Introduction: Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common and deadly solid tumor in children. Despite recent improvements, the long-term outlook for high-risk NB is still < 50%. Further, there is considerable short- and long-term toxicity. More effective, less toxic therapy is needed, and the development of targeted therapies offers great promise. Areas covered: Relevant literature was reviewed to identify current and future therapeutic targets that are critical to malignant transformation and progression of NB. The potential or actual NB therapeutic targets are classified into four categories: i) genes activated by amplification, mutation, translocation or autocrine overexpression; ii) genes inactivated by deletion, mutation or epigenetic silencing; iii) membrane-associated genes expressed on most NBs but few other tissues; or iv) common target genes relevant to NB as well as other tumors. Expert opinion: Therapeutic approaches have been developed to some of these targets, but many remain untargeted at the pre...