cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Satisfied or not satisfied: pain experiences of patients with sickle cell disease

Aims To examine the relationship between pain and satisfaction in patients with sickle cell disease. Background Frequency and severity of unrelieved sickle cell pain are positively associated with mortality. Yet, information is scarce on whether sickle cell patients are satisfied with their pain level. Design A cross-sectional, correlational analysis of baseline data from a randomized clinical trial. Methods A randomized sample of adult outpatients was recruited between February 2007–March 2011. Patients completed the PAINReportIt®, containing measures of pain, satisfaction and socio-demographics. We analysed data using Kendall's rank correlations, analysis of variance, Tukey–Kramer post hoc tests, Fisher's tests and proportional odds logistic regression. Results There were statistically significant correlations between pain outcomes and satisfaction with pain level, but average pain intensity more strongly discriminated groups based on satisfaction with pain level. Among pain variables bivariately associated with patient satisfaction with pain level, only pain expectation maintained its significant relationship with satisfaction with pain level when average pain intensity was controlled. A smaller percentage of our sickle cell patients reported moderate to severe pain intensity (28%) or high composite pain index (39%), while reporting being satisfied with pain their level than reported in earlier studies using different measures and populations (70-94%). Conclusion Satisfaction with pain level was an unambiguous measure of patient satisfaction and a promising indicator of pain that did not show the paradoxical relationship between satisfaction and pain seen with past measures.
Surveillance of methadone-related adverse drug events using multiple public health data sources

Healthcare safety and quality surveillance is increasingly conducted by public health agencies. We describe a biomedical informatics method that uses multiple public health data sources to perform surveillance of methadone-related adverse drug events. Data from Utah medical examiner records, vital statistics, emergency department encounter administrative data and a database of controlled substances prescriptions are used to examine trends in state-wide adverse events related to methadone. From 1997 to 2004, population-adjusted methadone prescriptions increased 727%, with evidence to suggest the rise in the methadone prescription rate is for treatment of pain, not addiction therapy. During the same period of time, population adjusted, accidental methadone-related deaths in medical examiner data increased 1770%. Population adjusted methadone-related emergency department encounters rose 612% from 1997 to 2003. Our results suggest that the increase in methadone prescription rates from 1997 to 2004 was accompanied by a concurrent increase in methadone-related morbidity and mortality. Although patient data is not linked between data sources, our results demonstrate that utilizing multiple public health data sources captures more cases and provides more clinical detail than individual data sources alone. Our approach is a successful biomedical informatics approach for surveillance of adverse events and utilizes widely available public health data sources, as well as an emerging source of public health data, controlled substance prescription registries.
Symptoms of depression among aged Medicare enrollees: 2002.

This highlight uses data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) to look at self-reported symptoms of depression among Medicare enrollees, and the association of those symptoms with enrollees' socioeconomic, demographic, and health characteristics. The interconnections between mental and physical health are complex and well beyond the scope of this highlight; the goal is to show some of the summary bivariate patterns that emerge from the data. Since its inception (fall 1991), the MCBS has included questions about the mental health of its participants. Each fall, respondents residing in the community are asked, “Has a doctor ever told you that you had a mental or psychiatric disorder, including depression?” Two questions were added in fall 1996: “Do you have problems making decisions to the point that it interferes with daily activities” and “Do you have trouble concentrating or keeping your mind on what you are doing?” Two additional questions were added in fall 2001: “In the past 12 months, have you had 2 weeks or more when you lost interest or pleasure in things that you usually cared about or enjoyed” and “In the past 12 months, how much of the time did you feel sad, blue, or depressed? Would you say you were sad or depressed all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, a little of the time, or none of the time?” The material presented here is drawn from the 2002 MCBS Access to Care File, which contains the results of interviews conducted between September 2002 and January 2003. Participants' responses to the questions about decisionmaking, concentration, loss of interest, and periods of sadness were examined separately and together. For the latter analysis, each participant was assigned a score ranging from 1 to 4, according to the number of these questions answered affirmatively (in the case of the sadness question, an affirmative answer was a response of “most of the time” or “all of the time”). Analysis was restricted to those participants age 66 or over at the end of 2002, living in the community, who answered for themselves rather than through proxies.
The Allure of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Novel Therapeutic Modality.

The vagus nerve, running from the brainstem through the neck to many peripheral organs, functions as a bidirectional communication pathway between the brain and the body. Its name is a reflection of its widespread distribution throughout the body, as vagus means “wandering” in Latin. The vagus nerve regulates the function of the autonomic nervous system from its efferent projections from the brain to its innervated organs. The brain receives information from these organs by the afferent projections of the vagus. It has been estimated that about 80% of the fibers in the vagus nerve are afferent fibers. This estimation concerning afferent fibers provides the rationale for how stimulating the vagus nerve in the periphery can influence brain function and possibly diseases of the brain. Although afferent projections terminate in the nucleus tractus solitarius in the brainstem, there are direct and indirect ascending projections from the nucleus tractus solitarius to many areas of the brain involved in central autonomic regulation (e.g., midbrain, hypothalamus, and cortex). The nucleus tractus solitarius also sends projections to brain areas involved in mood and emotion, such as the amygdala and hippocampus, as well as the soma for noradrenergic and serotoninergic neurons (1). Human imaging studies show ventral nerve stimulation (VNS) to cause effects in both subcortical and cortical areas (2). Consistent with such results, long-term stimulation of the vagus nerve in rats, using clinically appropriate stimulating parameters, revealed widespread activation throughout the brain (3,4). There is evidence for the efficacy of VNS in several diseases of the brain. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of VNS for treatment-resistant epilepsy in 1997 and for treatment-resistant depression in 2005. VNS Therapy (Cyberonics, Inc., Houston, Texas) consists of surgically implanted coiled electrodes to the left vagus nerve. The electrodes are connected to a stimulator pack subcutaneously implanted in the chest area near the clavicle. The device is controlled via a handheld personal computer and can deliver specific intermittent electrical signals from the left vagus nerve to the brain. However, the necessity of surgery with the possibility of perioperative risks as well as the cost of the procedure has limited the widespread use of VNS. For these reasons, its approved use is limited to treatment-resistant depression. By contrast, transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) makes use of the fact that the vagus nerve is distributed on the surface of the ear such that stimulation can be carried out without surgery. If effective, tVNS has the potential to increase greatly the use of VNS for patients with diseases such as depression, including patients who are not treatment resistant. Hein et al. (5) previously reported on a randomized shamcontrolled add-on study of short-term tVNS in 37 patients with depression, with all but one being treated with some
The Achievement Paradox: A Theoretical Divergence between Proficiency and Achievement that Might Be Responsible for Part of the Achievement Gap

Our idea of achievement requires that a person having math achievement, for example, should be proficient in math. It also requires that someone not having math achievement should not be proficient in math. If our achievement tests measure achievement, it should not at least theoretically be possible for a person to be proficient in the achievement area in question and not be able, at least theoretically, to do well on the examination. That is, if a person is able to answer all the questions she knows as a result of her level of proficiency (she is not having either a bad day or an especially good one) then her score should generally reflect her proficiency in the area tested. Unfortunately, I will show that we can assume perfect proficiency for all test-takers and yet our achievement tests will register significant differences in levels of achievement among those tested.
Mind Your Prepositions

We should write sentences that convey our meaning and keep the reader engaged. We should write sentences that flow. That can be hard in legal writing, but we can learn. This article discusses two preposition problems that can spoil engaging, flowing sentences. When you use excessive prepositions and compound prepositions, you chop your sentences up and bog your reader down.
Convergent Monotone Series

(1945). Convergent Monotone Series. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 70-72.
Economic considerations in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism

PURPOSE: The results of studies of the comparative efficacy, safety, feasibility, and costs of using low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or unfractionated heparin (UFH) for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) are reviewed. Cost-effectiveness research comparing LMWH with warfarin or UFH and comparing the activated factor X inhibitor fondaparinux with LMWH for VTE prophylaxis also is discussed. SUMMARY: The greater ease of administration, fewer laboratory monitoring requirements, and feasibility of using LMWH safely on an outpatient basis instead of on an inpatient basis facilitate earlier hospital discharge and make LMWH more cost-effective than UFH for the treatment of DVT. The use of LMWH instead of warfarin to prevent VTE increases costs, but it is more effective for preventing DVT and death at a relatively small incremental cost per DVT event avoided and cost per death averted. The total expected costs are higher, but the expected cost per DVT event avoided is lower when enoxaparin is used instead of UFH for VTE prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: Fondaparinux is more cost-effective than enoxaparin for VTE prophylaxis, with a cost saving that increases progressively over time.
On Realization of Network Technology's Positive Value

Because network technology can meet the two criteria of transformative technology,network technology belongs to transformative technology.Applying network technology to rebuild traditional industries and establishing electronic government to serve the economic construction,solving the "digital gap" issue,shortening the gap between China and developed countries,lessening the gap between urban and rural area and that between developed region and non-developed region in our country,this is the important significance of realization of network technology's positive value.In order to realize network technology's positive value sufficiently,it is necessary to take subjective and objective corresponding countermeasures aiming at the subjective and objective elements which hinder the realization of network technology's positive value.
A monoclonal antibody to ICP4 of MDV recognizing ICP4 of serotype 1 and 3 MDV strains

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were prepared against ICP4 of Marek's disease virus (MDV). Mice were inoculated with ICP4 obtained from High-Five insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus expressing ICP4. MAbs were selected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using MDV-infected and control chick kidney cells as antigens. One of the MAbs, 5H8, recognized an epitope toward the carboxyl terminus of ICP4 based on staining of reticuloendotheliosis virus-transformed cells transfected with full-length and truncated ICP4 constructs. This MAb recognized ICP4 in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) infected with MDV strains JM16 and HVT but not with SB-1 strain. Using Western blot analysis a protein of 155 kDa was detected in CEFs infected with JM16 and HVT strains.
70-nm lines produced by direct laser ablation in polyimide

The ultimate spatial resolution of any optical system depends on the wavelength used and its geometry. If a nonlinear process is used to create an image, the ultimate image resolution depends also on the interaction of the light with the material that carries the image, and the image resolution may be larger or smaller than determined by optical resolution. It is the objective of this work to determine the spatial resolution possible with ultraviolet laser ablation.
Septorhinoplasty in the Pediatric Patient

Pediatric septorhinoplasty has been an area of controversy because early surgical intervention can prevent normal growth. There are certain conditions where early correction of the nose is indicated, such as in cleft lip nasal deformities, severe traumatic deformities, and congenital nasal lesions. Animal and clinical studies have been helpful in elucidating certain areas of the nose that are potential growth zones that should be left undisturbed when performing nasal surgeries on pediatric patients. We discuss the timing, indications, and surgical technique in pediatric septorhinoplasty.
Chemotherapy for Endometrial Cancer in Adjuvant and Advanced Disease Settings

: Level I evidence exists for use of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IIIC endometrial cancer (positive lymph nodes), although results of randomized trials have varied. Chemotherapy is also often recommended for high-risk subsets of stage I disease, such as serous carcinomas, although prospective trial data to validate this practice are lacking. Carboplatin plus paclitaxel is the current standard regimen, based on extrapolation of data from the metastatic setting. Several clinical trials have compared adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy alone to a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy with mixed results. One of the largest of these trials, Postoperative Radiation Therapy in Endometrial Carcinoma 3 (PORTEC-3), has completed accrual and is awaiting data maturation. Metastatic disease is not curable. For tumors of low-grade endometrioid histology with a prolonged time to recurrence, endocrine therapy with a progestin-based regimen is appropriate. Chemotherapy will be used in most other cases, and the standard first-line regimen is carboplatin and paclitaxel. Few chemotherapy agents have been shown to produce meaningful response rates in the second-line setting. Molecularly targeted therapies such as mTOR inhibitors and antiangiogenic agents including bevacizumab have been studied but their role in the armamentarium remains uncertain. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Following surgical resection and staging for endometrial cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel can be administered to patients with a high risk for recurrence. This includes patients with stage IIIC disease with positive lymph nodes, and high-risk subsets of stage I disease such as serous carcinomas. In the metastatic setting, endocrine therapy can be considered, particularly for patients with lower-grade disease and a prolonged time to recurrence. Combined therapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel is the standard of care used for front-line chemotherapy. Antiangiogenic agents are clearly active, but how they should be integrated into treatment is not yet determined. Immunotherapy is a promising direction for patients with mismatch repair-deficient or polymerase e-mutated tumors.
Promoting immunology: The future is here

Science Immunology will provide a broad platform for the most exciting findings in this growing field.
Designing and Implementing Real-time and Dependable, Embedded Control Applications Using FlexCAN

There are several embedded systems protocols and networks that have been proposed in the last few years to support applications having stringent real-time and/or dependability requirements, for example TTP/C, FlexRay, TT-CAN, and FlexCAN. This paper details a process that is effective for designing and implementing real-time and dependable control applications using FlexCAN. How this design and implementation process fits into an overall system safety process is also discussed.
Progression Rate From Intermediate to Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration Is Correlated With the Number of Risk Alleles at the CFH Locus.

Purpose Progression rate of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) varies substantially, yet its association with genetic variation has not been widely examined. Methods We tested whether progression rate from intermediate AMD to geographic atrophy (GA) or choroidal neovascularization (CNV) was correlated with genotype at seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the four genes most strongly associated with risk of advanced AMD. Cox proportional hazards survival models examined the association between progression time and SNP genotype while adjusting for age and sex and accounting for variable follow-up time, right censored data, and repeated measures (left and right eyes). Results Progression rate varied with the number of risk alleles at the CFH:rs10737680 but not the CFH:rs1061170 (Y402H) SNP; individuals with two risk alleles progressed faster than those with one allele (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-2.40, P < 0.02, n = 547 eyes), although this was not significant after Bonferroni correction. This signal was likely driven by an association at the correlated protective variant, CFH:rs6677604, which tags the CFHR1-3 deletion; individuals with at least one protective allele progressed more slowly. Considering GA and CNV separately showed that the effect of CFH:rs10737680 was stronger for progression to CNV. Conclusions Results support previous findings that AMD progression rate is influenced by CFH, and suggest that variants within CFH may have different effects on risk versus progression. However, since CFH:rs10737680 was not significant after Bonferroni correction and explained only a relatively small portion of variation in progression rate beyond that explained by age, we suggest that additional factors contribute to progression.
Structure-Activity Relationships of Synthetic Cathinones

Until recently, there was rather little interest in the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of cathinone analogs because so few agents were available and because they represented a relatively minor drug abuse problem. Most of the early SAR was formulated on the basis of behavioral (e.g., locomotor and drug discrimination) studies using rodents. With the emergence on the clandestine market in the last few years of a large number of new cathinone analogs, termed “synthetic cathinones”, and the realization that they likely act at dopamine, norepinephrine, and/or serotonin transporters as releasing agents (i.e., as substrates) or reuptake inhibitors (i.e., as transport blockers), it has now become possible to better examine their SAR and even their quantitative SAR (QSAR), in a more effective and systematic manner. An SAR picture is beginning to emerge, and key structural features, such as the nature of the terminal amine, the size of the α-substituent, stereochemistry, and the presence and position of aromatic substituents, are being found to impact action (i.e., as releasing agents or reuptake inhibitors) and transporter selectivity.
Radiation-Free Anti-CD3-Conditioning Regimen Maintains Tissue Protection Mechanisms and Prevents GVHD: Role of Tissue Expression of B7H1

We reported that donor CD8 + T cells mediated graft versus leukemia (GVL) activity without causing graft versus host disease (GVHD) in anti-CD3-conditioned recipients, although the same dose of donor CD8 + T cells caused lethal GVHD in recipients conditioned with sublethal total body irradiation (TBI) (J. Immunol. 2007). We recently observed that donor CD8 + T cells from the liver of anti-CD3-conditioned recipients showed a marked reduction in proliferation in response to anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation, as compared to those from TBI-conditioned recipients, indicating that donor CD8 + T cells are tolerized in the tissues of anti-CD3-conditioned recipients. B7H1, a co-inhibitory molecule, is constitutively expressed by hematopoietic cells and expressed by parenchymal cells after IFN-γ induction. B7H1 tolerizes T cells by interaction with its ligand PD-1 on activated T cells. To explore the role of B7H1 in GVHD prevention in anti-CD3-conditioned recipients, donor C57BL/6 CD8 + T cells (20×10 6 ) and bone marrow cells (100×10 6 ) were transplanted into anti-CD3-conditioned wild-type or B7H1 −/− BALB/c recipients. While the wild-type recipients all survived for more than 100 days without signs of GVHD, the B7H1 −/− recipients developed severe GVHD with diarrhea, weight-loss, and hair-loss, and 70% of them died 60 days after transplantation. Similarly, while donor CD8 + T and BM cells induced little GVHD in unconditioned Rag-2 −/− BALB/c recipients, they induced severe lethal GVHD in B7H1 −/− Rag-2 −/− BALB/c recipients. Furthermore, donor CD8 + T and BM cells still induced lethal GVHD in unconditioned chimeric B7H1 −/− Rag-2 −/− recipients reconstituted with B7H1 +/+ Rag-2 −/− BM. In addition, we observed upregulation of B7H1 expression by hepatocytes and intestine epithelial cells of anti-CD3-conditioned BALB/c or unconditioned Rag-2 −/− recipients after donor cells infusion, as judged by RT-PCR, flow cytometry analysis, and histoimmunostaining of B7H1. In vivo bioluminescent imagine showed much more severe tissue infiltration of donor T cells in B7H1 −/− recipients as compared to B7H1 +/+ recipients, and the in vitro proliferation of donor CD8 + T cells from the liver of the former recipients was much more vigorous than that of the latter recipients. These results demonstrate that B7H1 expression by tissue parenchymal cells rather than hematopoietic cells tolerizes infiltrating donor T cells in GVHD target tissues and prevents GVHD; and that the radiation-free anti-CD3-conditioning regimen can maintain this tissue protection mechanism. (This study is surpported by Marcus Foundation and NIH R01 AI 066008).
Nodal and FGF coordinate ascidian neural tube morphogenesis.

Formation of the vertebrate neural tube represents one of the premier examples of morphogenesis in animal development. Here, we investigate this process in the simple chordate Ciona intestinalis . Previous studies have implicated Nodal and FGF signals in the specification of lateral and ventral neural progenitors. We show that these signals also control the detailed cellular behaviors underlying morphogenesis of the neural tube. Live-imaging experiments show that FGF controls the intercalary movements of ventral neural progenitors, whereas Nodal is essential for the characteristic stacking behavior of lateral cells. Ectopic activation of FGF signaling is sufficient to induce intercalary behaviors in cells that have not received Nodal. In the absence of FGF and Nodal, neural progenitors exhibit a default behavior of sequential cell divisions, and fail to undergo the intercalary and stacking behaviors essential for normal morphogenesis. Thus, cell specification events occurring prior to completion of gastrulation coordinate the morphogenetic movements underlying the organization of the neural tube.
Just like heroin: science, pornography, and heteronormativity in the virtual public sphere

ABSTRACTThis article employs a critical queer lens to explore representations of science, medicine, and pornography in the virtual public sphere. Using peer-reviewed scientific studies from a variety of fields and reading them alongside popular online sources, the article argues that scientific research is routinely deployed in ways that reinforce heteronormative hierarchies and categories. Moreover, this misrepresentation works to erase problematic trends and issues extending far beyond the world of pornography, including labour abuses, queer invisibility, and the commodification of the female body. This study builds on a body of feminist and queer literature that has called attention to the role of science in the production of heteronormativity. This literature and the specific issue of pornography are situated within the context of queer and feminist scholarship in the public sphere. The conclusions offered by this research have implications not only for issues relating specifically to science and porn...
Correlation of Dysphagia with Functional Decline in Neurodegenerative Disease A Review

Hypothesis The functional decline noted over time in patients with neuromuscular diseases is associated with increasing risk of dysphagia and aspiration Study design Systematic literature review Methods A Pub Med search to identify all of the literature addressing neuromuscular disease progression and correlation with dysphagia was performed in the English literature from through Studies with outcomes measures for both functional decline and dysphagia or aspiration were included whereas stroke and head injury were excluded Results Of the articles identified in the search discussing Parkinson rsquo s disease PD and on the topic of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ALS met the criteria No papers on the subjects of Multiple Sclerosis MS or Huntington rsquo s disease HD were identified Articles were stratified by level of evidence using the criteria of Sackett et al noting instrument selection for disease state and dysphagia self reported vs observed outcome and limitations There were true longitudinal studies and the other stratified patients by duration or disease severity Overall the studies support increased dysphagia or swallowing related quality of life decline in patients with advanced PD and ALS However most studies are limited by the cross sectional nature instead of true longitudinal design self reported instruments and infrequent mention of aspiration risk Conclusion Progressive dysphagia and aspiration risk is weakly demonstrated with advancing PD and ALS Although these are similar known risks with MS and HD there are only anecdotal reports A systematic approach at screening these patients for dysphagia is warranted
Investigation of mechanisms of action of monoterpenoid insecticides on insect gamma- aminobutyric acid receptors and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Monoterpenoids and their derivatives from plant essential oils showed good insecticidal activities in previous studies, but the mechanisms of their action as natural insecticides are not known yet. In the present work, we evaluated the pharmacological action of five monoterpenoids (α-terpineol, carvacrol, linalool, pulegone, and thymol) on native insect GABA receptors from house flies and American cockroaches using radiotracer methods. In the [H]-TBOB binding assay, carvacrol, pulegone, and thymol all enhanced the [H]-TBOB binding to membrane preparation of house fly heads with EC50 values of 48μM, 432μM, and 6mM, respectively. Moreover, these three monoterpenoids at concentrations of 500 μM and 1mM also significantly increased the Cl uptake induced by GABA in membrane microsacs prepared from American cockroach ventral nerve cords. These results revealed that carvacrol, pulegone, and thymol are all positive allosteric modulators at insect GABA receptors. The other two monoterpenoids
Sleight of hand

What causes some people to be left-handed? Is handedness a uniquely human trait? Are left-handers more likely than other people to be creative geniuses or to suffer cogni­tive disabilities? Historian Howard Kushner raises these and other questions in his new book, On the Other Hand .
Ion-Etching Techniques for Microstructural Characterization of Cemented Carbides and Ceramics

Prior attempts to delineate the grain boundaries of the binder phase (γ phase) in cemented carbides using thermal and chemical etching methods1, have not been very successful. These methods, though simple and convenient, often do not produce adequate contrast for detailed microscopic observation and analysis. Other etching methods such as, ion sputter etching or simply ion-etching, are of a more recent origin. They are principally used in the preparation of thin electron-transparent foils from materials where conventional methods of specimen preparation are not applicable. In this report, the feasibility of applying ion-etching methods for microstructural characterization of cemented carbides and ceramics is examined. Ion-etching is found to give improved contrast between binder phase grains in cemented carbides as well as reveal macroscopic heterogenieties in certain ceramics.
Inducing Folding By Crating the Target

Kinases may be exploited as anticancer drug targets but their conformational plasticity often hinders the success of structure-based design. This is because of structural adaptation: target structures may change or proteins may adopt new conformations upon association with the ligand in unexpected and unpredictable ways. This may be the main reason for the modest interest in rational drug design when targeting regions with high disorder propensity such as the activation loop of a protein kinase. Yet this region presents the largest amino acid variability within the family and thus constitutes an attractive target to control specificity. In this chapter we advocate for a strategy to target flexible regions, offering a way to control the induced folding and turn it into a selectivity-promoting feature.
Magic Angle Sample Spinning in Inhomogeneously Broadened Spin System—Application to Unsonicated Phospholipid Bilayers

Nuclear magnetic resonance has been used extensively in the last decade to study the structure and dynamics of model and biological membranes.1 However, the complexity of these systems, which should manifest itself in a corresponding richness of their NMR spectra, has in most cases not been observed because of the substantial breadth of the NMR lines. It is now understood that this breadth is due primarily to residual chemical shift anisotropy and dipole-dipole interactions. For dilute spins, such as 13C and 31P, the dipolar broadening can be removed by sufficiently intense rf irradiation at the proton resonance frequency.2–4 Nevertheless, a substantial broadening due to the anisotropy of the chemical shift remains. In order to obtain “high resolution” NMR spectra, it has become customary to subject multilamellar dispersions to prolonged ultrasonic irradiation.5 This process, which results in particles of reduced size with reduced reorientational correlation times, does indeed improve the resolution of the NMR spectra; however, its exact physical and chemical consequences are a subject of much debate.6 We describe below a method whereby high resolution spectra can be obtained without resorting to sonication.
Loss of PTEN Expression Detected by Fluorescence Immunohistochemistry Predicts Lethal Prostate Cancer in Men Treated with Prostatectomy.

Abstract Background PTEN deletion is associated with relapse after therapy for localized prostate cancer. There are limited data on PTEN loss as detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the risk of lethal disease after surgery. Objective To determine whether PTEN loss as detected by quantitative fluorescence IHC (FIHC) predicts lethal disease outcomes after surgery for prostate cancer. Design, setting and participants We used formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded radical prostatectomy specimens to construct tissue microarrays and perform dual FIHC for PTEN and AMACR for masking tumor epithelium, plus semi-quantitative multispectral imaging analysis. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The association of PTEN status analyzed continuously and dichotomously (low [expression in the lowest quartile] vs higher [expression >lowest quartile]) with disease outcomes (metastasis and death) was assessed with adjustment for age, Gleason score, and stage in multivariable analyses. The prognostic ability of PTEN was assessed using logistic regression models. Results and limitations Low PTEN expression was associated with a higher risk of metastatic disease as both a continuous (hazard ratio [HR] 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–1.92; p Conclusions Low PTEN expression detected by FIHC in primary prostate cancer is an independent prognostic biomarker for metastatic disease and death after definitive therapy. FIHC for PTEN is a viable clinical diagnostic assay in this context. Patient summary We looked at loss of the PTEN protein in prostate tumors from men treated with surgery. Men with PTEN loss were at higher risk of metastasis and death. Assessing PTEN status may be useful in better determination of the risk of poorer outcomes.
Robotic-Assisted Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: Learning Curve Assessment Using Cumulative Sum and Literature Review

Purpose: Robotic-assisted Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RARYGB) is a procedure that is used with increasing frequency in the United States. Among other bariatric procedures, RARYGB is a good model for the robotic platform because it allows hand-sewn suturing and energy devices application. The aim of this study was to conduct a literature review of robotic approach in RARYGB, its learning curve using the cumulative sum (CUSUM) method, and our experience as Center of Excellence recognized by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Methods: A total of 67 patients were included. Results revealed that the learning curve was achieved after case 11. Eighteen studies were included in the pooled analysis. Results: An increase in the operative time was noted at case 46, in which a second phase was identified. A significant difference between these two phases was found only related to previous bariatric surgery. The outcomes of this series were comparable with the ones available in the literature. Conclusions: The robotic platform is increasing its role in complex procedures such as RARYGB. The hand-sewn technique may offer important advantages in terms of shorter learning curve, reduced conversion rate, and lower leakage rate.
Think Before You Discard: Accurate Triangle Counting in Graph Streams with Deletions

Given a stream of edge additions and deletions, how can we estimate the count of triangles in it? If we can store only a subset of the edges, how can we obtain unbiased estimates with small variances?
Phenalenannulations: Three-Point Double Annulation Reactions that Convert Benzenes into Pyrenes

3-Point annulations, or phenalenannulations, transform a benzene ring directly into a substituted pyrene by "wrapping" two new cycles around the perimeter of the central ring at three consecutive carbon atoms. This efficient, modular, and general method for π-extension opens access to non-symmetric pyrenes and their expanded analogues. Potentially, this approach can convert any aromatic ring bearing a -CH2 Br or a -CHO group into a pyrene moiety. Depending upon the workup choices, the process can be directed towards either tin- or iodo-substituted product formation, giving complementary choices for further various cross-coupling reactions. The two-directional bis-double annulation adds two new polyaromatic extensions with a total of six new aromatic rings at a central core.
A Review of YouTube Videos About the Opioid Antagonist Medication Naloxone

As the United States experiences an unprecedented crisis related to the use and misuse of opioid drugs, the number of overdose fatalities continues to rise each year. One effective strategy to redu...
Exposure to Air Pollution and Particle Radioactivity with the Risk of Ventricular Arrhythmias

Background: Individuals are exposed to air pollution and ionizing radiation from natural sources through inhalation of particles. This study investigates the association between cardiac arrhythmias...
Copolymerization of Ethylene and Vinyl Fluoride by Self-Assembled Multinuclear Palladium Catalysts

The self-assembled multinuclear PdII complexes {(Li-OPOOMe2)PdMe(4-5-nonyl-pyridine)}4Li2Cl2 (C, Li-OPOOMe2 = PPh(2-SO3Li-4,5-(OMe)2-Ph)(2-SO3--4,5-(OMe)2-Me-Ph)), {(Zn-OP-P-SO)PdMe(L)}4 (D, L = pyridine or 4-tBu-pyridine, [OP-P-SO]3- = P(4-tBu-Ph)(2-PO32--5-Me-Ph)(2-SO3--5-Me-Ph)), and {(Zn-OP-P-SO)PdMe(pyridine)}3 (E) copolymerize ethylene and vinyl fluoride (VF) to linear copolymers. VF is incorporated at levels of 0.1-2.5 mol% primarily as in-chain -CH2CHFCH2- units. The molecular weight distributions of the copolymers produced by D and E are generally narrower than for catalyst C, which suggests that the Zn-phosphonate cores of D and E are more stable than the Li-sulfonate-chloride core of C under copolymerization conditions. The ethylene/VF copolymerization activities of C-E are over 100 times lower and the copolymer molecular weights (MWs) are reduced compared to the results for ethylene homopolymerization by these catalysts.
Genesis and the Challenges of a 21st-Century Reading

What does Genesis 1-3 demand of 21st-century readers? The article focuses on the ancient Near Eastern location of the text, proposing that we ask only as much of the text as that location will allo...
Sirtuin-dependent recovery from aerial heat shock: The effects of food ration, thermal history, and sirtuin inhibition on clearance rates and valve gape activity of the California mussel, Mytilus californianus (Conrad)

Abstract Intertidal mussels regularly experience seasonal fluctuations in food availability and heat stress over the course of a tidal cycle, yet little is known about the biochemical mechanisms linking food ration and thermal tolerance, despite evidence that food enhances stress tolerance at the organismal level. We hypothesized that sirtuins (food-dependent protein regulators of cellular homeostasis), which may regulate the cellular stress response of mytilids during heat stress, also affect organismal performance during recovery from heat stress. As part of a broader study, we investigated the effects of acclimation food ration, acclimation emersion (air) temperature, and sirtuin inhibitors on the feeding behavior of the California mussel, Mytilus californianus, during recovery from acute aerial heat shock. Mussels were acclimated for 3 wk. to either a low (0.25% algae·g mussel dry wt−1) or high (1.5% algae·g mussel dry wt−1) algal ration and low (20 °C) or high (30 °C) emersion temperatures, in tidal simulator tanks capable of maintaining standard circadian and circatidal rhythms. Following acclimation, mussels were exposed to two sirtuin inhibitors (nicotinamide and suramin) or no inhibitors for one high tide cycle. During the subsequent low tide cycle, all mussels were exposed to an acute aerial heat shock (33 °C) and then allowed to recover in their respective acclimation conditions. Every 12 h during the 48 h before sirtuin inhibition and 48 h following acute heat shock (in the corresponding high tide periods), we recorded clearance rates and valve gape activity. Mussels acclimated to a low food ration significantly reduced clearance rates with heat shock and sirtuin inhibition, but not with heat shock alone, relative to pre-treatment values regardless of emersion temperature. Mussels acclimated to a low food ration and high emersion temperature showed significant reductions in valve gape activity following an acute heat shock following sirtuin inhibition, but not in any of the other acclimation groups. Unexpectedly, heat shock alone reduced clearance rates of mussels acclimated to high food and high emersion temperatures only, without any additional effect by heat shock and sirtuin inhibition. Together, these findings suggest an important role for sirtuins at the organismal level during recovery from heat shock following acclimation to a low food ration.
Stimulation of B Cell Immunity in Flavivirus-Naïve Individuals by the Tetravalent Live Attenuated Dengue Vaccine TV003

The tetravalent live attenuated dengue vaccine candidate TV003 induces neutralizing antibodies against all four dengue virus serotypes (DENV1-4), and protects against experimental DENV2 challenge in humans. Protection occurred with or without a secondary post-challenge rise in DENV2-specific neutralizing antibodies. Here we combined high resolution temporal sampling and analysis of antigen-specific responses after vaccination and challenge to determine the cellular underpinnings of the B cell response in relation to vaccine viremia and serum antibodies. TV003 vaccine-related viremia was associated with an acute plasmablast response that correlated with the development of serum neutralizing antibodies. At six-months following immunization, subjects had developed DENV2-specific memory B cells including serotype-specific and multi-valent responders. DENV2 challenge of vaccinees did not induce a post-challenge plasmablast response, though stronger and earlier post-vaccine plasmablast responses were associated with sterile humoral protection from DENV2 challenge (i.e. a lack of DENV2 antibody boosting). Our findings demonstrate that TV003 vaccine triggers a durable B cell response containing plasmablasts and memory B cells which functionally link early vaccine viremia and the serum antibody responses.
Age-Related Changes in the Rhesus Macaque Eye

Purpose: To assess age-related changes in the rhesus macaque eye and evaluate them to corresponding human age-related eye disease. Methods: Data from eye exams and imaging tests including intraocular pressure (IOP), lens thickness, axial length, and retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were evaluated from 142 individuals and statistically analyzed for age-related changes. Quantitative autofluorescence (qAF) was measured as was the presence of macular lesions as related to age. Results: Ages of the 142 rhesus macaques ranged from 0.7 to 29 years (mean=16.4 years, stdev=7.5 years). Anterior segment measurements such as IOP, lens thickness, and axial length were acquired. Advanced retinal imaging in the form of optical coherence tomography and qAF were obtained. Quantitative assessments were made and variations by age groups were analyzed to compare with established age-related changes in human eyes. Quantitative analysis of data revealed age-related increase in intraocular pressure, ocular biometry (lens thickness and axial length), and presence of macular lesions. Age-related changes in thicknesses of retinal layers on OCT were observed and quantified. Age was correlated with increased qAF. Conclusions: The rhesus macaque has age-related ocular changes similar to humans. IOP increases with age while retinal ganglion cell layer thickness decreases. Macular lesions develop in some aged animals. Our findings support the concept that rhesus macaques may be useful for the study of important age-related diseases such as glaucoma, macular diseases, and cone disorders, and for development of therapies for these diseases.
Improved Medical Student Engagement with EHR Documentation following the 2018 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Billing Changes.

Background Medical student note writing is an important part of the training process but has suffered in the electronic health record (EHR) era as a result of student notes being excluded from the billable encounter. The 2018 CMS billing changes allow for medical student notes to be used for billable services provided that physical presence requirements are met, and attending physicians satisfy performance requirements and verify documentation. This has the potential to improve medical student engagement and decrease physician documentation burden. Methods Our institution implemented medical student notes as part of the billable encounter in August 2018 with support of our compliance department. Note characteristics including number, type, length, and time in note were analyzed before and after implementation. Rotating medical students were surveyed regarding their experience following implementation. Results There was a statistically significant increase in the number of student-authored notes following implementation. Attending physicians' interactions with student notes greatly increased following the change (4% of student notes reviewed vs. 84% of student notes). Surveyed students reported that having their notes as part of the billable record made their notes more meaningful and enhanced their learning. The majority of surveyed students also agreed that they received more feedback following the change. Conclusion Medical students are interested in writing notes for education and feedback. Inclusion of their notes as part of the billable record can facilitate their learning and increase their participation in the note writing process.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin distribution in preterm newborns without acute kidney injury as defined by a reference method.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been proposed as an early acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarker in the neonatal population. Our goal is to describe this biomarker behavior in th...
The Matthew Effect in social commerce

Online reviews as a major form of user-generated contents play a strategic role in eliminating information asymmetry and facilitating transactions in electronic markets. To improve market efficiency, many online retailers use helpfulness voting as a crowdsourcing strategy to identify and rank online reviews. In this study, we analysed a data set of 2187 reviews as well as more than two months’ review ranking data collected from six best-selling products on amazon.com. We found that a disproportionately higher percentage of votes went to early-posted lengthy reviews due to the Matthew effect. We also found that early reviews, once identified as most helpful, could maintain their top ranking status throughout the product life cycle because of the Ratchet effect. The implications of these findings were discussed and strategies for how to mitigate negative impacts of such effects by online retailers were suggested.
Leading Cases of the Hybrid Courts

This chapter deals with the major cases that have taken place before the different hybrid tribunals examining their legal and political context as well as their proceedings and outcomes. In the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), Case 001 (Kaing Guek Eav a.k.a. “Duch”) and Case 002 (with defendants Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, and Ieng Thirith, who were each charged with war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes under Cambodian Law). Further, it discusses the controversies around Cases 003 and 004 before the ECCC which have been opposed by the Cambodian government whose opposition has led several members of the court’s international staff to resign from the tribunal. At the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), the chapter discusses the trials for the Civil Defense Forces (CDF; including Sam Hinga Norman, Moinina Fofana, and Allieu Kondewa), the Revolutionary United Front (RUF; including the surviving leaders Issay Sesay, Morris Kallon, and Augustine Gbao), the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC; Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara and Santigie Borbor Kanu), along with the indictment, arrest, and prosecution of Charles Taylor. The chapter also discusses the cases of Julio Fernandez and Joao Fernandez, The Los Palos Case, and the indictment of General Wiranto before the Special Panel for Serious Crimes, Dili. Finally, at the Bosnia War Crimes Chamber, the chapter examines The Foca Rape Camp Trials as well as the Kravica Case, focusing on violence related to the Srebrenica massacres in 1995. In Kosovo, the chapter examines the trial of Milos Jokic as well as the Racak massacre and the 2001 bombing of the Nis Express (Florim Ejupi).