cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
bcl-2 and apoptosis in lymph node positive breast carcinoma†

BACKGROUND Because bcl-2 can block apoptosis in vitro, and because lower levels of apoptosis might lead to malignant cell accumulation and therefore to a more aggressive clinical course, the authors tested the hypothesis that high bcl-2 and low apoptosis would result in a worse prognosis for breast carcinoma patients. METHODS Primary breast tumor specimens from 979 patients with positive axillary lymph nodes were evaluated for bcl-2 protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Apoptosis was evaluated by using IHC to detect 3' DNA fragments end-labeled with biotinylated uridine. Results were analyzed with respect to patient characteristics, prognostic factors, and clinical outcome. Median follow-up was 61 months. RESULTS High bcl-2 expression was significantly associated with a number of favorable prognostic factors, including a lower number of positive lymph nodes, absence of p53 protein accumulation, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positivity, diploidy, and a lower proliferative rate. However, although bcl-2 is generally considered a negative regulator of apoptosis, in these tumors there was no significant association between bcl-2 and apoptosis. Patients with high bcl-2 expression had significantly improved disease free survival (DFS) (P < 0.0001) and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.0001). In a multivariate analysis, bcl-2 expression was independently associated with better DFS (P = 0.004). Regarding apoptosis, the presence of ≥1% apoptotic cells was significantly associated with a greater number of positive lymph nodes, p53 protein expression, ER and PR negativity, aneuploidy, and a higher proliferation rate, although there was no significant association with a worse clinical outcome when this dichotomized cutoff was used. CONCLUSIONS For lymph node positive breast carcinoma patients, high bcl-2 expression is associated with a number of good prognostic factors and is independently associated with better clinical outcome. Apoptosis is associated with a number of poor prognostic factors but not with a significantly worse outcome. Cancer 1998;82:1296-302. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
On the contravariant form of the Navier-Stokes equations in time-dependent curvilinear coordinate systems

The contravariant form of the Navier-Stokes equations in a fixed curvilinear coordinate system is well known. However, when the curvilinear coordinate system is time-varying, such as when a body-fitted grid is used to compute the flow over a compliant surface, considerable care is needed to handle the momentum term correctly. The present paper derives the complete contravariant form of the Navier-Stokes equations in a time-dependent curvilinear coordinate system from the intrinsic derivative of contravariant vectors in a moving frame. The result is verified via direct transformation. These complete equations are then applied to compute incompressible flow in a 2D channel with prescribed boundary motion, and the significant effect of some terms which are sometimes either overlooked or assumed to be negligible in such a derivation is quantified.
From the entrepreneurial university to the university for the entrepreneurial society

This article examines how and why the role of the university in society has evolved over time. The paper argues that the forces shaping economic growth and performance have also influenced the corresponding role for the university. As the economy has evolved from being driven by physical capital to knowledge, and then again to being driven by entrepreneurship, the role of the university has also evolved over time. While the entrepreneurial university was a response to generate technology transfer and knowledge-based startups, the role of the university in the entrepreneurial society has broadened to focus on enhancing entrepreneurship capital and facilitating behavior to prosper in an entrepreneurial society.
A stability analysis of self-calibration techniques.

Results are presented of an investigation into the stability of minimum-variance estima- tions when used to self-calibrate a missile tracking instrumentation complex. It is shown that the estimations are extremely sensitive to unmodeled systematic errors. The sensi- tivity to unmodeled errors is shown to increase when the size of the error model in the mini- mum-variance data processor is increased to include more error terms. If a poor or incom- plete data adjustment model is used in the data reduction, the errors on the estimated param- eters may actually get worse with increased measurement redundancy. An important ratio in the sensitivity analyses is the ratio of random equipment error to systematic error. HIS paper presents a study of the stability of minimum- variance estimates as applied to the problem of instru- mentation self-calibration. The technique developed for this analysis is sufficiently general to be of use in evaluating the stability of any minimum-variance estimation. Considerable effort has been directed toward using the available redundancy of tracking data at the Eastern Test Range to self-calibrate the tracking instrumentation. Meas- urement error models are postulated, and then the coefficients of these models are treated as unknowns along with the tra- jectory state variables in a large minimum-variance data reduction.1"3 Very often the behavior of the estimate (or calibrations) has been noted to be quite erratic. This paper presents results that explain the erratic behavior and show that for certain tracker-missile configurations and systematic error combinations the estimations are inherently unstable. Bush2 has proposed a method for analyzing the stability of the error models in an estimation after a set of real data has been processed through the estimation procedure. In this paper the technique of linear error analysis is used to develop a model stability analysis which does not require actual data. In addition to a considerable savings in data processing cost, the technique affords a deeper insight into the causes of estimation problems by virtue of the rigid control and vari- ation of the assumed error characteristics which is possible. The calculations that are associated with large range cali- brations are quite complex. As a result, this analysis has been restricted to the consideration of two representative types of tracking systems. These systems are hypothetical representations of a base-line interferometer tracker such as MISTRAM4 and a range-sum tracker such as GLOTRAC 5 and will hence forth be referred to as system M and system G. First these systems are analyzed individually and then as a combined tracking complex.
Mobility of “Unfreezable” and “Freezable” Water in Waxy Corn Starch by 2H and 1H NMR

“Freezable” and “unfreezable” water in waxy corn starch were characterized by thermal analysis, and the mobility in those states was characterized by solid state 2H and 1H NMR. Water was found to b...
Comparative study of the ability of four aminoglycoside assay techniques to detect the inactivation of aminoglycosides by β-lactam antibiotics

Abstract In vitro inactivation of aminoglycosides (tobramycin, gentamicin, and amikacin) by β-lactams (cefazolin, cefotaxime, moxalactam, carbenicillin, piperacillin, mezlocillin, and azlocillin) was measured using the enzyme-mediated immunoassay (EMIT), fluorescence polarization immunoassay (TDX), radioimmunoassay (RIA), and bioassay. No significant inactivation of aminoglycosides was produced by high levels of the three cephalosporins as measured by EMIT, RIA, or bioassay. Inactivation of tobramycin and gentamicin by mezlocillin and azlocillin was comparable to that seen with piperacillin but less than that with carbenicillin. In general, the bioassay detected the greatest degree of aminoglycoside inactivation and the EMIT assay detected the least for all drug combinations. The TDX and RIA techniques were equivalent in their ability to detect aminoglycoside inactivation by β-lactam antibiotics.
Supporting Scholarly Inquiry: Incorporating Users in the Design of the Digital Library

Abstract A digital library that effectively supports scholarly users must address the behaviors and activities of users engaged in research. Using focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires, this study concludes that scholars will benefit from adaptive, flexible user interfaces that enable easy navigation of a complex information landscape.
Telomere shortening and loss of self-renewal in dyskeratosis congenita induced pluripotent stem cells

Dyskeratosis congenita, a disease characterized by defective maintenance of blood, pulmonary and epidermal tissues, is caused by defects in genes required for telomere homeostasis. Short telomeres are thought to cause signs of the disease in mouse models by inducing senescence and cell death responses that impair tissue stem-cell function. Batista et al. generated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from dyskeratosis congenita patients. Previously reported iPS-cell-based disease models have required iPS cells to be differentiated to a terminal cell type before cellular defects emerge. In this instance, many features of the human stem-cell disease are found in patient-derived iPS cells, providing a model that is not dependent on cell differentiation to study disease mechanisms or to identify potential therapeutics. The differentiation of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to committed fates such as neurons, muscle and liver is a powerful approach for understanding key parameters of human development and disease1,2,3,4,5,6. Whether undifferentiated iPSCs themselves can be used to probe disease mechanisms is uncertain. Dyskeratosis congenita is characterized by defective maintenance of blood, pulmonary tissue and epidermal tissues and is caused by mutations in genes controlling telomere homeostasis7,8. Short telomeres, a hallmark of dyskeratosis congenita, impair tissue stem cell function in mouse models, indicating that a tissue stem cell defect may underlie the pathophysiology of dyskeratosis congenita9,10. Here we show that even in the undifferentiated state, iPSCs from dyskeratosis congenita patients harbour the precise biochemical defects characteristic of each form of the disease and that the magnitude of the telomere maintenance defect in iPSCs correlates with clinical severity. In iPSCs from patients with heterozygous mutations in TERT, the telomerase reverse transcriptase, a 50% reduction in telomerase levels blunts the natural telomere elongation that accompanies reprogramming. In contrast, mutation of dyskerin (DKC1) in X-linked dyskeratosis congenita severely impairs telomerase activity by blocking telomerase assembly and disrupts telomere elongation during reprogramming. In iPSCs from a form of dyskeratosis congenita caused by mutations in TCAB1 (also known as WRAP53), telomerase catalytic activity is unperturbed, yet the ability of telomerase to lengthen telomeres is abrogated, because telomerase mislocalizes from Cajal bodies to nucleoli within the iPSCs. Extended culture of DKC1-mutant iPSCs leads to progressive telomere shortening and eventual loss of self-renewal, indicating that a similar process occurs in tissue stem cells in dyskeratosis congenita patients. These findings in iPSCs from dyskeratosis congenita patients reveal that undifferentiated iPSCs accurately recapitulate features of a human stem cell disease and may serve as a cell-culture-based system for the development of targeted therapeutics.
Thermodynamics of aqueous bile salt solutions: Heat capacity, enthalpy and entropy of dilution

Heat capacity data at various temperatures and enthalpies of dilution at 25°C are reported for aqueous bile salt solutions. The apparent molal heat contentsφL have been combined with osmotic and activity coefficients to obtain the excess molal entropies. Measurements of some of these properties have also been carried out with the anionic detergent sodium dodecylsulfate so that the bile salt micellization process may be compared with that of a classical detergent. The observed data have been interpreted in terms of the hydrophobic association properties of bile salts in aqueous solution.
Ultrasound screening of asymptomatic siblings of children with vesicoureteral reflux: a long-term followup study.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Siblings of patients with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) are at greater risk of having reflux than the general population, and the role of screening in this group is widely accepted. While voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) is the gold standard for diagnosis of VUR, ultrasound (US) is often used for screening select patients. We examine the outcomes of a conventional US screening program in older asymptomatic siblings. Materials and Methods: Between 1984 and 2003 asymptomatic siblings older than 5 years as well as children whose parents refused VCUG were screened with conventional US and urine studies. If US showed a discrepancy in renal size, renal scarring or hydronephrosis, or a change in the size of the renal pelvis during the study, then VCUG was performed. Additionally, any child with a normal US who subsequently had symptoms of urinary tract infection was then referred for VCUG. Chart review was performed and 117 siblings were identified who met these criteria (age range 2 months to 15 years). An attempt was made to contact all 117 siblings to obtain long-term followup data. Results: Of the 117 siblings 11 (9.4%) were referred for VCUG secondary to abnormal US findings (9) and development of urinary tract infection (2). VCUG was negative in the 2 symptomatic children, while 5 of the 9 (55.6%) with abnormal US were found to have VUR. Telephone contact was established with 85 of the 117 (72.6%) siblings or their parents (average followup 8.3 years, range 2 months to 19 years). All 85 siblings with available followup information had normal US, and none had had symptoms or complications of VUR since screening. Conclusions: Given the lower incidence and seemingly innocuous nature of VUR in older asymptomatic siblings of known patients with reflux, observation alone in this group is an acceptable form of management. If either parental or physician anxiety exists in this approach, then conventional US offers a reliable alternative to invasive VCUG screening in this population.
Biopsy of hand, wrist, and forearm tumors

This article describes three biopsy methods currently used for treating masses arising in the hand, wrist, and forearm: open biopsy, fine needle aspiration, and core needle biopsy. The forearm, wrist, and hand comprise a complex and diverse anatomic region, and biopsy is emphasized as the most important element in the diagnosis of the musculoskeletal tumor. Biopsy methods for assessing true neoplasms, bony protuberances, cysts,infection and abscesses, foreign bodies, reactive granulomas, tenosynovial proliferation,and skin and fascial lesions are discussed.
ERRγ Mediates Tamoxifen Resistance in Novel Models of Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer

One-third of all estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast tumors treated with endocrine therapy fail to respond, and the remainder is likely to relapse in the future. Almost all data on endocrine resistance has been obtained in models of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). However, invasive lobular carcinomas (ILC) comprise up to 15% of newly diagnosed invasive breast cancers each year and, whereas the incidence of IDC has remained relatively constant during the last 20 years, the prevalence of ILC continues to increase among postmenopausal women. We report a new model of Tamoxifen (TAM)-resistant invasive lobular breast carcinoma cells that provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of endocrine resistance. SUM44 cells express ER and are sensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of antiestrogens. Selection for resistance to 4-hydroxytamoxifen led to the development of the SUM44/LCCTam cell line, which exhibits decreased expression of ERalpha and increased expression of the estrogen-related receptor gamma (ERRgamma). Knockdown of ERRgamma in SUM44/LCCTam cells by siRNA restores TAM sensitivity, and overexpression of ERRgamma blocks the growth-inhibitory effects of TAM in SUM44 and MDA-MB-134 VI lobular breast cancer cells. ERRgamma-driven transcription is also increased in SUM44/LCCTam, and inhibition of activator protein 1 (AP1) can restore or enhance TAM sensitivity. These data support a role for ERRgamma/AP1 signaling in the development of TAM resistance and suggest that expression of ERRgamma may be a marker of poor TAM response.
The effects of prayer on organizational life: A phenomenological study

There is substantial evidence showing that it is not uncommon for workers to face, for example, unfriendly relationships, poor organizational climate, and aggressive bosses in their work settings. While self-help readings, relaxation exercises, yoga, mentalization therapies and psychological counseling help to address workers' reactions, this paper focuses on prayer and its effects, through a phenomenological study. The results indicate that the sample members usually pray everyday and/or many times during the day. The majority of them seek for some form of celestial support, like to express gratitude to some deity, and believe that there is no right place or time to pray. The findings show that the average time that is spent on praying varies. Further, prayer is also seen as a form of communication with a divine power and it is also regarded as beneficial to deal with tasks, colleagues' relationships, negative emotions and spiritual vibrations at work settings, among other things.
Anaemia: FIND-CKD: intravenous iron in predialysis CKD.

A new study has advanced our understanding of iron management in chronic kidney disease (CKD) by comparing oral iron to high-dose and low-dose intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in patients with predialysis CKD. Intravenous FCM treatment to achieve a higher serum ferritin target improved patient haemoglobin levels and reduced initiation of other anaemia treatments.
Writing to Learn While Learning to Write

It is argued that, rather than just viewing writing as another skill to teach students, we can use writing to facilitate learning. Different ways that writing can facilitate learning are discussed with reference to how they were applied in a Developmental Psychology course.
A near-bottom survey of lineated abyssal hills in the equatorial pacific

A 250 km2 area of abyssal hills in the vicinity of 14°N, 126°W (between the Clarion and Clipperton Fracture Zones in the Equatorial Pacific) was surveyed in detail using an instrument package towed close to the deep sea floor, the MPL Deep Tow device. Both topography and near bottom magnetic field are lineated perpendicular to the major fracture zones. Except for a few localized depressions, the sediment surface is generally smooth and of low relief with maximum elevation differences of 200 m and slopes of six degrees. Several small graben-like troughs and depressions were observed, most of them near the crest of one abyssal hill. The largest trough is two kilometers long, 250 m wide and 50 m deep with steep sides (>30°). These troughs are tentatively interpreted as the result of tensional separation at the tops of the hills caused by down-slope creep and consolidation of the pelagic sediments.
Combining acid–base, redox and substrate binding functionalities to give a complete model for the [FeFe]-hydrogenase

The fastest catalysts in nature for producing and oxidizing hydrogen are [FeFe]-hydrogenases, which make use of an extra one-electron redox equivalent from an iron-sulfur cluster that is outside the core. Now, a ferrocene-based ligand that oxidizes at mild potential performs this cluster's role in an excellent synthetic hydrogenase model.
The Who and When of Molecular Testing for Tumors of Unknown Primaries: One Resident’s Perspective

To the Editor It was with great interest that I read the article by Dumur and colleagues1 on their clinical verification of the only US Food and Drug Administration–approved microarray-based test for the diagnosis of poorly and undifferentiated tumors, the Pathwork Tissue of Origin (TOO) Test (Pathwork Diagnostics, Sunnyvale, CA). Briefly, the Pathwork TOO Test is one of several tests currently on the market (CancerTYPE ID, Biotheranostics, San Diego, CA, and miRview mets, Rosetta Genomics, Rehovot, Israel, being others) that attempt to correlate the RNA profile of a given undifferentiated tumor with its suspected tissue of origin (hence, the clever names) through complementary DNA microarray analysis and predetermined algorithms. Based on the findings in the study by Dumur et al,1 the Pathwork TOO test seems to perform glowingly, with a reported 97% concordance rate between the TOO result and final diagnosis, when immunohistochemical and radiologic studies are included. Yet, while most of the available data for these assays are and have been promising with regard to their ability to retrospectively correlate diagnoses with standard analytic methods, several important questions remain, including “When is it appropriate to use one of these tests?” and “Who decides when these tests should be ordered?” As these tests are relatively new to the market and the field of pathology in general, some basic questions are, of course, warranted, especially because they are rather costly, and, as yet, there have been no published prospective studies comparing ultimate outcomes of cases diagnosed with these new techniques vs cases undergoing standard immunohistochemical workups. A recent case seen in our group raises some of these questions and provides a real-life example of when requests for these assays could be made. The patient was a 69-year-old man who had an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan following a 1-month …
Results of surgery for congenital supravalvular aortic stenosis.

Abstract Of eight children aged 3 to 15 years with surgical correction of severe supravalvular aortic stenosis, 6 were evaluated 7 to 44 months later by repeat cardiac catheterization and aortography. Prosthetic patch angioplasty was performed in all cases. Preoperative systolic gradients ranged from 40 to 90 mm Hg (average 70); postoperative gradients ranged from 0 to 20 mm Hg (average 11). The postoperative angiographic appearance of the ascending aorta was near normal in all six patients, and none had new aortic valve insufficiency. These results of surgery for supravalvular aortic stenosis are judged to be excellent.
Incidental exposure to online news in everyday life information seeking context: Mixed method study

The Internet and new technologies are changing news reading habits and information behavior of readers. News readership is shifting to the Internet because of accessible, inexpensive technology, and free content. The prevalence of news on the web provides opportunities for people to encounter news in an incidental way as a byproduct of their online activities. This poster presents the preliminary results of the dissertation study on incidental exposure to online news, which was conducted in the spring of 2009.
A reanalysis of the passive in Hindi

Abstract In recent years, the passive has been the subject of much discussion (Bresnan unpublished; Friedin 1975; Wasow 1976). Universally, this construction presents one of the strongest arguments for a singularly transformation (Katz and Postal 1964). As such, it presents one of the major transformations to be reckoned with in considering non-transformational grammars (Schachter 1975) that seek to reduce the role of transformations in language descriptions. This paper argues against the T-analysis of the passive in one language, Hindi. It shows that the T-derivation of passive from active is problematic, and that what has been claimed to be a single transformation of passivisation actually consists of three independent processes of verb agreement, agent phrase adverbials and compound verbs — all of which relate to, and are therefore accounted for by three independent statements of the language. Thus, this paper presents a strong, substantive argument against the passive transformation in Hindi and provides a different framework for examining this construction in other languages.
Energy intake and energy expenditure in the elderly.

This review briefly examines the effects of aging on resting metabolic rate, thermic effect of a meal, and the energy expenditure of physical activity. Thereafter, the effects of advancing age on total daily energy expenditure as assessed from doubly labeled water studies are examined. The paucity of studies in this area and the small sample sizes preclude definitive conclusions regarding daily energy requirements in the elderly. The rationale underlying measurement of daily energy expenditure to determine energy requirements in older individuals is presented. Evidence is provided that older individuals frequently underreport daily energy intake, and this underreporting is more pronounced in older women with higher levels of body fat. The effects of aerobic and resistance training on resting metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure are then examined. Both forms of training increase resting metabolic rate due to increases in sympathetic nervous system activity. Lastly, procedures to normalize body size dependent data are discussed. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Generalized Schemes for High-Throughput Manipulation of the Desulfovibrio vulgaris Genome

The ability to conduct advanced functional genomic studies of the thousands of sequenced bacteria has been hampered by the lack of available tools for making high-throughput chromosomal manipulations in a systematic manner that can be applied across diverse species. In this work, we highlight the use of synthetic biological tools to assemble custom suicide vectors with reusable and interchangeable DNA "parts" to facilitate chromosomal modification at designated loci. These constructs enable an array of downstream applications, including gene replacement and the creation of gene fusions with affinity purification or localization tags. We employed this approach to engineer chromosomal modifications in a bacterium that has previously proven difficult to manipulate genetically, Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, to generate a library of over 700 strains. Furthermore, we demonstrate how these modifications can be used for examining metabolic pathways, protein-protein interactions, and protein localization. The ubiquity of suicide constructs in gene replacement throughout biology suggests that this approach can be applied to engineer a broad range of species for a diverse array of systems biological applications and is amenable to high-throughput implementation.
PERCEPTIONS OF QUALITY OF JOURNALS RELATED TO HEALTH EDUCATION

Faculty and chairpersons (N = 102) at 34 programs granting doctoral degrees in health education were asked to rate the quality of professional journals related to health education. The American Journal of Public Health was the highest rated journal. Health Education Quarterly was second, and Health Education Research, the only other health education journal, was rated in the top 10 (rated 7). The journals from the epidemiology area rated higher than journals from other areas. The respondents were least familiar with journals on the environment, safety, and death education.
Organic chlorate and perchlorate derivatives as high energy materials: High-level computations on methyl chlorate and methyl perchlorate

Abstract Although chlorate and perchlorate are well known as oxidizers, the study of organic chlorate and perchlorate compounds as potential high energy materials has not been explored. Here, we present molecular properties, including enthalpies of formation and decomposition, of methyl chlorate and methyl perchlorate. Both isomers of methyl chlorate – the Cl-bonded and the O-bonded – were examined.
Critical comparison of moving bar impact with gas expansion machines for dynamic loading of metals

Achievement of high head speed in a testing machine requires that two conditions be met: (1) a high velocity input to the machine, and (2) a reasonably high stiffness. The machines discussed here, while excelling in requirement (1) are characterized by a rather deficient stiffness. Because of this softness, the strain rate during a test will vary markedly with the amplitude and shape of the stress strain curve; indeed, so much so that it must be considered as a variable in the data. This paper gives an analysis of the motional characteristics of a typical gas-pressurized testing machine. This machine is driven by a pressure source obtained from a chambered burning of gunpowder; head speeds up to 100 in./sec. are reached by a restricted expansion against a piston. It is found that observed strain rate vs. strain behavior can be predicted from the analysis by taking into account the decrease in driving pressure due to gas cooling and to its expansion, and the decrease in stiffness with strain in the specimen or stroke of the piston. Comparison of this type of machine with impact bar loaders previously developed at NRL shows a comparable degree of strain-rate variation for both machines. However, with mild steel, the stress–strain data from the two machines can be correlated by considering instant strain rate as a variable.
Incorporation of acetate into fatty acids and complex lipids of soybean cotyledon slices under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Soybean slices incubated with [1-14C] acetate in the presence of air synthesized fatty acids to a greater extent than did slices in the absence of air. The proportion of radioactive fatty acids incorporated into the neutral lipid was ca. 35% in the presence or absence of air. However, both the proportion and the absolute amount of radioactive fatty acids in phospholipids were greater in the presence of air. This difference was particularly great in phosphatidic acid and in a minor uncharacterized phospholipid component. Significant incorporation of acetate into monoenoic acids was observed in these two lipids and in phosphatidyl choline. The latter also showed an accumulation of newly synthesized polyenoic acids when air was present. Stearic acid synthesis was greater under aerobic than under anaerobic conditions. The present results support the concept that a relationship exists between the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and their incorporation into phospholipids in plants.
Teacher education: Reality and challenge

Robards describes the challenges that must be met if quality in teacher education, and in education in general, is to survive.
Nonconstrictive epicarditis mimicking a cardiac mass in a 71-year-old Caucasian man: a case report and review of the literature

Isolated cases of epicarditis are rare. Thus far, all have occurred with constrictive physiology as most cases involve both parietal and visceral pericardium. We report the first case of asymptomatic epicarditis that involved only the visceral pericardium presenting without constrictive physiology. A 71-year-old male with a history of atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, pericardial effusion, type-2 diabetes and hypothyroidism presented with 5 weeks of fatigue and 1 day of dizziness. Physical examination was significant for pallor and tachycardia. Laboratory analysis revealed a hemoglobin count of 7.2 g/dl and iron deficiency anemia. The patient was transfused and evaluated by endoscopic ultrasound. A polypoid mass in the gastric cardia was found and later diagnosed as gastric adenocarcinoma (staged as T1N0M0). The pericardial effusion was evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography which showed a 2.0 × 2.7 cm mass associated with the right atrium. Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the mass but did not reveal constrictive physiology. Whole-body contrast computed tomography failed to demonstrate metastatic disease. Biopsy of the cardiac mass revealed epicarditis without parietal pericardium involvement. Partial gastrectomy was performed to remove the gastric adenocarcinoma. This is the first reported case of asymptomatic epicarditis. Our case was especially unusual because the epicarditis presented as an incidental cardiac mass. The clinical picture was complicated due to the concomitant presence of gastric adenocarcinoma and chronic pericardial effusion. This case demonstrates that epicarditis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cardiac masses.
Ethnic Transformation in Rural California: Looking Beyond the Immigrant Farmworker

Communities in rural California are becoming increasingly Latino. Using a quantitative database of 288 rural communities together with qualitative data collected in the San Joaquin Valley we examine the processes through which this ethnic transformation is occurring. Most studies have focused on Latino immigration as the cause of changing ethnic composition. We find that non-Latino population growth as well as Latino population growth accounts for the relative differences in changing community ethnicity. Most important for explaining migration among Latinos are housing costs and year-round job availability. Among white non-Latinos ethnic conflict and perceptions of community deterioration better explain migration decisions. As a result of these changes places in rural California are becoming increasingly economically and ethnically differentiated. (EXCERPT)
Interregional Exchanges of Air Pollution: Model Types and Applications

During the last two decades there has been a simultaneous growth in awareness of the quality of the environment, in the ability to measure its chemical constituents with greater accuracy and precision, and in the widespread use of mathematical models for estimating the transport and diffusion of air pollutants. In recent years, special attention has been given to problems resulting from long-range transport of air pollutants over large regional- or continental-scale areas. Air concentrations and ground deposition of sulfur compounds have been of particular concern.
Ethical Considerations in Studying Drug Safety — The Institute of Medicine Report

In May 2012, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report on the ethics and science of FDA-required postmarketing safety research. Three members of the IOM committee discuss the committee's ethi...
Magnetotelluric and Geomagnetic Deep-Sounding Studies in Rifts and Adjacent Areas: Constraints on Physical Processes in the Crust and Upper Mantle

Deep electrical studies are reviewed along with other supportive geophysical/geological investigations of five of the major rift zones of the world: the Baikal rift, and Rhine graben, the East African rift, Iceland and the Rio Grande rift. All of these regions exhibit anomalously low values of electrical resistivity, density and seismic velocity, either within the crust itselt or at high levels in the mantle. Deep electrical studies support a model where ascending masses of material from the mantle are intimately coupled to the fractionation of a basalt melt and its accumulation at higher levels within the earth. In Iceland, an interplate rift, the accumulation and chilling of melt at the base of the crust apparently leads to a significant component of crustal underplating whereas in intraplate rifts such as the Rio Grande rift, the emplacement of basaltic magma at high levels may lead to extensive remelting of the crust, triggering eruptive episodes of silicic magmas.
Maternal and obstetric complications of pregnancy are associated with increasing gestational age at term

Objective We sought to estimate when rates of maternal pregnancy complications increase beyond 37 weeks of gestation. Study design We designed a retrospective cohort study of all low-risk women delivered beyond 37 weeks' gestational age from 1995 to 1999 within a mature managed care organization. Rates of mode of delivery and maternal complications of labor and delivery were examined by gestational age with both bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results We found that, among the 119,254 women who delivered at 37 completed weeks and beyond, the rates of operative vaginal delivery (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.09, 1.22), 3rd- or 4th-degree perineal laceration (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06, 1.24), and chorioamnionitis (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.21, 1.44) all increased at 40 weeks as compared to 39 weeks of gestation ( P P P Conclusion We found that the risk of maternal peripartum complications increase as pregnancy progresses beyond 40 weeks of gestation. Management of pregnancies that progress past their EDC should include counseling regarding the risks of increasing gestational age.
Ocean sequestration of crop residue carbon: recycling fossil fuel carbon back to deep sediments.

For significant impact any method to remove CO2 from the atmosphere must process large amounts of carbon efficiently, be repeatable, sequester carbon for thousands of years, be practical, economical and be implemented soon. The only method that meets these criteria is removal of crop residues and burial in the deep ocean. We show here that this method is 92% efficient in sequestration of crop residue carbon while cellulosic ethanol production is only 32% and soil sequestration is about 14% efficient. Deep ocean sequestration can potentially capture 15% of the current global CO2 annual increase, returning that carbon back to deep sediments, confining the carbon for millennia, while using existing capital infrastructure and technology. Because of these clear advantages, we recommend enhanced research into permanent sequestration of crop residues in the deep ocean.
Long-term insulin-like growth factor-I expression in skeletal muscles attenuates the enhanced in vitro proliferation ability of the resident satellite cells in transgenic mice

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) overexpression for 1-month in mouse skeletal muscle increases satellite cell proliferation potential. However, it is unknown whether this beneficial enhancement by IGF-I expression would persist over a longer-term duration in aged mice. This is an important issue to address if a prolonged course of IGF-I is to be used clinically in muscle-wasting conditions where satellite cells may become limiting. Using the IGF-I transgenic (IGF-I Tg) mouse that selectively expresses the IGF-I transgene in striated muscles, we found that 18-months of continuous IGF-I overexpression led to a loss in the enhanced in vitro proliferative capacity of satellite cells from Tg skeletal muscles. Also 18-month-old IGF-I Tg satellite cells lost the enhanced BrdU incorporation, greater pRb and Akt phosphorylations, and decreased p27(Kip1) levels initially observed in cells from 1-month-old IGF-I Tg mice. The levels of those biochemical markers reverted to similar values seen in the 18-months WT littermates. These findings, therefore, suggest that there is no further beneficial effect on enhancing satellite cell proliferation ability with persistent long-term expression of IGF-I in skeletal muscles of these transgenic mice.
PCR identification of class I major histocompatibility complex genes transcribed in mouse blastocyst and placenta.

Abstract We used an RT-PCR based strategy to amplify, clone and sequence MHC class I genes transcribed in the blastocyst and placenta of BALBc mice. The PCR primers used were capable of amplifying many novel class I sequences from genomic DNA. By comparing the resulting sequence data with known class I sequences, we identified a number of different class I genes transcribed in these tissues. These include H2-K, -D, -L and a novel sequence in blastocysts, and H2-K, -D, -L, -D2, -T9, -T13, -T17, -T18, -M2 and three additional novel sequences in placenta. We postulate that some members of this spectrum of blastocyst and placentally-expressed MHC class Ib genes may act together at the maternal-fetal interface in ways that are important for a successful pregnancy.
Academic Functioning and Mental Health in Adolescence: Patterns, Progressions, and Routes From Childhood

The current study examines patterns of academic functioning and mental health in 184 middle school children and the relation of such patterns to their prior and subsequent functioning. Data were collected from children during their second, third, fourth, eighth, and ninth grade school years. Cluster analyses were used to delineate patterns of academic functioning and mental health during eighth grade. The authors examined the relation of these patterns to academic functioning and mental health 1 year later the transition to high school, and then examined the long-term developmental roots of the eighth grade patterns using data collected during elementary school years. Results indicated variegated patterns of academic and emotional functioning at eighth grade and stability in these patterns across the high school transition. Some long-term continuity was found among children showing uniformly positive or negative functioning at eighth grade. Studying child functioning across multiple domains and time perio...
Structural variations in anorthites

Variations of structure and optical properties in anorthites (An 93–97%) of different origin are analyzed with the petrographic microscope, U-stage methods, X-ray single crystal analysis and high voltage electron microscopy. No significant variation has been found in the orientation of the indicatrix and of the lattice constants. But c-type reflections (h + k even, ι odd) are strong and sharp in anorthites from slowly cooled rocks and diffuse in anorthites of identical chemical composition from quenched igneous rocks. Large type c-antiphase domains (5000–10000 A) are found in the slowly cooled rocks, c-domains in volcanic rocks are small (100 A) or could not be imaged. The presence of only b-domains in lunar basalt 14310 indicates quenching of this rock. Large c-domains in the Apollo 15 genesis rock (15415, Lally et al., 1972) indicate slow cooling similar to terrestrial metamorphic rocks.
Expanding Ventricular Shunts for Hydrocephalus in Infancy and Childhood

SUMMARY Expanding, adult-length catheters to accommodate continuing somatic growth have been implanted in the course of shunts, either to the heart or peritoneum, in 12 hydrocephalic infants and young children. Three of four patients with direct cardiac shunts are doing well 22, 28 and 30 months following primary shunt operations, and five of eight patients with ventriculo-peritoneal shunts are progressing favourably four to 10 months after shunt placement. While no claims can be made for long-term benefits, the preliminary results of these procedures are encouraging. RESUME Shunts ventriculaires allonges dans l'hydrocephalie du nourrisson et de l'enfant Des catheters longs, de type adulte, ont ete implantes chez 12 nourrissons et jeunes enfants hydrocephales au cours de la premiere intervention de shunt. Le but etait d'eviter la necessite d'interventions repetees pour allonger le catheter en fonction de la croissance de l'enfant. Trois des quatre malades ayant eu un shunt cardiaque direct allaient bien 22, 28 et 30 mois plus tard; cinq des huit malades porteurs d'un shunt ventriculo-peritoneal evoluaient favorablement quatre a dix mois apres l'intervention. Aucune conclusion ne peut etre tiree pour un benefice a long terme mais les resultats preliminaires de ces precedes sont encourageants. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Mitwachsende ventrikulare Shuntsysteme bei Hydrocephalus im Sauglings- und Kindesalter Mitwachsende Katheter bis zur Erwachenenlange sind bei 12 Sauglingen und Kleinkindern mit Hydrocephalus bei ihrer ersten Ventiloperation implantiert worden. Man wollte damit die Notwendigkeit wiederholter Operationen zur Katheterverlangerung wahrend des Wachstums der Kinder vermeiden. Drei von vier Patienten mit direktem cardialen Shunt geht es 22, 28 und 30 Monate nach der Operation gut und funf von acht Patienten mit ventriculo-peritonealem Shunt machen vier bis zehn Monate nach der Operation gute Fortschritte. Da noch keine Aussagen uber Langzeiterfolge gemacht werden konnen, sind doch die vorlaufigen Ergebnisse dieses Vorgehens recht ermutigend. RESUMEN Derivaciones ventriculares expansivas para hidrocefalias en lactantes y ninos Se han implantado cateteres expansivos, de tamano de adulto, en 12 lactantes y ninos pequenos hidrocefalicos durante su primera operacion derivativa. El proposito era evitar la necesidad de operaciones repetidas para alargar los cateteres a medida que el ninos crecia. Tres de cuatro pacientes con derivaciones cardiacas directas siguen bien, 22, 28 y 30 meses mas tarde, y cinco de ocho pacientes con derivation ventriculo-peritoneal van progresando favorablemente a los cuatro-diez meses despues de la operacion. Aunque no puede pronunciarse sobre un beneficio a largo plazo, los resultados preliminares de estos procedimientos son alentadores.
Synthesis and structure of a (diphosphoxane)rhodium(I) complex. Novel reaction with CO To liberate a phosphinidene oxide

The synthesis and crystal and molecular structure of RhCl[[eta][sup 2]-(Me[sub 2]N)[sub 2]POP(NMe[sub 2])[sub 2]-P,P[prime]] [P(NMe[sub 2])[sub 3]] (1) are reported. 1 undergoes a novel reaction with CO in which the diphosphoxane ligand is cleaved, yielding (dimethylamino)phosphinidene oxide and Rh[P(NMe[sub 2])[sub 3]][sub 2](CO)Cl (3). 10 refs., 3 tabs.
Incidence and Economic Implications of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia in Medical Patients Receiving Prophylaxis for Venous Thromboembolism

Study Objectives. To determine the incidence of heparin-induc ed thrombocytopenia (HIT) in patients admitted to a medical service who were given unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) to prevent venous thromboembolism, the incremental cost of developing HIT, and the cost consequences of using LMWH to prevent venous thromboembolism in medical patients. Design. Retrospective analysis with a nested case-control. Setting. University-affiliated tertiary-care hospital. Patients. A total of 10,121 adult medical patients admitted between August 1, 2000, and November 2, 2004, received UFH or LMWH to prevent venous thromboembolism during their admission. From these, patients with immune-mediated HIT were identified and served as case patients, and 3‐5 matched control patients were identified for each case patient. Measurements and Main Results. The development of HIT was determined for patients who received LMWH and for patients who received UFH. Costs were compared between the patients with HIT and the matched control patients. The cost of using LMWH to prevent venous thromboembolism was compared with the cost of using UFH. In patients receiving UFH and those receiving LMWH, the incidence of HIT was 0.51% (43/8420) and 0.084% (1/1189), respectively (p=0.037), with an overall incidence of 0.43% (44/10,121). Admissions that included development of HIT incurred an average cost of $56,364 compared with $15,231 (p<0.001) for admissions without HIT. Using LMWH to prevent venous thromboembolism in medical patients cost $13.88 less per patient than using UFH. Conclusions. For the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism, LMWH was associated with a lower incidence of HIT than UFH in medical patients. An admission during which the patient develops HIT costs significantly more than an admission during which the patient does not develop HIT. Lowmolecular-weight heparin is cost-effectiv e for prevention of venous thromboembolism in medical patients.
Room temperature fracture of FeCo

FeCo is a B2 intermetallic compound which undergoes an order-disorder transformation. In this paper, the effects of changes in both constitutional and thermal disorder on the room temperature fracture of FeCo are presented. Tensile tests were performed on three compositions of FeCo, Fe[sub 30]CO[sub 70], Fe[sub 50]CO[sub 50] and Fe[sub 70]CO[sub 30]. The resulting fracture surfaces were examined by SEM and the grain boundary chemistry was investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy, AES. Ordered Fe[sub 50]CO[sub 50] and Fe[sub 70]CO[sub 30] were very battle, fracture occurring before yielding, with intergranular fracture occurring in most grains. In contrast, ordered Fe[sub 30]CO[sub 70] showed about 18% elongation and exhibited a dimple-type fracture. It was also found that disordering improved the ductility of each composition but had little influence on the fracture mode. AES showed that a low level of sulfur segregation was present at the grain boundaries, suggesting that sulfur segregation alone was not responsible for the brittle behavior of the ordered alloys.