cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A cross sectional analysis from a single institution’s experience of psychosocial distress and health-related quality of life in the primary brain tumor population

Primary brain tumor patients experience high levels of distress. The purpose of this cross-sectional, retrospective study is to evaluate the level and different sources of psychosocial distress and how these pertain to health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The Primary and Recurrent Glioma registry at Duke’s The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center was queried retrospectively for demographic and clinical information on patients seen between December 2013 and February 2014. Data also included the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Distress Thermometer (NCCN-DT), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain Cancer (FACT-Br), and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy- Fatigue (FACIT-F). 829 subjects completed questionnaires. 54% were male; 96% completed the NCCN-DT; 33.3% had a DT score ≥4 (moderate/severe distress). Women reported DT ≥ 4 more often than men (38.6 vs 29.0%; p = 0.005). Patients within 1 year of diagnosis reported DT ≥ 4 more often than those 1+ years after diagnosis (38.8 vs 30.9%; p = 0.034). 73.0% reported physical problems; the most frequent being fatigue (43.2%) and memory/concentration (40.9%). 42.0% complained of emotional problems with worry (29.4%) and nervousness (22.4%) being the most common. Patients who reported at least one practical, family, emotional or physical problem had significantly lower HRQoL scores (p < 0.001). Primary brain tumor patients experience memory dysfunction, fatigue, nervousness, worry, and financial concerns, which have a negative effect on the patient’s HRQoL. By identifying and addressing these stressors, it may be possible to improve patient HRQoL.
The Role of Psychopharmacology in Mental Health: A Response to Kaut (2011)

This article replies to comments made in the July 2011 issue of this journal on the author's original article (Murray, 2009). Kaut (2011) encourages mental health counselors to consider biological reductionism as the preferred lens through which to understand both psychological and emotional symptoms and the high prevalence and superior efficacy of psychopharmaceuticals. His position stands in stark contrast to what I espoused in 2009, when I drew parallels between the methods of the psychopharmaceutical industrial complex and those used in cult indoctrination. While Kaut focuses on biological reductionism and the legitimacy of pharmacological intervention, I propose that mental health counselors have an ethical mandate to confront the oppressive effects of dominant social narratives associated with the psychiatric disease model and move toward a more socially just understanding of the role of psychopharmacology.
The Role of Secondhand Smoke Research in Protecting Nonsmokers.

* Abbreviations: FAMRI — : Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute SHS — : secondhand smoke In the 53 years since the release of the landmark US Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, our understanding of the burden of tobacco use and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure has grown exponentially. Research has proven that tobacco use and SHS exposure causes a significant proportion of 6 of the world’s 8 leading causes of death, including heart disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and many cancers.1 Scientists and clinicians in medicine and public health have also built a strong evidence base for tobacco control, and have implemented educational and policy initiatives and clinical support services to prevent tobacco use, protect nonsmokers from SHS, and encourage cessation. Although these efforts have been successful in reducing rates of tobacco use and smoke exposure in some countries, there remains significant work to be done. Each year, tobacco use and SHS exposure continue to kill. By World Health Organization estimates, 6 000 000 people die of tobacco annually, with 10% of these deaths caused by SHS.1,2 Much of the burden of this fully preventable disease has shifted to vulnerable populations, including children and low-income families. Children are exposed to SHS at higher rates than any other age group, … Address correspondence to Julie A. Gorzkowski, MSW, Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence, American Academy of Pediatrics, 345 Park Blvd, Itasca IL 60143. E-mail: jgorzkowski{at}aap.org
Bacteriophage Transcription Factor Cro Regulates Virulence Gene Expression in Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

Summary Bacteriophage-encoded genetic elements control bacterial biological functions. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains harbor lambda-phages encoding the Shiga-toxin (Stx), which is expressed during the phage lytic cycle and associated with exacerbated disease. Phages also reside dormant within bacterial chromosomes through their lysogenic cycle, but how this impacts EHEC virulence remains unknown. We find that during lysogeny the phage transcription factor Cro activates the EHEC type III secretion system (T3SS). EHEC lambdoid phages are lysogenic under anaerobic conditions when Cro binds to and activates the promoters of T3SS genes. Interestingly, the Cro sequence varies among phages carried by different EHEC outbreak strains, and these changes affect Cro-dependent T3SS regulation. Additionally, infecting mice with the related pathogen C. rodentium harboring the bacteriophage cro from EHEC results in greater T3SS gene expression and enhanced virulence. Collectively, these findings reveal the role of phages in impacting EHEC virulence and their potential to affect outbreak strains.
3D Volume Rendering and 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing)

Three-dimensional (3D) volume-rendered images allow 3D insight into the anatomy, facilitating surgical treatment planning and teaching. 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and rapid prototyping techniques are being used with satisfactory accuracy, mostly for diagnosis and surgical planning, followed by direct manufacture of implantable devices. The major limitation is the time and money spent generating 3D objects. Printer type, material, and build thickness are known to influence the accuracy of printed models. In implant dentistry, the use of 3D-printed surgical guides is strongly recommended to facilitate planning and reduce risk of operative complications.
Cushing's Syndrome, Neuropsychiatric Aspects*

Cushing's disease is an endocrine disorder characterized by hypersecretion of cortisol. Patients exhibit a consistent constellation of symptoms, including abnormalities in mood and vegetative and cognitive functions. Improvements in depressed mood, sleep, and learning occur after treatment. Imaging provides additional information about effects of cortisol on brain structure and function.
Relationship among age, race, medical funding, and cervical cancer survival.

Abstract Objective To examine the impact of age, race, and medical funding on cervical cancer survival. Materials and Methods Study design was a retrospective chart review of cervical cancer patients. Charts were abstracted for demographic characteristics, Pap smear history, clinical presentation, treatment, and survival. Descriptive studies, Spearman correlation, and Cox's proportional hazards regression model were performed. Results One hundred-twenty-five cervical cancer patients were included. Mean age at diagnosis was 46.1 ± 13.2 years, and median survival time from cervical cancer was 31 months; 11.2% of the study population was aged greater than 65 years; 63.4% were African American; and 44.6% had no medical funding. Diagnosis at age of at least 65 years was significantly correlated with suboptimal cervical cancer screening pattern (r = 0.36, p = .0003). Women aged at least 65 years old had a 3.39 time increased hazard of death compared to younger patients (p = .02; OR, 3.39; 95% CI, 1.20-9.56) after adjusting for advanced stage of disease and treatment modality. There was no significant association between medical funding or race on cervical cancer screening pattern, stage at diagnosis, or survival. Conclusion Age at diagnosis (> 65 years), but not medical funding or race, was correlated with suboptimal cervical cancer screening pattern and poor survival.
High-resolution CT of the lung parenchyma

High-resolution CT, a technique that optimizes the spatial resolution of lung parenchyma, uses thin collimation, reconstruction with a high-spatial frequency algorithm, image targeting, and sometimes increased kVp and mA settings. Performing a high-resolution CT study can provide information regarding lung morphology that cannot be obtained using conventional CT or plain radiographs. Alterations in anatomy can be identified at the level of the secondary pulmonary lobule, and although often nonspecific, in certain situations high-resolution CT findings can be diagnostic. High-resolution CT scanning is also helpful in identifying patients who have significant lung disease despite a normal chest radiograph, and in planning biopsy procedures.
Two notions of epistemic validity

How to accept a conditional? F. P. Ramsey proposed the following test in (Ramsey 1990). (RT) ‘If A, then B’ must be accepted with respect to the current epistemic state iff the minimal hypothetical change of it needed to accept A also requires accepting B. In this article we propose a formulation of (RT), which unlike some of its predecessors, is compatible with our best theory of belief revision, the so-called AGM theory (see (Gardenfors 1988), chapters 1–5 for a survey). The new test, which, we claim, encodes some of the crucial insights defended by F. P. Ramsey in (Ramsey 1990), is used to study the conditionals epistemically validated by the AGM postulates. Our notion of validity (PV) is compared with the notion of negative validity (NV) used by Gardenfors in (Gardenfors 1988). It is observed that the notions of PV and NV will in general differ and that when these differences arise it is the notion of PV that is preferable. Finally we compare our formulation of the Ramsey test with a previous formulation offered by Gardenfors (GRT). We show that any attempt to interpret (GRT) as delivering acceptance conditions for Ramsey's conditionals is doomed to failure.
Engineering Meteorology: Weather Influences on Electrical Utility Load Dispatching

The problem of lead dispatching of electric utilities is discussed to show the part that weather plays in typical load dispatching techniques, both long range and short range. An effort is made to evaluate the significance of various meteorological parameters and to show the overall importance of taking weather effects into consideration from the viewpoint of improving operating efficiency and economy of utilities. Finally, consideration is given to bring out the regions where the activities of meteorologists are most desired by the utilities.
Familial financial stress and child internalizing behaviors: The roles of caregivers' maltreating behaviors and social services.

Abstract Based on the family stress model and the stress-buffering model, the present study examines the relationship between caregivers’ financial stress and child internalizing problem behaviors, the mediating role of caregiver maltreating behaviors, and whether social services for caregivers buffer this relationship. The current study is based on data from wave two of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being dataset (N = 2670). Results indicated increased high familial financial stress was associated with child internalizing problems. Caregivers’ psychological aggression, physical assault, child neglect, and sexual maltreatment emerged as mechanisms mediating this relationship. Tangible service and social network service were found to mitigate the deleterious effect of financial stress on child internalizing behaviors, but primarily for those whom financial stress was high. These findings highlight the role perceived financial stress has on potential maltreatment and child outcomes, rather than relying on objective measures of economic status. Implications for social services focused interventions for children and caregivers coping with high levels of perceived financial stress are discussed.
Immediate Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction with Acellular Dermal Matrix: A Comparison of Sterile and Aseptic AlloDerm in 2039 Consecutive Cases.

BACKGROUND Sterile ready-to-use acellular dermal matrix, introduced as an alternative to aseptic freeze-dried acellular dermal matrix for implant-based breast reconstruction, has been investigated in a limited number of studies. This study compared outcomes in implant-based breast reconstruction with ready-to-use and freeze-dried acellular dermal matrix. METHODS The authors analyzed patients undergoing implant-based breast reconstruction with either freeze-dried or ready-to-use acellular dermal matrix, including demographics, clinical variables, and outcomes. An a priori power analysis was performed and logistic regression modeling was used to quantify the effect of acellular dermal matrix on outcomes while controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS A total of 1285 consecutive patients undergoing 2039 immediate prosthetic breast reconstructions constituted the population: 612 (n = 910 breasts) with freeze-dried matrix and 673 (n = 1129 breasts) with ready-to-use acellular dermal matrix. The freeze-dried matrix cohort had a significantly higher rate of explantation compared with the ready-to-use matrix cohort (18.0 percent versus 12.0 percent; p = 0.0036), but surgical-site infection, wound dehiscence, mastectomy flap necrosis, seroma, and hematoma did not differ significantly between groups. On multivariate regression, patients undergoing reconstruction with freeze-dried matrix, compared to ready-to-use matrix, did not have higher odds of experiencing surgical-site infections (OR, 1.064; p = 0.7455), but did have higher odds of explantation (OR, 1.570; p = 0.0161). Tobacco use (OR, 2.809; p = 0.0002) and body mass index (OR, 1.054; p < 0.0001) were also independent predictors of explantation. CONCLUSION Immediate implant-based breast reconstruction with sterile ready-to-use acellular dermal matrix has a comparable overall safety profile and a lower rate of prosthetic explantations compared with aseptic freeze-dried acellular dermal matrix. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic, III.
Corporate Culture, Stereotypes, and Discrimination

Corporate culture often becomes an excuse for discrimination. Developing a fair and unbiased approach to hiring can often alleviate some unintended consequences of the hiring process. This paper provides recommendations for establishing a fair and equitable hiring process.
A phase 1, open‐label, dose escalation study of intravenous paricalcitol in combination with gemcitabine in patients with advanced malignancies

Background Calcitriol, the active analogue of vitamin D, is antiproliferative and enhances the cytotoxicity of several anticancer agents, including gemcitabine. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is expressed in the tumor stroma and treatment with VDR ligands results in stromal remodeling and increased intratumoral gemcitabine delivery. Furthermore, calcitriol can decrease the activity of the gemcitabine deactivating enzyme cytidine deaminase (CDD). Because hypercalcemia has been the most worrisome calcitriol-related adverse event, the less hypercalcemic agent paricalcitol may be preferred for further investigation. Methods The authors undertook a phase 1 study of gemcitabine in combination with escalating doses of paricalcitol administered weekly intravenously in patients with advanced cancers. A standard 3+3 dose escalation schema was used. Pharmacokinetic assessment of gemcitabine and its metabolite 2',2'-difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) was performed. Pharmacodynamic assessment of paricalcitol was performed by measurement of CDD activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results A total of 44 patients were enrolled. Somnolence was the main dose-limiting toxicity. The highest dose of paricalcitol administered was 10.5 µg/kg. Hypercalcemia was infrequent and mild in severity. Paricalcitol did not appear to affect the pharmacokinetics of gemcitabine and dFdU. Evaluation of CDD activity was available for 9 patients; no clear trend for CDD activity after treatment with paricalcitol was established. The overall response rate was 4%; the rate of disease control was 67% in patients who were pretreated with gemcitabine. Progression-free and overall survival were 3.4 months and 6.5 months, respectively. Conclusions Paricalcitol can be administered safely in doses up to 7 µg/kg weekly with fixed dose rate gemcitabine without dose-limiting hypercalcemia. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the maximum tolerated dose has not been formally established to date. Preliminary clinical activity deserves further exploration.
Pain and Sedation Management: 2018 Update for the Rogers' Textbook of Pediatric Intensive Care.

Objectives To review important articles on pain, sedation, sleep, and delirium in the field of pediatric critical care published subsequent to the fifth edition of the Rogers' Textbook of Pediatric Critical Care. Data sources The U.S. National Library of Medicine PubMed was searched for a combination of the term "pediatric" and the following terms: "sedation," "sedation protocol," "pain," "pain score," "neuromuscular blockade," "delirium," and "sleep." Titles and abstracts resulting from the search were screened for full-text review and potential inclusion. Authors also included recent key articles they were aware of with direct relevance to the topics. Study selection and data extraction The authors selected articles for inclusion based on their relevance and clinical significance if they were published subsequent to the fifth edition of the textbook. Data synthesis Selected articles were grouped together by categories similar to specific sections of the pain and sedation chapter in the textbook and included pain, sedation, sleep, and delirium. Conclusions Recent research into pediatric pain and sedation management has focused on optimizing the choice of sedative medications, in particular by increasing the use and understanding of nonopioid and nonbenzodiazepine options such as ketamine and alpha-2 agonists. Delirium has emerged as a significant morbidity in the critically ill pediatric patient, and recent articles have concentrated on the use of validated screening tools to determine the epidemiology and risk factors in specific populations, including patients with cardiac disease and those receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. A consistent theme in the most recent literature is the role of titrated but effective sedation, quality improvement to increase delirium recognition, and optimizing the pediatric intensive care environment to promote sleep.
Critical Point of Fluid Confined in Nanopores: Experimental Detection and Measurement

For the first time, the presence of the critical point (CP) of fluids confined in nanopores is unambiguously demonstrated and measured using a differential scanning calorimeter with an isochoric cooling procedure. The behavior of the CP of CO2 and C2H6 in SBA-15 is found to deviate from theoretical predictions. The heat involved in capillary condensation is also discussed. The new and simple method of measurement introduced in this study opens the way to further investigate the criticality of fluids confined in nanopores.
Pain Sensitization, Breastfeeding Effectiveness, and Parental Preferences by Antibiotic Route in Suspected Neonatal Sepsis

OBJECTIVES: Intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) antibiotics have comparable efficacy in treating neonates undergoing sepsis evaluations. There are no clinical data favoring the use of either route regarding newborn pain and parental preferences. We hypothesized that pain associated with IM injections would worsen breastfeeding effectiveness and decrease parental satisfaction, making IV catheters the preferred route. METHODS: This prospective cohort study took place in an academic institution with nurseries in 2 separate hospitals, 1 providing IV antibiotics, and the other, IM antibiotics. Newborns receiving 48 hours of antibiotics were compared by using objective pain and breastfeeding scores and parental surveys. RESULTS: In 185 newborns studied, pain scores on a 7-point scale were up to 3.4 points higher in the IM compared with the IV group (P CONCLUSIONS: IM antibiotics in newborns are associated with pain sensitization and greater pain than IV dosing. Despite accurately recognizing newborn pain with the IM route, parents preferred this to the IV route, which was perceived to interfere with breastfeeding and bonding.
Abstract 2805: DFMO and 5-azacytidine increase M1 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment of an ovarian cancer mouse model

Although ovarian cancer has a low incidence rate encompassing roughly 1% of all new cancers, it remains the most deadly gynecologic malignancy. Our lab has designed a novel combination therapy which combines a DNA methyl transferase inhibitor (DNMTi) and ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor that together, alter the tumor microenvironment to inhibit ovarian tumor growth. Previous work has demonstrated that the DNMTi 5-Azacytidine (AZA) activates type I interferon signaling (Li, 2014, Chiappinelli, 2015) to increase IFNγ+ T cells and NK cells and reduce the percentage of macrophages and myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment (Stone, 2017). To improve the efficacy of epigenetic therapy, we hypothesized that the addition of α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor may decrease activity of MDSCs through inhibition of arginase. Immunocompetent C57Bl/6 mice were injected with syngeneic mouse ovarian surface epithelial (MOSE) tumor cells (ID8-VEGF-Defensin) and subsequently treated with AZA, DFMO, or combination AZA+DFMO. After several weeks, mice developed hemorrhagic ascites that was drained, processed and stained for cell-surface markers and analyzed by flow cytometry to identify T cells, NK cells, and macrophages. We found that in vivo AZA, DFMO, and AZA+DFMO significantly increased survival in mice, decreased tumor burden, and caused recruitment of activated (IFNγ+) CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and NK Cells compared to vehicle. The combination therapy had a striking increase in survival when compared to single agent treatment; however, the difference in recruited lymphocytes was less striking. Instead, combination therapy led to the most dramatic decrease in immunosuppressive cells such as M2 polarized macrophages and increase in tumor-killing M1 macrophages. Using a CSF1R blocking antibody, we found that depleting macrophages in this model reduced the efficacy of AZA+DFMO treatment, and resulted in fewer M1 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. We thus conclude that our novel combination therapy modifies macrophage polarization in the tumor microenvironment, recruiting M1 macrophages and prolonging survival. We hypothesize that this treatment regimen could have a widespread impact on macrophage-rich tumors in general, and plan to test this hypothesis in additional tumor models. Citation Format: Meghan Travers, Stephen Brown, Matthew Dunworth, Cassandra Holbert, Robert Casero, Cynthia Zahnow. DFMO and 5-azacytidine increase M1 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment of an ovarian cancer mouse model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2805.
Segment Coordination Variability During Double Leg Bodyweight Squats at Different Tempos.

The aims of this study were twofold: 1) to examine lower extremity coordination during bodyweight squats performed at two different tempos, and 2) to establish a reliable measure of segment coordination variability. Eighteen subjects (10 F, 8 M) completed bodyweight squats at preferred (self-paced) and non-preferred (metronome-paced) tempos. A modified vector coding approach used kinematic data to compute absolute couplings patterns and coordination variability for three couplings (foot-shank, shank-thigh, thigh-trunk) in three planes of motion for the descent and ascent phases of a squat cycle. A coordination variability reliability equation was used to determine the number of squats needed for a reliable index of movement variability relative to total variability over 20 squats. Tempo did not significantly alter the absolute coordination patterns of any couplings. The reliability equation revealed that 5–9 squats were needed for a reliable coordination variability measure. Nine squats provided a reliable measure of coordination that is comparable to using 20 double leg squats in the calculation. Using nine squats ensures reliable calculations in the frontal, sagittal and transverse planes at preferred and non-preferred speeds. These results can be used to guide clinical evaluation of acceptable levels of movement variability during rehabilitation.
Exploring Genetic Drift via Manual Simulations

Genetic drift is an important mechanism in microevolution, but it can be more challenging to understand than other mechanisms (e.g., natural selection). This group project allows students to simulate random changes in allelic frequencies over generational time using a few simple supplies and was well received when included in an introductory biology course at the collegiate level.
Addition of 3% hydrogen peroxide to standard skin preparation reduces Cutibacterium acnes-positive culture rate in shoulder surgery: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background Hydrogen peroxide is an inexpensive and effective antimicrobial agent that can be implemented in surgical skin preparations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the decolonization effect of Cutibacterium acnes when adding hydrogen peroxide to a standard sterile preparation for shoulder surgery. Methods This was a single-institution, prospective, randomized controlled trial of male patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopy (April 2018 and May 2019). Patients were randomized to a standard skin preparation vs. an additional sterile preparation with 3% hydrogen peroxide. After draping, a 3-mm punch biopsy was obtained from the posterior arthroscopic portal site of all patients. Anaerobic and aerobic culture substrates were used and held for 13 days. Results Seventy male patients were randomized into the hydrogen peroxide group and 70 male patients were in the traditional group. Twelve (17.1%) patients in the hydrogen peroxide group and 24 (34.2%) patients in the traditional group had positive cultures for C acnes (P = .033). Cultures were positive at a mean of 4.5 days (range 3-7) in the hydrogen peroxide group and 4.1 days (range 3-8) in the traditional group (P = .48). There were no cases of skin reaction to the surgical preparation in either group. Discussion The results of this study suggest that the addition of hydrogen peroxide to preoperative surgical site preparation can reduce the C acnes culture rate. Hydrogen peroxide is inexpensive and can be added to the typical skin preparation used prior to shoulder surgery without substantial risk of skin reactions.
Vowel and Sibilant Production in Noise: Effects of Noise Frequency and Phonological Similarity.

Purpose This study investigated vowel and sibilant productions in noise to determine whether responses to noise (a) are sensitive to the spectral characteristics of the noise signal and (b) are modulated by the contribution of vowel or sibilant contrasts to word discrimination. Method Vowel and sibilant productions were elicited during serial recall of three-word sequences that were produced in quiet or during exposure to speaker-specific noise signals. These signals either masked a speaker's productions of the sibilants /s/ and /ʃ/ or their productions of the vowels /a/ and /ae/. The contribution of the vowel and sibilant contrasts to word discrimination in a sequence was manipulated by varying the number of times that the target sibilant and vowel pairs occurred in the same word position in each sequence. Results Spectral noise effects were observed for both sibilants and vowels: Responses to noise were larger and/or involved to more acoustic features when the noise signal masked the acoustic characteristics of that phoneme class. Word discrimination effects were limited and consisted of only small increases in vowel duration. Interaction effects between noise and similarity indicated that the phonological similarity of sequences containing both sibilants and/or both vowels influenced articulation in ways not related to speech clarity. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that sensorimotor control of speech exhibits some sensitivity to noise spectral characteristics. However, productions of sibilants and vowels were not sensitive to their importance in discriminating the words in a sequence. In addition, phonological similarity effects were observed that likely reflected processing demands related to the recall and sequencing of high-similarity words.
Does Smoking Affect Short-Term Patient-Reported Outcomes After Lumbar Decompression?

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objective:The goal of this study was to determine how smoking status influences patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) in patients undergoing lumbar d...
Life Cycle Environmental Impact Considerations in the Design of Soybean Oil-Based Acrylic Monomers

Improving the sustainability of polymeric materials through integrating biobased components while maintaining their functionality can be challenging. Using plant oils for the synthesis of biobased ...
What Does the Brønsted Slope Measure in the Phosphoryl Transfer Transition State

The structural and energetic features of phosphate and phosphonate hydrolysis in protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) and water are studied using quantum mechanical (QM) cluster models. The calculations are...
Sterile Gelatin Film Reduces Cortical Injury Associated With Brain Tumor Re-Resection.

BACKGROUND Recurrent intracranial tumors frequently require re-resection. Dural adhesions to the cortex increase the morbidity and duration of these revision craniotomies. OBJECTIVE To describe the use of commercially available sterile gelatin film to prevent meningocerebral adhesions and decrease the rate of surgically induced ischemia from revision craniotomy. METHODS This retrospective cohort study examined patients with recurrent glioma, meningioma, and metastasis who underwent re-resection at least 30 d following their initial tumor resection. Cortical surface tissue ischemia after re-resection on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was compared for patients with (gelatin film group) and without (nongelatin film group) a history of gelatin film placement at the conclusion of their initial tumor resection. RESULTS A total of 84 patients in the gelatin film group were compared to 86 patients in the nongelatin film group. Patient age, sex, tumor pathology, tumor volume, tumor eloquence, laterality of surgical approach, history of radiotherapy, and time interval between resections did not differ between groups. Radiographic evidence of cortical ischemia following reoperation was less prevalent in the gelatin film group (13.1% vs 32.6%; P < .01). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, no gelatin film (P < .01) and larger tumor size (P = .02) predicted cortical surface ischemia following revision craniotomy. Postoperative complications in the gelatin film and nongelatin film group otherwise did not differ. CONCLUSION Routine placement of commercially available sterile gelatin film on the cortex prior to dural closure is associated with decreased surgically induced tissue ischemia at the time of revision tumor craniotomy.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Early Diagnosis and Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disorder that manifests as a symmetric polyarthritis of small and large joints that may lead to joint and periarticular structural damage and the consequences of systemic inflammation. This overview of early RA examines the unmet needs and challenges in RA, how to best diagnose RA, and pitfalls in early diagnosis and treatment. The rules for referral to a rheumatologist are reviewed. Primary care physicians are at the front line of early diagnosis and need to start disease-modifying therapy as soon as a diagnosis of RA is established.
Hydatidiform Mole with Coexisting Fetus and Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion: A Case Report.

Context Molar pregnancies have been associated with hyperthyroidism and hypertensive disorders. Coexisting molar and fetal pregnancies, which are very rare, have an even higher risk of complications. Case description We describe a case of hyponatremia due to syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) associated with a molar pregnancy. A 36-year-old patient at 13 weeks gestation with a coexisting molar pregnancy presented with headache, nausea, and vomiting. She was found to have hypertension, hyperthyroidism, and hyponatremia. The hyponatremia was further assessed with an isotonic saline challenge which resulted in a diagnosis of SIADH. The patient underwent dilation and curettage and her hyponatremia resolved. She later developed gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Conclusions A molar pregnancy can present with unusual associated conditions, such as SIADH. Hyponatremia in a patient with molar pregnancy may be mistakenly attributed to other side effects of trophoblastic tissue (hyperthyroidism, pre-eclampsia, or hyperemesis gravidarum). Hyponatremia in a patient with a molar pregnancy warrants evaluation for SIADH.
Bringing Disciplines and People Together to Characterize The Plastic And Genetic Responses of Molluscs to Environmental Change.

Mollusks are remarkably diverse and are found across nearly all ecosystems, meaning that members of this ancient animal phylum provide a powerful means to study genomic-phenotype connections in a climate change framework. Recent advances in genomic sequencing technologies and genome assembly approaches finally allow the relatively cheap and tractable assembly of high-quality mollusk genome resources. After a brief review of these issues and advances, we use a case-study approach to provide some concrete examples of phenotypic plasticity and genomic adaptation in mollusks in response to environmental factors expected to be influenced by climate change. Our goal is to use mollusks as a "common currency" to demonstrate how organismal and evolutionary biologists can use natural systems to make phenotype-genotype connections in the context of changing environments. In parallel, we emphasize the critical need to collaborate and integrate findings across taxa and disciplines in order to use new data and information to advance our understanding of mollusk biology in the context of global environmental change. We end with a brief synthetic summary of the papers inspired by the 2021 SICB Symposium "Genomic Perspectives in Comparative Physiology of Molluscs: Integration across Disciplines."
Short Interval Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: Safety Compared to Simultaneous and Later Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (sim-BTKA) is reported to be safe in a select group of patients. Patients with symptomatic bilateral knee arthritis who are not candidates for sim-BTKA require staged surgery (stag-BTKA). This study aimed to compare the safety and complications associated with sim-BTKA with stag-BTKA performed at 2 time intervals. Methods This retrospective study of prospectively collected data includes bilateral TKA cases performed between 2001 and 2019. A cohort of sim-BTKA (n = 2728) was compared to a cohort of stag-BTKA (n = 1658). The staged group was subdivided according to the interval between surgeries: ≤90 days (early) and ≥91 days (later). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for confounding variables. Results In-hospital complication rates were lower in both arms of the stag-BTKA groups vs the sim-BTKA. The sim-BTKA group had higher odds ratio of anemia, electrolyte disturbances, pulmonary embolism, and respiratory, urinary, gastrointestinal, and neurological complications. Lower rates of all-cause revision were found in stag-BTKA vs sim-BTKA groups. There was a trend toward revision due to deep infection when increasing the interim before the second stag-BTKA procedure. No differences in complication rates after the second surgery were detected between the early and later stag-BTKA. Conclusion This study demonstrates that sim-BTKA is associated with more complications and revisions when compared to stag-BTKA. Performing the second-stage TKA at 90 days or less after the first TKA is not associated with increased risk of complications. Performing sim-BTKA, simply for convenience, is not warranted and should be reserved for a select group of patient matching specific criteria.
Assessment, Evaluation, and Testing: What are the Differences?

There are plenty of papers, journals, and books about measurement, testing, assessment and evaluation in educational contexts. However, there has not been any consensus on how these terms are different and when or where people should use these terms. In this paper, I have tried to compare and contrast these terms in clarity
Exercise and the Autonomic Nervous System

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the roles of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the regulation of the cardiovascular response during exercise. At the onset of exercise, the central nervous system (CNS) generates a cardiorespiratory pattern (central command) appropriate to the somatomotor signal. The central command then initiates a withdrawal of parasympathetic activity to the heart and an increase in ventilation rate, and is also probably involved in the resetting of the arterial baroreflex toward greater pressures. Although little is known about the central neural connections involved in initiating the changes in parasympathetic and sympathetic outflows in the exercised state, it is known that central command and the arterial baroreflexes are critical to the sympathoexcitatory response at the onset of exercise. In most animal models and humans, there is redistribution of cardiac output to the exercising muscle; this involves an increase in sympathetic outflow to the visceral organs that results in an increase in vascular resistance in these regions. Conversely, the resistance to the exercising muscle is diminished. The increased resistance to the nonexercising regions is initially the result of the upward resetting of the arterial baroreflex. As the exercise continues, an additional increase in vascular resistance may occur because of the activation of chemosensitive muscle afferents.
Evidence for chromospheres and coronae in stars: recent observations, some unanswered theoretical questions, and a speculative scenario.

Recent ultraviolet spectra and X-ray flux measurements by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and Einstein X-ray Observatory have had a major impact on our knowledge of which regions of the HR diagram definitely contain stars with chromospheres and coronae and of the properties of these outer atmosphere layers. These observations are pointing to similarities and differences of these outer atmosphere layers compared with the solar atmosphere and the important roles played by magnetic fields. These data are also reorienting our thinking about physical processes occurring in the outer atmospheres of stars.
A low-power distributed wide-band LNA in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS

The implementation of low noise amplifier (LNA) front-ends is one of the challenging aspects in emerging ultra wide-band (UWB) radio frequency (RF) systems. In this paper, we propose a figure of merit (FOM) that captures the tradeoffs among linearity, noise figure (NF), power dissipation and utilization of raw technology speed. Different distributed amplifier (DA) architectures with a 10 dB pass band gain and 10 GHz bandwidth are designed and simulated in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. The power consumption is reduced by using a Z/sub 0/ higher than the conventional 50 /spl Omega/, resulting in a four-section cascode DA that dissipates 12 mW from a single 1.8-V power supply. The NF and the output-referred 1-dB compression point at 5 GHz are 3.15 and 2.7 dBm.
Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Bacillus anthracis: From Fingerprint Analysis of the Bacterium to Quantification of its Toxins in Clinical Samples

A range of mass spectrometry-based techniques have been used to identify, characterize and differentiate Bacillus anthracis, both in culture for forensic applications and for diagnosis during infection. This range of techniques could usefully be considered to exist as a continuum, based on the degrees of specificity involved. We show two examples here, a whole-organism fingerprinting method and a high-specificity assay for one unique protein, anthrax lethal factor.
Improved Algorithms for Optimal Winner Determination in Combinatorial Auctions and Generalizations

Combinatorial auctions can be used to reach ecient resource and task allocations in multiagent systems where the items are complementary. Determining the winners is NP-complete and inapproximable, but it was recently shown that optimal search algorithms do very well on average. This paper presents a more sophisticated search algorithm for optimal (and anytime) winner determination, including structural improvements that reduce search tree size, faster data structures, and optimizations at search nodes based on driving toward, identifying and solving tractable special cases. We also uncover a more general tractable special case, and design algorithms for solving it as well as for solving known tractable special cases substantially faster. We generalize combinatorial auctions to multiple units of each item, to reserve prices on singletons as well as combinations, and to combinatorial exchanges|all allowing for substitutability. Finally, we present algorithms for determining the winners in these generalizations.
Long-term changes in quality of life after endoscopic resection of sinonasal and skull-base tumors.

Background Minimally invasive endoscopic resection (MIER) has emerged as the new standard for surgical treatment of sinonasal and skull-base tumors. The objective of the present study was to evaluate quality of life (QOL) 2 years after MIER. Methods Prospective 20-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-20) data was accrued on 104 patients over 4 years. The study cohort included 72 patients with sinonasal malignancy, while 32 patients with inverted papilloma (IP) served as controls. Results The overall and rhinologic subdomain SNOT-20 scores for cancer patients did not statistically improve at 2 years (p = 0.12). They had statistically significant improvement in the psychological subdomain scores at 1 year (p = 0.03) and 2 years (p = 0.03). Similarly, the sleep subdomain scores improved at 1 year (p = 0.04) and 2 years (p = 0.03). In contrast, IP patients had statistically significant improvement in overall SNOT-20 (p = 0.01), rhinologic (p = 0.01), and sleep (p = 0.05) subdomain scores at 6 months, which remained stable at 2 years. Analysis of various factors demonstrated that history of prior smoking adversely affected QOL scores in cancer patients, with higher total SNOT-20 scores than nonsmokers (p = 0.01). Smokers also had higher psychological (p = 0.04), sleep (p = 0.01), and ear/facial (p = 0.001) domain scores than nonsmokers at 2 years. Conclusion The long-term effects of MIER for sinus cancer showed improved psychological and sleep scores at both 1 year and 2 years. Unfortunately, rhinologic QOL did not statistically improve at any of the measured time points. History of smoking was noted to be the most important predictor of QOL 2 years after MIER for sinonasal malignancy.
In memorium: Herman p. Schwan [1915-2005].

Herman P. Schwan [1915–2005] was a distinguished scientist and engineer, and a founding father of the field of biomedical engineering. A man of integrity, Schwan influenced the lives of many, including his wife and children, and his many students and colleagues. Active in science until nearly the end of his life, he will be very much missed by his family and many colleagues.
Hemophilus influenzae type b sepsis in infant and mother.

Hemophilus influenzae type b is an uncommon cause of neonatal sepsis. Fifteen detailed case reports of neonatal H. influenzae infection appear in the literature1-5; approximately one half of these are type b. Where information was available on the mother, only local cultures of genitourinary tract and/or pharynx were positive in mothers of infants with H. influenzae disease. Puerperal sepsis caused by this organism has not been previously reported. We wish to report a case of generalized sepsis in mother and newborn caused by H. influenzae type b. CASE REPORT A 4,972-gm boy was born to a 17-year-old gravida 0, para 0, Caucasian, afebrile mother.
Unistochastic Matrices and Related Problems

A natural map sends unitary matrices to a subset of bistochastic matrices. We refer to matrices in the image of the map as being unistochastic. The map will be defined, and properties will be discussed. A necessary condition for a ray pattern to be a unitary matrix’s ray pattern with be given. Observations regarding eigenvalues of unistochastic matrices and their relationship with paths of unitary matrices will also be presented.
A Homeobox Gene Related to Drosophila Distal-Less Promotes Ovarian Tumorigenicity by Inducing Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Fibroblast Growth Factor-2

Homeobox genes control developmental patterning and are increasingly being found to be deregulated in tumors. The DLX4 homeobox gene maps to the 17q21.3-q22 region that is amplified in some epithelial ovarian cancers. Because amplification of this region correlates with poor prognosis, we investigated whether DLX4 overexpression contributes to aggressive behavior of this disease. DLX4 was not detected in normal ovary and cystadenomas, whereas its expression in ovarian carcinomas was strongly associated with high tumor grade and advanced disease stage. Overexpression of DLX4 in ovarian cancer cells promoted growth in low serum and colony formation. Imaging of mice bearing intraperitoneal tumors revealed that DLX4 overexpression substantially increased tumor burden. Tumors that overexpressed DLX4 were more vascularized than vector-control tumors. Conditioned medium of DLX4-overexpressing tumor cells was more effective than medium conditioned by vector-control cells in stimulating endothelial cell growth. These observations were associated with the ability of DLX4 to induce expression of vascular endothelial growth factor as well as intracellular and secreted isoforms of fibroblast growth factor-2. Moreover, increased levels of these fibroblast growth factor-2 isoforms induced vascular endothelial growth factor expression in tumor cells. This study reveals a novel role for a homeobox gene in ovarian tumorigenicity by its induction of a proangiogenic, growth-stimulatory molecular program.