cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurons with diverse phenotypes project from the caudal to the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract

The nucleus of the solitary tract is a potential site for taste-visceral interactions. Connections from the caudal, visceral area of the nucleus (cNST) to the rostral, gustatory zone (rNST) have been described, but the phenotype of cells giving rise to the projection(s) and their distribution among rNST subdivisions are unknown. To determine these characteristics of the intrasolitary pathway, we injected pan-neuronal and floxed AAV viruses into the cNST of mice expressing cre in glutamatergic, GABAergic, or catecholaminergic neurons. Particular attention was paid to the terminal field distribution in rNST subdivisions by simultaneously visualizing P2X2 localized to gustatory afferent terminals. All three phenotypically identified pathways terminated in rNST, with the density greatest for glutamatergic and sparsest for catecholaminergic projections, observations supported by retrograde tracing. Interestingly, cNST neurons had more prominent projections to rNST regions medial and ventral to P2X2 staining, i.e., the medial and ventral subdivisions. In addition, GABAergic neurons projected robustly to the lateral subdivision and adjacent parts of the reticular formation and spinal trigeminal nucleus. Although cNST neurons also projected to the P2X2-rich central subdivision, such projections were sparser. These findings suggest that cNST visceral signals exert stronger excitatory and inhibitory influences on local autonomic and reflex pathways associated with the medial and ventral subdivisions compared to weaker modulation of ascending pathways arising from the central subdivision and ultimately destined for the forebrain.
Physical-Mental Comorbidity of Pediatric Migraine in the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort.

Objective To examine the associations between headaches and migraine with physical and mental disorders in a large pediatric registry. Study design In total, 9329 youth aged 8-21 years from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort were included. Physical conditions, including headache, were ascertained from electronic medical records and in-person interviews. Modified International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II) criteria were used to classify migraine symptoms. Forty-two other physical conditions were classified into 14 classes of medical disorders. Mental disorders were assessed using an abbreviated version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. Results Lifetime prevalence of any headache was 45.5%, and of migraine was 22.6%. Any headache was associated with a broad range of physical disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (OR 1.2 [95% CI 1.1-1.4]), and behavior disorders (1.3 [1.1-1.5]). Youth with migraine had greater odds of specific physical conditions and mental disorders, including respiratory, neurologic/central nervous system, developmental, anxiety, behavior, and mood disorders than those with nonmigraine headache (OR ranged from 1.3 to 1.9). Conclusions Comorbidity between headaches with a range of physical conditions that have been associated with adult migraine demonstrates that multimorbidity occurs early in development. Comorbidity may be an important index of heterogeneity of migraine that can guide clinical management, genetic investigation, and future research on shared pathophysiology with other disorders.
Rush desensitization with a single antigen induces subclinical activation of mast cells and protects against bystander challenge in dually sensitized mice

Background Rush desensitization can provide short-term tolerance to individuals who are allergic to certain medications in instances where other therapeutic interventions are limited. While rush desensitization (DS) is typically successful in preventing adverse type I hypersensitivity reactions, the mechanism of allergic protection remains unknown. Given the rise in prevalence of individuals displaying multiple allergies, understanding the impact of rush DS on "bystander" allergens, or additional allergens to which an individual is sensitized, could help inform clinical recommendations. Objective To evaluate the effect of rush DS on bystander sensitization. Materials and methods We used a murine model of rush DS, whereby BALB/c mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) and desensitized through repeated intraperitoneal injections of OVA. Using a local anaphylaxis assay, we measured ear swelling by Evans blue extravasation following intradermal challenge. In studies to measure the impact on bystander antigens, a modified protocol was used in which mice were dually sensitized to OVA and Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and densensitized to either OVA or KLH prior to allergic challenge. Results The immunological effects of rush DS were independent of changes in Th1 and Th2 cytokine production and circulating OVA-IgE levels. Instead, rush DS resulted in subclinical degranulation of mast cells prior to challenge. In our dual sensitization model, rush DS with a single antigen conferred protection against allergic challenge to a secondary antigen. Bystander protection required prior sensitization, as DS with an irrelevant antigen did not impact allergic responsiveness. Conclusions and clinical relevance We reveal that a key mechanism of rush DS protection against allergic responsiveness may be the subclinical degranulation of mast cells. Therefore, performing rush DS to a single antigen to which one is IgE-sensitized may be sufficient to desensitize to multiple allergens. Future studies could lead to streamlined protocols of rush DS for patients with multiple allergies.
How we use pazopanib in treating soft-tissue sarcoma: experience at our multidisciplinary sarcoma centers

Objective: Soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are rare malignant tumors arising from tissues of mesenchymal origin throughout the body with poor prognosis in advanced disease. This commentary describes th...
Effective advocacy: the psychological mechanisms of environmental issue framing

While environmental issues are among the most serious threats to human security, they tend to rank toward the bottom of Americans’ priorities for political action. To redress this, environmental or...
Live-case demonstrations in pediatric urology: Ethics, patient safety, and clinical outcomes from an 8-year institutional experience

Purpose Live case demonstrations have become a common occurrence at surgical meetings around the world. These demonstrations are meant to serve as an educational medium for teaching techniques, promote discussion, improve interventions and outcomes. Despite the valuable educational benefits, many authors still question the ethics of this approach. We present our 8-year experience in live surgery, discuss the ethical issues, and provide recommendations. Materials and methods We reviewed records of patients who underwent live robotic surgery during broadcasting events. Procedures performed were robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RAL-P), ureteral reimplantation (RALUR), and hemi-nephrectomy (RAL-HN). Peri- and post-operative outcomes were compared to our previously published case series. Results From October 2011 to May 2019, the senior author (MSG) performed all live surgery demonstrations on 22 patients: 9 RAL-P, 9 RALUR, and 4 RAL-HN. Live RAL-Ps had a 100% success rate and lower 30-day Clavien-Dindo grade (CDG) III complications when compared to our previous case series (11.1% vs. 21.2%). RALURs performed during live demonstrations had a higher success rate than our previously published cohort (100% vs. 82%). RAL-HN operative time and length of stay were comparable to our non-live control group. Conclusions Live surgery is a valuable didactic tool, but even experienced surgeons may be adversely affected by inappropriate case selection, technical difficulty, and anxiety associated with particular settings, such as operating at different institutions or working with unfamiliar surgical teams. We suggest consultation of an ethics review board and formulation of standard guidelines for patient selection, surgical equipment, and operative team.
Abstract 16455: Family Support for Physical Activity Predicts Engagement in Leisure Time Physical Activity Among Hispanic Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease or Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Hispanics in the U.S. are less likely to engage in leisure time physical activity than non-Hispanics. Among Hispanics, families influence health behaviors and family support may motivat...
Medial Prefrontal Cortex Has a Causal Role in Selectively Enhanced Consolidation of Emotional Memories after a 24-Hour Delay: A TBS Study

Previous research points to an association between retrieval-related activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and preservation of emotional information compared to co-occurring neutral information following sleep. Although the role of the mPFC in emotional memory likely begins at encoding, little research has examined how mPFC activity during encoding interacts with consolidation processes to enhance emotional memory. This issue was addressed in the present study using transcranial magnetic stimulation in conjunction with an emotional memory paradigm. Healthy young adults encoded negative and neutral scenes while undergoing concurrent TMS with a modified short intermittent theta burst stimulation (sTBS) protocol. Participants received stimulation to either the mPFC or an active control site (motor cortex) during the encoding phase. Recognition memory for scene components (objects and backgrounds) was assessed after a short (30-minute) and a long delay (24-hour, including a night of sleep) to obtain measures of specific and gist-based memory processes. The results demonstrated that, relative to control stimulation, sTBS to the mPFC enhanced memory for negative objects on the long delay test (collapsed across specific and gist-based memory measures). mPFC stimulation had no discernable effect on memory for objects on the short delay test nor on the background images at either test. These results suggest that mPFC activity occurring during encoding interacts with consolidation processes to preferentially preserve negatively salient information.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT:Understanding how emotional information is remembered over time is critical to understanding memory in the real world. The present study used noninvasive brain stimulation (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rTMS) to investigate the interplay between mPFC activity that occurs during memory encoding and its subsequent interactions with consolidation processes. rTMS delivered to the mPFC during encoding enhanced memory for negatively valenced pictures on a test following a 24-hr delay, with no such effect on a test occurring shortly after the encoding phase. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that emotional aspects of memories are differentially subjected to consolidation processes, and that the mPFC might contribute to this "tag-and-capture" mechanism during the initial formation of such memories.
Mechanical behavior of frozen soils: Experimental investigation and numerical modeling

Abstract The mechanical behavior of frozen soils plays a central role in the design, construction, and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure in cold regions. We present and discuss the main results of an experimental campaign focused on the mechanical behavior of frozen soils from Alaska. The data set is unique because it involves natural frozen soils and covers a wide range of temperatures (i.e., from −6 °C up to −26 °C) and confinements (i.e., from unconfined conditions up to a cell pressure of 54.6 MPa). An elastoplastic model for frozen soils is presented and validated based on the test results. The elastoplastic model accounts for the effects of temperature and cryogenic suction on key properties associated with frozen soil behavior, namely, increase of preconsolidation pressure, stiffness, and strength with the decrease of temperature. Other aspects such as the volumetric behavior of frozen soils at different temperatures and the smooth transition between elastic and plastic states are also qualitatively well captured by the model. We implemented the constitutive model in a fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical simulator and we analyzed the behavior of a foundation in a thawing ground. The proposed approach is able to capture the main feature of frozen soil behavior.
Acute Liver Injury in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19.

The prevalence and significance of acute liver injury in patients with COVID-19 are poorly characterized. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized in geographically diverse medical centers in North America were included. Demographics, symptoms, laboratory data results, and outcomes were recorded. Linear and logistic regression identified factors associated with liver injury, in-hospital mortality, and length of stay (LOS). Among 1555 patients in the cohort, most (74%) had an elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) during hospitalization, which was very severe (> 20 × upper limit of normal [ULN]) in 3%. Severe acute liver injury (ALI) was uncommon, occurring in 0.1% on admission and 2% during hospitalization. No patient developed acute liver failure (ALF). Higher ALT was associated with leukocytosis (per mL3) (β 10.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.7–12.6, p 20 × ULN (unadjusted OR 6.0, 95%CI 3.1–11.5, p 3 × ULN (unadjusted OR 4.4, 95%CI 2.5–7.7, p < 0.001), and severe ALI (unadjusted OR 6.8, 95%CI 3.0–15.3, p < 0.001) but lost significance after adjusting for covariates related to severe COVID-19 and hemodynamic instability. Elevated ALP and ALT were associated with longer LOS, admission to intensive care, mechanical ventilation, vasopressor use, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use (p < 0.001). Transaminase elevation is common in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Severe ALI is rare, and ALF may not be a complication of COVID-19. Extreme elevations in liver enzymes appear to be associated with mortality and longer LOS due to more severe systemic disease rather than SARS-CoV-2-related hepatitis.
Surgical Approaches for Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries

The surgical approach has two components: (1) the access or path toward the operative field and (2) the plan or method for reconstruction. Both components are influenced by deficits manifested, preoperative evaluation, and surgeon’s experience.
Growth of Small Fatigue Cracks in Incoloy-908

Fatigue crack growth rates at 298 and 77 K were determined from conventional long-crack growth test at constant R, closure-free long-crack growth test at constant Kmax, and direct observation of small surface cracks. It was observed that the growth of small surface cracks was influenced by grain boundaries and orientations, resulting in tortuous paths and discontinuous growth. Although some surface cracks grew slow or even became dormant while some grew rapidly, the average growth rate of many small surface cracks was close to the growth rate of a long crack. When crack length < 100 μm, the threshold cyclic stress intensity Kth for a small surface crack to grow was lower than those for either a long crack or a closure-free long crack to grow, while the threshold cyclic stress σth was relatively constant and close to the fatigue endurance limit. Therefore, the combination of the fatigue endurance limit of polished surface and the threshold cyclic stress intensity of long crack can be used to determined the safety criterion at 4.2 K against fatigue failure.
ENSO influence on zonal mean temperature and ozone in the tropical lower stratosphere

[1] Analyses of a whole atmosphere chemistry-climate model simulation forced by historical sea-surface temperature variations show that tropospheric El Nino – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events are linked to coherent variations of zonal mean temperature and ozone in the tropical lower stratosphere, tied to fluctuations in tropical upwelling. ENSO temperature variations in the lower stratosphere are out of phase with tropospheric variations, and stratospheric ozone and temperatures are in phase. These model results motivated revisiting observational data sets for both temperature and ozone, and the observational data reveal coherent signals in the tropical stratosphere, very similar to the model results. The stratospheric ENSO variability has been masked in the observational data to some degree by the volcanic eruptions of El Chichon (1982) and Pinatubo (1991), which both occurred during ENSO warm events. The coherent temperature and ozone signals are evidence that ENSO modulates upwelling in the tropical lower stratosphere.
A Linear Steady‐State Treatment of Enzymatic Chains

A theoretical analysis of linear enzymatic chains is presented. By linear approximation simple analytical solutions can be obtained for the metabolite concentrations and the flux through the chain for steady-state conditions. The equations are greatly simplified if the common kinetic constants are expressed as functions of two parameters, i.e. the thermodynamic equilibrium constant and the “characteristic time”. Three cardinal terms are proposed for the quantitative description of enzyme systems. The first two are the control strength and the control matrix; these indicate the dependence of the flux and the metabolite concentrations, respectively, on the kinetic properties of a given enzyme. The third is the effector strength, which defines the dependence of the velocity of an enzyme on the concentration of an effector; it expresses the importance of an effector. By linear approximation simple analytical expressions were derived for the control strength, the control matrix and the mass-action ratios. The effector strength was calculated for two cases: for a competitive inhibitor and for allosteric effectors according to the Monod (1965) model. The influence of an effector on the concentrations of the metabolites was considered.
Altered Fatty Acid Distribution in Mutants of Neurospora crassa

Morphological mutants of Neurospora with decreased levels of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and reduced nicotinamide ad enine dinucleotide (NADH) contained only 20% as much of a polyunsaturated fatty acid (linolenic acid) as the wild type in both the phospholipid and neutral lipid fractions. There was an excellent correlation between linolenic acid levels and morphological appearance as a function of total NADPH content, but no correlation with NADH content. The linolenic acid deficiency was balanced by a relative increase in the amounts of the less unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acids), but the level of three other fatty acids did not appear to be changed. This accumulation of these two precursors suggests that the NADPH deficiency preferentially affected the final desaturation step, i.e., the conversion of linoleic to linolenic acid. The NADPH needed for this reaction in vivo was probably generated by the pentose phosphate shunt, since mutations affecting the shunt lead to the decreased levels of linolenic acid. It is not clear whether the changes in fatty acid distribution affect the morphogenesis of Neurospora, or if these changes are just part of the NADPH-deficiency syndrome.
The inhibin B response in male rats treated with two drug candidates.

BACKGROUND Serum Inhibin B was measured in two studies of known testis-toxic drug candidates. METHODS AND RESULTS Study 1 was for a compound for Hepatitis C, and utilized a 10-week dosing period, followed by mating and necropsy of half of each group, and then a 12-week recovery period for the remaining animals. At the postmating necropsy, 6 of 15 high-dose males had testis lesions; Inhibin B was significantly reduced in all animals in that group. The mid-dose group had no lesions but significantly reduced serum Inhibin B. At recovery, 9 of 15 high-dose males showed damage in testes; serum Inhibin B levels were not different from controls. Inhibin B appeared to both overreport and underreport testis damage in Study 1. Study 2 was an acute pathogenesis study for an antibacterial compound, using control and two dose levels and multiple time points (days 5, 8, 15, 22, and then untreated until day 71). At each time point blood was sampled from all remaining rats and five/group were killed for histologic evaluation. The low-dose group had minimal to moderate lesions, while serum Inhibin B was never changed. The high-dose animals progressed quickly from minimal lesions to being broadly and moderately affected; serum Inhibin B levels were reduced at days 8 and 15 only. In Study 2, Inhibin B appeared less sensitive than histology, except at the extremes of testis damage, when Inhibin B was routinely low. CONCLUSION We conclude that in these two studies there was a poor correlation between changes in serum levels of Inhibin B and testis histopathology.
Thermal evolution of acetylene and ethylene on Pd(111)

Abstract The thermal evolution of acetylene and ethylene and their deuterated counterparts on a palladium (111) surface has been studied by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy in the temperature range 150–500 K. Analysis of the vibrational spectra indicates that chemisorbed acetylene evolves at 300 K in the presence of surface hydrogen to mainly ethylidyne, CCH3, and a small amount of residual acetylene. Spectra obtained with and without preadsorbed hydrogen provide evidence for a 〉C CH2 intermediate in the reaction. Chemisorbed ethylene also evolves to ethylidyne after heating from 150 to 300 K but much of the ethylene desorbs. The high temperature (400–500 K) behavior of C2H2 and C2H4 involves formation of a CH species. Although a small amount of the CH species may be formed from the dehydrogenation of ethylidyne, it is found that carbon-carbon bond scission of acetylene near 400 K is the dominant mechanism in CH formation.
Free cottontail rabbit papillomavirus DNA persists in warts and carcinomas of infected rabbits and in cells in culture transformed with virus or viral DNA

We have compared warts and carcinomas from cottontail and domestic rabbits for the presence of cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) and the status of the viral DNA genome. Our studies indicate that benign warts from cottontail rabbits, whether found naturally or induced in the laboratory, contain large amounts of virus and on the average 1000 copies of the virus genome per cell. Both benign warts and carcinomas from domestic rabbits contain significantly reduced levels of virus relative to cottontail rabbit warts and an average of 100 copies of the virus genome per cell. A single sample of a naturally occurring cottontail rabbit carcinoma contained approximately 80 copies of the viral genome per cell. None of the tumors that we have analyzed thus far appear to have integrated viral genomes by Southern blot analysis of undigested and restriction endonuclease-digested DNA samples. Furthermore, the CRPV genome present in domestic rabbit carcinomas and a cottontail rabbit carcinoma appears identical by restriction endonuclease mapping to that present in papillomas of cottontail and domestic rabbits indicating that no major deletions or rearrangements of the CRPV genome had occurred during the progression of benign to malignant tumors nor was a variant of wild-type CRPV responsible for this phenomenon. Finally, we have demonstrated morphological transformation in vitro of NIH 3T3 and C127 cells upon infection with purified CRPV and upon transfection with purified CRPV DNA. Furthermore, single cell clones derived from transformed foci contain free forms of CRPV DNA that persist through continued passage in culture. Cells transformed by CRPV grow in soft agar in vitro and produce tumors in athymic nude mice.
Molecular dynamics studies of the transient nucleation regime in the freezing of (RbCl)108 clusters

Abstract The freezing of supercooled liquids in the transient period before a steady state of nucleation is attained has been the subject of a number of theoretical treatments. To our knowledge, no published experimental studies or computer simulations have been carried out in sufficient detail to test definitively the behavior predicted by the various theories. The present molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of 375 nucleation events in small, liquid RbCl clusters, however, yields a reasonably accurate account of the transient region. Despite published criticisms of a 1969 treatment by Kashchiev, it turns out that the behavior observed in the present study agrees with that predicted by Kashchiev. The study also obtains a much more accurate nucleation rate and time lag than reported for MD studies of RbCl previously published in this journal. In addition, it provides estimates of the solid–liquid interfacial free energy and the Granasy thickness of the diffuse solid–liquid interface.
Linking mental health and after school systems for children in urban poverty: preventing problems, promoting possibilities.

The current mental health system is failing to meet the extensive needs of children living in urban poverty. After school programs, whose mission includes children’s socialization, peer relations, and adaptive functioning, are uniquely positioned to support and promote children’s healthy development. We propose that public sector mental health resources can be reallocated to support after school settings, and we offer specific examples and recommendations from an ongoing federally funded program of research to illustrate how mental health consultation can support publicly funded after school programs. In light of the increase in resources of urban, poor communities, consultation to publicly funded after school programs can contribute to the mental health goals of keeping children safe and supervised, promoting their healthy development through academically and socially enriching activities, and identifying children in need of more intensive mental health services.
The Human Child's Nature Orientation

This article pursues 3 interwoven objectives: to explore the hypothesis that the human child has a basic and developmentally significant orientation toward nature; to show that embracing this hypothesis would enrich and expand, rather than contest, the field's prevailing sociocultural account of child development; and, finally, to show that the hypothesis already enjoys a good fit with an emerging body of empirical findings. The article begins with a brief overview of the child's evolutionary background that centers on 2 constructs—Wilson's “biophilia” and Shipman's “animal connection.” It then turns to a discussion of 3 related areas of developmental research: children's interaction with pets, children's attitudes toward nature, and the animate–inanimate distinction. The article concludes with the proposal that this new emphasis on the human child's nature orientation may better position the field to address 21st-century environmental issues and policy as they affect the child.
Mutations in the B12-Binding Region of Methionine Synthase: How the Protein Controls Methylcobalamin Reactivity†

Vitamin B12-dependent methionine synthase catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from methyltetrahydrofolate to homocysteine via the enzyme-bound cofactor methylcobalamin. To carry out this reaction, the enzyme must alternately stabilize six-coordinate methylcobalamin and four-coordinate cob(I)alamin oxidation states. The lower axial ligand to the cobalt in free methylcobalamin is the dimethylbenzimidazole nucleotide substituent of the corrin ring; when methylcobalamin binds to methionine synthase, this ligand is replaced by histidine 759, which in turn is linked by hydrogen bonds to aspartate 757 and thence to serine 810. We have proposed that these residues control the reactivity of the enzyme-bound cofactor both by increasing the coordination strength of the imidazole ligand and by allowing stabilization of cob(I)alamin via protonation of the His-Asp-Ser triad. In this paper we report results of mutation studies focusing on these catalytic residues. We have used visible absorbance spectroscopy and el...
On the behavior of the Lorenz equation backward in time

Abstract The sets of solutions to the Lorenz equations that exist backward in time and are bounded at an exponential rate determined by the eigenvalues of the linear part of the equation are examined. The set associated with the middle eigenvalue is shown to project surjectively onto a plane, thereby providing a lower estimate for its dimension. Specific bounds are also found for a cone containing this set.
Literacy as a pathway between schooling and health-related communication skills: a study of Venezuelan mothers

Abstract This article addresses the mechanisms by which women's schooling might affect the survival and health of their children. A theoretical model is proposed in which academic literacy skills serve as a pathway between formal schooling and maternal health-related behaviors. The model is tested through multivariate analyses of interview and literacy data from 161 mothers in a poor, urban community in Venezuela. Results show that the academic literacy skills women learned in school and retained into adulthood, predict their health-related communication skills above and beyond the amount of schooling they received. The importance of female schooling in developing countries is discussed.
Appetitive motivation and negative emotion reactivity among remitted depressed youth.

Depression has been characterized as involving altered appetitive motivation and emotional reactivity. Yet no study has examined objective indices of emotional reactivity when the appetitive/approach system is suppressed in response to failure to attain a self-relevant goal and desired reward. Three groups of youth (N = 98, ages 9–15; remitted depressed, n = 34; externalizing disordered without depression, n = 30; and healthy controls, n = 34) participated in a novel reward striving task designed to activate the appetitive/approach motivation system. Objective facial expressions of emotion were videotaped and coded throughout both failure (i.e., nonreward) and control (success and reward) conditions. Observational coding of facial expressions as well as youths' subjective emotion reports showed that the remitted depressed youth specifically exhibited more negative emotional reactivity to failure in the reward striving task, but not the control condition. Neither externalizing disordered (i.e., attention d...
The world within: living with our microbial guests and guides.

and throughoutour lives, humans serve as reservoirs forextremely complex and dynamic communitiesof microorganisms of varying origins. These microbesinclude archaea, bacteria, viruses, bacteriophage, andeukaryotes (uni- and multicellular parasites). Althoughconstituting a potential threat to health and well-beingthrough parasitism, these microbial communities haveco-evolved over millions of years with the healthyhuman host to provide a range of beneﬁcial, and oftenessential, services. Although still rudimentary, ourunderstanding of the beneﬁcial roles played by thehuman microbiome has grown appreciably in recentyears,as high-throughput,culture-independenttechnol-ogyandrelatedmoleculartechnologieshavebeenadap-ted to complement the role of traditional microbiologiccultures to facilitate the study of the human ecosystem.Most studies identify individuals within complex popu-lations by focusing on molecular characterization ofDNA from bacterial 16S ribosomal genes, a sequencethat distinguishes each organism by its phylum, genus,and even species, depending on the length of the se-quence. By studying communities in their native habi-tats, rather than in liquid broth or on Petri plates, wehave gained signiﬁcant insight into the dynamic, multi-factorial interactions that occur among host, pathogen,commensal community, and environment. Undernormal, healthy circumstances, these interactions occuracross both the integument and mucosal surfaces(eg, airways, intestinal, reproductive tracts, mouth),the surfaces of the human body exposed to the environ-ment that are the primary sites of microbial residence.As thoughtfully reviewed in this issue of TranslationalResearch, the authors consider the microbial ecologyof the intestine,
Hospitalizations of Older Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the United States

Abstract Background Older adults represent a growing percentage of the United States (US) population living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The Emergency Department plays an integral role in the identification and initial evaluation and treatment of patients with HIV. Objective We sought to estimate the number of hospitalizations of older adults (age ≥ 50 years) with HIV in the United States from 2000 to 2006 and compare features of this population to younger adults with HIV. Clinical and demographic characteristics of the younger cohort (19–49 years) and two older cohorts (ages 50–64 and ≥65 years) were examined and compared. Methods Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to compare the three groups of HIV-positive patients. Comparisons between the most common discharge diagnoses and primary procedures were also made. Results Older adults with HIV constitute almost one quarter of the hospitalizations of adults with HIV. Older adults with HIV were more likely to be male, have a significantly higher average hospital charge, and have a longer length of stay than younger adults with HIV. Pneumonia and fluid and electrolyte disorders were common diagnoses among all three age cohorts. Conclusions Older HIV patients were more likely to die during hospitalization compared with younger adults with HIV and older adults without HIV. Admissions for older HIV patients almost doubled during the study period and future studies should examine whether this is due to aging of the current HIV population or new infections.
Scattering and the Boltzmann relaxation equation

Abstract The “Boltzmann relaxation equation”, ∂P/∂t]scatt. = -(P - Peq.)/τ, has considerable popularity, particularly amongst metal physicists, for describing the rate of change in time of a distribution function due to scattering. We examine here how far this equation can have general validity for an arbitrary distribution function, P, and its possible utility for solving steady-state transport problems. We consider also, as specific examples, the behaviour of the Rayleigh piston model in both the “Brownian movement” and “Lorentz” limits, this latter in some detail as we are not aware of a previous detailed statistical study of it. The results show that, without rather unusual assumptions, we cannot expect scattering to be represented at all generally by the Boltzmann relaxation equation. Moreover when, and if, the Boltzmann relaxation equation is valid the only consistent assumption is that τ, the “relaxation time”, is strictly constant.
Central axons in injured cat spinal cord recover electrophysiological function following remyelination by Schwann cells

Axonal morphometry of the lesion site was studied at 3 months after standardized weight-drop contusion injury of the thoracic spinal cord in adult cats. From a sample of 25 injured animals, 12 examples were found in which all surviving axons in the dorsal column were remyelinated by Schwann cells, at the level of the lesion. The dorsolateral tracts were also peripherally myelinated in 6 of these cases, and there was no central myelination in complete transverse sections through the lesion in four animals. In these cases, Schwann cell myelination was prevalent for several millimeters on either side of the lesion center. The extent of Schwann cell invasion correlated with the intensity of injury, measured by overall axon loss. Cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (CSEP) were recorded from all animals before and at intervals for 12 weeks after injury. CSEP to hindlimb (tibial nerve) stimulation were lost immediately at injury but some recovery took place during the first month. The extent of CSEP recovery correlated negatively but weakly with overall axon loss. Clear SEP were recorded at 3 months post-injury in 3 of the animals in which the dorsal columns were remyelinated by Schwann cells; in one of these, the dorsolateral funiculi were also peripherally myelinated. In another, oligodendrocyte myelination was absent from the entire transverse section of the lesion site. Thus, abnormal remyelination by cells of the peripheral nervous system, which is known to occur in a variety of central demyelinating conditions, is capable of restoring effective action potential conduction in mammalian spinal cord sensory tracts.
Evaluating complementary and alternative therapies for cancer patients

“Complementary and alternative” therapies are actually a vast collection of disparate, unrelated regimens and products, ranging from adjunctive modalities that effectively enhance quality of life and promising antitumor herbal remedies now under investigation, to bogus therapies that claim to cure cancer and that harm not only directly, but also indirectly by encouraging patients to avoid or postpone effective cancer care. Complementary therapies such as music and massage, herbal teas to aid digestion and relieve nausea, yoga, tai chi, meditation, and the many other well-documented techniques that relieve stress and enhance well-being should be made available to patients to augment and ease the experience of cancer treatment and recovery. Many time-tested herbal and diet-based remedies are now being studied for their abilities to induce or extend remission without toxicity. At the same time, lack of government regulatory authority leaves consumers at the mercy of those who promote unproved remedies, scores of which line grocery store and pharmacy shelves. Many of these over-the-counter products contain harmful ingredients. Herb-drug interactions, only some of which are documented, occur with frequency and are sufficiently problematic to require that patients stop taking herbal remedies prior to surgery (to prevent interactions with anesthetics and anticoagulant effects); before radiation (due to potential for increased photosensitivity); and during courses of chemotherapy (to prevent product-drug interactions). Moreover, both good information and misinformation that appear in printed materials and on the Internet appeal to better educated consumers, who are, in fact, the most likely to try complementary and alternative methods.
The Bio-SANS Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Instrument at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has completed the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) Scientific Facilities Upgrades Project that included installation of a new, high-performance cold source on HB-4 and the construction of a new guide hall at the 85 MW reactor. Two new SANS instruments are served by the cold source: the Bio-SANS instrument, a 35-m SANS instrument dedicated to the study of biological systems (Figure 1), and its sister instrument, the 40-m high-resolution SANS. The performance of these instruments will rival the world's best. The Center for Structural Molecular Biology (CSMB) has been established at ORNL to support and develop the user research and science programs on the Bio-SANS instrument, as well as the neutron sciences for biology at HFIR and at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). See http://www.csmb.ornl.gov for details.
Successful treatment of visceral infantile hemangioma of the omentum and mesentery with propranolol

Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are the most common tumors of infancy. In the typical cutaneous presen- tation, they follow a predictable and benign clinical course requiring medical intervention only for growth that interferes with vision or respiration, or, rarely, in cases of intractable bleeding. Hemangi- omas arising from within visceral structures or surfaces are far less common, but can be associated with increased morbidity and mortality secondary to gastrointestinal hemorrhage, abdominal compartment syndrome, high output cardiac failure, and hypothyroidism. Here we present the case of a three-week- old boy with acute abdomen caused by hemorrhage of a hemangioma of the omentum and mesentery. He underwent operative exploration with debulking of the lesion and was subsequently treated with propranolol. Serial imaging demonstrated gradual involution and he remained free of further life- threatening events.
Noncommutative gauge theory without Lorentz violation

The most popular noncommutative field theories are characterized by a matrix parameter ${\ensuremath{\theta}}^{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ that violates Lorentz invariance. We consider the simplest algebra in which the $\ensuremath{\theta}$ parameter is promoted to an operator and Lorentz invariance is preserved. This algebra arises through the contraction of a larger one for which explicit representations are already known. We formulate a star product and construct the gauge-invariant Lagrangian for Lorentz-conserving noncommutative QED. Three-photon vertices are absent in the theory, while a four-photon coupling exists and leads to a distinctive phenomenology.
Cancer incidence and mortality after radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism

Sir—Jayne Franklyn and colleagues (June 19, p 211) report a decrease in overall cancer incidence and mortality in patients treated for hyperthyroidism with radioiodine. The findings were statistically significant only for bronchus and trachea, but mortality was also reduced from pancreatic bladder lymphatic and haemopoietic cancers. The investigators suggest that differences in smoking habits between patients and the control population might contribute to the striking reduction in incidence of and mortality from lung cancer, but they do not address a potentially relevant role of thyroid hormone in tumorigenesis. In this respect, experimentally induced hypothyroidism has shown significant retardation of tumour cell proliferation and growth rates of tumour allografts in many animals and human models, and there are reports of favourable outcomes in association with a thyroid deficiency state. Although the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) has proved an important regulator of physiological growth, maturation, and metabolism in many cell types, it is generally unappreciated that tri-iodothyronine (T3) is also a modulator of neoplastic cell growth factor-signalling systems— eg, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-e) T3. The tumour suppressor p53 physically interacts with thyroid hormone receptors functioning as a negative regulator in thyroid hormone receptor signalling pathways. In p53 mutant cells, p53 protein is nonfunctional and thereby may allow uninhibited T3 stimulation of mitosis. p53 mutant cancers are associated with a poor prognosis and thus a deficiency of T3 might balance out the absence of a functional p53 suppressor. The relation of the thyroid to tumorigenesis and prognosis in cancer is controversial. Franklyn and colleagues’ study against a background of corroborative experimental and clinical data, adds support to the view that the thyroid gland, apart from its role as a physiological facilitator, is an intrinsic modulator of neoplasia.
Epithelial Necrosis and Alveolar Collapse in the Pathogenesis of Usual Interstitial Pneumonia

We report ultrastructural evidence of epithelial necrosis and alveolar collapse in a patient with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). These changes were focal and confined to small areas characterized histologically by aggregates of interstitial fibroblasts embedded within a myxoid stroma (fibroblastic foci). Ultrastructurally, the denuded epithelial basal lamina in these areas showed deep infoldings into the interstitium, and the luminal surfaces of the resultant clefts often were re-epithelialized. These findings suggest that the fibroblastic foci commonly seen in UIP represent sites of acute lung injury, and that alveolar collapse following epithelial necrosis is an important mechanism of lung remodeling. In addition to new insights regarding the pathogenesis of fibrosis in UIP, these observations may have important implications for assessing prognosis and selecting treatment strategies. (Chest 1988; 94:1309-11)
THE RÔLE OF THE RETICULO-ENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM IN IMMUNITY : III. THE PRODUCTION OF ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ANAPHYLAXIS IN THE BLOCKED ANIMAL.

1. Guinea pigs injected intravenously with massive doses of India ink before active sensitization exhibited occasionally a more or less marked, decreased sensitiveness to the reinjection of the antigen. 2. The serum of rabbits which had received massive doses of India ink before the sensitizing injections, showed approximately the same titer of anaphylactic antibodies as that of sensitized normal control animals, as demonstrated by the degree of passive sensitization induced in guinea pigs. 3. The precipitin titer of sensitized rabbits blocked with massive doses of India ink was somewhat lower than that of sensitized normal controls. In one instance, the intravenous injection of smaller doses of India ink was followed by a higher precipitin titer. No uniform relation was found between the height of the precipitin titer and the anaphylactic power of the antiserums. 4. One blocking injection of India ink given to guinea pigs before passive sensitization did not interfere with the occurrence of anaphylactic shock nor alter its nature.
The attack of psychiatric legitimacy in the 1960s: rhetoric and reality.

During the 1960s there was a sustained attack on psychiatric legitimacy. Thomas S. Szasz was the most vituperative and best-known critic, but he was by no means alone. Individuals and groups from both extremes of the political spectrum were united in their belief that psychiatry was not a legitimate medical specialty, but one that was devoted to protecting its authority as well as enforcing societal norms associated with an unjust society. The attack on psychiatry, of course, did not occur in a vacuum; numerous social and intellectual currents played major roles. To comprehend such attacks and their consequences requires an understanding of the larger societal context as well as the changes that transformed psychiatry in the post–World War II years. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
All in the family: Small stories and narrative construction of a shared family identity that includes pets

In recent years, narrative analysis has experienced what can be identified as a small stories turn. Specifically, some researchers, especially Bamberg (2004, 2006), Georgakopoulou (2006, 2007), Bamberg and Georgakopoulou (2008), have argued that the analysis of small stories that have been previously overlooked in favor of large-scale autobiographical narratives presents a valuable contribution to our understanding of identity construction and display. This paper builds on and extends the discussion of small stories as sites for identity construction by demonstrating how various small stories — retellings, hypothetical narratives, near-narrative structures as well as short past-oriented narratives — all construct a coherent family identity that includes pets as members. While a number of previous studies considered narrative as a key site for exploring how family members construct social identities, they primarily focused on individual family members and centered their analyses on traditional past-oriented narratives often limiting their settings to dinner-table conversations or interviews. In contrast, this study, drawing on prior studies of discursive construction of a shared family identity (Gordon, 2007) and pets as family members (Tannen, 2004), demonstrates how a shared family identity that includes pets emerges in diverse small stories that are embedded in on-going conversations and occur in a variety of places: a car, a dining room, a living room. This paper also shows how small stories about pets simultaneously create a shared family identity that includes pets and situate this family within a larger social discourse, or Discourse (Gee, 1996, 1999), of treating pets as family members.