cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anti-CCR4 monoclonal antibody enhances antitumor immunity by modulating tumor-infiltrating Tregs in an ovarian cancer xenograft humanized mouse model

ABSTRACTRecent studies have demonstrated that regulatory T cells (Tregs) are recruited to tumor sites where they can suppress antitumor immunity. The chemokine receptor CCR4 is expressed at high levels on functional CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Tregs and production of the CCR4 ligand CCL22 by tumor cells and tumor-associated macrophages is associated with Treg recruitment to the tumor site. Here, we tested IgG1 and IgG4 isotypes of human anti-CCR4 mAb2-3 for their in vitro activity and in vivo capacity in a NSG mouse model bearing CCL22-secreting ovarian cancer (OvCA) xenograft to modulate Tregs and restore antitumor activity. Both mAb2-3 isotypes blocked in vitro chemoattraction of Tregs to CCL22-secreting OvCA cells. However, they differed in their in vivo mode of action with IgG1 causing Treg depletion and IgG4 blocking migration to the tumors. Primary T cells that were primed with OvCA-pulsed dendritic cells (DCs) demonstrated INFγ secretion that could be enhanced through Treg depletion by mAb2-3. Humanized mice r...
Zoogeography of western Beaufort Sea Polychaeta (Annelida)

Abstract The western Beaufort Sea polychaete fauna may be divided into sublittoral and bathyal components. Sublittoral species occur mainly at depths less than 300 m, but may be stenobathic or eurybathic. Bathyal species are found exclusively below 300 m; a separate abyssal fauna could not be recognized. A dominance of Amphi-boreal-arctic species, a near absence of endemic species, and a relatively low number of species in the sublittoral environment is attributed to invasion of the sublittoral environment during interglacial intervals. Lower sea-level, grounded ice, and low nutrient supply during glacial intervals of the Pliocene and Pleistocene are suggested agents of faunal extinction. Within the bathyal polychaete fauna the-prevalence of endemic and Atlantic-boreoarctic species and the absence of Pacific-boreoarctic species reflect the relative isolation of the bathyal Arctic Ocean. The bathyal depth of the deepest portion of the North Atlantic Transversal Ridge (830 m) has permitted some exchange of ...
Standardized Reporting of Surgical Pathology Diagnoses for the Major Tumor Types: A Proposal

A set of standardized surgical pathology forms for the reporting of the major tumor types is presented. The purpose of this proposal is to ensure that the essential morphologic information is incorporated into all reports in a thorough and consistent fashion.
Hospital Variation in Early Tracheostomy in the United States: A Population-Based Study.

Objective:Controversy exists regarding perceived benefits of early tracheostomy to facilitate weaning among mechanically ventilated patients, potentially leading to significant practice-pattern variation with implications for outcomes and resource utilization. We sought to determine practice-pattern
Foster Care Reentry Laws: Mending the Safety Net for Emerging Adults in the Transition to Independence

While state child welfare agencies are notoriously bad parents, for some youth they remain the best available option. This is particularly true for older youth who have no other viable choice for permanency, and who must therefore aim toward achieving independence as graduates from the foster care system. Because of the many challenges facing youth exiting foster care to independence, most states now permit youth to receive continuing foster care services and supports beyond 18, and in many cases up to 21. Frequently, however, the goal of extending time in care for older youth is impacted by the opposition of the youth themselves, many of whom are so frustrated and scarred by their time in care that all they can think about is being “freed” from the child welfare system and living on their own. This paper examines the growing number of states that permit youth who have exited foster care after 18, but are still under 21, to reenter care when they discover that they may have overestimated their readiness for independence. The paper explores the many challenges facing emerging adults as they exit foster care, and the laws and practices that have evolved in the past few years aimed at supporting “trial independence.” The paper concludes that while more research is needed about the obstacles facing youth exiting foster care to independence, re-entry laws represent an important strategy aimed at maximizing the likelihood of a successful transition for a vulnerable population of young adults.
Frailty and Cognitive Impairment in ESRD: Brain-Body Connections.

More than 50 years after Belding Scribner and colleagues made maintenance hemodialysis feasible for treatment of ESRD, it is easy to lose sight of the key role of rehabilitation in the care of ESRD patients that Dr. Scribner envisioned: “If the treatment of chronic uremia cannot fully rehabilitate
Surgical Adjuvant Therapy for Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Combination chemotherapy is effective for the treatment of patients with metastatic sarcomas, and encouraging results have been reported for surgical adjuvant treatment of patients with high-grade soft tissue sarcomas. The drug and combinations of drugs that are most effective still have to be determined.
S17.1 Cervical cancer prevention in hiv-infected women

HIV-infected women are living longer and are at a higher risk of acquiring cervical cancer. More data comparing cervical cancer screening and treatment strategies in these women are urgently needed. WHO guidelines on optimal methods to screen and treat cervical cancer are available, but there are limited data to inform their potential modification for HIV-infected women. Even fewer data are available which compare the efficacy of treatment methods (loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and cryotherapy) and differences in cervical disease recurrence between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women. HPV testing appears to be the most sensitive, although less specific for CIN-2+ detection than either VIA and cytology screening. Several studies of HIV-infected women have shown equivalent sensitivity of VIA and of cytology screening for CIN-2+, although there is variation in results. Consistently across studies, the specificity of cytology appears higher than either VIA or for high-risk HPV testing. Two studies in South Africa and Kenya have suggested that the specificity of HPV testing and VIA for detection of high grade lesions is lower in HIV-infected women with lower CD4 counts; more research is needed to examine if screening test performance varies for HIV-infected women with higher versus lower CD4 counts. More research in HIV-infected women is needed to examine if LEEP and cryotherapy treatment methods are associated with differences in HIV-viral shedding and in HIV transmission during or shortly after treatment. HIV-infected adolescents have found to induce high-levels of neutralizing antibody titers following prophylactic HPV vaccination in bridging studies. Studies are not yet available on HPV vaccine efficacy in HIV infected women against either HPV-infection or clinical disease endpoints.
Effect of oxalate on function of kidney mitochondria.

Abstract The effects of oxalate on kidney mitochondria were evaluated in vitro to test whether oxalate exposure leads to derangement(s) in mitochondrial function that could in turn promote the formation of kidney stones. Our previous studies demonstrated that oxalate is transported across the mitochondrial membrane via the dicarboxylate carrier. The present studies indicated that oxalate competitively inhibits the uptake and oxidation of exogenous malate and succinate in isolated mitochondria but has no effect on mitochondrial respiration in the presence of a mixture of glutamate plus malate or glutamate plus pyruvate. Oxalate attenuates the increase in mitochondrial respiration produced by the uncoupler CCCP or by the Ca 2+ ionophore A23187, and the latter effect is more pronounced in kidney than in liver mitochondria. The apparent K i of oxalate for the response to Ca 2+ ionophore is 1.9 ± 0.3 mM in kidney and 6.1 ± 0.2 mM in liver mitochondria. Similarly, the ability of oxalate to attenuate calcium-induced swelling of mitochondria is more dramatic in kidney than in liver mitochondria (apparent K i S of 1.7 ± 0.1 and 18.2 ± 0.7 mM, respectively). Oxalate has no effect on the rate of calcium uptake by energized mitochondria or on the rate of ruthenium red-insensitive calcium efflux from mitochondria in either tissue. The above findings indicate that oxalate interacts with the inner mitochondrial membrane or with processes controlling membrane integrity to a greater extent in kidney than liver mitochondria. The effects of oxalate on membrane permeability or integrity may be more important than its effects on mitochondrial energy production or calcium sequestration in the pathogenesis of calcium oxalate microlith formation in the kidney.
Treatment and Risk in Heart Failure: Gaps in Evidence or Quality?

Background— Although the absolute benefits of an intervention are proportional to patients’ underlying risk, studies in heart failure have noted a paradoxical inverse relationship between treatment and risk. The extent to which this reflects higher rates of contraindications in patients with higher risk or larger gaps in care quality has not been explored. Methods and Results— We studied 18 307 patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction surviving hospitalization between January 2005 and June 2007 from 194 hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)–Heart Failure. Patients were categorized according to their estimated risk for in-hospital mortality using a validated risk score. The proportions of patients with documented contraindications to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers and β-blockers as well as the use of these medications among patients without contraindications at hospital discharge was determined across levels of risk. For each therapy...
Implementation of the direct S(α,β) method in the KENO Monte Carlo code

Abstract The Monte Carlo code KENO contains thermal scattering data for a wide variety of thermal moderators. These data are processed from Evaluated Nuclear Data Files (ENDF) by AMPX and stored as double differential probability distribution functions. The method examined in this paper uses S ( α , β ) probability distribution functions derived from the ENDF data files directly instead of being converted to double differential cross sections. This allows the size of the cross section data on the disk to be reduced substantially amount. KENO has also been updated to allow interpolation in temperature on these data so that problems can be run at any temperature. Results are shown for several simplified problems for a variety of moderators. In addition, benchmark models based on the KRITZ reactor in Sweden were run, and the results are compared with the previous versions of KENO without the direct S ( α , β ) method. Results from the direct S ( α , β ) method compare favorably with the original results obtained using the double differential cross sections. Sampling the data increases the run-time of the Monte Carlo calculation, but memory usage is decreased substantially.
Diabetes prevalence is associated with different community factors in the diabetes belt versus the rest of the United States

Objective To investigate differences in community characteristics associated with diabetes prevalence between the Diabetes Belt and the rest of the contiguous United States (U.S.) Methods County-level adult diabetes prevalence estimates (i.e., percent of people [≥20 years] with diagnosed diabetes 2009) were used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to carry out a spatial regime analysis to identify county-level factors correlated with diabetes prevalence in the Diabetes Belt versus the remainder of the U.S. Results Counties outside of the Diabetes Belt demonstrated stronger positive associations between diabetes prevalence and persistent poverty and greater percentages of unemployed labor forces. For counties in the Diabetes Belt, diabetes prevalence showed a stronger positive association with natural amenities (e.g., temperate climate and topographic features) and a stronger negative association with fitness/recreation facility density. Conclusions Community-level correlates of diabetes prevalence differed between the Diabetes Belt and elsewhere in the U.S. Economic hardship was shown to be more relevant outside the Diabetes Belt, while recreational context effects were more pronounced among counties within the region. Prevention and treatment targets are geographically unique, and public health efforts should acknowledge these differences in crafting policy.
Practical Guide to Immunomodulatory Agents

Peripheral ulcerative keratitis treatment requires a thorough knowledge of modern immunomodulatory therapeutic agents. Although systemic corticosteroids at high doses can rapidly reduce ocular inflammation, many cases of peripheral ulcerative keratitis and necrotizing scleritis, are poorly or minimally responsive to corticosteroid therapy alone. The presence of macroscopic peripheral ulcerative keratitis especially in the presence of underlying systemic vasculitis is an absolute indication for the use of steroid sparing immunomodulatory therapeutic agents. Hence, treatment is initiated simultaneously with high-dose systemic corticosteroids combined with systemic immunomodulatory therapeutic agents, usually alkylating agents. However, antimetabolites, calcineurin inhibitors, and biologic agents such as infliximab and adalimumab can also be useful in the treatment of these complex immune-mediated ocular diseases. Because peripheral ulcerative keratitis especially in the presence of necrotizing scleritis is associated with significant risk of mortality, initiation of systemic immunomodulatory therapy can be not only sight-saving but life-saving, as well.
Gemcitabine (G), capecitabine (C) and bevacizumab (BV) in patients with advanced biliary cancers (ABC): final results of a multicenter phase II study.

4078 Background: Role of antiangiogenic therapy is still undefined in ABC. We examined BV combined with G + C, a standard chemotherapy for ABC when the study began. Methods: Pts with ABC (inoperabl...
Carbonic Anhydrases of Environmentally and Medically Relevant Anaerobic Prokaryotes

Abstract Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and are abundantly distributed in all three phylogenetic domains of life including anaerobic microbes (anaerobes) living without O2. Carbon dioxide is a universal metabolite of anaerobes necessitating CA for a diversity of physiological functions. Anaerobes comprise at least half of the living protoplasm in Earth’s biosphere, where they convert complex biomass to methane and carbon dioxide contributing an essential link in the global carbon cycle. Diverse species of anaerobes are also a major component of the microbiomes of humans and other mammals where they perform essential functions and are also agents of disease.
Designing graphene absorption in a multispectral plasmon-enhanced infrared detector

We have examined graphene absorption in a range of graphene-based infrared devices that combine either monolayer or bilayer graphene with three different gate dielectrics. Electromagnetic simulations show that the optical absorption in graphene in these devices, an important factor in a functional graphene-based detector, is strongly dielectric-dependent. These simulations reveal that plasmonic excitation in graphene can significantly influence the percentage of light absorbed in the entire device, as well as the graphene layer itself, with graphene absorption exceeding 25% in regions where plasmonic excitation occurs. Notably, the dielectric environment of graphene has a dramatic influence on the strength and wavelength range over which the plasmons can be excited, making dielectric choice paramount to final detector tunability and sensitivity.
Racial Differences in Attributions, Perceived Criticism, and Upset: A Study With Black and White Community Participants.

Abstract The primary aims of the current investigation were (a) to examine the relationships among attributions, perceived constructive and destructive criticism, and upset due to criticism and (b) to explore racial differences in mean levels of attributions, perceived criticism, upset due to criticism, and warmth in a community sample of Blacks and Whites ( N = 272). The Attributions of Criticism Scale (ACS) was used to measure participants’ attributions regarding criticism from their relatives. No racial differences were found in mean levels of attributions or type of perceived criticism. However, Blacks were significantly less upset by perceived criticism from their relatives than Whites. When the relationships between attributions, perceived criticism, and upset were explored, results showed that positive attributions were associated with greater perceived constructive criticism and less upset due to criticism, whereas negative attributions were associated with greater perceived destructive criticism and more upset. Perceptions of relatives’ warmth were also associated with greater perceived constructive criticism and less perceived destructive criticism, but warmth was only related to less upset for Blacks and not Whites. Findings suggest that attributions and warmth play an important role in the perception of criticism and the extent to which individuals become upset in response to criticism from loved ones. Results also point to potential racial differences in mean levels of these variables and the associations among them.
Family and friends with disease: their impact on perceived risk.

Abstract Background For many common diseases, having a family history is the strongest predictor of lifetime risk. Perceptions of personal risk, important for appropriate prevention efforts, have been found to be exaggerated in healthy individuals with family histories. These findings highlight the contribution of objective and experiential factors to perceived risk. This study examined, across a variety of diseases, whether (1) family history of the disease contributes to perceived risk, (2) history of disease in a friend or nonblood relative, which would not increase one's objective risk, nonetheless increases perceived risk, and (3) these effects are similar across genders. Methods Participants (N = 522; 38% male; 56% Caucasian; mean age = 40 years) completed a brief health survey. Results Analyses revealed an effect of having a family history of the disease on perceived risk for breast and colon cancers, heart disease, and diabetes (P Conclusions Results suggest that interventions to alter perceived risk of cancer should account for gender, as women appear to be impacted by who they know.
Are Water-lean Solvent Systems Viable for Post-Combustion CO2 Capture?

Abstract We present here an overview of water-lean solvents that compares their projected costs and performance to aqueous amine systems, emphasizing critical areas of study needed to evaluate their performance against their water-based brethren. The work presented here focuses on bridging these knowledge gaps. Because the majority of water-lean solvents are still at the lab scale, substantial studies are still needed to model and assess their performance at full scales. This presents a significant challenge as each formulation has different physical and thermodynamic properties and behavior, and quantifying how these different properties manifest themselves in conventional absorber-stripper configurations, or identifying new configurations that are specific for a solvent's signature behavior. We identify critical areas of study that are needed, and our efforts (e.g. custom infrastructure, molecular models) to predict, measure, and model these behaviors. Such findings are critical for determining the rheology required for heat exchanger design; absorber designs and packing to accommodate solvents with gradient changes (e.g. viscosity, contact angle, surface tension), and stripper configurations without direct steam utilization or water reflux. Another critical area of research need is to understand the molecular structure of the liquid interface and bulk as a function of CO2 loading, and to assess whether conventional film theories accurately quantify solvent behavior, or if thermodynamic models adequately quantify activity coefficients of ions in solution. We conclude with an assessment of our efforts to aid in bridging the knowledge gaps in understanding water-lean solvents, and suggestions of what is needed to enable large-scale demonstrations to meet the United States Department of Energy's goals.
Towards an emergency edge supercloud

The "cloud paradigm" can provide a wealth of sophisticated emergency communication services that are gamechangers in emergency response, but its current implementation is not suitable to the challenging environments in which these responses often take place. The networking infrastructure may be all but unavailable, and access to centralized datacenters may be impossible.
Influence of microstructure on fatigue crack nucleation and microstructurally short crack growth of an austenitic stainless steel

Abstract In this study, the effect of microstructure on crack nucleation and microstructurally short fatigue crack growth is investigated for a metastable austenitic stainless steel. Fatigue tests were conducted at an intermediate fatigue life regime between 104 and 106 cycles such that martensitic phase transformation occurs given sufficient localized deformation. Through the use of scanning electron microscopy, along with electron backscatter diffraction, several micro-cracks were analyzed and compared. The influence of microstructural features such as twin boundaries, slip band intrusions/extrusions, grain boundaries, inclusions, and martensitic transformed areas on the crack initiation life is discussed. The initiation stages of crack nucleation and the subsequent microstructurally short crack growth for each microstructural feature are compared revealing that twin boundaries and slip bands are the most dominant initiation features. However, the initiation mechanism governing crack nucleation for each feature was different. Additionally, the phase transformation behavior showed only minor effects on the microstructurally short crack growth leading up to an engineering crack. It was found that while the cracks that propagated more quickly had larger transformed martensitic zones around the crack tip, this was due mostly to the size of the crack. Interestingly, the initiation life in the transitional fatigue regime was observed to be more sensitive to crack initiation feature than the martensitic transformation.
Structural characteristics of the online social networks of maltreated youth and offline sexual risk behavior.

Abstract Maltreated youth are at risk for exposure to online sexual content and high-risk sexual behavior, yet characteristics of their online social networks have not been examined as a potential source of vulnerability. The aims of the current study were: 1) to test indicators of size (number of friends) and fragmentation (number of connections between friends) of maltreated young adults’ online networks as predictors of intentional and unintentional exposure to sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior and 2) to test maltreatment as a moderator of these associations. Participants were selected from a longitudinal study on the effects of child maltreatment (n = 152; Mean age 21.84 years). Data downloaded from Facebook were used to calculate network variables of size (number of friends), density (connections between friends), average degree (average number of connections for each friend), and percent isolates (those not connected to others in the network). Self-reports of intentional and unintentional exposure to online sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior were the outcome variables. Multiple-group path modeling showed that only for the maltreated group having a higher percent of isolates in the network predicted intentional exposure to online sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior. An implication of this finding is that the composition of the Facebook network may be used as a risk indicator for individuals with child-welfare documented maltreatment experiences.
Technische Verbesserungen am Simplexverfahren

Bisher haben wir in unseren Tableaudarstellungen jeweils eine Menge an statistischen Informationen mitgeschleppt, die zur Ausfuhrung des Iterationsprozesses nicht unbedingt erforderlich gewesen ware. Allenfalls am Optimalpunkt ist man vielleicht an manchen dieser Daten interessiert, kann sie sich aber dann ohne grosen Aufwand aus den aktuellen Daten errechnen.
Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) of Robotic Manipulators using a Modified Output Error Method (MOEM)

Model reference adaptive control of a robotic manipulator using a modified output error method is introduced. In the absence of nonlinearities in an integrated dynamical model of a manipulator and actuators, the defined new regressors and augmented error in the modified output error method result a closed-loop system that is globally asymptotically stable without over-parameterization. Knowledge of the high frequency gain sign of the unknown plant is not required to implement the adaptive controller. Moreover, no requirement of strictly positive realness is imposed on the reference model transfer function. Numerical simulation with the modified output error method in the feedback loop and computed-torque compensator for model nonlinearities of the manipulator has resulted in stability of the overall closed-loop system and output tracking errors converging to zero asymptotically.
Wiener-Hopf Factorization in the Inverse Scattering Theory for the n -D Schrödinger Equation

We study the n-dimensional Schrodinger equation, n ≥ 2, with a nonspherically symmetric potential in the class of Agmon’s short range potentials without any positive energy bound states. We give sufficient conditions that guarantee the existence of a Wiener-Hopf factorization of the corresponding scattering operator. We show that the potential can be recovered from the scattering operator by solving a related Riemann-Hilbert problem utilizing the Wiener-Hopf factors of the scattering operator. We also study the properties of the scattering operator and show that it is a trace class perturbation of the identity when the potential is also integrable.
Communication Rx: transforming healthcare through relationship-centered communication.

Communication Rx adds to the existing health communication literature on provider–patient communication by summarizing the communication skills taught by the Academy of Communication in Healthcare ...
Mode of Delivery Preference among Pregnant Nulliparous Women

Abstract Background: Nearly a third of women in the United States deliver by cesarean at first childbirth. The extent to which women's prenatal mode of delivery preference contributes to the cesare...
Reliability of an Electronic Product Fabricated of Mass-Produced Components

Abstract Bathtub curve (BTC), the reliability “passport” of an electronic product, is affected by two major irreversible processes: the decreasing with time statistics-related failure rate (SFR) pr...
Bureaucratization, education and the meanings of responsibility

In US-based educational research, the bureaucratization of education has been interpreted primarily from economic points of view. This paper examines bureaucracy and education from a political pers...
Does digoxin cause more harm than good

Background: The most recent British National Formulary recommends digoxin therapy for patients with heart failure (HF) and/or supraventricular arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation (AF) and...
Assay of rubella antibody by passive hemagglutination and by a modified indirect immunofluorescence test

The passive hemagglutination (PHA) test and a modified indirect immunofluorescence (IF) test were compared with the standard hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test for the assay of rubella antibody. For sera from healthy individuals with or without detectable rubella antibody the agreement between the new and the standard procedure was 96.4% for the PHA and 98.1% for the IF test. In rubella patients with serologic confirmation by HI, the IF test detected significant rises in 219 (99.1%) of 221 patients and the PHA test detected antibody conversion in 68 (93%) of 73 patients. In some circumstances the PHA or the IF test may facilitate a presumptive or definitive diagnosis. Absence of PHA reactions in single sera from patients with HI antibody was often (41% of such cases) an early indication of current rubella infection. IF antibody increased more gradually than HI antibody in rubella patients, and diagnostic IF titer rises were observed in several cases when HI titers had reached a plateau.
Renal replacement therapy in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.

Abstract Objective There is an increased risk of mortality in patients in whom acute kidney injury and fluid accumulation develop after cardiothoracic surgery, and the risk is especially high when renal replacement therapy is needed. However, renal replacement therapy remains an essential intervention in managing these patients. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for mortality in surgical patients requiring renal replacement therapy in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients requiring renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury or fluid accumulation after cardiothoracic surgery between January 2009 and December 2017. Survivors and nonsurvivors were compared with respect to multiple variables, and a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors associated with mortality. Results The mortality rate for the cohort was 75%. Nonsurvivors were younger (nonsurvivors: 0.8 years; interquartile range, 0.1-8.2; survivors: 14.6 years; interquartile range, 4.2-19.7; P = .002) and had a lower weight-for-age z-score (nonsurvivors: −1.5; interquartile range, −3.1 to −0.4; survivors: −0.5; interquartile range, −0.9 to 0.3; P = .02) compared with survivors. There was no difference with respect to fluid accumulation. In multivariable analysis, a longer duration of stage 3 acute kidney injury before initiation of renal replacement therapy was independently associated with mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.83; P = .021). Conclusions Mortality in patients requiring renal replacement therapy after congenital heart disease surgery is high. A longer duration of acute kidney injury before renal replacement therapy initiation is associated with increased mortality.
Structural Allograft versus Polyetheretherketone Implants in Patients Undergoing Spinal Fusion Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective Interbody spacers have been successfully used in spinal fusion procedures with the aim to restore disc height, provide stability, and promote bone fusion. The authors evaluated the efficacy of structural body allograft versus polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery. Methods A systematic review of electronic databases was conducted using different Medical Subject Headings terms from January 1970 to August 2019. Pooled and subgroup analyses were performed using random-effects and fixed-effects models based on I2 heterogeneity. Results The analysis included 6640 patients (structural allograft 64% and PEEK cage 36%) from 7 comparative studies. There were no statistically significant differences in age (P = 0.27), sex (P = 0.31), body mass index (P = 0.82), and smoking status (P = 0.27) between the 2 groups. Overall, the mean follow-up was 12.9 ± 1.5 months. Pooled meta-analysis revealed that patients with structural allograft had 2.59-fold higher likelihood of fusion compared with patients with PEEK cages (odds ratio [OR] 2.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–6.57, P = 0.05) at last follow-up evaluation. Patients with structural allograft had 61% less likelihood of pseudarthrosis (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.15–0.98, P = 0.05) and 74% lower incidence of reoperation compared with patients with PEEK implants (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.09–0.79, P = 0.02). Our results suggest that patients with structural allografts had a higher subsidence rate compared with patients with PEEK implants, but this was statistically insignificant (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.45–2.53, P = 0.89). Conclusions Our results corroborate that structural allografts are highly effective in promoting bony fusion compared with PEEK implants in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery.
An assessment of interprofessional education in schools/colleges of pharmacy in the United States.

Abstract Introduction Pharmacy educational standards provide requirements for interprofessional education (IPE). However, there has not been a comparison of IPE structure between doctor of pharmacy programs in the United States (US). The purpose of this study was to gather information regarding current IPE programs and curricula in schools/colleges of pharmacy (S/COP) across the US. Methods A survey was developed and emailed to at least one faculty member or administrator from each S/COP responsible for IPE or experiential education. The survey gathered information on IPE status, structure, and oversight. It also explored mechanisms promoting IPE success, pieces of advice for starting or expanding IPE, and hurdles for IPE implementation. Results Eighty-five S/COP representing 59.9% of programs in the US responded to the survey. All respondents felt IPE was either very important or important to pharmacy education. Mechanisms that promoted IPE success included partnerships, faculty interest in IPE, having an IPE center, being located on an academic medical center, administrative support, and integrating IPE during curricular development. IPE hurdles included logistics, faculty buy-in, sustainability, distance from other programs, and differing accreditation standards across programs. Themes of advice for others were to be innovative/patient/flexible, collaborative, identify key initial partners, develop a director or coordinator of IPE position, and receive administrative support. Conclusions IPE is a vital component to training the next generation of health professionals, but the process for can be daunting. Building on the successes of others and predicting barriers can assist S/COP in developing effective IPE.
Transcriptome Analysis of Alcohol Drinking in Non-Dependent and Dependent Mice Following Repeated Cycles of Forced Swim Stress Exposure.

Chronic stress is a known contributing factor to the development of drug and alcohol addiction. Animal models have previously shown that repeated forced swim stress promotes escalated alcohol consumption in dependent animals. To investigate the underlying molecular adaptations associated with stress and chronic alcohol exposure, RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were conducted on the prefrontal cortex (CTX) of male C57BL/6J mice that were behaviorally tested for either non-dependent alcohol consumption (CTL), chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor dependent alcohol consumption, repeated bouts of forced swim stress alone (FSS), and chronic intermittent ethanol with forced swim stress (CIE + FSS). Brain tissue from each group was collected at 0-h, 72-h, and 168-h following the final test to determine long-lasting molecular changes associated with maladaptive behavior. Our results demonstrate unique temporal patterns and persistent changes in coordinately regulated gene expression systems with respect to the tested behavioral group. For example, increased expression of genes involved in “transmitter-gated ion channel activity” was only determined for CIE + FSS. Overall, our results provide a summary of transcriptomic adaptations across time within the CTX that are relevant to understanding the neurobiology of chronic alcohol exposure and stress.
The Deleuze-Lucretius Encounter

Explores how Deleuze's thought was shaped by Lucretian atomism – a formative but often-ignored influence from ancient philosophy.More than any other 20th-century philosopher, Deleuze considers himself an apprentice to the history of philosophy. But scholarship has ignored one of the more formative influences on Deleuze: Lucretian atomism. Deleuze's encounter with Lucretius sparked a way of thinking that resonates throughout all his writings: from immanent ontology to affirmative ethics, from dynamic materialism to the generation of thought itself. Filling a significant gap in Deleuze Studies, Ryan J. Johnson tells the story of the Deleuze-Lucretius encounter that begins and ends with a powerful claim: Lucretian atomism produced Deleuzianism.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Abstract Prenatal alcohol exposure can have serious lifelong consequences on the individual. Despite that, at least 10% of women in the United States drink during pregnancy and the incidence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders have been estimated to be 2%–5%. Decades of work describe effects in the central nervous system and show that basic biological mechanisms are affected. Now there is more attention paid to systemic effects including vulnerability to disease later in life. Outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure are unpredictable as other factors contribute to vulnerability and resilience; these include genetic and epigenetic factors as well as extrinsic factors such as nutrition and environment. Such complexities contribute to difficulties with diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. Newly emerging fields such as the role of the gut–brain axis and investigation of novel therapeutic approaches will lend additional insight into these disorders.
Sustained Clinical Performance During Surgical Rotations Predicts NBME Shelf Exam Outcomes.

Objective To determine if longitudinal, excellent clinical performance reflected in subjective evaluations during a surgery clerkship would be associated with a greater likelihood of National Board of Medical Examiners Surgery Shelf Exam (“shelf exam”) success. Design We retrospectively reviewed medical students’ surgical clerkship performance from 2014 to 2019. Clinical evaluations for each rotation were abstracted and students were stratified by performance: excellent performers and non-excellent performers. The rotation performance grades were then combined to classify overall clerkship performance: sustained excellent performers, improved performers, worsened performers, and sustained non-excellent performers. We compared the shelf exam scores between performer class for each clinical rotation and the overall clerkship. Using logistic regression, we also sought to determine if clinical performance predicted passing the shelf exam. Setting Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants Third-year medical students (N = 674) who completed a surgery clerkship. Results Excellent performers scored higher than non-excellent performers on the shelf exam during both clinical rotations (all p Conclusions Clinical performance during the surgical clerkship and individual rotations correlates with shelf exam scores. Students should be encouraged to excel on the wards to maximize the educational experience and improve their odds of passing the exam.
Courting Election: Candidates’ Use of Supreme Court Nominations as a Presidential Campaign Issue with a Focus on Ronald Reagan’s 1980 Campaign

In the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, both candidates stressed the importance of the outcome in terms of the balance of power on the United States Supreme Court. Four years later, the same nine justices remained on the Supreme Court. Yet, in the 2004 election, the potential for the next president to nominate Supreme Court justices was at most a cursory topic for the candidates. In fact, the primary discussion of Supreme Court nominations seemed to be the media reports about how little attention the major presidential candidates gave to nomination politics. The prominence of the Supreme Court as an issue in presidential elections is not new, but it has not been consistent over time. In this paper, I examine presidential election campaigns from 1928-2000 to document the role of Supreme Court nomination politics in election debate. I seek to answer several important questions: Have Supreme Court nomination politics become more prominent in presidential election campaigns? What factors have contributed to this changing prominence? Under what conditions should we expect Supreme Court nominations to figure prominently in candidates’ campaigns? In addition to a quantitative analysis of over 70 years of presidential elections, I also analyze the Reagan Campaign’s use of Supreme Court nominations as an issue in the 1980 presidential campaign. By focusing on the Reagan campaign, I am able to take advantage of newly released archival documents housed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to examine firsthand the campaign’s strategy in campaigning on court nominations. These papers provide unique insight into campaigns’ determination to make nominations an election issue.
Jews and Other Others

This essay challenges the binary minority/majority, which remains prevalent in studies of Jewish politics and liberalism. Based on several historical examples—including the rise of Jewish anti-Catholicism in the nineteenth century and relations between Jews and Roma since the Holocaust—it argues that the common distinction between Jews and non-Jews is of limited value in most historical contexts. More often than not Jews did not face a homogeneous mainstream but rather a fragmented public arena, where different groups defined by politics, class, and religion made competing claims. Redirecting our scholarly focus towards relational and entangled histories of Jews and other Others, this contribution argues for a new approach to understanding the liberal public sphere and notions of Jewish privilege and marginality.
Preoperative Therapy for Anemia

Preoperative anemia is both a predictor of the need for a blood transfusion, as well as an independent risk factor for perioperative morbidity and mortality (Mantilla et al. Transfusion 51:82–91, 2011; Wu et al. JAMA 297:2481–2488, 2007; Carabini et al. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol 26:205–215, 2014; Rosencher et al. Transfusion. 43:459–469, 2003). A blood transfusion performed perioperatively is also an independent risk factor for severe morbid events and mortality (Beattie et al. Anesthesiology 110:574–581, 2009; Hebert et al. N Engl J Med 340:409–417, 1999). When used in conjunction with minimizing surgical blood loss and perioperative management strategies to improve patient tolerance for anemia, preoperative correction of anemia can help to avoid blood transfusion, improve length of stay, and reduce overall health costs. Much like all oncological processes are not identical, so too are the various kinds of anemia different, each with its own unique characteristics and optimal course of treatment.
[18F]-Labeled PARP-1 PET Imaging of PSMA Targeted Alpha Particle Radiotherapy Response

409 Introduction: The growing interest and clinical translation of alpha particle (α) therapies brings with it new challenges to assess target cell engagement and to monitor therapeutic effect. Noninvasive imaging has great potential to guide α-treatment and to harness the potential of these agents in the complex environment of disseminated disease. Poly(ADP) ribose polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is among the most abundantly expressed DNA repair enzymes with key roles in multiple repair pathways - such as those induced by irradiation. In the current study, we evaluate whether a third-generation PARP1-specific radiotracer, [18F]-PARPZ (previously as [18F]WC-DZ-F) PET imaging is able to monitor the response of [225Ac]-PSMA-617 on castrate resistant prostate cancer xenografts. Methods: [18F]PARPZ and [225Ac]-PSMA-617 were prepared based on the published protocols. When BRCA1 null castrate resistant prostate cancer (22Rv1) xenografts were ready for treatment, 11 KBq (300 nCi) of [225Ac]-PSMA-617 was administrated via injection into the retro-orbital sinus. [18F]PARPZ PET imaging (approximately 7.4 MBq (200 µCi) of [18F]PARPZ per mouse) was performed on 22Rv1 xenografts at day 1 and 6 of [225Ac]-PSMA-617 post-injection. After PET imaging, 22Rv1 tumor tissue were collected for further ex-vivo autoradiography, and the sectioned tissue slides were fixed for histological staining of PARP-1. Results: Both [18F]-PARPZ and [225Ac]-PSMA-617 were obtained with the radiochemical purity of greater than 97%. There was no notable differences in [18F]-PARPZ distribution between the control and treated groups in all normal organs and in 22Rv1 tumor (4.79 ± 1.59 vs 4.21 ± 1.16, P = 0.05) at day 1 of [225Ac]-PSMA-617 administration. However, [18F]-PARPZ PET imaging was able to distinguish treated from control (saline) xenografts by uptake (5.76 ± 0.84 (control) vs 7.33 ± 0.99 (treated), P = 0.04) at day 6 of [225Ac]-PSMA-617 treatment. The treated group showed a significant increased tracer accumulation between day 1 and day 6 (P = 0.0021). Kinetic analysis of tracer accumulation also suggested that the localization of the agent to sites of increased PARP-1 expression was a consequence of DNA damage response. Conclusions: [18F]-PARPZ PET imaging is able to measure significant increases in PARP imaging tracer localization to targeted α -therapy treated tumors in a model system of prostate cancer. Thus, [18F]-PARPZ lays the ground-work for the initiation of clinical investigation of DNA damage response imaging in patients treated with both approved (Radium-223 dichloride) and investigational alpha particle radiotherapy. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by R01-CA201035, R01-CA229893 and U24-CA209837. We thank the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital for supporting the Small Animal Cancer Imaging shared resource, which in part provided imaging services. The Siteman Cancer Center is funded by NCI Cancer Center Support Grant #P30 CA091842.
Corporate Social Responsibility – Der Kampf Um Die EU-Richtlinie (Corporate Social Responsibility - The Fight for the EU Directive)

German Abstract: Die EU-Richtlinie zur Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 2014/95/EU symbolisiert einen wichtigen Schritt in Richtung mehr Unternehmensverantwortung. Sie verlangt die Umsetzung von Sozial-, Menschenrechts- und Umweltstandards von grosen Unternehmen sowie die Offenlegung von Risiken ihrer Unternehmensaktivitaten fur Dritte. Obwohl die zur Richtlinie fuhrenden Umstande ursprunglich gunstig waren, wurde der endgultige Wortlaut vor allem durch den Widerstand deutscher Unternehmer stark abgeschwacht. Der Beitrag untersucht die politischen Auseinandersetzungen um die CSR-Richtlinie und fragt nach den Determinanten der Verhandlungspositionen der unterschiedlichen beteiligten Lander und Interessengruppen. Dabei wird argumentiert, dass das Vorhandensein inlandischer Regulierung eine ausreichende, aber nicht notwendige Bedingung fur die Unterstutzung der Richtlinie ist. Weiterhin wird gezeigt, dass der besonders heftige Widerstand vonseiten Deutschlands zumindest teilweise auf die Grose und Wirkungsmacht des deutschen Mittelstandes zuruckzufuhren ist. English Abstract: The EU CSR Directive 2014/95/EU represents an important step towards more corporate responsibility and accountability. It requires the disclosure of corporations' social- environmental, and human rights impacts and the risks that arise for third parties. Even though the conditions leading to the Directive were favorable, in the end it was substantially weakened as a result of German business opposition. This contribution examines the political battles over the EU CSR Directive and investigates the determinants of government and business support and opposition. I argue that the existence of domestic regulations is a sufficient but not a necessary condition for support for the Directive. I also show that Germany's fierce opposition is due at least in part to the size, influence and importance of the German Mittelstand.