cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical Testing of Mouse Carotid Arteries: from Newborn to Adult

The large conducting arteries in vertebrates are composed of a specialized extracellular matrix designed to provide pulse dampening and reduce the work performed by the heart. The mix of matrix proteins determines the passive mechanical properties of the arterial wall1. When the matrix proteins are altered in development, aging, disease or injury, the arterial wall remodels, changing the mechanical properties and leading to subsequent cardiac adaptation2. In normal development, the remodeling leads to a functional cardiac and cardiovascular system optimized for the needs of the adult organism. In disease, the remodeling often leads to a negative feedback cycle that can cause cardiac failure and death. By quantifying passive arterial mechanical properties in development and disease, we can begin to understand the normal remodeling process to recreate it in tissue engineering and the pathological remodeling process to test disease treatments. Mice are useful models for studying passive arterial mechanics in development and disease. They have a relatively short lifespan (mature adults by 3 months and aged adults by 2 years), so developmental3 and aging studies4 can be carried out over a limited time course. The advances in mouse genetics provide numerous genotypes and phenotypes to study changes in arterial mechanics with disease progression5 and disease treatment6. Mice can also be manipulated experimentally to study the effects of changes in hemodynamic parameters on the arterial remodeling process7. One drawback of the mouse model, especially for examining young ages, is the size of the arteries. We describe a method for passive mechanical testing of carotid arteries from mice aged 3 days to adult (approximately 90 days). We adapt a commercial myograph system to mount the arteries and perform multiple pressure or axial stretch protocols on each specimen. We discuss suitable protocols for each age, the necessary measurements and provide example data. We also include data analysis strategies for rigorous mechanical characterization of the arteries.
‘Hearing the Real Stories about the Issues at Hand’: Politically Active Elders Engage Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) Students in Influencing Social Policy

This article focuses on the successes and challenges experienced by a social work program offering experiential learning opportunities to bachelor in social work (BSW) students. As part of the BSW Experiential Learning (BEL) Program, policy students collaborated with politically active older adults to develop compelling letters to the editor of a newspaper and influential letters to state-level legislators concerning policies impacting older adults. Using a two-year quasi-experimental design, one section of the course paired students with older adults while the other section served as the control group. Although no significant differences were found in influencing student interest in working with older adults, students paired with older adults showed greater confidence in and learning of the content. Lessons learned from this experience and implications for future implementation will be detailed.
Plasma-micropatterning of albumin nanoparticles: Substrates for enhanced cell-interactive display of ligands

The authors demonstrate a novel, efficient, and widely applicable approach to direct the patterning of ligand-functionalized organic nanoparticles derived from albumin on nonconductive, biodegradable polymeric substrates. In contrast to traditional deposition methods for inorganic nanoparticles, the approach involves oxygen plasma treatment of spatially restricted regions on a nonbiopermissive polymer. Albumin nanoparticles conjugated with a truncated fragment of fibronectin containing the Arg-Gly-Asp domain were successfully patterned and used as templates to elicit adhesion and spreading of human mesenchymal stem cells and fibroblasts. Attachment and spreading of both cell types into the plasma-exposed polymer areas was considerably more pronounced than with the ligand alone. The authors hypothesize that the underlying mechanism is oxygen plasma treatment-induced selective enhancement of ligand exposure from the deposited functionalized nanoparticles, which facilitates ligand receptor clustering at the cell membrane. The results highlight a promising nanoscale approach to modulate ligand presentation and spatially direct cell attachment and phenotypic behaviors.
Productivity and Equilibrium in Simple Biofilm Models

Biofilms are dense, sessile collections of microorganisms with complicated internal structures. However, in many applications internal details are less important, rather basic, averaged information such as overall community productivity are of most interest. This paper studies averaged community functions in the context of one dimensional, single species, single limiting substrate biofilm models. In particular, using a derived formula for flux of substrate into the biofilm as a function of biofilm height and substrate loading, overall community production can be calculated and system equilibria can be characterized. Consequences for equilibria dependence on a number of mechanisms for balancing growth are considered.
The 66-kDa Shc Isoform Is a Negative Regulator of the Epidermal Growth Factor-stimulated Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway

In addition to tyrosine phosphorylation of the 66-, 52-, and 46-kDa Shc isoforms, epidermal growth factor (EGF) treatment of Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the human EGF receptor also resulted in the serine/threonine phosphorylation of approximately 50% of the 66-kDa Shc proteins. The serine/threonine phosphorylation occurred subsequent to tyrosine phosphorylation and was prevented by pretreatment of the cells with the MEK-specific inhibitor PD98059. Surprisingly, only the gel-shifted 66-kDa Shc isoform (serine/threonine phosphorylated) was tyrosine phosphorylated and associated with Grb2. In contrast, only the non-serine/threonine-phosphorylated fraction of 66-kDa Shc was associated with the EGF receptor. To assess the relationship between the three Shc isoforms in EGF-stimulated signaling, the cDNA encoding the 66-kDa Shc species was cloned from a 16-day-old mouse embryo library. Sequence alignment confirmed that the 66-kDa Shc cDNA resulted from alternative splicing of the primary Shc transcript generating a 110-amino acid extension at the amino terminus. Co-immunoprecipitation of Shc and Grb2 from cells overexpressing the 52/46-kDa Shc isoforms versus the 66-kDa Shc species directly demonstrated a competition of binding for a limited pool of Grb2 proteins. Furthermore, expression of the 66-kDa Shc isoform markedly accelerated the inactivation of ERK following EGF stimulation. Together, these data indicate that the serine/threonine phosphorylation of 66-kDa Shc impairs its ability to associate with the tyrosine-phosphorylated EGF receptor and can function in a dominant-interfering manner by inhibiting EGF receptor downstream signaling pathways.
Bayesian Model Averaging in Proportional Hazard Models: Assessing the Risk of a Stroke

SUMMARY In the context of the Cardiovascular Health Study, a comprehensive investigation into the risk factors for strokes, we apply Bayesian model averaging to the selection of variables in Cox proportional hazard models. We use an extension of the leaps-and-bounds algorithm for locating the models that are to be averaged over and make available S-PLUS software to implement the methods. Bayesian model averaging provides a posterior probability that each variable belongs in the model, a more directly interpretable measure of variable importance than a P-value. P-values from models preferred by stepwise methods tend to overstate the evidence for the predictive value of a variable and do not account for model uncertainty. We introduce the partial predictive score to evaluate predictive performance. For the Cardiovascular Health Study, Bayesian model averaging predictively outperforms standard model selection and does a better
Micropyretic synthesis studies of Ni-, Al-, Ti-, and Nb-containing alloys

A series of new micropyretically synthesized complex intermetallics and intermetallic composites containing Ni, Al, Ti, and Nb have been studied. At the extremities of this series were the two alloys with the B 2 structure, namely, the NiAl and Nb 45 Al 15 Ti 40 intermetallic compounds, the former being brittle and the latter ductile. The alloys in the series were made by adding Ti and Nb to NiAl and processing them by micropyretic methods. In addition to the matrix B 2 phase, the synthesized alloys were found to contain other phases. Some of the alloys in the series were noted to possess high fracture toughness and oxidation resistance. A detailed microstructural characterization of the synthesized alloys was carried out. The mechanism of synthesis in the alloys has been established by microstructural examination of the partially reacted specimens by arresting the combustion process during the synthesis process.
Surgical clinical trials

Surveys of surgical practice in the United States during the last 2 decades have documented a gradual retreat from the standard radical mastectomy for treatment of early breast cancer. During this time, clinical trials have tested traditional principles of cancer surgery, and permitted conclusions to be made regarding treatment alternatives. Modified mastectomy (total mastectomy plus axillary dissection) has proved equal to radical mastectomy in terms of survival, disease-free survival, and local tumor control in a randomized trial confined to TNM clinical Stage I and II cases. This study showed that routine removal of grossly uninvolved pectoral muscles (and apical axillary nodes) is not necessary in early cases, a result which failed to support the principle of en bloc dissection. Trials addressed to the practice of prophylactic regional node dissections have indicated that node dissections are useful for reducing regional tumor recurrence, for providing prognostic information, and for establishing the need for adjuvant treatment, but they do not improve overall survival. Metastases in lymph nodes appear to be a sign, rather than a source, of tumor dissemination. Furthermore, a recent trial indicates that routine removal of the breast may not be necessary in early cases. High-dose irradiation of the breast (after wide excision of the primary and axillary dissection) in TNM clinical Stage I cases provided local tumor control and survival comparable to that of radical mastectomy. Trials of breast preservation not yet complete address more advanced stages (TNM I and II), and the question of whether irradiation is necessary in all cases. On the basis of completed studies, it appears that TNM clinical State I and II cancers can be appropriately treated with modified mastectomy; Stage I cancers can be treated equally well with irradiation of the breast after quadrantectomy and removal of axillary lymph nodes.
Methamphetamine use and depressive symptoms among heterosexual men and women

This study investigated the relationship between intensity of methamphetamine use and depressive symptoms in a sample of 182 heterosexually identified methamphetamine users. Perceived stigma and social and health problems were hypothesized as potential mediators of the relationship between methamphetamine use and depressive symptoms. Forty per cent of the sample met criteria for moderate to severe depression. As hypothesized, the greater the intensity of methamphetamine use, the higher the levels of depressive symptoms. Results of the mediation analyses failed to identify mediating effects for stigma, social problems or health problems. However, perceived stigma had a significant positive direct effect on depressive symptoms. Gender, age and marital status also predicted higher levels of depression. This research suggests the need for drug treatment programmes to: (1) identify and treat depressive symptoms among methamphetamine users; and (2) address social and psychological issues, such as perceived stig...
Prenatal diagnostic decision-making in adolescents.

Abstract Study Objective We sought to evaluate the prenatal decision-making of pregnant adolescents identified at increased risk for identifiable fetal genetic abnormalities. Design A retrospective review of records of gravid women 19 years old or younger undergoing genetic counseling from 2001–2003 (inclusive) was undertaken. Setting Hospital-based academic center. Participants Thirty-seven women were identified; four cases did not meet inclusion criteria. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measure Decision to undergo or forgo invasive prenatal testing. Results Of the 33 women included in this study, the average age was 17.6 years (range: 15–19). Eighteen were Latinas, eight were African-Americans, and seven were Caucasians. Sixteen women had positive maternal serum screening outcomes; nine women sought counseling because of personal/family histories of genetic abnormalities, seven sought counseling after fetal structural anomalies were detected by ultrasound, and one woman sought counseling because she and her partner were positive for Mendelian disorder screening (sickle cell disease). Sixteen of the women (48.5%) chose to undergo invasive testing (15 amniocenteses, one chorionic villus sampling) whereas 17 (51.5%) chose to forgo invasive testing. Conclusions Adolescents offered invasive prenatal diagnosis will chose to undergo or forgo such testing based on diagnostic and personal criteria as do adult women. Nonetheless, unique adolescent issues may make the process by which information is obtained and communicated during counseling to be different from counseling provided to adults. The development of new genetic screening and diagnostic protocols has and will increase the number of pregnant adolescent women who will be offered genetic counseling during their pregnancies. Such an increase in numbers will place considerably more pressure on an already taxed genetic counseling system; accordingly, new counseling paradigms will need to be developed to provide service to an expanded patient population seeking information for an increasing number of genetic issues.
Epigenetic coordination of embryonic heart transcription by dynamically regulated long noncoding RNAs

The vast majority of mammalian DNA does not encode for proteins but instead is transcribed into noncoding (nc)RNAs having diverse regulatory functions. The poorly characterized subclass of long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) can epigenetically regulate protein-coding genes by interacting locally in cis or distally in trans. A few reports have implicated specific lncRNAs in cardiac development or failure, but precise details of lncRNAs expressed in hearts and how their expression may be altered during embryonic heart development or by adult heart disease is unknown. Using comprehensive quantitative RNA sequencing data from mouse hearts, livers, and skin cells, we identified 321 lncRNAs present in the heart, 117 of which exhibit a cardiac-enriched pattern of expression. By comparing lncRNA profiles of normal embryonic (∼E14), normal adult, and hypertrophied adult hearts, we defined a distinct fetal lncRNA abundance signature that includes 157 lncRNAs differentially expressed compared with adults (fold-change ≥ 50%, false discovery rate = 0.02) and that was only poorly recapitulated in hypertrophied hearts (17 differentially expressed lncRNAs; 13 of these observed in embryonic hearts). Analysis of protein-coding mRNAs from the same samples identified 22 concordantly and 11 reciprocally regulated mRNAs within 10 kb of dynamically expressed lncRNAs, and reciprocal relationships of lncRNA and mRNA levels were validated for the Mccc1 and Relb genes using in vitro lncRNA knockdown in C2C12 cells. Network analysis suggested a central role for lncRNAs in modulating NFκB- and CREB1-regulated genes during embryonic heart growth and identified multiple mRNAs within these pathways that are also regulated, but independently of lncRNAs.
East-West fusion: cross-border human rights activism and the Thai Drug Users' Network.

®ecently, leaders of international human rights organizations have renewed the call for advocacy on economic, social, and cultural rights.1 They stress the usefulness of working with local organizations to achieve this aim. The Thai Drug Users' Network (TDN) functions as a local advocacy organization, founded on a universal human rights platform in 2002. Most of the approximately 100 people involved in the organization are former and current drug users. Over the past several years, these Thai human rights activists have forged close professional and personal ties with international counterparts in organizations including Human Rights Watch, the Open Society Institute, Doctors Without Borders, and Health GAP - groups with diverse but overlapping mandates in the health and human rights fields. With the support of these organizations, TDN campaigns within Thailand for the right to health and HIV prevention and treatment modalities and against extrajudicial executions and other unacceptable means of repressing the illegal drug trade. Thus, their mandate covers economic, social, and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights. TDN has also broadened its reach beyond Thailand. TDN members share their expertise with organizations in other countries and support the growth of programs that Sheri Fink, MD, PhD, researched this article during a Visiting Fellowship at the Frangois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard School of Public Health. She has reported on the HIV/AIDS epidemic for the BBC/PRI radio program, The World, and written about HIV and AIDS for such publications as IAVI Report and the New York Times. Please address correspondence to the author at sherifink@aol.com.
Evaluating the Impact of Restrictive Language Policies: The Arizona 4-Hour English Language Development Block.

Approximately five million English Language Learners (ELLs) attend public schools in the United States. Because the majority of ELLs tend to live in immigrant families, schools become the means to provide ELLs with the English skills necessary to be competent in school and in life. Federal and state policies regarding instructional arrangements for ELLs have been passed ignoring existing research. After years of intense litigation, the state of Arizona passed a highly restrictive language policy—the 4-hour English language development (ELD) block. Its supporters claimed that it is superior to other forms of instructional arrangements. To back up this claim, existing analyses have relied on techniques that have failed to account for individual and within school variation. Using longitudinal academic achievement data, we rely on a difference-in-differences approach to reduce bias in the estimation of the causal effect of 4-h ELD block on ELL students’ academic achievement (as measured by AIMS and TerraNova test scores). We consistently found that the 4-h ELD block does not contribute to increase ELL students’ academic achievement; ELLs who participated in mainstream classrooms and in other instructional arrangements have higher academic achievement compared to ELLs who participated in the 4-h ELD block. Given this evidence, it is clear that this highly restrictive language policy does not meet the language and academic needs of ELLs. Instead, this policy results in more segregation and inequities.
THE FINANCIAL POLICIES OF CHURCHES

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANY ORGANIZATION is dependent at least in part on the soundness of its financial administration. Churches are no exception. During the depression of the early thirties, many churches defaulted on their financial obligations. Difficulties for the churches and skepticism among financial groups were engendered by these embarrassments. Since I945, the churches of America have spent hundreds of millions of dollars for expansion purposes and have borrowed part of the funds for these programs. Churches of one denomination alone invested $50,000,000 in I947, $60,ooo,ooo in I948, and $90,000,000 in I949.1 The perplexing question of just how much of the expansion should be financed by loans remains unanswered. For a church to refuse to make any investment except on a strictly cash basis or for a financial firm to decline to make any loans to churches is begging the question. Where, then, do we draw the line? Will churches find themselves in financial difficulties again because they have incurred too much indebtedness? An attempt to answer these and related questions is the purpose of this study.
Requirements for mediator complex subunits distinguish three classes of notch target genes at the Drosophila wing margin

Spatial and temporal gene regulation relies on a combinatorial code of sequence-specific transcription factors that must be integrated by the general transcriptional machinery. A key link between the two is the mediator complex, which consists of a core complex that reversibly associates with the accessory kinase module. We show here that genes activated by Notch signaling at the dorsal–ventral boundary of the Drosophila wing disc fall into three classes that are affected differently by the loss of kinase module subunits. One class requires all four kinase module subunits for activation, while the others require only Med12 and Med13, either for activation or for repression. These distinctions do not result from different requirements for the Notch coactivator Mastermind or the corepressors Hairless and Groucho. We propose that interactions with the kinase module through distinct cofactors allow the DNA-binding protein Suppressor of Hairless to carry out both its activator and repressor functions. Developmental Dynamics 240:2051–2059, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Canonical Wnts function as potent regulators of osteogenesis by human mesenchymal stem cells.

Genetic evidence indicates that Wnt signaling is critically involved in bone homeostasis. In this study, we investigated the functions of canonical Wnts on differentiation of adult multipotent human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in vitro and in vivo. We observe differential sensitivities of hMSCs to Wnt inhibition of osteogenesis versus adipogenesis, which favors osteoblastic commitment under binary in vitro differentiation conditions. Wnt inhibition of osteogenesis is associated with decreased expression of osteoblastic transcription factors and inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, which are involved in osteogenic differentiation. An hMSC subpopulation exhibits high endogenous Wnt signaling, the inhibition of which enhances osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation in vitro. In an in vivo bone formation model, high levels of Wnt signaling inhibit de novo bone formation by hMSCs. However, hMSCs with exogenous expression of Wnt1 but not stabilized β-catenin markedly stimulate bone formation by naive hMSCs, arguing for an important role of a canonical Wnt gradient in hMSC osteogenesis in vivo.
Necessity for fibular fixation associated with distal tibia fractures.

Abstract Introduction Intramedullary (IM) nailing is a well-accepted treatment for distal third tibia fractures in combination with injury to the fibula. However, the indications for operative stabilisation of the fibula remain controversial. Methods The authors performed a retrospective review on a consecutive series of patients who underwent intramedullary nailing of a non-comminuted distal third tibia fracture with or without fibular fixation at a Level I urban trauma centre. A review of surgical records identified 120 patients who initially were included in this study, while a total of 98 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the final analysis. Results Our results found no difference in the mean value of coronal and sagittal plane alignment in both the immediate post-operative and follow-up time periods. We also saw no statistically significant difference when comparing malalignment between patients treated with or without fibula fixation. There were no deep infections between the two groups. No significant differences were seen between the fibular fixation group and the non-fixation group. Distal screw removal due to prominence or pain was the most common reason for future surgery in both groups. Conclusion These findings suggest that the addition of fibular fixation does not affect whether or not alignment is maintained in either the immediate post-operative or short-term follow-up period.
Simulated evaluation of a non-Luer safety connector system for use in neuraxial procedures

Background Spinal syringes, needles, and other devices with connectors that will not also connect with Luer devices could substantially reduce wrong-route drug administration errors. This study aimed to evaluate a newly designed non-Luer safety connector system for neuraxial procedures in terms of clinical acceptability and cross-connectivity with conventional Luer devices. Methods A non-Luer safety connector system (BD UniVia-6 Safety Connector system), which included non-Luer spinal needles, syringes, and blunt fill filter needles, was evaluated in a prospective, simulated use, randomized study. Clinicians evaluated the acceptability and performance characteristics using a normal saline injectate on an artificial back model. Results Forty-nine clinicians participated in the study. For 93 of 98 spinal injection procedures, clinicians agreed that overall, the safety system was clinically acceptable (94.9%; 95% lower bound 89.6%). Forty-eight clinicians (98%; 95% lower bound: 90.7%) agreed that the safety system prevented or reduced the risk of misconnection between a conventional syringe and a safety spinal needle. A lower proportion (63.3%; 95% lower bound: 50.5%) agreed that the safety system would prevent or reduce the risk of misconnections between a safety syringe filled with medication intended for spinal injection and an i.v. Luer device. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that study clinicians found the safety system to be acceptable with minimal impact on technique in a simulated-use setting. The non-Luer system also appeared to decrease the risk of administration of i.v. medications into the intrathecal space. Further modifications will be required to completely eliminate the risk of administering intrathecal medication i.v. and evaluation in a clinical setting will help determine the true impact of this non-Luer system on patient safety.
Macronuclei and micronuclei in Tetrahymena thermophila contain high-mobility-group-like chromosomal proteins containing a highly conserved eleven-amino-acid putative DNA-binding sequence.

Abstract HMG (high-mobility-group protein) B and HMG C are abundant nonhistone chromosomal proteins isolated from Tetrahymena thermophila macronuclei with solubilities, molecular weights, and amino acid compositions like those of vertebrate HMG proteins. Genomic clones encoding each of these proteins have been sequenced. Both are single-copy genes that encode single polyadenylated messages whose amounts are 10 to 15 times greater in growing cells than in starved, nongrowing cells. The derived amino acid sequences of HMG B and HMG C contain a highly conserved sequence, the HMG 1 box, found in vertebrate HMGs 1 and 2, and we speculate that this sequence may represent a novel, previously unrecognized DNA-binding motif in this class of chromosomal proteins. Like HMGs 1 and 2, HMGs B and C contain a high percentage of aromatic amino acids. However, the Tetrahymena HMGs are small, are associated with nucleosome core particles, and can be specifically extracted from macronuclei by elutive intercalation, properties associated with vertebrate HMGs 14 and 17, not HMGs 1 and 2. Thus, it appears that these Tetrahymena proteins have features in common with both of the major subgroups of higher eucaryotic HMG proteins. Surprisingly, a linker histone found exclusively in transcriptionally inactive micronuclei also has several HMG-like characteristics, including the ability to be specifically extracted from nuclei by elutive intercalation and the presence of the HMG 1 box. This finding suggests that at least in T. thermophila, proteins with HMG-like properties are not restricted to regions of transcriptionally active chromatin.
Pathema: a clade-specific bioinformatics resource center for pathogen research

Pathema (http://pathema.jcvi.org) is one of the eight Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs) funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) designed to serve as a core resource for the bio-defense and infectious disease research community. Pathema strives to support basic research and accelerate scientific progress for understanding, detecting, diagnosing and treating an established set of six target NIAID Category A–C pathogens: Category A priority pathogens; Bacillus anthracis and Clostridium botulinum, and Category B priority pathogens; Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Clostridium perfringens and Entamoeba histolytica. Each target pathogen is represented in one of four distinct clade-specific Pathema web resources and underlying databases developed to target the specific data and analysis needs of each scientific community. All publicly available complete genome projects of phylogenetically related organisms are also represented, providing a comprehensive collection of organisms for comparative analyses. Pathema facilitates the scientific exploration of genomic and related data through its integration with web-based analysis tools, customized to obtain, display, and compute results relevant to ongoing pathogen research. Pathema serves the bio-defense and infectious disease research community by disseminating data resulting from pathogen genome sequencing projects and providing access to the results of inter-genomic comparisons for these organisms.
Photo-Carrier Recombination in Polymer Solar Cells Based on P3HT and Silole-Based Copolymer

Photo-current loss in donor-acceptor (DA) polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells was studied via carrier transport and recombination measurements. Focusing on the DA polymer poly((4,4-dioctyldithieno (3,2-b:2',3'-d) silole)-2,6-diyl-alt-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-4,7-diyl) (DTS-BTD) we found that the carrier transport is well-balanced and attribute the loss mechanism in DTS-BTD solar cells to carrier recombination. Using carrier extraction with linear increasing voltage (photo-CELIV) and transient photo-voltage (TPV), we show that carrier recombination plays an important role in photo-current extraction at open circuit conditions due to increase in photo-excited carrier concentration. Delay time dependent photo-CELIV and temperature dependent transport studies suggest that the recombination rate is related to the degree of energetic disorder in the polymer: fullerene blends.
Treatment of liver colorectal metastases: Role of laparoscopy, radiofrequency ablation, and microwave coagulation

Up to 50% of patients with colorectal cancer will develop metastatic disease in the liver. While surgical extirpation remains the best option for long-term survival, several complementary modalities such as laparoscopy, radiofrequency ablation, and microwave coagulation have gained wide acceptance as primary and adjunct therapies for both resectable and unresectable disease. This review will focus on the application and outcome of these techniques in patients with colorectal liver metastases.
I am caught between two specialists with conflicting opinions. How can I ethically assist my patient in deciding which option is best

QA patient whom I referred to a trusted oral surgeon for a consultation regarding the potential placement of an implant returned to my office and requested a second opinion from another oral surgeon. After completing these two consultations, she called and asked me for my recommendation regarding her "best" treatment option. One oral surgeon recommended a bone graft before placement of the implant. The other oral surgeon did not recommend the bone graft and provided the patient with an estimated cost of treatment that was lower than that provided by the first surgeon. I realize that the decision to graft or not to graft is not an exact science, and I understand that practitioners may have differences of opinion about when placement of a bone graft is appropriate. I assume that the first surgeon feels that the success of the implant would be more predictable with a graft. Regardless of what I recommend to the patient, however, I am afraid that I will offend the professional judgment of one of these surgeons. Since I will be the one restoring the implant, the patient's request for advice under these circumstances puts me in something of a quandary. I know that, ultimately, it is up to the patient to decide, but she is seeking my trusted professional opinion. Knowing that I am not an expert on bone grafting, what is my ethical responsibility to this patient?
Constitutive modeling of the time-dependent and cyclic loading of elastomers and application to soft biological tissues

Abstract The stress–strain behavior of both elastomeric materials and soft biological tissues exhibits time-dependence and hysteresis when subjected to cyclic loading. This paper discusses a new constitutive model capable of capturing the experimentally observed behavior under different general multiaxial loading conditions. The proposed model is a modification of the Bergstrom–Boyce model [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 46 (1998) 931] in which predictions of cyclic loading states have been improved by augmenting a reptation-based scaling law to include one additional material parameter that limits the maximum flow rate at any given deformation state. By direct comparison with experimental data on two rubber compounds and two soft biological tissues, the new material model is shown to capture the rate-dependence and the cyclic loading (ranging from positive to negative axial and shear loadings) in both elastomers and soft biological tissues.
Investigating the correspondence between transcriptomic and proteomic expression profiles using coupled cluster models

Motivation: Modern transcriptomics and proteomics enable us to survey the expression of RNAs and proteins at large scales. While these data are usually generated and analyzed separately, there is an increasing interest in comparing and co-analyzing transcriptome and proteome expression data. A major open question is whether transcriptome and proteome expression is linked and how it is coordinated. Results: Here we have developed a probabilistic clustering model that permits analysis of the links between transcriptomic and proteomic profiles in a sensible and flexible manner. Our coupled mixture model defines a prior probability distribution over the component to which a protein profile should be assigned conditioned on which component the associated mRNA profile belongs to. We apply this approach to a large dataset of quantitative transcriptomic and proteomic expression data obtained from a human breast epithelial cell line (HMEC). The results reveal a complex relationship between transcriptome and proteome with most mRNA clusters linked to at least two protein clusters, and vice versa. A more detailed analysis incorporating information on gene function from the Gene Ontology database shows that a high correlation of mRNA and protein expression is limited to the components of some molecular machines, such as the ribosome, cell adhesion complexes and the TCP-1 chaperonin involved in protein folding. Availability: Matlab code is available from the authors on request. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Neutralization of Aluminum Hydroxide Dried Gel: Citrate and Tartrate Inhibition

Studies were conducted on the neutralization rate of aluminum hydroxide dried gel (AHDG) with HCl as a function of rate of agitation and amount of AHDG. On the basis of these studies it is suggested that the AHDG-HCl neutralization reaction is chemically controlled. Sodium citrate and tartrate were tested as inhibitors of AHDG. Their effect on the neutralization rate was investigated by neutralization, sedimentation, and complexation studies. It was concluded that a dual mechanism is operative to produce inhibition; the AHDG reacts with the salt to produce protons, and this effect, coupled with flocculation, causes a retardation in the rate of change of pH with time.
On adaptive transmission for energy efficiency in wireless data networks

This paper investigates the problem of energy-efficient transmission of data packets in a wireless network by jointly adapting to backlog and channel condition. Specifically, we consider minimum-energy scheduling problems over multiple-access channels, broadcast channels, and channels with fading, when packets of all users need to be transmitted before a deadline T. Earlier work has considered a similar setup and demonstrated significant transmission energy saving by adapting to backlog for channels that are time invariant and when transmission is restricted to time-division. For concreteness, throughout the paper, rates and powers corresponding to optimal coding over discrete-time additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels are assumed. The results, however, hold for more general channels and coding schemes where the total transmitted power is convex in the transmission rates. The offline scheduling problems for all the channels considered are shown to reduce to convex optimization problems with linear constraints. An iterative algorithm, referred to as FlowRight, that finds optimal offline schedules is presented. A heuristic online algorithm that we call look-ahead water-filling, which jointly adapts to both channel fading state and backlog is described. By the use of a small buffer which introduces an almost fixed delay, this algorithm achieves a considerable reduction in energy relative to water filling solely on channel states.
Toward a Typology of Acculturative Stress Results Among Hispanic Immigrants in the United States

The objective of this study is to identify latent classes of Hispanic immigrants on the basis of acculturative stress and, in turn, examine the links between membership in acculturative stress clas...
Acromegaly as a Complication of Growth Hormone Therapy

ABSTRACT Objective: Growth hormone (GH) replacement is widely used; however, acromegaly as a complication of overreplacement is rarely reported. This case report explores this complication with the use of weight-based dosing regimens of human GH. Methods: We report progressive features of acromegaly as a consequence of inadvertent overreplacement of GH, initiated for treatment of GH deficiency in an 11-year-old male treated for craniopharyngioma. Results: An 11-year-old male developed panhypopituitarism after transsphenoidal resection of a craniopharyngioma. Human GH (hGH) replacement therapy was subsequently initiated for hypopituitarism, using a weight-based dosing regimen, achieving adequate linear growth. After 9 years of hGH replacement therapy, prognathism and an increase in shoe size were noted, with supporting radiographic evidence of hGH overreplacement. Conclusion: Clinical features of acromegaly can develop as a rare adverse effect of overreplacement of hGH in GH-deficient patients treated with...
Paradoxical changes in muscle gene expression in insulin-resistant subjects after sustained reduction in plasma free fatty acid concentration

Lipid oversupply plays a role in developing insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, decreasing expression of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes, and increasing extracellular matrix remodeling. To determine if a decrease in plasma lipid content reverses these abnormalities, insulin-resistant subjects with a family history of type 2 diabetes had euglycemic clamps and muscle biopsies before and after acipimox treatment to suppress free fatty acids. Free fatty acids fell from 0.584 +/- 0.041 to 0.252 +/- 0.053 mmol/l (P < 0.001) and glucose disposal increased from 5.28 +/- 0.46 to 6.31 +/- 0.55 mg . kg(-1) . min(-1) (P < 0.05) after acipimox; intramuscular fatty acyl CoA decreased from 10.3 +/- 1.9 to 4.54 +/- 0.82 pmol/mg muscle (P < 0.01). Paradoxically, expression of PGC-1-and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes decreased after acipimox, and expression of collagens I and III alpha-subunits (82- and 21-fold increase, respectively, P < 0.05), connective tissue growth factor (2.5-fold increase, P < 0.001), and transforming growth factor-beta1 increased (2.95-fold increase, P < 0.05). Therefore, a reduction in lipid supply does not completely reverse the molecular changes associated with lipid oversupply in muscle. Changes in expression of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes do not always correlate with changes in insulin sensitivity.
Is it already time for combination treatment in lower risk MDS

The term myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) summarizes a range of different hematological disorders, which display peripheral cytopenias as common clinical characteristic. This “ineffective hematopoiesis” is thought to be a result of an imbalance of apoptotic and proliferative signals in bone marrow cells (1).
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Syndromes

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a non-malignant, life-threatening hyperinflammatory condition resulting from dysregulation of normal innate and adaptive immune responses. Defects in immune effector cell cytotoxic mechanisms have been identified in many HLH syndromes. Infants and children most often present with this condition, but new onset disease may be observed in adults as well. Presenting signs and symptoms include the classic triad of fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and cytopenias, but neurologic impairment, respiratory and cardiovascular embarrassment, liver disease with coagulopathy, diarrhea, and rash may feature prominently. Diagnosis relies upon fulfilling clinical criteria and laboratory assessments including serum ferritin, soluble IL-2 receptor levels, and natural killer (NK) cell function studies. Treatment consists of excellent supportive care for the critically ill. Specific disease modifying therapy employs immunosuppressant medications and often hematopoietic stem cell transplant. HLH syndromes are frequently fatal if untreated. With current interventions survival ranges 60–70 %.
Microscopic Theory for the Role of Attractive Forces in the Dynamics of Supercooled Liquids

We formulate a microscopic, no adjustable parameter, theory of activated relaxation in supercooled liquids directly in terms of the repulsive and attractive forces within the framework of pair correlations. Under isochoric conditions, attractive forces can nonperturbatively modify slow dynamics, but at high enough density their influence vanishes. Under isobaric conditions, attractive forces play a minor role. High temperature apparent Arrhenius behavior and density-temperature scaling are predicted. Our results are consistent with recent isochoric simulations and isobaric experiments on a deeply supercooled molecular liquid. The approach can be generalized to treat colloidal gelation and glass melting, and other soft matter slow dynamics problems.
Voria ruralis: A Rapid and Accurate Method of Sexing Adults

McKinney (1944), Oatman (1966), and Brubaker (1968) reported that a tachinid, Voria ruralis (Fallen), was the most prevalent parasite recovered from larvae of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), on commercially grown vegetables. Therefore, the potential of V. ruralis as a biological control agent in an integrated control program is currently being evaluated at the Vegetable Insects Laboratory at Mesa, Ariz.
Deficiency of cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein reduces renal injury after ischemia-reperfusion.

Background Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, commonly caused by major operation and shock, leads to acute kidney injury and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein, a cold shock protein, has recently been identified as a damage-associated molecular pattern. We hypothesized that cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein exacerbates severity of injury in renal ischemia-reperfusion. Methods Renal ischemia was induced in an 8-week-old male C57BL/6 wild-type mice and Cirp−/− mice via bilateral clamping of renal pedicles for 30 minutes, followed by reperfusion for 5 or 24 hours and harvest of blood and renal tissue for analysis. Anti–cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein antibody or non-immunized immunoglobulin G (IgG) was injected intravenously (10 mg/kg body weight) at time of reperfusion. Results After renal ischemia-reperfusion, Cirp−/− mice demonstrated a reduction of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine of 53% and 60%, respectively, compared with wild-type mice. Serum IL-6 levels were reduced significantly: 70% in Cirp−/− mice compared with wild-type mice after renal ischemia-reperfusion. Levels of nitrotyrosine, an oxidatively modified protein marker, and cyclooxygenase-2, an inflammatory mediator, also were significantly decreased in the kidneys of the Cirp−/− mice compared with wild-type mice after renal ischemia-reperfusion. Renal caspase-3 activity was decreased in Cirp−/− mice compared with wild-type mice after renal ischemia-reperfusion, which corresponded to the reduction of apoptotic cells determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay. Injection of neutralizing anti-cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein antibody into wild-type mice led to an 82% reduction in blood urea nitrogen compared with the vehicle after renal ischemia-reperfusion. Conclusion Deficiency of cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein results in less renal injury after renal ischemia-reperfusion by attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, blockade of cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein shows a protective effect, indicating cold-inducible ribonucleic acid-binding protein as a target in the treatment of renal ischemia-reperfusion.
Stereochemistry in Pharmacotherapy: When Mirror Images are Not Identical

Objective:To describe how drug stereoisomers may differ in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties and how these differences may affect therapeutic outcomes.Study Selection:Representative studies were chosen from the drug literature demonstrating stereoisomeric differences in drug absorption, protein binding and distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Furthermore, examples of pharmacodynamic differences between drug stereoisomers are presented to demonstrate that these stereoisomers not only may differ in pharmacologic potency, but may possess entirely different pharmacologic actions.Data Synthesis:Examples are presented demonstrating that when stereoisomeric differences in pharmacokinetics are linked to pharmacodynamic differences, alterations in therapeutic effect can result. Additionally, drug interactions are discussed in which 1 isomer is affected to a greater extent than the other, potentially causing not only an increase or decrease in effect, but also a change in pharmacologic action. Ex...
A simple and rapid method of preparing schematic anatomic drawings using modern computer technology

Function and usage of the graphic-software "MacDraw" is described and illustrated by drawing a lumbar vertebrae and pathologic clefts in a layer technique.
Cocaine induces astrocytosis through ER stress-mediated activation of autophagy

ABSTRACTCocaine is known to induce inflammation, thereby contributing in part, to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration. A recent study from our lab has revealed a link between macroautophagy/autophagy and microglial activation. The current study was aimed at investigating whether cocaine could also mediate activation of astrocytes and, whether this process involved induction of autophagy. Our findings demonstrated that cocaine mediated the activation of astrocytes by altering the levels of autophagy markers, such as BECN1, ATG5, MAP1LC3B-II, and SQSTM1 in both human A172 astrocytoma cells and primary human astrocytes. Furthermore, cocaine treatment resulted in increased formation of endogenous MAP1LC3B puncta in human astrocytes. Additionally, astrocytes transfected with the GFP-MAP1LC3B plasmid also demonstrated cocaine-mediated upregulation of the green fluorescent MAP1LC3B puncta. Cocaine-mediated induction of autophagy involved upstream activation of ER stress proteins such as EIF2AK3, ERN1, ATF6 sin...