cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethanol induces cytostasis of cortical basal progenitors.

Developing brain is a major target for alcohol’s actions and neurological/functional abnormalities include microencephaly, reduced frontal cortex, mental retardation and attention-deficits. Previous studies have shown that ethanol altered the lateral ventricular neuroepithelial cell proliferation. However, the effect of ethanol on subventricular basal progenitors which generate majority of the cortical layers is not known. We utilized spontaneously immortalized rat brain neuroblasts obtained from cultures of 18-day-old fetal rat cerebral cortices using in vitro ethanol exposures and an in utero binge model. In the in vitro acute model, cells were exposed to 86 mM ethanol for 8, 12 and 24 h. The second in vitro model comprised of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure which consisted of 14 h of ethanol treatment followed by 10 h of withdrawal with three repetitions. E18 neuroblasts expressing Tbr2 representing immature basal progenitors displayed significant reduction of proliferation in response to ethanol in both the models. The decreased proliferation was accompanied by absence of apoptosis or autophagy as illustrated by FACS analysis and expression of apoptotic and autophagic markers. The BrdU incorporation assay indicated that ethanol enhanced the accumulation of cells at G1 with reduced cell number in S phase. In addition, the ethanol-inhibited basal neuroblasts proliferation was connected to decrease in cyclin D1 and Rb phosphorylation indicating cell cycle arrest. Further, in utero ethanol exposure in pregnant rats during E15-E18 significantly decreased Tbr2 and cyclin D1 positive cell number in cerebral cortex of embryos as assessed by cell sorting analysis by flow cytometry. Altogether, the current findings demonstrate that ethanol impacts the expansion of basal progenitors by inducing cytostasis that might explain the anomalies of cortico-cerebral development associated with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Effects of level of supplemental phytase on ileal digestibility of amino acids, calcium, and phosphorus in dehulled soybean meal for growing pigs.

Ileally cannulated pigs were used to as- sess the effects of four dietary levels of microbial phy- tase (Natuphos) on the apparent and true digestibility of Ca, P, CP, and AA in dehulled soybean meal. Four- teen pigs (25 kg initial BW) were surgically fitted with T-cannulas at the terminal ileum and assigned to diets in a replicated 7 × 7 Latin square design. Following a 14-d recovery, four diets consisting of 30.5% soybean meal with 0, 500, 1,000, or 1,500 units of phytase/kg of diet were fed. Diets 5 (1.05% lysine, 0.90% Ca, and 0.75% P) and 6 (1.05% lysine, 0.90% Ca, and 0.75% P) contained 35.25% soybean meal and 27.0% soy protein concentrate, respectively. Diet 7 (0.37% lysine, 0.03% Ca, and 0.05% P) was a low-CP, casein-based diet used to estimate the nonspecific endogenous losses of Ca, P, CP, and AA in order to estimate the true digestibility of these nutrients. All diets contained cornstarch and dextrose and were fortified with vitamins and minerals. Chromic oxide was used as an indigestible indicator. The diets were fed daily at 9% of metabolic BW (BW 0.75 ). Apparent and true ileal digestibility of P increased qua- dratically (P < 0.01) and true digestibility of Ca in- creased linearly (P < 0.07) with increasing levels of phytase. Apparent digestibility of Ca was unaffected (P = 0.15) by phytase level. Apparent and true ileal digestibility of CP and most AA increased slightly with the addition of 500 units of phytase/kg of diet, but not at higher levels of phytase supplementation (in most cases, cubic effect, P < 0.05). Apparent and true ileal nutrient digestibility coefficients were unaffected by soybean meal source (Diet 1 vs Diet 5), except for argi- nine and Ca. The apparent and true digestibility coeffi- cients for most of the AA tended (P < 0.10) to be lower in diets containing soy protein concentrate vs the common source of soybean meal used in Diet 5, but ileal digest- ibilities of Ca and P were unaffected (P = 0.15). In this study, supplemental microbial phytase did not improve the utilization of AA provided by soybean meal but was an effective means of improving Ca and P utilization by growing swine fed soybean meal-based diets.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JEALOUS FEELINGS AND BEHAVIORS

Summary.-The relationship between jealous feelings and behaviors was investigated by giving 185 college students who were currently dating four measures. Analysis showed that high self-esteem, an internal locus of control, and the making of a dispositional (internal) attribution of the cause of jealousy were all significantly related to the use of direct coping (jealous) behaviors. Romantic jealousy is defined as an aversive emotional reaction that accompanies the reahation that a person's romantic relationship with another is being threatened by a third party. Most research on jealousy has focused on the relationship between the precipitating jealousy-evoking event and the experience of jealous feelings (e.g., Mathes & Severa, 1981). The present study attempted to explore another dimension to the study of jealousy by investigating the relationship between jealous feelings and the subsequent behaviors. This relationship between jealous feelings and behaviors is thought to be mediated by a set of intervening variables labeled "Person Variables." These are the variables which characterize individuals before the romantic relationship and are identified as self-esteem, locus of control, and attribution of jealousy (situational or dispositional). Individuals making a situational attribution externahze the cause of their jealousy but those making a dispositional one internalize the cause. Jealous behaviors, referred to as coping behaviors, are divided into two types, direct and indirect. Direct behaviors are more confrontational behaviors (e.g., confronting partner about jealousy-evoking event) and the indirect type involves behaviors that are less confrontational (e.g., giving partner the silent treatment). It was expected that individuals scoring low on both attribution of jealousy (situational) and locus of control (internal) would use more direct coping behaviors since low levels of these variables afford individuals a certain degree of control over their lives that high levels do not. The reverse was predicted for self-esteem where high scores (high self-esteem) would represent more control.
Abstract 2400: Tumor suppressor EAF2 cooperates with p53 in control of prostate tumorigenesis and vascularity

Introduction: Inactivation of EAF2 has been shown previously to lead to tumorigenesis in multiple organs; however the mechanism of EAF2 tumor suppression remains unclear. Demonstrating functional interactions between p53 and EAF2 would link the newly discovered tumor suppressor EAF2 to the well-established p53 pathway, providing new insights into the mechanisms of p53 and EAF2 action. We previously have shown that EAF2 can co-localize and co-immunoprecipitate with p53 in transfected cells. In a TSP-1 promoter-driven luciferase reporter assay, p53 transfection suppressed the TSP-1 promoter activity and EAF2 co-transfection blocked the p53 suppression of TSP-1 promoter. However, EAF2 transfection alone had little or no effect on the TSP-1 promoter. In a murine model, EAF2 knockout caused TSP-1 down-regulation, supporting an in vivo role for EAF2 in regulation of TSP-1 expression. Methods: Mouse knockout, transient transfection, co-localization, co-immunoprecipitation, and luciferase-based promoter assay were employed in this study. Results: Ongoing animal studies show that loss of EAF2 and p53 displayed much more dramatic phenotypes than loss of EAF2 or p53 individually and resulted in more severe splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis, and further increased vessel density in the prostate and liver. Furthermore, double knockout of EAF2 and p53, but not knockout of EAF2 or p53 alone, resulted in prostate tumorigenesis. Conclusion: The above observations together suggest that EAF2 and p53 cooperate in prostate tumorigenesis and increased vascularity. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2400. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2400
A rhodocyan technic for staining the anterior pituitary.

A reproducible, one-step, differential staining technic which uses routine formalin-fixed tissue and gives brilliantly contrasting results is produced by incubating sections for 1 hr in a 60° C oven in the following dye mixture: 1% eosin B (CI#771), 8 ml; 1% anilin blue (CI#707), 2 ml; and buffer solution (0.1M citric acid, 1.1 ml; 0.2M Na2HPO4, 0.9 ml; distilled water, 28.0 ml) at pH 4.5. No differentiation is necessary. The method can be modified for duodenal enterochromaffin cells and alpha cells of pancreatic islets by adjusting the buffer to pH 3.6 and staining for only 3 min at 60° C.
Methods for Chemoprotection and Chemosensitization

Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy have been applied to the curative therapy of 50% of cancer patients in the United States during the past 100 years. It is clear that the chemotherapeutic agents used to develop curative therapy for leukemias, lymphomas, gestational malignancy, and testicular cancer are not as active in the more numerous epithelial neoplasms, perhaps because of the complexity of genetic change in these latter neoplasms.
Comparing of Traditional Assessment with Dynamic Testing in a Tutoring System

It would be great if ITS can also be used to do the benchmark assessment, so that no time from instruction is “stolen” to do extra assessments. It is presumed that given a limited amount of time for assessing, people should give a test but not wasting time giving students feedback. However, Feng and Heffernan (2010) compared two simulated conditions and found that the condition that lets students get feedback during a test was actually superior (not statistically reliable) at predicting student performance than the “test” condition, in which students did about double the number of problems. In this study, we address the weakness in Feng & Heffernan (2010) (i.e. simulated conditions) and run a new randomized control trial in a tutoring system with participants from two different grades, 7 and 8 to see if the main effect would replicate. Our results suggest that unlike our previous results 1) there is no reliable main effect across all students; 2) the dynamic testing condition works better with 7 graders than with 8 graders. We also find that 7 graders and 8 graders behaved differently while working within the system, which appeared to be related to “gaming”.
A Critical Evaluation of three Level Chronic Lung Infection Response Strategies for the Residents of Inland Empire in California

This study involved a critical evaluation of a three level chronic lung infection response strategy with the aim of consolidating a formidable evidence-based and a multifaceted approach aimed at reducing the primary impact of pollution on new lung disease cases in the Inland Empire of California. The study was carried out using a qualitative research approach based on the grounded theory and phenomenological approach. The data was collected from five different websites and existing records from nine hospitals in the area. The results indicated that lung cancer patients are less informed about the predisposing factors. The study also indicated that early detection and chemoprevention offers best chance at survival. The results also showed that various treatment and post treatment factors affect the quality of life of lung cancer survivors. Based on the findings of the study, it was suggested that control of lung cancer can be achieved by use of a multifaceted approach that involves the carrying of awareness programs on the risk factors of lung cancer, early detection and treatment and finally the strategies towards improving quality of life of cancer survivors.
Entwicklung und Einsatz antiepithelialer Antikörper bei soliden Tumoren

Neben der Chemo- und Hormontherapie stellt die Immuntherapie eine weitere Moglichkeit der systemischen antineoplastischen Therapie dar. Nachdem anfanglich grose Erwartungen auf einer Therapie mit monoklonalen Antikorpern ruhten, waren die ersten Ergebnisse mit unkonjugierten murinen Antikorpern bei Patienten mit fortgeschrittenen soliden Tumoren enttauschend. Durch den Einsatz des murinen monoklonalen Antikorpers 17-1A (Edrecolomab) in der adjuvanten Therapie des kolorektalen Karzinoms konnte jedoch erstmalig in einer placebokontrollierten Studie ein Uberlebensvorteil durch eine Antikorpertherapie gezeigt werden. Allerdings zeigen neuere Daten, dass der Antikorper einer adjuvanten Chemotherapie unterlegen ist und eine kombinierte Chemo- und Immuntherapie keinen Vorteil gegenuber einer alleinigen Chemotherapie erbringt. Die Entwicklung neuer Antikorperkonstrukte unter Einsatz gentechnologischer Methoden wie humanisierte oder bispezifische Antikorper und die Erforschung neuer tumorassoziierter Antigene, die bessere Angriffspunkte fur eine Immuntherapie darstellen, lassen jedoch fur die Zukunft erwarten, dass auch bei malignen epithelialen Tumoren fur bestimmte Krankheitsstadien Antikorper zum festen Repertoire der antineoplastischen Therapie gehoren werden.
Issues in Pre-clinical Models, Clinical Trial Design and Analytical Considerations in Developing and Evaluating Novel Cancer Immunotherapies

The role of the immune system in detecting and killing cancer cells has been understood for decades1–3. The human immune system has an innate ability to arrest carcinogenesis; however, in some cases, this system fails due to a series of mechanisms that tumor cells use to escape immune surveillance, such as mimicking normal cells, producing immunosuppressive growth factors and cytokines, or forming complex immunological interactions4. Differences in clinical responses to immunotherapy differ sufficiently from responses to cytotoxic agents that many aspects of clinical trial design must be re-thought, the subject of this chapter.
Design and implementation of a GaN-based multilevel converter testbed

Advances in transportation electrification and renewable energy processing have spurred a push towards higher power density. The flying capacitor multilevel converter topology shows promise in helping to further the trend of increasing power density. This paper describes the design, implementation, and verification of a testbed for the switching components in flying capacitor multilevel converters.
The utilization of inpatient palliative care services (PCS) in patients with metastatic cancer receiving critical care therapies (CCTs).

103Background: PCS have been shown to improve symptom management, quality of life and survival in patients with metastatic cancer as well as reduce healthcare costs. We aimed to investigate the utilization pattern of inpatient PCS and outcomes in metastatic cancer patients across the various cancer subtypes who received CCTs. Methods: We used the 2010 California Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project - State Inpatient Database to identify patients (≥18 years) and above with metastatic cancer who received CCTs, defined as the use of invasive mechanical ventilation, acute dialysis, total parenteral nutrition, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy or tracheostomy. We examined the use of inpatient PCS and outcomes including inpatient mortality, length of stay, discharge to skilled nursing facility, cost of care and presence of do-not-resuscitate. Results: A total of 9,348 hospitalizations were identified. The cancer subtypes were lung (14%), breast (5%), colorectal (13%), genitourinary (8%) and others (37%). O...
Human land use as a driver of plant community composition in wetlands of the Chicago metropolitan region

Anthropogenic alteration of the landscape has facilitated plant community change and non-native species invasion in urban areas. We used species occurrence data from over 2000 wetlands within the Chicago metropolitan region to classify urban wetlands into community types and examined non-native species composition across community types. Non-native species were widespread across the region, occurring in over 99% of wetlands. On average, 35% of the plant species in individual wetlands were non-native. A single non-native species, Phalaris arundinacea, was present in 74% of wetlands. Six wetland community types were identified (wet meadows, marshes, forested wetlands, farmed wetlands/mudflats, roadside marshes, and an undetermined wetland type), with each having aggressively spreading non-natives amongst the most common plant species. We conducted canonical correspondence analysis to evaluate the contribution of surrounding land cover, roads, and location of wetlands to plant community composition in these wetlands, and found that similar changes to the landscape have resulted in similar combinations of native and non-native species. Differences in species composition reflected spatial gradients in land use from urban to rural areas across the region, as well as proximity to major roads. Anthropogenic drivers have resulted in profound and pervasive changes to wetland communities across the region, creating novel habitats and ultimately novel community types.
Twenty years of terahertz imaging [Invited].

The birth of terahertz imaging approximately coincides with the birth of the journal Optics Express. The 20th anniversary of the journal is therefore an opportune moment to consider the state of progress in the field of terahertz imaging. This article discusses some of the compelling reasons that one may wish to form images in the THz range, in order to provide a perspective of how far the field has come since the early demonstrations of the mid-1990’s. It then focuses on a few of the more prominent frontiers of current research, highlighting their impacts on both fundamental science and applications.
Computer-aided detection of pattern changes in longitudinal adaptive optics images of the retinal pigment epithelium

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) defects are indicated in many blinding diseases, but have been difficult to image. Recently, adaptive optics enhanced indocyanine green (AO-ICG) imaging has enabled direct visualization of the RPE mosaic in the living human eye. However, tracking the RPE across longitudinal images on the time scale of months presents with unique challenges, such as visit-to-visit distortion and changes in image quality. We introduce a coarse-to-fine search strategy that identifies paired patterns and measures their changes. First, longitudinal AO-ICG image displacements are estimated through graph matching of affine invariant maximal stable extremal regions in affine Gaussian scale-space. This initial step provides an automatic means to designate the search ranges for finding corresponding patterns. Next, AO-ICG images are decomposed into superpixels, simplified to a pictorial structure, and then matched across visits using tree-based belief propagation. Results from human subjects in comparison with a validation dataset revealed acceptable accuracy levels for the level of changes that are expected in clinical data. Application of the proposed framework to images from a diseased eye demonstrates the potential clinical utility of this method for longitudinal tracking of the heterogeneous RPE pattern.
Reinvigorating Engagement and Collaboration through Interprofessional Education (RECIPE) in nursing and public health students

An interprofessional education (IPE) activity was piloted in an undergraduate Research Methods course with sophomore nursing and public health students. Students worked in small mixed groups mentored by course professors to critique a research article. The study aims to evaluate the IPE effectiveness in promoting students’ readiness for IPE, and facilitating students’ learning, critical thinking, and communication. Online survey with the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale was administered to nursing and public health students pre- and post-IPE activity implementation. Nursing students’ evaluation of the research critique assignment was compared with other nursing course sections. The study found that nursing students rated IPE better in facilitating critical thinking and communication than one previous class section without an IPE component. Students’ qualitative comments suggested that future IPE will benefit from smaller groups, more even distribution of students from different disciplines, more shared faculty lectures, and integrating interactive group discussions.
Interferon regulatory factors 3 and 7 have distinct roles in the pathogenesis of alphavirus encephalomyelitis

Interferon (IFN) regulatory factors (IRFs) are important determinants of the innate response to infection. We evaluated the role(s) of combined and individual IRF deficiencies in the outcome of infection of C57BL/6 mice with Sindbis virus, an alphavirus that infects neurons and causes encephalomyelitis. The brain and spinal cord levels of Irf7, but not Irf3 mRNAs, were increased after infection. IRF3/5/7−/− and IRF3/7−/− mice died within 3–4 days with uncontrolled virus replication, similar to IFNα receptor-deficient mice, while all wild-type (WT) mice recovered. IRF3−/− and IRF7−/− mice had brain levels of IFNα that were lower, but brain and spinal cord levels of IFNβ and IFN-stimulated gene mRNAs that were similar to or higher than WT mice without detectable serum IFN or increases in Ifna or Ifnb mRNAs in the lymph nodes, indicating that the differences in outcome were not due to deficiencies in the central nervous system (CNS) type I IFN response. IRF3−/− mice developed persistent neurological deficits and had more spinal cord inflammation and higher CNS levels of Il1b and Ifnγ mRNAs than WT mice, but all mice survived. IRF7−/− mice died 5–8 days after infection with rapidly progressive paralysis and differed from both WT and IRF3−/− mice in the induction of higher CNS levels of IFNβ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α and Cxcl13 mRNA, delayed virus clearance and more extensive cell death. Therefore, fatal disease in IRF7−/− mice is likely due to immune-mediated neurotoxicity associated with failure to regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα in the CNS.
High-Throughput Zika Viral Titer Assay for Rapid Screening of Antiviral Drugs

Zika virus has recently emerged as a worldwide pathogen and public health burden due to its rapid spread and identification as a causative agent for multiple neurological defects, including congenital microcephaly. While there has been a flurry of recent research to address this emerging pathogen, there are currently no approved drug treatments for ZIKV infection. The gold standard for testing antiviral activity is to quantify infectious virion production. However, current infectious viral production assays, such as the plaque-forming or focus-forming unit assay, are tedious and labor intensive with a low-screening throughput. To facilitate drug development, we developed a Zika viral titration assay using an automated imaging system and an image analysis algorithm for viral colony quantification. This assay retained the principle of the classical virus titer assay, while improving workflow and offering higher screening throughput. In addition, this assay can be broadly adapted to quantification of other viruses.
Recent advances of biosensors for hypertension and nephrology.

Purpose of reviewHypertension (HTN) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are significant problems. With recent advances in technologies, biosensors have shown a great potential to provide better home monitoring in hypertension (HTN), medication compliance, diagnostic device for kidney disease, CKD/end-s
When Does Measured Visual Field Extent Become Adult-like? It Depends

This paper addresses the question of when the measured visual field extent of infants and very young children reaches adult-like values. Although most studies do not find adult-like average measured visual field extent (AMVF) before children reach 11 months of age, adult-like AMVF has been reported as early as six to seven months of age. In addition to age, the degree to which the AMVF of very young children is adult-like depends on the region of the visual field tested (nasal versus temporal; upper versus lower) and, to some extent, on procedural variations and stimulus parameters used during testing.
Proton-induced reactions on molybdenum

Cross sections for 34 proton-induced nuclear reactions on isotopically enriched molybdenum ($^{92,94\ensuremath{-}98,100}\mathrm{Mo}$) leading to production of $^{92}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{93\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{93\mathrm{g}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{94\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{94\mathrm{g}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{95\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{95\mathrm{g}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{96\mathrm{m}+\mathrm{g}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{97\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{99\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{101}\mathrm{Tc}$, $^{91(\mathrm{m}+\mathrm{g})}\mathrm{Mo}$, $^{93\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Mo}$, $^{99}\mathrm{Mo}$, $^{89\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Nb}$, $^{89\mathrm{g}}\mathrm{Nb}$, $^{91\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Nb}$, $^{92\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Nb}$, $^{95\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{Nb}$, $^{95\mathrm{g}}\mathrm{Nb}$, $^{96}\mathrm{Nb}$, and $^{97\mathrm{m}+\mathrm{g}}\mathrm{Nb}$ were measured in the energy range 8--19 MeV with the activation method using individual irradiations. The experimental data were compared with published data from natural abundance and isotopically enriched targets as well as with the predictions of the nuclear reaction code talys. Special attention was given to the medically relevant $^{100}\mathrm{Mo}$($p,2n$)$^{99m}\mathrm{Tc}$ and $^{100}\mathrm{Mo}$($p,pn$)$^{99}\mathrm{Mo}$ as well as nine reaction cross sections that had not previously been measured in this energy range.
To Tweet for Solidarity or Just Report the News? Comparing Social Media Strategies of Spanish- and English-language TV Networks:

This article examines Twitter use among the top U.S. Spanish- and English-language television news networks during a significant breaking news event: the Orlando, Florida, shooting at Pulse Night C...
Influence of symptom duration and WBC profile on the negative predictive value of a nondiagnostic ultrasound in children with suspected appendicitis

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to explore the combined negative predictive value (NPV) of symptom duration and WBC profile in children with a nondiagnostic ultrasound (US) for appendicitis. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of children with suspected appendicitis at a single children's hospital from 1/2010 to 3/2018. NPVs based on WBC profile and symptom duration at presentation were calculated individually and combined for children with a nondiagnostic US. Results 2277 patients were included, of which 1018 (44.7%) had a nondiagnostic US. The NPV of a nondiagnostic US ranged from 83.7% with ≤ 24 h of symptoms to 94.5% with > 72 h of symptoms (p 72 h of symptoms and a normal WBC profile. Conclusions Incorporation of symptom duration and WBC profile significantly improves the accuracy and clinical utility of the negative predictive value associated with a nondiagnostic ultrasound. Level of evidence Study of diagnostic test level II: development of diagnostic criteria in a consecutive series of patients and a universally applied gold standard.
Genetic generalized and focal epilepsy prevalence in the North American SUDEP Registry.

Objective To assess relative rates and clinical features of patients with genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE), focal epilepsy (FE), and developmental encephalopathic epilepsy (DEE) in the North American SUDEP Registry (NASR). Methods We identified all adjudicated definite, definite plus, and probable sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) cases (n = 262) and determined epilepsy type (GGE, FE, or DEE) from medical record review including history, imaging and EEG results, genetics, and next-of-kin interviews. Results Of the 262 SUDEP cases, 41 occurred in GGE, 95 in FE, 24 in DEE, and 102 were unclassifiable. GGE cases comprised 26% of NASR cases with an epilepsy syndrome diagnosis. The relative frequency of FE:GGE was slightly lower (2.3:1) than in population cohorts (2.1–6:1). Compared to patients with FE, patients with GGE had similar (1) ages at death and epilepsy onset and rates of (2) terminal and historical antiseizure medication adherence; (3) abnormal cardiac pathology; (4) illicit drug/alcohol use histories; and (5) sleep state when SUDEP occurred. Conclusions GGE cases were relatively overrepresented in NASR. Because GGEs are less often treatment-resistant than FE or DEE, seizure type rather than frequency may be critical. Many people with GGE predominantly have generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) when they have uncontrolled or breakthrough seizures, whereas patients with FE more commonly experience milder seizures. Future mechanistic SUDEP studies should assess primary and focal-to-bilateral GTCS to identify potential differences in postictal autonomic and arousal disorders and to determine the differential role that lifestyle factors have on breakthrough seizures and seizure types in GGE vs FE to effectively target SUDEP mechanisms and prevention.
Engineered immunological niches to monitor disease activity and treatment efficacy in relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Relapses in multiple sclerosis can result in irreversible nervous system tissue injury. If these events could be detected early, targeted immunotherapy could potentially slow disease progression. We describe the use of engineered biomaterial-based immunological niches amenable to biopsy to provide insights into the phenotype of innate immune cells that control disease activity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. Differential gene expression in cells from these niches allow monitoring of disease dynamics and gauging the effectiveness of treatment. A proactive treatment regimen, given in response to signal within the niche but before symptoms appeared, substantially reduced disease. This technology offers a new approach to monitor organ-specific autoimmunity, and represents a platform to analyze immune dysfunction within otherwise inaccessible target tissues. Monitoring changes in immune phenotype during the progression of multiple sclerosis can provide insight into disease progression and inform treatment. Here the authors develop engineered biomaterial-based immunological niches for easy access to innate immune cells in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.
Exosomes from COVID-19 patients carry tenascin-C and fibrinogen-β in triggering inflammatory signals in distant organ cells

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes cytokine storm and overshoot immunity in humans; however, it remains to be determined whether genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 and/or virus induced soluble mediators from lung epithelial cells as natural host are carried out by macrophages or other vehicles at distant organs causing tissue damage. We speculated that exosomes as extracellular vesicles are secreted from SARS-CoV-2 infected cells may transport messages to other cells of distant organs leading to pathogenic consequences. For this, we took an unbiased proteomic approach for analyses of exosomes isolated from plasma of healthy volunteers and SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Our results revealed that tenascin-C (TNC) and fibrinogen-{beta} (FGB) are highly abundant in exosomes from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients plasma as compared to that of healthy normal controls. Since TNC and FGB stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokines via NF-{kappa}B pathway, we examined the status of TNF-, IL-6 and CCL5 expression upon exposure of hepatocytes to exosomes from COVID-19 patients and observed significant increase when compared with that from healthy subjects. Together, our results demonstrated that soluble mediators, like TNC and FGB, are transported through plasma exosomes in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and trigger pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in cells of distant organs in COVID-19 patients. ImportanceExosomes play an important role in intercellular communication by inducing physiological changes in recipient cells by transferring bioactive proteins. Little is known about exosomes from SARS-CoV-2 infected cells and their role in pathogenesis. Here, we have carefully examined and analyzed this aspect of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our results uncovered the potential mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 communicates with other cells of distant organs and promotes pathogenesis. We expect to detect whether other factors are modulated in the presence of COVID-19 exosomes. Our exosomes related proteomic experiments prioritize after initial verification to further examine their role in SARS-CoV-2 associated other pathogenic mechanisms to target for therapeutic modalities.
Effectiveness of Safety and Injury Prevention Training Workshops for Early Childcare Providers

Purpose: Unintentional injuries are the primary cause of morbidity and mortality among young children in the US. Ten percent of these injuries occur while in early childcare settings. Because of these statistics the AAP Healthy Futures project developed curriculum on injury prevention for early childcare providers. The goal of our project was to use the curriculum to educate early childcare providers about safety, to involve pediatric trainees in the process thereby educating them, and to promote partnerships between our AAP chapter …
Determination of Time since Deposition of Fingerprints via Colorimetric Assays

Past investigations involving fingerprints have revolved heavily around the image of the fingerprint-including the minutiae, scarring, and other distinguishing features-to visually find a match to its originator. Recently, it has been proven that the biochemical composition can be used to determine originator attributes, such as sex, via chemical and enzymatic cascades. While this provides pertinent information about the originator's identity, it is not the only piece of information that can be provided. This research was designed with three goals in mind: (1) identify how long it would take before an aged female fingerprint could no longer be differentiated from a male fingerprint, (2) identify a correlation between the data collected and a specific time since deposition (TSD) time point, and (3) identify if a specific amino acid could be contributing to the decreasing response seen for the aging fingerprints. Using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, aged fingerprints were evaluated over the course of 12 weeks via three chemical assays previously used for fingerprint analysis-the ninhydrin assay, the Bradford assay, and the Sakaguchi assay. As fingerprints age, the conditions they are exposed to cause the biochemical composition to decompose. As this occurs, there is less available to be detected by analytical means. This results in a less intense color production and, thus, a lower measured absorbance. The results displayed here afforded the ability to conclude that all three goals set forth for this research were accomplished-a female fingerprint can be differentiated from a male fingerprint for at least 12 weeks, UV-vis data collected from aged fingerprints can be correlated to a TSD range but not necessarily a specific time point, and the decomposition of at least a single amino acid can afford the ability to estimate the TSD of the fingerprint.
Failure to eliminate the Anaplasma marginale carrier state in beef cows following multiple treatments with long-acting injectable oxytetracycline

Thirty-four multiparous beef cows naturally infected with Anaplasma marginale and confirmed as both seropositive and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for the organism were randomized to treatment. Five cows served as untreated controls, and 29 were treated three times at three-day intervals with a long-acting oxytetracycline formulation at a dose of 10 mg/lb (22 mg/kg). On day 14, 100% of control cows and 90% of treated cows were found to have A. marginale present by PCR testing. All control cows and 86% of treated cows were found to have A. marginale present by PCR testing on day 74. PCR results suggest that utilization of a three-dose regimen of injectable long-acting oxytetracycline at three-day intervals was not effective for eliminating the carrier state of A. marginale from naturally infected animals.
Older and younger patients' perceptions, evaluations, and responses to worsening heart failure symptoms

Abstract Background Whether recognition and prompt response to worsening symptoms are worse in older compared with younger patients with heart failure (HF) is unclear. Objectives The aims of this study were to compare older and younger patients (1) perceptions, evaluations, and responses to worsening HF symptoms, and (2) responses once worsening symptoms were perceived. Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted and to compare data between older (≥ 65) and younger ( Results There were few differences attributed to age. In response to higher perceived symptom distress, patients in both groups did nothing and hoped their symptoms would go away (p = 0.004), ignored symptoms and continued doing what they were doing (p = 0.002), or laid down to relax (p Conclusions The majority of patients, regardless of age, did not recognize, interpret, and respond appropriately to HF symptoms. Interventions should be tested that target better symptom appraisal and promote appropriate symptom responses in patients with HF across all ages.
Unfair Collection: Reclaiming Control of Publicly Available Personal Information from Internet Data Scrapers

Rising enthusiasm for consumer data protection in the United States has resulted in several states advancing legislation to protect the privacy of their residents’ personal information. But even the newly-enacted California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act (CPRA)—the most comprehensive data privacy law in the country—leaves wide open a gap for internet data scrapers to scrape, extract, share, and monetize consumers’ personal information while circumventing regulation. Allowing scrapers to evade privacy regulations comes with potentially disastrous consequences for individuals and society at large. This Note argues that even publicly available personal information should be protected from bulk collection and misappropriation by data scrapers. I recommend that California reform its privacy legislation to align with the European Union’s General Data Privacy Regulation, where data scrapers are required to provide notice to data subjects upon the collection of their personal information whether or not it was publicly available. Such reform could lay the groundwork for future legislation at the federal level.
An Agro-Pastoral Phenological Water Balance Framework for Monitoring and Predicting Growing Season Water Deficits and Drought Stress

Sharing simple ideas across a broad community of practitioners helps them to work together more effectively. For this reason, drought early warning systems spend a considerable effort on describing how hazards are detected and defined. Well-articulated definitions of drought provide a shared basis for collaboration, response planning, and impact mitigation. One very useful measure of agricultural drought stress has been the “Water Requirement Satisfaction Index” (WRSI). In this study, we develop a new, simpler metric of water requirement satisfaction, the Phenological Water Balance. We describe this metric, compare it to WRSI and yield statistics in a food-insecure region (east Africa), and show how it can be easily combined with analog-based rainfall forecasts to produce end-of-season estimates of growing season water deficits. In dry areas, the simpler Phenological Water Balance metric is very similar to the WRSI. In these regions, we show that the coupling between rainfall deficits and increased reference evapotranspiration amplifies the impacts of droughts. In wet areas, on the other hand, our new metric provides useful information about water excess—seasons that are so wet that they may not be conducive to good agricultural outcomes. Finally, we present a Phenological Water Balance-based forecast example, demonstrating how this framework can be easily used to translate assumptions about seasonal rainfall outcomes into predictions of growing season water deficits. Effective humanitarian relief efforts rely on early projections of these deficits to design and deploy appropriate targeted responses. At present, it is difficult to combine gridded satellite-gauge precipitation forecasts with climate forecasts. Our new metric helps overcome this obstacle. Future extensions could use the water requirement framework to contextualize other water supply indicators, like Actual evapotranspiration (AET) values derived from satellite observations or hydrologic models.
Vertebral Anomaly in Fundulus similis

On May 11, 1978, a longnose killifish, Fundulus similis. exhibiting an extreme lordotic, scoliotic condition was collected on the north shore of Big Lagoon in Escambia County, Florida. The specimen was held for observation in a flow-through seawater aquarium for several weeks prior to being preserved and placed in the Gulf Breeze Environmental Research Laboratory Museum (No. AN-2146). Vertebral anomalies have been reported in many fishes (Dawson 1964, 1966, 1971; Dawson and Heal 1976); however, I am unaware of any such reports for the longnose killifish Fundulus similis (Baird and Girard). This specimen, standard length 54 mm (Figure l), was collected on May 11, 1978, by Larry Goodman, James Patrick, Jim Eiland, and me in a 6.1 m beach seine on the north shore of Big Lagoon, approximately 1.1 km east of Trout Point, in Escambia County, Florida (salinity = 6 ppt, temperature = 28°C). Radiographs (Figure 1) taken shortly after capture show severe lordosis and scoliosis of the caudal vertebrae with a suggestion of abnormal rotation of the vertebrae on their longitudinal axis. The vertebral count revealed 14 thoracic and 20 caudal vertebrae. The specimen was maintained with several similar sized longnose killifish in a flow-through seawater aquarium for observation for nine weeks. The extreme lordotic and scoliotic condition appeared to have little effect on the animal's ability to obtain food, maintain itself in the water column, or conduct itself "normally" under aquarium conditions. At the time of collection, and again four weeks after being placed in the aquarium, the specimen displayed male breeding coloration as described by Springer and Woodburn (1960). After nine weeks, the killifish developed fin rot and was preserved to avoid further degradation of tissues. The preserved specimen is now housed in the Gulf Breeze Environmental Research Laboratory Museum (No. AN-2 146). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank Lee Courtney for radiographs, Steve Foss for photographs, and Dr. John Couch for examination of the radiographs. Figure 1. Fundulus similis from Escambia County, Florida. (A) Lateral view reveals anomalous morphology. (B) Radiograph reveals the extreme lordotic condition and slight rotation of vertebrae on their central axis. (C) Radiograph shows a lateral curvature (scoliosis) of the posterior caudal vertebrae (arrow). Manuscript received March 6,1980; accepted March 17, 1980.
Grape vs. Grain: A Brief History of Beer

A high and mighty liquor, made of barley and water. J ulius C aesar The history of beer is certainly no shorter or less illustrious than that of wine or, indeed, that of other beverages that evolved at a similar time by the “spontaneous” fermentation of a diversity of materials: from moistened grain (beer), through grapes (wine), to honey (mead), and milk (kvass). In all instances, these products, with their hedonic attributes and the entry they allowed to an altered state of consciousness, had a profound social and economic impact. Furthermore, as we saw in Chapter 2, for wine and as is almost certainly more likely the case for beer, they featured as prime causative factors in the advent of static societies. They were a fundamental part of the diet and were undoubtedly recognized as being altogether healthier to drink than water alone. Alcohol is a great killer of pathogenic microbes but more than that, a professor of anthropology at Emory University, George Armelagos, found evidence for the bacterium Streptomycedes in relics from ancient Sudan and has suggested that beer at the times was likely a significant source of the “natural” antibiotic tetracycline. Beer is almost a wonder food: nutritionally enriched, hedonistically satisfying, and medically protective. Climate, of course, played a substantial role in dictating the beverage of choice. In northern and western Europe, then, it was probably honey that constituted the first alcoholic beverage base, before the days of cultivation of the cereal grasses.
ACAT Genes and Proteins in Humans

Acyl-coenzyme Axholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) is an intracellular enzyme present in a variety of tissues. It plays important roles in cellular cholesterol homeostasis, in producing cholesteryl esters present in VLDLs and chylomicrons, and in causing foam cell formation in atherosclerosis. Two ACAT genes have been identified in mammals: ACAT-1 gene in 1993 and ACAT-2 gene in 1998. Specific antibodies against ACAT-1 protein and ACAT-2 have become available. In this article, we summarize our recent findings regarding: (1) the mode of regulation of ACAT-1 protein by sterol in human HepG2 cells; (2) the expression patterns of ACAT-1 protein in human atherosclerotic lesions, and in human monocyte-macrophages in culture; (3) the distribution of ACAT-1 protein in human tissues; our results suggest that the ACAT-1 protein plays a major catalytic role in various adult tissues including liver, adrenal gland, kidney, and macrophages, but not in the intestines; most of the ACAT activity found in the human intestines is probably due to the presence of ACAT-2; (4) the full-length cDNA sequence of human ACAT-2 cloned from a human intestinal library; (5) a procedure for purifying the recombinant human ACAT-1 protein to electrophoretic homogeneity with retention in enzymatic activity; (5) the kinetic properties of the pure human ACAT-1 protein; our results support the hypothesis that ACAT-1 is an allosteric enzyme regulated by cholesterol. We also propose that in hepatocytes, the allosteric character of ACAT-1 enables it to utilize cholesterol synthesized de novo to produce cholesteryl esters for VLDL assembly.
Review article: the pathophysiology of thrombocytopenia in hepatitis C virus infection and chronic liver disease

Summary Background The pathophystology of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver disease resulting from hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is complex and involves several complementary mechanisms that likely act in concert. Aim To summarize the available data on the etiology of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver disease. Results In patients with untreated hepatitis C, both prevalence and severity of thrombocytopenia increase in parallel with the extent of disease, usually becoming clinically relevant when patients develop extensive fibrosis and/or cirrhosis. Pathogenetic mechanisms include hypersptenism secondary to portal hypertension, bone marrow suppression resulting from either HCV itself or interferon treatment, aberrations of the immune system resulting in the formation of anti-platelet antibodies and/or immune-complexes that bind to platelets and facilitate their premature clearance, development of immunologically-mediated extrahepatic manifestations including mixed cryoglobulinemia with or without associated joint, renal, or cutaneous involvement, and thrombopoietin (TPO) deficiency secondary to liver dysfunction. In chronic liver disease, the natural inverse relationship between TPO and platelet levels is not maintained; therefore, blood TPO levels fail to have clinical relevance or predictive value in assessing the thrombocytopenic status of a given patient. Conclusions The development of thrombocytopenisa in patients with chronic liver disease is complex and multifactorial.