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Selected AbstractsMyocardial Perfusion As Assessed by Positron Emission Tomography During Long-Term Mechanical Circulatory SupportCONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, Issue 2 2006George V. Letsou MD Although mechanical circulatory support (MCS) can improve myocardial function in patients with advanced heart failure, its effects on relative myocardial perfusion are unclear. Using positron emission tomographic imaging techniques, the authors assessed relative myocardial perfusion in patients with ischemic or idiopathic cardiomyopathy who were receiving chronic MCS with a left ventricular assist device (pulsatile HeartMate [n=2] [Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, CA] or nonpulsatile Jarvik 2000 [n=4] [Jarvik Heart, Inc., New York, NY]). Relative myocardial perfusion was compared at lower and higher levels of MCS (50 vs. 100,110 ejections/min for the HeartMate and 8000 vs. 12,000 rpm for the Jarvik 2000). The size and severity of perfusion defects at rest and after dipyridamole stress were measured objectively and subjectively by computer algorithms and visual inspection, respectively. Relative myocardial perfusion increased >5% from baseline in only one of six patients when MCS was increased. No change in relative myocardial perfusion of >5% was seen in any of the other five patients, even after subsequent dipyridamole stress positron emission tomographic imaging. These pilot study findings suggest that the decreased metabolic requirements induced by ventricular unloading correspondingly decreased blood flow requirements to physiologically inactive myocardium. [source] Rescuer Fatigue: Standard versus Continuous Chest-Compression Cardiopulmonary ResuscitationACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2006Joseph W. Heidenreich MD Abstract Objectives Continuous chest-compression cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCC-CPR) has been advocated as an alternative to standard CPR (STD-CPR). Studies have shown that CCC-CPR delivers substantially more chest compressions per minute and is easier to remember and perform than STD-CPR. One concern regarding CCC-CPR is that the rescuer may fatigue and be unable to maintain adequate compression rate or depth throughout an average emergency medical services response time. The specific aim of this study was to compare the effects of fatigue on the performance of CCC-CPR and STD-CPR on a manikin model. Methods This was a prospective, randomized crossover study involving 53 medical students performing CCC-CPR and STD-CPR on a manikin model. Students were randomized to their initial CPR group and then performed the other type of CPR after a period of at least two days. Students were evaluated on their performance of 9 minutes of CPR for each method. The primary endpoint was the number of adequate chest compressions (at least 38 mm of compression depth) delivered per minute during each of the 9 minutes. The secondary endpoints were total compressions, compression rate, and the number of breaks taken for rest. The students' performance was evaluated on the basis of Skillreporter Resusci Anne (Laerdal, Wappingers Falls, NY) recordings. Primary and secondary endpoints were analyzed by using the generalized linear mixed model for counting data. Results In the first 2 minutes, participants delivered significantly more adequate compressions per minute with CCC-CPR than STD-CPR, (47 vs. 32, p = 0.004 in the 1st minute and 39 vs. 29, p = 0.04 in the 2nd minute). For minutes 3 through 9, the differences in number of adequate compressions between groups were not significant. Evaluating the 9 minutes of CPR as a whole, there were significantly more adequate compressions in CCC-CPR vs. STD-CPR (p = 0.0003). Although the number of adequate compressions per minute declined over time in both groups, the rate of decline was significantly greater in CCC-CPR compared with STD-CPR (p = 0.0003). The mean number of total compressions delivered in the first minute was significantly greater with CCC-CPR than STD-CPR (105 per minute vs. 58 per minute, p < 0.001) and did not change over 9 minutes in either group. There were no differences in compression rates or number of breaks between groups. Conclusions CCC-CPR resulted in more adequate compressions per minute than STD-CPR for the first 2 minutes of CPR. However, the difference diminished after 3 minutes, presumably as a result of greater rescuer fatigue with CCC-CPR. Overall, CCC-CPR resulted in more total compressions per minute than STD-CPR during the entire 9 minutes of resuscitation. [source] Discipleship Training Of Children and YouthDIALOG, Issue 3 2002Dean M. Hunneshagen Today, we all face an infinite number of faith choices, especially youth. This makes confirmation ministry as discipleship training most important in our churches. This article explores the confirmation ministry of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Depew, NY, and critically analyzes the methodology,4 turnings, 6 disciplines, and 19 assets,behind the ministry. This methodology has been developed from researchers such as Jean Piaget, James Fowler, Duffy Robins, and researchers at the Search Institute. [source] Leo Cherne, Neoconservative (But Don't Tell Anyone)DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 4 2004John Ehrman Books reviewed: Andrew F. Smith. Rescuing the World: The Life and Times of Leo Cherne. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2002. xvi + 223 pp. Notes, Selected Bibliography, Index. $26.50 (cloth). [source] Indices for bioavailability and biotransformation potential of contaminants in soilsENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 7 2004Washington J. Braida Abstract Bioavailability is an important consideration in risk assessment of soil contaminants and in the selection of appropriate remediation technologies for polluted sites. The present study examined the bioavailability and biodegradation potential of phenanthrene with respect to a pseudomonad in 15 different soils through separate measurements of mineralization, transformation, and desorption to a polymeric infinite sink (Tenax®) after 180-d sterile pre-equilibration with phenanthrene. Fractions strongly resistant to desorption and mineralization at long times were evident in all cases. After correcting for bioconversion (moles mineralized per mole transformed) determined in aqueous particle-free soil extracts, a correlation was found between the biotransformation-resistant fraction and the Tenax desorption-resistant fraction. Indices are proposed to assess bioavailability (BAt) and biotransformation potential (BTPt) of a compound in a soil based on parallel desorption and degradation studies over a selected period t. The BAt is the ratio of moles biotransformed to moles desorbed to an infinite sink, and it reflects the biotransformation rate relative to the maximal desorption rate. Values of BA30 (30-d values) ranged from 0.64 (for dark gray silt loam) to 1.12 (Wurtsmith Air Force Base [AFB] 2B, Oscoda, MI, USA). The BTPt is the ratio between moles biotransformed and moles of contaminant remaining sorbed after maximal desorption. The BTPt provides an indication of the maximum extent of biotransformation that may be expected in a system, assuming desorption is a prerequisite for biodegradation. Values of BTP30 ranged between 0.3 (Wurtsmith AFB 1B) and 13 (Mount Pleasant silt loam, NY, USA). The combination of BAt and BTPt provides insights regarding the relationship between physical availability (desorption) and biological processes (biotransformation kinetics, toxicity, other soil factors) that occur during biodegradation and are suggested to represent the remediation potential of the chemical. The BA30 values less than 0.9 and BTP30 values less than five indicate poor potential for site remediation. [source] Studies on bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated sediments: Bioavailability, biodegradability, and toxicity issuesENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2003Henry H. Tabak Abstract The widespread contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has created a need for cost-effective bioremediation processes. This research studied a chronically PAH-contaminated estuarine sediment from the East River (ER; NY, USA) characterized by high concentrations of PAHs (,4,190 ppm), sulfide, and metals and a marine sediment from New York/New Jersey Harbor (NY/NJH; USA) with only trace quantities of PAHs (0.1,0.6 ppm). The focus was to examine the relationship between bioavailability of PAHs and their biological removal in a slurry system. Freshwater and marine sediment toxicity tests were conducted to measure baseline toxicity of both sediments to amphipods, aquatic worms, fathead and sheepshead minnow larvae, and a vascular plant; to determine the cause of toxicity; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the biotreatment strategies in reducing toxicity. Results showed the ER sediment was acutely toxic to all freshwater and marine organisms tested and that the toxicity was mainly caused by sulfide, PAHs, and metals present in the sediment. In spite of the high toxicity, most of the PAH compounds showed significant degradation in the aerobic sediment/water slurry system if the initial high oxygen demand due to the high sulfide content of the sediment was overcome. The removal of PAHs by biodegradation was closely related to their desorbed amount in 90% isopropanol solution during 24 h of contact, while the desorption of model PAH compounds from freshly spiked NY/NJH sediment did not describe the bioavailability of PAHs in the East River sediment well. The research improves our understanding of bioavailability as a controlling factor in bioremediation of PAHs and the potential of aerobic biodegradation for PAH removal and ecotoxicity reduction. [source] Phonology and Geographic Song Discrimination in Song SparrowsETHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003William A. Searcy We investigated whether song sparrows discriminate foreign from local songs using specific phonologic markers, a mechanism of geographic discrimination previously described for some other songbirds. Song sparrows from Linesville, Pennsylvania (PA) respond more strongly to local songs than to songs from Millbrook, New York (NY). We identify 61 note categories in PA and NY songs, of which 13 are unique to PA, 17 are unique to NY, and 31 are shared. The most common note category in PA song, ,buzz BO5', is present in 89% of PA songs and only in 8% of NY songs; this difference in percentage representation is the largest we found for any note category. Substituting this potential PA marker into NY songs, however, did not make those songs more salient to PA sparrows; instead, PA males tested with territorial playback responded significantly less aggressively to NY/PA hybrid songs than to NY songs. A series of control experiments showed that song sparrows do not detect substitution of PA notes into PA songs or of NY notes into NY songs. The results weigh against the hypothesis that geographic discrimination in song sparrows is accomplished simply by recognition of a small number of phonologic markers. [source] Muscular Dystrophy in Children.EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2000A Guide for Families Irwin M. Siegel. Demos Medical Publishing, New York, NY, 1999. 130 pp., ISBN 1,888799,33,1, US$ 19.95 (paperback). [source] Notes on South American Valerianaceae IIFEDDES REPERTORIUM, Issue 5-6 2004F. Weberling Professor em. Entre ValerianapotopensisBriq., descripta para Bolivia, y Valeriana humahuacensisBorsini, descripta para Jujuy, la provincia contigua de la Argentina, no se han encontrado características morfológicas para distinguir ambas especies, por eso éstas estarían unidas bajo del nombre ValerianapotopensisBriq. Por otra parte Valeriana bolivianaBritton y Valeriana bangianaGraebn., serían según Graebner (1906) dos especies distintas, pero no dió caracteres seguros para diferen-ciarlas. En este trabajo se observa que la forma de los frutos de los materiales tomados como tipo y paratipos es diferente, frutos ovados, como descripto para V. boliviana, se observan en unos paratipos, también se ven frutos ancho-ovados con un margen grueso, pero los del lectotipo V. boliviana (Rusby 871 NY) tienen un contorno casi circular como una lenteja, con un margen tenue, casi membranoso como los del lectotipo de V. bangiana (Bang 2415 G). Ni los caracteres vegetativos ni los caracteres de los frutos serían suficientes para poder distinguir V. bangianaGraebn. 1906 de V. bolivianaBritton 1891 como especies separadas. Se observa también que Valeriana variabilisGraebn. sería una forma de Valeriana warburgiiGraebn. La primera especie solo se distinguiría por caracteres poco manifiestos como el indumento de los frutos y los pelos frecuentemente se pierden durante de la maduración de los mismos, estos caracteres no serían suficientes para separar las dos especies. Por lo tanto se considera una nueva combinación, Valeriana warburgiiGraebn. subsp. variabilis(Graebn.) Weberling stat. nov. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) ValerianapotopensisBriq., described from Bolivia, and Valeriana humahuacensisBorsini, described from Jujuy, the neighbouring province of Argentina, cannot be distinguished by reliable distinctive characters. This applies especially to the indument of the fruits, since the fruits of Valeriana often become increasingly glabrescent in advanced stages of development, with the mature fruits being completely bald. Therefore both species should be united under the older name ValerianapotopensisBriq. According to Graebner (1906) Valeriana bangianaGraebn., is to be regarded as separate species, differing from Valeriana bolivianaBritton by its vigorous densely foliated stem, a character cer-tainly insufficient for a reliable identification. The fruits of V. boliviana are described as "ovatis", which is confirmed by the para-type material of the Mandon collections. In the paratypes the fruits were found to be lanceolate-ovate (Rusby872) or broadly ovate with prominent nerves and a thickened solid margin (Rusby875). However, the fruits of the holotype Rusby 871 (Fig. 12a, b) present a different shape: compressed fruits of nearly circular outline, with a broad flattened some-what membraneous marginal ring. The same form of fruits, although considerably larger, was found in the type material of Valeriana bangiana. Because of the overlapping of the vegetative characters as well as the forms of the fruits V. bangianaGraebn. 1906 cannot be clearly separated from V. bolivianaBritton 1891, and is included into this species. Valeriana warburgiiGraebn. and V. variabilisGraebn. too cannot be separated at species level because of over-lapping characters. Again the indumentum of the fruits is apparently according to several authors the best key character, but is not at all reliable. However, the outline of the fruits shows some differences. Therefore V. variabilis is included into V. warburgii as follows: V. warburgiiGraebn. subsp. variabilis(Graebn.) Weberling stat. nov. [source] Diurnal stream habitat use of juvenile Atlantic salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout in winterFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2009J. H. JOHNSON Abstract, The diurnal winter habitat of three species of juvenile salmonids was examined in a tributary of Skaneateles Lake, NY to compare habitat differences among species and to determine if species/age classes were selecting specific habitats. A total of 792 observations were made on the depth, velocity, substrate and cover (amount and type) used by sympatric subyearling Atlantic salmon, subyearling brown trout and subyearling and yearling rainbow trout. Subyearling Atlantic salmon occurred in shallower areas with faster velocities and less cover than the other salmonid groups. Subyearling salmon was also the only group associated with substrate of a size larger than the average size substrate in the study reach during both winters. Subyearling brown trout exhibited a preference for vegetative cover. Compared with available habitat, yearling rainbow trout were the most selective in their habitat use. All salmonid groups were associated with more substrate cover in 2002 under high flow conditions. Differences in the winter habitat use of these salmonid groups have important management implications in terms of both habitat protection and habitat enhancement. [source] Carotenoid and melanin-based ornaments signal similar aspects of male quality in two populations of the common yellowthroatFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Peter O. Dunn Summary 1.,Female preferences for particular male ornaments may shift between populations as a consequence of ecological differences that change the reliability and detectability of the ornament, but few studies have examined how ornaments function in different populations. 2.,We examined the signalling function of male plumage ornaments in a warbler, the common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), breeding in New York (NY) and Wisconsin (WI), USA. Males have two prominent ornaments: a black facial mask pigmented with melanin and a yellow bib pigmented by carotenoids. Previous studies in WI indicate that the size of the mask, and not the bib, is primarily related to female choice and male reproductive success. In NY, however, the pattern is reversed and attributes of the bib (size and colour), and not the mask, are the target of sexual selection. 3.,We found that brightness of the yellow bib was the best signal of humoral immunity (immunoglobulin G) in NY and mask size was the best signal in WI, after controlling for breeding experience and capture date. Thus, similar aspects of male quality appeared to be signalled by different ornaments in different populations. 4.,There was no difference between populations in the level of plasma carotenoids or the prevalence of malarial parasites, which may affect the costs and benefits of choosing males with particular ornaments in each location. 5.,Even though females in different populations prefer different ornaments produced by different types of pigments, these ornaments appear to be signalling similar aspects of male quality. Our results caution against inferring the function of particular ornaments based simply on their type of pigment. [source] Influence of Potsdam sandstone on the trace element signatures of some 19th-century American and Canadian glass: Redwood, Redford, Mallorytown, and Como,HudsonGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008J. Victor Owen Potsdam sandstone from quarries and outcrops near 19th-century glassworks sites in Redwood, NY, and Saranac, NY, Mallorytown, ON, and Como and Hudson, QC, commonly contains _97% silica, so in terms of its purity can compete with other historical producers of silica sand (e.g., Cheshire quartzite, MA; southern New Jersey sand). Exploratory analysis of trace element data using multidimensional scaling (MDS) shows that geographically distinct sources of Potsdam sandstone can be distinguished from one another and from competing sources of silica sand, particularly in terms of high field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Y, Ti, Zr), the rare earth elements, and radioactive elements (U, Th), and this geochemical signature is carried through to the glass it was used to manufacture. Other trace elements (e.g., Ba, Sr, Rb) are concentrated in various batch ingredients (e.g., limestone, alkali fluxes). The Hf/Nb, La/Ce, Nb/Th, and La/Zr ratios for each type of glass and nearby Potsdam sandstone sources cluster together in distinct fields on MDS plots. These data confirm the use of Potsdam sandstone in these important historical glassworks, and show that except for material sampled from neighboring communities (Mallorytown and Redwood), trace elements can be used to identify specific sources of silica historically used by the glassmaking industry. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The Impact of Welfare Reform on Insurance Coverage before Pregnancy and the Timing of Prenatal Care InitiationHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 4 2007Norma I. Gavin Objective. This study investigates the impact of welfare reform on insurance coverage before pregnancy and on first-trimester initiation of prenatal care (PNC) among pregnant women eligible for Medicaid under welfare-related eligibility criteria. Data Sources. We used pooled data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System for eight states (AL, FL, ME, NY, OK, SC, WA, and WV) from 1996 through 1999. Study Design. We estimated a two-part logistic model of insurance coverage before pregnancy and first-trimester PNC initiation. The impact of welfare reform on insurance coverage before pregnancy was measured by marginal effects computed from coefficients of an interaction term for the postreform period and welfare-related eligibility and on PNC initiation by the same interaction term and the coefficients of insurance coverage adjusted for potential simultaneous equation bias. We compared the estimates from this model with results from simple logistic, ordinary least squares, and two-stage least squares models. Principal Findings. Welfare reform had a significant negative impact on Medicaid coverage before pregnancy among welfare-related Medicaid eligibles. This drop resulted in a small decline in their first-trimester PNC initiation. Enrollment in Medicaid before pregnancy was independent of the decision to initiate PNC, and estimates of the effect of a reduction in Medicaid coverage before pregnancy on PNC initiation were consistent over the single- and two-stage models. Effects of private coverage were mixed. Welfare reform had no impact on first-trimester PNC beyond that from reduced Medicaid coverage in the pooled regression but separate state-specific regressions suggest additional effects from time and income constraints induced by welfare reform may have occurred in some states. Conclusions. Welfare reform had significant adverse effects on insurance coverage and first-trimester PNC initiation among our nation's poorest women of childbearing age. Improved outreach and insurance options for these women are needed to meet national health goals. [source] Teaching & Learning Guide for: The Origins of the Civil WarHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2007Nicole Etcheson Author's Introduction The author argues that slavery is the root cause of the Civil War even though historians have often posited other explanations. Some other interpretations have been ideological (i.e., about the morality of slavery), others have been economic, political, or cultural. Focus Questions 1If you were to make an argument for the causes of the Civil War, what evidence or types of evidence would you want to examine? 2In what ways can the different types of arguments (ideological, economic, political, and cultural), be combined to explain the causes of the Civil War? Do such arguments exclude or reinforce each other? In what ways? Author Recommends * E. L. Ayres, In the Presence of Mine Enemies: War in the Heart of America, 1859,1863 (New York, NY: Norton, 2003). A study of two counties, one north and one south, during the end of the sectional crisis and the early Civil War. While Potter, Walther, and Wilentz offer sweeping, often political, histories, Ayres offers a microhistory approach to the sectional conflict. Although Ayres writes within the tradition of seeing cultural differences between North and South, he concludes that slavery was the issue that drove the two sections apart. * M. A. Morrison, Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1997). Views the development of the sectional crisis through the lens of Manifest Destiny. Territorial expansion drove hostility between the sections. Morrison concentrates on the political developments of the period connected to the acquisition and organization of the territories to show how the issue of slavery in the territories polarized the sections. * D. M. Potter, The Impending Crisis, 1848,1861 (New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1976). The most comprehensive survey of the decade before the war. Potter traces the development of slavery as a political issue that North and South could not resolve. While it is a masterly and nuanced treatment of the political history, it does not incorporate social history and is more detailed than is useful for most undergraduates. E. H. Walther, The Shattering of the Union: America in the 1850s (Wilmington, Scholarly Resources, 2004) has recently supplanted Potter as a survey of the decade. It is an easier read for undergraduates and incorporates the new literature than has emerged since Potter wrote. * S. Wilentz, The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (New York, NY: Norton, 2005). A sweeping history of the United States from the constitutional era to the outbreak of the Civil War. Wilentz attempts to update Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.'s synthesis The Age of Jackson by returning to a focus on the evolution of democracy while at the same time incorporating the social history that emerged after Schlesinger wrote. Only the last third of this very long book covers the 1850s, but Wilentz argues that democracy had taken differing sectional forms by that period: a free-labor version in the North and a plantation version in the South. Online Materials 1. The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War (http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/) A prize-winning website that profiles Augusta County, Virginia and Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Material from this website formed the basis of Ayres, In the Presence of Mine Enemies. Although the website primarily concentrates on the Civil War itself, it provides access to newspapers and letters and diaries from the 1850s that show the development of, and reaction to, the sectional crisis in those counties. It also shows students the types of materials (census, tax, and church records as well as newspapers and letters and diaries) with which historians work to build an argument. 2. American Memory from the Library of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html) Although not specifically devoted to the origins of the Civil War, the American Memory site provides access to the collections of the Library of Congress which contain massive amounts of primary materials for students and scholars. From the website, one can gain access to congressional documents, periodicals from the 1850s, nineteenth-century books, music, legal documents, memoirs by white and black southerners as well as slave narratives. Sample Syllabus Nicole Etcheson's ,Origins of the Civil War,' History Compass, 3/1 (2005), doi:10.1111/j.1478-0542.2005.00166.x can be used as a reading in any Civil War course. [source] House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus roosting behaviour during the non-breeding season and possible effects of mycoplasmal conjunctivitisIBIS, Issue 1 2007ANDRÉ A. DHONDT We studied House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus roosting behaviour during the non-breeding season using radiotracking and direct observations in Ithaca, NY, USA. In contrast to what has been reported in the literature and in contrast to what should be expected from Newton's European studies of cardueline finches, House Finches roost in small groups (mean 3.5; maximum 11) and do not display at roost sites. Seventy-seven per cent of the birds re-used the same tree on successive observations. In winter, birds re-used the same roost tree more often than in the autumn, and birds with mycoplasmal conjunctivitis tended to move more between roost trees than did birds without conjunctivitis. A small number of radiotagged birds that roosted in the same tree were observed together in the daytime more often than by chance, suggesting the existence of social bonds between birds (some same sex) during the non-breeding season. In the autumn the birds often roosted in leafed deciduous trees and closer to their daytime feeding locations than they did in winter. In winter all birds roosted in evergreen trees. It is possible that the reliable and predictable food sources at feeding sites offered by the public might have changed House Finch roosting behaviour. [source] Effect of cytofectins on the immune response of murine macrophages to mammalian DNAIMMUNOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Fu-Gang Zhu Summary DNA, depending on base sequence, can induce a wide range of immune responses. While bacterial DNA is stimulatory, mammalian DNA is inactive alone and can, moreover, inhibit the response to bacterial DNA. To determine whether the mode of cell entry affects the immune properties of mammalian DNA, we have investigated the effects of the cytofectin agents Fugene 6 (Roche Diagnostics Corp., Indianapolis, IN), Lipofectin and Lipofectamine (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY) on the responses of murine macrophages to DNA from calf thymus and human placenta. Whereas calf thymus and human placenta DNA alone failed to stimulate J774 or RAW264·7 cell lines or bone marrow-derived macrophages, these DNAs in complexes with cytofectin agents stimulated macrophages to produce nitric oxide but not interleukin 12. Both single-stranded and double-stranded DNAs were active in the presence of cytofectins. Macrophage activation by the DNA,cytofectin complexes was reduced by chloroquine, suggesting a role of endosomal acidification in activation. As shown by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, the cytofectins caused an increase in the uptake of DNA into cells. Our findings indicate that macrophages vary in their response to DNA depending on uptake pathway, suggesting that activation by DNA reflects not only sequence but also context or intracellular location. [source] Comparison of apical transportation between ProFileÔ and ProTaperÔ NiTi rotary instrumentsINTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 6 2004M. K. Iqbal Abstract Aim, To use a newly developed radiographic technique to compare apical transportation and loss of working length (WL) between .06 taper ProFileÔ Series 29 and ProTaperÔ nickel,titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments in vitro. Methodology, Mesio-buccal canals of 40 extracted mandibular molars were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 was instrumented with ProFileÔ and group 2 with ProTaperÔ instruments according to the manufacturers' directions. A specially constructed radiographic jig with a Schick digital radiographic system (Schick Technologies Inc., Long Island City, NY, USA) was used to take pre- and postoperative radiographs of the samples at predetermined angulations. Using AutoCAD 2000 (Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, CA, USA), the central axes of initial and final instruments were radiographically superimposed to determine the loss of WL and degree of transportation at D0, D1, D2 and D4 from the WL. Data were analysed using repeated-measures anova. Results, A statistically significant difference in apical transportation was found at the D4 level between the two groups (P = 0.05). There was no statistical significance regarding postinstrumentation change in WL between groups. Spearman's Bivariate Correlation analysis indicated no statistically significant relationship between the radius of curvature and transportation. Conclusion, The results indicate that both ProTaperÔ and ProFileÔ instruments are comparable to each other in regards to their ability to optimally enlarge root canal with minimal transportation and loss of WL in vitro. [source] In vitro antimicrobial activity of several concentrations of sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine gluconate in the elimination of Enterococcus faecalisINTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 6 2001B. P. F. A. Gomes Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to assess, in vitro, the effectiveness of several concentrations of NaOCl (0.5%, 1%, 2.5%, 4% and 5.25%) and two forms of chlorhexidine gluconate (gel and liquid) in three concentrations (0.2%, 1% and 2%) in the elimination of E. faecalis. Methodology A broth dilution test using 24-well cell culture plates was performed and the time taken for the irrigants to kill bacterial cells was recorded. Isolated 24 h colonies of pure cultures of E. faecalis grown on 10% sheep blood plus Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) agar plates were suspended in sterile 0.85% NaCl solution. The cell suspension was adjusted spectrophotometrically to match the turbidity of a McFarland 0.5 scale. One mL of each tested substance was placed on the bottom of wells of 24-well cell culture plates (Corning, NY), including the control group (sterile saline). Six wells were used for each time period and irrigant concentration. Two mL of the bacterial suspension were ultrasonically mixed for 10 s with the irrigants and placed in contact with them for 10, 30, and 45 s; 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min; and 1 and 2 h. After each period of time, 1 mL from each well was transferred to tubes containing 2 mL of freshly prepared BHI + neutralizers in order to prevent a residual action of the irrigants. All tubes were incubated at 37°C for 7 days. The tubes considered to have positive growth were those which presented medium turbidity during the incubation period. Data were analysed statistically by the Kruskal,Wallis test, with the level of significance set at P < 0.05. Results All irrigants were effective in killing E. faecalis, but at different times. Chlorhexidine in the liquid form at all concentrations tested (0.2%, 1% and 2%) and NaOCl (5.25%) were the most effective irrigants. However, the time required by 0.2% chlorhexidine liquid and 2% chlorhexidine gel to promote negative cultures was only 30 s and 1 min, respectively. Conclusions Even though all tested irrigants possessed antibacterial activity, the time required to eliminate E. faecalis depended on the concentration and type of irrigant used. [source] Semen quality in fertile US men in relation to geographical area and pesticide exposureINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 1 2006Shanna H. Swan Summary We conducted the first US study to compare semen quality among study centres using standardized methods and strict quality control. We present data on semen quality in partners of 493 pregnant women recruited through prenatal clinics in four US cities during 1999,2001. Sperm concentration, semen volume and motility were determined at the centres and morphology was assessed at a central laboratory. While between-centre differences in sperm morphology and sample volume were small, sperm concentration and motility were significantly reduced in Columbia, MO (MO) relative to men in New York, NY, Minneapolis, MN and Los Angeles, CA; total number of motile sperm was 113 × 106 in MO and 162, 201 and 196 × 106 in CA, MN and NY respectively. Differences among centres remained significant in multivariate models that controlled for abstinence time, semen analysis time, age, race, smoking, history of sexually transmitted disease and recent fever (all p -values <0.01). We hypothesized that poorer sperm concentration and motility in MO men relative to other centres might be related to agricultural pesticides that are commonly used in the mid-west. We investigated this hypothesis by conducting a nested case,control study within the MO cohort. We selected 25 men in this cohort for whom all semen parameters (concentration, % normal morphology and % motile) were low as cases and an equal number of men for whom all semen parameters were within normal limits as controls. We measured metabolites of eight non-persistent, current-use pesticides in urine samples the men had provided at the time of semen collection. Pesticide metabolite levels were elevated in cases compared with controls for the herbicides alachlor and atrazine, and for the insecticide diazinon (2-isopropoxy-4-methyl-pyrimidinol) (p -values for Wilcoxon rank test = 0.0007, 0.012, and 0.0004 for alachlor, atrazine and diazinon respectively). Men with higher levels of alachlor or diazinon were significantly more likely to be cases than men with low levels [odds ratios (OR) = 30.0, 16.7 for alachlor and diazinon respectively], as were men with atrazine over the limit of detection (OR = 11.3). These associations between current-use pesticides and reduced semen quality suggest that agricultural chemicals may have contributed to the reduced semen quality seen in fertile men from mid-Missouri. [source] Application of the MTD-PLS method to heterocyclic dye,cellulose interactionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 11 2007Ludovic Kurunczi Abstract The minimal topologic difference method in a projection in latent structures variant procedure was applied to a series of heterocyclic monoazo dyes of the type: RC6H4N = NY (R = benzothiazole, benzimidazole, N-containing aromatic pentacycles; Y = , acid, H acid, chromotropic acid, R acid). A statistically excellent model was obtained: RX2 = 0.625, RY2 = 0.940, Q2 = 0.822. The analysis of this model reveals the nature of dye,fiber interactions, which determine the dye affinity. Hydrophobic character in the R group and H-bond donor groups in a specific Y substitution position augment the dye affinity for cellulose. An increase of the polar nature of atoms in R depletes the affinity. Also some lateral substituents belonging to the Y coupling components suffer steric hindrance, and their presence is detrimental for the affinity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007 [source] Geometric control of mechanical systems: modelling, analysis, and design for simple mechanical control systems, Francesco Bullo and Andrew D. Lewis, Springer, New York, NY, 2005INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 11 2006Stefano Stramigioli No abstract is available for this article. [source] Impact of Phosphorus from Dairy Manure and Commercial Fertilizer on Perennial Grass Forage ProductionJOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE, Issue 6 2003E. A. Mikhailova Abstract Increased recovery and recycling of manure phosphorus (P) by crops on dairy farms is needed to minimize environmental problems. The main objective of this study was to compare P utilization by orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae Schreb.) from dairy manure or inorganic fertilizer. The study was conducted from 1994 to 2000 at the Cornell University Baker Farm, Willsboro, NY, on a somewhat poorly drained Kingsbury clay (very,fine, illitic, mesic Aeric Epiaqualfs). The design was a split-plot in a randomized complete block with two manure rates (16 800 and 33 600 kg ha,1) and one nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate (84 kg N ha,1 at spring greenup and 56 kg N ha,1 prior to each regrowth harvest) as the main plots and grass species as subplots replicated six times. Fertilizer P [Ca(H2PO4)2] was applied to the fertilizer treatment in 1995 and 1996 at 11 kg P ha,1 year,1. Orchardgrass P removal averaged 21 % higher than tall fescue P removal for the spring harvest, but orchardgrass averaged 24 % lower P removal than tall fescue removal for all regrowth harvests from 1995,99. Phosphorus herbage concentration in the fertilizer treatment was in the range of 1.9,2.7 g P kg,1 compared with 2.2,5.3 g P kg,1 in the manure treatments. Seasonal P removal ranged from as low as 9.2 kg P ha,1 to as high as 48.5 kg P ha,1. Morgan extractable soil P in the top 0,0.20 m remained high through 1999, with 29.1 kg P ha,1 at the highest manure rate in tall fescue compared with 8.4 kg P ha,1 measured in 1993 prior to the experiment. In 2000, soil P at the highest manure rate in tall fescue dropped to 10.1 kg P ha,1, following cessation of manure application in 1998. Intensively managed harvested orchardgrass and tall fescue have the potential to remove large quantities of manure P. [source] Effects of load and indicator type upon occlusal contact markingsJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 1 2008Muhammad N. Saad Abstract Statement of Problem: Clinicians use occlusal indicators to identify tooth contacts. However, the reliability of these indicators has been questioned. At times occlusal contacts are not identified or false positive occlusal contacts are observed. Purpose of Study: This study was designed to compare the number and size of occlusal indicator marks from both thick and thin occlusal indicator materials with different loads. Materials and Methods: Ivorine casts were articulated and mounted on an Hana Mate nonadjustable articulator. Loads of 100N, 150N, and 200N were applied with Accufim (25 ,m thick, Parkell, Farmingdale, NY) and Articulating Paper (60 ,m thick, G.E. Rudischauer Dental Articulating Paper, Brooklyn, NY) as the occlusal indicators. A fresh piece of indicator was used for each trial. Comparisons were made of the number and size of the contacts for both the thick and thin occlusal indicators at the different loads. Results: Observation of the marks recorded with the thicker occlusal indicator demonstrated both a greater number marks and a larger size to the marks when compared to the thinner Accufilm, p , 0.02,0.0001. However, there was no significant increase in the number or size of the marks with an increased load for either material. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2008 [source] Minimally Invasive Transventricular Implantation of Pulmonary XenograftJOURNAL OF CARDIAC SURGERY, Issue 4 2008Howaida Al Qethamy F.R.C.S., M.D. A number of ingenious techniques have been described for percutaneous aortic and pulmonary valve replacement as well as transventricular aortic valve replacement. We describe a technique for transventricular pulmonary valve replacement utilizing off-the-shelf bovine tissue valve, vascular stents, and simplified delivery system. After median sternotomy with limited exposure of the right ventricle, Contegra 200 pulmonary valve (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) is transfixed inside a CP stent (NuMed, Inc., Hopkinton, NY, USA) using multiple 5/0 prolene sutures. The valve/stent composite is crimped on a Cristal balloon catheter (Balt, Montmorency, France). The valve/stent and the balloon are then introduced via a small purse-string placed at the RVOT. The stent/valve composite is then expanded in the pulmonary valve position. [source] Reduction of Stroke Risk FactorsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPERTENSION, Issue 1 2007John B. Kostis MD In October 2006, a panel of experts participated in a teleconference to discuss the reduction of stroke risk factors in patients at risk for stroke. The panel was chaired by John B. Kostis, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey,Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ. Also participating were Philip B. Gorelick, MD, MPH, Director, Center for Stroke Research, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, and Franz H. Messerli, MD, St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. [source] A cardiac sodium channel mutation identified in Brugada syndrome associated with atrial standstillJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004N. Takehara Abstract., Takehara N, Makita N, Kawabe J, Sato N, Kawamura Y, Kitabatake A, Kikuchi K (Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa; Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan; and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Newark, NY, USA). A cardiac sodium channel mutation identified in Brugada syndrome associated with atrial standstill (Case Report). J Intern Med 2004; 255: 137,142. Mutations in the cardiac Na+ channel gene SCN5A are responsible for multiple lethal ventricular arrhythmias including Brugada syndrome and congenital long QT syndrome. Here we report a case of Brugada syndrome with ST elevation in the right precordial and inferior leads accompanied by atrial standstill and spontaneous ventricular fibrillation. Atrial standstill and J wave elevation were provoked by procainamide. Genetic analysis revealed a missense mutation (R367H) in SCN5A. The resultant mutant Na+ channel was nonfunctional when expressed heterologously in Xenopus oocytes. Our study suggests that genetic defects in SCN5A may be associated with atrial standstill in combination with ventricular arrhythmias. [source] Oscillatory zoning in garnet from the Willsboro Wollastonite Skarn, Adirondack Mts, New York: a record of shallow hydrothermal processes preserved in a granulite facies terraneJOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 8 2003C. C. Clechenko Abstract Oscillatory zoning in low ,18O skarn garnet from the Willsboro wollastonite deposit, NE Adirondack Mts, NY, USA, preserves a record of the temporal evolution of mixing hydrothermal fluids from different sources. Garnet with oscillatory zoning are large (1,3 cm diameter) euhedral crystals that grew in formerly fluid filled cavities. They contain millimetre-scale oscillatory zoning of varying grossular,andradite composition (XAdr = 0.13,0.36). The ,18O values of the garnet zones vary from 0.80 to 6.26, VSMOW and correlate with XAdr. The shape, pattern and number of garnet zones varies from crystal to crystal, as does the magnitude of the correlated chemistry changes, suggesting fluid system variability, temporal and/or spatial, over the time of garnet growth. The zones of correlated Fe content and ,18O indicate that a high Fe3+/Al, high ,18O fluid mixed with a lower Fe3+/Al and ,18O fluid. The high ,18O, Fe enriched fluids were likely magmatic fluids expelled from crystallizing anorthosite. The low ,18O fluids were meteoric in origin. These are the first skarn garnet with oscillatory zoning reported from granulite facies rocks. Geochronologic, stable isotope, petrologic and field evidence indicates that the Adirondacks are a polymetamorphic terrane, where localized contact metamorphism around shallowly intruded anorthosite was followed by a regional granulite facies overprint. The growth of these garnet in equilibrium with meteoric and magmatic fluids indicates an origin in the shallow contact aureole of the anorthosite prior to regional metamorphism. The zoning was preserved due to the slow diffusion of oxygen and cations in the large garnet and protection from deformation and recrystallization in zones of low strain in thick, rigid, garnetite layers. The garnet provide new information about the hydrothermal system adjacent to the shallowly intruded massif anorthosite that predates regional metamorphism in this geologically complex, polymetamorphic terrane. [source] Atomic force microscopic analysis of hydrogen peroxide bleached kraft northern black spruce fibresJOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY, Issue 2 2005M. A. POGGI Summary Hydrogen peroxide is a potent, relatively inexpensive oxidant that chemically degrades chromophoric components in pulps and textiles. Oxidation of cellulose is a byproduct of this process step that decreases the tensile strength of individual fibres. The residence time of pulp in the bleaching reactor must be optimized to achieve the desired brightness and minimizing fibre degradation. To evaluate the impact of peroxide bleaching at the microfibrillar level, a single black spruce tree was chosen and kraft pulped. Peroxide bleaching was conducted via benchtop polyethylene bag bleaching in a temperature-controlled waterbath. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) topographical images acquired before and after the bleaching step show dramatic changes in fibre structure consistent with delignification and defects in the surface topography. This was further verified by X-ray work at Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, U.S.A. [source] NSAIDs protect dopaminergic neurons against 6-OHDA and MPP+ toxicityJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2002P. Werner Endogenous and environmental neurotoxins are among the suspected causes of the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce inflammation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX)-dependent synthesis of prostaglandins (PG) from arachidonic acid. NSAIDs decrease the incidence of Alzheimer's disease, but little is known about their potential benefit for PD. Therefore, we examined whether NSAIDs could protect DA neurons from neurotoxic insults. NSAIDs can protect DA neurons against excitotoxicity (Casper et al. 2000), and against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) toxicity (Carrasco et al. 2001). Here, we compared in primary mesencephalic/DA neuron cultures the effect of NSAIDs on the toxicity of 1-methyl-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) or 6-OHDA. 6-OHDA significantly (*p < 0.0001) increased PG production, whereas MPP+ did not (p < 0.05). We then compared the competitive/unspecific COX inhibitors ibuprofen and naproxen and the noncompetitive/unspecific inhibitor acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, aspirin) for their ability to protect DA neurons against either 6-OHDA or MPP+ toxicity. Interestingly, all three nonselective COX inhibitors protected DA neurons in cultures against both 6-OHDA and MPP+ (p < 0.05), despite the difference in PG induction by 6-OHDA vs. MPP+. The selective COX-2 inhibitor NS398 did protect DA neurons against 5 ,m MPP+ (*p < 0.05), but failed to protect DA neurons against 5 ,m 6-OHDA (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that COX-inhibitors may have neuroprotective benefits unrelated to inhibition of PG synthesis, and that 6-OHDA and MPP+ have partially overlapping mechanisms of neurodegeneration possibly involving COX activity. Acknowledgement:, Supported, in part, by the International Federation for Parkinson's disease, NY, NY. [source] Gemcitabine inhibits viability, growth, and metastasis of osteosarcoma cell linesJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005Takashi Ando Abstract Gemcitabine (dFdCyd) is an analog of cytosine arabinoside with anti-tumor activity in several human cancers. However, the efficacy of this compound in osteosarcoma has not been fully elucidated. Here we assessed the anti-tumor activity of gemcitabine using osteosarcome cell lines. In 9 human osteosarcoma cell lines (G292, HOS, MG63, NY, SaOS, HuO, HuO-3N1, HuO9, HuO9-N2), gemcitabine at the doses of > 100 nM showed significant cytotoxicity. In HOS and MG63 cell lines, gemcitabine inhibited DNA synthesis as determined by IdU labeling assay and induced apoptosis as determined by DNA fragmentation assay and May-Giemsa staining. In C3H mice inoculated s.c. with a murine osteosarcoma cell line, LM8, treatment of the mice with gemcitabine showed reduced size of the primary tumor associated with increased apoptotic cells and a virtual absence of metastatic lesions in the lung. Gemcitabine thus had anti-tumor activity on osteosarcoma cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. The result would provide a cellular basis for application of gemcitabine to patients with osteosarcoma. © 2005 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||