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The Incidence Of Upper And Lower Extremity Surgery For Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Jeniffer Waljee, Lin Zhong, Onur Baser, Huseyin Yuce, David A. Fox, Kevin C. Chung

Publications and Research

Background: For elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis, aggressive immunosuppression can be difficult to tolerate, and surgery remains an important treatment option for joint pain and deformity. We sought to examine the epidemiology of surgical reconstruction for rheumatoid arthritis among older individuals who were newly diagnosed with the disorder.

Methods: We identified a 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries (sixty-six years of age and older) newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis from 2000 to 2005, and followed these patients longitudinally for a mean of 4.6 years. We used univariate analysis to compare the time from the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis to the …

Tnfα Transport Induced By Dynamic Loading Alters Biomechanics Of Intact Intervertebral Discs, Benjamin A. Walter, Morakot Likhitpanichkul, Svenja Illien-Junger, Peter J. Roughley, Andrew C. Hecht, James C. Iatridis

Publications and Research

Objective Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is an important contributor to the development of back pain, and a key factor relating pain and degeneration are the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines and IVD motion. There is surprisingly limited understanding of how mechanics and inflammation interact in the IVD. This study investigated interactions between mechanical loading and pro-inflammatory cytokines in a large animal organ culture model to address fundamental questions regarding (i.) how inflammatory mediators arise within the IVD, (ii.) how long inflammatory mediators persist, and (iii.) how inflammatory mediators influence IVD biomechanics. Methods Bovine caudal IVDs were cultured for 6 or 20-days …

Academic Service Learning Benefits Diverse, Urban Community College Students, Sharon S. Ellerton, Cristina Di Meo, Josephine Pantaleo, Arlene Kemmerer, Mary Bandziukas, Michael Bradley

Publications and Research

Urban community college students are a vulnerable population, often carrying one or more risk factors that predict they will not graduate or transfer to a four-year institution. This article presents evidence that academic service learning can provide support for urban community college students, increasing retention and providing multiple positive benefits. After participating in service learning, urban community college students report increased confidence in their ability to learn and apply course content knowledge, general education knowledge, and workplace skills as well as an interest in civic engagement.

You're No Fun Anymore: The Ethics Of Acquiring Electronic Devices In Light Of E-Waste, Sweatshops, And Globalization, Jennifer Poggiali

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

New Functionally-Enhanced Soy Proteins As Food Ingredients With Anti-Viral Activity, Aizhan Sabirzhanovna Turmagambetova, Nadezhda Sergeevna Sokolova, Andrey Pavlinovich Bogoyavlenskiy, Vladimir Eleazvich Berezin, Mary Ann Lila, Diana M. Cheng, Vyacheslav Dushenkov

Publications and Research

Respiratory viruses are a major public health problem because of their prevalence and high morbidity rate leading to considerable social and economic implications. Cranberry has therapeutic potential attributed to a comprehensive list of phytochemicals including anthocyanins, flavonols, and unique A-type proanthocyanidins. Soy flavonoids, including isoflavones, have demonstrated anti-viral effects in vitro and in vivo. Recently, it was demonstrated that edible proteins can efficiently sorb and concentrate cranberry polyphenols, including anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, providing greatly stabilized matrices suitable for food products. The combination of cranberry and soy phytoactives may be an effective dietary anti-viral resource. Anti-viral properties of both cranberry juice-enriched …

Protein Sectors: Statistical Coupling Analysis Versus Conservation, Tiberiu Teşileanu, Lucy J. Colwell, Stanislas Leibler

Publications and Research

Statistical coupling analysis (SCA) is a method for analyzing multiple sequence alignments that was used to identify groups of coevolving residues termed “sectors”. The method applies spectral analysis to a matrix obtained by combining correlation information with sequence conservation. It has been asserted that the protein sectors identified by SCA are functionally significant, with different sectors controlling different biochemical properties of the protein. Here we reconsider the available experimental data and note that it involves almost exclusively proteins with a single sector. We show that in this case sequence conservation is the dominating factor in SCA, and can alone be …

Carboxyl-Terminal Truncations Alter The Activity Of The Human Α-Galactosidase A, Mariam Meghdari, Nicholas Gao, Abass Abdullahi, Erin Stokes, David H. Calhoun

Publications and Research

Fabry disease is an X-linked inborn error of glycolipid metabolism caused by deficiency of the human lysosomal enzyme, α-galactosidase A (αGal), leading to strokes, myocardial infarctions, and terminal renal failure, often leading to death in the fourth or fifth decade of life. The enzyme is responsible for the hydrolysis of terminal α-galactoside linkages in various glycolipids. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been approved for the treatment of Fabry disease, but adverse reactions, including immune reactions, make it desirable to generate improved methods for ERT. One approach to circumvent these adverse reactions is the development of derivatives of the enzyme with …

Three Dimensional Microfluidic Cell Arrays For Ex Vivo Drug Screening With Mimicked Vascular Flow, Zeynep Dereli-Korkut, H. Dogus Akaydin, A. H. Rezwanuddin Ahmed, Xuejun Jiang, Sihong Wang

Publications and Research

Currently, there are no reliable ex vivo models that predict anticancer drug responses in human tumors accurately. A comprehensive method of mimicking a 3D microenvironment to study effects of anticancer drugs on specific cancer types is essential. Here, we report the development of a three-dimensional microfluidic cell array (3D μFCA), which reconstructs a 3D tumor microenvironment with cancer cells and microvascular endothelial cells. To mimic the in vivo spatial relationship between microvessels and nonendothelial cells embedded in extracellular matrix, three polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers were built into this array. The multilayer property of the device enabled the imitation of the drug …

Iarc Monographs: 40 Years Of Evaluating Carcinogenic Hazards To Humans, Neil Pearce, Aaron Blair, Paolo Vineis, Wolfgang Ahrens, Aage Andersen, Josep M. Anto, Bruce K. Armstrong, Andrea A. Baccarelli, Frederick A. Beland, Amy Berrington, Pier Alberto Bertazzi, Linda S. Birnbaum, Ross C. Brownson, John R. Bucher, Kenneth P. Cantor, Elisabeth Cardis, John W. Cherrie, David C. Christiani, Pierluigi Cocco, David Coggon, Franklin E. Mirer

Publications and Research

Background: Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Programme for the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans has been criticized for several of its evaluations, and also for the approach used to perform these evaluations. Some critics have claimed that failures of IARC Working Groups to recognize study weaknesses and biases of Working Group members have led to inappropriate classification of a number of agents as carcinogenic to humans. Objectives: The authors of this Commentary are scientists from various disciplines relevant to the identification and hazard evaluation of human carcinogens. We examined criticisms of the IARC classification process …

Intramolecular Nitrogen Delivery For The Synthesis Of C-Glycosphingolipids. Application To The C-Glycoside Of The Immunostimulant Krn7000, Ahmad S. Altiti, David R. Mootoo

Publications and Research

The key reaction in this approach to C-glycosphingolipids is the stereoselective iodocyclization of a sugar-linked homoallylic carbonimidothioate. E and Z reaction substrates were assembled in a convergent fashion via an alkene metathesis strategy and exhibited the same alkene facial selectivity in the iodocyclization irrespective of alkene geometry, although the E alkene was found to be less reactive.

Epigenetic Regulation Of Lncrna Connects Ubiquitin-Proteasome System With Infection-Inflammation In Preterm Births And Preterm Premature Rupture Of Membranes, Xiucui Luo, Jing Pan, Leilei Wang, Peirong Wang, Meijiao Zhang, Meilin Liu, Ziqing Dong, Qian Meng, Xuguang Tao, Xinliang Zhao, Julia Zhong, Weina Ju, Yang Gu, Edmund C. Jenkins, W Ted Brown, Qingxi Shi, Nanbert Zhong

Publications and Research

Background Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is responsible for one third of all preterm births (PTBs). We have recently demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are differentially expressed in human placentas derived from PPROM, PTB, premature rupture of the membranes (PROM), and full-term birth (FTB), and determined the major biological pathways involved in PPROM. Methods Here, we further investigated the relationship of lncRNAs, which are differentially expressed in spontaneous PTB (sPTB) and PPROM placentas and are found to overlap a coding locus, with the differential expression of transcribed mRNAs at the same locus. Ten lncRNAs (five up-regulated and five …

Rational Design Of A Chalcogenopyrylium-Based Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering-Nanoprobe With Attomolar Sensitivity, Stefan Harmsen, Matthew A. Bedics, Matthew A. Wall, Ruimin Huang, Michael R. Detty, Moritz F. Kircher

Publications and Research

High sensitivity and specificity are two desirable features in biomedical imaging. Raman imaging has surfaced as a promising optical modality that offers both. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a group of near infrared absorbing 2-thienyl-substituted chalcogenopyrylium dyes tailored to have high affinity for gold. When adsorbed onto gold nanoparticles, these dyes produce biocompatible SERRS-nanoprobes with attomolar limits of detection amenable to ultrasensitive in vivo multiplexed tumor and disease marker detection.

The Regulatory Function Of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling Axis On Regulatory T Cells In Colorectal Cancer, Andrew V. Nguyen, Yuan-Yuan Wu, Elaine Y. Lin

Publications and Research

In tumors associated with inflammation such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC), high numbers of regulatory T cells (Tregs) are associated with both favorable and poor prognoses. The functions of Tregs in CRC remain elusive and have yet to be clearly defined. With new evidence supporting many subsets of Tregs, the research on the development and functions of these cells has begun to come to fruition. The sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) pathway was recently reported to regulate the development and function of regulatory T cells. This pathway may shine new light into the pleiotropic nature of these …

Identifying And Analyzing Rna Pseudoknots Based On Graph-Theoretical Properties Of Dual Graphs: A Partitioning Approach, Louis Petingi

Publications and Research

In this paper we propose the study of properties of RNA secondary structures modeled as dual graphs, by partitioning these graphs into topological components denominated blocks. We give a full characterization of possible topological configurations of these blocks, and, in particular we show that an RNA secondary structure contains a pseudoknot if and only if its corresponding dual graph contains a block having a vertex of degree at least 3. Once a dual graph has been partitioned via computationally-efficient well-known graph-theoretical algorithms, this characterization allow us to identify these sub-topologies and physically isolate pseudoknots from RNA secondary structures and analyze …

Microbial Stimulation And Succession Following A Test Well Injection Simulating Co₂ Leakage Into A Shallow Newark Basin Aquifer, Gregory O'Mullan, M. Elias Dueker, Kale Clauson, Qiang Yang, Kelsey Umemoto, Natalia Zakharova, Juerg Matter, Martin Stute, Taro Takahashi, David Goldberg

Publications and Research

In addition to efforts aimed at reducing anthropogenic production of greenhouse gases, geological storage of CO2 is being explored as a strategy to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emission and mitigate climate change. Previous studies of the deep subsurface in North America have not fully considered the potential negative effects of CO2 leakage into shallow drinking water aquifers, especially from a microbiological perspective. A test well in the Newark Rift Basin was utilized in two field experiments to investigate patterns of microbial succession following injection of CO2-saturated water into an isolated aquifer interval, simulating a CO2 leakage scenario. A decrease in …

Synthesis Of Dinucleoside Acylphosphonites By Phosphonodiamidite Chemistry And Investigation Of Phosphorus Epimerization, William H. Hersh

Publications and Research

The reaction of the diamidite, (iPr2N)2PH, with acyl chlorides proceeds with the loss of HCl to give the corresponding acyl diamidites, RC(O)P(N(iPr)2)2 (R = Me (7), Ph (9)), without the intervention of sodium to give a phosphorus anion. The structure of 9 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The coupling of the diamidites 7 and 9 with 5′-O-DMTr-thymidine was carried out with N-methylimidazolium triflate as the activator to give the monoamidites 3′-O-(P(N(iPr)2)C(O)R)-5′-O-DMTr-thymidine, and further coupling with 3′-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)thymidine was carried out with activation by pyridinium trifluoroacetate/Nmethylimidazole. The new dinucleoside acylphosphonites could be further oxidized, hydrolyzed to the H-phosphonates, and sulfurized to …

Population Genomics Reveals Seahorses (Hippocampus Erectus) Of The Western Mid-Atlantic Coast To Be Residents Rather Than Vagrants, J. T. Boehm, John Waldman, John D. Robinson, Michael J. Hickerson

Publications and Research

Understanding population structure and areas of demographic persistence and transients is critical for effective species management. However, direct observational evidence to address the geographic scale and delineation of ephemeral or persistent populations for many marine fishes is limited. The Lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) can be commonly found in three western Atlantic zoogeographic provinces, though inhabitants of the temperate northern Virginia Province are often considered tropical vagrants that only arrive during warm seasons from the southern provinces and perish as temperatures decline. Although genetics can locate regions of historical population persistence and isolation, previous evidence of Virginia Province persistence is only …

Pokeweed Antiviral Protein, A Ribosome Inactivating Protein: Activity, Inhibition And Prospects, Artem V. Domashevskiy, Dixie J. Goss

Publications and Research

Viruses employ an array of elaborate strategies to overcome plant defense mechanisms and must adapt to the requirements of the host translational systems. Pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) from Phytolacca americana is a ribosome inactivating protein (RIP) and is an RNA N-glycosidase that removes specific purine residues from the sarcin/ricin (S/R) loop of large rRNA, arresting protein synthesis at the translocation step. PAP is thought to play an important role in the plant’s defense mechanism against foreign pathogens. This review focuses on the structure, function, and the relationship of PAP to other RIPs, discusses molecular aspects of PAP antiviral activity, the …

Inhibiting Metastatic Breast Cancer Cell Migration Via The Synergy Of Targeted, Ph-Triggered Sirna Delivery And Chemokine Axis Blockade, Peng Guo, Jin-Oh You, Jiang Yang, Di Jia, Marsha A. Moses, Debra T. Auguste

Publications and Research

Because breast cancer patient survival inversely correlates with metastasis, we engineered vehicles to inhibit both the C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and lipocalin-2 (Lcn2) mediated migratory pathways. pH-responsive liposomes were designed to protect and trigger the release of Lcn2 siRNA. Liposomes were modified with anti-CXCR4 antibodies to target metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cells and block migration along the CXCR4-CXCL12 axis. This synergistic approach—coupling the CXCR4 axis blockade with Lcn2 silencing—significantly reduced migration in triple-negative human breast cancer cells (88% for MDA-MB-436 and 92% for MDA-MB-231). The results suggested that drug delivery vehicles engineered to attack multiple migratory pathways may …

Theories In Spin Dynamics Of Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Eugene S. Mananga, Jalil Moghaddasi, Ajaz Sana, Mostafa Sadoqi

Publications and Research

This short review article presents theories used in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Main theories used in NMR include the average Hamiltonian theory, the Floquet theory and the developing theories are the Fer expansion or the Floquet-Magnus expansion. These approaches provide solutions to the time-dependent Schrodinger equation which is a central problem in quantum physics in general and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance in particular. Methods of these expansion schemes used as numerical integrators for solving the time dependent Schrodinger equation are presented. The action of their propagator operators is also presented. We highlight potential future theoretical and numerical directions such …

Variation In Rheumatoid Hand And Wrist Surgery Among Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population-Based Cohort Study, Lin Zhong, Kevin C. Chung, Onur Baser, David A. Fox, Huseyin Yuce, Jennifer F. Waljee

Publications and Research

Objective. To examine the rate and variation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related hand and wrist surgery among Medicare (elderly) beneficiaries in the United States, and to identify the patient and provider factors that influence surgical rates.

Methods. Using the 2006–2010 100% Medicare claims data of beneficiaries with RA diagnosis, we examined rates of rheumatoid hand and wrist arthroplasty, arthrodesis, and hand tendon reconstruction in the United States. We used multivariate logistic regression models to examine variation in receipt of surgery by patient and regional characteristics (density of providers, intensity of use of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs).

Results. Between 2006 and 2010, …

Urban And Rural Msw Stream Characterization For Separate Collection Improvement, Simona Ciuta, Tiberiu Apostol, Valentin Rusu

Publications and Research

In the new legislation framework enacted by new member countries of the European Union (EU), the characterization of municipal solid waste (MSW) represents an important instrument for local governments and sanitation operators in setting and achieving targets for waste recycling and recovery. This paper presents the results of a study conducted in accordance with the Romanian methodology for domestic wastes characterization ROMECOM, aiming to provide a proper basis for developing clear and realistic forecasts in current municipal waste management, based on MSW composition and generation rate. The analyzed MSW came both from areas where the waste is collected in mixed …

Neuroinflammation And J2 Prostaglandins: Linking Impairment Of The Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway And Mitochondria To Neurodegeneration, Maria E. Figueiredo-Pereira, Patricia Rockwell, Thomas Schmidt-Glenewinkel, Peter Serrano

Publications and Research

The immune response of the CNS is a defense mechanism activated upon injury to initiate repair mechanisms while chronic over-activation of the CNS immune system (termed neuroinflammation) may exacerbate injury. The latter is implicated in a variety of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, HIV dementia, and prion diseases. Cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2), which are key enzymes in the conversion of arachidonic acid into bioactive prostanoids, play a central role in the inflammatory cascade. J2 prostaglandins are endogenous toxic products of cyclooxygenases, and because their levels are significantly …

Caution Is Required In Interpretation Of Mutations In The Voltage Sensing Domain Of Voltage Gated Channels As Evidence For Gating Mechanisms, Alisher M. Kariev, Michael E. Green

Publications and Research

The gating mechanism of voltage sensitive ion channels is generally considered to be the motion of the S4 transmembrane segment of the voltage sensing domains (VSD). The primary supporting evidence came from R→C mutations on the S4 transmembrane segment of the VSD, followed by reaction with a methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagent. The cys side chain is –SH (reactive form –S−); the arginine side chain is much larger, leaving space big enough to accommodate the MTS sulfonate head group. The cavity created by the mutation has space for up to seven more water molecules than were present in wild type, which could …

Endothelial Surface Glycocalyx Can Regulate Flow-Induced Nitric Oxide Production In Microvessels In Vivo, Wanyi Yen, Bin Cai, Jinlin Yang, Lin Zhang, Min Zeng, John M. Tarbell, Bingmei M. Fu

Publications and Research

Due to its unique location, the endothelial surface glycocalyx (ESG) at the luminal side of the microvessel wall may serve as a mechano-sensor and transducer of blood flow and thus regulate endothelial functions. To examine this role of the ESG, we used fluorescence microscopy to measure nitric oxide (NO) production in post-capillary venules and arterioles of rat mesentery under reduced (low) and normal (high) flow conditions, with and without enzyme pretreatment to remove heparan sulfate (HS) of the ESG and in the presence of an endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). Rats (SD, 250–300g) were anesthetized. The mesentery …

Contact Analysis For Coupling Of Plates And Screws In Fracture Fixation Of Cortical Bone, Gaffar Gailani, Rachid Moumni, Malek Brahimi

Publications and Research

Internal fixation is a common treatment for bone fracture. Bone fracture occurs due to different reasons such as motor vehicle accidents, falling,…etc. The treatment is performed by fixing plate and screws to the fracture site. Lack of stability of the implants (plates and screws) may lead to delay in healing or failure of treatment. Micro-motion between the implant and the bone may cause formation of fibrous tissue around the screw which will lead to implant loosening. On the other hands, firm fixing of the conventional implants (Dynamic Compression Plates) may lead to delay resorption and delay in healing. Recently, Locked …

Urban Rural Comparisons Of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Burden Among Adolescent Girls In A Hospital Setting In India, Swetha Balaji, Chioma Amadi, Satish Prasad, Jyoti Bala Kasav, Vandana Upadhyay, Awnish K. Singh, Krishna Mohan Surapaneni, Ashish Joshi

Publications and Research

Background. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a multifaceted disorder characterized by varying clinical presentations. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine urban and rural differences in the burden of polycystic ovarian syndrome among Indian adolescent females aged 12 to 19 years. Methods. A pilot cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of one month (August-September 2013) at Balaji Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. The final sample included 126 study participants located in various urban (50%, n = 63) and rural (50%, n = 63) settings. Information was gathered on sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, clinical history, occurrence of acne …

Removing The Malice From Federal "Malicious Prosecution": What Cognitive Science Can Teach Lawyers About Reform, Sofia Yakren

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Challenging Race-Based Stereotypes About Gay And Bisexual Men’S Sexual Behavior And Perceived Penis Size And Size Satisfaction, Christian Grov, Lena D. Saleh, Jonathan M. Lassiter, Jeffrey T. Parsons

Publications and Research

Racial prejudice and stereotyping in gay and bisexual communities may be important contextual factors that contribute to racial disparities in HIV. In an effort to challenge race-based stereotypes regarding gay and bisexual men’s sexuality, we sought to determine the extent to which race and ethnicity were associated with (1) racial homophily (i.e., same-race partnerships), (2) sexual behavior (e.g., number of partners, condomless anal sex (CAS), sexual position (top/versatile/bottom)), and (3) perceived penis size and size satisfaction. Data were taken from a survey of 1,009 gay and bisexual men recruited using a street-intercept method at gay, lesbian, and bisexual community events …

Do We Need A Human Right To A Healthy Environment?, Rebecca Bratspies

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.