Digital Commons Network^™

Alpha 1-Antitrypsin. A Novel Biomarker For Obesity In Humans, Gong B. Xue, Wen L. Zheng, Lei H. Wang, Li Y. Lu

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT), adiponectin, leptin, blood glucose, and insulin protein levels in human serum and obesity. METHODS: Forty-eight subjects with normal blood glucose levels and average age of 32.4+/-5.1 years were enrolled in this study. The study took place in the Reproductive Center, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China between June and July 2011. The height and weight were measured for calculating the body mass index (BMI) and grouped according to BMI. Fasting venous blood were drawn, and then serum levels of A1AT, adiponectin, leptin, blood glucose and insulin were measured by …

The Effect Of Small Dose Sufentanil On Emergence Agitation In Preschool Children Following Sevoflurane Anesthesia For Elective Repair Of Unilateral Inguinal Hernia, Xiuze Li, Yonghong Zhang, Meijun Zhou, Qing Xia, Wei Li, Qing Lu

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a comparative study of sufentanil and fentanyl on emergence agitation in pediatric patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, randomized, and double-blind study in 80 preschool children admitted at the Pediatric Surgery, Mianyang Central Hospital, Sichuan, China between March 2011 and April 2012. They underwent sevoflurane anesthesia for elective repair of unilateral inguinal hernia. Children received a single intravenous dose of sufentanil 0.15 ug/kg or fentanyl 1.5ug/kg just before skin incision. The emergence agitation scale and the frequency of severe emergence agitation were measured. Patients who required additional fentanyl during surgery and postoperative rescue fentanyl were recorded. Recovery …

Clinical Application Of Entire Gastrointestinal Barium Meal Combined With Multi-Temporal Abdominal Films In Patients With Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia Type B, Xiao-Yun Li, Xiao-Gang Li, Ming-Guo Du, Zhi-Dan Chen, Zheng-Gui Tao, Xiao-Feng Liao

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To report and evaluate the application of entire gastrointestinal barium meal combined with multi-temporal abdominal films in the diagnosis of patients with intestinal neuronal dysplasia type B (IND type B). METHODS: Thirty-six patients with symptoms of long-standing constipation were enrolled in this study. The study took place at the Department of General Surgery, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Hubei Province, China from July 2007 to October 2012. All of them had already been subjected to the tests of barium enema and anorectal manometry and were suspected to be IND type B, but were not confirmed by mucous membrane acetylcholinesterase determination. All …

Efficacy And Safety Of Non-Penetrating Deep Sclerectomy Surgery In Saudi Patients With Uncontrolled Open Angle Glaucoma, Saleh A. Al-Obeidan, Ahmed Mousa, Abid Naseem, Khaled K. Abu-Amero, Essam A. Osman

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of deep sclerectomy (DS) in Saudi patients with primary and secondary open-angle glaucoma (OAG). METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 194 eyes of 152 patients with OAG were consecutively enrolled to undergo DS with Mitomycin-C (MMC) at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January 2002 and September 2010. Age at surgery, gender, type of glaucoma, operated eye, previous ocular surgery, type of implant, pre and final visit visual acuities, intraocular pressure (IOP), number of anti-glaucoma medications, optic nerve cup/disc ratio, and complications were recorded. RESULTS: Cases …

Lymphedema. A Significant Health Problem For Women With Breast Cancer In Jordan, Basem B. Morcos, Firas Al Ahmad, Iyad Anabtawi, Abdel-Munem Abu Sba’, Hisham Shabani, Rawya Yaseen

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of breast cancer related lymphedema in our region, and to heighten its awareness among health workers. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of patients treated with breast cancer at King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan, between January 2004 and December 2009. We excluded patients with bilateral breast cancer. A total of 515 patients were included. We asked the patients to complete questionnaires that included questions related to arm symptoms. Lymphedema was defined as 2 cm or more difference between the 2 upper limbs9 girths. RESULTS: The incidence of lymphedema was 21.1%. The subjective evaluation by …

Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm Of The Pancreas With Neuroendocrine Cells And Malignant Stroma, Don E. Asberry, George A. Youngberg, Mousa A. Al-Abbadi

Saudi Medical Journal

Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN) with malignant sarcomatous stroma are rare aggressive tumors and there are few recorded cases. We report a case of MCN that had adenocarcinoma in situ and invasive adenocarcinoma with foci of sarcomatous stroma in a 40-year-old woman. Clear transition from adenocarcinoma areas into sarcomatoid foci was noted. The stromal component showed immunoreactivity for CK7 and Cam 5.2 supporting epithelial origin of the sarcomatoid areas. Associated areas of cytologically benign MCN epithelium were present and were immunoreactive for positive staining with pan-cytokeratin (AE1/AE3), cytokeratin 7 (CK 7), cytokeratin 20 (CK 20), pan-cytokeratin (Cam 5.2), epithelial membrane antigen …

Solitary Presumed Choroidal Tuberculomas Masquerading As Choroidal Tumors, Ahmad M. Alaraj, Hassan Al-Dhibi, Hani S. Al-Mezaine

Saudi Medical Journal

The ocular involvement of tuberculosis is not uncommon but diverse. Rarely, patients initially present with ocular signs that simulate intraocular malignancy. We report 3 cases of isolated presumed choroidal tuberculoma masquerading as intraocular tumor. Two patients had no systemic evidence of tuberculosis with strongly positive purified protein derivative skin test and one patient had evidence of inactive old pulmonary tuberculosis demonstrated by chest computed tomography. Antituberculous regimen including isoniazid 5 mg/kg/day, rifampicin 600 mg/day, ethambutol 15 mg/kg/day, and pyrazinamide 30 mg/kg/day were employed in all cases for 9 months. In addition, oral prednisone 1 mg/kg/day has been given until clinical …

Transfusion Medicine Illustrated. The First Cardeza Donor Center: Attracting Donors Who Do Not Wsh To See Blood., Samir K. Ballas

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

No abstract provided.

Family Teacher And Parent Perceptions Of Youth Needs And Preparedness For Transition Upon Discharge From Residential Care, Alexandra L. Trout, Steven Hoffman, Michael Epstein, Ronald W. Thompson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Summary: The purpose of this study was to compare parent (N = 51) and family teacher (N = 102) ratings of perceptions of aftercare for youth reintegrating into the home and community settings following a stay in residential care.

Findings: The results show large differences between treatment providers and parents as to the level of youth preparedness for transition.

Applications: Youth leaving residential care facilities struggle to maintain the gains they make during their time in treatment. Understanding what residential care providers and parents of youth perceive to be most important for youth during this transition period is essential to …

Single Transcriptional And Translational Preq1 Riboswitches Adopt Similar Pre-Folded Ensembles That Follow Distinct Folding Pathways Into The Same Ligand-Bound Structure, Krishna C. Suddala, Arlie J. Rinaldi, Jun Feng, Anthony M. Mustoe, Catherine D. Eichhorn, Joseph A. Liberman, Joseph E. Wedekind, Hashim M. Al-Hashimi, Charles L. Brooks Iii, Nils G. Walter

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Riboswitches are structural elements in the 50 untranslated regions of many bacterial messenger RNAs that regulate gene expression in response to changing metabolite concentrations by inhibition of either transcription or translation initiation. The preQ₁ (7-aminomethyl-7-deazaguanine) riboswitch family comprises some of the smallest metabolite sensing RNAs found in nature. Once ligand-bound, the transcriptional Bacillus subtilis and translational Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis preQ₁ riboswitch aptamers are structurally similar RNA pseudoknots; yet, prior structural studies have characterized their ligand-free conformations as largely unfolded and folded, respectively. In contrast, through single molecule observation, we now show that, at nearphysiological Mg²⁺ concentration and pH, …

Tandem Application Of C-C Bond-Forming Reactions With Reductive Ozonolysis, Rachel Willand-Charnley, Patrick Dussault

Patrick Dussault Publications

Several variants of reductive ozonolysis, defined here as the in situ generation of aldehydes or ketones during ozonolytic cleavage of alkenes, are demonstrated to work effectively in tandem with a number of C-C bond-forming reactions. For reactions involving basic nucleophiles (1,2- addition of Grignard reagents, Wittig or Horner-Emmons olefinations, and directed Aldol reactions of lithium enolates) the one-pot process offers a rapid and high-yielding alternative to traditional two-step protocols.

Development Of Affinity Microcolumns For Drug–Protein Binding Studies In Personalized Medicine: Interactions Of Sulfonylurea Drugs With In Vivo Glycated Human Serum Albumin, Jeanethe Anguizola, K. S. Joseph, Omar S. Barnaby, Ryan Matsuda, Guadalupe Alvarado, William Clarke, Ronald Cerny, David S. Hage

David Hage Publications

This report used high-performance affinity microcolumns to examine the changes in binding by sulfonylurea drugs to in vivo glycated HSA that had been isolated from individual patients with diabetes. An immunoextraction approach was developed to isolate HSA and glycated HSA from clinical samples, using only 20 μL of plasma or serum and 6–12 nmol of protein to prepare each affinity microcolumn. It was found that the affinity microcolumns could be used in either frontal analysis or zonal elution studies, which typically required only 4–8 min per run. The microcolumns had good stability and allowed data to be obtained for multiple …

Tlr-Trif Pathway Enhances The Expression Of Kshv Replication And Transcription Activator, Florencia Meyer, Erica Ehlers, Andrew Steadman, Thomas Waterbury, Mingxia Cao, Luwen Zhang

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Host innate immunity is against virus infection and replication.

Results: Toll-like receptor 3 activation leads to enhanced expression of a key Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) protein.

Conclusion: KSHV uses host Toll-like receptor pathway to augment its critical gene expression. Significance: A virus may usurp host innate immunity for its own benefits.

Deer Mouse Hemoglobin Exhibits A Lowered Oxygen Affinity Owing To Mobility Of The E Helix, Noriko Inoguchi, Jake R. Oshlo, Chandrasekhar Natarajan, Roy E. Weber, Angela Fago, Jay F. Storz, Hideaki Moriyama

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, exhibits altitude-associated variation in hemoglobin oxygen affinity. To examine the structural basis of this functional variation, the structure of the hemoglobin was solved. Recombinant hemoglobin was expressed in Escherichia coli and was purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Recombinant hemoglobin was crystallized by the hangingdrop vapor-diffusion method using polyethylene glycol as a precipitant. The obtained orthorhombic crystal contained two subunits in the asymmetric unit. The refined structure was interpreted as the aquo-met form. Structural comparisons were performed among hemoglobins from deer mouse, house mouse and human. In contrast to human hemoglobin, deer mouse hemoglobin lacks the …

Holocarboxylasesynthetase Interacts Physically With Euchromatic Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase, Linking Histone Biotinylation With Methylation Events, Yong Li, Yousef I. Hassan, Hideaki Moriyama, Janos Zempleni

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Holocarboxylasesynthetase (HCS) catalyzes the binding of the vitamin biotin to histonesH3 and H4, thereby creating rare histonebiotinylation marks in the epigenome. These marksco-localize with K9-methylated histone H3 (H3K9me), an abundant gene repression mark. The abundance of H3K9me marks in transcriptionally competent loci decreases when HCS is knocked down and when cells are depleted of biotin. Here we tested the hypothesis that the creation of H3K9me marks is at least partially explained by physical interactions between HCS and histone-lysine Nmethyltransferases. Using a novel in silico protocol, we predicted that HCS-interacting proteins contain a GGGG(K/R)G(I/M)R motif. Thismotif, with minor variations, is present …

Bile-Acid-Mediated Decrease In Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress: A Potential Contributor To The Metabolic Benefits Of Ileal Interposition Surgery In Ucd-T2dm Rats, Bethany P. Cummings, Ahmed Bettaieb, James L. Graham, Jaehyoung Kim, Fangrui Ma, Noreene Shibata, Kimber L. Stanhope, Cecilia Giulivi, Frederik Hansen, Jacob Jelsing, Niels Vrang, Mark Kowala, Michael L. Chouinard, Fawaz G. Haj, Peter J. Havel

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Post-operative increases in circulating bile acids have been suggested to contribute to the metabolic benefits of bariatric surgery; however, their mechanistic contributions remain undefined. We have previously reported that ileal interposition (IT) surgery delays the onset of type 2 diabetes in UCD-T2DM rats and increases circulating bile acids, independently of effects on energy intake or body weight. Therefore, we investigated potential mechanisms by which post-operative increases in circulating bile acids improve glucose homeostasis after IT surgery. IT, sham or no surgery was performed on 2-month-old weight-matched male UCD-T2DM rats. Animals underwent an oral fat tolerance test (OFTT) and serial oral …

Paleoparasitology: The Origin Of Human Parasites; Paleoparasitologia: A Origem Dos Parasitas Humanos, Adauto Araújo, Karl Reinhard, Luis Fernando Ferreira, Elisa Pucu, Pedro Paulo Chieffi

Karl Reinhard Publications

Parasitism is composed by three subsystems: the parasite, the host, and the environment. There are no organisms that cannot be parasitized. The relationship between a parasite and its host species most of the time do not result in damage or disease to the host. However, in a parasitic disease the presence of a given parasite is always necessary, at least in a given moment of the infection. Some parasite species that infect humans were inherited from pre-hominids, and were shared with other phylogenetically close host species, but other parasite species were acquired from the environment as humans evolved. Human migration …

Ten Misconceptions Concerning Neurobiology And Politics, John R. Hibbing

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Political science is far behind the other social science disciplines in incorporating neurobiological concepts, techniques, and theory. In recent years progress has been made in closing this gap but many in the political science mainstream view the movement with concern or even horror. Though a healthy dose of skepticism is appropriate and beneficial to the scientific endeavor, negative reactions to viewing politics through a neurobiological lens are often based on fundamental misconceptions regarding both neurobiology and politics. In this Reflections essay, I address ten of these misconceptions, including the beliefs that biology is deterministic, reductionist, unnecessary, irrelevant, normatively dangerous, and …

Carbon Storage And Sequestration By Trees In Urban And Community Areas Of The United States, David J. Nowak, Eric J. Greenfield, Robert E. Hoehn, Elizabeth Lapoint

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Carbon storage and sequestration by urban trees in the United States was quantified to assess the magnitude and role of urban forests in relation to climate change. Urban tree field data from 28 cities and 6 states were used to determine the average carbon density per unit of tree cover. These data were applied to statewide urban tree cover measurements to determine total urban forest carbon storage and annual sequestration by state and nationally. Urban whole tree carbon storage densities average 7.69 kg C m^‒2 of tree cover and sequestration densities average 0.28 kg C m^‒2 of tree …

Development History And Bibliography Of The U.S. Forest Service Crown-Condition Indicator For Forest Health Monitoring, Kadonna C. Randolph

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Comprehensive assessment of individualtree crown condition by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has its origins in the concerns about widespread forest decline in Europe and North America that developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Programs such as the US National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program, US National Vegetation Survey, Canadian Acid Rain National Early Warning System, and joint US– Canadian North American Sugar Maple Decline Project laid the groundwork for the development of the US Forest Service crown-condition indicator. The crown-condition assessment protocols were selected and refined through literature review, peer …

Riparian Vegetation Communities Change Rapidly Following Passive Restoration At A Northern Utah Stream, Nate Hough-Snee, Brett B. Roper, Joseph M. Wheaton, Phaedra Budy, Ryan L. Lokteff

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Riparian vegetation may recover quickly from disturbance when the disturbance vector is removed or reduced. Grazing is a disturbance that removes plant biomass through herbivory, while overgrazing is a more severe disturbance that can deplete plant propagule pools and inhibit plant community recovery. We tested the hypothesis that riparian vegetation communities can shift quickly from ruderal grasslands to hydrophytic shrubs and graminoids when grazing is largely eliminated from riparian areas. We used a before-after-control study design to collect vegetation community data at six restored reaches and two grazed control reaches prior to and immediately following the construction of a cattle …

Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Content And Stabilization In Mid-Rotation, Intensively Managed Sweetgum And Loblolly Pine Stands, Kurt H. Johnson, Lisa J. Samuelson, Felipe G. Sanchez, Robert J. Eaton

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Intensive forestry has resulted in considerable increases in aboveground stand productivity including foliar and belowground biomass which are the primary sources of soil organic matter. Soil organic matter is important for the maintenance of soil physical, chemical and biological quality. Additionally, sequestering carbon (C) in soils may provide a means of mitigating increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. In this study, we examined soil C and nitrogen (N) contents and stabilization in 12-year-old, intensively managed sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands. The treatments examined include: (1) complete weed control; (2) weed control plus drip irrigation; (3) …

Forest Recovery Patterns In Response To Divergent Disturbance Regimes In The Border Lakes Region Of Minnesota (Usa) And Ontario (Canada), Brian R. Sturtevant, Brian R. Miranda, Peter T. Wolter, Patrick M.A. James, Marie-Josée Fortin, Philip A. Townsend

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The persistence of landscape-scale disturbance legacies in forested ecosystems depends in part on the nature and strength of feedback among disturbances, their effects, and subsequent recovery processes such as tree regeneration and canopy closure. We investigated factors affecting forest recovery rates over a 25-year time period in a large (6 million ha) landscape where geopolitical boundaries have resulted in important land management legacies (managed forests of Minnesota, USA; managed forests of Ontario, Canada; and a large unmanaged wilderness). Stand-replacing disturbance regimes were quantified across management zones, both inside and outside a central ecoregion, using a time series of classified land …

Child Maltreatment Severity And Adult Trauma Symptoms: Does Perceived Social Support Play A Buffering Role?, Sarah E. Evans, Anne L. Steel, David Dilillo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: The current study investigates the moderating effect of perceived social support on asso-ciations between child maltreatment severity and adult trauma symptoms. We extend the existing literature by examining the roles of severity of multiple maltreatment types (i.e., sexual, physical, and emotional abuse; physical and emotional neglect) and gender in this process. Methods: The sam-ple included 372 newlywed individuals recruited from marriage license records. Participants com-pleted a number of self-report questionnaires measuring the nature and severity of child maltreat-ment history, perceived social support from friends and family, and trauma-related symptoms. These questionnaires were part of a larger study that investigated …

Effects Of Environmental Stimulation On Infant Vocalizations And Orofacial Dynamics At The Onset Of Canonical Babbling, Meredith Poore Harold, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The vocalizations and jaw kinematics of 30 infants aged 6–8 months were recorded using a Motion Analysis System and audiovisual technologies. This study represents the first attempt to determine the effect of play environment on infants’ rate of vocalization and jaw movement. Four play conditions were compared: watching videos, social contingent reinforcement and vocal modeling with an adult, playing alone with small toys, and playing alone with large toys. The fewest vocalizations and spontaneous movement were observed when infants were watching videos or interacting with an adult. Infants vocalized most when playing with large toys. The small toys, which naturally …

Short-Term Effects Of Pacifier Texture On Nns In Neurotypical Infants, Austin L. Oder, David L. Stalling, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The dense representation of trigeminal mechanosensitive afferents in the lip vermilion, anterior tongue, intraoral mucosa, and temporomandibular joint allows the infant’s orofacial system to encode a wide range of somatosensory experiences during the critical period associated with feed development. Our understanding of how this complex sensorium processes texture is very limited in adults, and the putative role of texture encoding in the infant is unknown.The purpose of this study was to examine the short-term effects of a novel textured pacifier experience in healthy term infants (𝑁 = 28). Nonnutritive suck (NNS) compression pressure waveforms were digitized in real time using …

Medical Adverse Events And Malpractice Litigation In Arizona: By-The-Numbers, Ashley M. Votruba, Michael J. Saks

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A new medical malpractice "crisis" periodically erupts across the United States, invariably producing calls for legislative solutions. Typically, the public is told that rising malpractice insurance premiums are driving doctors out of their practices or out of our state, while increasing the cost of health care, and that those rising insurance rates are the product of too many unwarranted lawsuits resulting in exorbitant damage awards. The legislative fixes typically involve restricting the ability of plaintiffs to bring claims, to prosecute their claims successfully, or to recover full damages if they happen to prevail on their claims. The U.S. Congress sometimes …

Supporting Narrative Retells For People With Aphasia Using Aac: Photographs Or Line Drawings? Text Or No Text?, Julie Griffith, Aimee R. Dietz, Kristy S.E. Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

People with aphasia (PWAs) have demonstrated the ability to learn augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that employ traditional grid layouts to enhance their communication; however, the process is typically lengthy and yields limited generalization (Fox & Fried-Oken, 2001; Koul & Harding, 1998). In response, researchers have begun to investigate the use of visual scene displays (VSDs) to support the communication interactions of PWAs by capitalizing on their relatively intact episodic memory (Beukelman, Dietz, McKelvey, Hux, & Weissling, in press; Dietz, Beukelman, & McKelvey, 2006a; Dietz, McKelvey, Beukelman, Weissling, & Hux, 2006b; McKelvey, Dietz, Hux, Weissling, & Beukelman, 2007). High-technology …

There Is A Continued Need For Empirical Data Supporting The Treatment Of People With Aphasia In The Acute Care Setting Including The Use Of Modified Melodic Intonation Therapy, Miechelle L. Mckelvey, Kristy S.E. Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Abstract from & commentary on: Conkly, D., Novac, E., Boissy, A. Bethoux, F., & Chemali, K. (2012). The effects of modified melodic intonation therapy on nonfluent aphasia: A pilot study. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 55, 1462–1471.

Q: What are the immediate effects of Modified Melodic Intonation Therapy (MMIT) on the modified repetition and responsive subtests of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) in stroke patients with Broca’s aphasia?

While this study had several limitations, the basic premises—the exploration of the effectiveness of changes to traditional MIT and the exploration of treatment in very acute stages—were valuable. Further systematic …

Supplementary File For Social Science And Medicine Article: "Online And In-Person Health Seeking For Infertility" -- Table 2. Descriptive Statistics Of Type Of Health-Seeking And Independent Variables, Kathleen S. Slauson-Blevins, Julia Mcquillan, Arthur L. Greil

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Descriptive Statistics of Type of Health-Seeking and Independent Variables