Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Curanderismo And Healing Rituals: An Ethnographic And Historical Study Of The Casma Valley In Northern Peru, Maria Esmeralda Perez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

While curanderismo and shamanism form an important cultural aspect throughout Peru, the healing rituals in the Casma Valley are mostly unknown. This paper attempts to define the historical background of curanderismo in the Casma Valley by describing the traditional healing rituals throughout the Atlantic World. Recounting, not only the history of curanderismo, religion, witchcraft, and sorcery in Latin America, but also the history of these beliefs in Europe and Africa as well. One of the main goals of this paper is to provide sufficient proof of the ties and connections that curanderismo in the Casma Valley in Northern Peru share, …

Analysis Of Genetic Variability And Whole Genome Linkage Of Whole-Brain, Subcortical, And Ependymal Hyperintense White Matter Volume, Peter Kochunov, David Glahn, Anderson M. Winkler, Ravi Duggirala, Rene L. Olvera, Shelley A. Cole, Thomas D. Dyer, Laura Almasy, Peter T. Fox, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Background and purpose: The cerebral volume of T2-hyperintense white matter (HWM) is an important neuroimaging marker of cerebral integrity. Pathophysiology studies identified that subcortical and ependymal HWM are produced by 2 different mechanisms but shared a common risk factor: high arterial pulse pressure. Recent studies have demonstrated high heritability of the whole-brain HMW volume and reported significant and suggestive evidence of genetic linkage. We performed heritability and whole-genome linkage analysis to replicate previous reported findings and to study shared genetic variance, and possible overlap for specific loci, between subcortical and ependymal HWM volumes in a population of healthy Mexican Americans. …

Impaired Regulation Of The Tnf-Alpha Converting Enzyme/Tissue Inhibitor Of Metalloproteinase 3 Proteolytic System In Skeletal Muscle Of Obese Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A New Mechanism Of Insulin Resistance In Humans, A Monroy, S Kamath, A O. Chavez, V E. Centonze, M Veerasamy, A Barrentine, J J. Wewer, D K. Coletta, C Jenkinson, Sara M. Reyna

School of Medicine Publications

Aims/hypothesis: TNF-alpha levels are increased in obesity and type 2 diabetes. The regulation of TNF-alpha converting enzyme (TACE) and its inhibitor, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3), in human type 2 diabetes is unknown.

Methods: We examined TACE/TIMP3 regulation: (1) in lean and obese normal glucose tolerant (NGT) individuals and in type 2 diabetes patients; (2) following 6 h of lipid/saline infusion in NGT individuals; and (3) in cultured human myotubes from lean NGT individuals incubated with palmitate. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by a euglycaemic clamp and TACE/TIMP3 was evaluated by confocal microscopy, RT-PCR, western blotting and an in vitro …

Senate Bill 42: Implementation And Impact On Physical Activity In Middle Schools, Cristina S. Barroso, Steven H. Kelder, Andrew E. Springer, Carolyn L. Smith, Nalini Ranjit, Christopher Ledingham, Deanna M. Hoelscher

Health & Human Performance Faculty Publications

Purpose

In 2005, the Texas State Legislature passed Senate Bill 42 (SB42), which required public middle school students (grades 6–8) to participate in 30 minutes of daily structured physical activity. The purpose of this study was to assess awareness of and adherence to SB42 in Texas middle schools, and to assess the impact of SB42 on the frequency and quality of structured physical activity.

Methods

Key informant (school principals, physical education [PE] instructors, nurses, or designated personnel) telephone interviews on the implementation of SB42 were conducted from a statewide representative sample of public middle schools (n = 112). Direct observation, …

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Associated With Hla, Il12a, And Il12rb2 Variants, Gideon M. Hirschfield, Xiangdong Liu, Chun Xu, Yue Lu, Gang Xie, Yan Lu, Xiangjun Gu, Erin J. Walker

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic granulomatous cholangitis, characteristically associated with antimitochondrial antibodies. Twin and family aggregation data suggest that there is a significant genetic predisposition to primary biliary cirrhosis, but the susceptibility loci are unknown.

Methods: To identify genetic loci conferring a risk for primary biliary cirrhosis, we carried out a genomewide association analysis in which DNA samples from 2072 Canadian and U.S. subjects (536 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and 1536 controls) were genotyped for more than 300,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Sixteen of the SNPs most strongly associated with primary biliary cirrhosis were genotyped in two independent …

Abscesos Cerebelosos Como Complicación Infrecuente De Absceso Hepático Amebiano. Reporte De Un Caso [Cerebelous Abscesses As An Uncommon Complication Of Amebic Hapatic Abscess. A Case Report], S. Díaz-Márquez, N. Bastardo, A. Bello, J. Dib Jr., Nathalie Chacon

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

El absceso cerebral es una infrecuente y fatal complicación extraintestinal de la infección por E. histolytica. Presentamos el caso de un paciente que falleció por múltiples abscesos cerebelosos asociados con absceso hepático amebiano. Caso clínico: Se trata de paciente masculino, 62 años, proveniente del área metropolitana. Consulta por presentar dolor abdominal en hipocondrio derecho, nauseas, vómitos, fiebre y evacuaciones líquidas. Se diagnosticó absceso hepático de 12 x 8 cm de diámetro, por ultrasonido abdominal, correlacionado con la clínica y hallazgos de laboratorio (leucocitosis, elevación de transaminasas y fosfatasas alcalinas). Adicionalmente, el ELISA indirecto para determinar IgG para E. histolytica resultó …

Life Satisfaction Among People With Progressive Disabilities, Roy K. Chen, Nancy M. Crewe

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

This study investigated the life satisfaction among 218 individuals with progressive disabilities, who were recruited through the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Participants completed questionnaires containing several scales measuring predictor and outcome variables. Regression analyses were performed to analyze the quantitative data. The results indicated that 49% of the variance in life satisfaction among individuals with neuromuscular and neurological diseases was explained in the regression model. The best predictors of life satisfaction were the level of acceptance of disability, hope, spiritual well-being; age, sex, marital status, and employment status. This study suggests the importance of understanding …

Maturation Of Sensory Gating Performance In Children With And Without Sensory Processing Disorders, Patricia L. Davies, Wen-Pin Chang, William J. Gavin

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Recent interest in sensory gating in children with and without neuropsychological disorders has resulted in a number of studies and the results regarding the developmental trajectory of sensory gating are inconsistent. We investigated the maturational course of sensory gating in samples of typically developing children and children with sensory processing deficits (SPD) and compared their performance to adults. Besides gating ratios, we also examined the brain responses to conditioning and test click stimuli in the sensory gating paradigm separately to clarify if the changes in click amplitudes could explain the maturational change in the T/C ratio in children. Eighteen adults …

Trastorno Bipolar En Los Niños: Hechos Actuales [Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Actual Facts], Víctor M. Joffre-Velázquez, Gerardo García-Maldonado, Atenogenes H. Saldívar-González, Roberto A. Cruz

School of Medicine Publications

A general review of clinical reports about the pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) published in the last 10 year was done, but we included some before that. Data was obtained in the bases PubMed, EbscoHost and OvidSP, using as key words: bipolar disorder, pediatric, children, adolescent and early onset. We select the reports clinical issues of special interest for the diagnosis and treatment and epidemiological reports related to PBD and we had particular care in select those with a good methodology. It was documented that the PBD has being diagnosed more often when good clinic and clinimetric tools are used. Imaging …

Subpathwayminer: A Software Package For Flexible Identification Of Pathways, Chunquan Li, Xia Li, Yingbo Miao, Qianghu Wang, Wei Jian, Chun Xu, Jing Li, Junwei Han, Fan Zhang, Binsheng Gong

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

With the development of high-throughput experimental techniques such as microarray, mass spectrometry and large-scale mutagenesis, there is an increasing need to automatically annotate gene sets and identify the involved pathways. Although many pathway analysis tools are developed, new tools are still needed to meet the requirements for flexible or advanced analysis purpose. Here, we developed an R-based software package (SubpathwayMiner) for flexible pathway identification. SubpathwayMiner facilitates subpathway identification of metabolic pathways by using pathway structure information. Additionally, SubpathwayMiner also provides more flexibility in annotating gene sets and identifying the involved pathways (entire pathways and sub-pathways): (i) SubpathwayMiner is able to …

Attitudes Of College Students Toward People With Disabilities, Wonsun (S.) Seo, Roy K. Chen

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

The current study sought to explore attitudinal differences in college students toward people with disabilities (PWD) based on their demographic backgrounds and levels of prior contact. Participants were 311 undergraduate and graduate students at a large public university in the Midwest. Using the Attitudes Towards Disabled Persons Scale, Form-O (Yuker & Block, 1986) and the Contact with Disabled Persons Scale (Yuker & Hurley, 1987), a moderate positive correlation between attitudes and levels of contact was found (r = .302, p < .001). Significant differences in the mean scores of the ATDP were observed for different demographic groups. A subsequent ANCOVA indicated that levels of prior contact were influential on attitudes towards PWD. Implications for rehabilitation practice and future research are discussed.

Psychosocial Aspects Of Deafness: Implications For Rehabilitation Counselors, Diana M. Fraser, Sandra Hansmann, Shawn P. Saladin

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

Negative societal attitudes toward people with hearing loss can be handicapping. Because of their deafness, people face a multitude of external barriers which become their handicap. The primary barriers or handicaps to this underserved population are two fold, inaccessibility to appropriate services during important milestones in their lives and a misunderstanding of Deaf culture. Rehabilitation counselors are advised to become aware of the types of interventions their Deaf consumers had as children through their education and socialization for in sight to appropriate services. Also discussed is the importance of communication and employer involvement in reducing societal stereotypes.

A Survey Of Physical Therapists: Long Term Therapy Needs For Persons With Severe Disabilities, Irmo Marini, Karen Luckett, Eva Miller, E. Lisette Blanco

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

Sixty-three physical therapists participated in a survey designed to obtain their opinions regarding long-term and on-going future therapy recommendations for patients with spinal cord injuries, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, traumatic brain injuries, cerebral vascular accidents, cerebral palsy, and severe burns. Overall, therapists indicated these patients needed on-going therapy due to a loss or impairment of motor skills, ambulation skills, and loss or impairment of self-care skills. The primary reason reported for patients not returning to physical therapy for on-going treatment following their acute care was lack of insurance coverage or end of insurance benefits. This study outlines the implications for life …

Health Disparities In Kidney Transplantation: An Equity Analysis, Shirley A. Wells

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

The growing incidence of end stage renal disease along with advances of the past 40 years that have improved the success rate of kidney transplantation have created an unprecedented demand for kidney transplant. Yet, certain racial and ethnic groups and women consistently have longer waiting times and lower rates of transplantation which makes a review of the kidney procurement and transplantation system in view of its equity imperative. Reasons given for these disparities have varied from cultural attitudes and beliefs on the part of patients and health care providers, socioeconomic status, rates of organ donation, and geographic location. The equity …

Supportive Communication, Sense Of Virtual Community And Health Outcomes In Online Infertility Groups, Jennifer L. Welbourne, Anita L. Blanchard, Marla D. Boughton

Management Faculty Publications

Women are turning to online health groups to deal with the stresses and complications of infertility. Online groups may provide a resource that is potentially absent in their face-to-face communities. This study examines how the sense of virtual community (SOVC) that develops in these groups serves as a buffer between perceived stress and physical health symptoms. A sample of 122 women from two virtual communities completed an online survey. Results show that observing the exchange of emotional support was positively related to SOVC while observing informational support was negatively related to SOVC. Further, SOVC was negatively related to physical health …

Beyond Aica Riboside: In Search Of New Specific Amp-Activated Protein Kinase Activators, Bruno Guigas, Kei Sakamoto, Nellie Taleux, Sara M. Reyna, Nicolas Musi, Benoit Viollet, Louis Hue

School of Medicine Publications

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (AICA riboside) has been extensively used in vitro and in vivo to activate the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic sensor involved in both cellular and whole body energy homeostasis. However, it has been recently highlighted that AICA riboside also exerts AMPK-independent effects, mainly on AMP-regulated enzymes and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), leading to the conclusion that new compounds with reduced off target effects are needed to specifically activate AMPK. Here, we review recent findings on newly discovered AMPK activators, notably on A-769662, a nonnucleoside compound from the thienopyridone family. We also report that A-769662 is able to activate …

Risk Of Dementia Associated With Elevated Plasma Homocysteine In A Latin American Population, Inara J. Chacon, Aldrín E. Molero, Gloria Pino-Ramírez, José A. Luchsinger, Joseph H. Lee, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

The relationship between total homocysteine (tHcy) and dementia risk remains controversial, as the association varies among populations and dementia subtypes. We studied a Venezuelan population that has high prevalence of both elevated tHcy and dementia. We tested the hypotheses that (1) elevated tHcy is associated with increased dementia risk, (2) the risk is greater for vascular dementia (VaD) than for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and (3) a history of stroke may partly explain this association. 2100 participants (≥55 years old) of the Maracaibo Aging Study underwent standardized neurological, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular assessments. Elevated tHcy was significantly associated with dementia, primarily VaD. …

Epidemiología De Himenolepiosis Y Otras Parasitosis Intestinales En Una Comunidad Suburbana De Escuque, Trujillo-Venezuela [Himenolepiosis Epidemiology And Other Intestinal Parasites In A Suburban Community Of Escuque, Trujillo, Venezuela], María Josefina Rossomando, Wilfredo Márquez, Johanna Prado, Nathalie Chacon

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

Las parasitosis intestinales son enfermedades desasistidas de los países en vías de desarrollo, en comunidades sub-urbanas, rurales, marginales e indígenas, desfavorecidas por la atención médica calificada. En Venezuela se estima una prevalencia de 7 % para Hymenolepis nana. El presente estudio epidemiológico de prevalencia en el sector Fray Ignacio Álvarez, Escuque-Trujillo, fue diseñado para determinar la ocurrencia las parasitosis intestinales, de Hymenolepis nana, correlacionar las variables epidemiológicas (Graffar-Méndez Castellano) con las parasitosis intestinales y evaluar la confiabilidad del método de Kato Katz, utilizando como método gold standard el Formol-Tritón-Éter (FTE), en el hallazgo de Hymenolepis nana. Se encuestaron a 319 …

Elevated Toll-Like Receptor 4 Expression And Signaling In Muscle From Insulin-Resistant Subjects, Sara M. Reyna, Sangeeta Ghosh, Puntip Tantiwong, C S. Reddy Meka, Phyllis Eagan, Christopher P. Jenkinson, Eugenio Cersosimo, Ralph A. Defronzo, Dawn K. Coletta, Apiradee Sriwijitkamol

School of Medicine Publications

OBJECTIVE— Tall-like receptor (TLR)4 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of free fatty acid (FFA)-induced insulin resistance by activating inflammatory pathways, including inhibitor of κB (IκB)/nuclear factor κB (NFκB). However, it is not known whether insulin-resistant subjects have abnormal TLR4 signaling. We examined whether insulin-resistant subjects have abnormal TLR4 expression and TLR4-driven (IκB/NFκB) signaling in skeletal muscle.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— TLR4 gene expression and protein content were measured in muscle biopsies in 7 lean, 8 obese, and 14 type 2 diabetic subjects. A primary human myotube culture system was used to examine whether FFAs stimulate IκB/NFκB via TLR4 and …

Perceived Stress In Occupational Therapy Students, Teresa A. Pfeifer, Peter L. Kranz, Angela E. Scoggin

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress of entry‐level master's occupational therapy (OT) students enrolled at a Texas university. A total of 29 students including nine men and 20 women participated in the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The participants were interviewed during the end of the first and second year of the entry‐level master's programme in OT. Questionnaires, given at the same time, contained demographic data, open‐end questions and force choice questions rated on a Likert scale. The results indicated that the majority of students (66.4%) rated their current level of stress …

Alzheimer's Disease And Vascular Dementia In Developing Countries: Prevalence, Management, And Risk Factors, Raj N. Kalaria, Gladys E. Maestre, Raul Arizaga, Robert P. Friedland, Doug Galasko, Kathleen Hall, José A. Luchsinger, Adesola Ogunniyi, Elaine K. Perry, Felix Potocnik

School of Medicine Publications

Despite mortality due to communicable diseases, poverty, and human conflicts, dementia incidence is destined to increase in the developing world in tandem with the ageing population. Current data from developing countries suggest that age-adjusted dementia prevalence estimates in 65 year olds are high (≥5%) in certain Asian and Latin American countries, but consistently low (1–3%) in India and sub-Saharan Africa; Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60% whereas vascular dementia accounts for ∼30% of the prevalence. Early-onset familial forms of dementia with single-gene defects occur in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Illiteracy remains a risk factor for dementia. The APOE ε4 allele …

Deficit Of Kcnma1 Mrna Expression In The Dentate Gyrus Of Epileptic Rats, Boris Ermolinsky, Massoud F. Arshadmansab, Luis F. Pacheco Otalora, Masoud M. Zarei, Emilio R. Garrido-Sanabria

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Epileptogenesis in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is determined by several factors including abnormalities in the expression and function of ion channels. Here, we report a long-lasting deficit in gene expression of Kcnma1 coding for the large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK, MaxiK) channel α-subunits after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. By using comparative realtime PCR, Taqman gene expression assays, and the delta-delta comparative threshold method we detected a significant reduction in Kcnma1 expression in microdissected dentate gyrus at different intervals after status epilepticus (24 h, 10 days, 1 month, and more than 2 months). BK channels are key regulators of neuronal excitability and transmitter …

Differential Changes In Mglu2 And Mglu3 Gene Expression Following Pilocarpine-Induced Status Epilepticus: A Comparative Real-Time Pcr Analysis, Boris Ermolinsky, Luis F. Pacheco Otalora, Massoud F. Arshadmansab, Masoud M. Zarei, Emilio R. Garrido-Sanabria

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Group II metabotropic glutamate (mGlu II) receptors subtype 2 and 3 (mGlu2 and mGlu3) are subtle regulators of neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. In recent years, researchers have investigated the potential neuroprotective and anticonvulsant effects of compounds acting on mGlu II receptors. However, abnormal expression and function of mGlu2 and mGlu3 have been reported in temporal lobe epilepsy, a phenomena that may limit the therapeutic effectiveness of these potentially new antiepileptic drugs. Here, we investigated seizure-induced changes in mGlu2 and mGlu3 mRNA following pilocarpine-inducted status epilepticus (SE) and subsequent epileptogenesis. Relative changes in gene expression …

Deficit Of Kcnma1 Mrna Expression In The Dentate Gyrus Of Epileptic Rats, Boris Ermolinsky, Massoud F. Arshadmansab, Luis F. Pacheco Otalora, Masoud M. Zarei, Emilio R. Garrido-Sanabria

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Epileptogenesis in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is determined by several factors including abnormalities in the expression and function of ion channels. Here, we report a long-lasting deficit in gene expression of Kcnma1 coding for the large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK, MaxiK) channel alpha-subunits after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. By using comparative real-time PCR, Taqman gene expression assays, and the delta-delta comparative threshold method we detected a significant reduction in Kcnma1 expression in microdissected dentate gyrus at different intervals after status epilepticus (24 h, 10 days, 1 month, and more than 2 months). BK channels are key regulators of neuronal excitability and transmitter …

Comportamiento Biológico De Blastocystis Hominis En Pacientes Tratados Con Secnidazol (Unidazol®) [Biological Behavior Of Blastocystis Hominis In Patients Treated With Secnidazol (Unidazol®)], Carmen Guzmán De Rondón, Maria Alejandra Vethencourt, Mónica Galindo Pérez, Nathalie Chacon, Carolina Wagner, Anaibeth Nessi Paduani

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

Blastocystis hominis, clasificado como Stramenopile, es el parásito intestinal más frecuente en el hombre. En las heces y cultivos se observan formas con cuerpo central (FCC), granulosas (FGra), globulosas, ameboides, en división binaria y quistes. Su elevada prevalencia, asociación con síntomas en el humano y carencia de tratamiento efectivo, justificó la evaluación del Secnidazol (Unidazol® ZUOZ-PHARMA) en 14 individuos (7 varones y 7 hembras), infectados con B. hominis, con edades entre 5-79 años, quienes fueron evaluados clínica y parasitológicamente antes y después del tratamiento, con una dosis del medicamento: 2g (adultos) y 30 mg/Kg/peso (niños). En el examen seriado …

Effects Of N-3 Fatty Acids On Autoimmunity And Osteoporosis, Gabriel Fernandes, Arunabh Bhattacharya, Mizanur Rahman, Khaliquz Zaman, Jameela Banu

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Decreased consumption of n-3 fatty acids (FA) and diets rich in animal proteins, saturated fats and n-6 vegetable oils are associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), certain malignancies and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythromatous (SLE), and renal disease. Recent studies show that reduced calorie intake and supplementation of diet with n-3 FA delays the onset of autoimmune renal disease, primarily, due to increased antioxidant enzyme activities, decreased NF-kappaB activation and decreased IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha mRNA expression in the kidney tissue. Studies in rodents show that addition of n-3 FA and soy …

Downregulation Of Bk Channel Expression In The Pilocarpine Model Of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Luis F. Pacheco Otalora, Eder F. Hernandez, Massoud F. Arshadmansab, Sebastian Francisco, Michael Willis, Boris Ermolinsky, Masoud M. Zarei, H.-G Knaus, Emilio R. Garrido-Sanabria

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

In the hippocampus, BK channels are preferentially localized in presynaptic glutamatergic terminals including mossy fibers where they are thought to play an important role regulating excessive glutamate release during hyperactive states. Large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (BK, MaxiK, Slo) have recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of genetic epilepsy. However, the role of BK channels in acquired mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) remains unknown. Here we used immunohistochemistry, laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), western immunoblotting and RT-PCR to investigate the expression pattern of the alpha-pore forming subunit of BK channels in the hippocampus and cortex of chronically epileptic rats obtained …

In-House Polymerase Chain Reaction For Affordable And Sustainable Chlamydia Trachomatis Detection In Trinidad And Tobago, Joanne Rampersad, Xiaohui Wang, Helen Gayadeen, Samuel Ramsewak, David Ammons

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

Objectives: To provide a preliminary assessment of in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as an alternative to the more costly commercial test for detection of asymptomatic infection by Chlamydia trachomatis and to provide much needed demographic data on infection indicators within the Trinidad and Tobago public health care system.

Methods: An inexpensive in-house nested-PCR with an Internal Amplification Control was used to detect C. trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in urine samples collected from 273 apparently healthy, pregnant women from March-September 2004 in Trinidad, West Indies. Demographic information on participants was collected and subjected to statistical analyses.

Results: C. trachomatis was detected …

Clinical Indicators For Success Of Misoprostol Treatment After Early Pregnancy Failure, Candace Robledo, J. Zhang, J Troendle, K. Barnhart, M. D. Creinin, C. Westhoff, X. Huang, M. Frederick

School of Medicine Publications

Objective

To identify clinical indicators for success of misoprostol treatment after early pregnancy failure.

Methods

A total of 473 women with early pregnancy failure received 800 μg of vaginal misoprostol on treatment day 1. At the follow-up visit on day 3, a second dose was given if expulsion was incomplete. On day 8, vacuum aspiration was offered if expulsion had not occurred. Ultrasonography was used as gold standard for success. A Classification and Regression Tree analysis was undertaken to derive two decision trees for the success of misoprostol treatment on study days 3 and 8.

Results

Heavy bleeding after the …

Delayed Angiogenesis And Vegf Production In Ccr2−/− Mice During Impaired Skeletal Muscle Regeneration, Oscar Ochoa, Dongxu Sun, Sara M. Reyna, Lindsay L. Waite, Joel E. Michalek, Linda M. Mcmanus, Paula K. Shireman

School of Medicine Publications

The regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and angiogenic events during skeletal muscle regeneration remains largely unknown. This study examined angiogenesis, VEGF levels, and muscle regeneration after cardiotoxin (CT)-induced injury in mice lacking the CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2). Muscle regeneration was significantly decreased in CCR2−/− mice as was the early accumulation of macrophages after injury. In both mouse strains, tissue VEGF was similar at baseline (no injections) and significantly decreased at day 3 post-CT. Tissue VEGF in wild-type (WT) mice was restored within 7 days postinjury but remained significantly reduced in CCR2−/− mice until day 21. …