Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Molecular Functionalization Of Carbon Nanotubes And Use As Substrates For Neuronal Growth, Mark P. Mattson, Robert C. Haddon, Apparao M. Rao

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Patents

A cell and substrate system and nerve regeneration implant are disclosed including a carbon nanotube and a neuron growing on the carbon nanotube. Both unfunctionalized carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotubes functionalized with a neuronal growth promoting agent may be utilized in the invention. A method is also disclosed for promoting neuronal growth.

Heavy Equipment Owner/Operators Dying On The Job, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent heavy equipment injuries:

• Owner/operators should become familiar with and adhere to Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health guidelines.
• Manufacturers’ procedures for operation and maintenance of heavy equipment should be followed.
• Avoid potentially hazardous situations. Operators should perform a thorough hazard assessment before work is initiated.

Propietarios/Operadores De Equipo Pesado Mueren En Su Trabajo, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

Para prevenir lesiones al trabajar con equipo pesado:

1. Propietarios/operadores deberán familiarizarse y aplicar las normas de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional de Kentucky.
2. Deberán ser seguidos los procedimientos indicados por el fabricante para la operación y mantenimiento de equipo pesado.
3. Evite situaciones que impliquen un riesgo potencial. Los operadores deberán llevar a cabo una valoración cuidadosa de los riesgos potenciales antes de iniciar el trabajo.

Pharmaceutical Formulation For Poorly Water Soluble Camptothecin Analogues, Tiang-Xiang Xiang, Bradley D. Anderson

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

The present invention provides a general method to retard the precipitation inception time for poorly water-soluble camptothecin analogues from a supersaturated solution by a chemical conversion approach via pH alteration. This method is successfully utilized to prepare stable parenteral formulations for silatecan 7-t-butyldimethylsilyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (DB-67), a poorly water-soluble lipophilic camptothecin analogue, in aqueous solutions containing β-cyclodextrin sulfobutyl ether (SBE-CD) or other solubilizing agents. The formulations manufactured by this method are more simple and cost-effective, of higher doses and better quality in terms of manufacture loss and formulation stability, and can be free of organic solvents (e.g., DMSO or N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone).

Synthases, Joseph Chappell, Kathleen R. Manna, Joseph P. Noel, Courtney M. Starks

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

Novel synthases and the corresponding nucleic acids encoding such synthases are disclosed herein. Such synthases possess an active site pocket that includes key amino acid residues that are modified to generate desired terpenoid reaction intermediates and products. Synthase modifications are designed based on, e.g., the three-dimensional coordinates of tobacco 5-epi-aristolochene synthase, with or without a substrate bound in the active site.

Protection Against Ischemia And Reperfusion Injury, Peter R. Oeltgen, Paul D. Bishop, Mark S. Kindy, Juan A. Sanchez

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Patents

A compound and method for using compound-D SEQ ID NO:1 to reduce injury associated with ischemia and reperfusion of mammalian organs such as the heart. The compound may be administered as part of a preconditioning strategy which reduces the extent of injury and improves organ function following cessation and restoration of blood flow. The compound may be used in preparation for planned ischemia or in a prophylactic manner in anticipation of further ischemic events.

Content And Criterion Validity Evaluation Of National Public Health Performance Standards Measurement Instruments., Joyce Beaulieu, F. Douglas Scutchfield, Ann V. Kelly

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has developed instruments to measure the performance of local and state public health departments on the 10 "Essential Services of Public Health," which have been tested in several states. This article is a report of the evaluation of the content and criterion validity of the local public health performance assessment instrument, and the content validity of the state public health performance assessment instrument.

METHODS: Health department performance is measured using a set of indicators developed for the 10 Essential Services of Public Health and a …

Muriéndose Por Conducir - Colisiones Ocupacionales De Automotores En Kentucky, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

Para prevenir lesiones al trabajar con vehículos motorizados:

Los empleadores deben proporcionar programas de entrenamiento sobre seguridad al conducir, obligatorios y adaptados a sus empleados, que incluyan Reconocimiento de Síntomas de Distracción / Déficit de Atención del Conductor y Fatiga del Conductor.

Los empleados deben evitar distracciones y llevar siempre puesto el cinturón de seguridad.

Evite exponerse usted mismo a una situación potencialmente riesgosa. Los conductores deben siempre permanecer alerta y practicar Técnicas Defensivas de Conducción.

Dying To Drive – Occupational Motor Vehicle Collisions In Kentucky, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent motor vehicle injuries while working:

• Employers should provide mandatory comprehensive employee driver safety training programs including recognition of symptoms of driver distraction/inattention and driver fatigue.
• Employees should avoid distractions and wear seat belts at all times.
• Don’t place yourself in a potentially hazardous situation. Drivers should always stay alert and practice defensive driving techniques.

Hispanic Laborer Dies From Fall Off Roof, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On March 3, 2003, a 22-year-old Hispanic female laborer (decedent) died when she fell from a roof. She had been working on the roof with her brother, who was a sub-contractor for a local roofing company. The work crew consisted of two brothers and the decedent. Two days prior to the incident, the decedent had worked for her brother cleaning and organizing materials on the ground at another location. It was the decedent’s first day on this job site. It is unknown whether or not the decedent had worked on other roofing jobs. Her job was to organize materials and …

Bulldozer Owner/Operator Dies When Thrown Off Bulldozer Track, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On June 19, 2003, a 58-year-old bulldozer owner/operator (decedent) died when he was thrown off the track of his bulldozer. The bulldozer owner/operator and a laborer were having difficulty starting the bulldozer. Together, the two men had tried several different methods to start the bulldozer including: spraying ether into the air chamber, having the battery recharged, replacing the battery cables with new ones and tightening wires to the starter. They worked from the left side track of the bulldozer. The laborer sat towards the front of the track tightening the wires to the starter while the owner stood on the …

Bulldozer Owner/Operator Drowns While Trying To Repair A Pond, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

The Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program was notified July 31, 2003, via newspaper surveillance, of an occupational fatality involving a 55-year-old bulldozer owner/operator. On July 29, 2003, a bulldozer owner / operator drowned in the cab of his machine as he was trying to find a leak in a pond dam. The operator had been hired by a local farm owner to find and repair a leak in one of the ponds on her farm. As the operator dug a trench through the earthen dam, a section at the top collapsed sending sludge into the trench. The water/sludge …

Flexible Recording/High Energy Electrode Catheter With Anchor For Ablation Of Atrial Flutter By Radio Frequency Energy, Chien-Suu Kuo, John G. Gurley

Internal Medicine Faculty Patents

An electrode catheter is provided having a predetermined flexibility throughout the entire length or at least at the contact portion, such as the electrode region, to allow for the molding of the contact portion such that it conforms to the shape of the heart at a preselected desired target area, such as the isthmus between the inlet of inferior vena cava and posterior tricuspid annulus. The catheter also includes a guiding sheath that is preferably semirigid and may be pre-shaped with at least one bend or angulation to assist in molding to ensure that the electrode region overlies the desired …

Transgenic Mice Expressing Lipoprotein Lipase In Adipose Tissue: Absence Of The Proximal 3′-Untranslated Region Causes Translational Upregulation, Lori L. Hensley, Gouri Ranganathan, Elke M. Wagner, Brian D. Wells, Joseph C. Daniel, Diane Vu, Clay F. Semenkovich, Rudolf Zechner, Philip A. Kern

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme in lipoprotein and adipocyte metabolism. Defects in LPL can lead to hypertriglyceridemia and the subsequent development of atherosclerosis. The mechanisms of regulation of this enzyme are complex and may occur at multiple levels of gene expression. Because the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) is involved in LPL translational regulation, transgenic mice were generated with adipose tissue expression of an LPL construct either with or without the proximal 3′-UTR and driven by the aP2 promoter. Both transgenic mouse colonies were viable and expressed the transgene, resulting in a 2-fold increase in LPL activity in white adipose …

System And Method For Intranasal Administration Of Lorazepam, Daniel Wermeling

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Patents

A therapeutic composition of lorazepam and its pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives are provided for intranasal administration of at least one predetermined volumetric unit dose in the form of a spray by means that delivers one or more therapeutically prescribed unit doses that are highly accurate as to the volume discharged and which leave no significant quantity of the composition in the delivery means.

Chinese Immigrant Restaurant Owner Electrocuted, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On August 12, 2002, at 6:40 pm, a Chinese immigrant restaurant owner (decedent) died after being electrocuted by 110 volts of electricity. The restaurant owner and his wife were refurbishing a restaurant they had recently purchased. They spent the day cleaning the kitchen area while waiting for a washing machine repairman to arrive. Earlier in the day, the decedent had removed the electric cord to a single door, glass-fronted vertical cooler on rollers. He replaced the electrical cord from the unit with an electrical cord he had fabricated himself by attaching one end of a 10 foot length of 10/2 …

Pathogen- Or Elicitor-Inducible Transcription Regulatory Element From The Tobacco 5-Epi-Aristolochene Synthase Gene And Plants Transformed Therewith, Joseph Chappell, Shaohui Yin, Catherine Cornett

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

A tobacco epi-5-aristolochene synthase transcriptional regulatory element functional in plants, plant tissue and in plant cells for pathogen inducible gene expression and a method for increasing the transcriptional expression of downstream genetic information in plants, plant tissue and plant cells are disclosed.

Vegf164-Mediated Inflammation Is Required For Pathological, But Not Physiological, Ischemia-Induced Retinal Neovascularization, Susumu Ishida, Tomohiko Usui, Kenji Yamashiro, Yuichi Kaji, Shiro Amano, Yuichiro Ogura, Tetsuo Hida, Yoshihisa Oguchi, Jayakrishna Ambati, Joan W. Miller, Evangelos S. Gragoudas, Yin-Shan Ng, Patricia A. D'Amore, David T. Shima, Anthony P. Adamis

Ophthalmology and Visual Science Faculty Publications

Hypoxia-induced VEGF governs both physiological retinal vascular development and pathological retinal neovascularization. In the current paper, the mechanisms of physiological and pathological neovascularization are compared and contrasted. During pathological neovascularization, both the absolute and relative expression levels for VEGF₁₆₄ increased to a greater degree than during physiological neovascularization. Furthermore, extensive leukocyte adhesion was observed at the leading edge of pathological, but not physiological, neovascularization. When a VEGF₁₆₄-specific neutralizing aptamer was administered, it potently suppressed the leukocyte adhesion and pathological neovascularization, whereas it had little or no effect on physiological neovascularization. In parallel experiments, genetically altered VEGF_{164 …}

Group Therapy For Incarcerated Women Who Experienced Interpersonal Violence: A Pilot Study, Rebekah G. Bradley, Diane R. Follingstad

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

This study evaluated effectiveness of group therapy for incarcerated women with histories of childhood sexual and/or physical abuse. The intervention was based on a two-stage model of trauma treatment and included Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills and writing assignments. We randomly assigned 24 participants to group treatment (13 completed) and 25 to a no-contact comparison condition (18 completed). We evaluated treatment effects, using the Beck Depression Inventory, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and Trauma Symptom Inventory. The data demonstrate significant reductions in PTSD, mood, and interpersonal symptoms in the treatment group.

Adolescent Violence Prevention: A Case Presentation, Hatim A. Omar, Joan Griffith

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Violence in adolescence has seen an increase since the 1990s with dramatic statistics on violent death and risk behaviors. School violence has been focused upon by a huge media coverage of especially violent cases that could have had some endemic consequences worldwide. We present a case of a 14 year old white male with change in school behavior, strategies for the case investigation, its results, and long term prevention. Other research has shown that preventive measures during pregnancy, infancy and childhood can prevent adolescent and adult delinquency.

Psychosocial Stress And Cervical Neoplasia Risk, Ann L. Coker, Sharon M. Bond, Margaret M. Madeleine, Kathryn J. Luchok, Lucia Pirisi

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the association between psychosocial stress and preinvasive cervical neoplasia development controlling for HR-HPV infection.

METHODS: This case-control study enrolled low-income women receiving family planning services at health department clinics. There were 59 cases with biopsy confirmed HSIL and 163 with low-grade SIL and 160 controls with normal cervical cytology. A modified SLE scale was used to measure stressful events and the perceived impact of the event in the prior 5 years. Unconditional logistic regression was used to assess SIL risk and stressful events scores and by subscales.

RESULTS: After adjusting for age, HR-HPV infection, and lifetime number …

Mientras Trabaja, No Se Caiga!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

Para prevenir caídas durante en trabajo:

• Siempre use el sistema apropiado de caídas. Hacer una evaluación meticulosa dentro y alrededor del área de trabajo, para identificar los riesgos existentes y potenciales de caídas.
• Los empleadores y los subcontratistas deben proveer de un entrenamiento de protección de caídas a sus empleados, en un lugar en especifico.
• Poner señales de alerta enfrente del área de trabajo y alrededor de los perímetros donde el riesgo ha sido identificado.
• No se ubique en una situación de potencialmente riesgoso. Los trabajadores siempre necesitan estar alerta.

While Working, Don't Take The Fall!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To prevent falls while working:

• Always use appropriate fall protection systems.
• Conduct a thorough assessment in and around the work area to identify existing and potential fall hazards.
• Both employers and subcontractors should provide comprehensive fall protection training for their employees, that is site specific.
• Place warning signs in front of work areas and around perimeters where fall hazards have been identified.
• Don’t place yourself in a potentially hazardous situation. Workers should always stay alert.

Drivers And Riders Need To Work Safely While In And Around Refuse Collection Vehicles, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent refuse collection injuries:

• Employers should provide comprehensive employee safety training programs including identification of hazards posed by other motor vehicles in the area, and by riding on or working near moving refuse collection vehicles.
• Employers and employees should have routine maintenance programs for refuse collection vehicles including proper condition of tires.
• Don’t place yourself in a potentially hazardous situation. Workers should always stay alert.

Tanto Conductores Como Recolectores Necesitan Trabajar Con Seguridad Al Situarse Cerca O Dentro De Vehículos De Recolección De Basura, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

Para prevenir lesiones en la labor de recolección de residuos:

Los empleadores deberán proporcionar programas de entrenamiento de seguridad adaptados a la labor de sus empleados que incluyan la identificación de los riesgos que suponen otros automotores movilizándose en el área, así como el desplazamiento sobre o cerca de vehículos de recolección de residuos en movimiento.

Tanto empleadores como empleados deben asistir a programas de recolección de residuos, con cursos que incluyan el mantenimiento apropiado de las llantas.

Evite exponerse usted mismo a situaciones potencialmente riesgosas. Los trabajadores siempre deben estar atentos.

Adiponectin Expression From Human Adipose Tissue: Relation To Obesity, Insulin Resistance, And Tumor Necrosis Factor-Α Expression, Philip A. Kern, Gina B. Di Gregorio, Tong Lu, Negah Rassouli, Gouri Ranganathan

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

Adiponectin is a 29-kDa adipocyte protein that has been linked to the insulin resistance of obesity and lipodystrophy. To better understand the regulation of adiponectin expression, we measured plasma adiponectin and adipose tissue adiponectin mRNA levels in nondiabetic subjects with varying degrees of obesity and insulin resistance. Plasma adiponectin and adiponectin mRNA levels were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.80, P < 0.001), and obese subjects expressed significantly lower levels of adiponectin. However, a significant sex difference in adiponectin expression was observed, especially in relatively lean subjects. When men and women with a BMI2were compared, women had a twofold higher percent body fat, yet their plasma adiponectin levels were 65% higher (8.6 ± 1.1 and 14.2 ± 1.6 μg/ml in men and women, respectively; P < 0.02). Plasma adiponectin had a strong association with insulin sensitivity index (S_I) (r = 0.67, P < 0.0001, n = 51) that was not affected by sex, but no relation with insulin secretion. To separate the effects of obesity (BMI) from S_I, subjects who were discordant for S_I were matched for BMI, age, and sex. Using this approach, insulin-sensitive subjects demonstrated a twofold higher plasma level of …

41 Year-Old Male Dies After Being Struck In The Head With An Auger, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On October 23, 2002, a 41 year-old male (decedent) died after he was hit in the head with the handle of an auger. He was part of a four-member work crew tying water lines of private residences into a municipal water line. He was injured while backing the auger out of the hole and the handle became tangled with the rotating auger bit which caused the handle to flip up and strike him in the head, twice. After being struck, with co-workers following him trying to convince him to sit down, he walked away from the site until emergency rescue …

21 Year-Old Male Dies When Struck In The Head With A Track Hoe Bucket, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On November 22, 2002, a 21-year-old male laborer died after being hit in the head with the bucket of a track hoe. He was wearing a safety helmet at the time of the incident. There were six to seven workers at the job site when the incident occurred. The work crew was pouring the footing for a retaining wall as part of a bridge for a private runway being built. The concrete form collapsed, trapping one worker and almost trapping two others. The decedent had left to retrieve a shovel to help free the trapped co-worker. As he retrieved the …

Obstructive And Restrictive Lung Disease And Markers Of Inflammation: Data From The Third National Health And Nutrition Examination, David M. Mannino, Earl S. Ford, Stephen C. Redd

David M. Mannino

Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and restrictive lung diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States 1, 2 and 3, a large proportion of the morbidity and mortality is not pulmonary (4). This raises the possibility that lung disease may be an indicator of susceptibility to the development of other diseases or may be associated with systemic inflammation that leads to other diseases 5 and 6. Previous analyses of the relation between lung function and markers of inflammation 7 and 8 have not looked at restrictive lung disease separately.

We applied spirometric criteria to define …

Hispanic Worker Dies In Tractor Rollover, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

On May 31, 2002, a 25 year-old Hispanic worker (decedent) died when the gasoline-powered tractor he was operating overturned. The incident occurred when the decedent mowed a steep embankment along a rural roadside which caused the tractor to flip over a 3-strand, barbed wire fence, pinning the operator under the seat and tire. A passing motorist noticed the overturned tractor and notified 911, emergency services. Local police and fire departments arrived at the scene, as did a local ambulance. The coroner arrived and declared the tractor operator dead due to asphyxiation and crushing injuries to the chest.

• Tractors should be …