The University of Kansas: Journals@KU
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An updated review on the utility of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in the treatment of refractory myasthenia gravis
Full text linkINTRODUCTION: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been shown to be an effective treatment in many severe autoimmune diseases. There have been a number of reported cases of successful HSCT in severe, refractory myasthenia gravis (MG).
OBJECTIVE: To review and summarize the current literature on the role of HSCT in the management of refractory MG.
METHODS: Databases including PubMed, clinical trials.gov, and Cochrane Reviews were searched for research articles containing “hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,” “stem cell,” and “myasthenia gravis.” Articles were excluded if they were not written in English.
RESULTS: A total of 16 patients across 8 publications were identified as having undergone HSCT in the setting of MG. Following HSCT, all patients had significant improvement in their MG status, with 11 achieving complete stable remission. Common adverse effects were mostly infection-related and included neutropenic fever, cytomegalovirus viremia or reactivation, mucositis, and upper respiratory tract infection.
CONCLUSION: HSCT has the potential to provide sustained benefit for patients with MG who are refractory to conventional treatment. A large-scale prospective study is warranted to better define its role in the treatment of MG
The ratio of Ψ(2S) and J/Ψ exclusive photoproduction cross-sections as a tool to detect non-linear QCD evolution
Full text linkWe study the proposal that the rise with energy of the ratio of Ψ(2s) and J/Ψ exclusive photoproduction cross-sections might serve as an indicator of the presence of non-linear QCD evolution, related to the presence of high and potentially saturated gluon densities in both the proton and a lead nucleus. Our study employs recent fits of the GBW and BGK dipole models and provides predictions for both exclusive photoproduction on a proton and on a lead nucleus. While the cross-sections for photoproduction on a proton depend only weakly on non-linear low x corrections, we find an increased sensitivity for the cross-section ratio, which is directly related to the node in the Ψ(2s) wave function. We further give a description of recent ALICE data for exclusive J/Ψ photoproduction on a lead nucleus and provide predictions for Ψ(2s) photoproduction on a lead nucleus as well as for the corresponding cross-section ratio
The hTERT N-terminal DNA binding is necessary but not sufficient for maintaining telomere and cellular immortalization
No full textTelomerase is a reverse transcriptase that adds telomeric DNA repeats at the end of chromosomes and prevents senescence, apoptosis and genome instability. The core components of TERT are a catalytic protein subunit, the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and an RNA subunit, the telomerase RNA (TR). The N-terminus of TERT has been implicated in processive DNA synthesis that is facilitated by telomere-binding domains in TERT called anchor sites. In this study, we characterized three evolutionarily conserved residues in human TERT, G145, Q169 and G172. We performed site-directed mutagenesis and created hTERT G145A, Q169A and G172A mutants. All three hTERT mutants were not able to immortalize human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) and maintain telomere length in cells. The G145A mutant did not abrogate hTERT enzymatic activity, while Q169 and G172 mutants exhibited severely reduced levels and enzymatic activity. When compared to wild type hTERT, the G145 mutant still could interact with telomeric DNA in cells. In contrast, substitutions of Q169 and G172 impaired the interaction between hTERT and telomeres in cells. Thus, characterization of these three conserved residue mutants in GQ motif suggested that the hTERT N-terminal DNA binding is necessary for telomerase function, but not sufficient for maintaining telomere length and immortalizing cells
Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Sumner County, Kansas
Full text linkThis report describes the geography, geology, and ground-water resources of Sumner County in south-central Kansas. The hydrologic and geologic data upon which this report is based were obtained in the field during the summers of 1955 and 1956. Records of 300 wells and 2 springs, chemical analyses of 219 water samples from wells and test holes and of 15 from streams, and logs of 362 wells and test holes are included in tables.
Sumner County has an area of 1,183 square miles and lies in the Wellington Lowland and Arkansas River Lowlands of the Central Lowland physiographic province. It is drained by Arkansas River, Ninnescah River, and Chikaskia River and their tributaries. The land surface in general is a southeastward-sloping, gently rolling plain. The average annual precipitation at Wellington is about 31 inches. Wheat fanning is the principal industry of the county, and oil is the chief natural resource.
The Wellington Formation, of Permian age, crops out in the eastern two-thirds of the county except where it is covered by Pleistocene deposits. The Ninnescah Shale (Permian) overlies the Wellington Formation and crops out in parts of the western third of the county. The Permian rocks yield small quantities of hard water to wells. Pleistocene sand and gravel deposits of Nebraskan age are present in the northwestern corner of the county and yield moderate quantities of good water to wells. Discontinuous deposits of Kansan or Illinoisan age, locally mantled by colluvium, forms terraces in southern and eastern Sumner County, and may yield moderate quantities of water. Wisconsinan terrace deposits and Recent alluvium along the major streams yield large quantities of water. Colluvium and dune sand are unimportant as sources of water but may facilitate recharge.
Maps of Sumner County included in this report show the outcrop areas of the formations, geologic cross sections, the shape and slope of the water table, the locations of wells and test holes for which records are given, and the distribution of chloride in water samples.
The ground-water reservoir is recharged principally from rain and snow that fall within the county, by percolation from streams and other surface bodies of water, and by underflow from adjacent areas. Water is discharged from the ground-water reservoir by seepage into streams, by transpiration and evaporation, by movement into adjacent areas, and by wells. Water is pumped from wells for domestic, stock, municipal, industrial, and irrigation use. Irrigation from wells is most extensive in the valley of Arkansas River, in which area further development is most probable.
Chemical analyses of samples of water from Sumner County indicate that the quality varies greatly from place to place. Sulfate is common in water from the Wellington Formation and Ninnescah Shale. Water from Pleistocene deposits is generally suitable for most uses except in local areas where it contains excessive chloride
Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Trego County, Kansas
Full text linkTrego County is a 900-square-mile area in the High Plains section of west-central Kansas. The altitude ranges from about 2,000 to 2,600 feet above sea level. The climate is semiarid, and the mean annual rainfall is 21.40 inches. The population of the county in 1960 was 5,473. Farming and livestock raising are the chief occupations.
The Carlile Shale of late Cretaceous age is the oldest rock formation cropping out in the county. The Carlile is overlain by the Niobrara Chalk, the dominant bedrock formation in the county. The Ogallala Formation of Neogene (Pliocene) age unconformably overlies Cretaceous rocks in much of the county and consists principally of fluviatile deposits of sand, gravel, and silt. Terrace deposits of Pleistocene age occur along the principal valleys. Eolian silts that mantle the uplands and alluvium along stream valleys constitute the youngest deposits and are late Pleistocene in age.
The Ogallala Formation is the most widespread aquifer and yields water to many domestic and stock wells. Alluvium and terrace deposits yield moderate quantities of water, but these deposits are not of wide areal extent. In areas of Cretaceous outcrops, small quantities of ground water are obtained from the Dakota Formation of early (?) Cretaceous age and from the Codell Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale of late Cretaceous age.
Hydrologic data are given in tables and include records of 280 wells, logs of 176 test holes and wells, and chemical analyses of 59 samples of water from wells
Supporting the Inclusion and Identities of African Refugee Students in U.S. Higher Education
Full text linkThis paper seeks to understand how African refugee students in U.S. higher education construct their social and schooling identities while they negotiate the challenges they face. Although existing literature address- es identity formation among refugee students in the post resettlement period, little is known about how African adult college refugee students maintain their identities once settled in the United States. Framed as a qualitative case study, findings assert that African refugee college students face both linguistic and academic challenges as students enrolled in higher education in the U.S.; however, the magnitude of the linguistic challenges varies based on the status of English language as a medium of instruction in the country of the refugees’ first asylum. The two challenges—linguistic and academic challenge—become intertwined once refugees pursue post-secondary opportunities in the U.S. Findings highlight the juxtaposition of maintenance of previous schooling and cultural values while learning and negotiating a new culture of post-secondary schooling in the U.S
Standardized protocol for collecting bee samples to generate molecular data
Full text linkThis protocol provides guidance on the appropriate collection of bee specimens or tissue samples for molecular analysis, with an emphasis on generating genetic and genomic data while ensuring tissue integrity. Specifically, the protocol focuses on tissue collection and storage methods, including relevant specimen metadata recording and reporting, but does not cover any downstream handling or analyses, which vary depending on the aims of a given project or study. This protocol is specifically designed for freshly collected, individual bee specimens intended for genetic, genomic, or other molecular analyses. While molecular approaches to bee monitoring are not the primary focus, we emphasize their promising role for future applications. This protocol is part of a series developed in association with the U.S. National Native Bee Monitoring Network to standardize bee monitoring practices.
Near Fiber Electromyography in the Diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis: NFEMG in MG
No full textBackground:
Near fiber EMG (NFEMG) focuses on activity of muscle fibers close to the electrode offers the ability to semi-automatically assess neuromuscular junction instability in a manner conceptually similar to single fiber EMG (SFEMG). The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the accuracy of NFEMG with SFEMG in diagnosing myasthenia gravis (MG).
Methods:
NFEMG was blindly applied to recordings from 50 patients SFEMG-tested at BIDMC in the prior 18 months, 12 of whom were diagnosed as having MG. Excluding the myopathic and neurogenic patients, NFEMG and SFEMG results were compared to the final clinical diagnosis using cross-validation that involved 10 randomly selected training sets and their corresponding testing sets.
Results:
In patients free of myopathy or neuropathy, NFEMG sensitivity was 100% while specificity ranged from 89% to 95% (mean of 90%). When testing on the entire cohort of patients free of other neuromuscular conditions, NFEMG sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 94%, respectively, while SFEMG sensitivity and specificity were 94% and 97%, respectively.
Conclusion:
NFEMG performs well in diagnosing MG, but prospective studies are needed. Patients with weakness for whom the differential diagnosis includes seronegative MG is substantial; an efficient way to address this is important. The ease of application and minimal training requirement suggest NFEMG could be an efficient screen prior to SFEMG referral or an alternative diagnostic test when SFEMG is unavailable, potentially addressing a significant healthcare disparity for the large population of patients with weakness that may be caused by seronegative MG