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Efficacy of Neuromuscular Ultrasound in Diagnosing and Treating a Mammogram-Induced Brachial Plexus Injury-A Case Report
Get PDFA 40-year-old woman presented with chronic left anterior shoulder, upper arm, and axillary pain following a routine mammogram 3 years prior. Despite multiple interventions, her pain persisted significantly affecting her quality of life. Ultrasound examination revealed fascicular edema in the medial brachial cutaneous nerve (MBCN), intercostobrachial cutaneous nerve (ICBN), and a positive sono-Tinel. Ultrasound-guided hydrodissection of these nerves provided complete axillary pain relief and significant improvement in anterior arm pain, sustained for 6 months. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of cutaneous nerve entrapment syndromes, often overlooked and misdiagnosed, especially without a clear inciting injury. Ultrasound proves superior to electrodiagnostic studies in visualizing nerve pathology, particularly in small cutaneous nerves. Incorporating ultrasound into the diagnostic process for nerve entrapments can reduce the need for more expensive tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the added benefit of therapeutic intervention. Moreover, routine mammography should be considered a cause for ICBN and MBCN neuropathy, a rare but significant condition. Neuromuscular ultrasound offers distinct advantages in diagnosing and treating such neuropathies, exemplified by the successful management of our patient\u27s condition
A Challenging Case of Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency complicated by Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
No full textPyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD) is an autosomal recessive disorder and the most common cause of chronic hemolytic anemia secondary to red blood cell (RBC) enzyme defects. Treatment is mainly supportive including splenectomy and transfusions. Mitapivat, an oral allosteric activator of defective pyruvate kinase, was approved by the FDA in February 2022 for treatment of adults with PKD. However, because Mitapivat undergoes liver metabolism, patients must have stable liver profiles prior to initiation of therapy. We present a case of PKD complicated by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). We initiated steroid therapy for his HLH with the intent to subsequently start Mitapivat. We delayed initiation of Mitapivat therapy due to persistent hepatic dysfunction. After starting Mitapivat his liver function remained stable, and his blood transfusion dependence slightly decreased. This suggested that Mitapivat does not necessarily worsen liver dysfunction or iron overload, and that this should therefore not be a reason to delay treatment
SIMULATIONS OF SINGLE METALLIC PARTICLE IMPACTS ONTO POLYMERIC SUBSTRATES FOR INSIGHTS INTO COLD SPRAY ADHESION AT COMPOSITE MATERIAL INTERFACES
No full textMetallization of polymer-based composites finds applications in a variety of industries in which addressing challenges such as electrical discharge mitigation or surface erosion can be vital. Cold spray additive manufacturing is emerging as a cutting-edge technology for polymer/composite metallization, offering a transformative approach to achieving desired material enhancements. This study employs finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate the adhesive “bonding” strength (i.e., extraction force under impulsive dynamic loading) between single 20-micron diameter spherical metal (copper) particles and polymer (polyetheretherketone) substrates under cold spray-relevant impact conditions. Analysis of FEA simulations centers on initial impact processes parameterized by particle impact velocity and particle impact temperature, followed by determination of the extraction force necessary to detach individual metal particles from the substrate. Results reveal that the systems studied reach thermo-mechanical equilibrium within \u3c 10-7 seconds post-impact, with deposition dynamics largely unaffected by the impacting particle temperature, and that a correlation exists between increasing impact velocity (400-700 m/s) and increasing extraction force. Additional simulations show a modest decline in extraction force with increasing temperature. These findings may be useful in optimizing the overall performance of metalized polymer/composites by cold spray and may also offer insights into the thermal-mechanical performance of metallized deposits
COMPACT SPACE-FOLDED MULTI-RESONATOR DUCT SILENCER WITH BROADBAND NOISE REDUCTION AND MINIMAL FLOW DISTURBANCE
No full textControl and reduction of unwanted noise is a significant concern in many residential, commercial, and industrial fields. Specifically, ducted noise control is of increasing importance due to the complex challenges of ventilation requirements imposed on the system. This research presents a compact, space-folded silencer which achieves broadband attenuation of noise in ducted applications. Making use of axial arrays of side- loaded resonators, this structure allows for unobstructed fluid-flow through its center, resulting in a static fluid pressure drop across the device of only 14.5 Pa. In addition, due to the silencer’s configurable nature, the geometry can be tuned to meet acoustic and geometric requirements during the design. Using theoretical calculations based upon the Transfer Matrix Method, a structure has been parametrically optimized to maximize acoustic transmission loss (TL) from 650 Hz to 2000 Hz. Experimental testing of the optimized silencer under stationary conditions resulted an average TL of 36.3 dB between 650 Hz and 2000 Hz, and experimental testing under grazing flow resulted in an average TL of 17.2 dB. In addition, numerical analysis of the structure was carried out under a mean grazing flow and a linear correlation was found between fluid-flow velocity and normalized change in transmission loss
Development of Emerin mRNA Lipid Nanoparticles to Rescue Myogenic Differentiation.
No full textEmery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy 1 (EDMD1) arises from mutations in EMD. Most EDMD1 patients lack detectable emerin expression. They experience symptoms such as skeletal muscle wasting, joint contractures, and cardiac conduction defects. Currently, physicians rely on treating patient symptoms without addressing the underlying cause-lack of functional emerin protein. Thus, there is a need for therapeutic approaches that restore emerin protein expression to improve patient outcomes. One way would be to deliver emerin mRNA or protein directly to affected tissues to restore tissue homeostasis. Here, we evaluated the utility of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver emerin mRNA to diseased cells. LNPs have been studied for decades and have recently been used clinically for vaccination and treatment of a myriad of diseases. Here, we show that the treatment of emerin-null myogenic progenitors with LNPs encapsulating emerin mRNA causes robust emerin protein expression that persists for at least 4 days. The treatment of differentiating emerin-null myogenic progenitors with 2.5 pg/cell emerin LNPs significantly improved their differentiation. The toxicity profiling of emerin mRNA LNP (EMD-LNP) dosing shows little toxicity at the effective dose. These data support the potential use of EMD-LNPs as a viable treatment option and establishes its utility for studying EDMD pathology
Medical Students’ Perspectives on Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization
No full textBackground: In June 2022, the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling overturned the previously upheld constitutional right to abortion. The resulting impact on medical training and student decision-making remains uncertain. This study aims to assess the nationwide impact of the Dobbs decision on medical students’ geographic residency preferences, specialty selection, and level of concern regarding civil and criminal charges for physicians providing abortion and fertility care.
Methods: An anonymous IRB-approved REDCap survey was distributed to American accredited medical schools across the United States and Israel between December 2022 and May 2023. Participants indicated specialty interests and geographic preferences for residency prior to and following the Dobbs decision. Students indicated their level of concern regarding legal charges for physicians providing abortion care across ten scenarios using a Likert scale.
Results: A total of 2,384 medical students from 72 schools completed the survey. Students reported a change in geographical preference for residency programs after the Dobbs decision: increasing preference for abortion-protected states and decreasing preference for abortion-banned states (p \u3c 0.0001). Interest in pursuing reproductive medicine (RM) specialties decreased after the Dobbs decision. Females and individuals interested in pursuing residency in abortion-protected states reported higher levels of legal concern (p \u3c 0.01).
Conclusion: Medical students’ perceptions of the Dobbs decision offer insights into career selection and geographic preferences among future physicians. These findings suggest that Dobbs may exacerbate geographic barriers to care as medical students become less willing to train in states with strict anti-abortion legislation
Peer Review Today: Models, Challenges, and Possibilities
No full textFaculty: Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Professor as well as Coordinator for Research Professional Development in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the University\u27s School of Information Sciences, European Union Center, and Center for Global Studies.
Join us for a fascinating journey through the many models of peer review in use today. Did you know that several disciplines are now experimenting with open peer review? How do the different process compare with each other? Lisa Hinchliffe will give a special guest lecture at Rowan that builds on her presentation at the 2025 ALA national conference. Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe is Professor/Coordinator for Research Professional Development in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
To learn a little before the presentation, please consult the NISO Peer Review Terminology site.
Zoom Passcode: P@$sz#V
EVERY DAY COUNTS – A CRITICAL QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY EXAMINING BLACK PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR PRESCHOOL SONS’ CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
No full textAbstract Marilyn I. Dunham EVERY DAY COUNTS – A CRITICAL QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY EXAMINING BLACK PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR PRESCHOOL SONS’ CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM 2025 - 2026 Jo Ann B. Manning, Ed.D. Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership The purpose of this critical qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of Black parents regarding chronic absenteeism among Black male preschoolers. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solórzano & Yosso, 2002), the study sought to amplify parental voices and explore how systemic policies, school practices, home factors, and parental advocacy influence early attendance. Eight Black parents from an urban New Jersey preschool program participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were triangulated through interviews, document analysis, and reflexive journaling. Then, data were analyzed using a hybrid coding process that combined open, axial, and CRT-informed deductive coding. Findings revealed that absenteeism was influenced not only by health and family challenges but also by rigid sick-day rules, exclusionary discipline, and deficit-based assumptions about parental engagement. Parents described themselves as active advocates who prioritized their children’s learning, countering stereotypes of disengagement. Their narratives reflected several CRT tenets. The findings highlight the need for culturally responsive, equity-driven attendance policies that affirm family realities and parental voice (Milner, 2020). This study contributes to the growing body of research by centering Black parents’ perspectives and exposing systemic barriers to preschool attendance (Wint et al., 2022)
Ontological Inquiry: A Foundation for Intercultural Communication Competence for Peace
No full textBeyond what we have discovered through research and what we claim to know about learning and teaching intercultural global competencies, I advocate for the inclusion of a pedagogy of ontological inquiry. Informed by my work as the International Cooperation Advisor for Higher Education at the Swiss Agency for Exchange and Cooperation, as well as my lived experience with ontological inquiry for more than 25 years, here I illuminate the access an ontological pedagogy provides to the realization of interculturalcommunication competencies as a foundation for peace
