437 research outputs found
Supplemental Material2 - Supplemental material for 14th International Symposium on Thrombolysis, Thrombectomy and Acute Stroke Therapy: Proceedings and summary of discussions
No full textSupplemental material, Supplemental Material2 for 14th International Symposium on Thrombolysis, Thrombectomy and Acute Stroke Therapy: Proceedings and summary of discussions by Sunil A Sheth, Victor Lopez-Rivera, Songmi Lee, Sean I Savitz, David S Liebeskind, James C Grotta and for the Thrombolysis, Thrombectomy and Acute Stroke Therapy (TTST) group: on behalf of the Swiss IBD Cohort Study Group in International Journal of Stroke</p
Supplemental Material1 - Supplemental material for 14th International Symposium on Thrombolysis, Thrombectomy and Acute Stroke Therapy: Proceedings and summary of discussions
No full textSupplemental material, Supplemental Material1 for 14th International Symposium on Thrombolysis, Thrombectomy and Acute Stroke Therapy: Proceedings and summary of discussions by Sunil A Sheth, Victor Lopez-Rivera, Songmi Lee, Sean I Savitz, David S Liebeskind, James C Grotta and for the Thrombolysis, Thrombectomy and Acute Stroke Therapy (TTST) group: on behalf of the Swiss IBD Cohort Study Group in International Journal of Stroke</p
Birmingham News sleeve BN0066947
No full textFeature photos at Tarrant Middle School / Art and science students / Elizabeth Savitz - Science teacher / Tracy Childers - Art teacher / Feature shots for cutlines only / Principal will escort photographer to classrooms / Tarrant Middle School / 1425 East Lake Boulevard / Right to left / Chris Clayton (sitting) / Jamarcus Jackson / Aubreia Yearby (sitting) / Ryan Downey / 6th grade science / Elizabeth Savitz / Integrated science through University of Alabama / 8th grade Art II / Shannon Sanders / Tracy Childers / Daniel Grubbs / David Odom / [Work order included
Exposure to drinking water disinfection by-products and pregnancy health: impacts on fetal growth and duration of gestation
No full textBackground: Previous studies suggest that elevated exposure to disinfection byproducts (DBPs) may lead to fetal growth restriction. The association between DBP exposure and preterm birth is unclear. This study examined the effects of trihalomethane (THM), haloacetic acid (HAA), and total organic halide (TOX) exposure on the probability of delivering a small-for-gestational age (SGA) infant, mean birth weight and preterm birth. Methods: Women were enrolled early in pregnancy (≤ 12 week’s gestation) or while planning a pregnancy from three U.S. communities from 2000-2004. Weekly (or biweekly) water samples were collected and analyzed for DBPs. Participant data were collected through interviews, an early ultrasound and birth records. Associations with total THM (TTHM), the sum of five HAAs (HAA5), and TOX were assessed using log-binomial regression for SGA (n=1,958) and preterm birth (n=2,039) and linear regression for term birth weight (n=1,854). A Bayesian analysis was conducted to examine associations between individual DBPs and fetal growth. Discrete-time hazard analysis was used to model the conditional odds of delivery each week in relation to DBPs. Results: HAA5 and TOX were not consistently associated with SGA or term birth weight. The risk ratio (95% confidence interval) associated with an average third trimester TTHM concentration above the regulatory standard (≥ 80 micrograms/liter) was 2.0 (1.1, 3.6). Results of the Bayesian model did not support a consistent association between any particular DBP and fetal growth. Conversely, average second trimester DBP levels were inversely associated with preterm birth: adjusted risk ratios (95% confidence interval) for preterm birth were 0.8 (0.5, 1.3), 0.9 (0.6, 1.4), 0.7 (0.4, 1.1) and 0.5 (0.3, 0.9) for increasing TTHM concentrations and 1.1 (0.8, 1.7), 0.8 (0.5, 1.2), 0.5 (0.3 0.8), and 0.7 (0.4, 1.1) for increasing HAA concentrations. The conditional odds of delivery each week also were decreased with elevated TTHM and HAA5 exposure for gestational weeks' 33-40. Conclusions: Results do not suggest an adverse effect of HAA or TOX exposure on fetal growth or an association with TTHM at average residential concentrations below the regulatory standard. In addition, results clearly indicate the probability of preterm birth is not increased with elevated DBP exposure
Comparison of Trihalomethanes in Tap Water, Indoor Air, and Blood
No full textExposure to trihalomethanes, a class of disinfection by-products found in drinking water, has been examined in relation to a variety of adverse reproductive outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, birth defects, prematurity, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth retardation. However, the epidemiological studies addressing these associations have suffered from a lack of reliable exposure classification. Given the difficulties in gathering accurate information on water quality and consumption for the large number of subjects required in epidemiological studies, trihalomethane concentrations in blood may be useful as a biomarker of exposure. The relationship between trihalomethane concentrations in blood, tap water, and indoor air is investigated. A study established that trihalomethane concentrations in blood are three orders of magnitude lower than the concentrations found in tap water and that showering increased blood concentrations significantly. Trihalomethane concentrations in blood were not significantly correlated to concentrations in tap water, indicating that other factors are important in determining blood levels. A future study is proposed that examines exposure to trihalomethanes in a controlled environment to quantify increases in blood concentration from exposure that occurs as a result of routine water use activities.Master of Science in Environmental Engineerin
Maternal health exposures and pregnancy outcome: examining symptoms of nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy, maternal caffeine consumption, and spontaneous abortion utilizing regression and propensity score methodologies
No full textThis dissertation addressed two important issues concerning pregnant women: caffeine consumption and nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy (NVP). Factors influencing NVP have not been well established and methodological limitations in previous research merit closer evaluation on the caffeine consumption-spontaneous abortion (SAB) and NVP-SAB relationships. This study examined potential risk factors or markers for NVP, and the associations between NVP, caffeine exposures, and SAB using refined classifications of NVP and traditional and novel analytic methodologies. Our analyses included 2,430 newly pregnant women, who participated in a prospective cohort epidemiologic study from 2000 to 2004. Detailed NVP and caffeine consumption data and other health and pregnancy outcome information were collected through interviews, ultrasound assessments, and medical and vital records. Modified Poisson regression with robust error variance models generated risk ratios for potential risk factors to NVP characteristics. Discrete-time continuation ratio logistic survival models were used to estimate week-specific pregnancy loss associated with NVP and caffeine exposures. Additionally, we introduced propensity score methods to evaluate the effects of caffeine exposures on SAB. Most maternal characteristics were not associated with having NVP, except for plurality. Increased risk for delayed onset was found with increasing maternal age, among non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, or age at menarche between 12 and 13 years old. Additionally, older women and non-Hispanic Blacks were less likely to experience symptoms beyond first trimester. Absence of NVP is associated with an increased risk for SAB, compared to having any symptoms. Furthermore, age was found to modify the association between symptom severity and duration and SAB. Reduced risks for SAB was found across all age groups for longer duration, but the effects were much pronounced in the oldest age groups. There was little indication of potential harmful effects of caffeine on SAB; our results showed no overall meaningful differences in estimates from traditional covariate adjustment versus propensity score models. Using improved exposure assessments and analytic methodologies, we identified characteristics that are associated with subclasses of NVP, in addition to providing better understanding in NVP-SAB and caffeine-SAB relationships. Finally, our findings suggest that propensity score methodology is an important addition in studying pregnancy health
Adolescents reading graphic novels and comics: What we know from research
No full textAdolescents reading graphic novels and comics: What we know from research, Botzakis, S., Savitz, R., & Low, D. E. Copyright ©2017. Copyright Guilford Press. Reprinted with permission of The Guilford Press
The molecular genetics of bipolar affective disorder : South African populations, endophenotypes, and environmental influence
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.The identification of the genetic variants underpinning bipolar disorder (BPD) has been impeded by a complex pattern of inheritance that may include by genetic heterogeneity, genetic epistasis, gene-environment interactions, incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity. In this thesis three strategies were employed to ameliorate these confounding factors. The first strategy was to focus on a theoretically genetically-homogeneous population with BPD. A unique South African sample including 190 individuals of the relativity reproductively-isolated Afrikaner population yielded promising evidence of linkage to chromosome 1 q31-32 and weaker peaks at lOq23 and 13q32, regions previously implicated in the disorder. A family-based analysis suggested that the 3' variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) variant of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT) is associated with bipolar-spectrum illness in the 132-strong sample of British ancestry. The second strategy was to carry out genetic linkage and association analyses using quantitative traits (elldophenotypes) that were closely associated with BPD. As part of this process a variety of personality traits were evaluated in the cohort, and anxiety related, novelty-seeking, hyperthymic, and cyclothymic personality traits were found to aggregate in participants with BPD and to a lesser extent repeated unipolar illness (MDE-R). These traits were therefore used as quantitative markers or endophenotypes of BPD. The quantitative linkage analysis indicated that a variant in the region of 13q32 may influence the development of novelty-seeking-related traits in the largest Afrikaner pedigree, while the personality trait, ""Stability"", was weakly linked to 4p16 in the total sample. The catechol-o-methytransferase (COM1) Va1l58Mct and the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Va1l66Met polymorphisms were associated with mood-labile-cyclothymic and hyperthymic·-novelty-seeking traits, respectively. the DA T VNTR and the Notch4 exonic repeat variants were associated with a broad range of ""pathological"" personality traits in the sa11lples of British and Afrikaner origin, respectively. The sample was also evaluated with a battery of neuropsychological tasks and the BPD 1 and MDE-R groups displayed both verbal and visual memory recall deficits while the BPD 1 sample also suffered from recognition memory deficits. The neurocognitive trait, ""Memory"" was therefore used as a second endophenotype generating potential linkage signals on IOq23 and 22q 11. The exonic 48bp VNTR polymorphism in the dopamine 4 receptor (DRD4) gene was associated with '""Memory"" performance. As a third strategy, a potentially important aetiological factor, childhood trauma, was measured, and used to test for gene-environment interactions between the various candidate genes and bipolar-illness or BPD-related endophenotypes in the cohort. BPD and M DE-R individuals displayed significantly higher levels of emotional and physical abuse, and the former variable was also associated with the development of anxiety-related and unstable personality traits. A functional variant of the COM1 gene was found to interact with abuse to predispose to anxiety-related, unstable cyclothymic and novelty-seeking related personality traits. The combination of childhood abuse and possession of low-activity MAO-A gene variants was also associated the development of more anxious and unstable personality traits. All interaction between sexual abuse and the B])NF gene modulated performance on verbal and visual memory tasks. A similar interaction between the ApoE gene and sexual abuse was observed. Although a number of theoretical obstacles remain to be resolved, the analyses of isolated populations coupled with the use of endophenotypes and the testing or gene environment interactions, holds out great promise for the eventual elucidation of the genetic basis of hi polar affective disorder
The legal defense of persons with the diagnosis of multiple personality disorder
No full textp. 195-203This paper is based on the experience of a trial attorney who spent more than six years representing a young man accused of killing his parents. After being diagnosed as suffering from multiple personality disorder (MPD), issues regarding that defendant 's sanity and competency were litigated extensively. What became painfully obvious during that experience is that the defense of MPD is in its infancy stages and that there are only a handful of appellate decisions which discuss the disorder in the context of criminal responsibility. The decisions, however, do not articulate a sophisticated understanding of the disorder and for the most part are very restrictive in their analyses. Issues of insanity were normally couched in terms of the mental state of the perpetrating alter as opposed to the accused 's mind as a whole. In one case, lip service was paid to an accused 's amnesia with respect to the issue of competency. No reported case found a defendant insane or incompetent.
The author describes the various legal tests that may exist throughout the country with respect to these mental conditions. He suggests arguments to be made to convince a factfinder that the accused meets these tests and highlights counter-arguments that may be anticipated on behalf of the adversary. Finally, he outlines the types of evidence that should be amassed for the successful defense of one suffering from this controversial mental disorder
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