3,016 research outputs found
Characterization of carboxylesterases involved in the insecticide resistance of Culex quinquefasciatus from the Caribbean and South America.
No full textThe organophosphate resistance-associated elevated
esterases
Estα2, Estβ1
and
Estβ2 were purified to homogeneity from larvae
of the
Cuban Habana
strain.
The
bimolecular rate constants (kas) of Habana Estβ1
with
a range
of organophosphates
were not significantly different to those of
PelRR Estβ21 ,
and were
higher
with
some organophosphates than PelRR Estα21 (Karunaratne
et al,
1993).
The
relative
insecticide binding efficiency of these esterases could
not, therefore,
explain why
co-amplified estα2 and estβ2 are out competing estβ1
in the
field.
On the
basis
of their
kas, both Habana Estα2 and Estβ2 could
be
distinguished from their
equivalents
purified from other strains.
In two organophosphate resistant strains
of
Culex
quinquefasciatus
from
Colombia
and Trinidad, possessing the amplified
esterase
genes estα3
and
estβl, the
EcoRI
restriction fragment lengths of the estβl genes
and their
flanking
regions
were
different both to each other and to those
previously reported
for
TEM-R
estβ11
(Raymond et aL, 1991) and MRES estβ12
(Vaughan
et aL,
1995).
There
were
a
number of significant differences between the
kas of
purified
Colombia,
Trinidad
and Habana Estβ1s. The low kas and high k3s for the
interaction
of
Colombia Estβ1
with several insecticides confirmed that, as
for
Estα21
and
Estβ21, the
main role
of
Estβ1 is sequestration. The kas of Habana, Colombia
and
Trinidad
Estβ1s
were
higher than that of the electrophoretically
identical
Est'β13
purified
from the
susceptible PelSS strain (Karunaratne et
al,
1995a). This
suggests that the
elevated
esterase-based mechanism confers resistance through
amplification
of
alleles
coding
C
for esterases having a higher reactivity with the
insecticides they
sequester
than esterases coded for by their non-amplified counterparts. A PelRR Estα21 antiserum had the same cross-reactivity
with
Habana
Estα2
as with
Estα21. However, both Habana Estβ1 and
Estβ2
had
a
cross-reactivity
of
approximately 150-fold less than the Estα2s
An investigation into the relationship between vigabatrin, movement disorders, and brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in children with infantile spasms
No full textAim: we aimed to investigate the relationship between movement disorders, changes on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and vigabatrin therapy in children with infantile spasms.Method: retrospective review and brain MRI analysis of children enrolled in the International Collaborative Infantile Spasms Study (ICISS) who developed a movement disorder on vigabatrin therapy. Comparisons were made with controls within ICISS who had no movement disorder.Results: ten of 124 infants had a movement disorder and in eight it had developed on vigabatrin therapy. Two had a movement disorder that resolved on dose-reduction of vigabatrin, one had improvement on withdrawing vigabatrin, two had resolution without any dose change, and in three it persisted despite vigabatrin withdrawal. The typical brain MRI changes associated with vigabatrin therapy were noted in two infants. Ten control infants were identified. Typical MRI changes noted with vigabatrin were noted in three controls.Interpretation: it is possible that in two out of eight cases, vigabatrin was associated with the development of a movement disorder. In six out of eight cases a causal relationship was less plausible. The majority of infants treated with vigabatrin did not develop a movement disorder. MRI changes associated with vigabatrin do not appear to be specifically related to the movement disorde
Evidence based cardiology - Psychosocial factors in the aetiology and prognosis of coronary heart disease: systematic review of prospective cohort studies
No full textSummary points: In healthy populations, prospective cohort
studies show a possible aetiological role for type
A/hostility (6/14 studies), depression and
anxiety (11/11 studies), psychosocial work
characteristics (6/10 studies), social support
(5/8 studies). In populations of patients with coronary heart
disease, prospective studies show a prognostic
role for depression and anxiety (6/6 studies),
psychosocial work characteristics (1/2 studies),
and social support (9/10 studies); none of five
studies showed a prognostic role for type
A/hostility.
Although this review can not discount the
possibility of publication bias, prospective cohort
studies provide strong evidence that psychosocial
factors, particularly depression and social support,
are independent aetiological and prognostic
factors for coronary heart disease
Reformulating the rj-McMC Algorithm for 3D Inversion of Passive Seismic Data for Near-Surface Characterization
No full textGeophysical subsurface characterization techniques could, due to their non-invasive nature, play a crucial role in the design and subsequent construction of infrastructure in urban & industrial environ- ments. Geo-data specialist company Fugro sees potential in upgrading their current ambient-seismic- noise-tomography workflow, to make use of state-of-the-art inversion schemes with the main goal of increasing the quality and accuracy of the initial-site characterization delivered to clients. In this thesis I explore the feasibility of utilizing the reverse-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (rj-McMC) algorithm for the inversion of ambient seismic noise for characterization in urban & industrial environments. Specif- ically, testing the potential of scaling down this inversion algorithm to fit in a small scale, near-surface framework. To achieve this, I first carried out analyses to evaluate the appropriate Rayleigh wave frequency range, after which realistic noise hyperparameters, suited for this reduced scale problem, were obtained. Because of the potential exploitation of in-situ borehole measurements, I reformulated the Bayesian prior within the rj-McMC algorithm to implement these constraining shear wave velocity values appropriately. I conducted extensive synthetic experiments to gain insight into the behavior of this adapted algorithm, from which it was concluded that the inherent dynamic discretization partially prevents these constraints from being implemented to their full extent. Nevertheless, promising results lead me to conclude that the use of the rj-McMC algorithm for application in near-surface urban & industrial environments is feasible.Applied Geophysics | IDEA Leagu
Clowns, Fools, and Killers: An Exploration of Horror, Comedy, and Madness Through the Roles of Murderer 2 and Sir Richard Ratcliffe in William Shakespeare\u27s Richard III
No full textThis document is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts with a Concentration in Musical Theatre. It is a detailed account of author RJ Magee’s artistic and scholarly process in creating the roles of Murderer 2 and Sir Richard Ratcliffe in William Shakespeare’s Richard III. The production was performed as part of Minnesota State University, Mankato’s mainstage season in October of 2022. In five chapters, this thesis chronicles the actor’s process: a preproduction analysis, a historical and critical perspective, a rehearsal and performance journal, a post-production analysis, and a process development analysis. Appendices and works cited are included
Radiation-induced root surface caries restored with glass-ionomer cement placed in conventional and ART cavity preparations: Results at two years
No full textThe document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association (8th Jan 2008). An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: There are no published studies comparing the clinical performances of more-viscous glass-ionomer cement (GIC) restorations when placed using conventional and atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) cavity preparation methods to restore root surface caries. Methods: One dentist used encapsulated Fuji IX GP and Ketac-Molar to restore 72 conventional and 74 ART cavity preparations for 15 patients who had received cervicofacial radiation therapy. Two assessors evaluated the restorations at six, 12, and 24 months for retention, marginal defects and surface wear, and recurrent caries. Results: After two years, the cumulative restoration successes were 65.2 per cent for the conventional and 66.2 per cent for the ART cavity preparations, without statistical or clinical significance (P>0.50). Restoration dislodgement accounted for 82.8 per cent and marginal defects for 17.2 per cent of all failures. There were no instances of unsatisfactory restoration wear or recurrent caries observed. Teeth with three or more restored cervical surfaces accounted for 79.3 per cent of all failures (P<0.0001). Conclusions: For root surface caries restored with GIC, the use of hand instruments only with the ART method was an equally effective alternative to conventional rotary instrumentation for cavity preparation. Larger restorations had higher failures, usually from dislodgement.JY Hu, XC Chen, YQ Li, RJ Smales and KH Yi
Paediatric use of melatonin (Author reply to D. J. Kennaway).
No full textComment on
Paediatric use of melatonin. [Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2015]
Current role of melatonin in pediatric neurology: clinical recommendations. [Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2015
Prognosis of angina with and without a diagnosis: 11 year follow up in the Whitehall II prospective cohort study
No full textObjective: To investigate the prognosis of angina among people with and without diagnosis by a doctor and an abnormal cardiovascular test result. Design: Prospective cohort study with a median follow up of 11 years. Setting: 20 civil service departments originally located in London. Participants: 10 308 civil servants aged 35-55 years at baseline. Main outcome measures: Recurrent reports of angina; quality of life (SF-36 physical functioning); non-fatal myocardial infarction; death from any cause (n = 344). Results: 1158 (11.4%) participants developed angina, and 813 (70%) had no evidence of diagnosis by a doctor at the time of the initial report. Participants without a diagnosis had an increased risk of impaired physical functioning (age and sex adjusted odds ratio of 2.36 (95% confidence interval 1.91 to 2.90)) compared with those who had neither angina nor myocardial infarction throughout follow up. Among reported cases of angina without a diagnosis, the 15.5% with an abnormality on a study electrocardiogram had an increased risk of death (hazard ratio 2.37 (1.16 to 4.87)). These effects were similar in magnitude to those in participants with a diagnosis of angina. Conclusion: Undiagnosed angina was common and had an adverse impact on prognosis comparable to that of diagnosed angina, particularly among people with electrocardiographic abnormalities. Efforts to improve prognosis among people with angina should take account of this submerged clinical iceberg
Platelet-rich plasma and macular hole surgery: A clue to their mode of action and the influence of anti-platelet agents
No full text\ua9 The Author(s) 2022. Purpose: To present a case of refractory full-thickness macular hole (FTMH), in which autologous platelet-rich plasma (aPRP) was used on two consecutive occasions, and associated with successful closure only after complete cessation of anti-platelet therapy. Methods: Interventional case report. Results: A 63-year-old male with Alport syndrome underwent pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling and gas for a large FTMH. The patient was on systemic anti-platelet agents for coronary disease. Post-operatively, the FTMH remained open and repeated surgery, augmented with aPRP, was performed. Although a thick pre-retinal coagulum was evident on optical coherence tomography on day one post-surgery, the second surgery failed. Ultimately, successful aPRP-augmented surgical closure of the FTMH was achieved only after complete cessation of systemic anti-platelet agents. Conclusion: Appropriate management of anti-platelet therapy may be relevant when planning aPRP use, though further large-scale studies are needed to assess the precise effect of anti-platelet therapy on the efficacy of aPRP, and to confirm the potential role of aPRP in patients with Alport syndrome
Needle deflection in thermal ablation procedures of liver tumors: a CT image analysis
No full textIntroduction: Accurate needle placement is crucial in image-guided needle interventions. A targeting error may be introduced due to undesired needle deflection upon insertion through tissue, caused by e.g. patient breathing, tissue heterogeneity, or asymmetric needle tip geometries. This paper aims to quantify needle deflection in thermal ablation procedures of liver tumors by means of a CT image analysis. Methods: Needle selection was done by using all clinical CT data that were made during thermal ablation procedures of the liver, ranging from 2008-2016, in the Erasmus MC, the Netherlands. The 3D needle shape was reconstructed for all selected insertions using manual segmentation. Subsequently, a straight line was computed between the entry point of the needle into the body and the needle tip. The maximal perpendicular distance between this straight line and the actual needle was used to calculate needle deflection. Results: In total, 365 needles were included in the analysis ranging from 14G to 17G in diameter. Average needle insertion depth was 95mm (range: 32 mm – 182 mm). Needle deflection was on average 1.3 mm (range: 0.0 mm – 6.5 mm). 54% of the needles (n=196) had a needle deflection of more than one millimeter, whereas 7% of the needles (n=25) showed a large needle deflection of more than three millimeters. Conclusions: Needle deflection in interventional radiology occurs in more than half of the needle insertions. Therefore, deflection should be taken into account when performing procedures and when defining design requirements for novel needles. Further, needle insertion models need to be developed that account for needle deflection.Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technolog
- …
