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We have used the whole-cell recording technique to determine whether ATP-sensitive potassium (K.sub.ATP) currents, voltage-dependent [Ca.sup.2+] currents, and exocytosis are different in single Β-cells from pancreatic islets of Goto-Kakizaki (GK) [...]

Women with spinal cord injuries can have successful pregnancies. The location of the injury to the spinal cord will determine how the symptoms of labor will be manifested. For example, if the injury is to the lower regions , then a pregnant women will still be able to feel the contractions of the uterus during labor. However, if the injury is in the middle or upper part (in the chest or neck region), then the contractions will not be felt and the voluntary use of the abdominal muscles will be absent. Muscle spasms may occur in the abdominal muscles and in the leg muscles. When the injury is to the middle to upper regions, labor may cause a condition called dysreflexia. The symptoms of dysreflexia include headache, sweating, nausea, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and high blood pressure. This article describes the case reports of 15 pregnant women with spinal cord injuries. In most of these cases, the injury was to the middle region of the spinal cord. Urinary tract infections were the most common problem, occurring in all 15 of the women. Anemia was less common, but occurred in seven of the cases. Antihypertensive drugs, such as phentolamine, hydralazine, or glycerol trinitrate were used to control blood pressure. Most of the pregnancies were carried to term, with an average birth weight of seven pounds. There were no stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or birth defects. It is concluded that women with spinal cord injuries can have normal pregnancies if proper prenatal care is provided. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Clinical islet transplantation achieves insulin independence in selected patients, yet current methods for extracting islets from their surrounding pancreatic matrix are suboptimal. The islet basement membrane (BM) influences islet function and survival and is a critical marker of islet integrity following rodent islet isolation. No studies have investigated the impact of islet isolation on BM integrity in human islets, which have a unique duplex structure. To address this, samples were taken from 27 clinical human islet isolations (donor age 41–59, BMI 26–38, cold ischemic time < 10 h). Collagen IV, pan-laminin, perlecan and laminin-α5 in the islet BM were significantly digested by enzyme treatment. In isolated islets, laminin-α5 (found in both layers of the duplex BM) and perlecan were lost entirely, with no restoration evident during culture. Collagen IV and pan-laminin were present in the disorganized BM of isolated islets, yet a significant reduction in pan-laminin was seen during the initial 24 h culture period. Islet cytotoxicity increased during culture. Therefore, the human islet BM is substantially disrupted during the islet isolation procedure. Islet function and survival may be compromised as a consequence of an incomplete islet BM, which has implications for islet survival and transplanted graft longevity.

Heteroconium citharexyli, the type species of this genus, is illustrated and redescribed as a sooty mold bearing acropetal chains of conidia showing a basifugal sequence of septation. Heteroconium neriifoliae, H. glutinosaand the Heteroconiumsynanamorph of Antennulariella concinnaare congeneric. The latter species is neotypified, illustrated and described. Pirozynskiellanew genus, typified by P. solaninumcomb. nov. (≡ Helminthosporium solaninum), differs from Heteroconiumin having an obligate association with asterinaceous fungi and in the centrifugal sequence of conidium transseptation after the initial median septum. Pirozynskiella costaricensiscomb. nov. (≡ Dendryphion costaricensis) is illustrated and described. Heteroconium tetracoilumand H. chaetospiraare fungicoles of wood and bark; the former has basifugal conidium septation and the latter has a centrifugal sequence. The two latter species can be excluded from the Heteroconium. Basifugal and centrifugal septation of conidia is discussed with reference to several sooty molds, to some foliicolous anamorphs with subcuticular hyphae (Heterosporiopsis) and to some wood and bark hyphomycetes (Septonema, Taeniolella). Ten other species included in Heteroconiumare known to me only from their original descriptions; only one (H. asiaticum) is probably a sooty mold.

Using morphological characters, cultural characters, large subunit and internal transcribed spacer rDNA (ITS) sequences, and provisions of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, this paper attempts to resolve the taxonomic and nomenclatural confusion surrounding three species of cladosporium-like hyphomycetes. The type specimen of Hormodendrum resinae, the basis for the use of the epithet resinaefor the creosote fungus {either as Hormoconis resinaeor Cladosporium resinae) represents the mononematous synanamorph of the synnematous, resinicolous fungus Sorocybe resinae. The phylogenetic relationships of the creosote fungus, which is the anamorph of Amorphotheca resinae, are with the family Myxotrichaceae, whereas S. resinaeis related to Capronia(Chaetothyriales, Herpotrichiellaceae). Our data support the segregation of Pycnostysanus azaleae, the cause of bud blast of rhododendrons, in the recently described anamorph genus Seifertia, distinct from Sorocybe;this species is related to the Dothideomycetesbut its exact phylogenetic placement is uncertain. To formally stabilize the name of the anamorph of the creosote fungus, conservation of Hormodendrum resinaewith a new holotype should be considered. The paraphyly of the family Myxotrichaceaewith the Amorphothecaceaesuggested by ITS sequences should be confirmed with additional genes.

Chalk rock masses contain natural discontinuities that are largely parallel and perpendicular to the ground surface. In terms of foundation loading, it is the normal deformation of the horizontal discontinuities, which are of particular interest. This paper considers the influence of discontinuity contact area on the deformation behaviour of chalk. A suite of unconfined compressive strength tests is described, which comprises an intact specimen and five discontinuous specimens. The contact area at the discontinuity ranges from 57% of the initial cross-sectional area of the specimen to 17% contact area. The deformation processes are modelled analytically and the experimental results are compared with the predicted values. The experimental results show excellent agreement with the proposed model and identify a critical contact area, between 44% and 51%, which determines the mode of deformation behaviour.

A sixty-three-year-old man was found to have a 6.5 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm on routine follow-up six months after renal transplantation. Renal function did not deteriorate over the operative period. In such circumstances, the operation should be designed to minimize the period of renal ischemia, but specific techniques to maintain normotensive renal perfusion are not required.

Torula glutinosa, a sooty mold on living leaves and stems of Eriodictyonspp. from California is illustrated and described. It shares, with the type species of Heteroconium, H. citharexyli, acropetal conidiogenesis of chains of conidia of variable length and acropetal transseptation. An unnamed synanamorph is recognized and described.

Registered nurses at an academic medical center reported lack of knowledge of how to make appropriate changes to clinical practice. After implementation of a quality improvement project, they reported a significant increase in their confidence to change clinical practice based on current evidence., Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a systematic problem-solving strategy that integrates high-quality, current evidence in conjunction with clinicians' expertise and patients' preferences for determining patient care (Melnyk, Gallagher-Ford, Long, & Fineout-Overholt, [...]

2020 APR 4 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Current study results on Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases and Conditions - Obesity [...]

ABSTRACT This paper study the occurrence of aragonite-vaterite-calcite: Polymorphs of CaC03 in the ancient lime plaster works of south India's Alampur group of temples that was under submerged condition due [...]

2017 NOV 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Investigators publish new report on Oncology - Colon Cancer. According to news [...]

2017 NOV 2 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Women's Health Weekly -- Researchers detail new data in Oncology - Breast Cancer. According to news reporting out [...]

Objective. To describe changes in hospitals&apos; competitive strategies, specifically the relative emphasis placed on strategies for competing along price and nonprice (i.e., service, amenities, perceived quality) dimensions, and the reasons for any observed shifts. Methods. This study uses data gathered through the Community Tracking Study site visits, a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of 12 U.S. communities. Research teams visited each of these communities every two years since 1996 and conducted between 50 to 90 semistructured interviews. Additional information on hospital competition and strategy was gathered from secondary data. Principal Findings. We found that hospitals&apos; strategic emphasis changed significantly between 1996-1997 and 2000-2001. In the mid-1990s, hospitals primarily competed on price through "wholesale" strategies (i.e., providing services attractive to managed care plans). By 2000-2001, nonprice competition was becoming increasingly important and hospitals were reviving "retail" strategies (i.e., providing services attractive to individual physicians and the patients they serve). Three major factors explain this shift in hospital strategy: less than anticipated selective contracting and capitated payment; the freeing up of hospital resources previously devoted to horizontal and vertical integration strategies; and, the emergence and growth of new competitors. Conclusion. Renewed emphasis on nonprice competition and retail strategies, and the service mimicking and one-upmanship that result, suggest that a new medical arms race is emerging. However, there are important differences between the medical arms race today and the one that occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s: the hospital market is more concentrated and price competition remains relatively important. The development of a new medical arms race has significant research and policy implications. Key Words. Hospital, competition, strategy, services, The strategies hospitals use to compete provide significant insight into broader health care market developments because hospital strategy is shaped by a variety of external forces. Some of the major [...]

* The Vatican announced on Nov. 8 that U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, 66, formerly prefect of the Apostolic Signature, will now serve as cardinal patron of the Knights and [...]

A subcontractor who worked on the Technology Museum of Innovation is claiming the San Jose Redevelopment Agency has not paid him $2 million for work performed on the site. According [...]