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Abstract: T-ALL relapse usually occurs early but can occur much later, which has been suggested to represent a de novo leukemia. However, we conclusively demonstrate late relapse can evolve from a pre-leukemic subclone harbouring a non-coding mutation that evades initial chemotherapy., (© 2024 American Society of Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) framework was applied to assess 312 drinking water supply systems across regional New South Wales (NSW). The framework was needed to support the implementation of a recommendation in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) for appropriate treatment barriers to be operating in systems 'at risk' for Cryptosporidium. The objective was to prioritise systems so that those with the highest risk could be identified and addressed first. The framework was developed in a pilot study of 30 systems, selected to represent the range of water supplies across regional NSW. From these, source water categories were defined to represent local conditions with reference to the literature and Cryptosporidium risk factors. Values for Cryptosporidium oocyst concentration were assigned to the categories to allow quantification of the health risk from those water sources. The framework was then used to assess the risks in all 312 regional drinking water supply systems. Combining the disciplined approach of QMRA with simple catchment and treatment information and categorical risk outputs provided a useful and transparent method for prioritising systems for further investigation and potential risk management intervention. The risk rankings for drinking water supplies from this QMRA process have been used to set priorities for a large State Government funding program., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Intervention for borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescence is crucial as early onset of the disorder predicts more severe course, and intervention 'late' in the course of the disorder is associated with more negative outcomes. In spite of this, access to services is poor. This is because several unique barriers to accessing care exist for adolescents with BPD. In this article we highlight key barriers to care for adolescents with BPD utilizing a conceptual model for understanding health care access that emphasizes the interaction between patient and health care system characteristics. We conclude with proposed recommendations to address these identified barriers., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective(s): Effective contraceptive method use is important for HIV-positive women to meet fertility goals, prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce risk of vertical HIV transmission. Our objective was to evaluate factors associated with HIV-positive women's contraceptive method use at last coitus defined as more effective [Tier 1 and 2 methods (T1/2)] versus less effective [Tier 3 or no method (T3/none)] by the US Medical Eligibility Criteria for contraception use., Study Design: HIV-positive women, recruited from an HIV clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, between 2013 and 2014, completed a survey of demographic, clinical and reproductive health characteristics surrounding contraception. We examined the relationship between survey responses and contraceptive method use at last coitus using χ 2 tests and multivariate logistic regression., Results: Thirty-one percent of this HIV-positive and predominantly African-American (90%) cohort reported usage of T1/2 methods. T1/2 methods use was higher among younger women [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=.90, p=.008] and those in noncommitted relationships (aOR =.32, p=.027). Only 21% reported dual method use at last intercourse. Fifty-three percent and 31% reported having heard of the intrauterine device and implant, respectively. Misconceptions about contraception were common., Conclusions: The use of T1/2 methods was more common in this cohort than in the general African-American population, but overall use and dual method use can still be improved, particularly among older women and those in noncommitted relationships., Implications: As this population had low awareness and usage of T1/2 methods and expressed many misconceptions, reoccurring contraceptive counseling may be helpful. Providers should address patient-level barriers, pregnancy intentions, and the importance of dual method and T1/2 method use., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is mounting evidence that personality pathology, in particular, borderline pathology is a valid and reliable construct in adolescence, with prevalence, phenomenology, stability and risk factors similar to that of adult borderline personality disorder. Scientific evidence also delineates a marked separation of course and outcome of adolescent borderline personality disorder from other disorders and supports the efficacy of disorder-specific treatment. The current article addresses recent findings in these areas which point to adolescence as a sensitive period for the development for personality pathology. A conceptual model of psychopathology is presented wherein personality pathology is described as a qualitatively different level of psychopathology in the form of maladaptive self-other relatedness that is developmentally tied to identity formation in adolescence., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The chiral lactone 5-butyl-4-methyloxolan-2-one or 5-butyl-4-methyldihydro-2(3H)-furanone, often named whisky lactone, is found in oak wood, then contributing to the appreciated flavor of beverages stored in such wooden barrels. Its next higher homologue is named cognac lactone (5-pentyl-4-methyloxolan-2-one or 5-pentyl-4-methyldihydro-2(3H)-furanone), however is much less known, probably due to its minor concentration level. In order to study the direct enantioseparation of both lactones by gas chromatography on chiral stationary phases, individual enantiomers, particularly for cognac lactone were made available. This was achieved by baker's yeast reduction of synthesized ethyl 3-methyl-4-oxononanoate or, after hydrolysis, of the corresponding 4-ketoacid, that gave access to individual enantiomers of cognac lactone. Good enantioseparation was achieved for both whisky and cognac lactone with high values for the chiral resolution with 6-O-tert. butyl dimethylsilyl-2,3-dialkylated or 6-O-tert. butyl dimethylsilyl-2,3-diacylated cyclodextrin derivatives as chiral selectors. The influence of the nature and position of derivatization of the cyclodextrin moiety revealed a strong impact on the chiral recognition mechanism, as the investigated alkylated derivatives heptakis-(2,6-di-O-iso-pentyl-3-O-allyl)-β-cyclodextrin and octakis-(2,3-di-O-pentyl-6-O-methyl)-γ-cyclodextrin did not provide any or only minor chiral selectivity for the two lactones., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Treatment of latent TB infection (LTBI) is essential for preventing TB in North America, but acceptance and completion of this treatment have not been systematically assessed., Methods: We performed a retrospective, randomized two-stage cross-sectional survey of treatment and completion of LTBI at public and private clinics in 19 regions of the United States and Canada in 2002., Results: At 32 clinics that both performed tuberculin skin testing and offered treatment, 123 (17.1%; 95% CI, 14.5%-20.0%) of 720 subjects tested and offered treatment declined. Employees at health-care facilities were more likely to decline (odds ratio [OR], 4.74; 95% CI, 1.75-12.9; P = .003), whereas those in contact with a patient with TB were less likely to decline (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.07-0.50; P = .001). At 68 clinics starting treatment regardless of where skin testing was performed, 1,045 (52.7%; 95% CI, 48.5%-56.8%) of 1,994 people starting treatment failed to complete the recommended course. Risk factors for failure to complete included starting the 9-month isoniazid regimen (OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.23-3.57), residence in a congregate setting (nursing home, shelter, or jail; OR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.58-5.56), injection drug use (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.04-4.35), age >or= 15 years (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.14-1.94), and employment at a health-care facility (1.37; 95% CI, 1.00-1.85)., Conclusions: Fewer than half of the people starting treatment of LTBI completed therapy. Shorter regimens and interventions targeting residents of congregate settings, injection drug users, and employees of health-care facilities are needed to increase completion.

Addition of fish oil (FO) with carbon chain 20 and 22 (long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; LCPs) n-3 fatty acids to formula has been considered as a method to provide 22:6n-3 to preterm infants. These studies determined the effects of including 0.73% n-3 LCPs from FO in formula containing saturated fatty acids as medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil on plasma and organ triglyceride (TG), phospholipid (PL), and cholesterol ester (CE) contents and compositions in piglets. Reference piglets were fed their own mother's milk. Piglets fed the formula with FO had significantly lower liver and kidney, but not plasma, TG concentrations; lower liver PL 20:4n-6; and higher plasma, liver, and kidney TG, PL, and CEn-3 LCPs than piglets fed the formula without FO. The increase in liver and kidney lipid n-3 LCPs and the decrease in kidney lipid content shows that inclusion of FO in formula with a high content of MCTs and 18:2n-6 does not promote tissue lipid metabolism similar to natural milk feeding. Piglets fed formula with FO had similar brain 20:4n-6 and 20:5n-3 but higher 22:6n-3 than did piglets fed sow milk. Diet-related differences in plasma and red blood cell PL were not reliable predictors of differences in brain LCP.

Large increases in plasma phenylalanine concentration (greater than 1 mM) adversely affect brain function and inhibit cerebral protein synthesis. The threshold hypothesis predicts that moderate increases in plasma phenylalanine concentrations below a 1 mM threshold have no adverse effects on brain function or protein synthesis. Using a new in situ internal carotid artery perfusion technique and measurement of the amino acyl-tRNA specific activities by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation of phenylisothiocyanate (PITC) derivatized amino acids, the present studies demonstrate a linear decrease in cerebral protein synthesis in vivo in proportion to moderate increases in plasma phenylalanine. A 50% inhibition of brain protein synthesis in vivo is observed at a plasma phenylalanine concentration of approximately 0.40 mM. Since moderate increases in plasma phenylalanine concentrations may be achieved in humans with ingestion of phenylalanine, the present findings should be considered in evaluating the safety of liberal and selective increases in dietary phenylalanine.

Two trials were conducted in which three daylength and light intensity treatments were applied to 144 growing turkey toms from 8 to 28 weeks of age. Treatments were (1) six hours of artificial light, (2) natural light and daylength, and (3) simulated natural daylength. At 28 weeks of age all toms were placed on 14 hours of daily light. Individual tom semen quality was evaluated every two weeks for six months, and on alternate weeks, eight hens were inseminated with semen pooled by treatment replicate to obtain fertility (May to December). Seasonal decline in semen production, sperm concentration, semen volume, and fertility was observed for toms on natural daylength after three months of production. Toms on six hours of light and those on simulated natural light maintained high levels of production and quality for the entire six month period. Semen production expressed as the average number of toms producing semen, sperm concentration, and fertily were significantly lower (P less than .01), and semen volume was significantly lower (P less than .05) for toms on natural light after six months. It was concluded that natural light was less desirable than controlled light for "off season" growing of toms.

Three trials were conducted in which a series of different quantities of semen was used for inseminations. Relationships between total number of sperm inseminated (TNS) and fertility and number of viable sperm inseminated (NOV) and fertility were examined. Interrelationships between numbers of sperm inseminated, number of eggs laid, and fertility were also examined. It was found that TNS and NOV were significantly correlated (P less than .05) with fertility. When the number of eggs laid was considered (sperm to egg ratios), correlations were highly significant (P less than .01). Multiple correlation using number of sperm inseminated and number of eggs laid as the independent variables showed that TNS and the number of eggs laid were significantly correlated (P less than .05) with fertility. When the number of sperm inseminated was corrected so that only live, normal, and motile sperm were considered, the correlation became highly significant (P less than .01). It was concluded that the number of sperm required for optimum fertility was dependent on the number of eggs laid.

A procedure to enhance incorporation of radioactive iodine into cell-surface proteins is described. The effects of chemical modification of cells with the iodinatible haptens N-succinimidyl-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate (Bolton-Hunter reagent) and methyl-p-hydroxybenzimidate HC1 (Wood reagent) are compared. The Wood reagent, that does not alter the charge of the modified amino group, is superior in retention of cell viability and function. Cell-surface modification with the Wood reagent prior to radiolabeling is particularly useful for detecting antigens not readily iodinated using standard techniques.