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Starting in 1996 and for almost a decade, M.M. Imam contributed to twelve papers published in international geological journals. These papers dealt with the micropaleontology and biostratigraphy of Cretaceous to Miocene series from Egypt and Libya. They were abundantly illustrated in order to support the author's findings and interpretations. However most photographic illustrations (189 at least) were fabricated with material lifted from the publications of other authors, commonly from localities or stratigraphic intervals other than those indicated by M.M. Imam.

Solar lentigo is a common condition that can affect people of all ages and ethnicities. The effectiveness of combining laser and light-based modalities for reducing solar lentigines was evaluated. Patients received treatment for facial solar lentigines with an advanced pulsed light device (BBL® HERO TM ) followed by nonablative fractionated 1,927nm laser (MOXI TM ) in a single session. Nonmalignant solar lentigines were evaluated through assessment of photographs and VISIA scans taken before and after treatment. Nine patients aged 29 to 64 years were included in this report. Across all nine patients, there was a significant increase in percentile for brown spots on VISIA scans post-treatment. Follow-up time was variable; in one patient, a marked reduction in hyperpigmentation was observed almost 20 months post-treatment. The results presented in this report demonstrate that combining BBL HERO and MOXI is effective for reducing solar lentigines., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES: KH is a key opinion leader for Sciton, Inc., and receives honoraria for speaking engagements and for providing clinical education and training to customers., (Copyright © 2024. Matrix Medical Communications. All rights reserved.)

Strategies for the intraoperative ventilator management of the critically ill patient focus on parameters used for lung protective ventilation with acute respiratory distress syndrome, preventing or limiting the deleterious effects of mechanical ventilation, and optimizing anesthetic and surgical conditions to limit postoperative pulmonary complications for patients at risk. Patient conditions such as obesity, sepsis, the need for laparoscopic surgery, or one-lung ventilation may benefit from intraoperative lung protective ventilation strategies. Anesthesiologists can use risk evaluation and prediction tools, monitor advanced physiologic targets, and incorporate new innovative monitoring techniques to develop an individualized approach for patients., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine is an emerging field. Machine learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, allows computer programs to analyze large imaging datasets and learn to perform tasks relevant to veterinary diagnostic imaging. This review summarizes the small, yet growing body of artificial intelligence literature in veterinary imaging, provides necessary background to understand these papers, and provides author commentary on the state of the field. To date, less than 40 peer-reviewed publications have utilized machine learning to perform imaging-associated tasks across multiple anatomic regions in veterinary clinical and biomedical research. Major challenges in this field include collection and cleaning of sufficient image data, selection of high-quality ground truth labels, formation of relationships between veterinary and machine learning professionals, and closure of the gap between academic uses of artificial intelligence and currently available commercial products. Further development of artificial intelligence has the potential to help meet the growing need for radiological services through applications in workflow, quality control, and image interpretation for both general practitioners and radiologists., (© 2022 American College of Veterinary Radiology.)

Hypaxial muscle abscess is an important differential in dogs presenting for abdominal or back pain, lameness, and nonspecific signs like fever, lethargy, and hyporexia. It can occur concurrently with intrathoracic disease such as pyothorax secondary to migrating vegetal foreign material. Twelve dogs that underwent CT of the lumbar spine or abdomen and had a diagnosed hypaxial abscess on surgical and/or microbiological examination were included in this retrospective, descriptive case series. Computed tomography findings and findings from other imaging modalities employed were described. Eleven dogs were hunting breeds. Clinical signs included lethargy, fever, increased respiratory effort, and abdominal or back pain. Radiography and/or ultrasonography were employed during preliminary work up at clinician discretion and respectively revealed changes consistent with osteomyelitis in the cranial lumbar vertebrae and heterogenous, hypoechoic areas in the hypaxial musculature consistent with abscesses. Computed tomography findings included enlargement of hypaxial muscles with well-defined fluid attenuating noncontrast enhancing areas with a contrast-enhancing rim consistent with abscesses, periosteal reaction and lysis of vertebrae, and retroperitoneal effusion. Four of the 12 cases in this series had material identified and removed at surgery. The other eight cases were presumed to be the same disease process based on compatible signalment, imaging findings, and microbiological results. Migrating vegetal foreign bodies are a common problem at the authors' institution. Computed tomography provided expedient, thorough visualization of the relevant hypaxial lesions for diagnostic and surgical planning purposes and also characterized intrathoracic components of this disease., (© 2022 American College of Veterinary Radiology.)

The purpose of the current project was to assess missed opportunities to identify metabolic syndrome in patients treated with second-generation antipsychotic medication in a community hospital's inpatient psychiatric unit between January 1 and December 31, 2020. Data on demographics, metabolic syndrome risk factors, body mass index, medications, related diagnoses, and primary care providers (PCPs) were collected via retrospective chart review of 194 patients. This project used a nonexperimental design and heterogenous nonrandom convenience sample. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, one-tailed t tests, and binary logistic regression were used. The overall rate of metabolic syndrome was 47.4% ( n = 92). A positive PCP status was significant for treatment with antihypertensives, statins, and antihyperglycemics ( p < 0.05). Findings indicate the need to increase system-wide assessment of metabolic syndrome and integrate care coordination with PCPs. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60 (8), 11-18.].

It is well-recognized that increasingly polarized American partisans subscribe to sharply diverging worldviews. Can partisanship influence Americans to view the world around them differently from one another? In the current research, we explored partisans' recollections of objective events that occurred during identical footage of a real protest. All participants viewed the same 87-second compilation of footage from a Women's March protest. Trump supporters (vs. others) recalled seeing a greater number of negative protest tactics and events (e.g., breaking windows, burning things), even though many of these events did not occur. False perceptions among Trump supporters, in turn, predicted beliefs that the protesters' tactics were extreme, ultimately accounting for greater opposition to the movement and its cause. Our findings point to the possibility of a feedback loop wherein partisanship underlies different perceptions of the exact same politically relevant event, which in turn may allow observers to cling more tightly to their original partisan stance., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1) is required for nuclear nicotinamide adenine mononucleotide (NAD+) biosynthesis in all nucleated cells, and despite its functional ubiquity, mutations in this gene lead to an isolated retinal degeneration. The mechanisms underlying how mutant NMNAT1 causes disease are not well understood, nor is the reason why the pathology is confined to the retina. Using a mouse model of NMNAT1-associated retinal degeneration that harbors the p.Val9Met mutation, we tested the hypothesis that decreased function of mutant NMNAT1 has a greater effect on the levels of NAD+ in the retina than elsewhere in the body. Measurements by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry showed an early and sustained decrease of NAD+ in mutant retinas that was not observed in other tissues. To understand how consumers of nuclear NAD+ are affected by the reduced availability of NAD+ in mutant retinas, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and nuclear sirtuin activity were evaluated. PARP activity was elevated during disease progression, as evidenced by overproduction of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) in photoreceptors, whereas histone deacetylation activity of nuclear sirtuins was not altered. We hypothesized that PARP could be activated because of elevated levels of oxidative stress; however, we did not observe oxidative DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, or a low glutathione to oxidized glutathione ratio. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining revealed that photoreceptors appear to ultimately die by apoptosis, although the low NAD+ levels and overproduction of PAR suggest that cell death may include aspects of the parthanatos cell death pathway., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

No treatment is available for nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 ( NMNAT1 )-associated retinal degeneration, an inherited disease that leads to severe vision loss early in life. Although the causative gene, NMNAT1 , plays an essential role in nuclear nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) + metabolism in tissues throughout the body, NMNAT1 -associated disease is isolated to the retina. Since this condition is recessive, supplementing the retina with a normal copy of NMNAT1 should protect vulnerable cells from disease progression. We tested this hypothesis in a mouse model that harbors the p.Val9Met mutation in Nmnat1 and consequently develops a retinal degenerative phenotype that recapitulates key features of the human disease. Gene augmentation therapy, delivered by subretinal injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying a normal human copy of NMNAT1 , rescued retinal structure and function. Due to the early-onset profile of the phenotype, a rapidly activating self-complementary AAV was required to initiate transgene expression during the narrow therapeutic window. These data represent the first proof of concept for a therapy to treat patients with NMNAT1 -associated disease., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

The success of base editors for the study and treatment of genetic diseases depends on the ability to deliver them in vivo to the relevant cell types. Delivery via adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) is limited by AAV packaging capacity, which precludes the use of full-length base editors. Here, we report the application of dual AAVs for the delivery of split cytosine and adenine base editors that are then reconstituted by trans-splicing inteins. Optimized dual AAVs enable in vivo base editing at therapeutically relevant efficiencies and dosages in the mouse brain (up to 59% of unsorted cortical tissue), liver (38%), retina (38%), heart (20%) and skeletal muscle (9%). We also show that base editing corrects, in mouse brain tissue, a mutation that causes Niemann-Pick disease type C (a neurodegenerative ataxia), slowing down neurodegeneration and increasing lifespan. The optimized delivery vectors should facilitate the efficient introduction of targeted point mutations into multiple tissues of therapeutic interest.

Phenotypes of myeloid-lineage cells remain poorly understood in the rainbow trout, and were the focus of this study, including effects of in vivo challenge to Flavobacterium psychrophilum (Fp), the cause of Bacterial Cold Water Disease (BCWD). A genetic line was used that is highly resistant to BCWD (R-line) as well as a susceptible control line (S-line). Using flow cytometry, we describe two Pax5-negative, myeloid-lineage populations: Population 1 consisted of small cells with high SSC and strong staining for Q4E, MPO, Pu1, EBF, and IL- 1β, which we named "neutrophil-like" cell. Population 2 had high Q4E, but weaker MPO, Pu1, EBF, and IL-1β staining. Five days after Fp-challenge, both genetic lines had a reduced abundance of neutrophil-like cells in anterior kidney, PBL, and spleen. Pop. 2 abundance was reduced in anterior kidney, and increased in spleen. S-line fish responded more strongly to Fp-challenge compared to R-line fish. Challenged fish with a higher abundance of neutrophil-like cells had significantly lower Fp-loads after challenge, suggesting that these cells aid in the resistance to BCWD., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Axillary arterial cannulation for blood pressure monitoring has been reported in adults since 1973. Reported failure rates using palpation landmarks are high. This report describes a needle-guided ultrasound technique for axillary arterial line placement in critically ill patients., Methods: A retrospective review of all patients requiring axillary arterial cannulation attempts with ultrasound-assisted needle guidance for hemodynamic monitoring was performed from July 2010 to June 2016 at a single institution., Results: One hundred fifty nine (159) cannulation attempts were performed in 155 patients. The overall success rate was 97%, with a first pass success rate of 84%. Inexperienced operators performed 49% of procedures under direct faculty supervision, and had a 99% success rate, which was not different from experienced operators. Almost 20% of patients had moderate-to-severe coagulopathy (platelets<50k/uL, INR>2.0 or PTT>60s). Complications reported included the following: nonfunctioning of catheter (6%) and hematoma (6%). Ischemia was noted in 2 patients (1%), but only one was attributed to the arterial catheter., Conclusions: Use of the needle-guided ultrasound assisted approach for axillary arterial line placement is easily teachable and can be used to promote safe and successful placement of axillary arterial lines for novice learners., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bacterial Cold Water Disease (BCWD) is a common, chronic disease in rainbow trout, and is caused by the gram-negative bacterium Flavobacterium psychrophilum (Fp). Through selective breeding, the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture has generated a genetic line that is highly resistant to Fp challenge, designated ARS-Fp-R (or R-line), as well as a susceptible "control" line, ARS-Fp-S (S-line). In previous studies, resistance to Fp had been shown to correlate with naive animal spleen size, and further, naïve R-line trout had been shown to have a lower abundance of IgM + and IgM ++ cells compared to S-line fish. Here we wished to first determine whether the abundance of IgT + and/or IgT ++ cells differed between the two lines in naïve fish, and if so, how these patterns differed after in vivo challenge with Fp. Fp challenge was by intramuscular injection of live Fp and tissue collections were on days 5, 6, and/or 28 post-challenge, in two independent challenge experiments. Flow cytometric and gene expression analyses revealed that naïve R-line fish had a higher abundance of IgT + B cells in their anterior kidney, spleen, and blood, compared to S line fish. Further, that after Fp challenge, this difference was maintained between the two lines. Lastly, abundance of IgT + B cells and expression of secHCtau correlated with lower Fp pathogen loads in challenged fish. In the anterior kidney, IgM + B cell abundance correlated with increased Fp loads. Together, these results suggest that IgT + B lineage cells may have a protective function in the immune response to Fp., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Prior research has identified seven elements of a good assessment, but the elements have not been operationalized in the form of a rubric to rate assessment utility. It would be valuable for medical educators to have a systematic way to evaluate the utility of an assessment in order to determine if the assessment used is optimal for the setting., Methods: We developed and refined an assessment utility rubric using a modified Delphi process. Twenty-nine graduate students pilot-tested the rubric in 2016 with hypothetical data from three examinations, and interrater reliability of rubric scores was measured with interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs)., Results: Consensus for all rubric items was reached after three rounds. The resulting assessment utility rubric includes four elements (equivalence, educational effect, catalytic effect, acceptability) with three items each, one element (validity evidence) with five items, and space to provide four feasibility items relating to time and cost. Rater scores had ICC values greater than .75., Discussion: The rubric shows promise in allowing educators to evaluate the utility of an assessment specific to their setting. The medical education field needs to give more consideration to how an assessment drives learning forward, how it motivates trainees, and whether it produces acceptable ranges of scores for all stakeholders., Competing Interests: None to report.

The overall conformations of regulated myosins or heavy meromyosins from chicken/turkey, scallop, tarantula, limulus, and scorpion sources have been studied by a number of techniques, including electron microscopy, sedimentation, and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance. These studies have indicated that the binding of regulatory ions changes the conformation of the molecule from a compact shape found in the "off" state of the muscle to extended relationships between the tail and independently mobile heads that predominate in the "on" state. Here we strengthen the argument for the generality of this conformational change by using small angle X-ray scattering on heavy meromyosin from squid. Small angle X-ray scattering allows the protein to be visualized in solution under mild and relatively physiological conditions, and squid differs from the other species studied by at least 500 million years of evolution. Analysis of the data indicates that upon addition of Ca(2+) the radius of gyration increases. Differences in the squid "on" and "off" states are clearly distinguishable as bimodal and unimodal pair distance distribution functions respectively. These observations are consistent with a Ca(2+)-free squid heavy meromyosin that is compact, but which becomes extended when Ca(2+) is bound. Further, the scattering profile derived from the current model of tarantula heavy meromyosin in the "off" state is in excellent agreement with the measured "off" state scattering profile for squid heavy meromyosin. The previous and current studies together provide significant evidence that regulated myosin's compact off-state conformation is an ancient trait, inherited from a common ancestor during divergent evolution.

Introduction: Alterations in at least six of the genes that encode proteins involved in the mismatch repair (MMR) system have been identified in either HNPCC or sporadic colon cancer. We aimed to analyse the proportion of patients with colorectal cancer with loss of immunostaining for MMR proteins in order to determine the feasibility of molecular screening for the loss of MMR proteins through the study of unselected patients with colorectal cancer., Methods: A group of 33 patients with colorectal cancer was randomly selected from the department of surgery bio-bank to determine the expression of MMR proteins in their FFPE tumour tissues using immunohistochemistry techniques. Changes in protein expression following transfection of colorectal tissues were observed in stained cells using Olympus BX60 microscope and image analySIS software., Results: Of the tissue specimens in which acceptable immunostaining was achieved, three samples showed loss of one or more of the MMR proteins. Both hMLH1 and hPMS2 proteins were not expressed in a 36 years old woman with cancer of the caecum. The expression of hMSH6 protein was undetermined in tumour tissues retrieved from a 61 years old man with cancer of the proximal colon. The third case was a 77 years old man with no documented family history of cancer, who had carcinoma of the rectum. He showed loss of hMLH1 expression in the tumour tissues., Conclusions: Our findings and the previous reports pointed out the importance of molecular screening of patients with colorectal cancer for MSI using immunohistochemistry. This strategy managed to identify mutations in patients otherwise would not have been detected.