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Introduction: Recent studies have suggested a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the USA than in Japan. Hyperphosphatemia, a possible risk for CVD, may explain this difference; however, international differences in phosphate parameters in CKD have not been well elaborated. Methods: By using the baseline data from the USA and the Japanese nation-wide, multicenter, CKD cohort studies; the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (CRIC, N = 3,870) and the Chronic Kidney Disease-Japan Cohort Study (CKD-JAC, N = 2,632), we harmonized the measures and compared clinical parameters regarding phosphate metabolism or serum phosphate, fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23), and parathyroid hormone (PTH), in the cross-sectional model. Results: Multivariable linear regression analyses revealed that serum phosphate levels were significantly higher in CRIC across all levels of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with the greatest difference being observed at lower levels of eGFR. Serum FGF23 and 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) levels were higher in CRIC, while PTH levels were higher in CKD-JAC at all levels of eGFR. Adjustments for demographics, 25OHD, medications, dietary intake or urinary excretion of phosphate, PTH, and FGF23 did not eliminate the difference in serum phosphate levels between the cohorts (0.43, 0.46, 0.54, 0.64, and 0.78 mg/dL higher in CRIC within eGFR strata of >50, 41–50, 31–40, 21–30, and ≤20 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively). These findings were consistent when only Asian CRIC participants (N = 105) were included in the analysis. Conclusion: Serum phosphate levels in CRIC were significantly higher than those of CKD-JAC across all stages of CKD, which may shed light on the international variations in phosphate parameters and thus in cardiovascular risk among CKD patients. The key mechanisms for the substantial differences in phosphate parameters need to be elucidated.

Species dependent on freshwaters are declining globally. Understanding natural and anthropogenic environmental drivers affecting community structure and species occurrence is crucial for planning management and conservation actions. The aim of this study was to determine which landscape characteristics constrain reproductive guilds in wadeable streams and to explore the influence of reproductive strategy on fish occurrence. We expected reproductive guilds to differ in their associations with landscape determinants (i.e., the landscape characteristics found to constrain our reproductive guilds). This study was conducted in the Delaware River Basin in North America. We compiled existing stream survey and geospatial data from multiple government agencies and scientific organizations for 552 sites. We used ordination and regression techniques to identify important landscape determinants and their associations with reproductive guilds. We identified 12 variables that explained 20.6% of the total variation in reproductive guild composition. Slope, land cover and disturbance variables drove the position of reproductive guilds in ordination space. All reproductive guilds differed in the set of landscape-scale determinants that were selected during modelling. Best subsets of variables selected in regression models indicate that reproductive guild occurrence is significantly explained by catchment characteristics. These characteristics include measures of slope, land use and land cover, disturbance, and climate. Differences in determinants and relationships with reproductive guilds found in regression models, and gradients identified, indicate the importance of different landscape-scale determinants for specific reproductive guilds. Furthermore, our findings suggest a link between the environmental requirements of reproductive guilds and landscape-scale characteristics.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE: The safety of intensive blood pressure (BP) targets is controversial for persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied the effects of hypertension treatment on cerebral perfusion and structure in those with and without CKD. STUDY DESIGN: Neuroimaging substudy of a randomized trial. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: A subset of participants in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial who underwent brain MRI studies. Presence of baseline CKD was assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR). INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to intensive (systolic BP 30 mg/g (N=151), the effects of intensive versus standard BP treatment on change in global cerebral blood flow, WMLs and total brain volume were 1.91 ml/100g/min (95% CI −3.01, 6.82), 0.003 cm(3) (asinh transformed, 95% CI −0.13, 0.13), and −7.0 cm(3) (95% CI −13.3, −0.3), respectively. The overall treatment effects on cerebral blood flow and total brain volume were not modified by baseline eGFR or UACR; however the effect on WMLs was attenuated in participants with albuminuria (interaction p-value 0.04). LIMITATIONS: Measurement variability due to multi-site design. CONCLUSIONS: Among hypertensive adults with primarily early kidney disease, intensive versus standard blood pressure treatment did not appear to have a detrimental effect on brain perfusion or structure. The findings support the safety of intensive blood pressure treatment targets on brain health in persons with early kidney disease. FUNDING: The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial was funded by the National Institutes of Health (including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke), and this substudy was funded by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: SPRINT was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the study number NCT01206062.

Despite decades of retirement plan enrollment meetings, many employees fail to fully engage in their employer-sponsored retirement plans. Under the framework of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Behavior Change, this study examines the effectiveness of a financial psychology intervention designed to increase engagement in employer-sponsored retirement plans across three employee groups: 107 employees of a regional bank, 43 employees of a custom manufacturing company, and 48 employees of a construction company. Following the intervention, significant changes in plan participation, contribution rates, and one-on-one follow-up meetings with financial advisors were observed. Thirty-eight percent of previously unengaged employees became plan participants, 68% requested and held meetings with financial advisors, and contribution rates increased by 39%, resulting in a total $199,445 increase in first-year annualized contributions and employer matching funds across the three groups.

Watershed restoration for mitigating or preventing impacts of human land use on aquatic ecosystems is now big business and is far more common and consumes far more financial resources than ...

Transnational ivory traffickers continue to smuggle large shipments of elephant ivory out of Africa, yet prosecutions and convictions remain few. We identify trafficking networks on the basis of genetic matching of tusks from the same individual or close relatives in separate shipments. Analyses are drawn from 4,320 savannah (Loxodonta africana) and forest (L. cyclotis) elephant tusks, sampled from 49 large ivory seizures totalling 111 t, shipped out of Africa between 2002 and 2019. Network analyses reveal a repeating pattern wherein tusks from the same individual or close relatives are found in separate seizures that were containerized in, and transited through, common African ports. Results suggest that individual traffickers are exporting dozens of shipments, with considerable connectivity between traffickers operating in different ports. These tools provide a framework to combine evidence from multiple investigations, strengthen prosecutions and support indictment and prosecution of transnational ivory traffickers for the totality of their crimes.

In the last 100 years, the Bridle Shiner has declined over significant parts of its range. We used mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite markers to investigate population structure of this species. Tissue samples were collected from populations in six drainages in PA, NJ, NY and CT. One predominant haplotype was observed in the Delaware, Housatonic, Passaic, and Raritan specimens. Specimens from the Hudson and St. Lawrence drainages had a separate unique haplotype. Microsatellite loci revealed low within-population genetic diversity and pairwise population comparisons of allelic divergence showed significant genetic differences among most drainages. Population structure analysis of microsatellite loci recover the same population clusters inferred using mtDNA. Within the Delaware drainage, there was significant differentiation among areas separated by 128 km. Several alternate scenarios of population divergence and population bottlenecks were investigated using approximate Bayesian computing. These supported a scenario with a bottleneck occurring in the ancestral population of Bridle Shiner followed by recent divergence of Northern and Southern drainages.

Few studies have examined the relationship between natural gas development and surface water quality using well pad density (the number of well pads/km2) as an indicator of potential impacts to aquatic life, specifically fish, salamander, and crayfish assemblages. We tested the hypothesis that animal assemblages, assessed by densities of ecologically important species, will differ among groups of watersheds with different well pad densities. In 2011, sites were sampled in Pennsylvania between July 13 and September 14 (N = 28; 10 = no well pads, 8 = low density, 10 = moderate density). We did not detect evidence of impact on fish, salamander, and crayfish assemblages. It should be noted that this study primarily assessed infrastructure-related impacts. Watersheds under investigations in this study area included no stream withdrawals for drilling and relatively low well pad density (≤0.541 well pads/km2), which reduces the amount of roads and pipeline as well as sediment runoff reaching the stream from this and other infrastructure during development. In addition, setback and landscape limitations also kept well pads relatively far from surface waters, and these watersheds remained highly forested after development because most were in state forests. Therefore, these findings represent the least intrusive scenario for impacts to aquatic communities while extracting natural gas.

Determination of the causes of water-impairment is a critical part of bioassessment, and it is useful to be able to infer causes from the same sampling data used to assess the impairment. Determination of excess nutrient inputs to a waterbody as a cause of impairment is especially important because of the severity and ubiquity of nutrient-related water-quality problems nationwide. To that end, we tested and validated in New Jersey waters a macroinvertebrate-based nutrient biotic index (NBI) for phosphorus and nitrogen developed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). We used macroinvertebrate, water-chemistry, and diatom data from New Jersey streams collected in the state biomonitoring program and a study of diatom—nutrient relationships. We calculated tolerance values for widespread taxa based on frequency of occurrence in samples from sites with a range of nutrient concentrations. The NBI of a sample was calculated as a sum of the tolerance values of taxa in a s...

Increases in extreme record-breaking daily precipitation events have accompanied warming temperatures causing increased flooding in many areas of the World, but are not well documented for arid and semi-arid regions. In semi-arid Mongolia where warming has been over 2o C from 1940 to 2008, nomadic herders described their concerns over an increase in the number of hot days and a shift from multi-day gentle rains to heavy rains lasting less than one hour that damage their pastures, animals, gers and people, suggesting a transition from stratiform rains to convective storms. The brief intense rains are not seen in daily precipitation data typically reported by meteorological stations, and here the correlation between fine-scale rainfall readings and thunderstorm activity were used to hind cast brief heavy rains. From 2008 to 2012, an automated weather station in Dalbay Valley at Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, recording at 5-min intervals, detected at least 40 heavy sub-daily summer rains each lasting less than 40 min. Heavy rains in Dalbay were correlated with thunderstorm activity and were 2.5 times more likely to occur when thunderstorms were reported within the previous 24 h at the Hatgal meteorological station (80 km to the southwest of Dalbay) than when no thunderstorms were reported. Daily thunderstorm frequency, recorded at nearby meteorological stations from 1960 to 2012, has increased and thus supports herders’ perceptions that the frequency of the short heavy rains have increased.

Unconventional natural gas drilling and the use of hydraulic fracturing technology have expanded rapidly in North America. This expansion has raised concerns of surface water contamination by way of spills and leaks, which may be sporadic, small, and therefore difficult to detect. Here we explore the use of otolith microchemistry as a tool for monitoring surface water contamination from generated waters (GW) of unconventional natural gas drilling. We exposed Brook Trout in the laboratory to three volumetric concentrations of surrogate generated water (SGW) representing GW on day five of drilling. Transects across otolith cross-sections were analyzed for a suite of elements by LA-ICP-MS. Brook Trout exposed to a 0.01-1.0% concentration of SGW for 2, 15, and 30 days showed a significant (p 0.05) relationship of increasing Sr and Ba concentrations in all but one treatment. Analyses indicate lesser concentrations than used in this experiment could be detectable in surface waters and provide support for the use of this technique in natural habitats. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of how trace elements in fish otoliths may be used to monitor for surface water contamination from GW.

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) at Tinicum Marsh contains one of the last remaining tidal freshwater marsh communities along the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River Estuary. The marsh receives a significant load of nutrients and sediment-associated contaminants and is hypothesised to act as an effective trap for these chemicals. The goal of this study was to quantify the levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at various trophic levels at two sites within Tinicum Marsh and assess the factors important in determining their bioaccumulation and trophic transfer. For both PCBs and PBDEs, lipid variation for all species was a large factor in determining contaminant body burden. Also, concentrations in biota increased with increasing trophic level as determined by nitrogen isotope analysis (δ15N values) at the downstream site within Tinicum Marsh. This trend was less apparent at the upstream site and may be due to differences in feeding behaviours ...

Summary Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common, often asymptomatic, endocrine disorder characterized by hypercalcaemia in the face of a nonsuppressed parathyroid hormone (PTH) level. For those with symptomatic disease or who meet surgical criteria, parathyroidectomy is the treatment of choice. However, those patients who do not meet surgical criteria or who cannot undergo or refuse surgery must be managed medically. Medical management of PHPT involves continual assessment to determine who will benefit from surgical intervention, replacement of vitamin D, treatment of parathyroid bone disease and management of hypercalcaemia and renal stone disease.

We tested the hypothesis that low leptin and high adiponectin levels are associated with higher rates of bone mineral density (BMD) loss among 3,075 men and women, aged 70–79, from the Health Aging and Body Composition Study. Results suggest that adiponectin, but not leptin, is a risk factor for bone loss in women. Adiponectin and leptin are hormones secreted by adipose cells that may impact BMD. Few studies have evaluated the longitudinal association of leptin and adiponectin levels with rates of BMD change. Hip and whole-body areal BMD (aBMD) were measured five times using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry over 10 years (average follow-up time, 7.95 ± 1.92 years). Trabecular lumbar spine volumetric BMD (vBMD) was measured using quantitative computed topography at baseline and year 6 in the Pittsburgh cohort only. Random slope and intercept models were used to account for within person correlation as a result of repeated measures of hip and whole-body aBMD. Linear regression was used to model changes in spine trabecular vBMD. Among women, the annualized rate of hip aBMD loss in the highest tertile of adiponectin was −0.67% (95% CI −0.77, −0.58) compared to [−0.43% (95% CI −0.51, −0.35)] in the lowest tertile (p trend = 0.019) after adjusting for age, race, BMI, diabetes, baseline hip aBMD, and weight change. In men, hip aBMD loss was greatest in the high adiponectin group (tertile 3), however this association was not significant (p trend = 0.148). After adjusting for weight change in women, the association between higher leptin and lower hip aBMD loss was attenuated and no longer significant (p trend = 0.134). Leptin and adiponectin levels were not associated with whole-body aBMD or trabecular lumbar spine vBMD loss. Adiponectin was associated with increased hip aBMD loss in women only, supporting evidence that adiponectin may have an important role in bone health.

We examined the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] with indices of bone quality in older men. Positive associations for 25(OH)D and bone mineral density, content, cortical thickness, and axial and polar strength strain indices were observed among Caucasians; however, among men of African descent findings were either null or negative. There are limited data on serum 25(OH)D and bone measures in men of African ancestry. To better understand racial differences in vitamin D status and bone health, a cross-sectional study among 446 Caucasian men in the US and 496 men of African ancestry in Tobago (age ≥ 65 years) was conducted. Serum 25(OH)D (liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry) was measured, and peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans were administered. Bone measures estimated included trabecular and cortical volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), bone mineral content (BMC), bone geometry (cross-sectional area and cortical thickness), and polar and axial strength strain indices (SSIp and SSIx). Men of African ancestry had higher 25(OH)D than Caucasians (34.7 vs. 27.6 ng/ml, p < 0.01). Among Caucasians, 25(OH)D was positively (p trend < 0.05) associated with cortical vBMD, total BMC, cortical thickness, SSIp, and SSIx at the distal radius after adjustment for potential confounders. Similar patterns were observed at the distal tibia. In contrast, in men of African ancestry, there was an inverse association (p trend < 0.05) between 25(OH)D and the cross-sectional area, and SSIx. Race modified (p for interaction < 0.05) the association between 25(OH)D and total BMC, cross-sectional area, SSIp, SSIx, and trabecular vBMD of the radius. In men of African ancestry, there was evidence of a threshold effect (at approximately 18 ng/ml) for 25(OH)D on tibial total BMC and cortical thickness. More studies are needed to better comprehend these race differences for 25(OH)D and bone density, geometry, and indices of bone strength.

Context: Mothers who exclusively breastfeed lose up to 10% of their bone mass. This is primarily mediated by PTHrP, in combination with low estrogen levels. The mechanisms underlying this marked bone loss are unknown. Uncoupling of bone turnover, which is seen in other prototypical states of bone loss, would seem the likely explanation. However, the most current markers of bone turnover have not been studied in human lactation. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess bone formation in lactating humans using the most current bone turnover markers. Design and Participants: We conducted a prospective cohort study with repeated measures of bone metabolism in a volunteer sample of 49 women, recruited into three study groups: lactating, bottle feeding, and healthy controls. The postpartum women were studied at 6–8 and 12–14 wk postpartum, whereas the controls were studied at the follicular phase of their menstrual cycles. Outcome Measures: Biochemical markers of bone turnover were assessed. Results: Mean serum C-telopeptide of type I collagen, a sensitive marker of bone resorption, was approximately 2-fold higher in lactating women as compared with bottle-feeding and healthy controls (P = 0.037 and P < 0.001, respectively). Surprisingly, amino-terminal telopeptides of procollagen 1, the most current marker of bone formation, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin were all significantly higher in the lactating group as compared with controls (P < 0.001, P = 0.002, and P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: In contrast to prototypical states of rapid bone loss (myeloma, cancer, and immobilization) in which markers of bone turnover display marked uncoupling, lactational bone loss, as assessed in this small exploratory study, is distinct, showing comparably rapid bone loss in the face of apparent osteoclast-osteoblast coupling.

PTH is the only approved skeletal anabolic agent for the treatment of human osteoporosis. Unlike PTH, which is a mixed anabolic and catabolic agent, PTHrP displays features suggesting that it may be a pure anabolic agent when intermittently administered. The full dose range of PTHrP is unknown.The primary objective of the study was to define the complete therapeutic window and dose-limiting toxicities of PTHrP. The secondary objective was to determine whether PTHrP retains a pure anabolic profile at the highest usable doses.This was a single-blinded, two-part, dose-escalating clinical trial.The study was conducted in a university academic setting.Participants included 41 healthy postmenopausal women between the ages of 45 and 75 yr.INTERVENTIONs included PTHrP(1-36) or placebo in a dose-escalating design for 3 wk.Safety measures (hypercalcemia, nausea, vomiting, hemodynamics, flushing, miscellaneous) and bone turnover markers were measured.Intermittent PTHrP was administered safely and without serious adverse events in subjects receiving 500 and 625 microg/d for 3 wk. Subjects receiving 750 microg/d developed mild hypercalcemia. Bone turnover markers suggested that even at the highest doses, daily sc PTHrP may not activate bone resorption, i.e. may be purely anabolic. Interestingly, when hypercalcemia occurred, it may have resulted not from bone resorption but from activation of intestinal calcium absorption by 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D.In doses as high as 750 microg/d, in contrast to PTH, intermittently administered PTHrP appears to act as a pure skeletal anabolic agent. Surprisingly, PTHrP in the high doses studied activates 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D production. Dosing information obtained herein can be used to design a longer term head-to-head comparative efficacy trial of PTHrP vs. PTH.

Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) can estimate volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) and distinguish trabecular from cortical bone. Few comprehensive studies have examined correlates of vBMD in older men. This study evaluated the impact of demographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, and medical factors on vBMD in 1172 men aged 69 to 97 years and enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS). Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) was used to measure vBMD of the radius and tibia. The multivariable linear regression models explained up to 10% of the variance in trabecular vBMD and up to 9% of the variance in cortical vBMD. Age was not correlated with radial trabecular vBMD. Correlates associated with both cortical and trabecular vBMD were age (−), caffeine intake (−), total calcium intake (+), nontrauma fracture (−), and hypertension (+). Higher body weight was related to greater trabecular vBMD and lower cortical vBMD. Height (−), education (+), diabetes with thiazolidinedione (TZD) use (+), rheumatoid arthritis (+), using arms to stand from a chair (−), and antiandrogen use (−) were associated only with trabecular vBMD. Factors associated only with cortical vBMD included clinic site (−), androgen use (+), grip strength (+), past smoker (−), and time to complete five chair stands (−). Certain correlates of trabecular and cortical vBMD differed among older men. An ascertainment of potential risk factors associated with trabecular and cortical vBMD may lead to better understanding and preventive efforts for osteoporosis in men. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

A spatially comprehensive evaluation of poly chlorinated biphenyl (PCB) inventories in white perch, channel catfish, small prey fish, amphipods and sediment within four zones of the Delaware River Estuary was completed during two seasons (fall 2001 and spring 2002). Highest sediment PCB concentrations occurred adjacent to urbanized and industrialized stretches of the estuary. Whole organism t-PCB body burdens (on a wet weight basis) reflected the spatial distributions in sediment PCB concentrations. However, there was considerable variation in PCB concentrations among individual catfish and perch fillets within zones that were not significantly reduced by lipid normalization. This variation suggests that within a zone many factors (e.g., dietary shifts, small-scale heterogeneity in sediment contamination, and non-equilibrium conditions in contaminant partitioning) drive PCB bioaccumulation. With increasing down-estuary distances, all biota except for perch had enhanced concentrations of more chl...

SUMMARY A 13-year-old boy with Hodgkin's disease developed acute polyneuropathy and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Sural nerve biopsy and postmortem examination demonstrated no metastatic involvement and a lack of cellular inflammatory infiltration in the nervous system. There was significant axonal degeneration in peripheral nerves and the dorsal funiculus. These findings suggest a non-metastatic polyneuropathy associated with Hodgkin's disease, and similar cases, predominantly in adult patients, have been reported. This case emphasizes the occurrence of a paraneoplastic syndrome in children, though such syndromes appear to be rare compared with adults. RESUME Effet eloigne sur le systeme nerveux d'affections malignes Un garcon de 13 ans atteint de maladie d'Hodgkin a presente une polyneuropathie aigue et une anemie hemolytique autoimmune. La biopsie du nerf sural et Fexamen anatomique montrerent l'absence de metastase et d'infiltration inflammatoire cellulaire dans le systeme nerveux. II existait une degeneration axonale significative dans les nerfs peripheriques et les cordons posterieurs. Ces donnees suggerent l'existence d'une polyneuropathie non metastatique associee a une maladie d'Hodgkin; des cas semblables ont ete rapportes mais generalement chez I'adulte. Ce cas demontre la possibilite de syndrome paraneoplasique dans I'enfance, mais de tels cas apparaissent rares par comparaison avec ce qui se voit chez I'adulte. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Einflus einer malignen Erkrankung auf das Nervensystem im Kindesalter Ein 13 jahriger Junge mit einem Morbus Hodgkin entwickelte eine akute Polyneuropathie und eine autoimmune haemolytische Anaemic Die Untersuchung einer Suralisbiopsie und die Sektion ergaben keine Metastasen und keine cellulare entziindliche Infiltration im Nervensystem. Es fand sich eine signifikante Degeneration der peripheren Nerven und der dorsalen Wurzel. Diese Befunde weisen auf eine nicht durch Metastasen hervorgerufene Polyneuropathie im Zusammenhang mit einem Morbus Hodgkin hin. Es sind ahnliche Falle, jedoch vorwiegend im Erwachsenenalter beschrieben worden. Dieser Fall schilderte ein paraneoplastisches Syndrom im Kindesalter, was im Vergleich zu Erwachsenen selten zu sein scheint. RESUMEN Efecto remoto de la malignidad sobre el sistema nervioso Un nino de 13 afios de edad con enfermedad de Hodgkin desarrollo una polineuropatia aguda y una anemia hemolitica autoinmune. La biopsia del nervio sural y el examen postmortem demostro que no existia ninguna metastasis, asi como falta de infiltration inflamatoria celular en el sistema nervioso. Existia una degeneraction axdnica significativa en los nervios perifericos y en los cordones posteriores. Esos hallazgos sugieren una polineuropatia no metastasica asociada con la enfermedad de Hodgkin. Casos similares, especialmente en pacientes adultos, han sido tambien descritos. Este caso demuestra la existancia del sindrome paraneoplasico en la infancia, si bien estos casos parece que son raros en comparacion con la edad adulta.

UMMARY Verbal and non-verbal sequential abilities were compared in a group of 10 children with developmental verbal apraxia. Manual gestures, constructional praxic abilities and non-speech volitional oral movements were also studied. Results indicated that these children were deficient in verbal sequential abilities, both with reference to their non-verbal sequential abilities and to normative data. As a group, the children did not present manual-gestural or constructional apraxias, nor oral apraxias for single non-speech volitional movements. However, most had difficulty with sequences of non-speech volitional oral movements. RESUME Aptitudes praxiques de successivite et non verbales chez les enfants presentant une apraxie verbale de developpement Les capacities de sequences verbales et non verbales ont ete comparees dans un groupe de dix enfants presentant une apraxie verbale de developpement. L'habilete gestuelle, les capacites de praxie constructive et les mouvements oraux volontaires non verbaux ont ete aussi etudies. Les resultats indiquent que ces enfants presentent des deficiences dans les sequences verbales a la fois par rapport a leurs capacites sequentielles non verbales et par rapport aux references normales. En tant que groupe, les enfants ne presentaient pas d'apraxie constructive ou de deficience de la motricite gestuelle ni d'apraxie orale pour les mouvements volontaires non verbaux uniques. En revanche, la plupart avait des difficultes dans les mouvements oraux volontaires non verbaux sequentiels. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Sequentielle und nicht-verbale praktische Fahigkeiten bei Kindern mit entwicklungsbedingter verbaler Apraxie Bei einer Gruppe von 10 Kindern mit entwicklungsbedingter verbaler Apraxie wurden verbale und nicht-verbale sequentielle Fahigkeiten verglichen. Manuelle Gesten, konstruktive praktische Fahigkeiten und nicht sprachgebundene orale Willkarbewegungen wurden ebenfalls untersucht. Die Ergbnisse zeigten, das diesen Kindern verbale sequentielle Fahigkeiten fehlten, sowohl im Hinblick auf ihre nicht-verbalen sequentiellen Fahigkeiten als auch auf Normaldaten. Als Gruppe wiesen die Kinder keine Apraxien bei der manuellen Gestik oder Konstruktivitat, noch orale Apraxien fur einzelne nicht sprachgebundene Willkurbewegungen auf. Die meisten jedoch hatten Schwierigkeiten mit Folgen nicht sprachgebundener oraler Willkurbewegungen. RESUMEN Habilidades practicas secuenciales y no verbales en ninos con apraxia verbal de desarrollo Se compararon les habilidades secuenciales verbales y no verbales en un grupo de 10 ninos con apraxia verbal de desarrollo. Tambien se estudiaron los gestos manuales, las habilidades practicas constructivas y los movimientos orales volitivos no verbales. Los resultados indicaban que estos ninos eran deficientes en las habilidades secuenciales verbales, tanto en relacion con sus habilidades secuenciales no verbales como con los datos normativos. Como grupo, los ninos no presentaban apraxias manual-gestuales o constructivas, ni apraxias orales para movimientos simples volitivos no verbales. La mayoria, sin embargo, tenean dificultades con las secuencias de movimientos orales volitivos no verbales.

The joint influences of riparian vegetation and urbanization on fish assemblages were analyzed by depletion sampling in paired forested and nonforested reaches of 25 small streams along an urbanization gradient. Nonforested reaches were narrower than their forested counterparts, so densities based on surface area differ from linear densities (based on reach length). Linear densities (based on number or biomass of fish) of American eel, white sucker and tesselated darter, and the proportion of biomass of benthic invertivores were significantly higher in nonforested reaches, while linear densities of margined madtom and the number of pool species were significantly higher in forested reaches. Observed riparian effects may reflect differences in habitat and algal productivity between forested and nonforested reaches. These results suggest that relatively small-scale riparian restoration projects can affect local geomorphology and the abundance of fish. Dense vegetative cover in riparian zones and similar or analogous habitats in both forested and nonforested reaches, the relatively small scale of the nonforested reaches, and the low statistical power to detect differences in abundance of rare species may have limited the observed differences between forested and nonforested reaches. There was a strong urbanization gradient, with reductions of intolerant species and increases of tolerant species and omnivores with increasing urbanization. Interactions between riparian vegetation type and urbanization were found for blacknose dace, creek chub, tesselated darter, and the proportion of biomass of lithophilic spawners. The study did not provide consistent support for the hypotheses that responses of fish to riparian vegetation would be overwhelmed by urban degradation or insignificant at low urbanization.

We report several new experimental results related to flow dynamics and heating from single dipole-trapped spheromaks and spheromak merging studies at SSX. Single spheromaks (stabilized with a pair of external coils, see Brown, Phys. Plasmas 13 102503 (2006)) and merged FRC-like configurations (see Brown, Phys. Plasmas 13, 056503 (2006)) are trapped in our prolate (R = 0.2 m, L = 0.6 m) copper flux conserver. Local spheromak flow is studied with two Mach probes (r 1 ≤ ρ i , r 2 ≥ ρ i ) calibrated by time-of-flight with a fast set of magnetic probes at the edge of the device. Both Mach probes feature six ion collectors housed in a boron nitride sheath. The larger Mach probe will ultimately be used in the MST reversed field pinch. Line averaged flow is measured by ion Doppler spectroscopy (IDS) at the midplane. The SSX IDS instrument measures with 1 μs or better time resolution the width and Doppler shift of the C III impurity (H plasma) 229.7 nm line to determine the temperature and line-averaged flow velocity (see Cothran, RSI 77, 063504 (2006)). We find axial flows up to 100 km/s during formation of the dipole trapped spheromak. Flow returns at the wall to form a large vortex. Recent high-resolution IDS velocity measurements during spheromak merging show bi-directional outflow jets at ±40 km/s (nearly the Alfven speed). We also measure T i ≥ 80 eV and T e ≥ 20 eV during spheromak merging events after all plasma facing surfaces are cleaned with helium glow discharge conditioning. Transient electron heating is inferred from bursts on a four-channel soft x-ray array. The spheromaks are also characterized by a suite of magnetic probe arrays for magnetic structure B(r,t), and interferometry for n e . Finally, we are designing a new oblate, trapezoidal flux conserver for FRC studies. Equilibrium and dynamical simulations suggest that a tilt-stable, oblate FRC can be formed by spheromak merging in the new flux conserver.

Pylodictis olivaris (flathead catfish) is a large, obligate carnivore native to drainages of the central United States that has been introduced widely beyond its native range. We report on the introduction of flathead catfish into the Delaware and Susquehanna River drainages, which represents the northernmost occurrences among Atlantic drainages. In the Delaware Basin, flathead catfish have been found in the Schuylkill River and the mainstem of the Delaware River. Recent sampling activities in the Schuylkill River suggest successful reproduction and establishment of a viable population there. In the Susquehanna basin, the fish has been found in the lower and central portion of the river mainstem. As in the Delaware Basin, recent sampling indicates that reproduction is occurring in the Susquehanna River. The introduction of this species has the potential to adversely affect ongoing anadromous fish restoration programs and native fish conservation efforts in the Delaware and Susquehanna basins. A c...

A study of 16 streams in eastern North America shows that riparian deforestation causes channel narrowing, which reduces the total amount of stream habitat and ecosystem per unit channel length and compromises in-stream processing of pollutants. Wide forest reaches had more macroinvertebrates, total ecosystem processing of organic matter, and nitrogen uptake per unit channel length than contiguous narrow deforested reaches. Stream narrowing nullified any potential advantages of deforestation regarding abundance of fish, quality of dissolved organic matter, and pesticide degradation. These findings show that forested stream channels have a wider and more natural configuration, which significantly affects the total in-stream amount and activity of the ecosystem, including the processing of pollutants. The results reinforce both current policy of the United States that endorses riparian forest buffers as best management practice and federal and state programs that subsidize riparian reforestation for stream restoration and water quality. Not only do forest buffers prevent nonpoint source pollutants from entering small streams, they also enhance the in-stream processing of both nonpoint and point source pollutants, thereby reducing their impact on downstream rivers and estuaries.

The 25th anniversary of the publication of Transformation of American Law, 1780-1860 brought to memory the wave of anxiety I felt on the eve of its publication. As if to torment me, Harvard University Press had inaugurated its first remainder sale just months before Transformation was scheduled to be published. Even though I already held low expectations that the book would be noticed, when I entered Memorial Hall, a football field lined with tables of remaindered books, my spirits sagged. As I noticed row on row of writings by world-class scholars, I was seized with despair. So it was with considerable surprise that I watched Transformation become the object of passionate criticism as well as praise. And to this day, I find the overheated reaction to the book both puzzling and in need of explanation. The first piece of information that might help to explain the reaction lies in the contrasting reviews of the book by lawyers and historians. The historians were, by and large, very enthusiastic, and the award of the Bancroft Prize to a book written by someone who teaches in a law school was, I think, unprecedented. Many of the reviews in law journals were, by contrast, heated and quite critical. While they often contested a particular interpretation in a subfield like contracts, torts, or commercial law, the most passionate critics were displeased either with the book's external perspective on legal change or with its various claims about the role of the judiciary in advancing various policies or interests. Much to my surprise at the time, it turned out that there was a significant difference between lawyers and historians over whether to adopt an internal versus external perspective. Historians usually seek to "explain" change with reference to the influence of factors outside the idea or institu

The Hudson River estuary has enormous spatial variation in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination due in large part to historical point source discharges above Troy Dam. The Delaware River estuary has accumulated significant levels of PCBs through decades of industrial, municipal, and non-point source inputs. The overall goal of this research was to use existing data sets to compare and contrast the patterns of accumulated PCB congeners in sub-populations of American eels and striped bass inhabiting these two estuaries and surrounding coastal waters. Using principal component analysis and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), inter- and intra-estuarine differences in accumulated congeneric patterns were denoted for both species. Results from our study support the idea that migratory behaviors of striped bass hamper the use of accumulated congener-specific PCB patterns in providing information on localized contamination, although major regional differences were seen between upriver Hudson River fish, downriver Hudson River fish and fish from other areas within this study. This study provides additional evidence for the use of the American eel as a biomonitoring tool, since its limited home range provides finer resolution of regional contamination.

PTH and PTH-related protein (PTHrP) cause primary hyperparathyroidism and humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM), respectively. These syndromes are similar in several important ways, but differ in several characteristic, yet unexplained, ways. Two of the unresolved questions in HHM and hyperparathyroidism involve renal physiology. 1) Why does renal proximal tubular production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25-(OH)(2)D] differ between the two syndromes? 2) Do distal tubular calcium responses to PTH and PTHrP differ in the two syndromes? To address these questions, we compared the two peptides, human PTH-(1-34) and PTHrP-(1-36), in a direct, head to head study using a continuous, steady state infusion of each peptide at the same dose in normal human volunteers for 46 h. We had previously described such methods as applied to PTHrP, but a direct multiday comparison of PTHrP to PTH has not previously been reported. In two groups (seven subjects each) of healthy young (25- to 35-yr-old) normal volunteers, PTH and PTHrP infused at 8 pmol/kg.h displayed similar calcemic effects, although PTH was slightly more potent in this regard. Both peptides also displayed similar phosphaturic effects. In addition, both peptides had similar effects on renal tubular calcium handling, yielding fractional calcium excretion values of approximately 3.5%, some 50% below the values (6.5%) observed in subjects rendered similarly hypercalcemic by the infusion of calcium. In contrast to these several quantitatively similar effects of PTH and PTHrP, PTH tended to be selectively more effective than PTHrP in stimulating renal production of 1,25-(OH)(2)D. These studies indicate that renal tubular calcium reabsorption is likely to contribute to hypercalcemia in patients with HHM. In addition, PTH may be selectively more effective than PTHrP in stimulating 1,25-(OH)(2)D production, in contrast to its phosphaturic, calcemic effects and its effects to stimulate nephrogenous cAMP excretion and renal tubular calcium reabsorption.