Discovery, synthesis and exploration of N-benzylsulfonyl-2-phenylazepanes as inhibitors of Bim expression in a mouse embryonic fibroblast model.

Chronic activation of beta-adrenergic receptors by the sympathetic nervous system results in the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. Due to the inability of cardiomyocytes to regenerate, this can result in heart failure. Upregulation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bim has been implicated as the cause of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

The Ponseti Method for the Treatment of Clubfeet Associated With Amniotic Band Syndrome: A Single Institution 20-Year Experience.

Background: Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) is a congenital disorder resulting in fibrous bands that can cause limb anomalies, amputations, and deformities. Clubfoot has been reported in up to 50% of patients with ABS. The purpose of this study is to compare treatment characteristics and outcomes of clubfoot patients with ABS to those with idiopathic clubfoot treated with the Ponseti method.

Bioresorbable Microdroplet Lasers as Injectable Systems for Transient Thermal Sensing and Modulation.

Minimally invasive methods for temperature sensing and thermal modulation in living tissues have extensive applications in biological research and clinical care. As alternatives to bioelectronic devices for this purpose, functional nanomaterials that self-assemble into optically active microstructures offer important features in remote sensing, injectability, and compact size. This paper introduces a transient, or bioresorbable, system based on injectable slurries of well-defined microparticles that serve as photopumped lasers with temperature-sensitive emission wavelengths (>4-300 nm °C).

What Factors Influence Union and Refracture of Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia? A Multicenter Long-term Study.

Objective: To identify factors influencing union of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT), refractures, and integrity of the tibia at maturity.

Methods: Data of 119 children operated for Crawford-type IV CPT and followed-up till skeletal maturity were analyzed. Logistic regression and recursive partitioning analyses were used to test associations between several variables and the outcome.

The Modular Optical Underwater Survey System.

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center deploys the Modular Optical Underwater Survey System (MOUSS) to estimate the species-specific, size-structured abundance of commercially-important fish species in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. The MOUSS is an autonomous stereo-video camera system designed for the in situ visual sampling of fish assemblages. This system is rated to 500 m and its low-light, stereo-video cameras enable identification, counting, and sizing of individuals at a range of 0.

Solid-state source of intense yellow light based on a Ce:YAG luminescent concentrator.

A luminescent concentrator functioning as a bright source of yellow light is reported. It comprises a waveguide made of cerium-doped YAG crystal, in the form of a long-thin rectangular strip, surrounded by flowing air and optically pumped from both sides with blue light from arrays of high-efficiency InGaN LEDs. Phosphor-converted yellow light, generated within the strip, is guided to a glass taper that is butt-coupled to one of the strip's end faces.

Nanosecond time-resolved characterization of a pentacene-based room-temperature MASER.

The performance of a room temperature, zero-field MASER operating at 1.45 GHz has been examined. Nanosecond laser pulses, which are essentially instantaneous on the timescale of the spin dynamics, allow the visible-to-microwave conversion efficiency and temporal response of the MASER to be measured as a function of excitation energy.

Antimalarial activity of novel 4-cyano-3-methylisoquinoline inhibitors against Plasmodium falciparum: design, synthesis and biological evaluation.

Central to malaria pathogenesis is the invasion of human red blood cells by Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Following each cycle of intracellular development and replication, parasites activate a cellular program to egress from their current host cell and invade a new one. The orchestration of this process critically relies upon numerous organised phospho-signaling cascades, which are mediated by a number of central kinases.

Enhanced magnetic Purcell effect in room-temperature masers.

Recently, the world's first room-temperature maser was demonstrated. The maser consisted of a sapphire ring housing a crystal of pentacene-doped p-terphenyl, pumped by a pulsed rhodamine-dye laser. Stimulated emission of microwaves was aided by the high quality factor and small magnetic mode volume of the maser cavity yet the peak optical pumping power was 1.

Operando X-ray scattering and spectroscopic analysis of germanium nanowire anodes in lithium ion batteries.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements have been employed to determine structural and bonding changes, as a function of the lithium content/state of charge, of germanium nanowires used as the active anode material within lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Our data, collected throughout the course of battery cycling (operando), indicate that lithium incorporation within the nanostructured germanium occurs heterogeneously, preferentially into amorphous regions over crystalline domains. Maintenance of the molecular structural integrity within the germanium nanowire is dependent on the depth of discharge.

Optical properties of PbS nanocrystal quantum dots at ambient and elevated pressure.

We investigated pressure-dependent changes in the optical properties of PbS nanocrystal quantum dots (NQD) by combining X-ray scattering and optical absorption spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell. We discovered that the excitonic absorption peak vanishes as the NQD crystal structure reversibly undergoes the pressure-induced phase transition from rock-salt to orthorhombic structure. In the rock-salt phase, the pressure coefficient ∂E(g)/∂P of PbS NQD is negative and decreases in magnitude with decreasing NQD size.

Re-creating missing population baselines for Pacific reef sharks.

Sharks and other large predators are scarce on most coral reefs, but studies of their historical ecology provide qualitative evidence that predators were once numerous in these ecosystems. Quantifying density of sharks in the absence of humans (baseline) is, however, hindered by a paucity of pertinent time-series data. Recently researchers have used underwater visual surveys, primarily of limited spatial extent or nonstandard design, to infer negative associations between reef shark abundance and human populations.

Environmental factors affecting large-bodied coral reef fish assemblages in the Mariana Archipelago.

Large-bodied reef fishes represent an economically and ecologically important segment of the coral reef fish assemblage. Many of these individuals supply the bulk of the reproductive output for their population and have a disproportionate effect on their environment (e.g.

Initial severity rating of idiopathic clubfeet is an outcome predictor at age two years.

This study was performed to determine if rating the severity of clubfeet before Ponseti treatment was predictive of the outcomes at age two years. Four hundred and seventy-nine idiopathic clubfeet (323 patients) were numerically rated for severity using Dimeglio classification. Eighty-six feet rated moderate, 305 feet rated severe, and 88 feet rated very severe.

Male-female differences in Scoliosis Research Society-30 scores in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Study Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Objective: To compare functional outcomes between male and female patients before and after surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Summary Of Background Data: There is no clear consensus in the existing literature with respect to sex differences in functional outcomes in the surgical treatment of AIS.

Occult tight filum terminale syndrome: results of surgical untethering.

The entity of an occult tight filum terminale syndrome, characterized by clinical findings consistent with a tethered cord syndrome, but with the conus ending in a normal position, has been recognized recently. The indications for sectioning the filum terminale in this situation are not well characterized and are controversial. We report a retrospective review of a consecutive series of 60 children (ages 3-18 years) with a diagnosis of occult tight filum terminale syndrome who underwent section of the filum and were followed for more than 6 months (mean 13.