Retrospective comparison of ultrasound facilitated catheter-directed thrombolysis and systemically administered half-dose thrombolysis in treatment of pulmonary embolism.

This study retrospectively compared the outcomes of patients who received ultrasound facilitated catheter-directed thrombolysis (UFCDT) versus systemically administered 'half-dose' thrombolysis (HDT) in 97 patients with PE. The outcomes assessed included changes in baseline pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), right ventricle/left ventricle ratio (RV/LV), cost and duration of hospitalization, death, bleeding, and recurrent venous thromboembolism in the short and intermediate term follow-up. Analyses were performed using a covariance adjustment propensity score approach to address baseline differences between groups in variables associated with PASP and RV/LV, covarying baseline scores.

Heightened induction of proapoptotic signals in response to endoplasmic reticulum stress in primary fibroblasts from a mouse model of longevity.

Previous work from our laboratory has shown that primary fibroblasts from long-lived Snell dwarf mice display a higher sensitivity to the lethal effects of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stressors, such as thapsigargin, than cells from normal mice. Here we show that thapsigargin induces higher expression of CHOP, enhanced cleavage of caspase-12, higher caspase-3 activity, and increased phosphorylation of c-JUN, all indicators of enhanced apoptosis, in dwarf fibroblasts. Dwarf and normal fibroblasts show no genotypic difference in up-regulating BiP, GRP94, and ERp72 proteins after exposure to thapsigargin.

Influence of familiarity on identifying prosodic vocalizations produced by children with severe dysarthria.

Familiarity is thought to aid listeners in decoding disordered speech; however, as the speech signal degrades, the "familiarity advantage" becomes less beneficial. Despite highly unintelligible speech sound production, many children with dysarthria vocalize when interacting with familiar caregivers. Perhaps listeners can understand these vocalizations by cuing into prosodic consistencies in their child's productions.