Safety and Feasibility of Cervical and Thoracic Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation to Improve Hand Motor Function in Children With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: In adults with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), transcutaneous spinal stimulation (scTS) has improved upper extremity strength and control. This novel noninvasive neurotherapeutic approach combined with training may modulate the inherent developmental plasticity of children with SCI, providing even greater improvements than training or stimulation alone. Because children with SCI represent a vulnerable population, we first must establish the safety and feasibility of any potential novel therapeutic approach.

Prevalence of Educationally Significant Disabilities Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students.

Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) students are often labeled with one or more educationally significant disabilities in addition to their hearing loss. According to the Gallaudet Research Institution's most recent Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth (2013), almost 40% of d/DHH students nationwide receive special education services for one or more comorbid disabilities. However, relatively few prevalence rate estimates have been published over the last decade.

Diagnosis and Management of Cognitive Concerns in the Oldest-Old.

Purpose Of Review: The fastest-growing group of elderly individuals is the "oldest-old," usually defined as those age 85 years and above. These individuals account for much of the rapid increase in cases of dementing illness throughout the world but remain underrepresented in the body of literature on this topic. The aim of this review is first to outline the unique contributing factors and complications that must be considered by clinicians in evaluating an oldest-old individual with cognitive complaints.

Long-Term Outcomes of Thoracic Trauma in U.S. Service Members Involved in Combat Operations.

Introduction: Nearly 10% of all combat injuries during the most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan involve thoracic trauma. The long-term outcomes of these combat-related injuries with respect to lung function have not been fully evaluated. Limited research in civilian polytrauma patients have shown significant obstructive physiology in nearly half of their population without clear etiology.

First Pass Effect in Patients Treated With the Trevo Stent-Retriever: A TRACK Registry Study Analysis.

The first pass effect (FPE; achieving complete recanalization with a single thrombectomy device pass) has been shown to be associated with higher rates of good clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Here, we investigate clinical and radiographic factors associated with FPE in a large U.S.

Effect of print layer height on the assessment of 3D-printed models.

Introduction: Many variables can affect the accuracy of 3D-printed orthodontic models, and the effects of different printing parameters on the clinical utility of the printed models are just beginning to be understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of print layer height on the assessment of 3D-printed orthodontic models with the use of the American Board of Orthodontics Cast-Radiograph Evaluation grading system.

Methods: Twelve cases were scanned using a desktop model scanner and 3D-printed using a stereolithography-based printer at three different layer heights (25, 50, and 100-μm; n = 12 per group).

Comparison of automated grading of digital orthodontic models and hand grading of 3-dimensionally printed models.

Introduction: Emerging workflows in orthodontics enable automated analysis of digital models and production of physical study models from digital files for the evaluation of treatment outcomes. The objective of this study was to compare the automated assessment of digital orthodontic models and the hand grading of 3D-printed models with the use of the American Board of Orthodontics cast-radiograph evaluation (ABO CRE) system.

Methods: Plaster models from 15 cases were scanned with the use of a desktop model scanner to create digital models from which physical models were produced with the use of a stereolithography-based 3D printer.

Effect of balloon guide catheter on clinical outcomes and reperfusion in Trevo thrombectomy.

Introduction: The Solitaire stent retriever registry showed improved reperfusion, faster procedure times, and better outcome in acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion treated with a balloon guide catheter (BGC) and Solitaire stent retriever compared with a conventional guide catheter. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether use of a BGC with the Trevo stent retriever improves outcomes compared with a conventional guide catheter.

Methods: The TRACK registry recruited 23 sites to submit demographic, clinical, and site adjudicated angiographic and outcome data on consecutive patients treated with the Trevo stent retriever.

Deep brain stimulation for obsessive compulsive disorder: A review of results by anatomical target.

Studies suggest deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a treatment modality for the refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is unclear where to place the DBS. Various sites are proposed for placement with the ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS) among the most studied.

Platelet Dysfunction and Intracerebral Hemorrhage in a Patient Treated with Empiric Piperacillin-Tazobactam in the Neurocritical Care Unit.

Background: Piperacillin-tazobactam is common empiric antibiotic therapy. Hematologic laboratory test abnormalities were documented but rare in premarketing studies, and whether these alterations are of clinical significance has been studied little. Very few cases of piperacillin-induced bleeding, thrombocytopenia, or both have been reported; aberrations in platelet function have not been implicated.

Measles Virus Neutralizing Antibodies in Intravenous Immunoglobulins: Is an Increase by Revaccination of Plasma Donors Possible?

We report a screen of plasma donors confirming that widespread use of childhood measles vaccination since 1963 resulted in a decrease in average measles virus antibody titers among plasma donors, which is reflected in intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs). The measles virus antibody titer, however, is a potency requirement for IVIGs, as defined in a Food and Drug Administration regulation. To mitigate the decline in measles virus antibody titers in IVIGs and to ensure consistent product release, revaccination of plasma donors was investigated as a means to boost titers.

TREVO stent-retriever mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion registry.

Background: Recent randomized clinical trials (RCTs) demonstrated the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy using stent-retrievers in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusions; however, it remains unclear if these results translate to a real-world setting. The TREVO Stent-Retriever Acute Stroke (TRACK) multicenter Registry aimed to evaluate the use of the Trevo device in everyday clinical practice.

Methods: Twenty-three centers enrolled consecutive AIS patients treated from March 2013 through August 2015 with the Trevo device.

Massive donor transfusion potentially increases recipient mortality after lung transplantation.

Objective: Donor blood transfusion has been identified as a potential risk factor for primary graft dysfunction and by extension early mortality. We sought to define the contributing risk of donor transfusion on early mortality for lung transplant.

Methods: Donor and recipient data were abstracted from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database updated through June 30, 2014, which included 86,398 potential donors and 16,255 transplants.

Propionate Increases Hepatic Pyruvate Cycling and Anaplerosis and Alters Mitochondrial Metabolism.

In mammals, pyruvate kinase (PK) plays a key role in regulating the balance between glycolysis and gluconeogenesis; however, in vivo regulation of PK flux by gluconeogenic hormones and substrates is poorly understood. To this end, we developed a novel NMR-liquid chromatography/tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to directly assess pyruvate cycling relative to mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism (VPyr-Cyc/VMito) in vivo using [3-(13)C]lactate as a tracer. Using this approach, VPyr-Cyc/VMito was only 6% in overnight fasted rats.

Communication and Language in Learners Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing With Disabilities: Theories, Research, and Practice.

Findings are presented from communication intervention research in three areas related to deafness with disability (DWD): D/deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) with (a) intellectual disability, (b) autism spectrum disorders, (c) deafblindness. Early identification, prevalence, theoretical perspectives, and evidence-based practices are discussed. Developmental theory, behavioral theory, and social-interactionism theory undergird many assessment and intervention practices in communication.

Oxidant stress regulatory genetic variation in recipients and donors contributes to risk of primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation.

Objective: Oxidant stress pathway activation during ischemia reperfusion injury may contribute to the development of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. We hypothesized that oxidant stress gene variation in recipients and donors is associated with PGD.

Methods: Donors and recipients from the Lung Transplant Outcomes Group (LTOG) cohort were genotyped using the Illumina IBC chip filtered for oxidant stress pathway genes.

Teacher ratings of evidence-based practices from the field of autism.

Students who have a hearing loss and a comorbid diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have multiple obstacles to overcome. Using Gallaudet Research Institute data, Szymanski, Brice, Lam, and Hotto calculated 1 deaf student in 59 received services for both a hearing loss and an ASD (Szymanski, Brice, Lam, & Hotto, 2012). Teachers of the deaf (TOD) in a Midwestern state completed a survey (N = 68) to indicate familiarity with evidence-based practices (EBP) from the field of ASD in order to confirm or reject the hypothesis that they would not report familiarity with these practices.

D1 receptors regulate dendritic morphology in normal and stressed prelimbic cortex.

Both stress and dysfunction of prefrontal cortex are linked to psychological disorders, and structure and function of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are altered by stress. Chronic restraint stress causes dendritic retraction in the prelimbic region (PL) of mPFC in rats. Dopamine release in mPFC increases during stress, and chronic administration of dopaminergic agonists results in dendritic remodeling.

Should we reconsider lung transplantation through uncontrolled donation after circulatory death?

Lung transplantation through controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD) has slowly gained universal acceptance with reports of equivalent outcomes to those through donation after brain death. In contrast, uncontrolled DCD (uDCD) lung use is controversial and requires ethical, legal and medical complexities to be addressed in a limited time. Consequently, uDCD lung use has not previously been reported in the United States.

A rare case of acute diffuse alveolar hemorrhage following initiation of amiodarone: a case report.

Amiodarone is effective for treating ventricular and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, despite potential side effects which can include injury to the liver, thyroid, cornea, skin, and neuromuscular system. Acute lung toxicity is a known but rare side effect of amiodarone use, most commonly taking the form of an acute or subacute interstitial pneumonitis. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is a rare reaction, with few case reports documented in the literature since amiodarone became widely used in the early 1980s.

How are they really doing? Observation of inclusionary classroom participation for children with mild-to-moderate deafness.

Direct observation was utilized to study how 5 children with mild-to-moderate deafness participated within inclusive classroom settings. Responses to practice and prompt opportunities, levels of prompting required to follow classroom directions, and engagement were analyzed across students with mild-to-moderate deafness and were compared to students with normal hearing. Similar responses to practice and prompt opportunities were observed across students, and engagement data indicated that 4 children with mild-to-moderate deafness had similar rates to their peers.

Exploring the relationship between faculty, students, and the Social and Behavioral Ethics Review Committee through action research.

STUDENT RESEARCHERS USED ACTION research both to study the relationship between university researchers and the ethics committee, and also to explore the ethics committee's approach to protocols involving action research and other qualitative methods. We review the existing literature on relationships between university faculty and their ethics committees and briefly discuss the basic tenets of action research. We then describe our research process and the specific recommendations that resulted from this work.

Structural asymmetry and intersubunit communication in muscle creatine kinase.

The structure of a transition-state analog complex of a highly soluble mutant (R134K) of rabbit muscle creatine kinase (rmCK) has been determined to 1.65 A resolution in order to elucidate the structural changes that are required to support and regulate catalysis. Significant structural asymmetry is seen within the functional homodimer of rmCK, with one monomer found in a closed conformation with the active site occupied by the transition-state analog components creatine, MgADP and nitrate.