What and where? Predicting invasion hotspots in the Arctic marine realm.

The risk of aquatic invasions in the Arctic is expected to increase with climate warming, greater shipping activity and resource exploitation in the region. Planktonic and benthic marine aquatic invasive species (AIS) with the greatest potential for invasion and impact in the Canadian Arctic were identified and the 23 riskiest species were modelled to predict their potential spatial distributions at pan-Arctic and global scales. Modelling was conducted under present environmental conditions and two intermediate future (2050 and 2100) global warming scenarios.

Where else? Assessing zones of alternate ballast water exchange in the Canadian eastern Arctic.

Mid-ocean ballast water exchange (BWE) is recommended for international vessels to minimize the transfer of nonindigenous species (NIS). When this cannot be accomplished due to safety concerns, alternate ballast water exchange zones (ABWEZ) may be used. A coupled-ice-ocean model with meteorological forcing and particle tracking was used to evaluate the relative risks from BWE along primary shipping routes into Canada's eastern Arctic.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Competitive Athletes.

Background: Competitive athletes value the ability to return to competitive play after the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. ACL reconstruction has high success rates for return to play, but some studies indicate that patients may do well with nonoperative physical therapy treatment.

Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the treatment of acute ACL tears with either initial surgical reconstruction or physical therapy in competitive athletes.

Bacteriophage Can Prevent Encrustation and Blockage of Urinary Catheters by Proteus mirabilis.

Proteus mirabilis forms dense crystalline biofilms on catheter surfaces that occlude urine flow, leading to serious clinical complications in long-term catheterized patients, but there are presently no truly effective approaches to control catheter blockage by this organism. This study evaluated the potential for bacteriophage therapy to control P. mirabilis infection and prevent catheter blockage.

Dosing regimen of meropenem for adults with severe burns: a population pharmacokinetic study with Monte Carlo simulations.

Objectives: To develop a population model to describe the pharmacokinetics (PK) of intravenous meropenem in adult patients with severe burns and investigate potential relationships between dosage regimens and antimicrobial efficacy.

Patients And Methods: A dose of 1 g every 8 h was administered to adult patients with total body surface area burns of ≥15%. Doses for subsequent courses were determined using results from the initial course and the patient's clinical condition.

Effects of Continuous Irrigation During Burring on Thermal Necrosis and Fusion Strength in a Rabbit Arthrodesis Model.

Background: High-speed burring used to prepare bony surfaces during arthrodesis procedures can increase heat generation that may impede healing and fusion. Irrigation during burring has the potential to improve early healing of burred bone surfaces and result in a stronger fusion mass. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of continuous irrigation during burring on thermal necrosis and fusion strength in an in vivo arthrodesis animal model.

Emergence of MD type infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in Washington State coastal steelhead trout.

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) occurs in North America as 3 major phylogenetic groups designated U, M, and L. In coastal Washington State, IHNV has historically consisted of U genogroup viruses found predominantly in sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka. M genogroup IHNV, which has host-specific virulence for rainbow and steelhead trout O.

Imaging and percutaneous treatment of secondarily infected hepatic infarctions.

Objective: The objective of our study was to describe the imaging features and success rate of percutaneously treated infected hepatic infarctions.

Materials And Methods: Three hundred ninety-two patients had percutaneous liver abscess aspiration and drainage or aspiration and intraoperative débridement at our institution between 1990 and 2003. One hundred fifty-one of these patients underwent CT at least 2 days before the drainage procedure and immediately before the procedure.

Palliative Care Partnership: a successful model of primary/secondary integration.

The health reforms of the 1990s and early 21st century have seen unheralded change in the delivery of health services in New Zealand, and the concept of integration of primary and specialist or secondary services into a seamless health delivery service is one of the key planks of national and regional healthcare planning in New Zealand. This paper reports on a successful primary secondary integration project. Starting with commentary on the historical difficulties that acted as a catalyst to this initiative, it reports on the development process, how the model works in practice, and outlines some initial evaluation work done as part of its quality improvement component.

The role of AEBP1 in sex-specific diet-induced obesity.

Obesity is an important risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, but the molecular basis for obesity is poorly understood. The transcriptional repressor AEBP1, which functions as a negative regulator of PTEN through a protein-protein interaction, is highly expressed in the stromal compartment of adipose tissues, including proliferative preadipocytes, and its expression is abolished in terminally differentiated, nonproliferative adipocytes. Here we show that transgenic overexpression of AEBP1 during adipogenesis coupled with a high-fat diet (HFD) resulted in massive obesity in female transgenic (AEBP1(TG)) mice via adipocyte hyperplasia.

Is the screening portable pelvis film clinically useful in multiple trauma patients who will be examined by abdominopelvic CT? Experience with 397 patients.

The multiple trauma patient is usually initially imaged with a portable "trauma series" consisting of a lateral cervical spine film, a portable chest film, and a portable pelvis film (PPF). An investigation was performed to determine whether the screening PPF could be eliminated for multiple trauma patients being examined by abdominopelvic CT scan (APCT). A retrospective investigation analyzed all patients evaluated in our level I trauma center from 1 January to 31 December 2000 who were examined with a "trauma series" followed by an APCT scan within 8 h.

Deletion of N-terminal amino acids from human lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase differentially affects enzyme activity toward alpha- and beta-substrate lipoproteins.

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is the enzyme responsible for generation of the majority of the cholesteryl esters (CE) in human plasma. Although most plasma cholesterol esterification occurs on high-density lipoprotein (HDL), via alpha-LCAT activity, esterification also occurs on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) via the beta-activity of the enzyme. Computer threading techniques have provided a three-dimensional model for use in the structure-function analysis of the core and catalytic site of the LCAT protein, but the model does not extend to the N-terminal region of the enzyme, which may mediate LCAT interaction with lipoprotein substrates.

Bifurcations in a system described by a nonlinear differential equation with delay.

Computer simulations of a nonlinear differential equation with time delay have been carried out to determine the possible steady states over a wide range of parameter values. A variety of nonlinear phenomena, including chaotic attractors and multiple coexisting attractors, are observed. Precision of the solutions is verified by means of evaluating the computational error at each time step.