Minimally invasive sacroiliac fusion, a case series, and a literature review.

Introduction: Non-autoimmune sacroiliac joint pain contributes to nearly a quarter of low back pain patients. Non-surgical management fails to satisfy patients. A new minimally invasive technique for sacroiliac stabilization has been introduced, defying the traditional rules of fusion.

A Case Report of a 58-Year-Old Woman with a Diagnosis of High-Risk Myeloma Refractory to Multiple Line of Therapy and Treated with Selinexor, Bortezomib, and Dexamethasone Prior to Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Approximately 10% to 15% of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are diagnosed with high-risk disease and have poor prognosis. Clinical trial data supports the combined use of selinexor, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (XVd) for treatment of patients with MM who have received at least 1 prior therapy. Information on the efficacy of XVd and of subsequent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) in heavily pretreated patients with high-risk MM is limited.

Homecare Safety Virtual Quality Improvement Collaboratives.

With Canada's aging population, innovations in technology and changes in patient preferences regarding where they receive care, there is a growing reliance on homecare services. Professionals in the homecare sector want to provide the best care possible for their clients, whereas homecare organizations look to foster a greater patient safety culture. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Canadian Home Care Association conducted two learning collaboratives aimed at increasing quality improvement capability in homecare settings.

Empowering Patients to Start a Conversation: 5 Questions to Ask about Your Medications.

This quality improvement initiative to help prevent known medication-related failures during transitions of care was co-led by Patients for Patient Safety Canada, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, and the Canadian Society for Hospital Pharmacists. Initially, the intervention was to develop, test, evaluate and disseminate a medication safety "checklist" for patients and healthcare providers. Through small tests of change, the checklist was redesigned as the "5 Questions to Ask about Your Medications.

Multivalent anions as universal latent electron donors.

Electrodes with low work functions are required to efficiently inject electrons into semiconductor devices. However, when the work function drops below about 4 electronvolts, the electrode suffers oxidation in air, which prevents its fabrication in ambient conditions. Here we show that multivalent anions such as oxalate, carbonate and sulfite can act as powerful latent electron donors when dispersed as small ion clusters in a matrix, while retaining their ability to be processed in solution in ambient conditions.

Controlling Molecular Conformation for Highly Efficient and Stable Deep-Blue Copolymer Light-Emitting Diodes.

We report a novel approach to achieve deep-blue, high-efficiency, and long-lived solution-processed polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) via a simple molecular level conformation change of an emissive conjugated polymer. We introduce rigid β-phase segments into a 95% fluorene-5% arylamine copolymer emissive layer. The arylamine moieties at low density act as efficient exciton formation sites in PLEDs, whereas the conformational change alters the nature of the dominant luminescence from a broad, charge transfer like emission to a significantly blue-shifted and highly vibronically structured excitonic emission.

Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence in Polymers: A New Route toward Highly Efficient Solution Processable OLEDs.

Efficient intermonomer thermally activated delayed fluorescence is demonstrated for the first time, opening a new route to achieving high-efficiency solution processable polymer light-emitting device materials. External quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 10% is achieved in a simple fully solution-processed device structure, and routes for further EQE improvement identified.

In search of the Bailar and Rây-Dutt twist mechanisms that racemize chiral trischelates: a computational study of Sc(III), Ti(IV), Co(III), Zn(II), Ga(III), and Ge(IV) complexes of a ligand analogue of acetylacetonate.

Two nondissociative processes, a Bailar twist that proceeds through a transition state of D3h symmetry and a Rây-Dutt twist mechanism that proceeds through a transition state of C(2v) symmetry, as well as dissociative/associative processes are potential mechanisms by which the enantiomeric forms of chiral metal trischelates can be interconverted. We have applied density functional theory to locate the stationary points for metal trischelates of a beta-diketonate ligand analogue that interconvert Delta and Lambda forms via one or both of these nondissociative pathways. Although many two-dimensional static representations of the Bailar and Rây-Dutt twist mechanisms can be found in the chemical literature (of the type shown in Figure 1), in this communication, we present our results in the form of interactive three-dimensional animations as a means of enhancing the scientific perception of these fluxional processes.

Performance evaluation of the PROCLEIX West Nile virus assay on semi-automated and automated systems.

The PROCLEIX West Nile virus assay (WNV assay) is a qualitative nucleic acid test based on transcription-mediated amplification (TMA). The assay was used under an investigational protocol in the United States to screen blood donations for West Nile virus (WNV) RNA starting in the summer of 2003, and was licensed by the FDA in December 2005 for use on the PROCLEIX System, also known as the enhanced semi-automated system (eSAS). Performance characteristics for the assay were determined on both eSAS and the fully automated PROCLEIX TIGRIS (TIGRIS) System.

Brownian dynamics simulations of associating diblock copolymers.

A novel coarse-grained computational model for associating polymers is proposed that is based on a Gaussian "blob" representation of the polymer chains. The model allows a large number of model polymers to be simulated at moderate computational cost over a wide packing fraction range using the Brownian dynamics, BD, technique. The attraction of the hydrophobic part of the polymer to those on other molecules can lead to strong aggregation of the polymer molecules in real systems, and this is included in the model by an attractive potential felt by the Gaussian blobs to a common "nodal" point that represents the center of the micelle.

Stability of separation-shifted Lennard-Jones fluids.

Ruelle's thermodynamic stability criteria are applied to the separation-shifted Lennard-Jones (SSLJ) fluid, and the domain of its parameters giving "normal" thermodynamic stability in the thermodynamic limit is established. Fluids interacting with the SSLJ both conforming to and breaking these stability criteria were modeled using molecular dynamics computer simulation. For system sizes typical of most simulations, the transition between the two patterns of behavior was found to be smeared out over a range of parameter values.

Islet 1 is expressed in distinct cardiovascular lineages, including pacemaker and coronary vascular cells.

Islet1 (Isl1) is a LIM homedomain protein that plays a pivotal role in cardiac progenitors of the second heart field. Here, lineage studies with an inducible isl1-cre demonstrated that most Isl1 progenitors have migrated into the heart by E9. Although Isl1 expression is downregulated in most cardiac progenitors as they differentiate, analysis of an isl1-nlacZ mouse and coimmunostaining for Isl1 and lineage markers demonstrated that Isl1 is expressed in distinct subdomains of the heart, and in diverse cardiovascular lineages.

Self-diffusion coefficient of the hard-sphere fluid: system size dependence and empirical correlations.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to calculate the self-diffusion coefficient, D, of the hard sphere fluid over a wide density range and for different numbers of particles, N, between 32 and 10 976. These data are fitted to the relationship D = D(infinity) - AN(-alpha) where the parameters D(infinity), A, and alpha are all density-dependent (the temperature dependence of D can be trivially scaled out in all cases). The value alpha = 1/3 has been predicted on the basis of hydrodynamic arguments.

First derivative of the hard-sphere radial distribution function at contact.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out of the radial distribution function of the hard sphere fluid for a range of densities in the equilibrium fluid and just into the metastable region. The first derivative of the hard-sphere radial distribution function at contact was computed and its density dependence fitted to a simple analytic form. Comparisons were made with semi-empirical formulae from the literature, and of these the formula proposed by Tao et al (1992 Phys.

Grain morphology and trapping effects on electron transport in dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells.

We have examined the combined effects of grain morphology and electron trapping on the transient response of photoelectrons moving through the TiO2 grains in a dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cell using a multi-time-scale random walk Monte Carlo model. Our use of a multi-time-scale approach enables us to simulate transport for electrons moving through spherical connected grains in a three-dimensional (3D) voided network and look at the effect of the size of interparticle boundaries on carrier dynamics. We can also address similar times to those over which measurements are taken, namely, 0.

A computational study of the nondissociative mechanisms that interchange apical and equatorial atoms in square pyramidal molecules.

The lowest energy transition state for the nondissociative apical/equatorial atom exchange mechanism for three square pyramidal AEX5 molecular species was calculated (CCSD(T)/pVTZ; B3LYP/pVTZ, aug-cc-pV5Z) to have a hemidirected geometry with C(s) symmetry for BrF5, IF5, and XeF5+. In contrast, holodirected C2v-symmetric transition states for this process were located for the AEX5 square pyramidal molecules ClF5, ICl5, and IBr5. Imaginary frequencies were calculated and examined in a visual/dynamic fashion to gain insight into these fluxional processes.

APTIMA PCA3 molecular urine test: development of a method to aid in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Background: Prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) encodes a prostate-specific mRNA that has shown promise as a prostate cancer diagnostic tool. This report describes the characterization of a prototype quantitative PCA3-based test for whole urine.

Methods: Whole-urine specimens were collected after digital rectal examination from 3 groups: men scheduled for prostate biopsy (n = 70), healthy men (<45 years of age with no known prostate cancer risk factors; n = 52), and men who had undergone radical prostatectomy (n = 21).

The relationship between job satisfaction and health: a meta-analysis.

Background: A vast number of published studies have suggested a link between job satisfaction levels and health. The sizes of the relationships reported vary widely. Narrative overviews of this relationship have been published, but no systematic meta-analysis review has been conducted.

P300 from a single-stimulus paradigm: auditory intensity and tone frequency effects.

The P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) was elicited with auditory stimuli in two different tasks. The oddball paradigm presented both target and standard stimuli; the single-stimulus paradigm presented a target but no standard tone stimulus, with the inter-target interval the same as that for the oddball condition. Experiment 1 manipulated stimulus intensity and Experiment 2 manipulated tone stimulus frequency, with the relative target probability maintained 0.

Ala217 is important for the catalytic function and autoactivation of prostate-specific human kallikrein 2.

Prostate-specific human kallikrein, hK2, is a serine protease found in prostate tissues that has 78% amino acid sequence identity with prostate-specific antigen (PSA). We have previously reported the affinity purification of hK2 heterologously expressed in a hamster cell line and demonstrated an arginine-restricted substrate specificity. Here, we describe the cloning, expression, purification, and enzymatic activity of a mutant form of hK2 containing an alanine to valine substitution at residue 217 ([Val217]hK2).

Photography and densitometry to measure skin pigmentation caused by ultraviolet exposure.

This was a project that a final year physiotherapy student was undertaking. Part of the project required the measurement of skin pigmentation before and after treatment with a standard E2 UV dose. The measurement of skin redness was undertaken using an erythema meter, and it was necessary to use photographic and densitometric techniques to measure skin pigmentation.

Overexpression of a human prostate-specific glandular kallikrein, hK2, in E. coli and generation of antibodies.

The genomic and the cDNA clones of human glandular kallikrein (hK2), a member of the kallikrein family, have been isolated; however, the hK2 protein has not yet been identified and characterized. The deduced sequence of hK2 is highly homologous to prostate specific antigen (PSA), a widely accepted prognostic indicator of prostate carcinoma. Also, hK2 mRNA, like PSA mRNA, is exclusively expressed in prostatic epithelia.

Laterality, sexual orientation, and immune system functioning: is there a relationship?

There have been numerous recent investigations of the possibility that laterality (the extent to which an individual is right or left-sided or, more usually, right- or left-handed), sexual orientation (homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual), and immune system functioning are related. The reasons for inconsistencies in the literature and failures to reject the null hypothesis are discussed. Additional data are presented that show a positive relationship between left-sided laterality and homosexuality for a sample of HIV positive males.