Two large-scale surveys on community attitudes toward an opt-out biobank.

Although US research regulations allow for de-identified biorepositories to be developed without formal informed consent from the patients whose samples are included, it is unknown whether this model will be well-received by community members. Based on early evidence that such a biobank could be successful if patients who object have the opportunity to opt-out, Vanderbilt University developed a biorepository named BioVU that follows this model. This study reports the findings from two large-scale surveys among communities important to this biorepository.

Attitudes and beliefs of sports medicine providers to sickle cell trait screening of student athletes.

Objective: To describe the attitudes of members of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) toward the new National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) policy to require all Division I student athletes be screened for sickle cell trait (SCT), have prior evidence of testing, or sign a waiver.

Design: Cross-sectional survey of members of the AMSSM electronic mailing list was conducted. Descriptive, McNemar, and χ2 statistics were performed.

Wounding words: swearing and verbal aggression in an inpatient setting.

Purpose: The aim of the research was to investigate swearing and verbal aggression in Australian inpatient settings, including incidence, gender, patient motivation, and nursing interventions.

Design And Methods: A mixed methods approach utilizing the Overt Aggression Scale and a survey of 107 nurses' perceptions of their experience of swearing was used.

Findings: High levels of swearing and verbal aggression were found, with differing patterns for male and female patients.

CDP-diacylglycerol phospholipid synthesis in detergent-soluble, non-raft, membrane microdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) is essential for numerous cell functions and is generated by consecutive reactions catalyzed by CDP-diacylglycerol synthase (CDS) and PI synthase. In this study, we investigated the membrane organization of CDP-diacylglycerol synthesis. Separation of mildly disrupted A431 cell membranes on sucrose density gradients revealed cofractionation of CDS and PI synthase activities with cholesterol-poor, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes and partial overlap with plasma membrane caveolae.

Viscoelastic properties of soft gels: comparison of magnetic resonance elastography and dynamic shear testing in the shear wave regime.

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is used to quantify the viscoelastic shear modulus, G*, of human and animal tissues. Previously, values of G* determined by MRE have been compared to values from mechanical tests performed at lower frequencies. In this study, a novel dynamic shear test (DST) was used to measure G* of a tissue-mimicking material at higher frequencies for direct comparison to MRE.

Rumen fermentation and liveweight gain in beef cattle treated with monensin and grazing lush forage.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) in beef cattle grazing lush pasture and the effect of monensin on reducing SARA and improving animal performance.

Design: Commercial Angus and Murray Grey steers received a monensin slow-release capsule (n = 19) or remained untreated (n = 19). Cattle grazed an oats crop or tetraploid ryegrass pasture for a total of 91 days.

Sickle cell trait screening in athletes: pediatricians' attitudes and concerns.

Background: As part of a legal settlement in 2010, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) adopted a recommendation that all Division I athletes be screened for sickle cell trait (SCT) or sign an exemption waiver. Pediatricians' attitudes about this policy are unknown.

Objective: We queried 3 specialty sections of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)--the Section on Adolescent Health, the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness (COSMF), and the Section on Bioethics-to determine attitudes about and knowledge of SCT testing of athletes.

Identifiability in biobanks: models, measures, and mitigation strategies.

The collection and sharing of person-specific biospecimens has raised significant questions regarding privacy. In particular, the question of identifiability, or the degree to which materials stored in biobanks can be linked to the name of the individuals from which they were derived, is under scrutiny. The goal of this paper is to review the extent to which biospecimens and affiliated data can be designated as identifiable.

Ethical and practical challenges of sharing data from genome-wide association studies: the eMERGE Consortium experience.

In 2007, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) established the Electronic MEdical Records and GEnomics (eMERGE) Consortium (www.gwas.net) to develop, disseminate, and apply approaches to research that combine DNA biorepositories with electronic medical record (EMR) systems for large-scale, high-throughput genetic research.

Experimental arrest of cerebral blood flow in human subjects: the red wing studies revisited.

Loss of consciousness in pilots during rapid ascent after bombing missions was a major problem in World War II, and experiments were undertaken to study the cause of this phenomenon. Postulating impaired cerebral blood flow as a likely mechanism, the investigators developed a neck device, the KRA Cuff, which when inflated could shut off blood supply to the brain. With cessation of blood flow for up to 100 seconds, the investigators observed a sequence of responses, including unconsciousness, followed by dilated pupils, tonic/clonic movements, loss of bladder and eventually bowel control, and appearance of pathological reflexes.

Frequency-dependent viscoelastic parameters of mouse brain tissue estimated by MR elastography.

Viscoelastic properties of mouse brain tissue were estimated non-invasively, in vivo, using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) at 4.7 T to measure the dispersive properties of induced shear waves. Key features of this study include (i) the development and application of a novel MR-compatible actuation system which transmits vibratory motion into the brain through an incisor bar, and (ii) the investigation of the mechanical properties of brain tissue over a 1200 Hz bandwidth from 600-1800 Hz.

Detergent-free isolation and characterization of cholesterol-rich membrane domains from trans-Golgi network vesicles.

Cholesterol is an abundant lipid of the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and of certain endosomal membranes where cholesterol-rich microdomains are important in the organization and compartmentalization of vesicular trafficking. Here we describe the development of a rapid method to isolate a cholesterol-rich endomembrane fraction. We show that widely used subcellular fractionation techniques incompletely separate cholesterol-rich membranes, such as the TGN, from organelles, such as late endosomes and lysosomes.

False positive newborn screening results are not always benign.

Objective: Our goal was to assess the impact on families of receiving abnormal newborn screening results.

Patients And Methods: We conducted telephone interviews with parents of 3 groups of children who had received abnormal newborn screening results: (1) false positive but otherwise healthy (FP, n = 28), (2) true positive (TP, n = 20), and (3) false positive with other medical conditions (FP + other, n = 12). Interviews, based on the instruments developed by Waisbren et al.

Ethical and practical guidelines for reporting genetic research results to study participants: updated guidelines from a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute working group.

In January 2009, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened a 28-member multidisciplinary Working Group to update the recommendations of a 2004 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group focused on Guidelines to the Return of Genetic Research Results. Changes in the genetic and societal landscape over the intervening 5 years raise multiple questions and challenges. The group noted the complex issues arising from the fact that technological and bioinformatic progress has made it possible to obtain considerable information on individuals that would not have been possible a decade ago.

Real-time PCR assay to differentiate Listeriolysin S-positive and -negative strains of Listeria monocytogenes.

Due to the severity of the food-borne infection listeriosis, strict legislation governs the detectable and permissible limits at which Listeria monocytogenes is permitted in foods. These requirements, coupled with the ubiquitous nature of L. monocytogenes strains and the potential for epidemic outbreaks, mean that the pathogen can devastate affected sectors of the food industry.

The impact of bisphenol A and triclosan on immune parameters in the U.S. population, NHANES 2003-2006.

Background: Exposure to environmental toxicants is associated with numerous disease outcomes, many of which involve underlying immune and inflammatory dysfunction.

Objectives: To address the gap between environmental exposures and immune dysfunction, we investigated the association of two endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) with markers of immune function.

Methods: Using data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we compared urinary bisphenol A (BPA) and triclosan levels with serum cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody levels and diagnosis of allergies or hay fever in U.

Increased plasma d-lactic acid associated with impaired memory in rats.

Aim: d-Lactic acidosis is associated with memory impairment in humans. Recent research indicates that d-lactic acid may inhibit the supply of energy from astrocytes to neurons involved with memory formation. However, little is known about the effects of increased hind-gut fermentation due to changes in diet on circulating lactic acid concentrations and memory.

Dynamin I phosphorylation by GSK3 controls activity-dependent bulk endocytosis of synaptic vesicles.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) is a critical enzyme in neuronal physiology; however, it is not yet known whether it has any specific role in presynaptic function. We found that GSK3 phosphorylates a residue on the large GTPase dynamin I (Ser-774) both in vitro and in primary rat neuronal cultures. This was dependent on prior phosphorylation of Ser-778 by cyclin-dependent kinase 5.

Principles of human subjects protections applied in an opt-out, de-identified biobank.

BioVU, the Vanderbilt DNA Databank, is one of few biobanks that qualifies as non-human subjects research as determined by the local IRB and the federal Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP). BioVU accrues DNA samples extracted from leftover blood remaining from routine clinical testing. The resource is linked to a de-identified version of data extracted from an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, termed the Synthetic Device (SD), in which all personal identifiers have been removed.

Thuricin CD, a posttranslationally modified bacteriocin with a narrow spectrum of activity against Clostridium difficile.

The last decade has seen numerous outbreaks of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD), which presented significant challenges for healthcare facilities worldwide. We have identified and purified thuricin CD, a two-component antimicrobial that shows activity against C. difficile in the nanomolar range.

Characterisation of a stereotypical cellular and extracellular adult liver progenitor cell niche in rodents and diseased human liver.

Background: Stem/progenitor cell niches in tissues regulate stem/progenitor cell differentiation and proliferation through local signalling.

Objective: To examine the composition and formation of stem progenitor cell niches.

Methods: The composition of the hepatic progenitor cell niche in independent models of liver injury and hepatic progenitor cell activation in rodents and humans was studied.

Openness of patients' reporting with use of electronic records: psychiatric clinicians' views.

Objectives: Improvements in electronic health record (EHR) system development will require an understanding of psychiatric clinicians' views on EHR system acceptability, including effects on psychotherapy communications, data-recording behaviors, data accessibility versus security and privacy, data quality and clarity, communications with medical colleagues, and stigma.

Design: Multidisciplinary development of a survey instrument targeting psychiatric clinicians who recently switched to EHR system use, focus group testing, data analysis, and data reliability testing.

Measurements: Survey of 120 university-based, outpatient mental health clinicians, with 56 (47%) responding, conducted 18 months after transition from a paper to an EHR system.