Perfusion techniques for an 800 g premature neonate undergoing Arterial Switch Procedure for Transposition of the Great Arteries★.

Early cardiac surgery in neonates and infants with congenital heart disease has been performed since the middle to late years of the twentieth century. To date, there are very few reports of successful congenital heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in premature babies less than 1000 g with serious congenital heart disease. Limited information is available in the literature describing perfusion techniques for this extremely fragile patient population.

Increased cerebral mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Objectives: Neurodevelopmental injury after cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for congenital heart defects is common, but the mechanism behind this injury is unclear. This study examines the impact of CPB on cerebral mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and mitochondrial bioenergetics.

Methods: Twenty-three piglets (mean weight 4.

Comparison of three autotransfusion devices for utilization in the pediatric population.

Introduction: A device that may help attenuate the amount of homologous blood product given to pediatric cardiac surgical patients is the autotransfusion device. Three separate autotransfusion devices were selected for evaluation. The Sorin Xtra, Fresenius Continuous Autotransfusion System Plus (CATS), and the Fresenius Continuous Autotransfusion System Smart (CATSmart) were evaluated based on the mechanical processes of each device, hematocrit value of the salvaged packed red cell product, time of processing, and the advantageous accessories with each device.

Comparison of three infant venous reservoirs with vacuum-assisted venous drainage during varying levels of cardiotomy suction.

Background: Vacuum-assisted venous drainage has gained widespread use within the pediatric perfusion community for use during cardiopulmonary bypass. It is questioned whether its efficiency may be compromised with application of excessive cardiotomy suction to the infant hard-shell venous reservoir. An in vitro simulation circuit was used to research this phenomenon.

Implementation of a Pharmacist-Directed Antimicrobial Stewardship Protocol Utilizing Rapid Diagnostic Testing.

Rapid identification of gram-positive bacteria and resistance determinants from blood cultures can reduce the time to optimal antibiotic therapy. This study evaluates the use of technology to rapidly identify gram-positive bacteria in combination with a pharmacist-directed antimicrobial stewardship protocol in a tertiary-care facility. Rapid diagnostic testing was performed on gram-positive blood cultures.

Implementing RTI in a high school: a case study.

This case study chronicles the efforts of a small high school over a 2-year period as it designed an implemented a response to intervention (RTI) program for students at the school. Their efforts were largely successful, with improved achievement, attendance, and grade point averages and a decrease in special education referrals. Major themes include the need to focus on quality core instruction as a means for preventing school failure, adopting a schoolwide approach, and developing curriculum-based assessments that make intervention meaningful.

New kinase regulation mechanism found in HipBA: a bacterial persistence switch.

Bacterial persistence is the ability of individual cells to randomly enter a period of dormancy during which the cells are protected against antibiotics. In Escherichia coli, persistence is regulated by the activity of a protein kinase HipA and its DNA-binding partner HipB, which is a strong inhibitor of both HipA activity and hip operon transcription. The crystal structure of the HipBA complex was solved by application of the SAD technique to a mercury derivative.

Ensemble stump classifiers and gene expression signatures in lung cancer.

Microarray data sets for cancer tumor tissue generally have very few samples, each sample having thousands of probes (i.e., continuous variables).

A nuclear magnetic resonance-based functional assay for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthetase.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthetase (NadE) is an essential enzyme for bacterial pathogens and is thus a promising antibacterial target. It catalyzes the conversion of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Changes in chemical shifts that occur in the nicotinic acid ring as it is converted to nicotinamide can be used for monitoring the reaction.

Data mining for gene networks relevant to poor prognosis in lung cancer via backward-chaining rule induction.

We use Backward Chaining Rule Induction (BCRI), a novel data mining method for hypothesizing causative mechanisms, to mine lung cancer gene expression array data for mechanisms that could impact survival. Initially, a supervised learning system is used to generate a prediction model in the form of "IF THEN " style rules. Next, each antecedent (i.

Using prior knowledge and rule induction methods to discover molecular markers of prognosis in lung cancer.

An iterative computational scientific discovery approach is proposed and applied to gene expression data for resectable lung adenocarcinoma patients. We use genes learned from the C5.0 rule induction algorithm, clinical features and prior knowledge derived from a network of interacting genes as represented in a database obtained with PathwayAssist to discover markers for prognosis in the gene expression data.

A new chemical tool for exploring the role of the PDE4D isozyme in leukocyte function.

Nicotinamide (2) is a potent and selective inhibitor of the PDE4D isozyme and as a chemical tool selectively blocks eosinophil mediator release and chemotaxis thus linking the role of PDE4D to eosinophil function.

Prevention of organ allograft rejection by a specific Janus kinase 3 inhibitor.

Because of its requirement for signaling by multiple cytokines, Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) is an excellent target for clinical immunosuppression. We report the development of a specific, orally active inhibitor of JAK3, CP-690,550, that significantly prolonged survival in a murine model of heart transplantation and in cynomolgus monkeys receiving kidney transplants. CP-690,550 treatment was not associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or lymphoproliferative disease.