Spatial and seasonal variation in disinfection byproducts concentrations in a rural public drinking water system: A case study of Martin County, Kentucky, USA.

To increase our understanding of the factors that influence formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in rural drinking systems, we investigated the spatial and seasonal variation in trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) concentrations in relation to various chemical and physical variables in a rural public drinking water system in Martin County, Kentucky, USA. We collected drinking water samples from 97 individual homes over the course of one year and analyzed them for temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, free chlorine, total chlorine, THMs (chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, dichlorobromomethane, and bromoform) and HAAs (monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, bromoacetic acid, and dibromoacetic acid). Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed only weak overall clustering for HAA concentrations and none for THMs.

Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the Philippines: An exploratory study of outcomes after reintegration into the community.

Background: This study examined psychosocial outcomes for Filipino survivors of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

Objective: This study aimed to identify relationships between demographic variables, self-reported and caregiver-reported trauma symptoms, and psychosocial functioning among Filipino youth who have experienced OSAEC.

Participants And Setting: This study utilized inclusion criteria of survivors of OSAEC between ages 12 and 18 who received residential care and were reintegrated into the community for at least one year (N = 48).

Ultrasound Education in an Elective Course in the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum Improves Students' Subjective Learning and Clinical Rotation and Residency Preparedness.

Objectives: Studies have demonstrated that students are able to improve their understanding of anatomy, physical exam skills, and clinical knowledge when ultrasound is incorporated into their education. This study investigates whether students enrolled in an elective with significant use of ultrasound (ACS) in their preclinical years subjectively improved their preparedness for clinical rotations, residency, and learning in several subjects.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of an anonymous online needs assessment survey sent to 384 third- and fourth-year medical students.

Peritoneal seeding of embolic beads after uterine artery embolization.

Background: Incidental identification of peritoneal nodules during laparoscopy may present a diagnostic dilemma. The differential diagnosis includes a variety of benign and malignant entities such as peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Case: A 44-year-old G2P2 woman presented with recurrent menorrhagia and pelvic pain was found to have large uterine fibroids on imaging studies.

Draft Genome Sequences for 6 Isolates of Endospore-Forming Class Species Isolated from Soil from a Suburban, Wooded, Developed Space.

Here, we report draft genome sequences of Bacillus pseudomycoides SC107, sp. SC111, Peribacillus frigoritolerans SC112, Priestia megaterium SC114, sp. SC116, and Lysinibacillus fusiformis SC117, isolated from a campus wooded area in Loudonville, NY.

The process, benefits and challenges of providing psychological consultation in adoption services.

Psychological consultation is one way of reaching a greater number of families with limited resources, yet little is known about the benefits and challenges of this intervention in adoption. We qualitatively explored consultations provided to adoption social workers by clinical psychologists. Six social workers and four clinical psychologists participated in semi-structured interviews.

Scavenger Receptor A1 Mediates the Uptake of Carboxylated and Pristine Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Coated with Bovine Serum Albumin.

Previously, we noted that carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cMWNTs) coated with Pluronic F-108 (PF108) bound to and were accumulated by macrophages, but that pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (pMWNTs) coated with PF108 were not (Wang et al., , , 677). Subsequent studies with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that overexpressed scavenger receptor A1 (SR-A1) and with macrophages derived from mice knocked out for SR-A1 provided evidence that SR-A1 was a receptor of PF108-cMWNTs (Wang et al.

Selective Uptake of Carboxylated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Class A Type 1 Scavenger Receptors and Impaired Phagocytosis in Alveolar Macrophages.

The production and applications of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have increased despite evidence that MWNTs can be toxic. Recently, we reported that the binding of Pluronic F-108 (PF108)-coated carboxylated MWNTs (C-MWNTs) to macrophages is inhibited by class A scavenger receptors (SR-As) antagonists (R. Wang et al.

The Importance of Evaluating the Lot-to-Lot Batch Consistency of Commercial Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Products.

The biological response of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is related to their physicochemical properties and a thorough MWNT characterization should accompany an assessment of their biological activity, including their potential toxicity. Beyond characterizing the physicochemical properties of MWNTs from different sources or manufacturers, it is also important to characterize different production lots of the same MWNT product from the same vendor (i.e.

Quantitation of cell-associated carbon nanotubes: selective binding and accumulation of carboxylated carbon nanotubes by macrophages.

To understand the influence of carboxylation on the interaction of carbon nanotubes with cells, the amount of pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (P-MWNTs) or carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (C-MWNTs) coated with Pluronic F-108 that were accumulated by macrophages was measured by quantifying CNTs extracted from cells. Mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages and differentiated human THP-1 (dTHP-1) macrophages accumulated 80-100 times more C-MWNTs than P-MWNTs during a 24-h exposure at 37 °C.

Mice lacking have reduced signs of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a term used to characterize individuals having at least three of the following diseases: obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hypertension, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It is widespread, and the number of individuals with MetS is increasing. However, the events leading to the manifestation of MetS are not well-understood.

Ultrasound Diagnosis of Calf Injuries.

Context: The medial head of the gastrocnemius is the third most commonly strained muscle in elite athletes after the biceps femoris and rectus femoris. The differential diagnosis of posterior calf injury includes musculoskeletal and nonmusculoskeletal causes. Classically, delineation of these injuries from one another relied primarily on historical features and physical examination findings.

Detecting Sonolysis of Polyethylene Glycol Upon Functionalizing Carbon Nanotubes.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and related polymers are often used in the solubilization and noncovalent functionalization of carbon nanomaterials by sonication. For example, carbon nanotubes are frequently sonicated with PEG-containing surfactants of the Pluronic series or phospholipid-PEG polymers to noncovalently functionalize the nanotubes. However, PEG is very sensitive to degradation upon sonication and the degradation products can be toxic to mammalian cells and to organisms such as zebrafish embryos.

Enriched surface acidity for surfactant-free suspensions of carboxylated carbon nanotubes purified by centrifugation.

It is well known that surfactant-suspended carbon nanotube (CNT) samples can be purified by centrifugation to decrease agglomerates and increase individually-dispersed CNTs. However, centrifugation is not always part of protocols to prepare CNT samples used in biomedical applications. Herein, using carboxylated multi-walled CNTs (cMWCNTs) suspended in water without a surfactant, we developed a Boehm titrimetric method for the analysis of centrifuged cMWCNT suspensions and used it to show that the surface acidity of oxidized carbon materials in aqueous cMWCNT suspensions was enriched by ~40% by a single low-speed centrifugation step.

The impact of subcellular location on the near infrared-mediated thermal ablation of cells by targeted carbon nanotubes.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are used in the near infrared (NIR)-mediated thermal ablation of tumor cells because they efficiently convert absorbed NIR light into heat. Despite the therapeutic potential of SWNTs, there have been no published studies that directly quantify how many SWNTs need be associated with a cell to achieve a desired efficiency of killing, or what is the most efficient subcellular location of SWNTs for killing cells. Herein we measured dose response curves for the efficiency of killing correlated to the measured amounts of folate-targeted SWNTs that were either on the surface or within the vacuolar compartment of normal rat kidney cells.

Toxicity assessment and bioaccumulation in zebrafish embryos exposed to carbon nanotubes suspended in Pluronic® F-108.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are often suspended in Pluronic® surfactants by sonication, which may confound toxicity studies because sonication of surfactants can create degradation products that are toxic to mammalian cells. Here, we present a toxicity assessment of Pluronic® F-108 with and without suspended CNTs using embryonic zebrafish as an in vivo model. Pluronic® sonolytic degradation products were toxic to zebrafish embryos just as they were to mammalian cells.

Rapid detection of polyethylene glycol sonolysis upon functionalization of carbon nanomaterials.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and related polymers are often used in the functionalization of carbon nanomaterials in procedures that involve sonication. However, PEG is very sensitive to sonolytic degradation and PEG degradation products can be toxic to mammalian cells. Thus, it is imperative to assess potential PEG degradation to ensure that the final material does not contain undocumented contaminants that can introduce artifacts into experimental results.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for older adults with depression: a review.

Background: Depression is a major public health concern of global significance. The illness diminishes overall quality of life and has been associated with significant distress and disability in physical, interpersonal, and social role functioning. Over the past few decades, a consensus has evolved that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be an effective treatment for depression in older adults; however, little attention has been given to its effect on them.

A carbon nanotube-based Raman-imaging immunoassay for evaluating tumor targeting ligands.

Herein, we describe a versatile immunoassay that uses biotinylated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as a Raman label, avidin-biotin chemistry to link targeting ligands to the label, and confocal Raman microscopy to image whole cells. Using a breast tumor cell model, we demonstrate the usefulness of the method to assess membrane receptor/ligand systems by evaluating a monoclonal antibody, Her-66, known to target the Her2 receptors that are overexpressed on these cells. We present two-dimensional Raman images of the cellular distribution of the SWNT labels corresponding to the distribution of the Her2 receptors in different focal planes through the cell with validation of the method using immunofluorescence microscopy, demonstrating that the Her-66-SWNT complexes were targeted to Her2 cell receptors.

Use of gel electrophoresis and Raman spectroscopy to characterize the effect of the electronic structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes on cellular uptake.

It is well-known that the uptake of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by living cells depends on factors such as SWNT length and surface chemistry. Surprisingly, little is known about whether the electronic structure of a SWNT influences uptake. One reason for this has been the lack of methods to measure the uptake of SWNTs by cell populations.

Formulating a programme of repairs to structural home injury hazards in New Zealand.

Home injuries are a substantial health burden worldwide, with the home setting being at least as important as the road for injury. Focusing on common injury hazards presented by the home environment, we sought to examine the justification for significant expenditure on safety-related repairs to the housing stock. Trained inspectors assessed 961 New Zealand houses for injury hazards.

STUDY OF THE NEAR INFRARED-MEDIATED HEATING OF DISPERSIONS OF PROTEIN-COATED PRISTINE AND CARBOXYLATED SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES.

Previously, we demonstrated the selective NIR-mediated ablation of tumor cells using pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with adsorbed tumor-targeting ligands and carboxylated SWNTs with covalently-attached ligands. The covalent approach is advantageous in ensuring that protein ligands remain associated with the NIR-absorbing SWNTs in biological matrices and the noncovalent approach has the advantage of enabling SWNT functionalization without perturbation of the SWNT lattice and photothermal properties. Herein, we compare the ability of moderately-carboxylated (~4 at.

Generation of toxic degradation products by sonication of Pluronic® dispersants: implications for nanotoxicity testing.

Poloxamers (known by the trade name Pluronic®) are triblock copolymer surfactants that contain two polyethylene glycol blocks and one polypropylene glycol block of various sizes. Poloxamers are widely used as nanoparticle dispersants for nanotoxicity studies wherein nanoparticles are sonicated with a dispersant to prepare suspensions. It is known that poloxamers can be degraded during sonication and that reactive oxygen species contribute to the degradation process.

Differential proteolysis of sigma regulators controls cell-surface signalling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Cell-surface signalling systems are widespread in Gram-negative bacteria. In these systems gene expression occurs following binding of a ligand, commonly a siderophore, to a receptor protein in the outer membrane. The receptor interacts with a sigma regulator protein that extends from the periplasm into the cytoplasm to control the activity of a cognate sigma factor.