Where the Postanesthesia Care Unit and Intensive Care Unit Meet.

The intensive care unit (ICU) was born from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). In today's hospital systems, there remains a lot of overlap in the care missions of each location. The patient populations share many similarities and many of the same care, technology, and care protocols apply to patients in both units.

Description of Solvent-Extractable Chemicals in Thermal Receipts and Toxicological Assessment of Bisphenol S and Diphenyl Sulfone.

Research on thermal receipts has previously focused on the toxic effects of dermal exposure from the most publicized developers (e.g., bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS)), while no studies have reported on the other solvent-extractable compounds therein.

Serpentinization-Associated Mineral Catalysis of the Protometabolic Formose System.

The formose reaction is a plausible prebiotic chemistry, famed for its production of sugars. In this work, we demonstrate that the Cannizzaro process is the dominant process in the formose reaction under many different conditions, thus necessitating a catalyst for the formose reaction under various environmental circumstances. The investigated formose reactions produce primarily organic acids associated with metabolism, a protometabolic system, and yield very little sugar left over.

Streptomyces spiramenti sp. nov., isolated from a deep-sea microbial mat.

Strain 5675061 was isolated from a deep-sea microbial mat near hydrothermal vents within the Axial Seamount caldera on the Juan de Fuca Ridge (NE Pacific Ocean) and was taxonomically evaluated using a polyphasic approach. Morphological and chemotaxonomic properties are consistent with characteristics of the genus Streptomyces: aerobic Gram-stain-positive filaments that form spores, L,L-diaminopimelic acid in whole-cell hydrolysates, and iso-C as the major fatty acid. Phylogenetic analysis, genomic, and biochemical comparisons show close evolutionary relatedness to Streptomyces lonarensis NCL716, S.

Vibrio tetraodonis subsp. pristinus subsp. nov., isolated from the coral Acropora cytherea at Palmyra Atoll, and creation and emended description of Vibrio tetraodonis subsp. tetraodonis subsp. nov.

Strain OCN044 was isolated from the homogenised tissue and mucus of an apparently healthy Acropora cytherea coral fragment collected from the western reef terrace of Palmyra Atoll in the Northern Line Islands and was taxonomically evaluated with a polyphasic approach. The morphological and chemotaxonomic properties are consistent with characteristics of the genus Vibrio: Gram-stain-negative rods, oxidase- and catalase-positive, and motile by means of a polar flagellum. Strain OCN044 can be differentiated as a novel subspecies based on 21 differences among chemotaxonomic features (e.

Planetary Minerals Catalyze Conversion of a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon to a Prebiotic Quinone: Implications for Origins of Life.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in astrochemical environments and are disbursed into planetary environments via meteorites and extraterrestrial infall where they may interact with mineral phases to produce quinones important for origins of life. In this study, we assessed the potential of the phyllosilicates montmorillonite (MONT) and kaolinite (KAO), and the enhanced Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS) to convert the PAH anthracene (ANTH) to the biologically important 9,10-anthraquinone (ANTHQ). All studied mineral substrates mediate conversion over the temperature range assessed (25-500°C).

Draft Genome Sequence of Aestuariibacter halophilus Type Strain JC2043.

Aestuariibacter halophilus strain JC2043, a Gram-negative gammaproteobacterium, is often used as a reference organism for assigning taxonomy within the family . Isolates of this species have also been investigated for compound degradation (e.g.

Plausible Emergence and Self Assembly of a Primitive Phospholipid from Reduced Phosphorus on the Primordial Earth.

How life arose on the primitive Earth is one of the biggest questions in science. Biomolecular emergence scenarios have proliferated in the literature but accounting for the ubiquity of oxidized (+ 5) phosphate (PO) in extant biochemistries has been challenging due to the dearth of phosphate and molecular oxygen on the primordial Earth. A compelling body of work suggests that exogenous schreibersite ((Fe,Ni)P) was delivered to Earth via meteorite impacts during the Heavy Bombardment (ca.

Molecular Phylogenetic Position of Hoplonympha natator (Trichonymphea, Parabasalia): Horizontal Symbiont Transfer or Differential Loss?

Hoplonympha natator is an obligate symbiont of Paraneotermes simplicicornis (Kalotermitidae), from southwestern North America. Another Hoplonympha species inhabits Hodotermopsis sjostedti (Archotermopsidae), from montane Southeast Asia. The large phylogenetic and geographical distance between the hosts makes the distribution of Hoplonympha puzzling.

Profiling Volatile Constituents of Homemade Preserved Foods Prepared in Early 1950s South Dakota (USA) Using Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) with Gas Chromatography⁻Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Determination.

An essential dimension of food tasting (i.e., flavor) is olfactory stimulation by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted therefrom.

Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization.

Laboratory science requires careful maintenance of sterile reagents and tools as well as the sterilization of waste prior to disposal. However, steam autoclaves typically used for this purpose may not be readily accessible to everyone in the scientific community, such as K-12 teachers, researchers in the field, students in under-funded laboratories, or persons in the developing world who lack funding and resources. This work examines the use of commercial electric pressure cookers as an alternative method for the sterilization of media, instruments, and waste.

Investigating the Kinetics of Montmorillonite Clay-Catalyzed Conversion of Anthracene to 9,10-Anthraquinone in the Context of Prebiotic Chemistry.

Carbonaceous meteorites contributed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the organic inventory of the primordial Earth where they may have reacted on catalytic clay mineral surfaces to produce quinones capable of functioning as redox species in emergent biomolecular systems. To address the feasibility of this hypothesis, we assessed the kinetics of anthracene (1) conversion to 9,10-anthraquinone (2) in the presence of montmorillonite clay (MONT) over the temperature range 25 to 250 °C. Apparent rates of conversion were concentration independent and displayed a sigmoidal relationship with temperature, and conversion efficiencies ranged from 0.

The hetZ gene indirectly regulates heterocyst development at the level of pattern formation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.

Multicellular development requires the careful orchestration of gene expression to correctly create and position specialized cells. In the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, nitrogen-fixing heterocysts are differentiated from vegetative cells in a reproducibly periodic and physiologically relevant pattern.

Assessment of Multiple Solvents for Extraction and Direct GC-MS Determination of the Phytochemical Inventory of Sansevieria Extrafoliar Nectar Droplets.

Considerable effort has been devoted to analytical determinations of sugar and amino acid constituents of plant nectars, with the primary aim of understanding their ecological roles, yet few studies have reported more exhaustive organic compound inventories of plant nectars or extrafoliar nectars. This work evaluated the efficacy of four solvents (ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, toluene and hexane) to extract the greatest number of organic compound classes and unique compounds from extrafoliar nectar drops produced by Sansevieria spp. Aggregation of the results from each solvent revealed that 240 unique compounds were extracted in total, with 42.

The Epstein-Barr Virus B-ZIP Protein Zta Recognizes Specific DNA Sequences Containing 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) B-ZIP transcription factor Zta binds to many DNA sequences containing methylated CG dinucleotides. Using protein binding microarrays (PBMs), we analyzed the sequence specific DNA binding of Zta to four kinds of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA): (1) DNA containing cytosine in both strands, (2) DNA with 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand, (3) DNA with 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand, and (4) DNA in which both cytosines in all CG dinucleotides contain 5mC. We compared these data to PBM data for three additional B-ZIP proteins (CREB1 and CEBPB homodimers and cJun|cFos heterodimers).

Advantage of impulse oscillometry over spirometry to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and monitor pulmonary responses to bronchodilators: An observational study.

Objectives: This retrospective study was a comparative analysis of sensitivity of impulse oscillometry and spirometry techniques for use in a mixed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease group for assessing disease severity and inhalation therapy.

Methods: A total of 30 patients with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were monitored by impulse oscillometry, followed by spirometry. Lung function was measured at baseline after bronchodilation and at follow-up (3-18 months).

Systematic investigation of factors controlling supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of spiked and aged PCBs from edible tissues of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus).

Systematic investigation of factors controlling supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of spiked and naturally incurred (aged) PCBs from edible tissues of the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) was undertaken. Effects of extraction pressure, temperature and time, CO2 flow rate and total volume, and collection temperature were assessed. Temperature dramatically impacted extraction efficiency, especially at lower pressures.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether accumulation in an agricultural soil ecosystem receiving wastewater sludge amendments.

Few studies have addressed bioaccumulation of organic pollutants associated with land-application of biosolids. We thus examined PBDE burdens within a soil ecosystem receiving long-term sludge amendments and a reference soil ecosystem receiving only manure inputs. No PBDEs were detected in reference site samples, but sludge-amended soils contained 17 600 ± 2330 μg/kg ∑3-7PBDE (total organic carbon (TOC) basis).

Retrospective observations on the ability to diagnose and manage patients with asthma through the use of impulse oscillometry: comparison with spirometry and overview of the literature.

Objective: Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is an evolving technology for the diagnosis and followup of patients with asthma. Our objective is to review the findings on patients who underwent both spirometry and IOS during clinical evaluations of their asthma. The goal was to retrospectively evaluate IOS during the initial diagnosis and followup of patients with asthma in comparison with spirometry.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) accumulation by earthworms (Eisenia fetida) exposed to biosolids-, polyurethane foam microparticle-, and Penta-BDE-amended soils.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants have been used in consumer polymers at up to percent levels. While long viewed as biologically inaccessible therein, PBDEs may become bioaccessible following volatilization or polymer deterioration. PBDEs may then enter soils via polymer fragmentation or following land application of sewage sludge-derived biosolids.

House crickets can accumulate polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) directly from polyurethane foam common in consumer products.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants are added at percent levels to many polymers and textiles abundant in human spaces and vehicles, wherein they have been long assumed to be tightly sequestered. However, the mgkg(-1) burdens recently detected in indoor dust testify to substantial releases. The bulk of released PBDEs remain in the terrestrial environment, yet comparatively little research focuses on this compartment.

Color Doppler ultrasound of the hand: observations on clinical utility in rheumatoid arthritis.

The use of ultrasound with color Doppler in the evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis was followed in 25 patients with joint complaints. Small joint ultrasound of the metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPs) as well as the wrists was performed with supplementation by color Doppler. In addition, 6 patients were followed for at least 3 months after start of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis using the same technique.

Brominated flame retardant concentrations and trends in abiotic media.

BFR burdens in abiotic media have been less studied than in biota, despite their essential value as an aide to identifying sources, temporal and geographic trends and exposure routes. Many polymer products consist of several percent by weight of BFRs. Global trade in these can result in rapid and wholesale BFR movement.

Generalized pustular psoriasis following withdrawal of efalizumab.

Efalizumab is one of the new biologic therapies targeting T-lymphocyte activity for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis. Common adverse effects include headaches, nonspecific infection, nausea, chills, and fever. Rebound of psoriasis following discontinuation of the drug has been reported.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants in Virginia freshwater fishes (USA).

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were examined in fish fillets collected from two large Virginia watersheds. Emphasis was on the tetra- to hexabrominated congeners since these exhibit the greatest bioaccumulation and toxicological potentials. These congeners are dominant constituents of Penta-, a commercial PBDE product used to flame retard polyurethane foam.