A mechanistic model for determining factors that influence inorganic nitrogen fate in corn cultivation.

Conventional practices for inorganic nitrogen fertilizer are highly inefficient leading to excess nitrogen in the environment. Excess environmental nitrogen induces ecological (, hypoxia, eutrophication) and public health (, nitrate contaminated drinking water) consequences, motivating adoption of management strategies to improve fertilizer use efficiency. Yet, how to limit the environmental impacts from inorganic nitrogen fertilizer while maintaining crop yields is a persistent challenge.

Not the Silver Bullet: Uncovering the Unexpected Limited Impacts of Silver-Containing Showerheads on the Drinking Water Microbiome.

The incidence of waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States attributed to drinking water-associated pathogens that can cause infections in the immunocompromised DWPIs (e.g., , nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and , among others) appears to be increasing.

Transposase-assisted target-site integration for efficient plant genome engineering.

The current technologies to place new DNA into specific locations in plant genomes are low frequency and error-prone, and this inefficiency hampers genome-editing approaches to develop improved crops. Often considered to be genome 'parasites', transposable elements (TEs) evolved to insert their DNA seamlessly into genomes. Eukaryotic TEs select their site of insertion based on preferences for chromatin contexts, which differ for each TE type.

A survey of practice in the anesthetic management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis spine fusion by the North American Pediatric Spine Anesthesiologists Collaborative.

Background: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) affects 2%-4% of the general pediatric population. While surgical correction remains one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed in pediatrics, limited consensus exists on the perioperative anesthetic management.

Aims: To examine the current state of anesthetic management of typical AIS spine fusions at institutions which have a dedicated pediatric orthopedic spine surgeon.

Utilization of immediate extubation in a multidisciplinary pathway for pediatric liver transplantation associated with improved postoperative outcomes.

Background: Immediate extubation is becoming more common in liver transplantation. However, limited data exist on how to identify pediatric patients with potential for successful immediate extubation and how this intervention may affect recovery.

Methods: This retrospective review evaluated patients who underwent liver transplantation from 2015 to 2021 at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Trends in sedation-analgesia practices in pediatric liver transplant patients admitted postoperatively to the pediatric intensive care unit: An analysis of data from the pediatric health information system (PHIS) database.

Background: Children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), after liver transplantation, frequently require analgesia and sedation in the immediate postoperative period. Our objective was to assess trends and variations in sedation and analgesia used in this cohort.

Methods: Multicenter retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System from 2012 to 2022.

Particle-Driven Effects at the Bacteria Interface: A Nanosilver Investigation of Particle Shape and Dose Metric.

Design criteria for controlling engineered nanomaterial (ENM) antimicrobial performance will enable advances in medical, food production, processing and preservation, and water treatment applications. In pursuit of this goal, better resolution of how specific ENM properties, such as nanoparticle shape, influence antimicrobial activity is needed. This study probes the antimicrobial activity toward a model Gram-negative bacterium, (), that results from interfacial interactions with differently shaped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs): cube-, disc-, and pseudospherical-AgNPs.

Expanded terminal sedation in end-of-life care.

Despite advances in palliative care, some patients still suffer significantly at the end of life. Terminal Sedation (TS) refers to the use of sedatives in dying patients until the point of death. The following limits are commonly applied: (1) symptoms should be refractory, (2) sedatives should be administered proportionally to symptoms and (3) the patient should be imminently dying.

Cre-mediated autoexcision of selectable marker genes in soybean, cotton, canola and maize transgenic plants.

Efficient selectable marker gene autoexcision in transgenic plants of soybean, cotton, canola, and maize is achieved by effective Cre recombinase expression. Selectable marker genes are often required for efficient generation of transgenic plants in plant transformation but are not desired once the transgenic events are obtained. We have developed Cre/loxP autoexcision systems to remove selectable marker genes in soybean, cotton, canola and maize.

Endotracheal Tube Kinking in the Prone Position during Pediatric Neurosurgery: A Case Report.

The prone position presents several concerns for the pediatric anesthesiologist, such as prevention of pressure related injuries, avoidance of undetected line infiltration, proper airway securement to inhibit unanticipated extubation, and limited access to the patient in critical events. However, the possibility of endotracheal tube kinking in pediatric patients is rarely discussed in the multitude of concerns about prone procedures. Here, we present a case report detailing the anesthetic management of a patient that experienced endotracheal tube kinking in the prone position during a posterior fossa mass resection.

Site-directed integration of exogenous DNA into the soybean genome by LbCas12a fused to a plant viral HUH endonuclease.

High efficiency site-directed chromosomal integration of exogenous DNA in plants remains a challenge despite recent advances in genome editing technologies. One approach to mitigate this problem is to increase the effective concentration of the donor DNA at the target site of interest. HUH endonucleases (ENs) coordinate rolling circle replication.

Blood loss estimation during posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Purpose: Blood loss (BL) during posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) may be estimated using a variety of unproven techniques. Patient care and research on BL are likely impacted by a lack of standardization. A novel FDA-approved blood volume (BV) analysis system (BVA-100 Blood Volume Analyzer) allows rapid processing with > 97% accuracy.

The Utilization of an Opioid-Free Anesthetic for Pediatric Circumcision in an Ambulatory Surgery Center.

Circumcision is one of the most common urologic procedures performed at pediatric ambulatory centers. Emerging data on the short- and long-term effects of perioperative opioid administration has highlighted the importance of an opioid-free anesthetic regimen. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an opioid-free anesthetic in pediatric circumcision and its correlation with ambulatory surgery center efficiency.

Role of bacterial motility in differential resistance mechanisms of silver nanoparticles and silver ions.

Unlike conventional antimicrobials, the study of bacterial resistance to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) remains in its infancy and the mechanism(s) through which it evolves are limited and inconclusive. The central question remains whether bacterial resistance is driven by the AgNPs, released Ag(I) ions or a combination of these and other factors. Here, we show a specific resistance in an Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655 strain to subinhibitory concentrations of AgNPs, and not Ag(I) ions, as indicated by a statistically significant greater-than-twofold increase in the minimum inhibitory concentration occurring after eight repeated passages that was maintained after the AgNPs were removed and reintroduced.

Randomized crossover trial of a modified ketogenic diet in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Brain energy metabolism is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD), which may be mitigated by a ketogenic diet. We conducted a randomized crossover trial to determine whether a 12-week modified ketogenic diet improved cognition, daily function, or quality of life in a hospital clinic of AD patients.

Methods: We randomly assigned patients with clinically confirmed diagnoses of AD to a modified ketogenic diet or usual diet supplemented with low-fat healthy-eating guidelines and enrolled them in a single-phase, assessor-blinded, two-period crossover trial (two 12-week treatment periods, separated by a 10-week washout period).

Prolonged neuromuscular block after rocuronium administration in laparoscopic pyloromyotomy patients: A retrospective bayesian regression analysis.

Background: Infants undergoing pyloromyotomy are at a high risk of aspiration, making rapid sequence induction the preferred method of induction. Since succinylcholine use in infants can be associated with complications, rocuronium is frequently substituted despite its prolonged duration of action.

Aims: To examine the likelihood of non-reversibility to neostigmine at the end of surgery in laparoscopic pyloromyotomies and its correlation to both rocuronium dose and out of operating room time.

Similar toxicity mechanisms between graphene oxide and oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes in Microcystis aeruginosa.

In photosynthetic microorganisms, the toxicity of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) is typically characterized by a decrease in growth, viability, photosynthesis, as well as the induction of oxidative stress. However, it is currently unclear how the shape of the carbon structure in CNMs, such as in the 1-dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNTs) compared to the two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO), affects the way they interact with cells. In this study, the effects of GO and oxidized multi-walled CNTs were compared in the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to determine the similarities or differences in how the two CNMs interact with and induce toxicity to cyanobacteria.

Unveiling the Synergistic Role of Oxygen Functional Groups in the Graphene-Mediated Oxidation of Glutathione.

This is the first report of an atomic-scale direct oxidation mechanism of the thiol group in glutathione (GSH) by epoxides on graphene oxide (GO) at room temperature. The proposed reaction mechanism is determined using a coupled experimental and computational approach; active sites for the reaction are determined through examination of GO surface chemistry changes before and after exposure to GSH, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations determine the reaction barriers for the possible GO-GSH reaction schemes. The findings build on the previously established catalytic mechanism of GSH oxidation by graphenic nanocarbon surfaces and importantly identify the direct reaction mechanism which becomes important in low-oxygen environments.

Long-term outcome of 200 patients referred to a first seizure clinic.

Objectives: To determine what proportion of our First Seizure referrals reflected true unprovoked first seizures or epilepsy, and to assess the long-term diagnostic accuracy of our First Seizure Clinic (FSC) by quantifying the risk of subsequent seizures in our FSC cohort.

Methods: We prospectively collected data of 200 adult patients referred to the FSC between May 2014 and December 2015. We reviewed clinical notes, electroencephalography (EEG) data and performed telephone follow-up at 28-month post-diagnosis.