Clinician perspectives on delivering primary and specialty palliative care in community oncology practices.

Purpose: Clinical guidelines recommend early palliative care for patients with advanced lung cancer. In rural and underserved community oncology practices with limited resources, both primary palliative care from an oncologist and specialty palliative care are needed to address patients' palliative care needs. The aim of this study is to describe community oncology clinicians' primary palliative care practices and perspectives on integrating specialty palliative care into routine advanced lung cancer treatment in rural and underserved communities.

Non-invasive treatment of ischemia/reperfusion injury: Effective transmission of therapeutic near-infrared light into the human brain through soft skin-conforming silicone waveguides.

Noninvasive delivery of near-infrared light (IRL) to human tissues has been researched as a treatment for several acute and chronic disease conditions. We recently showed that use of specific IRL wavelengths, which inhibit the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome oxidase (COX), leads to robust neuroprotection in animal models of focal and global brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. These life-threatening conditions can be caused by an ischemic stroke or cardiac arrest, respectively, two leading causes of death.

Heaterless 300 A lanthanum hexaboride hollow cathode.

Hollow cathodes used in electric propulsion typically have an external heater to raise the thermionic electron emitter to emission temperatures. Heaterless hollow cathodes that are heated by a Paschen discharge have been historically limited to low discharge currents (<5 A) due to arcing and inefficient heating. A new heaterless technology was previously developed for cathodes up to 50 A, utilizing a refractory metal tube to extend the gas feed line partway into the thermionic insert region.

Palliative care use and utilization determinants among patients treated for advanced stage lung cancer care in the community and academic medical setting.

Purpose: Despite clinical guidelines, palliative care is underutilized during advanced stage lung cancer treatment. To inform interventions to increase its use, patient-level barriers and facilitators (i.e.

Development of a 50-A heaterless hollow cathode for electric thrusters.

Hollow cathodes in electric thrusters normally use an external heater to raise the thermionic electron emitter to emission temperatures. These heaters are a potential single-point failure in the thruster and add a separate power supply to the power processing unit. Heaterless hollow cathodes are attractive for their compact size and potential higher reliability but have only been reliably demonstrated to date in small hollow cathodes capable of discharge currents below around 5 A.

Sometimes less is more: inhibitory infrared light during early reperfusion calms hyperactive mitochondria and suppresses reperfusion injury.

Ischemic stroke affects over 77 million people annually around the globe. Due to the blockage of a blood vessel caused by a stroke, brain tissue becomes ischemic. While prompt restoration of blood flow is necessary to save brain tissue, it also causes reperfusion injury.

Compact scanning retarding potential analyzer.

A miniature scanning electrostatic energy analyzer has been developed for measurements of the ion energy distribution in low-pressure plasma discharges. The retarding potential analyzer utilizes four grids to reject the incident electron flux and discriminate the ion energy. It features a compact size of 5-mm diameter and 2.

Cytochrome c oxidase-modulatory near-infrared light penetration into the human brain: Implications for the noninvasive treatment of ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Near-infrared light (IRL) has been evaluated as a therapeutic for a variety of pathological conditions, including ischemia/reperfusion injury of the brain, which can be caused by an ischemic stroke or cardiac arrest. Strategies have focused on modulating the activity of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (COX), which has copper centers that broadly absorb IRL between 700 and 1,000 nm. We have recently identified specific COX-inhibitory IRL wavelengths that are profoundly neuroprotective in rodent models of brain ischemia/reperfusion through the following mechanism: COX inhibition by IRL limits mitochondrial membrane potential hyperpolarization during reperfusion, which otherwise causes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell death.

Expression of Notch Receptors and Ligands in the Coccygeal Body.

Background: The recent discovery of neural stem cells in the sacrococcygeal end of the filum terminale, the presence of remnants of the most powerful toti-potent stem cell generators and inductors, the primitive streak and node, the existence of the unique non-mutator sacrococcygeal teratomas, and the recent disclosing of neuroimmunomodulatory and hematopoietic roles of Luschka's body, indicate that the sacrococcygeal region is a distinctive anatomic environment rich in stem cells and instructive signals, and that the coccygeal body may constitute a more complex entity than a mere caudal, vascularly-derived glomic anastomosis. Ascribed as an arterial-venous shunt located at the tip of the coccyx and analog to the glomera caudalia in other vertebrates, the glomus coccygeum has recently revealed a complex organ with peculiar 3D topology, broad innervation, catecholamine-synthesizing activity, and neutrophil-formation and lymphopoietic-regulating properties.

Methods: In the present research work, we sought to start exploring the potential cell-functional roles of the glomus coccygeum by conducting a methodical assessment of the expression of Notch pathway receptors and ligands in the human Luschka's body.

Lumbar Spine Injuries: Primary Prevention in Amateur and Professional Golf Players.

In the sport of golf, there is no standard teaching method or swing technique even though golf is known for overuse injuries. This prospective study was to analyze classic swing kinematics in comparison with the Free-Release method and to define a physiological golf swing. Two hundred eighty-three players, age 50-59 years, were included in the study.

Propagation of ion acoustic wave energy in the plume of a high-current LaB_{6} hollow cathode.

A frequency-averaged quasilinear model is derived and experimentally validated for the evolution of ion acoustic turbulence (IAT) along the centerline of a 100-A class, LaB_{6} hollow cathode. Probe-based diagnostics and a laser induced fluorescence system are employed to measure the properties of both the turbulence and the background plasma parameters as they vary spatially in the cathode plume. It is shown that for the three discharge currents investigated, 100 A, 130 A, and 160 A, the spatial growth of the total energy density of the IAT in the near field of the cathode plume is exponential and agrees quantitatively with the predicted growth rates from the quasilinear formulation.

Efficient synthesis of CN2097 using in situ activation of sulfhydryl group.

CN2097 (RCs-sCYK[KTE(β-Ala)]V) is a rationally designed peptidomimetic that shows effectiveness in preclinical models for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as Angelman syndrome, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke. Because of its therapeutic activity for the treatment of human CNS disorders, there was an urgent need to develop an efficient strategy for large-scale synthesis of CN2097. The synthesis of CN2097 was accomplished using Fmoc/tBu solid phase chemistry in multiple steps.

Note: Improved heater design for high-temperature hollow cathodes.

We present an improved heater design for thermionic cathodes using a rhenium filament encased in a boron nitride ceramic sleeve. This heater is relatively simple to fabricate, yet has been successfully used to reliably and repeatably light a lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) hollow cathode based on a previously published design without noticeable filament degradation over hundreds of hours of operation. The high decomposition temperature of boron nitride (2800 C for inert environments) and melting point for rhenium (3180 C) make this heater especially attractive for use with LaB6, which may require operating temperatures upwards of 1700 C.

Chondrodysplasia punctata presenting with tracheal obstruction.

Chondrodysplasia punctata is a group of congenital bone and cartilage disorders characterized by erratic calcification during development. Laryngeal and tracheal calcification and subsequent stenosis, while being reported in several cases of chondrodysplasia punctata, are not frequent findings and there are no proposed management techniques. We describe here a case of an infant with chondrodysplasia punctata associated to tracheal stenosis that was successfully treated with balloon dilation, and with long term follow-up.

Inhibition of N-Methyl-D-aspartate-induced Retinal Neuronal Death by Polyarginine Peptides Is Linked to the Attenuation of Stress-induced Hyperpolarization of the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Potential.

It is widely accepted that overactivation of NMDA receptors, resulting in calcium overload and consequent mitochondrial dysfunction in retinal ganglion neurons, plays a significant role in promoting neurodegenerative disorders such as glaucoma. Calcium has been shown to initiate a transient hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential triggering a burst of reactive oxygen species leading to apoptosis. Strategies that enhance cell survival signaling pathways aimed at preventing this adverse hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential may provide a novel therapeutic intervention in retinal disease.

Ion acoustic turbulence in a 100-A LaB₆ hollow cathode.

The temporal fluctuations in the near plume of a 100-A LaB(6) hollow cathode are experimentally investigated. A probe array is employed to measure the amplitude and dispersion of axial modes in the plume, and these properties are examined parametrically as a function of cathode operating conditions. The onset of ion acoustic turbulence is observed at high current and is characterized by a power spectrum that exhibits a cutoff at low frequency and an inverse dependence on frequency at high values.

Diminished vision in healthy aging is associated with increased retinal L-type voltage gated calcium channel ion influx.

Extensive evidence implicates an increase in hippocampal L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (L-VGCC) expression, and ion influx through these channels, in age-related cognitive declines. Here, we ask if this "calcium hypothesis" applies to the neuroretina: Is increased influx via L-VGCCs related to the well-documented but poorly-understood vision declines in healthy aging? In Long-Evans rats we find a significant age-related increase in ion flux through retinal L-VGCCs in vivo (manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI)) that are longitudinally linked with progressive vision declines (optokinetic tracking). Importantly, the degree of retinal Mn(2+) uptake early in adulthood significantly predicted later visual contrast sensitivity declines.

Impairment of TrkB-PSD-95 signaling in Angelman syndrome.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by severe cognitive impairment and a high rate of autism. AS is caused by disrupted neuronal expression of the maternally inherited Ube3A ubiquitin protein ligase, required for the proteasomal degradation of proteins implicated in synaptic plasticity, such as the activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1).

A high power ion thruster for deep space missions.

The Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System ion thruster was developed for potential outer planet robotic missions using nuclear electric propulsion (NEP). This engine was designed to operate at power levels ranging from 13 to 28 kW at specific impulses of 6000-8500 s and for burn times of up to 10 years. State-of-the-art performance and life assessment tools were used to design the thruster, which featured 57-cm-diameter carbon-carbon composite grids operating at voltages of 3.

The Columbus Knee System: 4-Year Results of a New Deep Flexion Design Compared to the NexGen Full Flex Implant.

The Columbus knee system is designed as a standard knee implant to allow high flexion without additional bone resection. Between August, 2004 and March, 2010 we performed 109 total knee arthroplasties of the Columbus knee system in 101 consecutive patients suffering from primary arthrosis of the knee. Mean age was 72.

[Physiotherapeutic interventions on an outpatient basis for orthopaedic and trauma surgery: can success be recorded?].

Aim: This prospective study analyses the quality and number of physiotherapy reports, cooperation between physiotherapist and orthopaedic surgeons as well as correctness of the physiotherapy in relation to the prescription within the German medical health system. We pose the question to whether or not the reported information is sufficient to evaluate outpatient physiotherapy.

Method: In 264 physiotherapeutic prescriptions, given to the patients for conservative treatment or during postoperative rehabilitation by an orthopaedic outpatient clinic, we prospectively evaluated the report quality.

Compact lanthanum hexaboride hollow cathode.

A compact lanthanum hexaboride hollow cathode has been developed for space applications where size and mass are important and research and industrial applications where access for implementation might be limited. The cathode design features a refractory metal cathode tube that is easily manufactured, mechanically captured orifice and end plates to eliminate expensive e-beam welding, graphite sleeves to provide a diffusion boundary to protect the LaB6 insert from chemical reactions with the refractory metal tube, and several heater designs to provide long life. The compact LaB(6) hollow cathode assembly including emitter, support tube, heater, and keeper electrode is less than 2 cm in diameter and has been fabricated in lengths of 6-15 cm for different applications.

Pediatric tracheotomy in special populations: comparison of operative times and survival.

We conducted a retrospective study to analyze various aspects of tracheotomy in children with abnormal laryngotracheal anatomy, a congenital cardiac anomaly, both, or neither. Our study population consisted of 53 children who had undergone tracheotomy performed by a single otolaryngologist; 12 patients had abnormal laryngotracheal anatomy and 9 had a cardiac anomaly. Mean operative times were significantly longer in both of these groups than they were in children with normal anatomy (69 vs.

A cyclic peptide targeted against PSD-95 blocks central sensitization and attenuates thermal hyperalgesia.

Post-synaptic density protein PSD-95 is emerging as a valid target for modulating nociception in animal studies. Based on the key role of PSD-95 in neuronal plasticity and the maintenance of pain behavior, we predicted that CN2097, a peptide-based macrocycle of nine residues that binds to the PSD-95 Discs large, Zona occludens 1 (PDZ) domains of PSD-95, would interfere with physiologic phenomena in the spinal cord related to central sensitization. Furthermore, we tested whether spinal intrathecal injection of CN2097 attenuates thermal hyperalgesia in a rat model of sciatic neuropathy.