Polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants in Chesapeake Bay region, U.S.A., peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs: urban/rural trends.

A total of 23 peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs were obtained between 1993 and 2002 from 13 nests, encompassing 11 locations in the Chesapeake Bay region, U.S.A.

Toxicity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (DE-71) in chicken (Gallus gallus), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), and American kestrel (Falco sparverius) embryos and hatchlings.

Embryonic survival, pipping and hatching success, and sublethal biochemical, endocrine, and histological endpoints were examined in hatchling chickens (Gallus gallus), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following air cell administration of a pentabrominated diphenyl ether (penta-BDE; DE-71) mixture (0.01-20 microg/g egg) or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener 126 (3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl; 0.002 microg/g egg).

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs from the northeastern U.S.

A total of 114 peregrine falcon eggs from nests in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont were analyzed for polybrominanted diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Eggs were collected from 1996 to 2006, excluding 1997 and 1998. Total PBDE concentrations ranged from 74.

Skunk rabies in California (1992-2003)--implications for oral rabies vaccination.

Skunk-variant rabies is endemic in California (United States), and the development of oral vaccines and baits to vaccinate skunks is in progress. In 2003, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) began to quantify the impacts of skunk-variant rabies and to assess the feasibility of using oral rabies vaccination (ORV) as a containment measure. The CDPH rabies case data for skunks were spatially depicted and analyzed using a geographic information system.

Head and neck manifestations of tuberculosis.

TB is a serious communicable disease that causes 2 million deaths a year worldwide. It is estimated one third of the world's population is infected with TB. TB has proved difficult to eradicate.

Nicotine aerosol generation from thermally reversible zinc halide complexes using the Staccato system.

Application of the Staccato system to liquid drugs presents unique technological challenges. Liquids, such as nicotine, do not form physically stable films on vaporization substrates. We identified two thermally reversible zinc halides (ZnCl2 and ZnBr2) that complex with nicotine in a 1:2 mol ratio (zinc halide: nicotine) that can be coated as a solid film.

Ontology-based interactive information extraction from scientific abstracts.

Over recent years, there has been a growing interest in extracting information automatically or semi-automatically from the scientific literature. This paper describes a novel ontology-based interactive information extraction (OBIIE) framework and a specific OBIIE system. We describe how this system enables life scientists to make ad hoc queries similar to using a standard search engine, but where the results are obtained in a database format similar to a pre-programmed information extraction engine.

Outlook for the future of the obstetrician-gynecologist workforce.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the future physician workforce with a sample of obstetrician-gynecologists.

Study Design: Two separate surveys regarding career satisfaction and retirement plans were sent to random samples of obstetrician-gynecologists under age 50 years (n = 2,000) and over the age of 50 (n = 2,100).

Results: Obstetrician-gynecologists over the age of 50 years who were working part time or were female were more satisfied than those working full time or were male.

Antarctic research bases: local sources of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants.

Contemporary studies of chemical contamination in Antarctica commonly focus on remnants of historical local releases or long-range transport of legacy pollutants. To protect the continent's pristine status, the Antarctic Treaty's Protocol on Environmental Protection prohibits importation of persistent organic pollutants. However, some polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners exhibit similar properties.

Prevention and management of infections associated with combat-related head and neck injuries.

Maxillofacial injuries constitute 16% of all war-related injuries. This review focuses on data available from military and civilian studies to provide evidence-based recommendations for the modification of infections associated with combat-related injuries to the head and neck. The major emphasis of this review is on the study of subsequent infection, perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis, debridement of devitalized tissue, optimal time to wound closure to achieve a water tight seal, wound irrigation with removal of debris and gross contaminants, fracture fixation, and removal of ocular foreign bodies with intravitreal antibiotics.

Guidelines for the prevention of infection after combat-related injuries.

Management of combat-related trauma is derived from skills and data collected in past conflicts and civilian trauma, and from information and experience obtained during ongoing conflicts. The best methods to prevent infections associated with injuries observed in military combat are not fully established. Current methods to prevent infections in these types of injuries are derived primarily from controlled trials of elective surgery and civilian trauma as well as retrospective studies of civilian and military trauma interventions.

Egg incubation position affects toxicity of air cell administered polychlorinated biphenyl 126 (3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl) in chicken (Gallus gallus) embryos.

The avian egg is used extensively for chemical screening and determining the relative sensitivity of species to environmental contaminants (e.g., metals, pesticides, polyhalogenated compounds).

Bumblebee flight distances in relation to the forage landscape.

1. Foraging range is a key aspect of the ecology of 'central place foragers'. Estimating how far bees fly under different circumstances is essential for predicting colony success, and for estimating bee-mediated gene flow between plant populations.

Changing the substrate specificity of creatine kinase from creatine to glycocyamine: evidence for a highly evolved active site.

Eight variants of creatine kinase were created to switch the substrate specificity from creatine to glycocyamine using a rational design approach. Changes to creatine kinase involved altering several residues on the flexible loops that fold over the bound substrates including a chimeric replacement of the guanidino specificity loop from glycocyamine kinase into creatine kinase. A maximal 2,000-fold change in substrate specificity was obtained as measured by a ratio of enzymatic efficiency (k(cat)/K(M).

Evidence of debromination of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in biota from a wastewater receiving stream.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) is a high production volume flame retardant. To date, regulation and control of its environmental release have been minimal. Once in the environment, BDE-209 may encounter conditions favoring debromination, potentially forming congeners with greater toxicity, bioaccumulation potential, and persistence.

Which doctors and with what problems contact a specialist service for doctors? A cross sectional investigation.

Background: In the United Kingdom, specialist treatment and intervention services for doctors are underdeveloped. The MedNet programme, created in 1997 and funded by the London Deanery, aims to fill this gap by providing a self-referral, face-to-face, psychotherapeutic assessment service for doctors in London and South-East England. MedNet was designed to be a low-threshold service, targeting doctors without formal psychiatric problems.

Induction of CYP1A and DNA damage in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) following exposure to biosolids.

Biosolids (treated sewage sludge) are increasingly disposed of on land. Thus particle-sorbed and dissolved constituents have the potential to enter nearby watersheds. Although organic contaminants are known to be present in biosolids these are not currently regulated and little data exist on their potential toxicity to aquatic organisms.

Obstetrician-gynecologists and primary care: training during obstetrics-gynecology residency and current practice patterns.

Purpose: To assess obstetrician-gynecologists' perceptions of their residency training in primary care, document health issues assessed at annual visits, and identify practice patterns of both generalist and specialist obstetrician-gynecologists.

Method: Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 1,711 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Young Fellows in September 2005. Information was gathered on perceptions about adequacy of residency training, how well training prepared obstetrician-gynecologists for current practice, and typical practice patterns for various medical diagnoses.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in birds of prey from Northern China.

Birds of prey from Northern China (Beijing area) were examined for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). A total of 47 specimens from eight different species were analyzed. Muscle and liver were analyzed separately for each bird.

Human exposure to PBDEs: associations of PBDE body burdens with food consumption and house dust concentrations.

This study was designed to determine the body burden of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) among first-time mothers in the Greater Boston, Massachusetts area and to explore key routes of exposure. We collected breast milk samples from 46 first-time mothers, 2-8 weeks after birth. We also sampled house dust from the homes of a subset of participants by vacuuming commonly used areas.

Have risks associated with the presence of synthetic organic contaminants in land-applied sewage sludges been adequately assessed?

Land application has become the dominant means for sewage sludge disposal in the United States. In 1993, the EPA concluded that synthetic organics therein posed an insignificant risk, based on the results of the 1988 National Sewage Sludge Survey, the view that most persistent organics are no longer in commerce and that industrial pretreatment further reduces their release to municipal treatment plants. However, we detected high concentrations of several problematic compounds in biosolids that were overlooked in the risk assessment, including persistent, bioaccumulative polybrominated diphenyl ethers and estrogenic nonylphenols.

The effect of film thickness on thermal aerosol generation.

Purpose: Rapid heating of thin films of pharmaceutical compounds can vaporize the molecules, which leads to formation of aerosol particles of optimal size for pulmonary drug delivery. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of coated film thickness on the purity of a thermally generated (condensation) drug aerosol.

Materials And Methods: Pharmaceuticals in their free base form were spray-coated onto stainless steel foils and subsequently heated and vaporized in airflow via a rapid resistive heating of the foil.