Publications by authors named "Havens K"

Article Synopsis
  • Increasing biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in maize can lessen the environmental harm caused by synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, but high levels of reactive nitrogen in the rhizosphere hinder this process.
  • Researchers developed gene-edited strains of bacteria (Klebsiella variicola and Kosakonia sacchari) to enhance BNF and ammonium release in nitrogen-rich conditions.
  • Experiments showed that these engineered strains significantly boosted BNF activity and ammonium output, contributing an average of 21 kg of nitrogen per hectare to maize plants, thus potentially reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers and improving crop yield stability.
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  • Argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA) is a genetic disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme argininosuccinate lyase, leading to hyperammonemia and various symptoms like lethargy and neurocognitive issues.
  • Treatment focuses on quickly addressing high ammonia levels and ensuring long-term metabolic stability, while also taking into account the patient's social determinants of health.
  • The case study highlights a male pediatric patient with ASA, whose management plan factors in challenges related to his family's refugee status, language barriers, and economic struggles.
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  • Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disorder that leads to dangerous levels of phenylalanine, causing severe health issues like intellectual disabilities and seizures.
  • A study reviewed data from over 200 patients at Lurie Children's Hospital, focusing on the impact of social factors and specific treatments on blood phenylalanine levels.
  • While social vulnerability didn't significantly affect Phe levels, treatment with sapropterin dihydrochloride showed a notable connection, suggesting that social resources and medical support play a crucial role in managing PKU effectively.
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Lack of physical activity (PA) at a young age can result in health issues. Thus, monitoring PA is important. Wearable accelerometers are the preferred tool to monitor PA in children.

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  • mRNA therapeutics are changing the pharmaceutical industry, but optimizing their sequence for better expression remains a challenge.
  • Researchers developed 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) using deep learning to enhance mRNA translation, finding that UTR performance is consistent across different cell types.
  • They created and tested new 5'UTRs with mRNA for gene editing, showing improved efficiency and highlighting the effectiveness of model-based design in mRNA therapies.
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Multi-year and multi-site demographic data for rare plants allow researchers to observe threats and project population growth rates and thus long-term persistence of the species, generating knowledge, which allows for effective conservation planning. Demographic studies across more than a decade are extremely rare but allow for the effects of threats to be observed and assessed within the context of interannual environmental variation. We collected demographic data on the Threatened plant in two sites from 2011-2022.

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Plant production practices can influence the genetic diversity of cultivated plant materials and, ultimately, their potential to adapt to a reintroduction site. A common step in the plant production process is the application of seed pretreatment to alleviate physiological seed dormancy and successfully germinate seeds. In production settings, the seeds that germinate more rapidly may be favored in order to fill plant quotas.

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All epidemiological studies on pregnancy fall risk to date have relied on postpartum recall. This study investigated the accuracy of postpartum recall of falls that were reported during pregnancy, including assessment of fall efficacy as a possible reason for recall inaccuracy. Twenty participants reported fall experiences weekly during pregnancy, but one participant was excluded as an outlier.

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Postpartum mothers are susceptible to lumbopelvic pain which may be exacerbated by loading, like carrying their infant in arms and with baby carriers. Nulliparous women carrying infant mannequins may biomechanically mimic mother-infant dyad, but this has not been studied. The purpose of our study was to investigate biomechanical differences of 10 mothers carrying their infants and 10 nulliparous women carrying infant mannequins under 3 gait conditions: carrying nothing, carrying in arms, and carrying in a baby carrier (babywearing).

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  • - Screenings for ADHD and emotional issues are important for children with epilepsy, but there’s not enough research on which screening tools to use in clinics.
  • - In a study involving 50 parents of children aged 5-17 with epilepsy, various screening tools were compared, including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory.
  • - The study found positive screening rates for ADHD (40%-72%) and emotional concerns (38%-46%), with varying levels of agreement between the measures, suggesting that while all are effective, they may differ in specificity and usability.
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Due to the occurrence of plastic impaction in ruminants and its deleterious effects on health and production, it is necessary to determine the suitability of biodegradable polymers to replace polyethylene-based agricultural plastics, such as hay netting. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the clearance of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and poly(butylene succinate--adipate) (PBSA) melt-blend polymer from the rumen when fed to cattle and subsequent animal health. Twelve Holstein bull calves were dosed with an encapsulated 13.

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We report on a family with ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, an X-linked urea cycle disorder, with variable disease severity and tailored management strategies based on each family member's biochemical profile and clinical presentation. Our primary patient is a female monozygotic twin who presented to medical care at 10 months of age with acute liver failure, gastrointestinal symptoms, altered mental status, hypoglycemia, and hyperammonemia. The patient's older brother, known to have hemizygous OTC deficiency, died at 8 months of age from cardiac arrest after complications secondary to his diagnosis.

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Quantity and quality of motor exploration are proposed to be fundamental for infant motor development. However, it is still not clear what types of motor exploration contribute to learning. To determine whether changes in quantity of leg movement and/or variability of leg acceleration are related to performance in a contingency learning task, twenty 6-8-month-old infants with typical development participated in a contingency learning task.

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Premise: Living collections maintained for generations are at risk of diversity loss, inbreeding, and adaptation to cultivation. To address these concerns, the zoo community uses pedigrees to track individuals and implement crosses that maximize founder contributions and minimize inbreeding. Using a pedigree management approach, we demonstrate how conducting strategic crosses can minimize genetic issues that have arisen under current practices.

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In 2018, pegvaliase was approved as the first enzyme substitution treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU) and is now the second medication available for PKU patients since the approval of sapropterin dihydrochloride in 2007. Historically, dietary management has been the mainstay of treatment for PKU. While sapropterin response rate is limited to approximately 50% of PKU patients, pegvaliase has the potential to reduce phenylalanine levels in all PKU patients (Vockley et al.

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Background And Objectives: Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is the most common cause of surgically remediable epilepsy in children. Little is known about the risk factors for the timing and development of pharmacoresistance in this population. This study sought to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for pharmacoresistance in pediatric FCD-related epilepsy.

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Our primary objective was to document COVID-19 induced changes to perinatal care across the USA and examine the implication of these changes for maternal mental health. We performed an observational cross-sectional study with convenience sampling using direct patient reports from 1918 postpartum and 3868 pregnant individuals collected between April 2020 and December 2020 from 10 states across the USA. We leverage a subgroup of these participants who gave birth prior to March 2020 to estimate the pre-pandemic prevalence of specific birthing practices as a comparison.

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Using polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) materials for ruminal boluses could allow for longer sustained release of drugs and hormones that would reduce administration time and unneeded animal discomfort caused by continuous administration. The objective of this study was to determine ruminal degradability and kinetics of biodegradable polymers and blends. A proprietary PHA-based polymer, poly(butylene succinate--adipate) (PBSA), PBSA:PHA melt blends, and forage controls were incubated in rumen fluid for up to 240 h.

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Recent developments in technology and exigencies of the COVID-19 pandemic have spurred innovations for telehealth in patients with rare epilepsies. This review details the many ways telehealth may be used in the diagnosis and management of rare, pharmacoresistant epilepsy and documents our experience as measured by surveying caregivers of pediatric patients with epilepsy. Most components of the epilepsy evaluation, including history and examination, neuroimaging, and electroencephalogram (EEG) can be performed or reviewed remotely, assuming similar technique and quality of diagnostic studies.

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The impact of COVID-19-related stress on perinatal women is of heightened public health concern given the established intergenerational impact of maternal stress-exposure on infants and fetuses. There is urgent need to characterize the coping styles associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes in perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic to help mitigate the potential for lasting sequelae on both mothers and infants. This study uses a data-driven approach to identify the patterns of behavioral coping strategies that associate with maternal psychosocial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large multicenter sample of pregnant women (N = 2876) and postpartum women (N = 1536).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to improve selective hip-knee control in infants at high risk of cerebral palsy (CP) through a kicking-activated mobile task, comparing their performance with typically developing infants.
  • Infants participated in the task for 8 to 10 minutes daily over six weeks, and their leg movements were analyzed to see if learning was associated with better motor control.
  • Results showed that infants at high risk of CP exhibited improved selective control during learning periods more frequently than their typically developing counterparts, suggesting potential for future interventions to enhance walking abilities.
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Agricultural productivity relies on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, yet half of that reactive nitrogen is lost to the environment. There is an urgent need for alternative nitrogen solutions to reduce the water pollution, ozone depletion, atmospheric particulate formation, and global greenhouse gas emissions associated with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use. One such solution is biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), a component of the complex natural nitrogen cycle.

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Objective: Our objectives were to assess in perinatal women: the most effective methods used to meet social support needs during COVID-19, the impact of COVID-19 on self-reported social support levels, and how perceived change in social support related to distress, depression, and mental health.

Design: One-time survey administered from April to August 2020 SETTING: Online PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant and postpartum women with infants less than 6 months of age MEASUREMENT AND FINDINGS: Participants indicated the methods they used to meet social support needs during COVID-19. They self-rated their social support level pre- and during pandemic and their distress, depressive symptoms, and mental health changes on a Likert scale.

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