Novel Toolboxes for the Investigation of Activity-Dependent Myelination in the Central Nervous System.

Myelination is essential for signal processing within neural networks. Emerging data suggest that neuronal activity positively instructs myelin development and myelin adaptation during adulthood. However, the underlying mechanisms controlling activity-dependent myelination have not been fully elucidated.

AINTEGUMENTA and AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 directly regulate floral homeotic, growth, and vascular development genes in young Arabidopsis flowers.

Arabidopsis flower primordia give rise to organ primordia in stereotypical positions within four concentric whorls. Floral organ primordia in each whorl undergo distinct developmental programs to become one of four organ types (sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels). The Arabidopsis transcription factors AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) and AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 (AIL6) are required for correct positioning of floral organ initiation, contribute to the specification of floral organ identity, and regulate the growth and morphogenesis of developing floral organs.

Growth-friendly Spinal Instrumentation in Marfan Syndrome Achieves Sustained Gains in Thoracic Height Amidst High Rates of Implant Failure.

Background: There are few reports on the surgical management of early-onset scoliosis (EOS) associated with Marfan syndrome (MFS). Affected patients tend to have more rapid curve progression than those with idiopathic EOS, and their course is further complicated by medical comorbidities. As surgical techniques and implants for growing spines become more widely applied, this study seeks to better delineate the safety and efficacy of growth-friendly spinal instrumentation in treating this population.

Stability Indicating Method for Polysorbate 80 in Protein Formulations.

Polysorbates (also known as "Tween") are common components of protein formulations used to minimize protein adsorption and stabilize the protein. These nonionic surfactants are heterogenous mixtures of fatty acids with a complex reversed-phase profile due to the inhomogeneity of the polymers present. Polysorbates can be oxidized, which can be hard to detect in the complex polymer profile.

Management of Early-Onset Scoliosis-From Mehta Casts to Magnetically Expandable Rods: State of the Art in 2019.

Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) encompasses a wide variety of challenging to treat spinal deformities occurring in children before 10 years of age. The Classification of Early-Onset Scoliosis (C-EOS) has emerged as a useful classification for both clinical and research purposes, as have similar classifications of surgery and complications in the EOS population. Approaches to both nonsurgical and surgical management of EOS have changed dramatically in recent years.

Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System is Equivalent to Scoliosis Research Society-22 in Assessing Health Status in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Study Design: This was a correlational study.

Objective: Determine the range of pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores for patients treated for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and assess correlation with Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) domain scores.

Summary Of Background Data: Patient reported outcome (PRO) measures are important metrics for measuring health status in diverse patient populations.

Intrawound Vancomycin Powder Associated With Reduced Surgical Site Infection in Rib-based Distraction Surgery.

Background: Despite clinical reports of improved pulmonary function and reduced spinal deformity with rib-based distraction surgery in early-onset scoliosis (EOS) patients, infection remains a common complication, reported as high as 32% in some studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate intrawound vancomycin powder in pediatric patients managed with rib-based distraction for EOS.

Methods: This was a single institution retrospective cohort study of EOS patients treated with rib-based distraction.

Minimum 5-Year Follow-up of Mehta Casting to Treat Idiopathic Early-Onset Scoliosis.

Background: With the exception of Mehta's 2005 report on her experience treating early-onset scoliosis with serial casting, all subsequent studies have had limited follow-up. This current study sought to assess the results of serial casting at a minimum 5-year follow-up and to identify the predictors of the sustained resolution of scoliosis.

Methods: This study is a retrospective review of children treated for idiopathic early-onset scoliosis with serial casting at a children's hospital between 2001 and 2013 with a minimum 5-year follow-up.

The Application of a Nanomaterial Optical Fiber Biosensor Assay for Identification of Nomenspecies.

Bacteria in the genus are the cause of brucellosis in humans and many domestic and wild animals. A rapid and culture-free detection assay to detect in clinical samples would be highly valuable. Nanomaterial optical fiber biosensors (NOFS) are capable of recognizing DNA hybridization events or other analyte interactions with high specificity and sensitivity.

Prevalence of Hip Dysplasia and Associated Conditions in Children Treated for Idiopathic Early-onset Scoliosis-Don't Just Look at the Spine.

Background: Hip dysplasia, congenital muscular torticollis, plagiocephaly, and metatarsus adductus are known to be associated. The etiology of infantile idiopathic scoliosis and its association with the aforementioned conditions is unknown. This study reviews a series of infantile scoliosis patients to address this gap.

Superior Extension of Upper Instrumented Vertebrae in Distraction-based Surgery: A Surrogate for Clinically Significant Proximal Junctional Kyphosis.

Background: Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) is a reported complication of distraction-based growth-friendly surgery for early-onset scoliosis (EOS). A potential consequence of PJK is revision surgery with superior extension of the upper instrument vertebrae (UIV). The purpose of this study was to determine the risk of radiographic and clinically significant PJK during growth-friendly surgery.

Identification of Histophilus somni by a nanomaterial optical fiber biosensor assay.

Histophilus somni is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for respiratory and systemic diseases of cattle and sheep. Rapid and accurate detection of H. somni is essential to distinguish H.

Use of Halo-Gravity Traction and a Magnetically Controlled Growing Rod for Untreated Severe Kyphoscoliosis in an Adolescent: A Case Report.

Case: We utilized a novel staged approach for an adolescent with severe kyphoscoliosis; it involved 8 weeks of initial halo-gravity traction as well as implantation and expansion (every 2 weeks) of a magnetically controlled growing rod over 6 months, followed by spinal fusion. The patient was a 13-year-old girl with an untreated idiopathic deformity (thoracic scoliosis with a curve of 145° and kyphosis with a curve of 120°). No osteotomies other than inferior facetectomies were required at the final fusion, and the final scoliosis curve was 57°, a correction of 60.

Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis: Factors Affecting EDF Casting Success.

Study Design: IRB-approved retrospective single cohort study.

Objectives: To review our ten-year history with EDF (Elongation Derotation Flexion) casting in patients with infantile idiopathic scoliosis (IIS) to better understand which factors predict successful outcomes.

Summary Of Background Data: Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of EDF casting in the treatment of progressive infantile idiopathic scoliosis.

Surgeon Experience Does Not Change Rate of Perioperative Surgical Complication in Rib-Based Distraction Surgery for Early-Onset Scoliosis.

Objective: To report on the surgical learning curve in treating early-onset scoliosis with rib-based distraction.

Summary Of Background Data: The idea of a surgical learning curve proposes improved outcomes with experience. Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) is a challenging condition to treat and complication rates are high.

Self-assembled PCBM bilayers on graphene and HOPG examined by AFM and STM.

In this work we report fabrication and characterization of phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bilayer structures on graphene and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). Through careful control of the PCBM solution concentration (from 0.1 to 2 mg ml) and the deposition conditions, we demonstrate that PCBM molecules self-assemble into bilayer structures on graphene and HOPG substrates.

Variation in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery: Implications for Improving Healthcare Value.

Objectives: To investigate the variation in care and cost of spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and to identify opportunities for improving healthcare value.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study from the Pediatric Health Information Systems database, including children 11-18 years of age with AIS who underwent spinal fusion surgery between 2004 and 2015. Multivariable regression was used to evaluate the relationships between hospital cost, patient outcomes, and resource use.

Parallel Proximal Fixation in Rib-Based Growing Rod System: A Novel Approach to Deal With Proximal Anchor Migration.

Study Design: Retrospective case control.

Objective: To report on differences in implant failure rates and complications requiring reoperation in children with early-onset scoliosis (EOS) treated with rib-based distraction utilizing four proximal fixation points in either a parallel or in-line configuration.

Summary Of Background Data: Proximal anchor failure continues to be a significant problem in growth-friendly surgery using rib-based distraction to treat children with EOS.

Fabrication and characterization of periodically patterned silica fiber structures for enhanced second-order nonlinearity: publisher's note.

This publisher's note amends the author list of [Opt. Express23, 8113 (2015)].

Guided growth for tibia vara (Blount's disease).

Blount's disease is commonly attributed to an intrinsic, idiopathic defect in the posteromedial proximal tibial physis resulting in progressive bowing of the leg, intoeing, and lateral knee thrust. Treatment has historically included bracing, physeal stapling, or corrective osteotomy, and was determined primarily by age at presentation. As we feel the pathology is not necessarily age dependent, we have elected to use the technique of guided growth using a lateral tension band plate to correct limb alignment as a first-line treatment in all patients presenting to our clinic as long as they had growth remaining and no evidence of a physeal bar.

Imidazolium-Containing ABA Triblock Copolymers as Electroactive Devices.

Two-step reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and two subsequent postpolymerization modification steps afforded well-defined ABA triblock copolymers featuring mechanically reinforcing polystyrene outer blocks and 1-methylimidazole-neutralized poly(acrylic acid)-based central blocks. Size exclusion chromatography and (1)H NMR spectroscopy confirmed predictable molecular weights and narrow distributions. The ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([EMIm][OTf]) was incorporated at 30 wt % into polymeric films.

Temperature Evolution of Quasi-one-dimensional C60 Nanostructures on Rippled Graphene.

We report the preparation of novel quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) C60 nanostructures on rippled graphene. Through careful control of the subtle balance between the linear periodic potential of rippled graphene and the C60 surface mobility, we demonstrate that C60 molecules can be arranged into a quasi-1D C60 chain structure with widths of two to three molecules. At a higher annealing temperature, the quasi-1D chain structure transitions to a more compact hexagonal close packed quasi-1D stripe structure.

Reliability analysis of Cobb angle measurements of congenital scoliosis using X-ray and 3D-CT images.

Purpose: Therapeutic decisions for congenital scoliosis rely on Cobb angle measurements on consecutive radiographs. There have been no studies documenting the variability of measuring the Cobb angle using 3D-CT images in children with congenital scoliosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the reliability and measurement errors using X-ray images and those utilizing 3D-CT images.

A Semantic Web-based System for Mining Genetic Mutations in Cancer Clinical Trials.

Textual eligibility criteria in clinical trial protocols contain important information about potential clinically relevant pharmacogenomic events. Manual curation for harvesting this evidence is intractable as it is error prone and time consuming. In this paper, we develop and evaluate a Semantic Web-based system that captures and manages mutation evidences and related contextual information from cancer clinical trials.