Measurements of adult lingual tonsil tissue in health and disease.

Objectives: To report computed tomography (CT) measurements of lingual tonsil tissue (LTT) in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), both LPR and OSAHS, or neither disease.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Tertiary care center.

HLA class I and class II HLA DRB profiles in Egyptian children with rheumatic valvular disease.

Poststreptococcal sequelae, especially acute rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease continues to occur in significant proportions in many parts of the world, especially in less developed countries. An important factor in the study of rheumatic heart disease is the human genetic susceptibility to the disease. The aim of the present study was to detect the most prevalent HLA class I and class II types associated with risk of rheumatic heart disease in Egyptian children.

Morbidity among infants in South India: a longitudinal study.

To study the incidence and types of morbidity in the first year of life in a birth cohort, a longitudinal study. This study was undertaken in northern part of Karnataka state in India. Birth cohort consisted of all the children born during first six months of the study period.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of pediatric patients with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma.

Background And Objectives: While treatment outcomes for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) have improved remarkably, patients with disseminated disease still have a poorer outcome. Stage IV HL is often reported with other 'advanced stage' categories, confusing the specific contribution of disease dissemination to the outcome. This single-institution report looks at characteristics and outcomes of this specific category.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia in a tertiary care hospital in India: incidence and risk factors.

Background: Knowledge of the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and its associated risk factors is imperative for the development and use of more effective preventive measures.

Methodology: We performed a prospective study over a period of 15 months to determine the incidence and the risk factors for development of VAP in critically ill adult patients admitted in different intensive care units (ICUs) of Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), a tertiary care hospital in Pondicherry, India.

Results: The incidence of VAP was 30.

Ethnic differences in antidepressant response: a prospective multi-site clinical trial.

Background: Although depression is a highly prevalent condition that occurs in all ethnic groups, the influence of ethnicity on treatment response still remains unclear.

Methods: A prospective 8-week, open-label clinical trial comparing the efficacy and side effects of citalopram (CIT) with dose escalation (20-60 mg/day) was performed in African-Americans and Caucasians with nonpsychotic major depression. The intent-to-treat sample consisted of 301 participants (169 African-Americans and 132 Caucasians).

Successful treatment of meralgia paresthetica with pulsed radiofrequency of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve.

Background: Meralgia paresthetica is a rarely encountered sensory mononeuropathy characterized by paresthesia, pain or sensory impairment along the distribution of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve caused by entrapment or compression of the nerve as it crosses the anterior superior iliac spine and runs beneath the inguinal ligament.

Objective: We describe the first reported use of pulsed radiofrequency neuromodulation to relieve the intractable pain associated with meralgia paresthetica.

Case Report: A 33-year-old morbidly obese female with a history of lower back pain and previous spinal fusion presented with sensory dysesthesias and paresthesias in the right anterolateral thigh, consistent with meralgia paresthetica.

Understanding barriers to cervical cancer screening among Hispanic women.

Objective: We investigated issues affecting Papanicolaou smear screening access, health services utilization, acculturation, social networking, and media venues most conducive to acquiring health information among Hispanics.

Study Design: Self-identified Hispanics were surveyed. Participants were stratified based on age, time living in the United States, and Papanicolaou screening frequency.

HDAC2 negatively regulates memory formation and synaptic plasticity.

Chromatin modifications, especially histone-tail acetylation, have been implicated in memory formation. Increased histone-tail acetylation induced by inhibitors of histone deacetylases (HDACis) facilitates learning and memory in wild-type mice as well as in mouse models of neurodegeneration. Harnessing the therapeutic potential of HDACis requires knowledge of the specific HDAC family member(s) linked to cognitive enhancement.

The chicken type III GnRH receptor homologue is predominantly expressed in the pituitary, and exhibits similar ligand selectivity to the type I receptor.

Two GnRH isoforms (cGnRH-I and GnRH-II) and two GnRH receptor subtypes (cGnRH-R-I and cGnRH-R-III) occur in chickens. Differential roles for these molecules in regulating gonadotrophin secretion or other functions are unclear. To investigate this we cloned cGnRH-R-III from a broiler chicken and compared its structure, expression and pharmacological properties with cGnRH-R-I.

'It's a boy because he's painting a picture': age differences in children's conventional and unconventional gender schemas.

Two studies investigated the development of children's gender knowledge using a procedure designed to tap into children's unconventional gender beliefs. Study 1 revealed a developmental progression with 34 3- to 4-year-old children providing more unconventional reasons than conventional reasons to explain the gender of a series of drawings. By contrast, 39 5- to 6-year-old and 42 7- to 8-year-old children provided more conventional than unconventional reasons.

Biochemical and molecular characterization of Bacillus pumilus isolated from coastal environment in Cochin, India.

Bacillus species constitute a diverse group of bacteria widely distributed in soil and the aquatic environment. In this study, Bacillus strains isolated from the coastal environment of Cochin, India were identified by detailed conventional biochemical methods, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis and partial 16S rDNA sequencing. Analysis of the data revealed that Bacillus pumilus was the most predominant species in the region under study followed by B.

Intracapsular coblation tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for the treatment of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Objective: To report the findings of five years' experience using standardized coblation intracapsular tonsillectomy with adenoidectomy for treatment of pediatric sleep apnea.

Study Design: Case series.

Methods: A five-year retrospective analysis of coblation tonsillectomy performed by a single department for sleep apnea was completed.

HPV vaccine: A comparison of attitudes and behavioral perspectives between Latino and non-Latino women.

Objective: Recent scientific advances have lead to the development of a prophylactic, quadrivalent HPV vaccine conferring. We surveyed Latino and non-Latino women directly to examine what motivates them to vaccinate themselves, their daughters, and their sons.

Methods: A written survey was administered to 86 Latinas and 141 non-Latinas, ages 18-55, and attending a general medicine, gynecology, or pediatric unit at an academic center.

The effect of multilevel upper airway surgery on continuous positive airway pressure therapy in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Objective: To investigate the effect of multilevel upper airway surgery (USA) on subsequent continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).

Study Design: Fifty-two patients who underwent multilevel UAS with persistent symptoms of OSAHS represent the cohort for this study. All patients had undergone manual CPAP titrations both pre- and postoperatively.

Measurement and modeling of pulsed microchannel plate operation (invited).

Microchannel plates (MCPs) are a standard detector for fast-framing x-ray imaging and spectroscopy of high-temperature plasmas. The MCP is coated with conductive striplines that carry short duration voltage pulses to control the timing and amplitude of the signal gain. This gain depends on the voltage to a large exponent so that small reflections or impedance losses along the striplines can have a significant impact on the position-dependent amplitude and pulse width of the gain.

A prospective feasibility trial to determine the significance of the sentinel node gradient in breast cancer: a predictor of nodal metastasis location.

Background: Sentinel lymph node (SN) biopsy is standard for breast cancer staging, but SN dye gradients and their significance have never been characterized. If predictive of SN metastasis location, their use for focused pathology examination might improve intraoperative imprint cytology sensitivity.

Methods: This prospective trial enrolled clinically lymph node-negative patients with invasive breast cancer not undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Metoclopramide does not attenuate cricoid pressure-induced relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter in awake volunteers.

Background: The authors examined the influence of metoclopramide on cricoid pressure-induced relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) in awake human volunteers.

Methods: With local institutional review board approval, measurements of LES and intragastric pressures were made in 10 consenting volunteers before cricoid pressure application, during 15 s of cricoid pressure application, and after release of cricoid pressure. The measurements were repeated after 0.

Polymorphisms in eggshell organic matrix genes are associated with eggshell quality measurements in pedigree Rhode Island Red hens.

Novel and traditional eggshell quality measurements were made from up to 2000 commercial pedigree hens for a candidate gene association analysis with organic eggshell matrix genes: ovocleidin-116, osteopontin (SPP1), ovocalyxin-32 (RARRES1), ovotransferrin (LTF), ovalbumin and ovocalyxin-36, as well as key genes in the maintenance and function of the shell gland [estrogen receptor (ESR1) and carbonic anhydrase II (CAII)]. Associations were found for (i) ovalbumin with breaking strength and shell thickness; (ii) ovocleidin-116 with elastic modulus, shell thickness and egg shape; (iii) RARRES1 with mammillary layer thickness; (iv) ESR1 with dynamic stiffness; (v) SPP1 with fracture toughness and (vi) CAII with egg shape. The marker effects are as large as 17% of trait standard deviations and could be used to improve eggshell quality.

Depression, parenting attributes, and social support among adolescent mothers attending a teen tot program.

Objective: To investigate the associations between depressive symptoms in adolescent mothers and their perceived maternal caretaking ability and social support.

Patients And Methods: Subjects were participants enrolled in a parenting program that provided comprehensive multidisciplinary medical care to teen mothers and their children. Baseline data of a prospective cohort study were collected by interview at 2 weeks postpartum and follow-up, and standardized measures on entry into postnatal parenting groups.

Evaluation of submucosal minimally invasive lingual excision technique for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Objective: Submucosal minimally invasive lingual excision (SMILE) is a novel approach to address hypopharyngeal obstruction. This study compares the efficacy, morbidity, and complications of this technique to radiofrequency reduction of the tongue base (RFBOT), the current standard in minimally invasive tongue base reduction.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of data extracted from a prospective database.

Interexaminer agreement of Friedman tongue positions for staging of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Objective: To determine if strong interexaminer agreement exists in identifying Friedman tongue positions (FTPs) for staging of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).

Study Design And Methods: Twenty-six digital video clips of oropharyngeal examinations were prepared to demonstrate FTPs I through IV. Specific parameters for each FTP were provided to 126 examiners (otolaryngology residents, attendings, and fellows).

Pre-pregnancy body mass index among pregnant adolescents: gestational weight gain and long-term post partum weight retention.

Study Objective: To determine the relationship between adolescents' pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), and gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention.

Design: We review the medical records of adolescents participating in a prospective cohort study on comprehensive health care and parenting education to determine pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and postpartum weight retention at one year.

Setting: Urban academic hospital clinic.

Hodgkin lymphoma in very young children: Clinical characteristics and outcome of treatment.

In developed nations, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is rare in <5-year olds and represent a minority in developing countries. Little is reported about the biology and behavior of these very young patients compared with older children. 18.