Upper extremity deep vein thrombosis in hospitalized patients: a descriptive study.

Increasingly, there is a focus on the prevention of hospital-acquired conditions including venous thromboembolism. Many studies have evaluated pulmonary embolism and lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, but less is known about upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEDVT) in hospitalized patients. The objective of this study was to describe UEDVT incidence, associated risks, outcomes, and management in our institution.

Measurement and analysis of gamma-rays emitted from spent nuclear fuel above 3 MeV.

The gamma-ray spectrum of spent nuclear fuel in the 3-6 MeV energy range is important for active interrogation since gamma rays emitted from nuclear decay are not expected to interfere with measurements in this energy region. There is, unfortunately, a dearth of empirical measurements from spent nuclear fuel in this region. This work is an initial attempt to partially fill this gap by presenting an analysis of gamma-ray spectra collected from a set of spent nuclear fuel sources using a high-purity germanium detector array.

Modeling dynamic regulatory processes in stroke.

The ability to examine the behavior of biological systems in silico has the potential to greatly accelerate the pace of discovery in diseases, such as stroke, where in vivo analysis is time intensive and costly. In this paper we describe an approach for in silico examination of responses of the blood transcriptome to neuroprotective agents and subsequent stroke through the development of dynamic models of the regulatory processes observed in the experimental gene expression data. First, we identified functional gene clusters from these data.

Adherence to guideline-directed venous thromboembolism prophylaxis among medical and surgical inpatients at 33 academic medical centers in the United States.

This study's purpose was to describe compliance with established venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis guidelines in medical and surgical inpatients at US academic medical centers (AMCs). Data were collected for a 2007 University HealthSystem Consortium Deep Vein Thrombosis/Pulmonary Embolism (DVT/PE) Benchmarking Project that explored VTE in AMCs. Prophylaxis was considered appropriate based on 2004 American College of Chest Physicians guidelines.

A descriptive case series of patients with end-stage liver disease hospitalized with variceal bleeding who received pharmacologic venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.

Background: It is unknown whether venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (VTEP) should be utilized in hospitalized patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD), particularly in those admitted with variceal bleeding.

Objective: We sought to describe a cohort of patients who received pharmacologic VTEP, specifically identifying the occurrence of rebleeding.

Design: Descriptive case series.

Role of nasal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening in the management of skin and soft tissue infections.

We set out to determine whether nasal swab isolates can identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization and guide therapy in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). Among hospitalized patients admitted to a general medicine service with SSTI, specificity and positive predictive value for MRSA in nasal swab isolates were 100%; sensitivity was 55%. Thus, positive nasal swab cultures may help identify MRSA colonization and guide antimicrobial therapy for SSTI when wound cultures cannot be obtained.

A comparison of simple algorithms for gamma-ray spectrometers in radioactive source search applications.

Large variation in ambient gamma-ray backgrounds challenges the search for radiation sources. Raising detection thresholds is a common response, but one that comes at the price of reduced detection sensitivity. In response to this challenge, we explore several trip-wire detection algorithms for gamma-ray spectrometers.

Comparison of probability and likelihood models for peptide identification from tandem mass spectrometry data.

We evaluate statistical models used in two-hypothesis tests for identifying peptides from tandem mass spectrometry data. The null hypothesis H(0), that a peptide matches a spectrum by chance, requires information on the probability of by-chance matches between peptide fragments and peaks in the spectrum. Likewise, the alternate hypothesis H(A), that the spectrum is due to a particular peptide, requires probabilities that the peptide fragments would indeed be observed if it was the causative agent.

Sequence optimization as an alternative to de novo analysis of tandem mass spectrometry data.

Motivation: Peptide identification following tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is usually achieved by searching for the best match between the mass spectrum of an unidentified peptide and model spectra generated from peptides in a sequence database. This methodology will be successful only if the peptide under investigation belongs to an available database. Our objective is to develop and test the performance of a heuristic optimization algorithm capable of dealing with some features commonly found in actual MS/MS spectra that tend to stop simpler deterministic solution approaches.

Improved peptide sequencing using isotope information inherent in tandem mass spectra.

We demonstrate here the use of natural isotopic 'labels' in peptides to aid in the identification of peptides with a de novo algorithm. Using data from ion trap tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) analysis of 102 tryptic peptides, we have analyzed multiple series of peaks within LCQ MS/MS spectra that 'spell' peptide sequences. Isotopic peaks from naturally abundant isotopes are particularly prominent even after peak centroiding on y- and b-series ions and lead to increased confidence in the identification of the precursor peptides.