Freehand Pre-drilling Technique for Lateral Mass Screw Fixation Is More Efficient and Reliable Versus Sequential Drilling Technique: A Sawbone Analysis.

Background Since posterior cervical fixation with lateral mass screws was introduced in 1979, multiple techniques have been described in the literature. However, no study to date has determined whether pre-drilling all lateral masses prior to screw insertion has a benefit over the traditional sequential drilling and screw insertion on the alignment of the screw-rod construct. This study sought to determine the efficacy and efficiency in achieving alignment with a novel pre-drilling technique compared to the traditional sequential drilling technique.

Force spectroscopy with electromagnetic tweezers.

Force spectroscopy using magnetic tweezers (MTs) is a powerful method to probe the physical characteristics of single polymers. Typically, molecules are functionalized for specific attachment to a glass surface at one end and a micrometer-scale paramagnetic bead at the other end. By applying an external magnetic field, multiple molecules can be stretched and twisted simultaneously without exposure to potentially damaging radiation.

An Analysis of Patient and Fracture Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Hyperostotic Spine Fractures.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Objective: To evaluate outcomes and complications following operative and nonoperative management of hyperostotic spine fractures.

Methods: Patients presenting between 2008 and 2017 to a single level 1 trauma center with hyperostotic spine fractures had their information and fracture characteristics reviewed.

/NeuroD1 Functions with the Homeobox Gene /Vax2 and Hox Gene /labial To Specify Aspects of RME and DD Neuron Fate in .

Identifying the mechanisms behind neuronal fate specification are key to understanding normal neural development in addition to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. cell fate specification is difficult to study in vertebrates. However, the nematode , with its invariant cell lineage and simple nervous system of 302 neurons, is an ideal organism to explore the earliest stages of neural development.

Geriatric Cyclists: Assessing Risks, Safety, and Benefits.

Nearly 1 in every 3 Americans ride bicycles each year, but only 20% of the reported 100 million cyclists ride on a weekly basis. Bicycling is a common form of transportation and recreation and has gained popularity among the elderly patients. In recent years, the number of elderly cyclists has increased steadily and studies have cited ease of use, need for exercise, and enjoyment as important contributing factors.

Louis A. Goldstein, MD: A Pioneer in Spinal Deformity Surgery.

MINI: During the first half of the 20th century interest in spinal deformity grew due to common conditions of that era including polio and tuberculosis. This article will discuss Louis Arnold Goldstein, a visionary leader in spinal deformity surgery from Rochester, New York and one of the founders of the Scoliosis Research Society.During the first half of the 20th century interest in spinal deformity grew due to common conditions of that era including polio and tuberculosis.

Myositis ossificans of the longus coli muscle following cervical spine fracture-dislocation.

Background: Upper cervical spine fractures are traumatic injuries typically associated with high-energy trauma and have a high morbidity and mortality rate. We describe a case of upper cervical spine fracture occurring due to high-energy trauma that resulted in significant myositis ossificans (MO) of the longus coli muscle.

Study Design: Case Report and literature review.

An Independent Evaluation of the Validity of a DNA-Based Prognostic Test for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Background: ScoliScore is a DNA-based prognostic test, designed and used to help to predict the risk of curve progression in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The role of this test in clinical practice remains unclear as the published results of the ScoliScore have not been validated independently. The purpose of this study was to determine if the ScoliScore effectively predicted the risk of curve progression in patients with mild and moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in two urban academic medical centers.

Development and initial validation of the Classification of Early-Onset Scoliosis (C-EOS).

Background: Early-onset scoliosis is a heterogeneous condition, with highly variable manifestations and natural history. No standardized classification system exists to describe and group patients, to guide optimal care, or to prognosticate outcomes within this population. A classification system for early-onset scoliosis is thus a necessary prerequisite to the timely evolution of care of these patients.

Deletion of the receptor for advanced glycation end products reduces glomerulosclerosis and preserves renal function in the diabetic OVE26 mouse.

Objective: Previous studies showed that genetic deletion or pharmacological blockade of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) prevents the early structural changes in the glomerulus associated with diabetic nephropathy. To overcome limitations of mouse models that lack the progressive glomerulosclerosis observed in humans, we studied the contribution of RAGE to diabetic nephropathy in the OVE26 type 1 mouse, a model of progressive glomerulosclerosis and decline of renal function.

Research Design And Methods: We bred OVE26 mice with homozygous RAGE knockout (RKO) mice and examined structural changes associated with diabetic nephropathy and used inulin clearance studies and albumin:creatinine measurements to assess renal function.

Separation of glucose and pentose sugars by selective enzyme hydrolysis of AFEX-treated corn fiber.

A process was developed to fractionate corn fiber into glucose- and pentose-rich fractions. Corn fiber was ammonia fiber explosion treated at 90 degrees C, using 1 g anhydrous ammonia pergram of drybiomass, 60% moisture, and 30-min residence time. Twenty four hour hydrolysis of ammonia fiber explosion-treated corn fiber with cellulase converted 83% of available glucanto-glucose.

Enhancing profitability of dry mill ethanol plants: process modeling and economics of conversion of degermed defibered corn to ethanol.

An Aspen Plus modeling platform was developed to evaluate the performance of the conversion process of degermed defibered corn (DDC) to ethanol in 15- and 40-million gallons per year (MGPY) dry mill ethanol plants. Upstream corn milling equipment in conventional dry mill ethanol plants was replaced with germ and fiber separation equipment. DDC with higher starch content was fed to the existing saccharification and fermentation units, resulting in higher ethanol productivity than with regular corn.

Are Colombian sickness funds cream skimming enrollees? An analysis with suggestions for policy improvement.

One of the primary objectives of Colombian social health insurance reform was to increase competition among for-profit insurers. Unfortunately, the flat capitated formula creates an opportunity for sickness funds to maximize reimbursement gains by cream skimming--selecting against unhealthy individuals. This paper explores sickness fund selection behavior to evaluate the efficiency losses associated with the introduction of managed competition in Colombia.

Effect of germ and fiber removal on production of ethanol from corn.

Ethanol fermentations were conducted using both whole corn, and corn with 100% of the germ, and a portion (approximately 74%) of the fiber removed. Ethanol production increased 11% in the germ and fiber-removed corn vs the whole corn. The protein content of distiller's dried grains and solubles increased from 30 to 36%, and phosphate levels were 60% lower in corn with germ and fiber removed vs whole corn.

The influence of local DNA sequence and DNA repair background on the mutational specificity of 1-nitroso-8-nitropyrene in Escherichia coli: inferences for mutagenic mechanisms.

We have examined the mutational specificity of 1-nitroso-8-nitropyrene (1,8-NONP), an activated metabolite of the carcinogen 1,8-dinitropyrene, in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli strains which differ with respect to nucleotide excision repair (+/- delta uvrB) and MucA/B-mediated error-prone translesion synthesis (+/- pKM101). Several different classes of mutation were recovered, of which frameshifts, base substitutions, and deletions were clearly induced by 1,8-NONP treatment. The high proportion of point mutations (> 92%) which occurred at G.

The action of 1-nitroso-8-nitropyrene in Escherichia coli: DNA adduct formation and mutational consequences in the absence of nucleotide excision-repair.

To study the mechanisms of mutagenesis by the carcinogen 1,8-dinitropyrene we have determined the DNA adducts formed and mutations induced by its partially activated metabolite 1-nitroso-8-nitropyrene (1,8-NONP) in an Escherichia coli strain deficient in nucleotide excision-repair. Using DNA sequence analysis we have characterized a collection of 159 lacI- mutations recovered following treatment with 1,8-NONP. The mutational spectrum was dominated by -1 frameshifts (110 events) in runs of contiguous G or C residues.

The mutational specificity of 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-acrylamide (AF2) in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli.

We have determined the mutational specificity of the 5-nitrofuran derivative furylfuramide (AF2) in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli. Treatment of a delta uvrB, pKM101 strain with 1 M AF2 yielded a mutation frequency approximately 300 times greater than that of untreated controls. Of the 165 AF2-induced mutants analysed by DNA sequencing, 145 were base substitution mutations, 11 were frameshifts, and the remainder small deletions, tandem base substitutions and complex mutations.

Formation and persistence of DNA adducts in rats following intraperitoneal administration of 1,8-dinitropyrene.

DNA adduct formation was examined in rat tissues following a single i.p. injection with 1,8-dinitropyrene (1,8-DNP).

Comparison of three assays for genetic effects of antineoplastic drugs on cancer patients and their nurses.

Three assays have been compared for their ability to detect genetic damage caused by antineoplastic drugs in cancer patients and possible damage in the nurses who administered these drugs. The assays were sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes, and the Salmonella/mammalian microsome assay on urine. Three comparisons were made: 1) patients before versus after treatment; 2) the administering nurses immediately after their work period versus after a few days off that followed (work and off-work); 3) the exposed nurses versus other nurses who did not administer antineoplastic drugs (controls).

DNA adduct formation in primary rabbit tracheal epithelial cells following treatment with 1,8-dinitropyrene and its partially reduced derivative, 1-nitro-8-nitrosopyrene.

Formation of DNA adducts, following treatment of primary rabbit tracheal epithelial cells (RTEC) with 1,8-dinitropyrene (1,8-DNP) and its partially reduced derivative, 1-nitro-8-nitrosopyrene (1,8-NONO2), was examined using the 32P-post-labelling technique. Treatment of aerobic cells with 1,8-DNP or 1,8-NONO2 produced qualitatively similar results. Cochromatography showed that the major adduct observed corresponded to the major adduct seen following treatment of poly(dG.

Metabolic activation of 3-nitroperylene in the Salmonella/S9 assay.

The mutagenicity of 3-nitroperylene (nitroPer), a nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) has been extensively studied using the Ames Salmonella test. In accord with previous work, nitroPer proved to be a potent frameshift mutagen which requires activation by mixed function oxidases (MFOs) in the microsomes of rat liver S9 preparations. The concentration of S9 required for optimal activation of this mutagen is several times lower than that recommended for routine screening by the Ames test.

Etoposide (VP16) and teniposide (VM26): novel anticancer drugs, strongly mutagenic in mammalian but not prokaryotic test systems.

The mutagenic effect of the antineoplastic drugs VP16 (etoposide; 4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin-ethylidene-beta-D-glucopyranoside) and VM26 (teniposide; 4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin-thenylidene-beta-D-glucopyr ano side) in mammalian and prokaryotic test systems have been compared. Both VP16 and VM26 which interact with mammalian DNA topoisomerase II, are strongly mutagenic in Chinese hamster ovary cells as indicated by the induction of mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase and adenosine kinase loci, and production of DNA strand breaks and sister-chromatid exchanges. Mouse L cells treated with these drugs also show a large dose-dependent (0.