Systematic Review of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Complications of Pedicled Latissimus Flap Breast Reconstruction.

The latissimus dorsi (LD) flap is a reliable option for breast reconstruction. This is particularly true in patients with contraindications to abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction. A systematic review of patient satisfaction and health related quality of life following LD breast reconstruction using the BREAST-Q survey was conducted.

Infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy of protonated unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and proton-bound dimers of hydrazine and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine.

The gas-phase structures of protonated unsymmetrical 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and the proton-bound dimers of UDMH and hydrazine are examined by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy utilizing light generated by a free electron laser and an optical parametric oscillator laser system. To identify the structures present in the experimental studies, the measured IRMPD spectra are compared to spectra calculated at the B3LYP-GD3BJ/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. These comparisons show that protonated UDMH binds the proton at the methylated nitrogen atom (α) with two low-lying α conformers probably being populated.

Salt-Tolerant Halophyte Rhizosphere Bacteria Stimulate Growth of Alfalfa in Salty Soil.

Halophytes are plants that are adapted to grow in saline soils, and have been widely studied for their physiological and molecular characteristics, but little is known about their associated microbiomes. Bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere and as root endophytes of and , three native Utah halophytes. A total of 41 independent isolates were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis.

Structural and Energetic Effects of O2'-Ribose Methylation of Protonated Pyrimidine Nucleosides.

The 2'-substituents distinguish DNA from RNA nucleosides. 2'-O-methylation occurs naturally in RNA and plays important roles in biological processes. Such 2'-modifications may alter the hydrogen-bonding interactions of the nucleoside and thus may affect the conformations of the nucleoside in an RNA chain.

Infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy of protonated glycine, histidine, lysine, and arginine complexed with 18-crown-6 ether.

Complexes of 18-crown-6 ether (18C6) with four protonated amino acids (AAs) are examined using infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy utilizing light generated by the infrared free electron laser at the Centre Laser Infrarouge d'Orsay (CLIO). The AAs examined in this work include glycine (Gly) and the three basic AAs: histidine (His), lysine (Lys), and arginine (Arg). To identify the (AA)H(18C6) conformations present in the experimental studies, the measured IRMPD spectra are compared to spectra calculated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory.

Structural and Energetic Effects of O2'-Ribose Methylation of Protonated Purine Nucleosides.

The chemical difference between DNA and RNA nucleosides is their 2'-hydrogen versus 2'-hydroxyl substituents. Modification of the ribosyl moiety at the 2'-position and 2'-O-methylation in particular, is common among natural post-transcriptional modifications of RNA. 2'-Modification may alter the electronic properties and hydrogen-bonding characteristics of the nucleoside and thus may lead to enhanced stabilization or malfunction.

Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of Infrared Multiple Photon Dissociation Spectra of Aspartic Acid Complexes with Zn and Cd.

Complexes of aspartic acid (Asp) cationized with Zn: Zn(Asp-H), Zn(Asp-H)(ACN) where ACN = acetonitrile, and Zn(Asp-H)(Asp); as well as with Cd, CdCl(Asp), were examined by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy using light generated from a free electron laser. A series of low-energy conformers for each complex was found using quantum chemical calculations to identify the structures formed experimentally. The main binding motif observed for the heavy-metal complex, CdCl(Asp)[N,CO,CO], is a charge-solvated, tridentate structure, where the metal center binds to the backbone amino group and carbonyl oxygens of the backbone and side-chain carboxylic acids.

Threshold collision-induced dissociation and theoretical study of protonated azobenzene.

Protonated azobenzene (AB), H(CHNCH), has been studied using threshold collision-induced dissociation in a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. Product channels observed are CHN + CH and CH + N + CH. The experimental kinetic energy-dependent cross sections were analyzed using a statistical model that accounts for internal and kinetic energy distributions of the reactants, multiple collisions, and kinetic shifts.

Non-adiabatic behavior in the homolytic and heterolytic bond dissociation of protonated hydrazine: A guided ion beam and theoretical investigation.

Threshold collision-induced dissociation using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer was performed on protonated hydrazine and its perdeuterated variant. The dominant dissociation pathways observed were endothermic homolytic and heterolytic cleavages of the N-N bond. The data were analyzed using a statistical model after accounting for internal and kinetic energy distributions, multiple collisions, and kinetic shifts to obtain 0 K bond dissociation energies.

Threshold collision-induced dissociation of protonated hydrazine and dimethylhydrazine clustered with water.

Threshold collision-induced dissociation using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer is performed on (NH)H(HO), where n = 1 and 2, and on the protonated unsymmetrical 1,1-dimethylhydrazine one-water complex. The primary dissociation pathway for all clusters is a loss of a single water molecule, which for n = 2 is followed by the sequential loss of an additional water molecule at higher collision energies. The data are analyzed using a statistical model after accounting for internal and kinetic energy distributions, multiple collisions, and kinetic shifts to obtain 0 K bond dissociation energies (BDEs).

Correction: Structural characterization of gas-phase cysteine and cysteine methyl ester complexes with zinc and cadmium dications by infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy.

Correction for 'Structural characterization of gas-phase cysteine and cysteine methyl ester complexes with zinc and cadmium dications by infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy' by Rebecca A. Coates et al., Phys.

Correction: Zn and Cd cationized serine complexes: infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy and density functional theory investigations.

Correction for 'Zn and Cd cationized serine complexes: infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy and density functional theory investigations' by Rebecca A. Coates et al., Phys.

How Hot are Your Ions Really? A Threshold Collision-Induced Dissociation Study of Substituted Benzylpyridinium "Thermometer" Ions.

The first absolute experimental bond dissociation energies (BDEs) for the main heterolytic bond cleavages of four benzylpyridinium "thermometer" ions are measured using threshold collision-induced dissociation in a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. In this experiment, substituted benzylpyridinium ions are introduced into the apparatus using an electrospray ionization source, thermalized, and collided with Xe at varied kinetic energies to determine absolute cross-sections for these reactions. Various effects are accounted for, including kinetic shifts, multiple collisions, and internal and kinetic energy distributions.

Threshold Collision-Induced Dissociation of Proton-Bound Hydrazine and Dimethylhydrazine Clusters.

Threshold collision-induced dissociation (TCID) using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer is performed on (NH)H where n = 2-4 and on the proton-bound unsymmetrical 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) dimer complex. The primary dissociation pathway for all reactants consists of loss of a single hydrazine (or UDMH) molecule followed by the sequential loss of additional hydrazine molecules at higher collision energies for n = 3 and 4. The data were analyzed using a statistical model after accounting for internal and kinetic energy distributions, multiple collisions, and kinetic shifts to obtain 0 K bond dissociation energies (BDEs).

Structural characterization of gas-phase cysteine and cysteine methyl ester complexes with zinc and cadmium dications by infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy.

Structural characterization of gas-phase ions of cysteine (Cys) and cysteine methyl ester (CysOMe) complexed to zinc and cadmium is investigated by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy using a free electron laser in combination with density functional theory calculations. IRMPD spectra are measured for [Zn(Cys-H)](+), [Cd(Cys-H)](+), [Zn(CysOMe-H)](+), [Cd(CysOMe-H)](+) and CdCl(+)(CysOMe) and are accompanied by quantum mechanical calculations of the predicted linear absorption spectra at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) (Zn(2+) complexes) and B3LYP/def2TZVP levels (Cd(2+) complexes). On the basis of these experiments and calculations, the conformation that best reproduces the IRMPD spectra for the complexes of the deprotonated amino acids, [M(Cys-H)](+) and [M(CysOMe-H)](+), is a charge-solvated (CS) tridentate structure where the metal dication binds to the amine and carbonyl groups of the amino acid backbone and the deprotonated sulfur atom of the side chain, [N,CO,S(-)].

Iron cluster-CO bond energies from the kinetic energy dependence of the Fe(n)(+) (n = 4-17) + CO association reactions.

The energy dependences of size-selected Fen(+) cluster ions (n = 1-17) reacting with CO at low energies are studied using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer equipped with a laser vaporization source. Below about 1 eV, all clusters with n ≥ 4 form the FenCO(+) association complex. The probability of this reaction increases with cluster size until the absolute cross sections equal the collision limit for n > 10, with those for n = 12 and 14 exceeding the collision limit.

Reducing blood culture contamination rates: a systematic approach to improving quality of care.

Contaminated blood cultures can have a deleterious effect on patient care; they may lead to longer hospital stays, unnecessary antibiotic therapy, needless removal of central lines, and redundant laboratory testing. A multidisciplinary quality improvement team from a western US health care system used an evidence-based process to define a system for obtaining blood culture specimens that subsequently decreased contamination rates from 3.7% to 1.

Digital image processing of two dimensional echocardiograms: identification of the endocardium.

Digital computer image-processing techniques were applied to two dimensional echocardiograms to improve the accuracy of cardiac spatial measurements by enhancing endocardial recognition. Images were photographed from the two dimensional echocardiographic monitor and digitized using an optical densitometer. Image-processing algorithms were applied to the digitized images as follows: (1) Multiple images were averaged; (2) a gray level threshold was chosen to separate the image into tissue and cavity regions on the basis of amplitude (brightness) of the returning echoes; (3) endocardium was traced between the regions; (4) endocardial position was confirmed by matching this boundary with a contrast edge map of the original images; and (5) the endocardial boundaries were tested by comparison with simultaneous M mode echocardiograms.