The National Partnership for Maternal Safety.

Recognition of the need to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States has led to the creation of the National Partnership for Maternal Safety. This collaborative, broad-based initiative will begin with three priority bundles for the most common preventable causes of maternal death and severe morbidity: obstetric hemorrhage, severe hypertension in pregnancy, and peripartum venous thromboembolism. In addition, three unit-improvement bundles for obstetric services were identified: a structured approach for the recognition of early warning signs and symptoms, structured internal case reviews to identify systems improvement opportunities, and support tools for patients, families, and staff that experience an adverse outcome.

The role of endovascular therapy in the treatment of critical limb ischemia.

The article deals with advantages and unsolved problems of endovascular treatment in patients with lower limb peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This is accompanied by a brief excursion into historical domain, pointing out a staggering increase in the number of endovascular interventions. At the same time, it is noted that the strength of the evidence-based data contained in the currently available literature supporting long-term efficacy of endovascular therapy for lower extremity occlusive disease is weak, and hence there are no undisputable advantages of this therapeutic modality over open surgical interventions.

Evidence that a synthetic amyloid-ß oligomer-binding peptide (ABP) targets amyloid-ß deposits in transgenic mouse brain and human Alzheimer's disease brain.

The synthetic ~5 kDa ABP (amyloid-ß binding peptide) consists of a region of the 228 kDa human pericentrioloar material-1 (PCM-1) protein that selectively and avidly binds in vitro Aβ1-42 oligomers, believed to be key co-drivers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but not monomers (Chakravarthy et al., (2013) [3]). ABP also prevents Aß1-42 from triggering the apoptotic death of cultured human SHSY5Y neuroblasts, likely by sequestering Aß oligomers, suggesting that it might be a potential AD therapeutic.

Total laryngectomy or laryngeal preservation for advanced laryngeal cancer. Impact of the functional risk upon the patient's preferences.

Objective: To analyse, based on an anonymous questionnaire, the treatment decision envisaged and the impact of the medical information delivered in patients facing the diagnosis of an advanced laryngeal cancer amenable to total laryngectomy or a laryngeal preservation protocol.

Material And Methods: Prospective study conducted in a French teaching hospital based on questionnaires filled in by 269 patients attending the otorhinolaryngology clinic.

Results: A total of 28.

[Unilateral laryngeal nerve paralysis in the adult: Epidemiology, symptoms, physiopathology and treatment].

In France, the main causes for unilateral laryngeal nerve paralysis in the adult patient are surgery and malignant tumors. Most of unilateral laryngeal nerve paralysis following thyroid surgery will recover within the first six postoperative months. At the time of unilateral laryngeal nerve paralysis, swallowing impairment and dyspnea occur in around 30% and 5% of cases, respectively.

[Evaluation of quality of life and swallowing in patients with cancer of the oropharynx treated with assisted transoral robotic surgery].

Objectives: To present the preliminary results of the qualiit of life and quality of swallowing in a series of 15 patien! treated with oropharyngectomy by transoral robotic-assisted (CTAR) (robot da Vinci, Intuitive Surgical ).

Materials And Methods: A prospective monocentric non-randomized study of 15 patients with cancer of the oropharynx. Were analyzed: demographics, quality of life questionnaires (QLQ-C30 and H&N 35 EORTC) and quality of swallowing questionnairex (MDADI, DHI and EAT 10) with an average of 1 year after the end of the treatment.

Lateral pharyngotomy for selected invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the lateral oropharynx--part I: how.

Objectives/hypothesis: To revisit the surgical technique of lateral pharyngotomy in patients with selected, isolated, and untreated invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the lateral oropharynx. To describe postoperative management, complications, and functional outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective review from a French university teaching hospital.

Dynamics of vitamin D in patients with mild or inactive inflammatory bowel disease and their families.

Background: 25(OH) vitamin D levels may be low in patients with moderately or severely active inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD: Crohn's disease and Idiopathic Ulcerative Colitis) but this is less clear in patients with mild or inactive IBD. Furthermore there is limited information of any family influence on 25(OH) vitamin D levels in IBD. As a possible risk factor we hypothesize that vitamin D levels may also be low in families of IBD patients.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes following motor vehicle crashes.

Background: Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of serious trauma during pregnancy, but little is known about their relationships with pregnancy outcomes.

Purpose: To estimate the association between motor vehicle crashes and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 878,546 pregnant women, aged 16-46 years, who delivered a singleton infant in North Carolina from 2001 to 2008.

Rationale, design, and methodology for the optimizing outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their infants study.

Background: Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To date, there have been few interdisciplinary interventions that target predominantly ethnic minority low-income women diagnosed with GDM. This paper describes the rationale, design and methodology of a 2-year, randomized, controlled study being conducted in North Carolina.

Electrochemical discharge of nanocrystalline magnetite: structure analysis using X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is an abundant, low cost, environmentally benign material with potential application in batteries. Recently, low temperature coprecipitation methods have enabled preparation of a series of nanocrystalline magnetite samples with a range of crystallite sizes. Electrochemical cells based on Li/Fe3O4 show a linear increase in capacity with decreasing crystallite size at voltages ≥1.

Position statement on fetal myelomeningocele repair.

Following the promising multicenter randomized trial results of in utero fetal myelomeningocele repair; we anticipate that an increasing number of tertiary care centers may want to offer this therapy. It is essential to establish minimum criteria for centers providing open fetal myelomeningocele repair to ensure optimal maternal and fetal/pediatric outcomes, as well as patient safety both short- and long-term; and to advance our knowledge of the role and benefit of fetal surgery in the management of fetal myelomeningocele. The fetal myelomeningocele Maternal-Fetal Management Task Force was initially convened by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to discuss the implementation of maternal fetal surgery for myelomeningocele.

The dependence receptor TrkC triggers mitochondria-dependent apoptosis upon Cobra-1 recruitment.

The neurotrophin receptor TrkC was recently identified as a dependence receptor, and, as such, it triggers apoptosis in the absence of its ligand, NT-3. The molecular mechanism for apoptotic engagement involves the double cleavage of the receptor's intracellular domain, leading to the formation of a proapoptotic "killer" fragment (TrkC KF). Here, we show that TrkC KF interacts with Cobra1, a putative cofactor of BRCA1, and that Cobra1 is required for TrkC-induced apoptosis.

Lateral pharyngotomy for selected invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the lateral oropharynx. Part II: when and why.

Objectives/hypothesis: To analyze local failure following lateral pharyngotomy for selected untreated invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lateral oropharynx.

Study Design: Retrospective review from a university teaching hospital.

Methods: Inception cohort of 91 patients who underwent lateral pharyngotomy for an isolated and previously untreated selected invasive carcinoma of the lateral oropharynx classified as T1 (26), T2 (47), T3 (11), and T4 (7).

Pregnant driver-associated motor vehicle crashes in North Carolina, 2001-2008.

Background: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of maternal injury-related mortality during pregnancy in the United States, yet pregnant women remain an understudied population in motor vehicle safety research.

Methods: We estimated the risk of being a pregnant driver in a crash among 878,546 pregnant women, 16-46 years, who reached the 20th week of pregnancy in North Carolina (NC) from 2001 to 2008. We also examined the circumstances surrounding the crash events.

Silver Vanadium Diphosphate AgVPO: Electrochemistry and Characterization of Reduced Material providing Mechanistic Insights.

Silver vanadium phosphorous oxides (AgVPO) are notable battery cathode materials due to their high energy density and demonstrated ability to form in-situ Ag metal nanostructured electrically conductive networks within the cathode. While analogous silver vanadium diphosphate materials have been prepared, electrochemical evaluations of these diphosphate based materials have been limited. We report here the first electrochemical study of a silver vanadium diphosphate, AgVPO, where the structural differences associated with phosphorous oxides versus diphosphates profoundly affect the associated electrochemistry.

A synthetic peptide corresponding to a region of the human pericentriolar material 1 (PCM-1) protein binds β-amyloid (Aβ1-42 ) oligomers.

We have recently reported that a ~19-kDa polypeptide, rPK-4, is a protein kinase Cs inhibitor that is 89% homologous to the 1171-1323 amino acid region of the 228-kDa human pericentriolar material-1 (PCM-1) protein (Chakravarthy et al. 2012). We have now discovered that rPK-4 binds oligomeric amyloid-β peptide (Aβ)1-42 with high affinity.

Distal anastomotic vein adjunct usage in infrainguinal prosthetic bypasses.

Objective: Single-segment saphenous vein remains the optimal conduit for infrainguinal revascularization. In its absence, prosthetic conduit may be used. Existing data regarding the significance of anastomotic distal vein adjunct (DVA) usage with prosthetic grafts are based on small series.

[Follow-up of a 16-year-old adolescent with early-onset schizophrenia and catatonic symptoms].

Introduction: The aim of this paper is to underline the need of a systematic monitoring (1) of atypical antipsychotics and (2) of catatonic symptoms in child psychiatry. We present in this paper the clinical history of a 16-year-old adolescent inpatient needing a prescription of atypical antipsychotic drug. We present the most relevant results of our clinical monitoring over 7 months.

Putting the "M" back in maternal-fetal medicine.

Although maternal death remains rare in the United States, the rate has not decreased for 3 decades. The rate of severe maternal morbidity, a more prevalent problem, is also rising. Rise in maternal age, in rates of obesity, and in cesarean deliveries as well as more pregnant women with chronic medical conditions all contribute to maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States.

Lack of adverse events after medialization laryngoplasty With the montgomery thyroplasty implant in patients with unilateral laryngeal nerve paralysis.

Objectives: We sought to document the incidence of and risk factors for adverse events after medialization laryngoplasty with Montgomery implant insertion in patients with unilateral laryngeal nerve paralysis.

Methods: We studied a retrospective series of 191 patients consecutively managed at a university teaching hospital.

Results: No adverse events were noted in 79.

A multi-center, dose-escalation study of human type I pancreatic elastase (PRT-201) administered after arteriovenous fistula creation.

Purpose: To explore the safety and efficacy of PRT-201.

Methods: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose escalation study of PRT-201 (0.0033 to 9 mg) applied after arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation.