Association of lifetime cognitive engagement and low β-amyloid deposition.

Objective: To assess the association between lifestyle practices (cognitive and physical activity) and β-amyloid deposition, measured with positron emission tomography using carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B ([(11)C]PiB), in healthy older individuals.

Design: Cross-sectional clinical study.

Setting: Berkeley, California.

Alcohol consumption induces endogenous opioid release in the human orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens.

Excessive consumption of alcohol is among the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. Although ethanol modulates a variety of molecular targets, including several neurotransmitter receptors, the neural mechanisms that underlie its rewarding actions and lead to excessive consumption are unknown. Studies in animals suggest that release of endogenous opioids by ethanol promotes further consumption.

Conformational dynamics of a membrane transport protein probed by H/D exchange and covalent labeling: the glycerol facilitator.

Glycerol facilitator (GF) is a tetrameric membrane protein responsible for the selective permeation of glycerol and water. Each of the four GF subunits forms a transmembrane channel. Every subunit consists of six helices that completely span the lipid bilayer, as well as two half-helices (TM7 and TM3).

Repeat 2-stage exchange for infected total hip arthroplasty: a viable option?

We investigated whether performing a repeat 2-stage exchange eradicates infection in patients who previously underwent 2-stage treatment for an infected total hip arthroplasty. We identified 15 patients who had failed a 2-stage total hip arthroplasty and underwent a planned repeat 2-stage between 2000 and 2009. Of the 15 patients, 8 were treated with a complete 2-stage procedure, whereas the remaining 7 patients were treated only with a first-stage resection of the infected implant.

Imaging and modeling of flow in porous media using clinical nuclear emission tomography systems and computational fluid dynamics.

This paper presents experimental and modeling aspects of applying nuclear emission tomography to study fluid flow in laboratory packed porous media columns of the type frequently used in geophysics, geochemistry and hydrology research. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are used as non-invasive tools to obtain dynamic 3D images of radioactive tracer concentrations. Dynamic sequences obtained using F-FDG PET are used to trace flow through a 5 cm diameter × 20 cm tall sand packed column with and without an impermeable obstacle.

Maintenance of heartburn relief after step-down from twice-daily proton pump inhibitor to once-daily dexlansoprazole modified release.

Background & Aims: Many patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) twice daily to control symptoms. Once-daily dexlansoprazole modified release (MR) has a dual-delayed release formulation, making it attractive for step-down management of patients whose symptoms are well controlled on twice-daily PPIs. We investigated whether step-down to once-daily dexlansoprazole controls heartburn in patients with GERD who were receiving twice-daily PPI therapy.

Amyloid vs FDG-PET in the differential diagnosis of AD and FTLD.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of PET with the amyloid ligand Pittsburgh compound B (PiB-PET) to fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) in discriminating between Alzheimer disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).

Methods: Patients meeting clinical criteria for AD (n = 62) and FTLD (n = 45) underwent PiB and FDG-PET. PiB scans were classified as positive or negative by 2 visual raters blinded to clinical diagnosis, and using a quantitative threshold derived from controls (n = 25).

Important child occupant saftety trends, indiana between 2005 and 2010.

This study reviews trends, rear facing, top tether use, and seating position for children younger than 13y among motor vehicle passengers in Indiana. This is an observational, cross-sectional survey of drivers transporting children 15 years and younger and drivers collected at 25 convenience locations randomly selected in Indiana during summers 2005 through 2010. Observations were conducted by Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST).

Management of acetabular bone loss in revision total hip arthroplasty.

Most acetabular revisions can be managed with a hemispherical component with screw fixation. Areas of segmental bone loss that preclude acetabular component stability may be managed with structural allograft or second-generation porous metal augments. Acetabular cages have a limited application but can be a useful tool in the management of massive bone loss and pelvic discontinuity.

'Trying to make it all come together': structuration and employed mothers' experience of family food provisioning in Canada.

This research examined the aetiology of employed mothers' food choice and food provisioning decisions using a qualitative, grounded theory methodology. Semi-structured interviews using the Food Choice Map were conducted with eleven middle-income employed mothers of elementary school-age children. Results demonstrated that the women exhibited conflicting identities with respect to food choice and provisioning.

Paediatrician knowledge, attitudes, and counselling patterns on teen driving.

Background: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death among teenagers. Little is known about the content of US paediatrician counselling about teen driving.

Objective: To examine US paediatrician knowledge, attitudes, and counselling patterns regarding teen driving.

Tat peptide-calmodulin binding studies and bioinformatics of HIV-1 protein-calmodulin interactions.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genome encodes 18 proteins and 2 peptides. Four of these proteins encode high-affinity calmodulin-binding sites for which direct interactions with calmodulin have already been described. In this study, the HIV-1 proteome is queried using an algorithm that predicts calmodulin-binding sites revealing seven new putative calmodulin-binding sites including residues 34-56 of the transactivator of transcription (Tat).

Distinct clinical and metabolic deficits in PCA and AD are not related to amyloid distribution.

Background/objective: Patients with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) often have Alzheimer disease (AD) at autopsy, yet are cognitively and anatomically distinct from patients with clinical AD. We sought to compare the distribution of β-amyloid and glucose metabolism in PCA and AD in vivo using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and FDG-PET.

Methods: Patients with PCA (n = 12, age 57.

Dopamine and frontostriatal networks in cognitive aging.

Recent studies have linked dopamine to differences in behavior and brain activity in normal individuals. We explored these relationships in older and younger adults by investigating how functional connectivity between the striatum and prefrontal cortex is related to caudate dopamine and verbal working memory task performance. We studied 12 young and 18 older participants with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during this task, and used positron emission tomography with the tracer 6-[(18)F]-fluoro-L-m-tyrosine (FMT) to assess dopamine synthesis capacity.

A point-of-care clinical trial comparing insulin administered using a sliding scale versus a weight-based regimen.

Background: Clinical trials are widely considered the gold standard in comparative effectiveness research (CER) but the high cost and complexity of traditional trials and concerns about generalizability to broad patient populations and general clinical practice limit their appeal. Unsuccessful implementation of CER results limits the value of even the highest quality trials. Planning for a trial comparing two standard strategies of insulin administration for hospitalized patients led us to develop a new method for a clinical trial designed to be embedded directly into the clinical care setting thereby lowering the cost, increasing the pragmatic nature of the overall trial, strengthening implementation, and creating an integrated environment of research-based care.

Metabolic stability of 6,7-dialkoxy-4-(2-, 3- and 4-[18F]fluoroanilino)quinazolines, potential EGFR imaging probes.

Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR), upregulated in many tumor types, have been a target for therapeutic development and molecular imaging. The objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution and metabolic characteristics of fluorine-18 labeled anilinoquinazolines as potential imaging agents for EGFR tyrosine kinase expression. Fluorine-18 labeled fluoronitrobenzenes were prepared by reaction of potassium cryptand [(18)F]fluoride with 1,2- and 1,4-dinitrobenzenes, and 3-nitro-N,N,N-trimethylanilinium triflate in 5min.

Leukocytosis is common after total hip and knee arthroplasty.

Background: Postoperative infection is a potentially devastating complication after THA and TKA. In the early postoperative period, clinicians often find nonspecific indicators of infection. Although leukocytosis may be a sign of a developing infection in the early postoperative period, it may also be part of a normal surgical response.

Synaptic morphology and the influence of auditory experience.

The auditory experience is crucial for the normal development and maturation of brain structure and the maintenance of the auditory pathways. The specific aims of this review are (i) to provide a brief background of the synaptic morphology of the endbulb of Held in hearing and deaf animals; (ii) to argue the importance of this large synaptic ending in linking neural activity along ascending pathways to environmental acoustic events; (iii) to describe how the re-introduction of electrical activity changes this synapse; and (iv) to examine how changes at the endbulb synapse initiate trans-synaptic changes in ascending auditory projections to the superior olivary complex, the inferior complex, and the auditory cortex.

Confronting structural violence in sex work: lessons from a community-led HIV prevention project in Mysore, India.

Evidence from community-led HIV prevention projects suggests that structural interventions may result in reduced rates of HIV and STIs. The complex relationship between empowerment and confronting stigma, discrimination and physical abuse necessitates further investigation into the impact that such interventions have on the personal risks for sex workers. This article aims to describe lived experiences of members from a sex worker's collective in Mysore, India and how they have confronted structural violence.

Issues and approaches to safely transporting children with special healthcare needs.

Transporting children with special health care needs (CSHCN) may be complex and require a multidisciplinary approach to improve a child's comfort and safety. This review (adapted from the resource manual of the National Center for the Safe Transportation of Children with Special Health Care Needs.) will discuss the basic principles of child passenger safety for CSHCN, including types of child occupant restraints, the use of child occupant restraint devices (CRD) for selected CHSCN, and how to locate or, if needed, develop programs to train child passenger safety technicians (CPST) to help with safe transportation of CSHCN.

Complete genome sequence of the metabolically versatile plant growth-promoting endophyte Variovorax paradoxus S110.

Variovorax paradoxus is a microorganism of special interest due to its diverse metabolic capabilities, including the biodegradation of both biogenic compounds and anthropogenic contaminants. V. paradoxus also engages in mutually beneficial interactions with both bacteria and plants.

Access to primary care from the perspective of Aboriginal patients at an urban emergency department.

In this article, we discuss findings from an ethnographic study in which we explored experiences of access to primary care services from the perspective of Aboriginal people seeking care at an emergency department (ED) located in a large Canadian city. Data were collected over 20 months of immersion in the ED, and included participant observation and in-depth interviews with 44 patients triaged as stable and nonurgent, most of whom were living in poverty and residing in the inner city. Three themes in the findings are discussed: (a) anticipating providers' assumptions; (b) seeking help for chronic pain; and (c) use of the ED as a reflection of social suffering.

Transporting children in wheelchairs in passenger vehicles: a comparison of best practice to observed and reported practice in a pilot sample.

Objective: We compared observed and reported practice among children with special health care needs transported in wheelchairs with the recommendations from the American National Standards Institute/Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America Committee on Wheelchairs and Transportation voluntary standards for best practice for using wheelchairs in vehicles.

Method: A convenience sample of vehicles exiting the garage of a children's hospital was observed. Certified child passenger safety technicians gathered driver demographics and the child's reported medical condition, weight, age, clinic visited, and relation to the driver.

Epstein-Barr virus-encoded EBNA1 enhances RNA polymerase III-dependent EBER expression through induction of EBER-associated cellular transcription factors.

Background: Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-encoded RNAs (EBERs) are non-polyadenylated RNA molecules transcribed from the EBV genome by RNA polymerase III (pol III). EBERs are the most abundant viral latent gene products, although the precise mechanisms by which EBV is able to achieve such high levels of EBER expression are not fully understood. Previously EBV has been demonstrated to induce transcription factors associated with EBER expression, including pol III transcription factors and ATF-2.