Separation of parallel encoded complex-valued slices (SPECS) from a single complex-valued aliased coil image.

Purpose: Achieving a reduction in scan time with minimal inter-slice signal leakage is one of the significant obstacles in parallel MR imaging. In fMRI, multiband-imaging techniques accelerate data acquisition by simultaneously magnetizing the spatial frequency spectrum of multiple slices. The SPECS model eliminates the consequential inter-slice signal leakage from the slice unaliasing, while maintaining an optimal reduction in scan time and activation statistics in fMRI studies.

Relationship of Musculoskeletal Disorder Pain to Patterns of Clinical Care in California Dental Hygienists.

Purpose: To relate self-reported levels of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) pain and patterns of clinical care among members of the California Dental Hygienists' Association (CDHA), using a web-based survey.

Methods: The 24-item survey consisted of questions on patterns of clinical care, health habits, experience with MSD pain and demographic information. Recruitment information, including survey link and consent form, was emailed to the CDHA for distribution to its members.

Validity of a two-item physical activity questionnaire for assessing attainment of physical activity guidelines in youth.

Background: As physical activity is important for health and well-being, it is essential to monitor population prevalence of physical activity. Surveillance is dependent on the use of valid and reliable measurement tools. The PACE+ questionnaire is used globally in youth and has acceptable reliability; however it has not been validated in a European sample.

The Effects of Clinically Relevant Hypertonic Saline and Conivaptan Administration on Ischemic Stroke.

Cerebral edema after stroke is associated with poor neurological outcomes. Current therapies are limited to osmotic agents, such as hypertonic saline (HS), which reduce intracranial pressure. Although studies have demonstrated edema reductions following HS, tissue survival has not been thoroughly examined.

Barriers to the Prevention and Treatment of Geriatric Diabetes.

Health care providers need to empower older patients with individualized care plans to improve glycemic control and outcomes.

Serine dipeptide lipids of Porphyromonas gingivalis inhibit osteoblast differentiation: Relationship to Toll-like receptor 2.

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a periodontal pathogen strongly associated with loss of attachment and supporting bone for teeth. We have previously shown that the total lipid extract of P. gingivalis inhibits osteoblast differentiation through engagement of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and that serine dipeptide lipids of P.

Bioaccumulation and biological effects of cigarette litter in marine worms.

Marine debris is a global environmental issue. Smoked cigarette filters are the predominant coastal litter item; 4.5 trillion are littered annually, presenting a source of bioplastic microfibres (cellulose acetate) and harmful toxicants to marine environments.

Whole-genome sequencing identifies EN1 as a determinant of bone density and fracture.

The extent to which low-frequency (minor allele frequency (MAF) between 1-5%) and rare (MAF ≤ 1%) variants contribute to complex traits and disease in the general population is mainly unknown. Bone mineral density (BMD) is highly heritable, a major predictor of osteoporotic fractures, and has been previously associated with common genetic variants, as well as rare, population-specific, coding variants. Here we identify novel non-coding genetic variants with large effects on BMD (ntotal = 53,236) and fracture (ntotal = 508,253) in individuals of European ancestry from the general population.

Cell and matrix response of temporomandibular cartilage to mechanical loading.

Objectives: The generation of transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) has greatly aided our understanding of the development of connective tissues such as bone and cartilage. Perturbation of a biological system such as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) within its adaptive remodeling capacity is particularly useful in analyzing cellular lineage progression. The objectives of this study were to determine: (i) if GFP reporters expressed in the TMJ indicate the different stages of cell maturation in fibrocartilage and (ii) how mechanical loading affects cellular response in different regions of the cartilage.

Novel TBK1 truncating mutation in a familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient of Chinese origin.

Missense and frameshift mutations in TRAF family member-associated NF-kappa-B activator (TANK)-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) have been reported in European sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cohorts. To assess the role of TBK1 in ALS patient cohorts of wider ancestry, we have analyzed whole-exome sequence data from an Australian cohort of familial ALS (FALS) patients and controls. We identified a novel TBK1 deletion (c.

Evaluation of enzymatically crosslinked injectable glycol chitosan hydrogel.

Enzymatically cross-linkable phenol-conjugated glycol chitosan was prepared by reacting glycol chitosan with 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid (HPP). The chemical modification was confirmed by FTIR, H-NMR and UV spectroscopy. Glycol chitosan hydrogels (HPP-GC) with or without rhBMP-2 were prepared by the oxidative coupling of the substituted phenol groups in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and horse radish peroxidase.

Muscle volume is related to trabecular and cortical bone architecture in typically developing children.

Introduction: Muscle is strongly related to cortical bone architecture in children; however, the relationship between muscle volume and trabecular bone architecture is poorly studied. The aim of this study was to determine if muscle volume is related to trabecular bone architecture in children and if the relationship is different than the relationship between muscle volume and cortical bone architecture.

Materials And Methods: Forty typically developing children (20 boys and 20 girls; 6 to 12y) were included in the study.

Gdf5 progenitors give rise to fibrocartilage cells that mineralize via hedgehog signaling to form the zonal enthesis.

The sequence of events that leads to the formation of a functionally graded enthesis is not clearly defined. The current study demonstrates that clonal expansion of Gdf5 progenitors contributes to linear growth of the enthesis. Prior to mineralization, Col1+ cells in the enthesis appose Col2+ cells of the underlying primary cartilage.

Soft tissue reconstruction after compound tibial fracture: 235 cases over 12 years.

Background: Outcomes in management of compound tibial fractures are measured by the rate of infection and non-union. These are a function of many variables that interact in complex ways. Our aims are to describe changes in these injuries over the past decade, to determine which variables predict a poor outcome and to compare reconstructive options controlling for these variables.

Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Parents of Children with Diabetes Compared to Those of Parents of Children without Diabetes.

Purpose: To compare the oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of parents of children, aged 6 to 13, who have type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes to those of parents of similarly aged children without diabetes.

Methods: The study population consisted of 46 parents of children with diabetes and 46 parents of children without diabetes from outpatient clinics, providing medical care to children with and without diabetes, respectively. After gaining permission of clinic directors, the investigator approached parents, who were waiting in the clinics' reception areas, to complete the 33-item survey.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Link Between Cell Activation State and Its Rheological Impact on the Microscale Flow of Neutrophil Suspensions.

Activated neutrophils have been reported to affect peripheral resistance, for example, by plugging capillaries or adhering to the microvasculature. In vivo and ex vivo data indicate that activated neutrophils circulating in the blood also influence peripheral resistance. We used viscometry and microvascular mimics for in vitro corroboration.

Earlier Menarche Is Associated with Lower Insulin Sensitivity and Increased Adiposity in Young Adult Women.

Objective: We aimed to assess whether age at menarche was associated with insulin sensitivity in young adult women.

Methods: We studied 54 healthy young women aged 20-30 years. Participants were grouped according to age at menarche: Early (≤11.

Adult-onset Alexander's disease mimicking degenerative disease.

Adult-onset Alexander's disease is a rare leukodystrophy that can present later in life in a variety of ways, often mimicking more common neurodegenerative conditions. We present two cases with novel mutations, diagnosed from their characteristic MR scan findings. Even in much older people, clinicians should have a high clinical suspicion if there are typical imaging findings.

Sexual rest and post-meiotic sperm ageing in house mice.

Fertilization by aged sperm can result in adverse fitness consequences for both males and females. Sperm storage during male sexual rest could provide an environment for post-meiotic sperm senescence causing a deterioration in the quality of stored sperm, possibly impacting on both sperm performance (e.g.

Improved biomechanical and biological outcomes in the MRL/MpJ murine strain following a full-length patellar tendon injury.

Musculoskeletal injuries greatly affect the U.S. population and current clinical approaches fail to restore long-term native tissue structure and function.

Three-Dimensional Changes in the Midface Following Malar Calcium Hydroxyapatite Injection in a Cadaver Model.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) changes in the midface following malar calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHa) injection have not been systematically analyzed.

Objectives: The authors analyzed 3D volume changes in midface and naso-labial fold (NLF) volume, as well as lateral movement in the NLF/naso-labial crease (NLC) junction following malar injection of CaHa in a cadaver model.

Methods: A single surgeon injected CaHa in the supraperiosteal plane.

SNCA Gene, but Not MAPT, Influences Onset Age of Parkinson's Disease in Chinese and Australians.

Background: α-Synuclein (SNCA) and microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) are the two major genes independently, but not jointly, associated with susceptibility for Parkinson's disease (PD). The SNCA gene has recently been identified as a major modifier of age of PD onset. Whether MAPT gene synergistically influences age of onset of PD is unknown.

Hydrogel-based Delivery of rhBMP-2 Improves Healing of Large Bone Defects Compared With Autograft.

Background: Autologous bone grafting remains the gold standard in the treatment of large bone defects but is limited by tissue availability and donor site morbidity. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), delivered with a collagen sponge, is clinically used to treat large bone defects and complications such as delayed healing or nonunion. For the same dose of rhBMP-2, we have shown that a hybrid nanofiber mesh-alginate (NMA-rhBMP-2) delivery system provides longer-term release and increases functional bone regeneration in critically sized rat femoral bone defects compared with a collagen sponge.

The impact of job strain on smoking cessation and relapse in the Canadian population: a cohort study.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of job strain, as measured by the Karasek demand/control model (DCM), on smoking cessation and relapse in a representative general population sample.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS) was undertaken. Daily smokers and former daily smokers (n=1287 and 1184, respectively) at cycle 1 (1994/1995) of the NPHS were followed up at cycle 2 (1996/1997).

Sperm superoxide dismutase is associated with bull fertility.

Decreasing mammalian fertility and sperm quality have created an urgent need to find effective methods to distinguish non-viable from viable fertilising spermatozoa. The aims of the present study were to evaluate expression levels of ?-tubulin 2C (TUBB2C), heat shock protein 10 (HSP10), hexokinase 1 (HXK1) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) in spermatozoa from Holstein bulls with varying fertility using western blotting and to analyse the biological networks of these key sperm proteins using a bioinformatics software (Metacore; Thomson-Reuters, Philadelphia, PA, USA). The rationales behind this study were that the sperm proteins play crucial roles in fertilisation and early embryonic development in mammals and ascertaining the biological networks of the proteins helps us better understand sperm physiology and early mammalian development.