Imaging Block-Selective Copolymer Solvation.

Understanding individual-block solvation in self-assembled block copolymer systems is experimentally difficult, but this solvation underpins the assembly and disassembly observed at the bulk scale. Here, covalently attached viscosity-sensitive molecular rotors for fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy uncover and quantitatively elucidate previously undisclosed differential block-selective responses toward solvation changes upon addition of DMSO and THF to self-assembled ROMP-based amphiphilic block copolymers. The sensitivity of this method provides unique information on block-selective solvent-triggered assembly and disassembly mechanisms, revealing behaviors invisible to or with superior sensitivity to traditional H NMR spectroscopy.

Synthesis of a Borylated Ibuprofen Derivative through Suzuki Cross-Coupling and Alkene Boracarboxylation Reactions.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most common drugs used to manage and treat pain and inflammation. In 2016, a new class of boron functionalized NSAIDs (bora-NSAIDs) was synthesized under mild conditions via the copper-catalyzed regioselective boracarboxylation of vinyl arenes using carbon dioxide (CO2 balloon) and a diboron reductant at room temperature. This original method was performed primarily in a glovebox or with a vacuum gas manifold (Schlenk line) under rigorous air-free and moisture-free conditions, which often led to irreproducible reaction outcomes due to trace impurities.

Multi-level computational methods for interdisciplinary research in the HathiTrust Digital Library.

We show how faceted search using a combination of traditional classification systems and mixed-membership topic models can go beyond keyword search to inform resource discovery, hypothesis formulation, and argument extraction for interdisciplinary research. Our test domain is the history and philosophy of scientific work on animal mind and cognition. The methods can be generalized to other research areas and ultimately support a system for semi-automatic identification of argument structures.

Prescribing opioid analgesics for chronic non-malignant pain in general practice - a survey of attitudes and practice.

Background: This study replicates a previous postal survey of general practitioners (GPs) to explore whether attitudes to opioid prescribing have changed at a time when the number of opioid prescriptions issued in primary care has increased.

Methods: With permission, a 57-item survey instrument previously utilised with GPs in the South-west of England was circulated to 214 GPs in city-centre practices in the East Midlands. The survey instrument included items relating to practice context, prescribing patterns and attitudes about analgesic medication, perceived prescribing frequency and reluctance to prescribe.

Hemodialysis catheter tip design: observations on fluid flow and recirculation.

Purpose: To observe fluid flow patterns and measure recirculation rates of tunneled hemodialysis catheters using a mechanical model that simulates hemodialysis treatment.

Materials And Methods: Nine tunneled hemodialysis catheters were evaluated using a mechanical model that simulated catheter conditions during a routine hemodialysis treatment. Objective and subjective determinants of catheter performance were measured and compared.

Responsiveness of the EQ-5D health-related quality-of-life instrument in assessing low back pain.

Objective: To compare the responsiveness of the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) generic quality-of-life instrument with that of specific instruments-the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)-in assessing low back pain.

Methods: Data were obtained from a group of patients receiving epidural steroid injections. We assessed responsiveness by using correlation, by estimating standardized response means, by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and by comparing the minimum clinically important differences peculiar to each of the instruments.

Cost effectiveness of epidural steroid injections to manage chronic lower back pain.

Background: The efficacy of epidural steroid injections in the management of chronic low back pain is disputed, yet the technique remains popular amongst physicians and patients alike. This study assesses the cost effectiveness of injections administered in a routine outpatient setting in England.

Methods: Patients attending the Nottingham University Hospitals' Pain Clinic received two injections of methylprednisolone plus levobupivacaine at different dosages, separated by at least 12 weeks.

A pilot study of the dose-response of caudal methylprednisolone with levobupivacaine in chronic lower back pain.

The question as to what constitutes the ideal epidural steroid injection remains unresolved. We performed a prospective, randomised, double-blind, AB/BA 2 × 2 crossover study of caudal 40 vs 80 mg methylprednisolone acetate (in 20 ml levobupivacaine 0.125%) in outpatients with chronic low back pain.

Ultrasound-guided spinal accessory nerve blockade in the diagnosis and management of trapezius muscle-related myofascial pain.

We report the first description of ultrasound-guided spinal accessory nerve blockade using single-shot and subsequently continuous infusion (via a perineural catheter) local anaesthetic techniques, for the diagnosis and treatment of myofascial pain affecting the trapezius muscle. A 38-year-old man presented with a two-year history of incapacitating left suprascapular pain after a fall onto his outstretched hand. The history and clinical examination was suggestive of myofascial pain affecting the trapezius muscle.

A questionnaire study investigating the prevalence of the neuropathic component of chronic pain after thoracic surgery.

Objective: Our questionnaire study set out to assess the prevalence of chronic pain after thoracic surgery, the contribution of the neuropathic component of chronic pain and the impact of chronic pain on patients' lives.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 1152 patients who had undergone thoracic surgery in our department between 7 months and 7 years ago. The questionnaire was designed specifically for the study and included questions on neuropathic symptoms.

A new optional vena cava filter: retrieval at 12 weeks in an animal model.

Purpose: To test the feasibility and safety of percutaneous retrieval of a new inferior vena cava (IVC) filter, the Recovery Filter (RF), acutely and after 12-week implantation in sheep.

Materials And Methods: The RF is a bilevel filter with stabilizing arms and elastic hooks that allow retrieval with a unique retrieval cone after incorporation into the wall of the IVC. Twenty-four filters were placed in the infrarenal IVCs of 18 sheep.

Stüve-Wiedemann syndrome in children surviving infancy: clinical and radiological features.

We report three children from two inbred Arab families with Stüve-Wiedemann syndrome who have survived the first year of life (ages are 6 years, 2.8 years and 2 years). All exhibited a characteristic phenotype resembling that described by Chen et al.

Possible role of adjunctive thalidomide therapy in the resolution of a massive intracranial tuberculous abscess.

We present the case of a young child who developed a massive tuberculous abscess of the posterior fossa while being treated for pulmonary tuberculosis. Clinical improvement after surgical excision of the abscess was followed by recurrence of symptoms of acutely raised intracranial pressure on standard antituberculosis and corticosteroid therapy. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain showed that a multiloculated abscess had developed anterior to the excision site of the original abscess.

Tuberculous granulomas in childhood tuberculous meningitis: radiological features and course.

The clinical course and serial cranial computerized tomographic (CT) findings of 202 children with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) admitted to Tygerberg Hospital between 1985 and 1994 were reviewed with regard to the incidence, CT appearance and clinical course of associated intracranial tuberculous granulomas. Thirty-four patients (16.85 per cent) had associated intracranial granulomas.

'End-of-life' decision making within intensive care--objective, consistent, defensible?

Objective: To determine the objectivity, consistency and professional unanimity in the initiation, continuation and withdrawal of life-prolonging procedures in intensive care--to determine methods, time-scale for withdrawal and communication with both staff and relatives--to explore any professional unease about legality, morality or professional defensibility.

Design: A structured questionnaire directed at clinical nurse managers for intensive care.

Setting: All intensive care units in the Yorkshire region.

Chronic pain after spinal cord injury: a survey of practice in spinal injury units in the USA.

Objective: To determine the current practice regarding assessment and management of patients with chronic pain after spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States of America (USA).

Methods: A postal questionnaire sent to the medical directors of 12 spinal injury units in the USA.

Results: A response was received from eight of the 12 units.

Chronic pain after SCI. A patient survey.

Study Design: A survey of chronic pain experience after spinal cord injury.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence, severity and impact of chronic pain amongst spinal cord injury (SCI) patients in our region, and assess the need for additional resources to address the problem.

Methods: A postal questionnaire was sent to 216 spinal cord injury patients (10% of the Yorkshire regional spinal injury database).

Patient-controlled analgesia and urinary retention following lower limb joint replacement: prospective audit and logistic regression analysis.

We studied a number of factors that may be associated with urinary retention, in particular the method of postoperative analgesia delivery, in 47 men and 69 women undergoing lower limb joint replacements. The following factors were studied: age, gender, height, weight, previous history of urinary retention, presence of symptoms suggestive of urinary tract obstruction, type of anaesthetic (general anaesthetic or spinal anaesthetic), type of postoperative analgesia (intramuscular or patient-controlled analgesia with morphine) and the total dose of morphine given. Urinary retention developed in 18.

Adjunctive thalidomide therapy of childhood tuberculous meningitis: possible anti-inflammatory role.

The objective of this study was to determine the safety and tolerability of the immunomodulatory agent thalidomide as adjunct therapy in children with tuberculous meningitis. Children with stage 2 tuberculous meningitis received oral thalidomide for 28 days in a dose-escalating study, in addition to standard four-drug antituberculosis therapy, corticosteroids, and specific treatment of complications such as raised intracranial pressure. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were carried out.