Ritual drinks in the pre-Hispanic US Southwest and Mexican Northwest.

Chemical analyses of organic residues in fragments of pottery from 18 sites in the US Southwest and Mexican Northwest reveal combinations of methylxanthines (caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline) indicative of stimulant drinks, probably concocted using either cacao or holly leaves and twigs. The results cover a time period from around A.D.

A Combined Experimental and Computational Study of an Aluminum Triflate/Diglyme Electrolyte.

The physicochemical properties of aluminum trifluoromethanesulfonate in diglyme have been investigated. The spectroscopic and electrochemical properties have been examined to determine speciation, conductivity, and electrochemical stability. Gaussian calculations provide optimized molecular geometries and offer insight into the electrochemical behavior of the solutions.

A rechargeable aluminum-ion battery utilizing a copper hexacyanoferrate cathode in an organic electrolyte.

Reversible aluminum intercalation/deintercalation from an organic electrolyte into copper hexacyanoferrate is presented. Evidence suggest that an aluminum-solute complex is the intercalating species. The system shows initial discharge capacities as high as 60 mA h g(-1) and reversible capacities between 5 and 14 mA h g(-1), with capacity typically fading after 10 to 15 cycles.

The Imperial College Cambridge Manchester (ICCAM) platform study: An experimental medicine platform for evaluating new drugs for relapse prevention in addiction. Part A: Study description.

Drug and alcohol dependence are global problems with substantial societal costs. There are few treatments for relapse prevention and therefore a pressing need for further study of brain mechanisms underpinning relapse circuitry. The Imperial College Cambridge Manchester (ICCAM) platform study is an experimental medicine approach to this problem: using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques and selective pharmacological tools, it aims to explore the neuropharmacology of putative relapse pathways in cocaine, alcohol, opiate dependent, and healthy individuals to inform future drug development.

Differences in Symptom Reporting Between Males and Females at Baseline and After a Sports-Related Concussion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Concussion literature and treatment guidelines are inconclusive regarding the role of sex in symptom reporting at baseline and post-concussion. Although empirical evidence is lacking, it is generally regarded that females have a more severe symptomatic presentation than males at all time-points on the concussion spectrum.

Objectives: Our objective was to determine whether differences exist between males and females at baseline (pre-season/before concussion) or post-concussion for self-reported (1) prevalence of individual symptoms and (2) total symptom scores in high school and college athletes.

Drosophila muller f elements maintain a distinct set of genomic properties over 40 million years of evolution.

The Muller F element (4.2 Mb, ~80 protein-coding genes) is an unusual autosome of Drosophila melanogaster; it is mostly heterochromatic with a low recombination rate. To investigate how these properties impact the evolution of repeats and genes, we manually improved the sequence and annotated the genes on the D.

Role of ¹⁸F-FDG PET imaging in paediatric primary dystonia and dystonia arising from neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation.

Purpose: No current neuroimaging modality offers mechanistic or prognostic information to guide management in paediatric dystonia. We assessed F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) brain imaging in childhood primary dystonia (PDS) and neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) to determine whether it would identify altered metabolism and hence constitute a potentially useful 'biomarker' indicating functional disturbances associated with dystonia and severity of the disease.

Materials And Methods: A total of 27 children (15 PDS and 12 NBIA) underwent brain ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging under anaesthesia during acquisition.

Development of a series of aryl pyrimidine kynurenine monooxygenase inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of Huntington's disease.

We report on the development of a series of pyrimidine carboxylic acids that are potent and selective inhibitors of kynurenine monooxygenase and competitive for kynurenine. We describe the SAR for this novel series and report on their inhibition of KMO activity in biochemical and cellular assays and their selectivity against other kynurenine pathway enzymes. We describe the optimization process that led to the identification of a program lead compound with a suitable ADME/PK profile for therapeutic development.

Acquired Von Willebrand's Syndrome in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS) is an uncommon, underdiagnosed, and heterogeneous disease which is increasingly recognized as a cause of bleeding diatheses. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an infrequent cause of AVWS. Herein, we report a case of AVWS diagnosed during the initial presentation of SLE in a previously healthy young man with no family history of bleeding diathesis who presented with worsening epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and anasarca.

A central support system can facilitate implementation and sustainability of a Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genomics.

In their 2012 report, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology advocated "replacing standard science laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses"-a challenging proposition that presents practical and pedagogical difficulties. In this paper, we describe our collective experiences working with the Genomics Education Partnership, a nationwide faculty consortium that aims to provide undergraduates with a research experience in genomics through a scheduled course (a classroom-based undergraduate research experience, or CURE). We examine the common barriers encountered in implementing a CURE, program elements of most value to faculty, ways in which a shared core support system can help, and the incentives for and rewards of establishing a CURE on our diverse campuses.

Toxicity of hydroxyurea in rats and dogs.

The toxicity of hydroxyurea, a treatment for specific neoplasms, sickle-cell disease, polycythemia, and thrombocytosis that kills cells in mitosis, was assessed in repeat-dose, oral gavage studies in rats and dogs and a cardiovascular study in telemetered dogs. Hydroxyurea produced hematopoietic, lymphoid, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal toxicity with steep dose response curves. In rats dosed for 10 days, 50 mg/kg/day was tolerated; 500 mg/kg/day produced decreased body weight gain; decreased circulating leukocytes, erythrocytes, and platelets; decreased cellularity of thymus, lymph nodes, and bone marrow; and epithelial degeneration and/or dysplasia of the stomach and small intestine; 1,500 mg/kg/day resulted in deaths on day 5.

Brachioplasty with limited scar.

There is a growing interest in upper arm aesthetic surgery but many patients do not accept the visible inner arm scar. Minimal incision brachioplasty using a shorter scar, concealed in the axilla, produces results equal to that of the traditional approach in comparable cases. Patients with massive weight loss may not meet the criteria for surgery.

Detection and molecular characterization of a reovirus in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) from Minnesota, USA.

In 2011, the Minnesota Rehabilitation Center submitted four dead Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) for necropsy to the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. All four chickadees were underweight and dehydrated and their intestinal contents were watery and yellowish. No significant lesions were observed upon histopathologic examination.

Trauma surgery associations and societies: which organizations match your goals?

This focused summary is a multi-institutional, multi-national, and multi-generational project designed to briefly summarize current academic trauma societies for both trainees and faculty alike. The co-authorship is composed of former and/or current presidents from most major trauma organizations. It has particular relevance to trainees and/or recent graduates attempting to navigate the multitude of available trauma organizations.

DNA double-strand break repair genes and oxidative damage in brain metastasis of breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer frequently metastasizes to the brain, colonizing a neuro-inflammatory microenvironment. The molecular pathways facilitating this colonization remain poorly understood.

Methods: Expression profiling of 23 matched sets of human resected brain metastases and primary breast tumors by two-sided paired t test was performed to identify brain metastasis-specific genes.

Safe and successful bone marrow biopsy: an anatomical and CT-based cadaver study.

Bone marrow biopsy is generally a safe procedure. However, infrequently the procedure is associated with serious injuries that are attributed to inadvertent needle penetration of the iliac bone's inner cortex. An evidence-based approach to needle orientation during iliac crest biopsy does not exist.

Prevalence and risk factors for foot and ankle musculoskeletal disorders experienced by nurses.

Background: Nurses are at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Although the prevalence of MSDs of the lower back, upper limbs, neck and shoulders have been reported previously in nursing, few studies have evaluated MSDs of the foot and ankle. This study evaluated the prevalence of foot and ankle MSDs in nurses and their relation to individual and workplace risk factors.

The commitment function of angry facial expressions.

What function do facial expressions have? We tested the hypothesis that some expressions serve as honest signals of subjective commitments-in particular, that angry faces increase the effectiveness of threats. In an ultimatum game, proposers decided how much money to offer a responder while seeing a film clip depicting an angry or a neutral facial expression, together with a written threat that was either inherently credible (a 50-50 split) or less credible (a demand for 70% of the money). Proposers offered greater amounts in response to the less credible threat when it was accompanied by an angry expression than when it was accompanied by a neutral expression, but were unaffected by the expression when dealing with the credible threat.

Systems genomics of metabolic phenotypes in wild-type Drosophila melanogaster.

Systems biology is an approach to dissection of complex traits that explicitly recognizes the impact of genetic, physiological, and environmental interactions in the generation of phenotypic variation. We describe comprehensive transcriptional and metabolic profiling in Drosophila melanogaster across four diets, finding little overlap in modular architecture. Genotype and genotype-by-diet interactions are a major component of transcriptional variation (24 and 5.

Relational mechanisms and psychological outcomes in couples affected by breast cancer: a systematic narrative analysis of the literature.

Introduction: Relationships are a significant dimension of illness experience. At the couple level, partners will respond to illness as an interpersonal unit rather than individuals in isolation. Research adopting a relational perspective have focused on communication, relational coping and relationship functioning and satisfaction.

A course-based research experience: how benefits change with increased investment in instructional time.

There is widespread agreement that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs should provide undergraduates with research experience. Practical issues and limited resources, however, make this a challenge. We have developed a bioinformatics project that provides a course-based research experience for students at a diverse group of schools and offers the opportunity to tailor this experience to local curriculum and institution-specific student needs.

No effect of seed source on multiple aspects of ecosystem functioning during ecological restoration: cultivars compared to local ecotypes of dominant grasses.

Genetic principles underlie recommendations to use local seed, but a paucity of information exists on the genetic distinction and ecological consequences of using different seed sources in restorations. We established a field experiment to test whether cultivars and local ecotypes of dominant prairie grasses were genetically distinct and differentially influenced ecosystem functioning. Whole plots were assigned to cultivar and local ecotype grass sources.