Straight Leg Raise Cannot Replace Computed Tomography in the Detection of Spinal Column Fractures.

Introduction: An active straight leg raise (SLR) is a weight bearing test which assesses pain upon movement and a patient's ability to load their pelvis, lumbar, and thoracic spine. Since many stable patients undergo computed tomography (CT) scanning solely for spinal tenderness, our hypothesis is that performing active straight leg raising could effectively rule out lumbar and thoracic vertebral fractures.

Methods: Blunt trauma patients ≥18 years of age with Glasgow Coma Scale 15 presenting in hemodynamically stable condition were screened.

Linking Predator Responses to Alkaloid Variability in Poison Frogs.

Many chemically-defended/aposematic species rely on diet for sequestering the toxins with which they defend themselves. This dietary acquisition can lead to variable chemical defenses across space, as the community composition of chemical sources is likely to vary across the range of (an aposematic) species. We characterized the alkaloid content of two populations of the Dyeing Poison Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) in northeastern French Guiana.

Cytokines and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Biomarkers of a Deadly Embrace.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a worldwide health matter with a major care burden, high prevalence, and poor prognosis. Its pathogenesis mainly varies depending on the underlying etiological factors, although it develops from liver cirrhosis in the majority of cases. This review summarizes the role of the most interesting soluble factors as biomarkers for early diagnosis and as recommended targets for treatment in accordance with the new challenges in precision medicine.

Maternal chemical defenses predict offspring defenses in a dendrobatid poison frog.

Within and among populations, alkaloid defenses of the strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) vary spatially, temporally, and with life history stage. Natural variation in defense has been implicated as a critical factor in determining the level of protection afforded against predators and pathogens. Oophaga pumilio tadpoles sequester alkaloids from nutritive eggs and are, thus, entirely dependent on their mothers for their defense.

Maternal Provisioning of Alkaloid Defenses are Present in Obligate but not Facultative Egg Feeding Dendrobatids.

Poison frogs sequester alkaloid defenses from a diet of largely mites and ants. As a result, frogs are defended against certain predators and microbial infections. Frogs in the genus Oophaga exhibit complex maternal care, wherein mothers transport recently hatched tadpoles to nursery pools and return regularly to supply developing tadpoles with unfertilized (nutritive) eggs.

Deoxybuzonamine Isomers from the Millipede (Platydesmida: Andrognathidae).

Millipedes (Diplopoda) are well known for their toxic or repellent defensive secretions. Here, we describe (6a,10a,10b)-8,8-dimethyldodecahydropyrrolo[2,1-]isoquinoline [deoxybuzonamine ()] and (-6a,10a,10b)-8,8-dimethyldodecahydropyrrolo[2,1-]isoquinoline [deoxybuzonamine ()], two isomers of deoxybuzonamine found in the chemical defense secretions of the millipede Wood (Colobognatha, Platydesmida, Andrognathidae). The carbon-nitrogen skeleton of these compounds was determined from their MS and GC-FTIR spectra obtained from the MeOH extract of whole millipedes, along with a subsequent selective synthesis.

Dose-dependent alkaloid sequestration and N-methylation of decahydroquinoline in poison frogs.

Sequestration of chemical defenses from dietary sources is dependent on the availability of compounds in the environment and the mechanism of sequestration. Previous experiments have shown that sequestration efficiency varies among alkaloids in poison frogs, but little is known about the underlying mechanism. The aim of this study was to quantify the extent to which alkaloid sequestration and modification are dependent on alkaloid availability and/or sequestration mechanism.

A Comparative Study of Serum Angiogenic Biomarkers in Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a global health problem associated with chronic liver disease. Its pathogenesis varies according to the underlying etiological factors, although in most cases it develops from liver cirrhosis. The disease progression is accompanied by pathological angiogenesis, which is a prerequisite that favors the development of HCC.

Total Synthesis of Decahydroquinoline Poison Frog Alkaloids ent--195A and -211A.

The total synthesis of two decahydroquinoline poison frog alkaloids ent-- and - were achieved in 16 steps (38% overall yield) and 19 steps (31% overall yield), respectively, starting from known compound . Both alkaloids were synthesized from the common key intermediate in a divergent fashion, and the absolute stereochemistry of natural - was determined to be 2, 4a, 5, 6, and 8a. Interestingly, the absolute configuration of the parent decahydroquinoline nuclei of - was the mirror image of that of -, although both alkaloids were isolated from the same poison frog species, () , from Panama.

Biologics for psoriatic arthritis: network meta-analysis in review.

Objective: A review of network meta-analysis to assess efficacy and safety of biologics for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Materials And Methods: A systematic search was conducted on electronic databases to identify Bayesian meta-analysis reporting clinical parameters of efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of biologics that are approved for the treatment of PsA patients.

Results: We identified 19 studies and included them for review.

Erythema multiforme after treatment with sorafenib.

Sorafenib, an oral chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of solid tumors, is associated with a variety of adverse cutaneous drug reactions in up to 90% of patients. Infrequently, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions such as erythema multiforme occur. This case describes a child treated with sorafenib for a retrosternal desmoid tumor who developed widespread erythema multiforme across his extremities, trunk, face, and mucosal membranes.

Gosodesmine, a 7-Substituted Hexahydroindolizine from the Millipede .

Millipedes (Diplopoda) are well known for their toxic or repellent defensive secretions. Here we describe gosodesmine (), 7-(4-methylpent-3-en-1-yl)-1,2,3,5,8,8a-hexahydroindolizine, a unique alkaloid with some terpene character found in the chemical defense secretions of the millipede Chamberlin (Colobognatha, Platydesmida, Andrognathidae). The structure of was suggested by its mass spectra and GC-FTIR spectra and established from its H, C, and 2D NMR spectra and 1D NOE studies.

Use of whole-body cryosectioning and desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging to visualize alkaloid distribution in poison frogs.

Ambient mass spectrometry is useful for analyzing compounds that would be affected by other chemical procedures. Poison frogs are known to sequester alkaloids from their diet, but the sequestration pathway is unknown. Here, we describe methods for whole-body cryosectioning of frogs and use desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) to map the orally administered alkaloid histrionicotoxin 235A in a whole-body section of the poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius.

Antineoplastic Effect of a Combined Mitotane Treatment/Ionizing Radiation in Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A Preclinical Study.

Mitotane (MTT) is an adrenolytic drug used in adjuvant and advanced treatments of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Ionizing radiation (IR) is also used in adrenal cancer treatment, even though its biological action remains unknown. To provide a reliable in vivo preclinical model of ACC, we used mouse xenografts bearing human ACC to test the effects of MTT and IR alone and in combination.

Transcriptomic Signatures of Experimental Alkaloid Consumption in a Poison Frog.

In the anuran family Dendrobatidae, aposematic species obtain their toxic or unpalatable alkaloids from dietary sources, a process known as sequestering. To understand how toxicity evolved in this family, it is paramount to elucidate the pathways of alkaloid processing (absorption, metabolism, and sequestering). Here, we used an exploratory skin gene expression experiment in which captive-bred dendrobatids were fed alkaloids.

Weak warning signals can persist in the absence of gene flow.

Aposematic organisms couple conspicuous warning signals with a secondary defense to deter predators from attacking. Novel signals of aposematic prey are expected to be selected against due to positive frequency-dependent selection. How, then, can novel phenotypes persist after they arise, and why do so many aposematic species exhibit intrapopulation signal variability? Using a polytypic poison frog (), we explored the forces of selection on variable aposematic signals using 2 phenotypically distinct (white, yellow) populations.

A Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy Device for Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) poses a significant burden of disease worldwide, and identifying safe and effective non-pharmacologic treatment options for LBP is a research priority. The aim of this study was to pilot a clinical trial of a portable pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy device for subjects with mixed duration non-specific LBP.

Methods: This work was a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, parallel-group study conducted at a chiropractic school outpatient clinic.

Experimental evidence for maternal provisioning of alkaloid defenses in a dendrobatid frog.

Dendrobatid frogs sequester alkaloid defenses from dietary arthropods. Here, we provide experimental evidence that mother strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) provision alkaloids to tadpoles. Captive-raised females were fed the synthetic alkaloid decahydroquinoline (DHQ), which we subsequently quantified in their skin, eggs, and developing tadpoles.

Recognizing Skin Popping Scars: A Complication of Illicit Drug Use.

"Skin popping" is a method of injecting illicit drugs into the skin. There are numerous acute and chronic complications associated with skin popping. We present a case of a 48-year-old, African-American female patient with 40 - 60 hyperpigmented, fibrotic, depressed, round papules and plaques on the extremities, which were incidentally noticed during a clinic visit for her acne vulgaris.

Comment on Amézquita et al. (2017) "Conspicuousness, color resemblance, and toxicity in geographically diverging mimicry: The pan-Amazonian frog Allobates femoralis".

Amézquita et al. (2017) recently concluded that species of the Allobates femoralis group are toxic to mice at levels equivalent to syntopic alkaloid-containing poison frogs, which they attributed to the presence of alkaloids in skin secretions. However, the chemical composition of skin secretions was not analyzed, and here we present additional data supporting the absence of alkaloids in skin secretions of the Allobates femoralis group.

Sequestered Alkaloid Defenses in the Dendrobatid Poison Frog Oophaga pumilio Provide Variable Protection from Microbial Pathogens.

Most amphibians produce their own defensive chemicals; however, poison frogs sequester their alkaloid-based defenses from dietary arthropods. Alkaloids function as a defense against predators, and certain types appear to inhibit microbial growth. Alkaloid defenses vary considerably among populations of poison frogs, reflecting geographic differences in availability of dietary arthropods.

The Chemistry of Some Dalodesmidean Millipedes from Tasmania (Diplopoda, Polydesmida).

Millipedes (Diplopoda) are well known for their toxic or repellent defensive secretions. As part of a larger investigation, we describe the chemical constituents of 14 species of Tasmanian millipedes in seven genera. Six species in the genus Gasterogramma were found to produce acyclic ketones, including the pungent unsaturated ketones 1, 2, and 6, and the novel (rel-3R,5S,7S)-3,5,7-trimethyl-2,8-decanedione (7b), for which the stereoconfiguration was established by stereoselective syntheses of pairs of isomers.