Surgical Care Processing in Major Oklholma City Hosptal: The Surgeons' Perspective.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess processing of surgical care provided at major Oklahoma City hospitals based on surgeons'perception.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent out to Oklahoma County Medical Society surgeons using survey monkey to assess surgeons' perception of surgical care provided by major hospitals in Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The email contained a short introduction of study and the general aim of the study.

Biodistribution and safety assessment of AAV2-GAD following intrasubthalamic injection in the rat.

Background: The steps necessary to translate promising new biological therapies to the clinic are poorly documented. For gene therapy, there are unique aspects that need to be addressed in biodistribution studies. Notably, the spread of the vector beyond the intended target cells or tissue may result in persistent unwanted biological activity or unpredictable biological events; thus, it is critical to evaluate the risks associated with viral vector-mediated gene transfer prior to embarking on human clinical trials.

Imaging and manipulation of the competing electronic phases near the Mott metal-insulator transition.

The complex interplay between the electron and lattice degrees of freedom produces multiple nearly degenerate electronic states in correlated electron materials. The competition between these degenerate electronic states largely determines the functionalities of the system, but the invoked mechanism remains in debate. By imaging phase domains with electron microscopy and interrogating individual domains in situ via electron transport spectroscopy in double-layered Sr(3)(Ru(1-x)Mn(x))(2)O(7) (x = 0 and 0.

Probing electrical transport in individual carbon nanotubes and junctions.

The electrical transport properties of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and multi-terminal junctions of CNTs are investigated with a quadraprobe scanning tunneling microscope. The CNTs used in this study are made of stacked herringbone-type conical graphite sheets with a cone angle of ∼20° to the tube axis, and the CNT junctions have no catalytic particles in the junction areas. The CNTs have a significantly higher resistivity than conventional CNTs with concentric walls.

Agglutination of Trypanosoma cruzi in infected cells treated with serum from chronically infected mice.

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease. The chronic stage of infection is characterized by a production of neutralizing antibodies in the vertebrate host. A polyclonal antibody, anti-egressin, has been found to inhibit egress of parasites from the host cell late in the intracellular cycle, after the parasites have transformed from the replicative amastigote into the trypomastigote.

A cryogenic Quadraprobe scanning tunneling microscope system with fabrication capability for nanotransport research.

We describe the development and the capabilities of an advanced system for nanoscale electrical transport studies. This system consists of a low temperature four-probe scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and a high-resolution scanning electron microscope coupled to a molecular-beam epitaxy sample preparation chamber. The four STM probes can be manipulated independently with subnanometer precision, enabling atomic resolution STM imaging and four-point electrical transport study of surface electronic systems and nanostructured materials at temperatures down to 10 K.

Excision of subcutaneous facial cysts and lipomas using cosmetic approaches.

Purpose: The excisional biopsy of subcutaneoous facial cysts and lipomas can be problematic due to the high esthetic nature of the affected area. Remote scar placement has advantages in allowing access to subcutaneous pathology while placing incision lines in cosmetic locations. This article will review excisional biopsies of subcutaneous facial cysts and lipomas using cosmetic approaches.

Ferromagnetic stability in Fe nanodot assemblies on Cu(111) induced by indirect coupling through the substrate.

We report collective ferromagnetic behavior with high Curie temperatures (T(c)) in Fe dot assemblies supported by the Cu(111) surface. Our ability to tune the average size and spacing of the individual dots allows us to conclude that enhanced magnetic anisotropy cannot account for this high-T(c) ferromagnetic order. Because our Monte Carlo simulations have ruled out the dipolar interaction as the dominant factor in this system, we attribute the origin of the ferromagnetic order to indirect exchange coupling via the Cu(111) substrate.

Evolution of two-dimensional wormlike nanoclusters on metal surfaces.

A pinch-off phenomenon is discovered in the evolution of 2D wormlike nanoclusters formed in homoepitaxial adlayers. This feature is shown to distinguish mass transport via periphery diffusion from other mechanisms. Continuum modeling of such evolution accurately describes experimental observations, particularly if one incorporates the anisotropy in step-edge line tension.

Decay characteristics of surface mounds with contrasting interlayer mass transport channels.

The decay characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) islands formed on surfaces are investigated theoretically considering two types of interlayer mass transport mechanisms. If an adatom on a given layer can easily descend from any site along the periphery of the layer, an optimal island slope and a constant terrace width will be selected during the decay. In contrast, if the adatom can descend primarily through selective (such as kinked) sites, the decay will be accompanied by a gradual increase in the island slope.

Shockwave lithotripsy and pacemakers: experience with 20 cases.

Lithotripsy treatment of urinary tract calculi initially excluded patients with cardiac pacemakers. Continued research and clinical study of patient outcomes has promoted a change in that initial concept. The Oklahoma Lithotripsy Center has successfully treated 20 patients with various types of pacemakers.

Lithotripsy for retained common duct stones: a quasi-urological procedure.

A protocol for bile duct lithotripsy was formulated in early 1988 after review of the literature and encouragement by gastroenterologists. Seven cases have been treated at our center and are being reported to explain our current concept of this therapy. Failure of the Food and Drug Administration to approve gallstone lithotripsy has complicated the promulgation of this procedure.