An evaluation of the use of eye gaze to measure preference of individuals with severe physical and developmental disabilities.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether duration of eye gaze could be used to identify reinforcing stimuli for four individuals with severe physical and developmental disabilities, as well as the effectiveness of the assessment using different numbers of stimuli (i.e. 6 vs 14).

Calcium channels in photosynthetic eukaryotes: implications for evolution of calcium-based signalling.

Much of our current knowledge on the mechanisms by which Ca(2+) signals are generated in photosynthetic eukaryotes comes from studies of a relatively small number of model species, particularly green plants and algae, revealing some common features and notable differences between 'plant' and 'animal' systems. Physiological studies from a broad range of algal cell types have revealed the occurrence of animal-like signalling properties, including fast action potentials and fast propagating cytosolic Ca(2+) waves. Genomic studies are beginning to reveal the widespread occurrence of conserved channel types likely to be involved in Ca(2+) signalling.

Urine drug testing in the treatment of chronic noncancer pain in a Kentucky private neuroscience practice: the potential effect of Medicare benefit changes in Kentucky.

Background: Because the symptoms of drug misuse are nonspecific and difficult to detect, pain physicians have relied heavily on the results of urine drug tests to diagnose and treat chronic noncancer pain in patients who are prescribed controlled substances. However, changes in Medicare local carrier determinations for Medicare Part B providers in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, and New York went into effect on July 1, 2009, whereby qualitative drug screening was no longer recognized as medically reasonable and necessary in the treatment of patients with chronic noncancer pain unless the patient presents with suspected drug overdose.

Study Design: A retrospective review of urine drug testing services.

Importance of urine drug testing in the treatment of chronic noncancer pain: implications of recent medicare policy changes in kentucky.

Background: Urine drug testing has become a widely used tool in American society for deterring illicit drug use. In the practice of medicine, urine drug testing is commonly used to help diagnose substance misuse, abuse, or addiction.

Objective: This narrative review provides an informed perspective on the importance of urine drug testing in the medical treatment of chronic noncancer pain.

Online kidney position verification using non-contrast radiographs on a linear accelerator with on board KV X-Ray imaging capability.

The kidneys are dose-limiting organs in abdominal radiotherapy. Kilovoltage (kV) radiographs can be acquired using on-board imager (OBI)-equipped linear accelerators with better soft tissue contrast and lower radiation doses than conventional portal imaging. A feasibility study was conducted to test the suitability of anterior-posterior (AP) non-contrast kV radiographs acquired at treatment time for online kidney position verification.

Frizzled-10 promotes sensory neuron development in Xenopus embryos.

Formation of the vertebrate nervous system requires coordinated cell-cell interactions, intracellular signalling events, gene transcription, and morphogenetic cell movements. Wnt signalling has been involved in regulating a wide variety of biological processes such as embryonic patterning, cell proliferation, cell polarity, motility, and the specification of cell fate. Wnt ligands associate with their receptors, members of the frizzled family (Fz).

Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging hypolordosis in symptomatic patients: association with paraspinal muscle spasms.

Objective: This study examined a set of patients who were symptomatic for low back pain and who had significant lumbar hypolordosis as assessed by visual evaluation of magnetic resonance images to investigate the frequency of comorbid paraspinal muscle spasms as determined via history or physical examination.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 50 patients who had significant hypolordosis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Cobb angle <20 degrees ) to determine whether they were positive for paraspinal muscle spasms by either history or physical examination.

Results: Of the 50 patients with significant hypolordosis on MRI, 66% (33) had a history of paraspinal muscle spasms, 76% (38) had a positive physical examination for palpation of paraspinal muscle spasms, and 48% (24) were positive for both history and physical examination.

Heterapoderopsis bicallosicollis (Coleoptera: Attelabidae): a potential biological control agent for Triadica sebifera.

Native to China, Chinese tallow, Triadica sebifera L. Small (Euphorbiaceae), is an invasive plant in the southeastern United States. The leaf-rolling weevil, Heterapoderopsis bicallosicollis Voss, is a common herbivore attacking this plant in China.

Molecular evidence of hybridization in Florida's sheoak (Casuarina spp.) invasion.

The presence of hybrids in plant invasions can indicate a potential for rapid adaptation and an added level of complexity in management of the invasion. Three Casuarina tree species, Casuarina glauca, Casuarina cunninghamiana and Casuarina equisetifolia, native to Australia, are naturalized in Florida, USA. Many Florida Casuarina trees are considered unidentifiable, presumably due to interspecific hybridization.

Simple vertebrate models for chemical genetics and drug discovery screens: lessons from zebrafish and Xenopus.

Chemical genetics uses small molecules to modulate protein function and, in principle, has the potential to perturb any biochemical event in a complex cellular context. The application of chemical genetics to dissect biological processes has become an attractive alternative to mutagenesis screens due to its technical simplicity, inexpensive reagents, and low-startup costs. In vertebrates, only fish and amphibians are amenable to chemical genetic screens.

Chemical genomics identifies compounds affecting Xenopus laevis pigment cell development.

A forward chemical genomic screen was carried out using Xenopus laevis embryos to identify compounds disrupting pigmented cell development, including the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer of the eye and the melanophores (melanocytes). Phenotypes showing changes in cell migration, morphology and pigmentation were observed. The screen also identified compounds affecting other aspects of Xenopus development including general patterning and morphogenesis, eye development and edema formation.

Local control and survival following concomitant chemoradiotherapy in inoperable stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) increases survival rates compared with radical radiotherapy alone (RT) in Stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as a result of improved local control. The effect of CRT on local control in Stage I NSCLC is less well documented. We retrospectively reviewed local control and survival following CRT or RT for inoperable Stage I NSCLC patients.

A chemical genomic approach identifies matrix metalloproteinases as playing an essential and specific role in Xenopus melanophore migration.

To dissect the function of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) involved in cellular migration in vivo, we undertook both a forward chemical genomic screen and a functional approach to discover modulators of melanophore (pigment cell) migration in Xenopus laevis. We identified the 8-quinolinol derivative NSC 84093 as affecting melanophore migration in the developing embryo and have shown it to act as a MMP inhibitor. Potential targets of NSC 84093 investigated include MMP-14 and MMP-2.

Inducible gene expression in transient transgenic Xenopus embryos.

Xenopus laevis has for many years been successfully used to study Wnt signaling during early development. However, because loss of function and gain of function experiments generally involve injecting RNA, DNA, or morpholinos into early embryos (1- to 32-cell), major phenotypes are often observed before the embryo has reached later stages of development. The combined use of transgenics and a heat shock inducible system has overcome these problems and enables investigations of Wnt signaling at later stages of Xenopus embryonic development, including organogenesis.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma within a hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia: a case report and review of the literature.

A patient with microscopic metastatic renal cell carcinoma within liver focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is reported here. The initial CT scan was classic for liver FNH yet the following liver resection showed a microscopic metastatic renal cell carcinoma (0.48 cm) within the liver nodule.

microRNA-449 is a putative regulator of choroid plexus development and function.

microRNAs are short RNA molecules that are often expressed in specific tissues and regulate a variety of developmental processes. We used locked nucleic acid probes in in situ hybridisation reactions to study the distribution of microRNA-449 (miR449) during mouse embryonic development in order to obtain clues about its function/s. Between E9.

A PIIB-type Ca2+-ATPase is essential for stress adaptation in Physcomitrella patens.

Transient cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](cyt)) elevations are early events in plant signaling pathways including those related to abiotic stress. The restoration of [Ca(2+)](cyt) to prestimulus levels involves ATP-driven Ca(2+) pumps, but direct evidence for an essential role of a plant Ca(2+)-ATPase in abiotic stress adaptation is missing. Here, we report on a stress-responsive Ca(2+)-ATPase gene (PCA1) from the moss Physcomitrella patens.

Repeat upright positional magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis of disorders underlying chronic noncancer lumbar pain.

Objective: Cases of chronic noncancer pain are both the most frequent and the most difficult that the spine care professional is called upon to treat. We use this case to illustrate the potential effectiveness of repeat positional upright, weight-bearing magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to diagnose disorders and to detect changes in disorders.

Clinical Features: We present the case of a 35-year-old man referred to our neurosurgical clinic with complaints of chronic, noncancer lower back pain and right-greater-than-left sciatica.