Localization of the greater occipital nerve through palpation of bony landmarks: A cadaveric study.

Objective: to provide anatomic confirmation that standard methods which practitioners skilled in palpation use, can reliably identify the most likely site of emergence of the greater occipital nerve in most patients. The location and frequency of subcutaneous emergence of the greater occipital nerve and occipital artery with respect to the external occipital protuberance-mastoid line are reported.

Methods: The external occipital protuberance and the mastoid processes were identified by palpation bilaterally on 57 body donors and the medial trisection point of a line connecting these bony landmarks was identified.

Drunken lipid membranes, not drunken SNARE proteins, promote fusion in a model of neurotransmitter release.

Alcohol affects many neuronal proteins that are upstream or down-stream of synaptic vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release. Less well studied is alcohol's effect on the fusion machinery including SNARE proteins and lipid membranes. Using a SNARE-driven fusion assay we show that fusion probability is significantly increased at 0.

Closed Fracture Treatment in Adults, When is it Still Relevant?

Introduction: Fracture treatment has been documented since the times of ancient Egyptian and Greek civilization, with fracture reduction techniques and the apparatus for immobilization developed over three millennia. Over the last 150 years, aseptic technique, anesthesia, antibiotics, and internal implants have changed how orthopedic specialists approach fracture care. More recently, there has been an increased promotion in the medical literature to evaluate the clinical outcomes of nonsurgical treatment of common upper and lower extremity closed fractures.

Infection after the use of INFIX in Pelvic Ring Injuries.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to report on infection with anterior subcutaneous internal pelvic fixation (INFIX) for pelvic ring injuries and the outcomes of treatment.

Methods: An IRB-approved retrospective study was performed using trauma databases of a level one and level two trauma center from 2012-2018. Infection after the INFIX procedure was diagnosed in 10 of 179 cases.

A review of TNP-ATP in protein binding studies: benefits and pitfalls.

We review 50 years of use of 2',3'-O-trinitrophenyl (TNP)-ATP, a fluorescently tagged ATP analog. It has been extensively used to detect binding interactions of ATP to proteins and to measure parameters of those interactions such as the dissociation constant, K, or inhibitor dissociation constant, K. TNP-ATP has also found use in other applications, for example, as a fluorescence marker in microscopy, as a FRET pair, or as an antagonist (e.

Self-Guiding of Long-Wave Infrared Laser Pulses Mediated by Avalanche Ionization.

Nonlinear self-guided propagation of intense long-wave infrared (LWIR) laser pulses is of significant recent interest, as it promises high power transmission without beam breakup and multifilamentation. Central to self-guiding is the mechanism for the arrest of self-focusing collapse. Here, we show that discrete avalanche sites centered on submicron aerosols can arrest self-focusing, providing a new mechanism for self-guided propagation of moderate intensity LWIR pulses in outdoor environments.

Absolute Measurement of Laser Ionization Yield in Atmospheric Pressure Range Gases over 14 Decades.

Strong-field ionization is central to intense laser-matter interactions. However, standard ionization measurements have been limited to extremely low density gas samples, ignoring potential high density effects. Here, we measure strong-field ionization in atmospheric pressure range air, N_{2}, and Ar over 14 decades of absolute yield, using mid-IR picosecond avalanche multiplication of single electrons.

Adaptive control of laser-wakefield accelerators driven by mid-IR laser pulses.

There has been growing interest both in studying high intensity ultrafast laser plasma interactions with adaptive control systems as well as using long wavelength driver beams. We demonstrate the coherent control of the dynamics of laser-wakefield acceleration driven by ultrashort (∼ 100 fs) mid-infrared (∼ 3.9 μm) laser pulses.

Remote detection of radioactive material using mid-IR laser-driven electron avalanche.

Remote detection of a distant, shielded sample of radioactive material is an important goal, but it is made difficult by the finite spatial range of the decay products. Here, we present a proof-of-principle demonstration of a remote detection scheme using mid-infrared (mid-IR) (λ = 3.9 μm) laser-induced avalanche breakdown of air.

Anterior Subcutaneous Internal Pelvic Fixation/INFIX: A Systemic Review.

Introduction: The purpose of this article is to review the available literature on anterior subcutaneous internal pelvic fixation (ASIPF) to identify indications, clinical and radiographic outcomes, and compare these with alternative fixation methods.

Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines, a systematic search on PubMed and Google Scholar was performed. Articles included were in the English language or English translations and published between 2007 and 2018.

Potential risk of clonally expanded amnion mesenchymal stem cell transplants in contused spinal cords.

Objective: Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) promote recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) using adult bone marrow MSC (BM-MSC). Newborn tissues are a convenient source of MSC that does not involve an invasive procedure for cell collection. In this study the authors tested the effects of rat amnion MSC clone (rAM-MSC) in SCI.

MeV electron acceleration at 1 kHz with <10 mJ laser pulses: erratum.

In this erratum the funding section of Opt. Lett.42, 215 (2017)OPLEDP0146-959210.

Laser wakefield acceleration with mid-IR laser pulses.

We report on, to the best of our knowledge, the first results of laser plasma wakefield acceleration driven by ultrashort mid-infrared (IR) laser pulses (λ=3.9  μm, 100 fs, 0.25 TW), which enable near- and above-critical density interactions with moderate-density gas jets.

MeV electron acceleration at 1 kHz with <10 mJ laser pulses.

We demonstrate laser-driven acceleration of electrons to MeV-scale energies at 1 kHz repetition rate using <10  mJ pulses focused on near-critical density He and H gas jets. Using the H gas jet, electron acceleration to ∼0.5  MeV in ∼10  fC bunches was observed with laser pulse energy as low as 1.

Drunken Membranes: Short-Chain Alcohols Alter Fusion of Liposomes to Planar Lipid Bilayers.

Although the effects of ethanol on protein receptors and lipid membranes have been studied extensively, ethanol's effect on vesicles fusing to lipid bilayers is not known. To determine the effect of alcohols on fusion rates, we utilized the nystatin/ergosterol fusion assay to measure fusion of liposomes to a planar lipid bilayer (BLM). The addition of ethanol excited fusion when applied on the cis (vesicle) side, and inhibited fusion on the trans side.

Functional ryanodine receptors in the membranes of neurohypophysial secretory granules.

Highly localized Ca(2+) release events have been characterized in several neuronal preparations. In mouse neurohypophysial terminals (NHTs), such events, called Ca(2+) syntillas, appear to emanate from a ryanodine-sensitive intracellular Ca(2+) pool. Traditional sources of intracellular Ca(2+) appear to be lacking in NHTs.

Resolving double disulfide bond patterns in SNAP25B using liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry.

Complex disulfide bond patterns in synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kD B (SNAP25B) are thought to regulate neurotransmitter release in response to oxidative stress. However, the steric feasibility of each possible disulfide pattern in SNAP25B has not been assessed. To assess the steric feasibility of hypothesized closely spaced complex disulfide patterning in SNAP25B and also the feasibility of identifying complex disulfide bond patterns with MS, we have developed a novel probabilistic analysis to unambiguously resolve complex double disulfide bond patterns by using an ion trap mass spectrometer.

Vesicle fusion to planar membranes is enhanced by cholesterol and low temperature.

Lipid composition and properties play an important role in many cellular properties such as fusion of vesicles to cell membranes, an essential process for exocytosis. Using a model system composed of artificial vesicles (liposomes) and artificial membranes (planar lipid bilayers), we observed that fusion is significantly affected by the lipid phase of the planar membrane. To determine the effect of lipid phases on fusion rates, we utilized the nystatin/ergosterol fusion assay and stimulated fusion with an osmotic gradient.

An assay to quantitate reducible cysteines from nanograms of GST-fusion proteins.

Cysteine residues in proteins are targets of numerous post-translational modifications and play important roles in protein structure and enzymatic function. Consequently, understanding the full biochemistry of proteins depends on determining the oxidation state and availability of the residues to be modified. We have developed a highly sensitive assay that accurately determines the number of unmodified cysteine residues in GST-fusion proteins.

Chemomechanical regulation of SNARE proteins studied with molecular dynamics simulations.

SNAP-25B is a neuronal protein required for neurotransmitter (NT) release and is the target of Botulinum Toxins A and E. It has two SNARE domains that form a four-helix bundle when combined with syntaxin 1A and synaptobrevin. Formation of the three-protein complex requires both SNARE domains of SNAP-25B to align parallel, stretching out a central linker.

Efficient method for generating nuclear fractions from marrow stromal cells.

Stem cells have received significant attention for their envisioned potential to treat currently unapproachable diseases. No less important is the utility of stem cells to serve as model systems of differentiation. Analyses at the transcriptome, miRNA and proteome levels have yielded valuable insights into events underlying stem cell differentiation.

Fate of amnion-derived stem cells transplanted to the fetal rat brain: migration, survival and differentiation.

We have recently characterized a stem cell population isolated from the rodent amniotic membrane termed amnion-derived stem cells (ADSCs). In vitro ADSCs differentiate into cell types representing all three embryonic layers, including neural cells. In this study we evaluated the neuroectodermal potential of ADSCs in vivo after in utero transplantation into the developing rat brain.