Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index/Assistive Technology Short Forms.

Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index/Assistive Technology (SCI-FI/AT) short forms (SFs) in the domains of basic mobility, self-care, fine motor function, and ambulation based on internal consistency; correlations between SFs and full item banks, and a 10-item computerized adaptive test (CAT) version; magnitude of ceiling and floor effects; and measurement precision across a broad range of function in a sample of adults with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Setting: Nine national Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems programs.

Immunomodulation for treatment of drug and device refractory gastroparesis.

Objective: Patients with generalized autoimmune dysautonomia may also present with gastroparesis. Immune dysfunction in such patients can be evaluated using antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and full thickness biopsy of stomach. In this study, we utilize immunotherapy for treatment of drug and Gastric Electrical Stimulation (GES) resistant gastroparetic patients with evidence of neuroinflammation on full thickness gastric biopsy and had positive GAD65 autoantibodies.

Lumbar Surgery in the Elderly Provides Significant Health Benefit in the US Health Care System: Patient-Reported Outcomes in 4370 Patients From the N2QOD Registry.

Background: Lumbar spine degenerative pathologies are prevalent in the United States. The health benefit of spine surgery in the elderly has been questioned.

Objective: To compare effectiveness, morbidity, and quality of care associated with surgical management of degenerative lumbar spinal disorders in elderly vs nonelderly patients.

The Presence of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin/Luteinizing Hormone Receptors in Pancreatic β-Cells.

We investigated the possible presence of functional human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)/luteinizing hormone (LH) receptors in β-cells of pancreas, using a combination of techniques on hCG/LH receptor knockout mice, immortalized rat insulinoma cells, and human pancreatic islets. The results showed the presence of receptors and their activation resulted in a dose-dependent increase in glucose-induced release of insulin. These findings place hCG and LH among the regulators of insulin release with potential implications for insulin-level changes during the periods of altered hCG and LH secretion.

The association of pretransplant HeartMate II left ventricular assist device placement and heart transplantation mortality.

Previous United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) analysis has shown an increase in posttransplant mortality with pretransplant pulsatile-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Recent studies evaluating continuous-flow LVAD demonstrated improved durability, excellent survival, and improved quality of life. This study investigates the association of preheart transplant continuous-flow LVAD placement and posttransplant mortality using the UNOS database.

Predictors and clinical relevance of hemorrhagic transformation after endovascular therapy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion strokes: a multicenter retrospective analysis of 1122 patients.

Background And Purpose: Endovascular techniques are frequently employed to treat large artery occlusion in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We sought to determine the predictors and clinical impact of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) after endovascular therapy.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients presenting to 13 high volume stroke centers with AIS due to proximal occlusion in the anterior circulation who underwent endovascular treatment within 8 h from symptom onset.

Rolipram attenuates bile duct ligation-induced liver injury in rats: a potential pathogenic role of PDE4.

Anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects of the broad spectrum phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor pentoxifylline have suggested an important role for cyclic nucleotides in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis; however, studies examining the role of specific PDEs are lacking. Endotoxemia and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated inflammatory and profibrotic signaling play a major role in the development of hepatic fibrosis. Because cAMP-specific PDE4 critically regulates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-TLR4-induced inflammatory cytokine expression, its pathogenic role in bile duct ligation-induced hepatic injury and fibrogenesis in Sprague-Dawley rats was examined.

Limb salvage of ankle fracture dislocation with LIMA external fixator: a case report.

Open ankle fractures with dislocation are potentially limb-threatening injuries with complications ranging from infection to amputation. External fixation has been used in trauma institutions for limb salvage, particularly in the setting of extensive soft tissue compromise. The authors present a case of an elderly woman with an open ankle fracture dislocation who underwent a staged surgical approach.

Nodal metastasis risk in endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Objective: To estimate the risk for nodal metastasis in women with endometrial cancer based on uterine characteristics on pathology.

Methods: From a study of staging for uterine cancer, women were identified as being at low risk for nodal metastasis based on three specific criteria on final pathology reports: 1) less than 50% invasion, 2) tumor size less than 2 cm, and 3) well or moderately differentiated endometrioid histology. If the uterine specimen did not meet all three criteria, it was viewed as high risk for nodal metastasis.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension in the setting of pregnancy: a case series and standard treatment approach.

Pregnancy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is associated with a maternal mortality of 30-50% despite modern treatment modalities. The majority of maternal deaths in PAH patients occur either during labor and delivery or within 1 month postpartum. Cardiovascular collapse is attributed to a mismatch between the physiologic limitations of PAH and the changes that occur with pregnancy and delivery.

Keratin 18, Apoptosis, and Liver Disease in Children.

Keratins, a major component of epithelial cell intermediate filaments, provide structural support to the cell and are important for the maintenance of structural integrity. Beyond its role of structural integrity in hepatocytes, keratin 18 (K18) is a known marker of apoptosis and has been proposed as an indicator of progression in chronic liver diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents in the United States and throughout the world and comprises a wide spectrum of disease ranging from simple steatosis (fatty liver) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis.

Atypical presentation of abdominal group A streptococcal-necrotizing fasciitis after pessary removal.

Group A streptococcal (GAS) necrotizing fasciitis is a potentially life-threatening infection. We report on a patient with a history of prolonged pessary use with traumatic removal who developed ascending GAS infection in her gynecologic organs that tracked along the round ligament to her anterior abdominal wall.

Clinical characteristics of patients with prolonged disease-free survival after primary treatment in advanced ovarian cancer: a brief report.

Objective: Optimal cytoreduction and response to chemotherapy have been associated with prolonged disease-free survival (DFS), but there are limited data regarding the clinical characteristics of those patients with optimal 5-year DFS (5YrDFS) outcomes.

Methods: A case-control study was performed on 32 patients who were progression-free and alive at 5 years with advanced ovarian cancer 5YrDFS from 1993 to 2005 for this institutional review board-approved study. Matching controls were identified from the subset of patients who died or experienced disease progression before 5 years.

S-adenosylmethionine decreases lipopolysaccharide-induced phosphodiesterase 4B2 and attenuates tumor necrosis factor expression via cAMP/protein kinase A pathway.

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) treatment has anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective effects against endotoxin-induced organ injury. An important component of the anti-inflammatory action of SAM involves down-regulation of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced transcriptional induction of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) expression by monocytes/macrophages. We examined the effect of SAM on expression and activity of LPS-induced up-regulation of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), which regulates cellular cAMP levels and TNF expression.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with prolonged primary treatment intervals in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Background: We evaluated the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) relative to primary surgery (PS) to determine if there was a difference in the total time and number of chemotherapy cycles given in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Methods: We identified 263 consecutive women meeting eligibility from 1993 to 2005 for this institutional review board-approved study. Eligible patients in this analysis were those women with advanced disease (stage IIIC-IV) in whom a maximal cytoreductive effort was planned either at PS or after NC.

Pulvinar projections to the striatum and amygdala in the tree shrew.

Visually guided movement is possible in the absence of conscious visual perception, a phenomenon referred to as "blindsight." Similarly, fearful images can elicit emotional responses in the absence of their conscious perception. Both capabilities are thought to be mediated by pathways from the retina through the superior colliculus (SC) and pulvinar nucleus.

Review of factors affecting the growth and survival of follicular grafts.

Great strides have been made in hair restoration over the past 20 years. A better understanding of natural balding and non-balding patterns along with more respect for ageing has helped guide proper hairline design. Additionally, the use of smaller grafts has created a significantly improved natural appearance to the transplanted grafts.

Microscopic evaluation of lymph-node-bearing tissue in early-stage cervical cancer: a dual-institution review.

Objective: We compared two different methods of microscopic lymph node examination of cervical cancer radical hysterectomy specimens to ascertain which method translates into higher nodal counts and improved detection of nodal metastasis, at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) and the University of North Carolina (UNC).

Acrolein, a ubiquitous pollutant and lipid hydroperoxide product, inhibits antiviral activity of interferon-alpha: relevance to hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease and can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma and end-stage liver disease. The current FDA-approved treatment for HCV (pegylated interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) with ribavirin) is effective in only about 50% of patients. Epidemiological evidence suggests that obesity, alcohol, smoking, and environmental pollutants may contribute to resistance to IFNalpha therapy in HCV.

Inhibition of methionine adenosyltransferase II induces FasL expression, Fas-DISC formation and caspase-8-dependent apoptotic death in T leukemic cells.

Methionine adenosyltransferase II (MAT II) is a key enzyme in cellular metabolism and catalyzes the formation of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) from L-methionine and ATP. Normal resting T lymphocytes have minimal MAT II activity, whereas activated proliferating T lymphocytes and transformed T leukemic cells show significantly enhanced MAT II activity. This work was carried out to examine the role of MAT II activity and SAMe biosynthesis in the survival of leukemic T cells.

Treatment of alcoholic liver disease.

Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality both in the United States and worldwide. In the United States, it is projected that over 2,000,000 persons have ALD, and the mortality for cirrhosis with superimposed alcoholic hepatitis is much worse than that of many common types of cancer. Unfortunately, there is no FDA approved therapy for ALD.

Ethanol inhibits methionine adenosyltransferase II activity and S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis and enhances caspase-3-dependent cell death in T lymphocytes: relevance to alcohol-induced immunosuppression.

An important aspect in alcohol abuse-associated immune suppression is the loss of T helper CD4(+) lymphocytes, leading to impairment of multiple immune functions. Our work has shown that ethanol can sensitize CD4(+) T lymphocytes to caspase-3-dependent activation-induced cell death (AICD). It has been demonstrated that the formation of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) catalyzed by methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) II is essential for CD4(+) T-cell activation and proliferation.

Palmitic acid induces production of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 from hepatocytes.

Unlabelled: Obesity and the metabolic syndrome are closely correlated with hepatic steatosis. Simple hepatic steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can be a precursor to more serious liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying progression of steatosis to NASH remain unclear; however, inflammation, proinflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress have been postulated to play key roles.