Gender differences in self reported long term outcomes following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The majority of research on health outcomes after a traumatic brain injury is focused on male participants. Information examining gender differences in health outcomes post traumatic brain injury is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in symptoms reported after a traumatic brain injury and to examine the degree to which these symptoms are problematic in daily functioning.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a secondary data analysis of a retrospective cohort study of 306 individuals who sustained a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury 8 to 24 years ago. Data were collected using the Problem Checklist (PCL) from the Head Injury Family Interview (HIFI). Using Bonferroni correction, group differences between women and men were explored using Chi-square and Wilcoxon analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chi-square analysis by gender revealed that significantly more men reported difficulty setting realistic goals and restlessness whereas significantly more women reported headaches, dizziness and loss of confidence. Wilcoxon analysis by gender revealed that men reported sensitivity to noise and sleep disturbances as significantly more problematic than women, whereas for women, lack of initiative and needing supervision were significantly more problematic in daily functioning.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides insight into gender differences on outcomes after traumatic brain injury. There are significant differences between problems reported by men compared to women. This insight may facilitate health service planners and clinicians when developing programs for individuals with brain injury.</p

The alpha-kinase family: an exceptional branch on the protein kinase tree

The alpha-kinase family represents a class of atypical protein kinases that display little sequence similarity to conventional protein kinases. Early studies on myosin heavy chain kinases in Dictyostelium discoideum revealed their unusual propensity to phosphorylate serine and threonine residues in the context of an alpha-helix. Although recent studies show that some members of this family can also phosphorylate residues in non-helical regions, the name alpha-kinase has remained. During evolution, the alpha-kinase domains combined with many different functional subdomains such as von Willebrand factor-like motifs (vWKa) and even cation channels (TRPM6 and TRPM7). As a result, these kinases are implicated in a large variety of cellular processes such as protein translation, Mg2+ homeostasis, intracellular transport, cell migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on different members of this kinase family and discuss the potential use of alpha-kinases as drug targets in diseases such as cancer

Greater Contribution From Agricultural Sources to Future Reactive Nitrogen Deposition in the United States

Many sensitive ecosystems in areas protected for biodiversity conservation in the United States suffer from exposure to excess reactive nitrogen (Nr) released by fossil fuel combustion and agricultural practices and deposited onto the land surface and water bodies. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was applied over the contiguous United States to link emissions and climate change to reactive nitrogen deposition by simulating both present-day and future speciated Nr deposition to protected areas. Future conditions included examining the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 climate and the Shared Socio-Economic Pathway 5 emission scenarios. We further identify protected areas that would benefit most from better Nr management strategies by comparing the simulated deposition with multiple critical loads (CLs) for both biodiversity and acidification in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Achieved by further NOx emission reductions from the mobile and power generation sectors, future Nr deposition is expected to decrease. However, in regions with intensive fertilizer application or hosting concentrated animal feeding operations, the reduction may be offset by rising agricultural NH3 emissions. The protected areas having CL exceedances in 2050 are expected to increase by 5.5% for empirical lichen-based CL, and by 11% and 22% for surface water and forest soil acidity, respectively, because of the agricultural NH3 emission increase. By linking the deposition simulations with a water quality model, we identified that atmospheric deposition is the dominant source of nitrogen for several remote watersheds, including several lakes in National Parks and National Wilderness areas in Colorado, Montana, and Minnesota