Pilot Study on Laparoscopic Surgery in Port‑Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Video‑laparoscopic surgery has long been practiced in western countries; however documented practice of this minimal access surgical technique are recently emanating from Nigeria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented study on laparoscopic surgery from the Niger Delta region. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of laparoscopy as a useful tool for management of common surgical abdominal conditions in our environment. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective outcome study of all consecutive surgical patients who had laparoscopic procedures in general and pediatric surgery units of our institution from August 2011 to December 2012. Data on patient’s age, gender, indication for surgery, duration of hospital stay and outcome of surgery were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 15 laparoscopic procedures were performed during this study period with age range of 2‑65 years; mean: 32.27 ± 17.86 years. There were 11 males and four females. Six laparoscopic appendicectomies, one laparoscopy‑assisted orchidopexy, five diagnostic laparoscopy ± biopsy, one laparoscopic trans‑abdominal pre‑peritoneal herniorrhaphy for bilateral indirect inguinal hernia and two laparoscopic adhesiolysis for small bowel obstruction were performed. All were successfully completed except one conversion (6.7%) for uncontrollable bleeding in an intra‑abdominal tumor. Conclusion: The practice of laparoscopic surgery in our environment is feasible and safe despite the numerous, but surmountable challenges. There is the need for adequate training of the support staff and a dedicated theatre suite.Keywords: General, laparoscopy, pediatric surger

A review of how we assess denitrification in oyster habitats and proposed guidelines for future studies

Excess nitrogen (N) loading and resulting eutrophication plague coastal ecosystems globally. Much work is being done to remove N before it enters coastal receiving waters, yet these efforts are not enough. Novel techniques to remove N from within the coastal ecosystem are now being explored. One of these techniques involves using oysters and their habitats to remove N via denitrification. There is substantial interest in incorporating oyster-mediated enhancement of benthic denitrification into N management plans and trading schemes. Measuring denitrification, however, is expensive and time consuming. For large-scale adoption of oyster-mediated denitrification into nutrient management plans, we need an accurate model that can be applied across ecosystems. Despite significant effort to measure and report rates of denitrification in oyster habitats, we are unable to create such a model, due to methodological differences between studies, incomplete data reporting, and inconsistent measurements of environmental variables that may be used to predict denitrification. To make a model that can predict denitrification in oyster habitats a reality, a common sampling and reporting scheme is needed across studies. Here, we provide relevant background on how oysters may stimulate denitrification, and the importance of oyster-mediated denitrification in remediating excess N loading to coastal systems. We then summarize methods commonly used to measure denitrification in oyster habitats, discuss the importance of various environmental variables that may be useful for predicting denitrification, and present a set of guidelines for measuring denitrification in oyster habitats, allowing development of models to support incorporation of oyster-mediated denitrification into future policy decisions

Using a resource effect study pre-pilot to inform a large randomized trial: the Decide2Quit.Org Web-assisted tobacco intervention

Resource effect studies can be useful in highlighting areas of improvement in informatics tools. Before a large randomized trial, we tested the functions of the Decide2Quit.org Web-assisted tobacco intervention using smokers (N=204) recruited via Google advertisements. These smokers were given access to Decide2Quit.org for six months and we tracked their usage and assessed their six months cessation using a rigorous follow-up. Multiple, interesting findings were identified: we found the use of tailored emails to dramatically increase participation for a short period. We also found varied effects of the different functions. Functions supporting seeking social support (Your Online Community and Family Tools), Healthcare Provider Tools, and the Library had positive effects on quit outcomes. One surprising finding, which needs further investigation, was that writing to our Tobacco Treatment Specialists was negatively associated with quit outcomes

Biomass Blending and Densification: Impacts on Feedstock Supply and Biochemical Conversion Performance

The success of lignocellulosic biofuels and biochemical industries depends on an economic and reliable supply of high‐quality biomass. However, research and development efforts have been historically focused on the utilization of agriculturally derived cellulosic feedstocks, without considerations of their low energy density, high variations in compositions and potential supply risks in terms of availability and affordability. This chapter demonstrated a strategy of feedstock blending and densification to address the supply chain challenges. Blending takes advantage of low‐cost feedstock to avoid the prohibitive costs incurred through reliance on a single feedstock resource, while densification produces feedstocks with increased bulk density and desirable feed handling properties, as well as reduced transportation cost. We also review recent research on the blending and densification dealing with various types of feedstocks with a focus on the impacts of these preprocessing steps on biochemical conversion, that is, various thermochemical pretreatment chemistries and enzymatic hydrolysis, into fermentable sugars for biofuel production

Metal Transformation by a Novel Pelosinus Isolate From a Subsurface Environment

The capability of microorganisms to alter metal speciation offers potential for the development of new strategies for immobilization of toxic metals in the environment. A metal-reducing microbe, “Pelosinus lilae” strain UFO1, was isolated under strictly anaerobic conditions from an Fe(III)-reducing enrichment established with uncontaminated soil from the Department of Energy Oak Ridge Field Research Center, Tennessee. “P. lilae” UFO1 is a rod-shaped, spore-forming, and Gram-variable anaerobe with a fermentative metabolism. It is capable of reducing the humic acid analog anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) using a variety of fermentable substrates and H2. Reduction of Fe(III)-nitrilotriacetic acid occurred in the presence of lactate as carbon and electron donor. Ferrihydrite was not reduced in the absence of AQDS. Nearly complete reduction of 1, 3, and 5 ppm Cr(VI) occurred within 24 h in suspensions containing 108 cells mL−1 when provided with 10 mM lactate; when 1 mM AQDS was added, 3 and 5 ppm Cr(VI) were reduced to 0.1 ppm within 2 h. Strain UFO1 is a novel species within the bacterial genus Pelosinus, having 98.16% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the most closely related described species, Pelosinus fermentans R7T. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 38 mol%, and DNA-DNA hybridization of “P. lilae” UFO1 against P. fermentans R7T indicated an average 16.8% DNA-DNA similarity. The unique phylogenetic, physiologic, and metal-transforming characteristics of “P. lilae” UFO1 reveal it is a novel isolate of the described genus Pelosinus

FXR1 Is an IL-19-Responsive RNA-Binding Protein that Destabilizes Pro-inflammatory Transcripts in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

This work identifies the fragile-X-related protein (FXR1) as a reciprocal regulator of HuR target transcripts in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). FXR1 was identified as an HuR-interacting protein by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The HuR-FXR1 interaction is abrogated in RNase-treated extracts, indicating that their association is tethered by mRNAs. FXR1 expression is induced in diseased but not normal arteries. siRNA knockdown of FXR1 increases the abundance and stability of inflammatory mRNAs, while overexpression of FXR1 reduces their abundance and stability. Conditioned media from FXR1 siRNA-treated VSMCs enhance activation of naive VSMCs. RNA EMSA and RIP demonstrate that FXR1 interacts with an ARE and an element in the 3′ UTR of TNFα. FXR1 expression is increased in VSMCs challenged with the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-19, and FXR1 is required for IL-19 reduction of HuR. This suggests that FXR1 is an anti-inflammation responsive, HuR counter-regulatory protein that reduces abundance of pro-inflammatory transcripts

Evaluating the QUIT-PRIMO clinical practice ePortal to increase smoker engagement with online cessation interventions: a national hybrid type 2 implementation study

BACKGROUND: Effective web-assisted tobacco interventions (WATIs) have been underutilized by smokers; moreover, despite practice guideline recommendations, clinical teams do not routinely refer smokers to WATIs. Our goal was to test a clinical practice innovation, an ePortal designed to change practice and patient behavior. Our hypotheses were that the integrated system would result in increased smoker referrals, with an automated follow-up system resulting in more smoker registrations and finally augmentations of the WATI would result in more smokers quitting at 6 months. METHODS: Practice ePortal Implementation Trial: Practices (n = 174) were randomized to an online practice ePortal with an e-referral tool to the WATI (e-referred smokers received automated email reminders from the practice) and with practice feedback reports with patient tracking and practice-to-patient secure messaging versus comparison (a paper referral prescription ). Implementation success was measured by the number of smokers referred and smokers registering. Clinical Effectiveness Trial: To estimate the effectiveness of the WATI components on 6-month smoking cessation, registered smokers were randomized into three groups: a state-of-the-art tailored WATI control [control], the WATI enhanced with proactive, pushed tailored email motivational messaging (messaging), and the WATI with messaging further enhanced with personal secure messaging with a tobacco treatment specialist and an online support group (personalized). RESULTS: Practice ePortal Trial results: A total of 4789 smokers were referred. The mean smokers referred per practice was not statistically different by group (ePortal 24.89 (SD 22.29) versus comparison 30.15 (SD 25.45), p = 0.15). The e-referral portal implementation program resulted in nearly triple the rate of smoker registration (31 % of all smokers referred registered online) versus comparison (11 %, p \u3c 0.001). Clinical Effectiveness Trial results: Active smokers randomized to the personalized group had a 6-month cessation rate of 25.2 %, compared with the messaging group (26.7 %) and the control (17 %). Next, when using an inverse probability weighted selection model to account for attrition, those randomized to the two groups that received motivational messaging (messaging or personalized) were more likely to quit than those in the control (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Among all smokers referred, the e-referral resulted in nearly threefold greater registrants (31 %) than paper (11 %). The practice ePortal smokers received multiple reminders (increasing registration opportunities), and the practices could track patient progress. The result was more smokers registering and, thus, more cessation opportunities. Combining the proactive referral and the WATI resulted in higher rates of smoking cessation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Web-delivered Provider Intervention for Tobacco Control (QUIT-PRIMO) - a randomized controlled trial: NCT00797628

Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid

An atomic force microscope (AFM) fundamentally measures the interaction between a nanoscale AFM probe tip and the sample surface. If the force applied by the probe tip and its contact area with the sample can be quantified, it is possible to determine the nanoscale mechanical properties (e.g., elastic or Young\u27s modulus) of the surface being probed. A detailed procedure for performing quantitative AFM cantilever-based nanoindentation experiments is provided here, with representative examples of how the technique can be applied to determine the elastic moduli of a wide variety of sample types, ranging from kPa to GPa. These include live mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and nuclei in physiological buffer, resin-embedded dehydrated loblolly pine cross-sections, and Bakken shales of varying composition. Additionally, AFM cantilever-based nanoindentation is used to probe the rupture strength (i.e., breakthrough force) of phospholipid bilayers. Important practical considerations such as method choice and development, probe selection and calibration, region of interest identification, sample heterogeneity, feature size and aspect ratio, tip wear, surface roughness, and data analysis and measurement statistics are discussed to aid proper implementation of the technique. Finally, co-localization of AFM-derived nanomechanical maps with electron microscopy techniques that provide additional information regarding elemental composition is demonstrated

Forage Systems to Optimize Agronomic and Economic Performance in Organic Dairy Systems

Organic dairy production in the USA is growing, but most forage systems research focuses on conventional production practices. As a result, organic dairy producers have limited science-based information to assist with farm and livestock management. The objective of this project was to use a multi-faceted approach to determine the ideal species mixtures for organic dairy production as well as document forage quality, forage yield, soil characteristics, milk production and milk quality during the grazing season. The forages studied ranged from a single species monoculture to a four species mixture of warm and cool season grasses and legumes. Nine distinct forage systems were seeded into small plots at the University of Tennessee and University of Kentucky research farms using organic practices. These plots were monitored for three years for yield, quality, species composition, and soil characteristics. The four best performing forage systems were planted in small paddocks on organic dairy farms in Tennessee and Kentucky to evaluate forage yield, forage quality, seasonality of production, and suitability for on-farm milk production. The superior forage system was established on a 4 ha paddock and compared the existing forage system used by each of the dairy farms. These larger paddocks allowed continued measurements of forage yield and quality, as well as measurements of milk production, milk quality, and grazing behaviour of the animals. The information from this project is currently being incorporated into a total farm management system for organic dairy producers in the Southeastern USA