Thrompella: Acute Impella Thrombosis During Ecpella Support

We present a case of acute Impella thrombosis during Ecpella support in a 48-year-old man listed for a heart transplant. After two weeks of Ecpella support, echocardiography revealed a 2.6 x 1.1 cm mobile thrombus attached to the Impella inlet (Video). The Impella and attached thrombus were pulled across the aortic valve into the descending aorta and removed without systemic thromboembolism. Due to the ongoing need for left ventricular venting, a new Impella CP was placed

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of (Polyphenolic)-Sulfonates and Their Sodium Salts in Rodents

A series of polyphenolic-sulfonated compounds were observed to have potent anti-inflammatory activity and were protective against induced endotoxic shock in mice at 8 and 16 mg/kg, I.P. These agents proved to be potent elastase inhibitors in human leukocytes and J774-AI and IC-21 mouse macrophages as well as prostaglandin cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors in J774-AI macrophages. The compounds from 5 to 50 μM inhibited TNFα release from IC-21 macrophages and IL-1 release from mouse P388D1 macrophages induced by LPS. The binding of these cytokines to high affinity receptors on target cells, e.g. L929 fibroblasts and IL-2 in HuT78 T lymphoma cells, were also suppressed by the agents. These compounds blocked the adhesion of leukocytes and macrophages to the plasma membranes of L929 fibroblasts

Cytotoxicity of Poly(Phenolic)Sulfonates and Their Sodium Salts in L1210 Lymphoid Leukemia Cells

Poly(phenolic)-sulfonates demonstrated very good cytotoxicity against the growth of tumor cell lines (L1210, Tmolt-3, HeLa-S3) and are comparable in potency with typical clinically used anticancer drugs. Four of the most active compounds, i.e. GL-2021, GL-2029, GL-2041 and GL-2063, were selected for a mode of action study in L1210 lymphoid leukemia cells at concentration of 25μM to 100μM for 60 min. The agents did not alkylate bases of ct-DNA, cause intercalation between base pairs, produce cross linking of ct-DNA strands or generate free radicals although L1210 DNA fragmentation was observed after 24 hr incubation. L1210 DNA synthesis was preferentially inhibited which was achieved by (1) suppressing DNA polymerase α activity which reduced the synthesis of new strands of DNA, (2) reducing of de novo purine synthesis at the regulatory enzyme PRPP amido transferase which reduced d(GMP) levels, and (3) inhibiting of nucleoside kinase activities which further reduced DNA synthesis. DNA template activity was altered by the poly(phenolic)sulfonates since they reduced DNA polymerase α and m-RNA and t-RNA polymerase activities. The kinetic studies at 50 μM over 2 hr demonstrated that the agents’ effect on PRPP-amido transferase activity is probably a major target of the compounds

What can we learn about immediate memory from the development of children's free recall?

We ask the question: Which aspects of immediate memory performance improve with age? In two studies, we reexamine the widely held view that primary memory capacity estimates derived from children's immediate free recall are age invariant. This was done by assessing children's immediate free-recall accuracy while also measuring the order in which they elected to recall items (Experiment 1) and by encouraging children to begin free recall with items from towards the end of the presented list (Experiment 2). Across samples aged between 5 and 8 years we replicated the previously reported age-related changes in free-recall serial position functions when aggregated across all trials of the standard task, including an absence of age differences in the recency portion of this curve. However, we also show that this does not reflect the fact that primary memory capacity is constant across age. Instead, when we incorporate order of report information, clear age differences are evident in the recall of list-final items that are output at the start of a participant's response. In addition, the total amount that individuals recalled varied little across different types of free-recall tasks. These findings have clear implications for the use of immediate free recall as a means of providing potential indices of primary memory capacity and in the study of the development of immediate memory

Evaluation of complication rates after coronary artery bypass surgery using administrative data

Our objectives were (1) to determine if studying hospital complication rates after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery provides information not available when only mortality is studied, and (2) to reexplore the utility of ICD-9-CM administrative data for CABG outcomes assessment. Using data from Massachusetts, we identified CABG cohorts from 1990 and 1992 to respectively develop and validate multivariate risk adjustment models predicting in-hospital mortality and complications. The resulting models had good discrimination and calibration. In 1992, adjusted hospital complication rates ranged widely from 13.0% to 57.6%, while mortality rates ranged from 1.4% to 6.1%. Hospitals with high complication rates tended to have high mortality (r = 0.74, p = 0.006), but 2 of the 12 hospitals studied ranked quite differently when judged by complications rather than mortality. We conclude that (1) complications after CABG occur frequently and may provide information about hospital quality beyond that obtained from hospital mortality rates, and that (2) administrative data continue to be a promising resource for outcomes research

Applied Solutions for Water Resource Challenges: Floods, Contamination and Upland Water Storage

poster abstractThe Center for Earth and Environmental Science, an IUPUI Signature Center, is working on a series of water resources problems and creating solutions. A series of collaborative projects are underway with the HUD, FEMA, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the United States Geological Survey, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, and an international corporate partner in Berlin, KompetenzZentrum Wasser Berlin. Flood Erosion Hazard Program CEES, the USGS, and Polis are working with HUD and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, though the Indiana Silver Jackets, to create tools for the State of Indiana to incorporate flood erosion hazard risk assessments into community planning. Flooding remains the most costly natural hazard in the US and Indiana. Flood losses continue to rise despite billions of dollars in mitigation. The causes are complex and related to land use, infrastructure design and climate change. Following the June 2008 floods in Indiana, 39 counties were listed as Federal disaster areas. In early 2005, 90% of Indiana counties were declared federal disaster areas after heavy rains fell on saturated soil. There have been seven major regional flooding events since the “Great flood of 1913”. The frequency of large floods appears to be increasing. Four of the eight major floods have occurred since 1982 and the last two occurred in 2005 and 2008. From 1998 through 2007, total insured flood losses in Indiana exceeded $39.8 million. While more restricted in area than the floods of 2008; record flooding occurred again throughout central and southern Indiana in early 2011 following heavy rains in February and March. Traditional flood protection usually consists of three components: flood control reservoirs, urban levees/floodwalls, and agricultural levees. These traditional flood protection methods are focused on one aspect of flooding – inundation. However, the largest single source of flood losses, both in terms of cost and number of affected persons, is damage to transportation infrastructure. Fluvial erosion is a principal cause of this damage. This significant flood-related natural hazard – the “fluvial erosion hazard” (FEH) – is not a specific component of State and local mitigation programs. This project aims to generate the tools for inclusion of FEH into statewide and local community planning. Aquisafe II - Performance Analysis of Selected Mitigation Systems Used to Attenuate Non-Point Source Agricultural Pollution Aquisafe is an international research collaboration with Veolia Environment based in Paris, their corporate partner in Berlin (KompetenzZentrum Wasser – Berlin Center of Competence for Water), the German Federal Environmental Agency, German university partners, and French quasi-governmental agencies in Brittany, France. The project goals are to create new mitigation systems to capture and treat polluted agricultural water running off farm fields prior to flowing into area streams, especially those used for drinking water supplies. The contaminants of specific concern are nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pesticides (atrazine – a corn-herbicide with potential endocrine disrupting effects). We are testing 2-stage, constructed wetlands in Indianapolis, Indiana and Brittany, France that have been designed to intercept and convert contaminants to harmless compounds. Site designs are guided by laboratory technical scale experiments conducted in Berlin that identified the hydrologic retention times and suitable sources of organic carbon necessary for mitigating contaminants. Construction of the experimental systems will begin in April in the Eagle Creek Watershed in cooperation with a private farmer with initial results expected this summer

Resistome and mobilome in surface runoff from manured soil as affected by setback distance

Land application of livestock manure introduces antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) into the soil environment. The objectives of this study were to examine the changes of resistome and mobilome in runoff and soil as a function of setback distance, i.e., the distance between manured soil and surface water, and to quantify the contributions of manure and background soil to the ARGs and MGEs in surface runoff. The resistome and mobilome in runoff and soil from a field-scale plot study were characterized using a high throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction (HT-qPCR) array. It was estimated that a setback distance of ~40 m is required to reduce the total abundance of ARGs and MGEs in runoff from amended plots to that in control runoff. The resistome and mobilome of the soil in the setback region was not affected by manure-borne ARGs and MGEs. SourceTracker analyses revealed that background soil gradually became the predominant source of the ARGs and MGEs in runoff as setback distance increased. The results demonstrate how manure-borne ARGs and MGEs dissipated in agricultural runoff with increasing setback distance and had limited impacts on the resistome and mobilome of soil within the setback region

The Effects of Amine-Carboxyborane Related Derivatives on UMR-106 Bone Metabolism

The amine-carboxyboranes and related derivatives have been shown to be potent anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoporosis agents. Their action in part appears to be mediated by the modulation of cytokines, e.g. TNFα or IL-1. Previous studies have demonstrated that LPS induced macrophages release of TNFα maximally at 60 to 90 min. and IL-1 from 5 to 8 hr. The amine-carboxyboranes reduced significantly the release of these cytokines but also blocked TNFα high affinity binding to UMR-106 receptor at 90 min. at 10 μM, and IL-1 high affinity binding at 5 hr. at 12.5 μM. In addition, the agents suppressed IL-8 binding to CHO K1 high affinity receptor at 24 hr. at 50 μM and IL-2 binding to HuT-8 receptors at 25 μM at 90 min. and 5 hr. Correlation of metabolic events associated with osteoporosis showed that at 90 min., when TNFα receptor binding was reduced by the agents, calcium uptake into UMR-106 cells was reduced at 10 μM as well as the acid and alkaline phosphatases, and the prostaglandin cyclo-oxygenase activities and adhesion of leukocytes and macrophages to UMR-106 cell monolayers. At 5hr. when the agents reduced IL-1 binding to UMR-106 receptors, calcitonin and 1,25-dihydrovitamin D3 binding was reduced by the agents as was acid and alkaline phosphatase, and 5′-lipoxygenase activities and white blood cell adhesion. At this time calcium uptake and proline incorporation was increased significantly by the agents. At later times e.g. 18-48 hr. calcium uptake was still increased, and NAG activity was inhibited in the presence of the agents. These effects may be related more to the inhibition of other cytokine receptor binding, e.g. IL-8. Thus, many of the observed metabolic effects of amine-carboxyboranes as antiosteoporosis agents can be correlated with their inhibition of cytokine high affinity binding to target cell receptors

Antibiotic resistance genes in swine manure slurry as affected by pit additives and facility disinfectants

Manure storage facilities are critical control points to reduce antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in swine manure slurry before the slurry is land applied. However, little is known about how exogenous chemicals entering the manure storage facilities may affect the fate of ARGs. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of six commonly used pit additives and four facility disinfectants on the concentration of ARGs in swine manure slurry. Bench scale reactors, each containing approximately 50 L of liquid swine manure, were dosed with additives or disinfectants and were sampled for 40 days. Seven antibiotic resistance genes along with the intI1 gene and the 16S rRNA gene were monitored. Out of the six additives tested, Sludge Away significantly reduced the time-averaged absolute abundance of erm(C), erm(F), tet(Q), and the 16S rRNA gene as compared to the no additive control. Out of the four disinfectants tested, Tek-Trol significantly reduced the time-averaged absolute abundance of erm(B), erm(C), erm(F), intI1, tet(Q), and tet(X) than did the no-disinfectant control. According to Spearman\u27s rank correlation, three genes erm(F), tet(Q), and tet(X) showed a strong to perfectly positive correlation and the two genes erm(B) and tet(O) showed a moderate to strong correlation in both the additive and disinfectant tests. Overall, the disinfectants were more effective in controlling the absolute abundance of ARGs than were the pit additives