The Effectiveness Of The Six Minute Walk Test For Tracking Progress In Patients With Post-COVID Condition: A Case Report

Background and Purpose Post-COVID Condition (PCC) is defined as the presence of symptoms related to SARS-CoV-2 four weeks past the initial infection. The SARS-CoV-2 virus impacts many organs and body systems. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a standardized measure of cardiovascular endurance commonly used in physical therapy practice. Use of the 6MWT has been studied in specific patient populations (e.g., geriatrics, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder). The purpose of this case report is to discuss the utility of the 6MWT as a measure of walking capacity in individuals with PCC. Case Description The patient was a 46-year-old female diagnosed with PCC who presented to outpatient physical therapy with impaired cardiopulmonary endurance, including difficulty breathing, shortness of breath with exertion, and generalized muscle weakness. The patient had persistent pulmonary symptoms that impacted her ability to perform activities of daily living and recreational activities. The 6MWT was used to measure changes in cardiopulmonary endurance and walking capacity during her course of care. Interventions included whole body strengthening and aerobic exercise. Outcomes The patient demonstrated significant improvements in her cardiopulmonary endurance as demonstrated by an increase in the 6MWT distance (from 450 meters to 588 meters) and patient-reported symptoms. Discussion The 6MWT may be an appropriate outcome measure for monitoring change following physical therapy intervention for PCC. Further research is required to determine the psychometric properties of the 6MWT for this patient population

Dynamic regulation of extracellular superoxide production by the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (CCMP 374)

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Plummeer, S., Taylor, A. E., Harvey, E. L., Hansel, C. M., & Diaz, J. M. Dynamic regulation of extracellular superoxide production by the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (CCMP 374). Frontiers in Microbiology, 10, (2019): 1546, doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01546.In marine waters, ubiquitous reactive oxygen species (ROS) drive biogeochemical cycling of metals and carbon. Marine phytoplankton produce the ROS superoxide (O2−) extracellularly and can be a dominant source of O2− in natural aquatic systems. However, the cellular regulation, biological functioning, and broader ecological impacts of extracellular O2− production by marine phytoplankton remain mysterious. Here, we explored the regulation and potential roles of extracellular O2− production by a noncalcifying strain of the cosmopolitan coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi, a key species of marine phytoplankton that has not been examined for extracellular O2− production previously. Cell-normalized extracellular O2− production was the highest under presumably low-stress conditions during active proliferation and inversely related to cell density during exponential growth phase. Removal of extracellular O2− through addition of the O2− scavenger superoxide dismutase (SOD), however, increased growth rates, growth yields, cell biovolume, and photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) indicating an overall physiological improvement. Thus, the presence of extracellular O2− does not directly stimulate E. huxleyi proliferation, as previously suggested for other phytoplankton, bacteria, fungi, and protists. Extracellular O2− production decreased in the dark, suggesting a connection with photosynthetic processes. Taken together, the tight regulation of this stress independent production of extracellular O2− by E. huxleyi suggests that it could be involved in fundamental photophysiological processes.This research was supported by a Junior Faculty Seed Grant from the University of Georgia Research Foundation (JD), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (SP), and NSF grant OCE-1355720 (CH). The FlowCam® and FIRe were purchased through a NSF Equipment Improvement Grant (1624593)

Children\u27s Behavioral Traits and Risk of Injury: Analyses from a Case-Control Study of Agricultural Households

Problem: Children on family agricultural operations have high risk of injury. The association between children\u27s behavioral traits and their risk of injury is not well understood. Method: Data from the Regional Rural Injury Study-II were used to assess behavioral risk factors for injury to children ages six to \u3c20 years. A total of 379 injury events (cases) and 1,562 randomly selected controls were identified. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), calculated using logistic regression, were used to estimate injury risk in reference to behavioral traits. Results: Injury risks were greater for children with high levels of depressive symptoms (OR=1.9, CI=1.0-3.7) and aggression (OR=1.6, CI=0.9-2.7), and low levels of careful/cautious behavior (OR=1.8, CI=1.1-2.9). Children with low levels of self-regulation had reduced risks (OR=0.4, CI=0.2-0.8). Discussion: Results suggest that children\u27s behaviors affect their risk of agricultural injury. Additional research could elucidate mechanisms and inform interventions. Impact on industry: The development of multifaceted, sustainable approaches for prevention is necessary for this unique population. These findings suggest a need for interventions that incorporate specific behavior-related risk factors in the context of family farms and ranches

Postmortem examination of patient H.M.’s brain based on histological sectioning and digital 3D reconstruction

Modern scientific knowledge of how memory functions are organized in the human brain originated from the case of Henry G. Molaison (H.M.), an epileptic patient whose amnesia ensued unexpectedly following a bilateral surgical ablation of medial temporal lobe structures, including the hippocampus. The neuroanatomical extent of the 1953 operation could not be assessed definitively during H.M.’s life. Here we describe the results of a procedure designed to reconstruct a microscopic anatomical model of the whole brain and conduct detailed 3D measurements in the medial temporal lobe region. This approach, combined with cellular-level imaging of stained histological slices, demonstrates a significant amount of residual hippocampal tissue with distinctive cytoarchitecture. Our study also reveals diffuse pathology in the deep white matter and a small, circumscribed lesion in the left orbitofrontal cortex. The findings constitute new evidence that may help elucidate the consequences of H.M.’s operation in the context of the brain’s overall pathology

Detection of a Thermal Spectral Component in the Prompt Emission of GRB 100724B

Observations of GRB 100724B with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) find that the spectrum is dominated by the typical Band functional form, which is usually taken to represent a non-thermal emission component, but also includes a statistically highly significant thermal spectral contribution. The simultaneous observation of the thermal and non-thermal components allows us to confidently identify the two emission components. The fact that these seem to vary independently favors the idea that the thermal component is of photospheric origin while the dominant non-thermal emission occurs at larger radii. Our results imply either a very high efficiency for the non-thermal process, or a very small size of the region at the base of the flow, both quite challenging for the standard fireball model. These problems are resolved if the jet is initially highly magnetized and has a substantial Poynting flux.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters November, 23 2010 (Submitted October, 20 2010

The Artificial Sweetener Splenda Promotes Gut Proteobacteria, Dysbiosis, and Myeloperoxidase Reactivity in Crohn’s Disease–Like Ileitis

We thank John D. Ward and Lindsey N. Kaydo for their technical support and Dr. Wei Xin for the histological scoring of ileitis severity. ARP is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at CWRU School of Medicine. Metagenomic sequencing was conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Skip Virgin at Washington University, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Raw sequencing data files will be available upon request.Peer reviewedPostprin

Temporal Deconvolution study of Long and Short Gamma-Ray Burst Light curves

The light curves of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are believed to result from internal shocks reflecting the activity of the GRB central engine. Their temporal deconvolution can reveal potential differences in the properties of the central engines in the two populations of GRBs which are believed to originate from the deaths of massive stars (long) and from mergers of compact objects (short). We present here the results of the temporal analysis of 42 GRBs detected with the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. We deconvolved the profiles into pulses, which we fit with lognormal functions. The distributions of the pulse shape parameters and intervals between neighboring pulses are distinct for both burst types and also fit with lognormal functions. We have studied the evolution of these parameters in different energy bands and found that they differ between long and short bursts. We discuss the implications of the differences in the temporal properties of long and short bursts within the framework of the internal shock model for GRB prompt emission.Comment: 38 pages, 11 figure

Identification and Characterization of Bacterial Vaginosis-Associated Pathogens Using a Comprehensive Cervical-Vaginal Epithelial Coculture Assay

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most commonly treated female reproductive tract affliction, characterized by the displacement of healthy lactobacilli by an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. BV can contribute to pathogenic inflammation, preterm birth, and susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections. As the bacteria responsible for BV pathogenicity and their interactions with host immunity are not understood, we sought to evaluate the effects of BV-associated bacteria on reproductive epithelia. Here we have characterized the interaction between BV-associated bacteria and the female reproductive tract by measuring cytokine and defensin induction in three types of FRT epithelial cells following bacterial inoculation. Four BV-associated bacteria were evaluated alongside six lactobacilli for a comparative assessment. While responses differed between epithelial cell types, our model showed good agreement with clinical BV trends. We observed a distinct cytokine and human beta-defensin 2 response to BV-associated bacteria, especially Atopobium vaginae, compared to most lactobacilli. One lactobacillus species, Lactobacillus vaginalis, induced an immune response similar to that elicited by BV-associated bacteria, stimulating significantly higher levels of cytokines and human beta-defensin 2 than other lactobacilli. These data provide an important prioritization of BV-associated bacteria and support further characterization of reproductive bacteria and their interactions with host epithelia. Additionally, they demonstrate the distinct immune response potentials of epithelial cells from different locations along the female reproductive tract

Time-Resolved Spectroscopy of the 3 Brightest and Hardest Short Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed with the FGST Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor

From July 2008 to October 2009, the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST) has detected 320 Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). About 20% of these events are classified as short based on their T90 duration below 2 s. We present here for the first time time-resolved spectroscopy at timescales as short as 2 ms for the three brightest short GRBs observed with GBM. The time-integrated spectra of the events deviate from the Band function, indicating the existence of an additional spectral component, which can be fit by a power-law with index ~-1.5. The time-integrated Epeak values exceed 2 MeV for two of the bursts, and are well above the values observed in the brightest long GRBs. Their Epeak values and their low-energy power-law indices ({\alpha}) confirm that short GRBs are harder than long ones. We find that short GRBs are very similar to long ones, but with light curves contracted in time and with harder spectra stretched towards higher energies. In our time-resolved spectroscopy analysis, we find that the Epeak values range from a few tens of keV up to more than 6 MeV. In general, the hardness evolutions during the bursts follows their flux/intensity variations, similar to long bursts. However, we do not always see the Epeak leading the light-curve rises, and we confirm the zero/short average light-curve spectral lag below 1 MeV, already established for short GRBs. We also find that the time-resolved low-energy power-law indices of the Band function mostly violate the limits imposed by the synchrotron models for both slow and fast electron cooling and may require additional emission processes to explain the data. Finally, we interpreted these observations in the context of the current existing models and emission mechanisms for the prompt emission of GRBs.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 9 tables, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal September, 23 2010 (Submitted May, 16 2010) Corrections: 1 reference updated, figure 10 captio

First-year Results of Broadband Spectroscopy of the Brightest Fermi-GBM Gamma-Ray Bursts

We present here our results of the temporal and spectral analysis of a sample of 52 bright and hard gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) during its first year of operation (July 2008-July 2009). Our sample was selected from a total of 253 GBM GRBs based on each event peak count rate measured between 0.2 and 40MeV. The final sample comprised 34 long and 18 short GRBs. These numbers show that the GBM sample contains a much larger fraction of short GRBs, than the CGRO/BATSE data set, which we explain as the result of our (different) selection criteria and the improved GBM trigger algorithms, which favor collection of short, bright GRBs over BATSE. A first by-product of our selection methodology is the determination of a detection threshold from the GBM data alone, above which GRBs most likely will be detected in the MeV/GeV range with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard Fermi. This predictor will be very useful for future multiwavelength GRB follow ups with ground and space based observatories. Further we have estimated the burst durations up to 10MeV and for the first time expanded the duration-energy relationship in the GRB light curves to high energies. We confirm that GRB durations decline with energy as a power law with index approximately -0.4, as was found earlier with the BATSE data and we also notice evidence of a possible cutoff or break at higher energies. Finally, we performed time-integrated spectral analysis of all 52 bursts and compared their spectral parameters with those obtained with the larger data sample of the BATSE data. We find that the two parameter data sets are similar and confirm that short GRBs are in general harder than longer ones.Comment: 40 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables, Submitted to Ap