The Larva, Pupa and Female of Agapetus jocassee Morse (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae)

Agapetus jocassee is a Species of Concern on the lists of the U.S.D.I. Fish and Wildlife Service because it is known from only three streams of the Lake Jocassee catchment in Oconee and Transylvania counties, South and North Carolina. To assist in solving identification problems and to contribute to knowledge of the distribution of this species, larvae and pupae of A. jocassee were collected from mountain streams in North and South Carolina, reared to adulthood and identified. The larva, pupa, and female of the species are described for the first time. Characters were found in those ontogenetic stages that distinguish this species from other Agapetus species whose immature stages and females are known. The species was collected from two streams other than the type localities, suggesting that it may be more widely distributed in streams of the Blue Ridge Escarpment than previously thought

Incorporating Human Readiness Levels at Sandia National Laboratories

Since 2010, the concept of human readiness levels has been under development as a possible supplement to the existing technology readiness level (TRL) scale. The intent is to provide a mechanism to address safety and performance risks associated with the human component in a system that parallels the TRL structure already familiar to the systems engineering community. Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, initiated a study in 2015 to evaluate options to incorporate human readiness planning for Sandia processes and products. The study team has collected the majority of baseline assessment data and has conducted interviews to understand staff perceptions of four different options for human readiness planning. Preliminary results suggest that all four options may have a vital role, depending on the type of work performed and the phase of product development. Upon completion of data collection, the utility of identified solutions will be assessed in one or more test cases

Early Systolic Dysfunction and Impact of Gene Mutation Severity in Marfan Syndrome

Background Marfan syndrome is caused by a mutation in the fibrillin-1 gene that manifests with a variety of features including aortic root dilation. Recent research has identified a primary cardiomyopathy in patients with Marfan syndrome, hypothesized to be due to the presence of abnormal fibrillin-1 in the myocardium. Controversy over the nature and significance of this cardiomyopathy remains. Echocardiographic measurement of the first-phase of ejection (defined as the beginning of systole to peak aortic valve flow) may be more sensitive to systolic dysfunction and provide useful clinical information. The purpose of this study is to: Assess systolic dysfunction in patients with Marfan syndrome Describe first-phase fractional area change (FAC1) in patients with Marfan syndrome and determine how it varies between Marfan syndrome patients and a control group Verify there is a difference in propensity for cardiomyopathy in mild vs severe gene mutation Marfan syndrome patients not secondary to increased aortic stiffness Methods Patients were identified from a pre-existing list of patients with Marfan syndrome maintained by the Children\u27s Hospital and Medical Center and University of Nebraska Medical Center. All relevant medical records were reviewed. Echocardiographic parameters will include left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, LV FAC1, LV end-diastolic volume, global longitudinal strain, aortic root diameter, and aortic stiffness. Patients were excluded if they have more than mild aortic insufficiency or mitral valve regurgitation. Neonatal Marfan syndrome patients and patients with other significant congenital heart disease will also be excluded. Statistical analysis of the data will be performed including basic statistical tests, univariate regression, and multivariate regression to compare data from each group. P values will be calculated and a p value \u3c 0.05 will be considered statistically significant. Results At the time of writing, 126 patients with Marfan syndrome have been identified. 44 were excluded based on significant mitral or aortic valve disease, prior cardiovascular surgery, or poor echocardiographic image quality. Of the 82 patients not excluded, genetic testing results are available for 59 and are being categorized to allow for statistical analysis. Echocardiographic measurements are underway.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/chri_forum/1002/thumbnail.jp

Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastatic to the Heart Mimicking ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

INTRODUCTION Heart disease remains the leading cause of mortality in the United States, accounting for about one quarter of all deaths in 20131. Acute ischemic heart disease is a major subpopulation of this group, and typically presents with characteristic electrocardiographic (EKG) changes. The most concerning of these findings are ST-elevations, as ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) typically indicates the need for emergent reperfusion therapy because 30-day mortality of untreated STEMI is approximately 10-15% versus 5% in treated cases2. As a result, clinicians are taught to recognize the symptoms and signs of myocardial ischemia and STEMI in order to achieve timely reperfusion either via thrombolytic therapy within 30 minutes or percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes. However, ST-elevations may result from etiologies other than acute ischemia, and can be secondary to other acutely life-threatening pathologies or relatively benign, subacute causes. For example, ventricular aneurysms resulting from prior myocardial infarction and pericarditis can result in ST-elevation on EKG. Intracranial hemorrhage or stress (takotsubo) cardiomyopathy can also present with ST-elevations, theorized to be the result of increased catecholamines. Left ventricular hypertrophy, a sequela of poorly controlled hypertension, can also lead to J point elevations mimicking STEMI3,4. Here we review a case of unusual ST-elevation in a patient with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to the heart

Validation of a Farsi version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (F-EDE-Q) in adolescents and university students from Iran

BACKGROUND: Although the Farsi version of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (F-EDE-Q) is frequently utilized to assess disordered eating in Iran, its factor structure, reliability, and validity have not been investigated in Iranian samples, which is the aim of the current investigation. METHOD: Using convenience sampling, this study recruited 1112 adolescents and 637 university students to complete disordered eating and mental health-focused questionnaires, including the F-EDE-Q. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses of the 22 attitudinal items in the F-EDE-Q indicated that a brief seven-item, three-factor model (i.e., Dietary Restraint, Shape/Weight Overvaluation, Body Dissatisfaction with Shape and Weight) was the only factor structure that fit the data well for either sample. This brief version of the F-EDE-Q was invariant across gender, body weight, and age. Adolescent and university participants with higher weight reported higher average scores on each of the three subscales. Subscale scores showed good internal consistency reliability in the two samples. Further, supporting convergent validity, subscales were significantly associated with measures of body image-related preoccupation and bulimia symptoms, as well as measures of other theoretically related constructs including depressive symptoms and self-esteem. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that this brief, validated measure will enable researchers and clinical providers to appropriately assess disordered eating symptoms in adolescent and young adult Farsi-speaking populations

A century-long record of plant evolution reconstructed from a coastal marsh seed bank

Evidence is mounting that climate-driven shifts in environmental conditions can elicit organismal evolution, yet there are sparingly few long-term records that document the tempo and progression of responses, particularly for plants capable of transforming ecosystems. In this study, we “resurrected” cohorts of a foundational coastal marsh sedge (Schoenoplectus americanus) from a time-stratified seed bank to reconstruct a century-long record of heritable variation in response to salinity exposure. Common-garden experiments revealed that S. americanus exhibits heritable variation in phenotypic traits and biomass-based measures of salinity tolerance. We found that responses to salinity exposure differed among the revived cohorts, with plants from the early 20th century exhibiting greater salinity tolerance than those from the mid to late 20th century. Fluctuations in salinity tolerance could reflect stochastic variation but a congruent record of genotypic variation points to the alternative possibility that the loss and gain in functionality are driven by selection, with comparisons to historical rainfall and paleosalinity records suggesting that selective pressures vary according to shifting estuarine conditions. Because salinity tolerance in S. americanus is tightly coupled to primary productivity and other vital ecosystem attributes, these findings indicate that organismal evolution merits further consideration as a factor shaping coastal marsh responses to climate change

Cycling of the signaling protein phospholipase D through cilia requires the BBSome only for the export phase

The BBSome is a complex of seven proteins, including BBS4, that is cycled through cilia by intraflagellar transport (IFT). Previous work has shown that the membrane-associated signaling protein phospholipase D (PLD) accumulates abnormally in cilia of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii bbs mutants. Here we show that PLD is a component of wild-type cilia but is enriched approximately 150-fold in bbs4 cilia; this accumulation occurs progressively over time and results in altered ciliary lipid composition. When wild-type BBSomes were introduced into bbs cells, PLD was rapidly removed from the mutant cilia, indicating the presence of an efficient BBSome-dependent mechanism for exporting ciliary PLD. This export requires retrograde IFT. Importantly, entry of PLD into cilia is BBSome and IFT independent. Therefore, the BBSome is required only for the export phase of a process that continuously cycles PLD through cilia. Another protein, carbonic anhydrase 6, is initially imported normally into bbs4 cilia but lost with time, suggesting that its loss is a secondary effect of BBSome deficiency

Together, the IFT81 and IFT74 N-termini form the main module for intraflagellar transport of tubulin

The assembly and maintenance of most cilia and flagella rely on intraflagellar transport (IFT). Recent in vitro studies have suggested that, together, the calponin-homology domain within the IFT81 N-terminus and the highly basic N-terminus of IFT74 form a module for IFT of tubulin. By using Chlamydomonas mutants for IFT81 and IFT74, we tested this hypothesis in vivo Modification of the predicted tubulin-binding residues in IFT81 did not significantly affect basic anterograde IFT and length of steady-state flagella but slowed down flagellar regeneration, a phenotype similar to that seen in a strain that lacks the IFT74 N-terminus. In both mutants, the frequency of tubulin transport by IFT was greatly reduced. A double mutant that combined the modifications to IFT81 and IFT74 was able to form only very short flagella. These results indicate that, together, the IFT81 and IFT74 N-termini are crucial for flagellar assembly, and are likely to function as the main module for IFT of tubulin

Immunomodulation by imiquimod in patients with high-risk primary melanoma.

Imiquimod is a synthetic Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist approved for the topical treatment of actinic keratoses, superficial basal cell carcinoma, and genital warts. Imiquimod leads to an 80-100% cure rate of lentigo maligna; however, studies of invasive melanoma are lacking. We conducted a pilot study to characterize the local, regional, and systemic immune responses induced by imiquimod in patients with high-risk melanoma. After treatment of the primary melanoma biopsy site with placebo or imiquimod cream, we measured immune responses in the treated skin, sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), and peripheral blood. Treatment of primary melanomas with 5% imiquimod cream was associated with an increase in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the skin, and CD4+ T cells in the SLN. Most of the CD8+ T cells in the skin were CD25 negative. We could not detect any increases in CD8+ T cells specifically recognizing HLA-A(*)0201-restricted melanoma epitopes in the peripheral blood. The findings from this small pilot study demonstrate that topical imiquimod treatment results in enhanced local and regional T-cell numbers in both the skin and SLN. Further research into TLR7 immunomodulating pathways as a basis for effective immunotherapy against melanoma in conjunction with surgery is warranted