Postcard: Masonic Business Card signed by F. F. Dinsmoor

This color printed card contains the Latin phrase In Hoc Signo Vinces is located above a red cross with gold lines emanating from the cross. The English translation is in this sign you shall conquer . There is an image on the left of a man on a horse holding a flag. He is wearing a uniform with a cross on the front and a hat with red plumes. He has a sword on his hip. There is a cursive name in the center of the card. There is printed text at the bottom depicting De Molay Commandery, No. 4. out of Lawrence Kansas.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/tj_postcards/1030/thumbnail.jp

Lack of an effect of protease inhibitor use on glucose tolerance during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that HIV-positive women on protease inhibitors (PIs) would be more likely to have an elevated glucola test result than those not on PIs. METHODS: We reviewed our database of all HIV-positive pregnant women seen at our hospital. Serum glucose was measured 1 hour following a 50-g glucola load, at approximately 26-28 weeks of gestation. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test, and the Mann-Whitney rank sum test. RESULTS: Forty-one HIV-infected pregnant women with glucola testing were seen between January 1, 1997 and March 1, 2000. Fourteen patients were on PIs at the time of glucola. One patient in each group had an abnormal glucola test result (glucose >/= 140 mg/dl); both had normal 3-hour glucose tolerance tests. The glucola test results were similar between the PI-exposed and unexposed, with a mean difference of 5.8 mg/dl (95% confidence interval 9.2-20.8 mg/dl). Two neonates (both exposed to PI) had hypoglycemia (glucose < 40 mg/dl). CONCLUSIONS: The use of PIs does not significantly increase the risk of an elevated glucola result, nor is the mean glucola result increased in the women on PIs. The finding of hypoglycemia in neonates exposed to PIs merits further investigation

Management of Insulinoma using the drug Octreotide. A Case Report and Literature Review

A case report on the drug Octreotide and its use in managing insulinoma

Cervicitis as a Clinical Indicator of Gonococcal and Chlamydial Infections in Pregnancy

Objective: We undertook the present study to attempt to apply clinical indicators predictive of cervical infection in nongravid populations with either Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis to our pregnant population and to determine the significance of the clinical diagnosis of “cervicitis.

Comparison of Culture and Rapid Enzyme Immunoassay for the Detection of Group B Streptococcus in High-Risk Pregnancies

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Equate Strep B® test for clinical use in patients at high risk for complications from group B streptococcus (GBS) disease. Methods: Vaginoperineal swabs were obtained from patients with preterm premature rupture of the membranes and/or preterm labor and semiquantitative GBS cultures and Equate® assay were performed. Results: From May 14, 1990, to April 30, 1992, 650 patients were enrolled; 626 had both culture and Equate® results available, of whom 24% were colonized with GBS. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the rapid assay were 28%, 84%, 35%, and 79%, respectively. Although the prevalence of GBS was higher in patients with ruptured membranes compared with those with intact membranes, rupture of membranes did not affect test sensitivity or specificity. Conclusions: We conclude that the Equate® rapid assay is not a sensitive method of GBS detection in high-risk patients

The Astronomical Orientation of Ancient Greek Temples

Despite its appearing to be a simple question to answer, there has been no consensus as to whether or not the alignments of ancient Greek temples reflect astronomical intentions. Here I present the results of a survey of archaic and classical Greek temples in Sicily and compare them with temples in Greece. Using a binomial test I show strong evidence that there is a preference for solar orientations. I then speculate that differences in alignment patterns between Sicily and Greece reflect differing pressures in the expression of ethnic identity

A wirelessly powered and controlled device for optical neural control of freely-behaving animals

Optogenetics, the ability to use light to activate and silence specific neuron types within neural networks in vivo and in vitro, is revolutionizing neuroscientists' capacity to understand how defined neural circuit elements contribute to normal and pathological brain functions. Typically, awake behaving experiments are conducted by inserting an optical fiber into the brain, tethered to a remote laser, or by utilizing an implanted light-emitting diode (LED), tethered to a remote power source. A fully wireless system would enable chronic or longitudinal experiments where long duration tethering is impractical, and would also support high-throughput experimentation. However, the high power requirements of light sources (LEDs, lasers), especially in the context of the extended illumination periods often desired in experiments, precludes battery-powered approaches from being widely applicable. We have developed a headborne device weighing 2 g capable of wirelessly receiving power using a resonant RF power link and storing the energy in an adaptive supercapacitor circuit, which can algorithmically control one or more headborne LEDs via a microcontroller. The device can deliver approximately 2 W of power to the LEDs in steady state, and 4.3 W in bursts. We also present an optional radio transceiver module (1 g) which, when added to the base headborne device, enables real-time updating of light delivery protocols; dozens of devices can be controlled simultaneously from one computer. We demonstrate use of the technology to wirelessly drive cortical control of movement in mice. These devices may serve as prototypes for clinical ultra-precise neural prosthetics that use light as the modality of biological control.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2OD002002))National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01DA029639)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1RC1MH088182)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1RC2DE020919)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01NS067199)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R43NS070453)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CAREER award)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Grant DMS 1042134)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Grant DMS 0848804)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Grant EFRI 0835878)Benesse FoundationGoogle (Firm)Dr. Gerald Burnett and Marjorie BurnettUnited States. Dept. of Defense (CDMRP PTSD Program)Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyBrain & Behavior Research FoundationAlfred P. Sloan FoundationSociety for NeuroscienceMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Media LaboratoryMcGovern Institute for Brain Research at MITWallace H. Coulter Foundatio

Conditioned inhibition of emotional responses: retardation and summation with cues for IAPS outcomes

Conditioned inhibition occurs when a stimulus inhibits the responses that would normally occur to a conditioned stimulus that previously predicted an outcome of interest (the unconditioned stimulus, which elicits responding unconditionally). The present study tested inhibitory learning using emotionally salient cues provided by the use of pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The procedure in use was adapted to confirm the demonstration of conditioned inhibition using two key transfer tests, retardation and summation. Experiment 1 showed the development of the predicted discrimination learning for negative outcomes but not for positive outcomes. Experiment 2 found evidence for retardation. Furthermore, this reduced learning was clearly related to the conditioned emotional response to the US images; individuals rated transfer images as positive if they had previously signalled the absence of a negative outcome. Experiment 3 showed that the conditioned inhibition was confirmed by summation test. Thus, inhibitory learning was confirmed by both retardation and summation tests, which between them control for alternative explanations of apparent conditioned inhibition, conducted on different participants but using the same discrimination learning procedure. Moreover, the use of emotionally salient cues as the unconditioned stimuli more closely resembles the traditional Pavlovian paradigm

Prospective and Pavlovian mechanisms in aversive behaviour

Studying aversive behaviour is critical for understanding negative emotions and associated psychopathologies. However a comprehensive picture of the mechanisms underlying aversion is lacking, with associative learning theories focusing on Pavlovian reactions and decision-making theoretic approaches on prospective functions. We propose a computational model of aversion that combines goal-directed and Pavlovian forms of control into a unifying framework in which their relative importance is regulated by factors such as threat distance and controllability. Using simulations, we test whether the model can reproduce available empirical findings and discuss its relevance to understanding factors underlying negative emotions such as fear and anxiety. Furthermore, the specific method used to construct the model permits a natural mapping from its components to brain structure and function. Our model provides a basis for a unifying account of aversion that can guide empirical and interventional study contexts

Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms and Length of Gestation

To estimate whether there is an association between length of gestation and gene polymorphisms that effect transcription of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), or interleukin-1β (IL-1β)