A Markov model of Diabetic Retinopathy Progression for the Economic Evaluation of a novel DR prognostic device, CHERE Working Paper 2007/14

The initial diagnosis of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is often in the advance stages of the condition, as patients are only promoted for an examination when sight has been affected. An innovative prognostic technique has recently been made available which can non-invasively detect the damaging effects of high blood glucose before the development of clinical symptoms. This innovation offers the opportunity to patients to make the necessary behavioural and medicinal modification to prevent further progress of the disease. This paper reports the development of a Markov model which emulates the natural progression of Diabetic Retinopathy based on data from clinical trials. The purpose of such a model is to estimate the chronic cost and health outcomes of DR, and it may be modified to reflect the potential changes in current practice or condition changes, hence allowing for an economic evaluation of the DR prognostic test. The implications and limitations of the model were also discussed in the paper.Diabetic retinopathy, economic evaluation

Optimum serum glucose levels for patients with severe traumatic brain injury

Tight glucose control during the acute care of patients with severe traumatic brain injury has recently been advocated based on experimental concerns about deleterious effects of presenting the injured brain with a high glucose load, however, there is little or no clinical evidence that hyperglycemia worsens neurologic injury. The majority of the clinical studies of tight glucose control find that it is associated with an increased risk of hypoglycemic episodes and cellular injury, when compared to conventional glucose control protocols

IUE archived spectra

The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) Satellite has been in continuous operation since January 26, 1978. To date, approximately 65,000 spectra have been stored in an archive at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. A number of procedures have been generated to facilitate access to the data in the IUE spectral archive. This document describes the procedures which include on-line quick look of the displays, search of an observation data base for selected observations, and several methods for ordering data from the archive

Terrorism and Social Media: Extremist Groups and College Student Recruitment

College students are particularly vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organizations. Social media is the primary tool used by extremist groups to target college students. This research was conducted to examine the extent to which college students are affected by extremist groups on social media. A qualitative research design was implemented to collect data from a diverse group of college students. Participants consisted of five experts in homeland security or law enforcement and 12 individuals who were students or recent graduates in fields related to law enforcement and homeland security. Social learning theory provided the theoretical foundation for this research. Results indicated that college students were targeted by extremists on social media. Results also indicated that enforcement experts failed to grasp the extent to which college students are affected by extremism on social media. Several strategies to address this gap in understanding exist, which represent the opportunity to produce positive social change. Recommendations to enhance national security include additional research on college students and the impact of social media, increased collaboration among security officials at various levels of government, and improved cooperation among social media companies and the federal government. College students play an important role in the effort to combat terrorism. National security is enhanced when college students are involved in the process

RNA Interference Analysis of Legionella in Drosophila Cells: Exploitation of Early Secretory Apparatus Dynamics

Legionella pneumophila translocates multiple bacterial effector proteins into host cells to direct formation of a replication vacuole for the bacterium. The emerging consensus is that formation of this compartment involves recruitment of membrane material that traffics between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi. To investigate this model, a targeted approach was used to knock down expression of proteins involved in membrane trafficking, using RNA interference in Drosophila cells. Surprisingly, few single knockdowns of ER–Golgi transport proteins decreased L. pneumophila replication. By analyzing double-stranded RNAs in pairs, combinations were identified that together caused defects in intracellular replication, consistent with the model that membrane traffic funnels into the replication vacuole from multiple sources. In particular, simultaneous depletion of the intermediate compartment and Golgi-tethering factor transport protein particle together with the ER SNARE protein Sec22 reduced replication efficiency, indicating that introduction of lesions at distinct sites in the secretory system reduces replication efficiency. In contrast to knockdowns in secretory traffic, which required multiple simultaneous hits, knockdown of single cytosolic components of ER-associated degradation, including Cdc48/p97 and associated cofactors, was sufficient to inhibit intracellular replication. The requirement for the Cdc48/p97 complex was conserved in mammalian cells, in which replication vacuoles showed intense recruitment of ubiquitinated proteins, the preferred substrates of Cdc48/p97. This complex promoted dislocation of both ubiquitinated proteins and bacterial effectors from the replication vacuole, consistent with the model that maintenance of high-level replication requires surveillance of the vacuole surface. This work demonstrates that L. pneumophila has the ability to gain access to multiple sites in the secretory system and provides the first evidence for a role of the Cdc48/p97 complex in promoting intracellular replication of pathogens and maintenance of replication vacuoles