A patient led, international study of long term outcomes of esophageal atresia: EAT 1

INTRODUCTION: Long term outcomes of esophageal atresia (OA) are poorly understood. The Federation of Esophageal Atresia and Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula support groups (EAT), a collaboration of patient support groups aimed to define patient reported long term outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in a large international cohort of OA patients. METHODS: Questionnaires were designed focusing on patient/parent reported outcomes including surgical history, current symptomatology and quality of life. Members of support groups within EAT were invited to complete questionnaires electronically via SurveyMonkey®. RESULTS: 1100 patients from 25 countries responded to the questionnaire and 928 were analyzed. 80% had type C anatomy, 19% type A and 1% type E. Patient ages were <5 years (42%), 5-10 years (26%), 11-17 years (16%) and 18 years and older (16%). 49% of all patients reported previous dilatations which was similar across age groups. Reflux symptoms affected 58% of patients and persisted into adulthood. Dysphagia also persisted in the adult population with 50% reporting sometimes or often getting food stuck. Reflux was significantly more frequent in 'long gap' versus 'standard gap' patients (p<0.005). Respiratory symptoms and chest infections decreased in frequency with age. In children median SDS for height was -0.41 (IQR -1.4 to 0.67) and that for weight was -0.63 (-1.6 to 0.67). BMI in adults was 21.5. Quality of life was described as significantly affected by OA in 18% of patients while 25% reported no effect on QoL. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the significant long term morbidity suffered by OA patients as children and into adulthood and suggest the need for quality transitional care. The patient designed and reported nature of the study gives a unique perspective to the results and emphasizes the benefits of collaboration

Embryogenesis in Sedum acre L.: structural and immunocytochemical aspects of suspensor development

The changes in the formation of both the actin and the microtubular cytoskeleton during the differentiation of the embryo-suspensor in Sedum acre were studied in comparison with the development of the embryo-proper. The presence and distribution of the cytoskeletal elements were examined ultrastructurally and with the light microscope using immunolabelling and rhodamine-phalloidin staining. At the globular stage of embryo development extensive array of actin filaments is present in the cytoplasm of basal cell, the microfilament bundles generally run parallel to the long axis of basal cell and pass in close to the nucleus. Microtubules form irregular bundles in the cytoplasm of the basal cell. A strongly fluorescent densely packed microtubules are present in the cytoplasmic layer adjacent to the wall separating the basal cell from the first layer of the chalazal suspensor cells. At the heart-stage of embryo development, in the basal cell, extremely dense arrays of actin materials are located near the micropylar and chalazal end of the cell. At this stage of basal cell formation, numerous actin filaments congregate around the nucleus. In the fully differentiated basal cell and micropylar haustorium, the tubulin cytoskeleton forms a dense prominent network composed of numerous cross-linked filaments. In the distal region of the basal cell, a distinct microtubular cytoskeleton with numerous microtubules is observed in the cytoplasmic layer adjacent to the wall, separating the basal cell from the first layer of the chalazal suspensor cells. The role of cytoskeleton during the development of the suspensor in S. acre is discussed

Molecular analysis of the myosin gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana

Myosin is believed to act as the molecular motor for many actin-based motility processes in eukaryotes. It is becoming apparent that a single species may possess multiple myosin isoforms, and at least seven distinct classes of myosin have been identified from studies of animals, fungi, and protozoans. The complexity of the myosin heavy-chain gene family in higher plants was investigated by isolating and characterizing myosin genomic and cDNA clones from Arabidopsis thaliana . Six myosin-like genes were identified from three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products (PCR1, PCR11, PCR43) and three cDNA clones (ATM2, MYA2, MYA3). Sequence comparisons of the deduced head domains suggest that these myosins are members of two major classes. Analysis of the overall structure of the ATM2 and MYA2 myosins shows that they are similar to the previously-identified ATM1 and MYA1 myosins, respectively. The MYA3 appears to possess a novel tail domain, with five IQ repeats, a six-member imperfect repeat, and a segment of unique sequence. Northern blot analyses indicate that some of the Arabidopsis myosin genes are preferentially expressed in different plant organs. Combined with previous studies, these results show that the Arabidopsis genome contains at least eight myosin-like genes representing two distinct classes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43437/1/11103_2004_Article_BF00040695.pd

What are you hiding? Initial validation of the reaction time-based searching concealed information test

The reaction time-based concealed information test (RT-CIT) has been used to judge the veracity of an examinees claim to be naïve by using RTs to test for recognition of relevant details. Here, we explore the validity of the RT-CIT to generate new knowledge about the incident—the searching CIT. In a mock terrorism study (n = 60) the RT-CIT not only allowed to link suspects to known crime details, but also allowed to reveal new crime details well above chance. A simulation study confirms the potential of the searching RT-CIT and identifies conditions under which it performs best. We used an archival dataset that met these conditions (high CIT effect, large number of item repetitions), and found better item classification performance than in the mock terrorism study. The searching RT-CIT could be a new, promising investigative tool to reveal new (e.g., crime) details to the investigative party