Individual descriptive record system

An electronic individual descriptive record system for storing the individual\u27s identification and descriptive data on a programmable electronic identification and data storage module carried with the individual so that the individual\u27s identification, the individual\u27s descriptive data and the individual itself become one. The system includes an implantable programmable electronic identification and data storage module carried by the individual, and a reading and recording device which communicates with the electronic identification and data storage module

Making Free Trade Fair

Philosophers have done very little work on what makes trade fair. Perhaps the most extensive discussion is Malgorzata Kurjanska and Mathias Risse’s article, “Fairness in Trade II: export subsidies and the fair trade movement.”2 In their article, Kurjanska and Risse consider the case for trade subsidies and the Fair Trade movement. They suggest that it is not permissible for developed countries to give their producers subsidies because doing so does not strike an appropriate balance between meeting the needs of the global poor and protecting domestic workers (Kurjanska and Risse, 2008: 34). Kurjanska and Risse also argue that the case for Fair Trade hinges, primarily, on whether or not it is part of the best development strategy for poor countries. They do not think Fair Trade is part of the best development strategy and, so, they believe purchasing Fair Trade certified goods is only acceptable because doing so does not constitute a large share of the market in traded goods. This chapter argues that the case against subsidies and Fair Trade Kurjanska and Risse present is much weaker than they make out. To the contrary, it argues that giving some subsidies and purchasing some Fair Trade certified goods may even be necessary to make trade fair. Section 11.2 starts by saying a few words about the normative framework Kurjanska and Risse adopt

The Classical Limit of Quantum Mechanics and the Fejer Sum of the Fourier Series Expansion of a Classical Quantity

In quantum mechanics, the expectation value of a quantity on a quantum state, provided that the state itself gives in the classical limit a motion of a particle in a definite path, in classical limit goes over to Fourier series form of the classical quantity. In contrast to this widely accepted point of view, a rigorous calculation shows that the expectation value on such a state in classical limit exactly gives the Fej\'{e}r's arithmetic mean of the partial sums of the Fourier series

Therapeutic distant organ effects of regional hypothermia during mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion injury

IntroductionMesenteric ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) leads to systemic inflammation and multiple organ failure in clinical and laboratory settings. We investigated the lung structural, functional, and genomic response to mesenteric IRI with and without regional intraischemic hypothermia (RIH) in rodents and hypothesized that RIH would protect the lung and preferentially modulate the distant organ transcriptome under these conditions.MethodsSprague-Dawley rats underwent sham laparotomy or superior mesenteric artery occlusion (SMAO) for 60 minutes with or without RIH. Gut temperature was maintained at 15°-20°C during SMAO, and systemic normothermia (37°C) was maintained throughout the study period. At 6 or 24 hours, lung tissue was collected for (1) histology, (2) myeloperoxidase activity, (3) bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid protein concentrations, (4) lung wet/dry ratios, and (5) total RNA isolation and hybridization to Illumina's Sentrix BeadChips (>22,000 probes) for gene expression profiling. Significantly affected genes (false discovery rate <5% and fold change ≥1.5) were linked to gene ontology (GO) terms using MAPPFinder, and hypothermia-suppressed genes were further analyzed with Pubmatrix.ResultsMesenteric IRI-induced lung injury, as evidenced by leukocyte trafficking, alveolar hemorrhage, and increased BAL protein and wet/dry ratios, and activated a proinflammatory lung transcriptome compared with sham. In contrast, rats treated with RIH exhibited lung histology, BAL protein, and wet/dry ratios similar to sham. At 6 hours, GO analysis identified 232 hypothermia-suppressed genes related to inflammation, innate immune response, and cell adhesion, and 33 hypothermia-activated genes related to lipid and amine metabolism and defense response. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction validated select array changes in top hypothermia-suppressed genes lipocalin-2 (lcn-2) and chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL-1), prominent genes associated with neutrophil activation and trafficking.ConclusionsTherapeutic hypothermia during SMAO provides distant organ protection and preferentially modulates the IRI-activated transcriptome in the rat lung. This study identifies potential novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets of mesenteric IRI and provides a platform for further mechanistic study of hypothermic protection at the cellular and subcellular level.Clinical RelevanceVisceral organ ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common clinical problem in the settings of shock, sepsis, vascular surgery, and organ transplantation and is a particularly vexing problem in the repair of complex aortic aneurysms. IRI is associated with considerable patient morbidity and mortality, for which there are virtually no therapeutic options. It systematically causes local organ injury and dysfunction, systemic inflammation, and multiple organ failure. Clinical trials investigating the efficacy of pharmacologic blockade of individual downstream inflammatory mediators in critically ill patients have been largely unsuccessful, and such studies highlight the need for novel top-down approaches, such as gene expression profiling for biologic discovery, as well as application of broader therapeutic interventions, such as targeted hypothermia. In this study, we demonstrate the potential application of visceral cooling for distant organ protection during mesenteric IRI, identify broad changes in lung gene expression under these conditions, and have elucidated potential novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for disease targeting

Rod-Shaped Microglia Morphology Is Associated with Aging in 2 Human Autopsy Series

A subtype of microglia is defined by the morphological appearance of the cells as rod-shaped. Little is known about this intriguing cell type, as there are only a few case reports describing rod-shaped microglia in the neuropathological literature. Rod-shaped microglia were shown recently to account for a substantial proportion of the microglia cells in the hippocampus of both demented and cognitively intact aged individuals. We hypothesized that aging could be a defining feature in the occurrence of rod-shaped microglia. To test this hypothesis, two independent series of autopsy cases (total n=168 cases), which covered the adult lifespan from 20 – 100+ years old, were included in the study. The presence or absence of rod-shaped microglia was scored on IBA1 immunohistochemically stained slides for the hippocampus and cortex. We found that age was one of the strongest determinants for the presence of rod-shaped microglia in the hippocampus and the cortex. We found no association with the presence of rod-shaped microglia and a self-reported history of a TBI. Alzheimer’s disease related pathology was found to influence the presence of rod-shaped microglia, but only in the parietal cortex and not in the hippocampus or temporal cortex. Future studies are warranted to determine the functional relevance of rod-shaped microglia in supporting the health of neurons in the aged brain, and the signaling processes that regulate the formation of rod-shaped microglia

Statement on imaging and pulmonary hypertension from the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI)

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is highly heterogeneous and despite treatment advances it remains a life-shortening condition. There have been significant advances in imaging technologies, but despite evidence of their potential clinical utility, practice remains variable, dependent in part on imaging availability and expertise. This statement summarizes current and emerging imaging modalities and their potential role in the diagnosis and assessment of suspected PH. It also includes a review of commonly encountered clinical and radiological scenarios, and imaging and modeling-based biomarkers. An expert panel was formed including clinicians, radiologists, imaging scientists, and computational modelers. Section editors generated a series of summary statements based on a review of the literature and professional experience and, following consensus review, a diagnostic algorithm and 55 statements were agreed. The diagnostic algorithm and summary statements emphasize the key role and added value of imaging in the diagnosis and assessment of PH and highlight areas requiring further research

Biochemical Diagnosis of a Fatal Case of Günther’s Disease in a Newborn with Hydrops Foetalis

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