Alien Registration- Atkinson, Laura (Limestone, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/35229/thumbnail.jp

Does FDG-PET/MR offer a similar diagnostic performance to FDG-PET/CT, and therefore, offer a comparable whole-body staging examination in patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's lymphoma?

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityPurpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of simultaneous FDG-PET/MR compared to FDG-PET/CT in non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Methods: This cross-sectional study included fifteen patients with a confirmed diagnosis of NHL or HL who had completed a clinical FDG-PET/CT and a same day research FDG-PET/MR. SUVmax for FDG-avid lesions were measured for each imaging modality, as well as ADC from FDG-PET/MR. Strength of correlation between variables was measured using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rs). The overall radiation exposure dose was also calculated for a clinical FDG-PET/CT and compared to the radiation dose level remaining at time of FDG-PET/MR. Results: Thirty-seven concordant FDG-avid lesions were identified on both PET/CT and PET/MR imaging. SUVmax from FDG-PET/MR versus FDG-PET/CT demonstrated a strongly positive correlation (rs=0.84 (0.71, 0.92); p<0.0001). There was no correlation found between ADCmin and SUVmax from FDG- PET/MR (r=0.35(-0.07, 0.66); p=0.09). The overall radiation exposure from one FDG-PET/CT was 24.07±6.06mSv (range: 17.67-33.84mSv) compared to the decay-corrected radiation dose at FDG-PET/MR (2.87±0.92mSv (range: 1.86- 5.90mSv)). Conclusion: FDG-PET/MR offers a comparable whole body staging examination with an improved radiation safety profile in NHL and HL patients when based on the maximum standardized uptake value

What I'm doing is really working in the language arts with the kids, teacher knowledge, teacher change, and the construction of teaching practice for reading and writing

The educational change that makes the most difference to student outcomes is the instructional change that occurs in the practice of the classroom teacher. New ideas in education influence innovative practice and new curricular methods before they are implemented in classrooms. This study examined how such curricular changes have made their way into the teaching of reading and writing in upper elementary classrooms--grades three to six--by a retrospective examination of the teaching histories, the thinking, and reflections on change, of twelve long-service teachers (and one first-year teacher) and their current responses to demands for change. Two eras of instructional change in the language arts in Manitoba were of interest: the move to whole language instruction in reading from the late 1970's to the late 1980's; and the move to process writing methods from the late 1980's to the mid 1990's. Teacher interviews were audiotaped and the transcripts of interviews analyzed for several themes: the nature of teacher knowledge and its acquisition; the influence of personal reading and writing experiences on teachers' practice; underlying theories of literacy acquisition; beliefs about literacy learning and instruction; and the testing and adoption of new instructional ideas. Analysis of the interview data yielded the following conclusions: (1) The teachers' valued practical methods o er theory in relation to their practice in teaching reading and writing. (2) The teachers valued practical knowledge that they had gained through classroom teaching experience. (3) These teachers' own, widely varying experiences as readers and writers were the greatest influences in shaping their teaching practices in reading and writing. (4) The teachers' beliefs about reading and writing acquisition were approaching current ideas in the field. They have adopted some but not all of the essential practices in whole language and process writing instruction. (5) The teachers did not describe recent changes in theories of language and literacy and relate them to reading and writing instruction. They described changes that they have implemented in methods of instruction. (6) They have made changes where they have been able to make practical trials of new methods that they thought likely to succeed. (7) Their preferred source of ideas for change was their own experience and some practical trials in collaboration with colleagues and students. Implications for teacher education and professional development are also explored

A real-time PCR-based assay for detection of Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in blood and mosquitoes

We developed and evaluated real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for detecting Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in human blood and in mosquitoes. An assay based on detection of the W. bancrofti “LDR” repeat DNA sequence was more sensitive than an assay for Wolbachia 16S rDNA. The LDR-based assay was sensitive for detecting microfilarial DNA on dried membrane filters or on filter paper. We also compared real-time PCR with conventional PCR (C-PCR) for detecting W. bancrofti DNA in mosquito samples collected in endemic areas in Egypt and Papua New Guinea. Although the two methods had comparable sensitivity for detecting filarial DNA in reference samples, real-time PCR was more sensitive than C-PCR in practice with field samples. Other advantages of real-time PCR include its high-throughput capacity and decreased risk of cross-contamination between test samples. We believe that real-time PCR has great potential as a tool for monitoring progress in large-scale filariasis elimination programs

Genetic characterisation of post harvest spoilage in lettuce

Post harvest discolouration in lettuce is an increasingly important problem due to the shift in the market for prepacked processed salads. Variation in post harvest discolouration was recorded in a lettuce diversity set of 28 accessions representative of the lettuce genepool. The parents of the WHRI lettuce mapping population, Saladin and Iceberg were included in the diversity set. They showed significantly different responses for discolouration and the difference between them was representative of a major part of the variation seen in the diversity set. F7 RILs derived from a cross between Saladin and Iceberg were suitable for genetic analysis of post harvest discolouration. As a precursor to the genetic analysis, a good quality linkage map based on the F7 Sal x Ice population was generated. Significant genetic variation in the post harvest response was demonstrated for these RILs. Twenty-one significant QTL were identified for post harvest discolouration traits, and the markers linked to the QTL can be used for marker assisted selection. Significant but weak correlations were recorded between discolouration and important agronomic traits, however as these were not highly correlated this means that post harvest discolouration and agronomic traits can generally be independently selected for by breeders without having to compromise on other traits. Research was also initiated to understand the metabolic changes underlying the phenotype change. Significant variation in levels of metabolites related to post harvest discolouration including phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and total phenolic content (TPC) was observed in RILs with extreme phenotypes. The differences in metabolite levels were significantly correlated with the discolouration phenotypes. Work was also initiated to identify candidate genes associated with the biosynthetic pathway responsible for discolouration (phenylpropanoid pathway) in an attempt to identify genes underlying QTL. Twenty-three genes have been placed on the Sal x Ice map using comparative genomic approaches. Some of these co-locate within the region of a discolouration QTL and are therefore candidate genes for the QTL effect. Mutants with altered post harvest discolouration phenotypes were also confirmed in this study; however the point of mutation could not be identified although it is thought to be downstream of PPO. This indicates that a desired phenotype with reduced levels of post harvest discolouration can be achieved by two approaches to breeding; using natural and induced variation. This study has provided the tools and knowledge to do this

The dichotomy of the application of a systems approach in UK healthcare: the challenges and priorities for implementation

There is increasing demand for a systems approach within national healthcare guidelines to provide a systematic and sustainable framework for improvements in patient safety. Supported by this is the growing body of evidence within Human Factors/Ergonomics (HFE) healthcare literature for the inclusion of this approach in health service design, provision and evaluation. This paper considers the current interpretation of this within UK healthcare systems and the dichotomy which exists in the challenge to implement a systems approach. Three case studies, from primary and secondary care, present a systems approach, offering a novel perspective of primary care and blood sampling. These provide practical illustrations of how HFE methods have been used in collaboration with healthcare staff to understand the system for the purpose of professional education, design and safety of clinical activities. The paper concludes with the challenge for implementation and proposes five roles for systems HFE to support patient safety

International meta-analysis of PTSD genome-wide association studies identifies sex- and ancestry-specific genetic risk loci.

The risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma is heritable, but robust common variants have yet to be identified. In a multi-ethnic cohort including over 30,000 PTSD cases and 170,000 controls we conduct a genome-wide association study of PTSD. We demonstrate SNP-based heritability estimates of 5-20%, varying by sex. Three genome-wide significant loci are identified, 2 in European and 1 in African-ancestry analyses. Analyses stratified by sex implicate 3 additional loci in men. Along with other novel genes and non-coding RNAs, a Parkinson's disease gene involved in dopamine regulation, PARK2, is associated with PTSD. Finally, we demonstrate that polygenic risk for PTSD is significantly predictive of re-experiencing symptoms in the Million Veteran Program dataset, although specific loci did not replicate. These results demonstrate the role of genetic variation in the biology of risk for PTSD and highlight the necessity of conducting sex-stratified analyses and expanding GWAS beyond European ancestry populations

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Rhinovirus-16 increases ATP release in A549 cells without concomitant increase in production

Human rhinovirus (RV) is the most common cause of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and chronic airway disease exacerbation. Cough is present in 50–80% of URTI cases, accompanied by heightened airway hypersensitivity, yet no effective treatment currently exists for this infectious cough. The mechanism by which RV causes cough and airway hypersensitivity in URTI is still unknown despite recent advances in potential therapies for chronic cough.The effect of RV-16 infection (MOI 1) on intracellular ATP stores and ATP release in A549 alveolar epithelial cells was measured.RV-16 infection was found to significantly increase (by 50% from basal at 24 h) followed by decrease (by 50% from basal at 48 and 72 h) intracellular ATP concentrations, while increasing ATP release (from 72 h) independently of secondary stimulation. This effect was mimicked by intercellular adhesion molecule 1 receptor binding alone through ultraviolet-inactivated sham control. In addition, RV-16-infected cells became more sensitive to secondary stimulation with both hypotonic and isotonic solutions, suggestive of a hypersensitive response. These responses were not mediated via increased TRPV4 or pannexin-1 whole-cell expression as determined by Western blotting. Interestingly, the increased ATP release seen was not a result of increased mitochondrial ATP production.Thus, this is the first report demonstrating that RV-16 infection of airway epithelial cells causes hypersensitivity by increasing ATP release. These finding provide a novel insight into the process by which viruses may cause cough and identify a potential target for treatment of viral and post-viral cough