Recent Decisions

Comments on recent decisions by Joseph P. Summers, William J. Luff, Jr., Thomas Kavadas, Jr., Joseph A. Marino, James J. Harrington, Cornelius J. Collins, George P. McAndrews, Richard M. Bies, George A. Pelletier, Jr., Thomas M. Clusserath, and Rocco L. Puntureri

Geotextile behavior relevant to filtering low density suspended organic particles

Presented at the 8th International Geosynthetics Conference. Yokohama, Japan.This paper describes experiments on the feasibility of using geotextiles to filter organics from runoff and combined sewer overflows. A horizontal flow permittivity test apparatus was used as a prototype to test 15cm x 20cm coupons. Non-woven, needle-punched products supported both depth (interior) and cake(surface) filtration modes. Crushed anthracite in the #100-#200 mesh range was used as an inert, replicable analogue of low density, irregularly shaped suspended particles. The AOS detected with this material differs from that measured with standard media, indicating different interaction with the geotextile pore structure.Drag forces maintained a cake on the upstream face of the filter even at low hydraulic gradients. The permittivity decreased as this coating thickened. When flow ceased, the organic cake sloughed off the upstream face of the coupon. Measurements made after several doses showed recovery of much of the original permittivity, with the loss in hydraulic capacity attributed to embedment of particles in the matrix

Combined TRPC3 and TRPC6 blockade by selective small-molecule or genetic deletion inhibits pathological cardiac hypertrophy

Chronic neurohormonal and mechanical stresses are central fea-tures of heart disease. Increasing evidence supports a role forthe transient receptor potential canonical channels TRPC3 andTRPC6 in this pathophysiology. Channel expression for both is nor-mally very low but is increased by cardiac disease, and geneticgain- or loss-of-function studies support contributions to hypertro-phy and dysfunction. Selective small-molecule inhibitors remainscarce, and none target both channels, which may be useful giventhe high homology among them and evidence of redundant sig-naling. Here we tested selective TRPC3/6 antagonists (GSK2332255Band GSK2833503A; IC50,3–21 nM against TRPC3 and TRPC6) andfound dose-dependent blockade of cell hypertrophy signaling trig-gered by angiotensin II or endothelin-1 in HEK293T cells as well as inneonatal and adult cardiac myocytes. In vivo efficacy in mice andrats was greatly limited by rapid metabolism and high protein bind-ing, although antifibrotic effects with pressure overload were ob-served. Intriguingly, although gene deletion of TRPC3 or TRPC6alone did not protect against hypertrophy or dysfunction frompressure overload, combined deletion was protective, support-ing the value of dual inhibition. Further development of thispharmaceutical class may yield a useful therapeutic agent forheart disease management.Fil: Seo, Kinya. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Rainer, Peter P.. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos. Medical University of Graz. Department of Medicine; AustriaFil: Shalkey Hahn, Virginia. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, Dong-ik. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Jo, Su-Hyun. Kangwon National University School of Medicine; Corea del Sur. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Andersen, Asger. Aarhus University Hospital. Department of Cardiology; DinamarcaFil: Liu, Ting. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Xu, Xiaoping. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Willette, Robert N.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Lepore, John J.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Marino, Joseph P.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Birnbaumer, Lutz. ational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Schnackenberg, Christine G.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Kass, David A.. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados Unido

Joint analysis of stressors and ecosystem services to enhance restoration effectiveness

With increasing pressure placed on natural systems by growing human populations, both scientists and resource managers need a better understanding of the relationships between cumulative stress from human activities and valued ecosystem services. Societies often seek to mitigate threats to these services through large-scale, costly restoration projects, such as the over one billion dollar Great Lakes Restoration Initiative currently underway. To help inform these efforts, we merged high-resolution spatial analyses of environmental stressors with mapping of ecosystem services for all five Great Lakes. Cumulative ecosystem stress is highest in near-shore habitats, but also extends offshore in Lakes Erie, Ontario, and Michigan. Variation in cumulative stress is driven largely by spatial concordance among multiple stressors, indicating the importance of considering all stressors when planning restoration activities. In addition, highly stressed areas reflect numerous different combinations of stressors rather than a single suite of problems, suggesting that a detailed understanding of the stressors needing alleviation could improve restoration planning. We also find that many important areas for fisheries and recreation are subject to high stress, indicating that ecosystem degradation could be threatening key services. Current restoration efforts have targeted high-stress sites almost exclusively, but generally without knowledge of the full range of stressors affecting these locations or differences among sites in service provisioning. Our results demonstrate that joint spatial analysis of stressors and ecosystem services can provide a critical foundation for maximizing social and ecological benefits from restoration investments. www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1213841110/-/DCSupplementa

The Grizzly, December 15, 1986

Letters: Appeal for Artists; Use Common Sense in Regard to Smoke Alarms; Abortion Issue Spawns Another Challenge • Weeding Out the Weak at Musser • After a Prosperous Decade as President, Richter Reflects on his Life at Ursinus • Wrestling Wraps Up Winter With Albright White-Washing • Swimmin\u27 Women get a Trimmin\u27 • Varsity Hoopsters Even Season • All-American Avenue: Football\u27s Odgers; Field Hockey\u27s Johnson; Volleyball\u27s Kraszewski • Gymnastics Team Scores High in Season Opener • Letters: Court Conditions Cause Day\u27s Resignation; Coaching Cited as B-ball\u27s Achilles Heel • Students Able to Create Their Own Courses by Way of College Scholars Program • Going From Bare Douglas Fir to Santa\u27s Showplace • Tumarkin Gives Personal View of his Aggressive Couple • Ursinus\u27 Oldest Symbol • Kutztown Edges Lady-Bears • Weisel Given Peace Prize for Reminding World of the Nazi Horrors • David Marx Tells of Life Under Apartheid • Cub & Key / Sororities\u27 Phonathons • Promoting International Education at Ursinushttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1178/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, October 31, 1986

NCAA Drug Tests Bar All but Natural Highs • History in the Making: U.C. Hosts 1st Big Rock Concert Since Hooters \u2782 • Heefner Organ Pumps New Life Into Founder\u27s Day Rites • Letter: It\u27s All in Your Point of View • Hess Encourages Financial Aid Applicants • Jazzing It Up With Branker • Scope of New Course Broadens Science Offerings • Fear of Mosquitoes and Sex? AIDS Expert Tells What\u27s Next • Akin Follows Losing Teams; Laments Vanished Baseball Dream • C & C to Focus on Scientific and Economic Ideologies • Despite Bad Food and Lack of Beer Freshman Say, We Like It Here. • Grizzlies Clash with Stubborn Mules After Kicking Away at G-burg and \u27Nova • Lady Sticklers Stuck at 8-7 After St. Joe\u27s Loss • Sox Go Home Sans Joy Red Cross(e) Knight Named Series MVP • O\u27Donohue and Haux Power Lady Runners to PAIAW Championship • Ursinus Harries Race to a 5-0 Start • Volleyball\u27s Doleniak Back in Action • Win a VCR. Put Your Foot Where Your Mouth ishttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1173/thumbnail.jp

Prevalence, incidence and associated risk factors of STIs during pregnancy in South Africa

OBJECTIVE : STIs during pregnancy increase adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes and may increase HIV risk. STI syndromic management is standard of care in South Africa. Our study evaluated the prevalence and incidence of STIs in pregnant women and the associated risk factors. METHODS : We combined data from two prospective observational studies of pregnant women enrolled while attending their first antenatal clinic (ANC) visit in Tshwane District and Cape Town. Women ≥18 years were tested at first ANC visit and at their first postpartum visit for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoea and Trichomonas vaginalis using Xpert assays (Cepheid, USA). We evaluated the prevalence and incidence of STI and the associated risk factors using multivariable regression models. RESULTS : We enrolled 669 pregnant women, 64% (n=427) from Tshwane District and 36% (n=242) from Cape Town; 80% (n=534) were women living with HIV (WLHIV) and 20% (n=135) without HIV. At enrolment, 37% (n=250) were diagnosed with at least one STI, of which 76% (n=190) were asymptomatic. STI prevalence was 40% (n=213) in WLHIV and 27% (n=37) in women without HIV (p=0.01). Baseline STI infection was associated with younger age (OR=0.95 per year, 95%CI 0.92 to 0.98), higher gestational age (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.03 per week, 95%CI 1.00 to 1.05), single relationship status (aOR=1.53, 95%CI 1.09 to 2.15) and HIV status (aOR=1.86, 95%CI 1.17 to 2.95). Of 419 participants with no STI at baseline, 21 had an incident STI during follow-up, with a mean follow-up time of 140 days. The incidence rate of STI during pregnancy and early post-partum was 15 infections per 100 women years (95%CI 9 to 23). Younger age was associated with STI incidence. CONCLUSION : Our study shows high prevalence and incidence of STIs in pregnancy, especially in WLHIV, demonstrating the need for STI screening in ANC to prevent adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Most STI cases were asymptomatic and would have gone untreated with syndromic management. Aetiological STI screening is urgently needed to reduce the burden of STIs in pregnancy.The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); the National Institutes of Health and Fogarty International Center; the National Institute of Mental Health and Cepheid (California, USA).https://sti.bmj.com/Medical Microbiolog

Impact of aetiological screening of sexually transmitted infections during pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes in South Africa

Background Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during pregnancy may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. STI syndromic management is standard of care in South Africa but has its limitations. We evaluated the impact of diagnosing and treating curable STIs during pregnancy on adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Methods We combined data from two prospective studies of pregnant women attending public sector antenatal care (ANC) clinics in Tshwane District and Cape Town, South Africa. Pregnant women were enrolled, tested and treated for STIs. We evaluated the association between any STI at the first ANC visit and a composite adverse pregnancy outcome (miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, early neonatal death, or low birthweight) using modified Poisson regression models, stratifying by HIV infection and adjusting for maternal characteristics. Results Among 619 women, 61% (n = 380) were from Tshwane District and 39% (n = 239) from Cape Town; 79% (n = 486) were women living with HIV. The prevalence of any STI was 37% (n = 228); C. trachomatis, 26% (n = 158), T. vaginalis, 18% (n = 120) and N. gonorrhoeae, 6% (n = 40). There were 93% (n = 574) singleton live births, 5% (n = 29) miscarriages and 2% (n = 16) stillbirths. Among the live births, there were 1% (n = 3) neonatal deaths, 7% (n = 35) low birthweight in full-term babies and 10% (n = 62) preterm delivery. There were 24% (n = 146) for the composite adverse pregnancy outcome. Overall, any STI diagnosis and treatment at first ANC visit was not associated with adverse outcomes in women living with HIV (adjusted relative risk (aRR); 1.43, 95% CI: 0.95–2.16) or women without HIV (aRR; 2.11, 95% CI: 0.89–5.01). However, C. trachomatis (aRR; 1.57, 95% CI: 1.04–2.39) and N. gonorrhoeae (aRR; 1.69, 95% CI: 1.09–3.08), were each independently associated with the composite adverse outcome in women living with HIV. Conclusion Treated STIs at the first ANC visit were not associated with adverse pregnancy outcome overall. In women living with HIV, C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae at first ANC were each independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Our results highlights complex interactions between the timing of STI detection and treatment, HIV infection and pregnancy outcomes, which warrants further investigation

Resistance to autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease in an APOE3 Christchurch homozygote: a case report.

We identified a PSEN1 (presenilin 1) mutation carrier from the world's largest autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease kindred, who did not develop mild cognitive impairment until her seventies, three decades after the expected age of clinical onset. The individual had two copies of the APOE3 Christchurch (R136S) mutation, unusually high brain amyloid levels and limited tau and neurodegenerative measurements. Our findings have implications for the role of APOE in the pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease