Old Remedies in the Biotechnology Age: Moore v. Regents

The California Supreme Court, by excluding a potential remedy, has eliminated many concerns generated by a lower court decision resolving rights to the cell line derived from John Moore\u27s spleen. Yet, the Supreme Court gave little attention to remedies that remain. The authors argue that a constructive trust, a remedy of considerable vintage and great flexibility, could be applied to achieve a just result in such circumstances without affecting the biotechnology world at large

QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) Extraction – Gas Chromatography for the Analysis of Drugs

QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) is an extraction technique developed by Anastassiades and co-workers initially for the extraction of veterinary drugs from animal tissue. Since its inception, it was discovered that this method is particularly adept for the extraction of polar and basic compounds, thus the majority of research previously performed using QuEChERS involves the extraction of pesticides from various matrices, especially fruits, vegetables, and other food products. Combining a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and a dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) clean up, QuEChERS provides a clean sample for analysis by gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) and is commonly used for samples with complex matrices. The goal of this work was to expand the research that has been previously performed using QuEChERS, particularly in the area of GC analysis by exploring both the fundamental chemistry involved in the method as well as expanding its applications. The first original portion of the research performed involved investigating the chemistry in QuEChERS using a model study, the extraction of caffeine from tea. QuEChERS parameters have been optimized in the past but those optimized parameters have yet to be studied in depth to provide a deeper understanding of the chemistry involved in both the LLE and d-SPE portions of the method. Study parameters such as pH, salt amount and type, solvent amount and type, temperature, extraction kinetics, and the partition coefficient of the final optimized method were evaluated. The findings from studying these parameters were then applied to several original applications performed during the entirety of this research, including the extraction of glucocorticoids from water and herbal medicinal products using gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the extraction of hormones from water using GC-MS/MS and GCxGC-TOFMS including a comparison of QuEChERS to solid phase microextraction (SPME) using GC-MS/MS, and finally the extraction of drugs of abuse from synthetic urine

The Friendship Quality of Overtly and Relationally Victimized Children

This study examines links between overt and relational victimization and the quality of children’s best friendships. Third-grade through fifth-grade children completed measures in the fall (n = 675) and spring (n = 620). There were strong concurrent associations between both types of victimization and friendship quality. Controlling for aggression, higher levels of overt victimization were associated with more conflict and less security and closeness with friends in the fall and less companionship in the spring. Higher levels of relational victimization were associated with more conflictual friendships. Children with very close friendships and conflict-ridden friendships reported more relational victimization. Overt victimization was predicted by a low level of security and a high level of help. In longitudinal analyses, children who reported low levels of help in the fall experienced increases in relational victimization over the year. None of these effects was moderated by gender. Finally, the timing (rather than the duration) of victimization was most related to friendship quality. These findings point to the importance of considering the different interpersonal antecedents and consequences of relational victimization when compared with overt victimization

Maximising health literacy and client recall of clinical information: An exploratory study of clients and speech-language pathologists

Limited research has been carried out in the field of speech-language pathology with regard to ways of maximising health literacy and client recall. However, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently provide vast amounts of information that clients need to understand, apply and review in order to manage their (or their child’s) health. This exploratory study aimed to contribute information about ways in which SLPs can overcome low health literacy and poor client recall so that treatment effectiveness is improved. A case-study design was used with specific focus on four clients receiving treatment for dysphagia, voice disorders (including laryngectomies) and cleft lip and/or palate management in Cape Town. Strategies which may be able to maximise health literacy and client recall of clinical information were trialled and evaluated by clients and their SLPs, using semi-structured interviews. The researchers proposed a combination of high-tech strategies which assisted in all the cases. No single solution or universal tool was found that would be appropriate for all. There is a need to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the combined strategies across a wider population, at different stages of rehabilitation and in diverse contexts. Implications and suggestions for future related research are presented

Soluble levels of receptor for advanced glycation endproducts and dysfunctional high-density lipoprotein in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus: ACTG NWCS332.

The role of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) function and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in HIV-related atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unclear. Both glycation and oxidation (HDLox) are major modifications of HDL that can alter its composition and function. Therefore, we explored the longitudinal association of HDLox with progression of glycation, as evaluated by measurement of circulating forms of receptor for AGE that predict morbidity (soluble Receptors for Advanced Glycation Endproducts [sRAGE], endogenous secretory Receptors for Advanced Glycation Endproducts [esRAGE]), in people with HIV-1 (PWH; HIV-1) and uninfected (HIV-1) individuals.We retrospectively assessed if levels of plasma sRAGE and esRAGE and HDL function (reduced antioxidant function is associated with increased HDL lipid hydroperoxide content; HDLox) in a subset of participants (n = 80) from a prospective 3-year study (AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5078). Primary outcomes were baseline and yearly rates of change over 96 of 144 weeks (Δ) in HDLox in HIV-1 versus uninfected HIV-1 controls (noted as HIV-1).Higher baseline levels of sRAGE in PWH on effective anti-retroviral therapy and with low CVD risk, but not in HIV-1 persons, were independently associated with higher HDLox. EsRAGE, but not sRAGE, had consistent inverse relationships with ΔHDLox in both HIV-1 and HIV-1 persons at baseline. In HIV-1 but not in HIV-1 persons, ΔHDLox had positive and inverse relationships with ΔRAGE and ΔesRAGE, respectively.Glycation and oxidation of HDL may contribute to impaired HDL function present in PWH

Acoustic positioning and tracking in Portsmouth Harbour, New Hampshire

Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire, is frequently used as a testing area for multibeam and sidescan sonars, and is the location of numerous ground-truthing studies. Having the ability to accurately position underwater sensors is an important aspect of this type of work. However, underwater positioning in Portsmouth Harbor is challenging. It is relatively shallow, approximately one kilometer wide with depths of less than 25 meters. There is mixing between fresh river water and seawater, which is intensified by high currents and strong tides. This causes a very complicated spatial and temporal sound speed structure. Solutions that use the time-of-arrival of an acoustic pulse to estimate range will require very precise knowledge of the travel paths of the signal in order to separate out issues of multipath arrivals. An alternative solution is to use the phase measurements between closely spaced hydrophones to measure the bearing of an acoustic pinger. By using two bearing measurement devices that are widely separated, the intersection of the two bearings can be used to position the pinger. The advantage of this approach is that the sound speed only needs to be known at the location of the phase measurements. Both time-of-arrival and phase difference systems may encounter difficulties arising from horizontal refraction due to spatially varying sound speed. To ascertain which solution would be optimal in Portsmouth Harbor, the time-of-arrival and phase measurement approaches are being examined individually. Initial field tests have been conducted using a 40 kHz signal to look at bearing accuracy. Using hydrophones that are spaced 2/3 wavelengths apart, the bearing accuracy was found to be 1.25deg for angles up to 20deg from broadside with signal to noise ratios (SNR) greater than 15 dB. The results from the closely spaced hydrophones were used to resolve phase ambiguities, allowing finer bearing measurements to be made between hydrophones spaced 5 wavelengths apart. The fi- ne bearing measurements resulted in a bearing accuracy of 0.3deg for angles up to 20deg from broadside with SNR greater than 15 dB. Field tests planned for summer 2007 will include a more detailed investigation of how the environmental influences affect each of the measurement types including range, signal to noise ratio, currents, and sound speed structure

Assoziationsstudie zu MSX 1 bei nicht-syndromassoziierten LKGS-Spalten am Jenaer Krankengut

Die Lippen-Kiefer-Gaumen-Segelspalten (LKGS-Spalten) stellen die häufigste angeborene operationspflichtige Fehlbildung des Menschen dar. Trotzdem ist ihre kausale Genese – insbesondere die der nichtsyndrom-assoziierten LKGS-Spalten – nach wie vor nicht geklärt. Zur Zeit geht man von einem multifaktoriellen System mit additiver Polygenie mit Schwellenwerteffekt aus, wobei genetischen Faktoren in der Ätiologie der größte Stellenwert zukommt. Eines der möglicherweise mitverantwortlichen Gene ist MSX1. Verschiedene Studien an transgenen Mäusen sowie an humanen Stichproben weisen auf eine Mitbeteiligung dieses Gens an der Entstehung von LKGS-Spalten hin. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war anhand einer Fall-Kontroll-Studie eine mögliche Assoziation von MSX1 zu LKGS-Spalten für unsere Stichprobe zu eruieren. Letztendlich konnten wir die positiven Ergebnisse früherer Studien nicht bestätigen

Is It Lawful and Ethical to Prioritize Racial Minorities for COVID-19 Vaccines?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disproportionately affected racial minorities in the United States resulting in higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death. With a limited supply after the initial approval of a safe and effective vaccine, difficult legal and ethical choices will have to be made on priority access for individuals. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has recommended prioritization of racial minorities who are “worse off” socioeconomically and epidemiologically. TheWorld Health Organization (WHO) similarly cautioned that “colorblind” allocation frameworks could perpetuate or exacerbate existing injustices. Both NASEM and WHO urge policy makers to allocate vaccines in ways that reduce unjust health disparities. The ethics and legality of race-based policies in the United States have been fraught with controversy. This Viewpoint considers how COVID-19 vaccine priority allocations could be implemented ethically and legally