South Loup River Valley Floristics: A Survey of Selected Sites in Buffalo County, Nebraska

Originating in the Nebraska Sand Hills, the South Loup River flows 30 km north of Kearney, Nebraska and traverses the northern edge of Buffalo County as it flows eastward to its confluence with the Middle Loup River in southwestern Howard County. Several diverse plant communities are associated with the South Loup Valley, including wet-meadows, wetland/oxbows, sand prairie, and riparian forest. Over a period of 6 years (2006-2012), we surveyed representative wet meadow, wetland, and sand prairie communities. We compiled an annotated vascular plant checklist that included 324 vascular plant species of which 11 were new county records. Three species of scouring rushes (Equisetophyta) were also listed. Approximately 84.1% (276 species) were native and 15.9% (52) were exotics. The mean coefficient of conservatism (Cm) values for the wet meadow, sand prairie, and wetland sites were 3.51, 3.61, and 4.25 respectively. The floristic quality indices (FQI) were 52.42 for the wet meadow, 32.49 for the sand prairie, and 34.26 for the wetland/oxbow. Several noteworthy sedge species collected in this study were bristly sedge (Carex comosa), shoreline sedge (C. hyalinolepis), ripgut sedge (C. lacustris), and smoothcane sedge (C. laeviconica). Forbs at the west edge of their range included Sullivant’s milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) and three-seeded mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea). A major objective of our study was to substantiate the significance of the South Loup River Valley to the species richness and flora of Nebraska and the Great Plains

Sarcoid-like reaction in a patient recovering from coronavirus disease 19 pneumonia

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases continue to increase, so do the reported extrapulmonary manifestations of this disease. To date, described dermatologic manifestations of COVID-19 include pernio-like acral nodules, dengue fever–like petechiae, vesiculobullous eruptions, pityriasis rosea and viral-like exanthems, retiform purpura, and livedo reticularis.1 We describe a patient with new-onset, biopsy confirmed sarcoid-like reaction in the setting of COVID-19 pneumonia and postulate a role for this immunologic reaction in hastening disease recovery

South Loup River Valley Floristics: A Survey of Selected Sites in Buffalo County, Nebraska

Originating in the Nebraska Sand Hills, the South Loup River flows 30 km north of Kearney, Nebraska and traverses the northern edge of Buffalo County as it flows eastward to its confluence with the Middle Loup River in southwestern Howard County. Several diverse plant communities are associated with the South Loup Valley, including wet-meadows, wetland/oxbows, sand prairie, and riparian forest. Over a period of 6 years (2006-2012), we surveyed representative wet meadow, wetland, and sand prairie communities. We compiled an annotated vascular plant checklist that included 324 vascular plant species of which 11 were new county records. Three species of scouring rushes (Equisetophyta) were also listed. Approximately 84.1% (276 species) were native and 15.9% (52) were exotics. The mean coefficient of conservatism (Cm) values for the wet meadow, sand prairie, and wetland sites were 3.51, 3.61, and 4.25 respectively. The floristic quality indices (FQI) were 52.42 for the wet meadow, 32.49 for the sand prairie, and 34.26 for the wetland/oxbow. Several noteworthy sedge species collected in this study were bristly sedge (Carex comosa), shoreline sedge (C. hyalinolepis), ripgut sedge (C. lacustris), and smoothcane sedge (C. laeviconica). Forbs at the west edge of their range included Sullivant’s milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) and three-seeded mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea). A major objective of our study was to substantiate the significance of the South Loup River Valley to the species richness and flora of Nebraska and the Great Plains

Evaluation of Patients\u27 Response Toward Osteoporosis Letter Intervention Versus Phone Call Plus Letter Intervention.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of 2 interventions in prompting patients to obtain osteoporosis follow-up after a fracture. Our hypothesis was that a phone call plus letter would yield greater response toward osteoporosis evaluation versus a letter alone to patients after sustaining a fragility fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study randomized 141 patients age 50 years and older with a fragility fracture into 3 groups for comparison. Group 1 (letter only) patients received a letter 3 months after their diagnosis of fracture indicating their risk for osteoporosis and urging them to follow-up for evaluation. Group 2 (phone call plus letter) patients were contacted via phone 3 months after their diagnosis of fracture. A letter followed the phone call. Group 3 (control) patients were neither contacted via phone nor sent a letter. All groups were contacted via phone 6 months after their initial visit to determine if they followed up for evaluation. RESULTS: In group 1, 23 (52.27%) of 44 had follow-up, and 21 (47.73%) of 44 did not follow-up. In group 2, 30 (62.5%) of 48 had follow-up, and 18 (37.50%) of 48 did not follow-up. In group 3, 6 (12.24%) of 49 had some sort of follow-up, and 43 (87.76%) of 49 did not have any follow-up. A statistical significance was achieved between group 3 (control) and both groups 1 and 2 with regard to follow-up (P \u3c .0001). The results did not show a statistically significant difference between Groups 1 and 2, however, there was a trend toward improved response with a phone call plus letter (P = .321). CONCLUSION: A more personalized approach with a phone call plus follow-up letter to patients increased osteoporosis follow-up care by an additional 10%, however, this was not a statistically significant difference from just sending out a letter alone

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluations of 2,5-Diaryl-2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazoline Analogs of Combretastatin-A4

A total of 24 novel 2,5-diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazoline analogs of combretastatin A-4 (CA-4, 1) were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for biological activities. The compounds represent two structural classes; the Type I class has three methoxy groups on the A ring and the Type I I class hits a single methoxy group on the A ring. Biological evaluations demonstrate that multiple structural features control the biological potency. Four of the compounds

Novel genetic predictors of venous thromboembolism risk in African Americans.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common life-threatening cardiovascular condition in the United States, with African Americans (AAs) having a 30% to 60% higher incidence compared with other ethnicities. The mechanisms underlying population differences in the risk of VTE are poorly understood. We conducted the first genome-wide association study in AAs, comprising 578 subjects, followed by replication of highly significant findings in an independent cohort of 159 AA subjects. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between genetic variants and VTE risk. Through bioinformatics analysis of the top signals, we identified expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) in whole blood and investigated the messenger RNA expression differences in VTE cases and controls. We identified and replicated single-nucleotide polymorphisms on chromosome 20 (rs2144940, rs2567617, and rs1998081) that increased risk of VTE by 2.3-fold (P 20%) compared with other ethnic groups ( <10%). We demonstrate that SNPs on chromosome 20 are cis-eQTLs for thrombomodulin (THBD), and the expression of THBD is lower among VTE cases compared with controls (P= 9.87 × 10(-6)). We have identified novel polymorphisms associated with increased risk of VTE in AAs. These polymorphisms are predominantly found among populations of African descent and are associated with THBD gene expression. Our findings provide new molecular insight into a mechanism regulating VTE susceptibility and identify common genetic variants that increase the risk of VTE in AAs, a population disproportionately affected by this diseas