Anatomy of Soft Tissues of the Spinal Canal

Background and Objectives. Important issues regarding the spread of solutions in the epidural space and the anatomy of the site of action of spinal and epidural injections are unresolved. However, the detailed anatomy of the spinal canal has been incompletely determined. We therefore examined the microscopic anatomy of the spinal canal soft tissues, including relationships to the canal walls. Methods. Whole mounts were prepared of decalcified vertebral columns with undisturbed contents from three adult humans. Similar material was prepared from a macaque and baboon immediately on death to control for artifact of tissue change after death. Other tissues examined included nerve root and proximal spinal nerve complex and dorsal epidural fat obtained during surgery. Slides were examined by light microscopy at magnifications of 10-40×. Results. There is no fibrous tissue in the epidural space. The epidural fat is composed of uniform cells enclosed in a fine membrane. The dorsal fat is only attached to the canal wall in the dorsal midline and is often tenuously attached to the dura. The dura is joined to the canal wall only ventrally at the discs. Veins are evident predominantly in the ventral epidural space. Nerve roots are composed of multiple fascicles which disperse as they approach the dorsal root ganglion. An envelope of arachnoid encloses the roots near the site of exit from the dura. Conclusions. These features of the fat explain its semifluid consistency. Lack of substantial attachments to the dura facilitate movement of the dura relative to the canal wall and allow distribution of injected solution. Fibrous barriers are an unlikely explanation for asymmetric epidural anesthesia, but the midline fat could impede solution spread. Details of nerve-root structure and their envelope of pia-arachnoid membrane may be relevant to anesthetic action

A Further Empirical Investigation into “Up To” Advertising Claims: The “As Low As” Claim

For many years the Federal Trade Commission has sought to prevent deceptive advertising under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC’s focus has encompassed not only false advertising claims, but also advertising claims that, while literally true, tend to deceive consumers. “Up to” claims fall under this scrutiny since they can be misunderstood as promising consumer benefits (e.g. “up to 50% savings”) that might not be realized by all consumers. This paper presents the results of research conducted with 600+ members of a commercial consumer panel to evaluate a variant of this type of claim, the “As Low As” claim, and to extend prior research by examining how interpretation of the claim varies with audience characteristics. Implications for advertising practitioners are discussed

Inference of single-cell phylogenies from lineage tracing data using Cassiopeia.

The pairing of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing with massively parallel single-cell readouts now enables large-scale lineage tracing. However, the rapid growth in complexity of data from these assays has outpaced our ability to accurately infer phylogenetic relationships. First, we introduce Cassiopeia-a suite of scalable maximum parsimony approaches for tree reconstruction. Second, we provide a simulation framework for evaluating algorithms and exploring lineage tracer design principles. Finally, we generate the most complex experimental lineage tracing dataset to date, 34,557 human cells continuously traced over 15 generations, and use it for benchmarking phylogenetic inference approaches. We show that Cassiopeia outperforms traditional methods by several metrics and under a wide variety of parameter regimes, and provide insight into the principles for the design of improved Cas9-enabled recorders. Together, these should broadly enable large-scale mammalian lineage tracing efforts. Cassiopeia and its benchmarking resources are publicly available at www.github.com/YosefLab/Cassiopeia

Dyslipidemia and Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity in Alzheimer's Disease

Background. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may have a significant role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Modifiable factors associated with BBB function may have therapeutic implication. This study tested the hypothesis that dyslipidemia is associated with BBB impairment in mild-to-moderate AD. Methods. Thirty-six subjects with AD were followed for 1 year. Fasting CSF and plasma were collected with clinical assessments at baseline and 12 months. BBB impairment was defined as CSF albumin index ≥9. Independent t-tests and linear regression assessed the relationship between plasma lipoproteins and BBB integrity. Results. Dyslipidemia was prevalent in 47% of the population, and in 75% of those with BBB impairment. Subjects with BBB impairment had significantly higher mean plasma triglyceride and lower HDL cholesterol (TG, P = 0.007; HDL, P = 0.043). Plasma triglycerides explained 22% of the variance in BBB integrity and remained significant after controlling for age, gender, ApoE-4 genotype, blood pressure, and statin use. Conclusion. Dyslipidemia is more prevalent in AD subjects with BBB impairment. Plasma triglyceride and HDL cholesterol may have a role in maintaining BBB integrity in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease

Ideology and the Study of Judicial Behavior

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116253/1/IdPsychLaw.pd