Cephalometric studies of the mandible, its masticatory muscles and vasculature of growing Göttingen Minipigs — A comparative anatomical study to refine experimental mandibular surgery

Over many decades, the Göttingen Minipig has been used as a large animal model in experimental surgical research of the mandible. Recently several authors have raised concerns over the use of the Göttingen Minipig in this research area, observing problems with post-operative wound healing and loosening implants. To reduce these complications during and after surgery and to improve animal welfare in mandibular surgery research, the present study elucidated how comparable the mandible of minipigs is to that of humans and whether these complications could be caused by specific anatomical characteristics of the minipigs’ mandible, its masticatory muscles and associated vasculature. Twenty-two mandibular cephalometric parameters were measured on CT scans of Göttingen Minipigs aged between 12 and 21 months. Ultimately, we compared this data with human data reported in the scientific literature. In addition, image segmentation was used to determine the masticatory muscle morphology and the configuration of the mandibular blood vessels. Compared to data of humans, significant differences in the mandibular anatomy of minipigs were found. Of the 22 parameters measured only four were found to be highly comparable, whilst the others were not. The 3D examinations of the minipigs vasculature showed a very prominent deep facial vein directly medial to the mandibular ramus and potentially interfering with the sectional plane of mandibular distraction osteogenesis. Damage to this vessel could result in inaccessible bleeding. The findings of this study suggest that Göttingen Minipigs are not ideal animal models for experimental mandibular surgery research. Nevertheless if these minipigs are used the authors recommend that radiographic techniques, such as computed tomography, be used in the specific planning procedures for the mandibular surgical experiments. In addition, it is advisable to choose suitable age groups and customize implants based on the mandibular dimensions reported in this study

Point Process Algorithm: A New Bayesian Approach for Planet Signal Extraction with the Terrestrial Planet Finder

The capability of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I) for planetary signal extraction, including both detection and spectral characterization, can be optimized by taking proper account of instrumental characteristics and astrophysical prior information. We have developed the Point Process Algorithm (PPA), a Bayesian technique for extracting planetary signals using the sine-chopped outputs of a dual nulling interferometer. It is so-called because it represents the system being observed as a set of points in a suitably-defined state space, thus providing a natural way of incorporating our prior knowledge of the compact nature of the targets of interest. It can also incorporate the spatial covariance of the exozodi as prior information which could help mitigate against false detections. Data at multiple wavelengths are used simultaneously, taking into account possible spectral variations of the planetary signals. Input parameters include the RMS measurement noise and the a priori probability of the presence of a planet. The output can be represented as an image of the intensity distribution on the sky, optimized for the detection of point sources. Previous approaches by others to the problem of planet detection for TPF-I have relied on the potentially non-robust identification of peaks in a "dirty" image, usually a correlation map. Tests with synthetic data suggest that the PPA provides greater sensitivity to faint sources than does the standard approach (correlation map + CLEAN), and will be a useful tool for optimizing the design of TPF-I.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. AJ in press (scheduled for Nov 2006

Highly Collimated Jets and Wide-Angle Outflows in HH46/47: New Evidence from Spitzer IR Images

We present new details of the structure and morphology of the jets and outflows in HH46/47 as seen in Spitzer infrared images from IRAC and MIPS, reprocessed using the ``HiRes'' deconvolution technique. HiRes improves the visualization of spatial morphology by enhancing resolution (to sub-arcsec levels in IRAC bands) and removing the contaminating side lobes from bright sources. In addition to sharper views of previously reported bow shocks, we have detected: (i) the sharply-delineated cavity walls of the wide-angle biconical outflow, seen in scattered light on both sides of the protostar, (ii) several very narrow jet features at distances 400 AU to 0.1 pc from the star, and, (iii) compact emissions at MIPS 24 micron coincident with the jet heads, tracing the hottest atomic/ionic gas in the bow shocks.Comment: 11 pages, 4 Figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ(Letters

Structure and age-dependent development of the turkey liver: a comparative study of a highly selected meat-type and a wild-type turkey line

In this study the macroscopic and microscopic structure of the liver of a fast growing, meat-type turkey line (British United turkeys BUT Big 6, n = 25) and a wild-type turkey line (Wild Canadian turkey, n = 48) were compared at the age of 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 wk. Because the growth plates of long bones were still detectable in the 20-week-old wild-type turkeys, indicating immaturity, a group of 8 wild-type turkeys at the age of 24 wk was included in the original scope of the study. Over the term of the study, the body and liver weights of birds from the meat-type turkey line increased at a faster rate than those of the wild-type turkey line. However, the relative liver weight of the meat-type turkeys declined (from 2.7 to 0.9%) to a greater extent than that of the wild-type turkeys (from 2.8 to 1.9%), suggesting a mismatch in development between muscle weights and liver weights of the meat-type turkeys. Signs of high levels of fat storage in the liver were detected in both lines but were greater in the wild-type turkey line, suggesting a better feed conversion by the extreme-genotype birds i.e., meat-type birds. For the first time, this study presents morphologic data on the structure and arrangement of the lymphatic tissue within the healthy turkey liver, describing two different types of lymphatic aggregations within the liver parenchyma, i.e., aggregations with and without fibrous capsules. Despite differences during development, both adult meat-type and adult wild-type turkeys had similar numbers of lymphatic aggregations

The Impact of Poor Health Behaviors on Workforce Disability

The effects of poor health habits on mortality have been studied extensively. However, few studies have examined the impact of these health behaviors on workforce disability. In the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative cohort of 6044 Americans who were between the ages of 51 and 61 and who were working in 1992, we found that both baseline smoking status and a sedentary lifestyle predict workforce disability six years later. If this relationship is causal, cost-benefit analyses of health behavior intervention that neglect workforce disability may substantially underestimate the benefits of such interventions.

Sarcospan Regulates Cardiac Isoproterenol Response and Prevents Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-Associated Cardiomyopathy.

BackgroundDuchenne muscular dystrophy is a fatal cardiac and skeletal muscle disease resulting from mutations in the dystrophin gene. We have previously demonstrated that a dystrophin-associated protein, sarcospan (SSPN), ameliorated Duchenne muscular dystrophy skeletal muscle degeneration by activating compensatory pathways that regulate muscle cell adhesion (laminin-binding) to the extracellular matrix. Conversely, loss of SSPN destabilized skeletal muscle adhesion, hampered muscle regeneration, and reduced force properties. Given the importance of SSPN to skeletal muscle, we investigated the consequences of SSPN ablation in cardiac muscle and determined whether overexpression of SSPN into mdx mice ameliorates cardiac disease symptoms associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy.Methods and resultsSSPN-null mice exhibited cardiac enlargement, exacerbated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and increased fibrosis in response to β-adrenergic challenge (isoproterenol; 0.8 mg/day per 2 weeks). Biochemical analysis of SSPN-null cardiac muscle revealed reduced sarcolemma localization of many proteins with a known role in cardiomyopathy pathogenesis: dystrophin, the sarcoglycans (α-, δ-, and γ-subunits), and β1D integrin. Transgenic overexpression of SSPN in Duchenne muscular dystrophy mice (mdx(TG)) improved cardiomyofiber cell adhesion, sarcolemma integrity, cardiac functional parameters, as well as increased expression of compensatory transmembrane proteins that mediate attachment to the extracellular matrix.ConclusionsSSPN regulates sarcolemmal expression of laminin-binding complexes that are critical to cardiac muscle function and protects against transient and chronic injury, including inherited cardiomyopathy

Who Are Our Fans: An Application of Principal Component-Cluster Technique Analysis to Market Segmentation of College Football Fans

A 66-question online marketing survey of 2,800 football fans who had purchased tickets to a Division I, Power 5 (P5) university football game was conducted in order to understand the fan base and provide better services and targeted marketing. Principal Component Analysis was employed to combine responses from multiple questions about purchase behavior, on-site satisfaction, demographics, and other criteria. Subsequent market segmentation via cluster analysis indicated that 95% of the survey respondents could be categorized into one of five clusters. The identified fan perceptions and evaluations resulted in the P5 athletic department taking specific actions to improve targeted marketing activities and enhance game-day experiences, including improving the quality and diversity of food offerings, ensuring smoother ingress and egress, offering more precise ticket packages, and targeting groups through relevant marketing channels. The current research notes the importance of utilizing precision marketing efforts to target specific clusters and then providing appropriate tangible and intangible products and services to maximize initial sales, improve fan experience, and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases

A Review of Lenalidomide in Combination with Dexamethasone for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

Lenalidomide (also known as Revlimid®, CC-5013) is an immunomodulatory derivative of thalidomide and has more potent anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects than thalidomide. The molecular mechanisms of anti-tumor activity of lenalidomide have been extensively studied in multiple myeloma (MM) both preclinical models and in clinical trials. Lenalidomide: directly triggers growth arrest and/or apoptosis of drug resistant MM cells; inhibits binding of MM cells to bone marrow (BM) extracellular matrix proteins and stromal cells; modulates cytokine secretion and inhibits angiogenesis in the BM milieu; and augments host anti-tumor immunity. Lenalidomide achieved responses in patients with relapsed refractory MM. Moreover, lenalidomide with dexamethasone (Dex) demonstrates more potent anti-MM activities than Dex both in vitro and in randomized phase III clinical trials. Specifically, the combination improved overall and extent of response, as well as prolonged time to progression and overall survival, resulting in FDA approval of lenalidomide with Dex for therapy MM relapsing after prior therapy