Isolated Large Glenoid Fracture in Acute Glenohumeral Dislocation in the Elderly: A Novel Indication for Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty

Case: Two elderly males presented with traumatic shoulder dislocation and bony Bankart fracture consisting of greater than 25% of the glenoid width. Due to several concomitant factors such as polytrauma, activity level, rotator cuff pathology, optimization of comorbidities, risk of complications, and potential for revision surgery, the patients were treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). Conclusion: RSA may be a satisfactory treatment option for isolated, large glenoid fractures associated with anterior glenohumeral instability in the elderly. These patients are susceptible to rapid deconditioning with prolonged immobilization and may not be medically suited to undergo the prolonged recovery period associated with open reduction internal fixation or potentially undergo revision operations

Clustering in 18O - absolute determination of branching ratios via high-resolution particle spectroscopy

The determination of absolute branching ratios for high-energy states in light nuclei is an important and useful tool for probing the underlying nuclear structure of individual resonances: for example, in establishing the tendency of an excited state towards α -cluster structure. Difficulty arises in measuring these branching ratios due to similarities in available decay channels, such as ( 18 O, n ) and ( 18 O, 2 n ), as well as differences in geometric efficiencies due to population of bound excited levels in daughter nuclei. Methods are presented using Monte Carlo techniques to overcome these issues

The contribution of OCTN1/2 variants within the IBD5 locus to disease susceptibility and severity in Crohn's disease

Background and Aims: Recent data suggest that polymorphisms in the organic cation transporter (OCTN) genes OCTN1 (SLC22A4) and OCTN2 (SLC22A5) represent disease-causing mutations within the IBD5 locus (chromosome 5q31). We investigated associations with disease susceptibility, phenotype, and evidence for epistasis with CARD15 in 679 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: A total of 374 patients with CD, 305 patients with UC, and 294 healthy controls (HCs) were studied. Genotyping for single nucleotide polymorphisms IGR2096, IGR2198, and IGR2230, OCTN1 variant (SLC22A4 1672C→T), and OCTN2 variant (SLC22A5 −207G→C) was performed using the TaqMan system. Results: The IBD5 OCTN1 and OCTN2 polymorphisms were in strong linkage disequilibrium (D′, >0.959). IGR2198 variant allele frequency (49.1% vs 40.8%; P = .0046) and homozygosity (21% vs 14.8%; P = .044) were associated with CD versus HCs. Variant allelic frequency of OCTN1 (53.6% vs 43%; P = .0008) and OCTN2 (56.1% vs 48.4%; P = .0092) polymorphisms and homozygosity for the OCTN1/2-TC haplotype (28.4% vs 16%; P = .0042) were associated with CD versus HCs. IGR2198 homozygosity and TC homozygosity were associated with stricturing/penetrating disease at follow-up (P = .011 and P = .011, respectively) and disease progression (P = .038 and P = .049, respectively) on univariate analysis and with need for surgery on multivariate analysis (P = .016 and P = .004, respectively). In the absence of the IBD5 risk haplotype, no association of OCTN1/2 variants with CD was detected. No associations were seen with UC. Conclusions: The IBD5 locus influences susceptibility, progression, and need for surgery in CD. However, the contribution of OCTN1/2 variants is not independent of the IBD5 haplotype; a causative role for these genes remains plausible but is not yet proven. Further genetic, functional, and expression data are now required. </p

Ternatin and improved synthetic variants kill cancer cells by targeting the elongation factor-1A ternary complex.

Cyclic peptide natural products have evolved to exploit diverse protein targets, many of which control essential cellular processes. Inspired by a series of cyclic peptides with partially elucidated structures, we designed synthetic variants of ternatin, a cytotoxic and anti-adipogenic natural product whose molecular mode of action was unknown. The new ternatin variants are cytotoxic toward cancer cells, with up to 500-fold greater potency than ternatin itself. Using a ternatin photo-affinity probe, we identify the translation elongation factor-1A ternary complex (eEF1A·GTP·aminoacyl-tRNA) as a specific target and demonstrate competitive binding by the unrelated natural products, didemnin and cytotrienin. Mutations in domain III of eEF1A prevent ternatin binding and confer resistance to its cytotoxic effects, implicating the adjacent hydrophobic surface as a functional hot spot for eEF1A modulation. We conclude that the eukaryotic elongation factor-1A and its ternary complex with GTP and aminoacyl-tRNA are common targets for the evolution of cytotoxic natural products

Combining Citizen Science with Traditional Biotic Surveys to Enhance Knowledge Regarding the Natural History of Secretive Species: Notes on the Geographic Distribution and Status of the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) in the Cumberland Mountains of Virginia, USA

The Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) is a secretive, arboreal cliff specialist distributed discontinuously across the southern and central Appalachian Mountains, USA. While intensively studied in some parts of its range in the Appalachian Plateau&nbsp; and Blue Ridge Provinces, the distribution of A. aeneus is still poorly understood, particularly in the Cumberland Mountains physiographic province of the Appalachian region. This data deficiency is partly the result of a lack of formal historic surveys across this region, coupled with a high amount of privately owned land that is inaccessible to traditional biotic surveys. We used a combination of citizen science efforts and traditional field surveys to investigate the distribution and status of A. aeneus across the Cumberland Mountains of southwestern Virginia, USA. Local landowners and outdoor recreation enthusiasts reported a relatively high rate of encounters with A. aeneus, verifying the species’ persistence at four historic localities and leading to the discovery of 36 previously unknown populations. Although we are cautious about making inferences about the true conservation status of A. aeneus across this region given the scarcity of current data, these findings suggest that the distribution of A. aeneus in Virginia has been vastly underestimated and that expanded monitoring programs are needed to further ascertain this species’ status. More broadly, our results illustrate the utility of coupling public initiatives with more traditional field surveys to expand the biogeographic knowledge of secretive, difficult-to-study amphibian species. &nbsp