A Nutrition Survey of Division II Athletes in Ohio

This study was an endeavor to delve into the discrepancies between nutrition knowledge, nutrition education, and the prevalence of these topics in collegiate athletes. Despite there being an extensive amount of research conducted on the impact on nutrition on athletic performance, there is often a lack of nutritional knowledge, among collegiate athletes (Abbey, et. al., Joint position statement). We used an electronically distributed nutrition survey (49SNKI) to assess the nutrition knowledge of Division II NCAA athletes in Ohio. When comparing participants based on whether they had completed a nutrition class or not, the research team found statistically significant differences in mean scores between the two groups. This shows that individuals who have had previous education in nutrition score better on the 49-SNKI. A solid knowledge base and professional guidance will potentially increase performance/recovery in athletes and also promote healthier eating habits and lifestyles that will have a lasting impact on athletes

438: SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF CEFEPIME INTRAVENOUS PUSH VERSUS PIGGYBACK IN GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTEREMIA

Introduction: Gram-negative infections including bacteremia are a major cause of inpatient mortality. Optimizing management is key to improving outcomes. Beta-lactams exhibit optimal antibacterial effects based on the time free concentrations exceed an organism’s minimum inhibitory concentration. Limited data exists assessing outcomes using beta-lactams as intravenous push (IVP) compared to intravenous piggyback (IVPB) in serious infections. This study’s purpose was to compare safety and efficacy of cefepime administered IVP versus IVPB in gram-negative bacteremia. Methods: This was an IRB-approved, retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized January 2014 to December 2021 and administered cefepime for \u3e48 hours for gram-negative bacteremia involving Pseudomonas aeruginosa or AmpC beta-lactamase producing bacteria. Two groups were included: one of patients who received cefepime IVPB and the second of patients who received cefepime IVP. The primary outcome was a desirability of outcome ranking (DOOR) on a five-point ordinal scale including clinical cure (no recurrent bacteremia of initial pathogen, antibiotic escalation, or 30-day in-hospital mortality) and neurologic adverse effects during cefepime treatment up to 30 days inpatient or at discharge. Secondary outcomes included antibiotic escalation, time to defervescence, vasopressor use, and in-hospital mortality. A sample of 127 patients per group provided 80% power. Data was analyzed using measures of central tendency and variability, chi-square, student’s T test, and Mann-Whitney U. Results: A total 254 patients were included with 127 per group. DOOR with clinical cure was similar between the IVPB and IVP groups (105 (82.7%) vs. 104 (81.9%); P=0.656). Escalation of therapy was the most common reason for clinical failure in both the IVPB and IVP groups (17 (13.4%) vs. 18 (14.2%); P=0.856). More patients in the IVP group required vasopressors (13 (10.2%) vs. 28 (22.0%); P=0.011). No difference was found in time to defervescence or in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: When compared to cefepime IVPB in gram-negative bacteremia, treatment with IVP showed no significant difference in instances of clinical cure or adverse effects. Further research in a more severely ill population is needed to evaluate safety and efficacy of cefepime IVPB versus IVP

MUTATIONS AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a bacterium known to target, infect, and destroy lung cells as well as connective tissues within the body. This bacterium is prevalent worldwide and has infected over a quarter of the current world population, becoming one of the most successful pathogens in history. Due to its extreme transmission rates as an airborne pathogen, MTB strains have been treated with antibiotics such as rifampicin and isoniazid, which inhibit bacterial infection in the human body. These first-round drugs remained as successful mechanisms for slowing and killing the pathogen, notably through rifampicin\u27s inhibition of RNA-polymerase and isoniazid’s ability to halt the formation of the bacterial cell wall. However, TB has proven a threat due to the recent discovery of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis strains, rendering these first-round drugs ineffective. The major objectives of the present study were to 1) review the most recent published literature on TB, 2) examine the role of mutations on antibiotic resistance in TB strains and 3) share our synthesis on the successes and challenges of TB treatment worldwide. Our research was guided through data available in the NCBI GenBank, and a review of literature. To accomplish these objectives, we reviewed relevant literature on Mycobacterium tuberculosis to collect pathophysiological data, trends in TB mutations, and present-day applications of how this disease is continually prevalent worldwide. We collected antibiotic responsive rpoB gene sequences from the National Library of Medicine’s GenBank to assess mutations specific strains of TB from four countries. We found that random mutations caused the evolution of TB strains with effective antibiotic resistance and the selective nature of the medications encourages these antibiotic-resistant genes. New medications, like bedaquiline, take considerable research but effectively find new druggable targets against these resistant mycobacteria. However, MDR TB still remains a considerable threat despite some newly developed drugs

Energy-efficient polymeric gas separation membranes for a sustainable future: A review

AbstractOver the past three decades, polymeric gas separation membranes have become widely used for a variety of industrial gas separations applications. This review presents the fundamental scientific principles underpinning the operation of polymers for gas separations, including the solution-diffusion model and various structure/property relations, describes membrane fabrication technology, describes polymers believed to be used commercially for gas separations, and discusses some challenges associated with membrane materials development. A description of new classes of polymers being considered for gas separations, largely to overcome existing challenges or access applications that are not yet practiced commercially, is also provided. Some classes of polymers discussed in this review that have been the focus of much recent work include thermally rearranged (TR) polymers, polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs), room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), perfluoropolymers, and high-performance polyimides

Phototriggered Secretion of Membrane Compartmentalized Bioactive Agents

A strategy for the light-activated release of bioactive compounds (BODIPY, colchicine, paclitaxel, and methotrexate) from membrane-enclosed depots is described. We have found that membrane-permeable bioagents can be rendered membrane impermeable by covalent attachment to cobalamin (Cbl) through a photocleavable linker. These Cbl-bioagent conjugates are imprisoned within lipid-enclosed compartments in the dark, as exemplified by their retention in the interior of erythrocytes. Subsequent illumination drives the secretion of the bioactive species from red blood cells. Photorelease is triggered by wavelengths in the red, far-red, and near-IR regions, which can be pre-assigned by affixing a fluorophore with the desired excitation wavelength to the Cbl-bioagent conjugate. Pre-assigned wavelengths allow different biologically active compounds to be specifically and unambiguously photoreleased from common carriers

Repurposing the GNAT Fold in the Initiation of Polyketide Biosynthesis.

Natural product biosynthetic pathways are replete with enzymes repurposed for new catalytic functions. In some modular polyketide synthase (PKS) pathways, a GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT)-like enzyme with an additional decarboxylation function initiates biosynthesis. Here, we probe two PKS GNAT-like domains for the dual activities of S-acyl transfer from coenzyme A (CoA) to an acyl carrier protein (ACP) and decarboxylation. The GphF and CurA GNAT-like domains selectively decarboxylate substrates that yield the anticipated pathway starter units. The GphF enzyme lacks detectable acyl transfer activity, and a crystal structure with an isobutyryl-CoA product analog reveals a partially occluded acyltransfer acceptor site. Further analysis indicates that the CurA GNAT-like domain also catalyzes only decarboxylation, and the initial acyl transfer is catalyzed by an unidentified enzyme. Thus, PKS GNAT-like domains are re-classified as GNAT-like decarboxylases. Two other decarboxylases, malonyl-CoA decarboxylase and EryM, reside on distant nodes of the superfamily, illustrating the adaptability of the GNAT fold

Rare Complications of Cervical Spine Surgery: Pseudomeningocoele.

STUDY DESIGN: This study was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study. OBJECTIVES: Rare complications of cervical spine surgery are inherently difficult to investigate. Pseudomeningocoele (PMC), an abnormal collection of cerebrospinal fluid that communicates with the subarachnoid space, is one such complication. In order to evaluate and better understand the incidence, presentation, treatment, and outcome of PMC following cervical spine surgery, we conducted a multicenter study to pool our collective experience. METHODS: This study was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study of patients who underwent cervical spine surgery at any level(s) from C2 to C7, inclusive; were over 18 years of age; and experienced a postoperative PMC. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (0.08%) developed a postoperative PMC, 6 (46.2%) of whom were female. They had an average age of 48.2 years and stayed in hospital a mean of 11.2 days. Three patients were current smokers, 3 previous smokers, 5 had never smoked, and 2 had unknown smoking status. The majority, 10 (76.9%), were associated with posterior surgery, whereas 3 (23.1%) occurred after an anterior procedure. Myelopathy was the most common indication for operations that were complicated by PMC (46%). Seven patients (53%) required a surgical procedure to address the PMC, whereas the remaining 6 were treated conservatively. All PMCs ultimately resolved or were successfully treated with no residual effects. CONCLUSIONS: PMC is a rare complication of cervical surgery with an incidence of less than 0.1%. They prolong hospital stay. PMCs occurred more frequently in association with posterior approaches. Approximately half of PMCs required surgery and all ultimately resolved without residual neurologic or other long-term effects

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Vertebral Artery Injury in 16 582 Cervical Spine Surgery Patients: An AOSpine North America Multicenter Study.

STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter retrospective case series was compiled involving 21 medical institutions. Inclusion criteria included patients who underwent cervical spine surgery between 2005 and 2011 and who sustained a vertebral artery injury (VAI). OBJECTIVE: To report the frequency, risk factors, outcomes, and management goals of VAI in patients who have undergone cervical spine surgery. METHODS: Patients were evaluated on the basis of condition-specific functional status using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score, the Nurick scale, and the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: VAIs were identified in a total of 14 of 16 582 patients screened (8.4 per 10 000). The mean age of patients with VAI was 59 years (±10) with a female predominance (78.6%). Patient diagnoses included myelopathy, radiculopathy, cervical instability, and metastatic disease. VAI was associated with substantial blood loss (770 mL), although only 3 cases required transfusion. Of the 14 cases, 7 occurred with an anterior-only approach, 3 cases with posterior-only approach, and 4 during circumferential approach. Fifty percent of cases of VAI with available preoperative imaging revealed anomalous vessel anatomy during postoperative review. Average length of hospital stay was 10 days (±8). Notably, 13 of the 14 (92.86%) cases resolved without residual deficits. Compared to preoperative baseline NDI, Nurick, mJOA, and SF-36 scores for these patients, there were no observed changes after surgery (P = .20-.94). CONCLUSIONS: Vertebral artery injuries are potentially catastrophic complications that can be sustained from anterior or posterior cervical spine approaches. The data from this study suggest that with proper steps to ensure hemostasis, patients recover function at a high rate and do not exhibit residual deficits

Homotopic contralesional excitation suppresses spontaneous circuit repair and global network reconnections following ischemic stroke

Understanding circuit-level manipulations that affect the brain\u27s capacity for plasticity will inform the design of targeted interventions that enhance recovery after stroke. Following stroke, increased contralesional activity (e.g. use of the unaffected limb) can negatively influence recovery, but it is unknown which specific neural connections exert this influence, and to what extent increased contralesional activity affects systems- and molecular-level biomarkers of recovery. Here, we combine optogenetic photostimulation with optical intrinsic signal imaging to examine how contralesional excitatory activity affects cortical remodeling after stroke in mice. Following photothrombosis of left primary somatosensory forepaw (S1FP) cortex, mice either recovered spontaneously or received chronic optogenetic excitation of right S1FP over the course of 4 weeks. Contralesional excitation suppressed perilesional S1FP remapping and was associated with abnormal patterns of stimulus-evoked activity in the unaffected limb. This maneuver also prevented the restoration of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) within the S1FP network, RSFC in several networks functionally distinct from somatomotor regions, and resulted in persistent limb-use asymmetry. In stimulated mice, perilesional tissue exhibited transcriptional changes in several genes relevant for recovery. Our results suggest that contralesional excitation impedes local and global circuit reconnection through suppression of cortical activity and several neuroplasticity-related genes after stroke, and highlight the importance of site selection for targeted therapeutic interventions after focal ischemia

Nonequilibrium Lattice Fluid Modeling of Gas Solubility in HAB-6FDA Polyimide and Its Thermally Rearranged Analogues

For the first time, a theoretical analysis of gas sorption, based on the nonequilibrium lattice fluid (NELF) model, in chemically imidized HAB-6FDA polyimide and its thermally rearranged analogues is presented. Because of the inaccessibility of pVT data in the rubbery region, the characteristic lattice fluid parameters of the polymers considered in this study were obtained from a collection of infinite dilution solubility data at multiple temperatures. Hydrogen, nitrogen, and methane sorption isotherms at 35 °C were fit to the NELF model using one adjustable parameter, i.e., the polymer–penetrant binary interaction parameter, k₁₂. The optimal value of k₁₂ for each polymer–penetrant pair was used to predict hydrogen, nitrogen, and methane sorption isotherms at other temperatures and at pressures up to 6 MPa. For carbon dioxide, a second adjustable parameter, the swelling coefficient, was introduced to account for sorption-induced matrix dilation. The ideal solubility–selectivity is also predicted for several gas pairs. The increase in gas sorption in thermally rearranged samples relative to their polyimide precursor is essentially due to entropic effects, i.e., to the increase in nonequilibrium fractional free volume during thermal rearrangement.United States. Department of Energy (Grant DE-FG02-02ER15362