219 research outputs found
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Hazard and consequence analysis for waste emplacement at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
The Carlsbad Area Office established and analyzed the safety bases for the design and operations as documented in the WIPP Safety Analysis Report (SAR). Additional independent efforts are currently underway to assess the hazards associated with the long-term (10,000 year) isolation period as required by 40 CFR 191. The structure of the WIPP SAR is unique due to the hazards involved, and the agreement between the State of New Mexico and the DOE regarding SAR content and format. However, the hazards and accident analysis philosophy as contained in DOE-STD-3009-94 was followed as closely as possible, while adhering to state agreements. Hazards associated with WIPP waste receipt, emplacement, and disposal operations were systematically identified using a modified Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) technique. The WIPP HAZOP assessed the potential internal, external, and natural phenomena events that can cause the identified hazards to develop into accidents. The hazard assessment identified deviations from the intended design and operation of the waste handling system, analyzed potential accident consequences to the public and workers, estimated likelihood of occurrence, and evaluated associated preventative and mitigative features. It was concluded from the assessment that the proposed WIPP waste emplacement operations and design are sufficient to ensure safety of the public, workers, and environment, over the 35 year disposal phase
Factors influencing time to case registration for youth with type 1Β and type 2 diabetes: SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study
The development of a sustainable pediatric diabetes surveillance system for the United States requires a better understanding of issues related to case ascertainment
Projections of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Burden in the U.S. Population Aged <20 Years Through 2050: Dynamic modeling of incidence, mortality, and population growth
To forecast the number of U.S. individuals aged <20 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through 2050, accounting for changing demography and diabetes incidence
Flexible Lifestyles for Youth (FL3X) behavioural intervention for at-risk adolescents with Type 1 diabetes: a randomized pilot and feasibility trial
To determine the potential effect sizes for the Flexible Lifestyle for Youth (FL3X) behavioural intervention to improve glycaemic control (HbA1c) and quality of life for at-risk adolescents with Type 1 diabetes
Adherence to Guidelines for Youths With Diabetes Mellitus
To describe demographic and clinical characteristics associated with self-reported receipt of tests and measurements recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for children and youths with diabetes
Absence of Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1Ξ± Prevents the Development of Blinding Herpes Stromal Keratitis
Prior studies in our laboratory have suggested that the CC chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-1Ξ± (MIP-1Ξ±) may be an important mediator in the blinding ocular inflammation which develops following herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection of the murine cornea. To directly test this hypothesis, MIP-1Ξ±-deficient (β/β) mice and their wild-type (+/+) counterparts were infected topically on the scarified cornea with 2.5 Γ 105 PFU of HSV-1 strain RE and subsequently graded for corneal opacity. Four weeks postinfection (p.i.), the mean corneal opacity score of β/β mice was 1.1 Β± 0.3 while that of the +/+ mice was 3.7 Β± 0.5. No detectable infiltrating CD4+ T cells were seen histologically at 14 or 21 days p.i. in β/β animals, whereas the mean CD4+ T-cell count per field (36 fields counted) in +/+ hosts was 26 Β± 2 (P 80% in comparison to the wild-type controls. At 2 weeks p.i., no interleukin-2 or gamma interferon could be detected in six of seven β/β mice, whereas both T-cell cytokines were readily demonstrable in +/+ mouse corneas. Also, MIP-2 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 protein levels were significantly lower in MIP-1Ξ± β/β mouse corneas than in +/+ host corneas, suggesting that MIP-1Ξ± directly, or more likely indirectly, influences the expression of other chemokines. Interestingly, despite the paucity of infiltrating cells, HSV-1 clearance from the eyes of β/β mice was not significantly different from that observed in +/+ hosts. We conclude that MIP-1Ξ± is not needed to control virus growth in the cornea but is essential for the development of severe stromal keratitis
A Common Path to Innate Immunity to HIV-1 Induced by Toll-Like Receptor Ligands in Primary Human Macrophages
Toll-like receptors (TLR) represent the best characterized receptor family transducing innate immune responses, the first line of defense against microbial invaders. This study was designed to investigate whether responses through TLR inhibit HIV-1 replication in its primary target cells. Primary human macrophages and lymphocytes from several different donors and HIV-1 infection in tissue culture were used exclusively in this work. We report that ligands of three different TLR: LPS, R848, and double stranded RNA, induce a common antiviral response in macrophages as assayed by measurement of HIV-1 p24 protein, gag DNA, and entry into cells. HIV-1 infection is arrested after efficient entry but prior to reverse transcription. TLR-ligand activated cells secrete antiviral factors that induce a similar restriction. HIV-1 infection of lymphocytes is not affected by exposure to TLR ligands or to antiviral factors secreted by activated macrophages. TBK1, but neither NF-ΞΊB nor JAK-STAT activity, is required in macrophages to mount this antiviral response; the combination of p38 MAPK and JNK are partially required for induction of antiviral activity. Based on transcriptional induction and inhibition, the TLR-linked antiviral activity is different from APOBEC3 A or G, interferon-Ξ², NAMPT, or p21Cip1. The cell-type specificity, site of action, and requirement for signaling intermediates suggest that the TLR-linked antiviral activity is novel
CCL3L1 copy number, CCR5 genotype and susceptibility to tuberculosis
Background: Tuberculosis is a major infectious disease and functional studies have provided evidence that both the chemokine MIP-1Ξ± and its receptor CCR5 play a role in susceptibility to TB. Thus by measuring copy number variation of CCL3L1, one of the genes that encode MIP-1Ξ±, and genotyping a functional promoter polymorphism -2459A > G in CCR5 (rs1799987) we investigate the influence of MIP-1Ξ± and CCR5, independently and combined, in susceptibility to clinically active TB in three populations, a Peruvian population (n = 1132), a !Xhosa population (n = 605) and a South African Coloured population (n = 221). The three populations include patients with clinically diagnosed pulmonary TB, as well as other, less prevalent forms of extrapulmonary TB.
Methods and results: Copy number of CCL3L1 was measured using the paralogue ratio test and exhibited ranges between 0β6 copies per diploid genome (pdg) in Peru, between 0β12 pdg in !Xhosa samples and between 0β10 pdg in South African Coloured samples. The CCR5 promoter polymorphism was observed to differ significantly in allele frequency between populations (*A; Peru f = 0.67, !Xhosa f = 0.38, Coloured f = 0.48).
Conclusions: The caseβcontrol association studies performed however find, surprisingly, no evidence for an influence of variation in genes coding for MIP-1Ξ± or CCR5 individually or together in susceptibility to clinically active TB in these populations
Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter Infection Mortality Rate and Length of Hospitalization
Acinetobacter infections have increased and gained attention because of the organismβs prolonged environmental survival and propensity to develop antimicrobial drug resistance. The effect of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter infection on clinical outcomes has not been reported. A retrospective, matched cohort investigation was performed at 2 Baltimore hospitals to examine outcomes of patients with MDR Acinetobacter infection compared with patients with susceptible Acinetobacter infections and patients without Acinetobacter infections. Multivariable analysis controlling for severity of illness and underlying disease identified an independent association between patients with MDR Acinetobacter infection (n = 96) and increased hospital and intensive care unit length of stay compared with 91 patients with susceptible Acinetobacter infection (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2β5.2 and OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.0β4.3] respectively) and 89 uninfected patients (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2β5.4 and OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.5β11.6] respectively). Increased hospitalization associated with MDR Acinetobacter infection emphasizes the need for infection control strategies to prevent cross-transmission in healthcare settings
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