Letter to Betty Taylor regarding union list of law library holdings, October 30, 1973

A letter from Christine Stevens to Betty Taylor responding to Taylor\u27s ideas for a nationwide union list of law library holdings

Commentary: Impact of an interdisciplinary and international research training initiative: the Pain in Child Health program

First paragraph: The field of pediatric pain has grown substantially since its inception in the early 1980s, which is reflected in an increasing number of publications, key textbooks, international meetings and training programs. We recently published a review summarizing meta-trend and bibliometric characteristics of the pediatric pain literature between 1975 and 2010, which confirmed a continuous, substantial increase in published research on pain processes in children between 0 and 18 years. The majority of the literature investigated pain characterization, intervention or assessment techniques in clinical samples of children between 6 and 18 years (Caes et al., 2016). A strength of our comprehensive review is the freely available dataset, which allows for more indepth analyses that go beyond the general conclusions drawn in the paper

Activated Protective Fabric

Disclosed are fibrous activated materials that can remove and/or deactivate potentially dangerous airborne agents from a gas or air stream. Disclosed materials are multi-layer materials that include a fibrous nonwoven interceptor layer and an active layer immediately adjacent the interceptor layer. The interceptor layer is a fibrous membrane of very low basis weight and defines a relatively low porosity, and the active layer describes geometries, chemistries, etc. that can entrap and/or decontaminate compounds contained in an airstream passing through the material. Disclosed materials can be utilized in forming protective garments, face masks, and the like

Results from a Phase 1 Study of Sodium Selenite in Combination with Palliative Radiation Therapy in Patients with Metastatic Cancer.

In preclinical studies, selenite had single agent activity and radiosensitized tumors in vivo. Here we report results from a Phase 1 trial in 15 patients with metastatic cancer treated with selenite (5.5 to 49.5 mg) orally as a single dose 2 hours before each radiation therapy (RT) treatment. Patients received RT regimens that were standard of care. The primary objective of the study was to assess the safety of this combination therapy. Secondary objectives included measurement of pharmacokinetics (PK) and evaluation of efficacy. Endpoints included assessment of PK, toxicity, tumor response, and pain before and after treatment. The half-life of selenite was 18.5 hours. There were no adverse events attributable to selenite until the 33 mg dose level, at which the primary toxicities were grade 1 GI side effects. One patient treated with 49.5 mg had grade 2 GI toxicity. Although this was not a DLT, it was felt that the highest acceptable dose in this patient population was 33 mg. Most patients had stabilization of disease within the RT fields, with some demonstrating objective evidence of tumor regression. Most patients had a marked improvement in pain and seven out of nine patients with prostate cancer had a decrease in PSA ranging from 11-78%. Doses up to 33 mg selenite were well tolerated in combination with RT. A randomized, well controlled study is needed at the 33 mg dose level to determine if selenite results in clinically meaningful improvements in the response to palliative RT

The other side of the coin: harm due to the non-use of health-related data

ABSTRACT Objectives It is widely acknowledged that breaches and misuses of health-related data can have serious implications and consequently they often carry penalties. However, harm due to the omission of health data usage, or data non use, is a subject that lacks attention. A better understanding of this other side of the coin is required before it can be addressed effectively. Approach This article uses an international case study approach to explore why data non use is difficult to ascertain, the sources and types of health-related data non-use, its implications for citizens and society and some of the reasons it occurs. It does this by focussing on issues with clinical care records, research data and governance frameworks and associated examples of non-use. Results The non-use of health-related data is a complex issue with multiple sources and reasons contributing to it. Instances of data non-use can be associated with harm, but taken together they describe a trail of data non-use, and this may complicate and compound its impacts. Actual evidence of data non-use is sparse and harm due to data non use is difficult to prove. But although it can be nebulous, it is a real problem with largely unquantifiable consequences. There is ample indirect evidence that health data non-use is implicated in the deaths of many thousands of people and potentially £billions in financial burdens to societies. Conclusion The most effective initiatives to address specific contexts of data non-use will be those that are cognisant of the multiple aspects to this complex issue, in order to move towards socially responsible reuse of data becoming the norm to save lives and resources

Mimicking the extracellular matrix – a biomaterials approach to inhibit tissue fibrosis

Epithelial tissue is marked by the presence of a specialized, highly cross-linked, sheet-like extracellular matrix, the basement membrane. Tissue-invasive events, such as the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) - a key event in gastrulation, tissue fibrosis and cancer metastasis – are characterized by irreversible structural changes of the basement membrane through proteolytic processing by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We have recently reported a previously unidentified laminin fragment that is released during EMT by MMP2 and that modulates key EMT-signalling pathways. Specifically, interaction of the laminin fragment with α3β1-integrin triggers the down-regulation of MMP2 expression, thereby constituting a cell-basement membrane-cell feedback mechanism. Inhibiting MMPs has been proposed as a strategy to prevent pathological cell migration and basement membrane breakdown in the course of EMT. Here, we explore this cell-matrix-cell feedback mechanism to target pathological EMT in the course of tissue fibrosis. We present an electrospun biomaterial that is functionalized with the recombinant laminin fragment and that can be directly interfaced with epithelial tissue to interfere with EMT pathways and inhibit MMP2 expression and activity in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate how interaction of the functionalized synthetic membrane with peritoneal tissue inhibits mesothelial EMT in a mouse model of TGFβ-induced peritoneal fibrosis by decreasing active MMP2 levels, and propose a mechanism of how the laminin fragment acts downstream of α3β1-integrin in epithelial cells, after it is released from the basement membrane

Imaging genome abnormalities in cancer research

Increasing attention is focusing on chromosomal and genome structure in cancer research due to the fact that genomic instability plays a principal role in cancer initiation, progression and response to chemotherapeutic agents. The integrity of the genome (including structural, behavioral and functional aspects) of normal and cancer cells can be monitored with direct visualization by using a variety of cutting edge molecular cytogenetic technologies that are now available in the field of cancer research. Examples are presented in this review by grouping these methodologies into four categories visualizing different yet closely related major levels of genome structures. An integrated discussion is also presented on several ongoing projects involving the illustration of mitotic and meiotic chromatin loops; the identification of defective mitotic figures (DMF), a new type of chromosomal aberration capable of monitoring condensation defects in cancer; the establishment of a method that uses Non-Clonal Chromosomal Aberrations (NCCAs) as an index to monitor genomic instability; and the characterization of apoptosis related chromosomal fragmentations caused by drug treatments

Implicit Gender Bias, Engagement, and Protective Factors in STEM Faculty

The present study assessed implicit gender bias and job engagement among STEM faculty at a mid-size liberal arts university. Forty-nine faculty in each of the departments of natural and social sciences were assessed for implicit gender bias and job engagement. We found that men had greater implicit gender bias than women in the natural sciences. In addition, women in natural science departments felt marginally less engaged than women in social science departments. Women’s disengagement was positively associated with imposter phenomenon and perceived lack of control in departmental decisions. However, women who actively participated in a women’s organization or had an advocate had more positive psychological outcomes. These findings suggest that although women STEM faculty, particularly in the natural sciences, experience challenges, support provided by women’s organizations or advocates may be an important strategy to reduce the effects of these challenges

Contextualizing Kindergarten Readiness Data: A Qualitative Research Study of the Highland Neighborhood in Spartanburg, South Carolina

This project was undertaken as a result of conversations initiated by members of the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) about the desirability of qualitative data to contextualize quantitative data generated by the use of a validated national instrument in Spartanburg County Schools. SAM is a nonprofit and community movement that facilitates the discussion of shared information and intentional, collaborative, and strategic work by cross-sector partnerships in order to foster high levels of academic attainment for all children in Spartanburg County. As part of data-gathering efforts by SAM, the Early Development Instrument (EDI) was implemented to gather data about kindergarten readiness first in Spartanburg School District 7, then in 2017, across all seven Spartanburg County school districts. The Highland census tract (census tract 208) in Spartanburg, South Carolina, encompasses a neighborhood landscape with distinct residential zones, identities, and dynamics. The Highland landscape at the time of our data collection includes spaces of positivity and neighborhood engagement: public spaces for recreation, like Stewart Park, and community resources like the Bethlehem Center and Thornton Center. It also is comprised of places, like Norris Ridge, Prince Hall, and certain streets, that residents associated with challenges. In some residential zones,such as Norris Ridge, residents enter and leave the neighborhood with frequency. there is a strong element of impermanence and transience, as ne

Contextualizing Kindergarten Readiness Data: A Qualitative Research Study of Forest Park Neighborhood in Spartanburg, South Carolina

This project was undertaken as a result of conversations initiated by members of the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) about the desirability of qualitative data to contextualize quantitative data generated by the use of a validated national instrument in Spartanburg County Schools. SAM is a nonprofit and community movement that facilitates the discussion of shared information and intentional, collaborative, and strategic work by cross-sector partnerships in order to foster high levels of academic attainment for all children in Spartanburg County. As part of data-gathering efforts by SAM, the Early Development Instrument (EDI) was implemented to gather data about kindergarten readiness first in Spartanburg School District 7, then in 2017, across all seven Spartanburg County school districts. The EDI is a validated, population-based measure of early child development in five key domains (physical health, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive skills, and communications skills and general knowledge).1 Kindergarten teachers respond to the questions on the EDI for each child in a kindergarten clas