cDNA cloning and inducible expression of human multidrug resistance associated protein 3 (MRP3)1The sequence reported in this paper has been submitted to GenBank with the accession number of AB010887.1

AbstractPreviously, we cloned rat MRP3 as a candidate for an inducible transporter for the biliary excretion of organic anions [Hirohashi et al. (1998) Mol. Pharmacol. 53, 1068–1075]. In the present study, we cloned human MRP3 (1527 amino acids) from Caco-2 cells. Human MRP3 is predominantly expressed in liver, small intestine and colon; hepatic expression of MRP3 was observed in humans but not in normal rats. In HepG2 cells, the expression of MRP3 was induced by phenobarbital. These results suggest that MRP3 may act as an inducible transporter in the biliary and intestinal excretion of organic anions

Road traffic collisions in Malawi: Trends and patterns of mortality on scene

Background: Worldwide, 90% of injury deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Road traffic collisions (RTCs) are increasingly common and result in more death and disability in the developing world than in the developed world. We aimed to examine the prehospital case fatality rate from RTCs in Malawi.Material and Methods: A retrospective study was performed utilizing the Malawian National Road Safety Council (NRSC) registry from 2008-2012. The NRSC data were collected at the scene by police officers. Victim, vehicle, and environmental factors were used to describe the characteristics of fatal collisions. Case fatality rate was defined as the number of fatalities divided by the number of people involved in RTCs each year. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of crash scene fatality.Results: A total of 11,467 RTCs were reported by the NRSC between 2008 and 2012. Of these, 34% involved at least one fatality at the scene. The average age of fatalities was 32 years and 82% were male. Drivers of motor vehicles had the lowest odds of mortality following RTCs. Compared to drivers; pedestrians had the highest odds of mortality (OR 39, 95% CI 34, 45) followed by bicyclists (OR 26, 95% CI 22, 31). The average case fatality rate was 17% / year, and showed an increased throughout the study period.Conclusions: RTCs are a common cause of injury in Malawi. Approximately one-third of RTCs involved at least one death at the scene. Pedestrians were particularly vulnerable, exhibiting very high odds of mortality when involved in a road traffic collision. We encourage the use of these data to develop strategies in LMIC countries to protect pedestrians and other road users from RTCs

Intensive care for extreme prematurity--moving beyond gestational age.

BACKGROUND: Decisions regarding whether to administer intensive care to extremely premature infants are often based on gestational age alone. However, other factors also affect the prognosis for these patients. METHODS: We prospectively studied a cohort of 4446 infants born at 22 to 25 weeks\u27 gestation (determined on the basis of the best obstetrical estimate) in the Neonatal Research Network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to relate risk factors assessable at or before birth to the likelihood of survival, survival without profound neurodevelopmental impairment, and survival without neurodevelopmental impairment at a corrected age of 18 to 22 months. RESULTS: Among study infants, 3702 (83%) received intensive care in the form of mechanical ventilation. Among the 4192 study infants (94%) for whom outcomes were determined at 18 to 22 months, 49% died, 61% died or had profound impairment, and 73% died or had impairment. In multivariable analyses of infants who received intensive care, exposure to antenatal corticosteroids, female sex, singleton birth, and higher birth weight (per each 100-g increment) were each associated with reductions in the risk of death and the risk of death or profound or any neurodevelopmental impairment; these reductions were similar to those associated with a 1-week increase in gestational age. At the same estimated likelihood of a favorable outcome, girls were less likely than boys to receive intensive care. The outcomes for infants who underwent ventilation were better predicted with the use of the above factors than with use of gestational age alone. CONCLUSIONS: The likelihood of a favorable outcome with intensive care can be better estimated by consideration of four factors in addition to gestational age: sex, exposure or nonexposure to antenatal corticosteroids, whether single or multiple birth, and birth weight. (ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT00063063 [ClinicalTrials.gov] and NCT00009633 [ClinicalTrials.gov].)

The Faint End Slopes Of Galaxy Luminosity Functions In The COSMOS 2-Square Degree Field

We examine the faint-end slope of the rest-frame V-band luminosity function (LF), with respect to galaxy spectral type, of field galaxies with redshift z<0.5, using a sample of 80,820 galaxies with photometric redshifts in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field. For all galaxy spectral types combined, the LF slope, alpha, ranges from -1.24 to -1.12, from the lowest redshift bin to the highest. In the lowest redshift bin (0.02<z<0.1), where the magnitude limit is M(V) ~ -13, the slope ranges from ~ -1.1 for galaxies with early-type spectral energy distributions (SEDs), to ~ -1.9 for galaxies with low-extinction starburst SEDs. In each galaxy SED category (Ell, Sbc, Scd/Irr, and starburst), the faint-end slopes grow shallower with increasing redshift; in the highest redshift bin (0.4<z<0.5), the slope is ~ -0.5 and ~ -1.3 for early-types and starbursts respectively. The steepness of alpha at lower redshift could be qualitatively explained by large numbers of faint dwarf galaxies, perhaps of low surface brightness, which are not detected at higher redshifts.Comment: 24 pages including 5 figures, accepted to ApJ

Hand Shape Representations in the Human Posterior Parietal Cortex

Humans shape their hands to grasp, manipulate objects, and to communicate. From nonhuman primate studies, we know that visual and motor properties for grasps can be derived from cells in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Are non-grasp-related hand shapes in humans represented similarly? Here we show for the first time how single neurons in the PPC of humans are selective for particular imagined hand shapes independent of graspable objects. We find that motor imagery to shape the hand can be successfully decoded from the PPC by implementing a version of the popular Rock-Paper-Scissors game and its extension Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock. By simultaneous presentation of visual and auditory cues, we can discriminate motor imagery from visual information and show differences in auditory and visual information processing in the PPC. These results also demonstrate that neural signals from human PPC can be used to drive a dexterous cortical neuroprosthesis

Neural correlates of cognitive motor signals in primary somatosensory cortex

Classical systems neuroscience positions primary sensory areas as early feed-forward processing stations for refining incoming sensory information. This view may oversimplify their role given extensive bi-directional connectivity with multimodal cortical and subcortical regions. Here we show that single units in human primary somatosensory cortex encode imagined reaches centered on imagined limb positions in a cognitive motor task. This result suggests a broader role of primary somatosensory cortex in cortical function than previously demonstrated

Development of a ratio of emergent to total hernia repairs as a surgical capacity metric

Non-communicable diseases including surgical conditions are gaining attention in developing countries. Despite this there are few metrics for surgical capacity. We hypothesized that (a) the ratio of emergent to total hernia repairs (E/TH) would correlate with per capita health care expenditures for any given country, and (b) the E/TH is easy to obtain in resource-poor settings

Decoding Motor Imagery from the Posterior Parietal Cortex of a Tetraplegic Human

Nonhuman primate and human studies have suggested that populations of neurons in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) may represent high-level aspects of action planning that can be used to control external devices as part of a brain-machine interface. However, there is no direct neuron-recording evidence that human PPC is involved in action planning, and the suitability of these signals for neuroprosthetic control has not been tested.We recorded neural population activity with arrays of microelectrodes implanted in the PPC of a tetraplegic subject. Motor imagery could be decoded from these neural populations, including imagined goals, trajectories, and types of movement.These findings indicate that the PPC of humans represents high-level, cognitive aspects of action and that the PPC can be a rich source for cognitive control signals for neural prosthetics that assist paralyzed patients

The Lantern Vol. 4, No. 3, June 1936

• Dr. Omwake as his Friends See Him: A Letter from Dr. James M. Anders ; An Interview with Dean Kline • George Leslie Omwake, Educator and Churchman • The Story of Ursinus • Way Back When • Editorial: We Look Before and After • Reminiscences of an Ex-Storekeeper\u27s Daughter • The Tale of a Toper, or How the Little Stone Went Rolling • Book Review: May I Present? • Time Out, Please • Youth at the Crossroads • Of Candy Bars and Tears • Reflections • To a Star • It Takes Two to Study the Moonhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1008/thumbnail.jp