Paleomagnetism of the Roskruge and Gringo Gulch Volcanics, southeast Arizona

Paleomagnetic data were obtained from nine cooling units of the Late Cretaceous (∼72 Ma) Roskruge Volcanics and from 25 flows in the lower Paleocene Gringo Gulch Volcanics, both from southeastern Arizona. Alternating field demagnetization successfully erased the infrequent secondary components of magnetization. The paleomagnetic pole position obtained from the Roskruge Volcanics is at 73.6°N, 176.0°E with dp = 6.2° and dm = 8.8°. The Gringo Gulch Volcanics pole position is at 77.0°N, 201.0°E with dp = 1.2° and dm = 1.7°. In conjunction with other recently published Paleocene and Eocene paleomagnetic poles, these data provide details of North American apparent polar wander during the Laramide orogeny (∼80 to ∼40 Ma). An episode of rapid apparent polar wander from the Cretaceous pole position in the Bering Strait to the Eocene pole position near the present rotation axis occurred during that interval of time. The initiation of this episode of apparent polar wander appears to be coincident with the major plate reorganizations which occurred at the onset of the Laramide orogeny

How antimalarial drug resistance affects post-treatment prophylaxis

Slowly eliminated antimalarial drugs suppress malaria reinfections for a period of time determined by the dose, the pharmacokinetic properties of the drug, and the susceptibility of the infecting parasites. This effect is called post-treatment prophylaxis (PTP). The clinical benefits of preventing recrudescence (reflecting treatment efficacy) compared with preventing reinfection (reflecting PTP) need further assessment. Antimalarial drug resistance shortens PTP. While blood concentrations are in the terminal elimination phase, the degree of shortening may be estimated from measurements of in-vitro susceptibility and the terminal elimination half-life. More information is needed on PTP following intermittent preventive treatments, and on the relationship between the duration of PTP and immunity, so that policy recommendations can have a firmer evidence base

Non-memory cognitive symptom development in Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Memory is known to be the most common first symptom in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Assessing non-memory cognitive symptom development in AD is important for understanding disease progression and the potential identification of treatment-responsive subtypes. METHODS: Data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center were examined. Logistic regression models were fitted evaluating the development of judgement, language, visuospatial and attention symptoms at first and second visits to Alzheimer's Disease Centers. Predictors were age and prior symptoms, adjusting for symptom length and sex. The models were then refitted assessing apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE-ε4) effects. RESULTS: Each decade reduction in presentation age increased the odds of language, visuospatial and attention symptom development at both visits by 8%-18% (P < 0.05, all tests), and judgement symptoms at the second visit by 13% (P < 0.05). Prior symptoms were not equally predictive of symptom development. For example, having first predominant language symptoms carried the lowest risk of developing other first-visit symptoms and having memory symptoms was a stronger predictor of developing judgement than other symptoms. The APOE-ε4 gene showed little impact on symptom development when included as a predictor. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for the concept that younger-onset AD is associated with the progressive development of more non-memory symptoms beyond the first time point. Associations between symptoms were evident, which may reflect that pathology can remain isolated in a network for some time. APOE-ε4 status had little influence on cognitive symptom development which may indicate that the effect it has occurs very early in the disease course

Characterisation and expression of SPLUNC2, the human orthologue of rodent parotid secretory protein

We recently described the Palate Lung Nasal Clone (PLUNC) family of proteins as an extended group of proteins expressed in the upper airways, nose and mouth. Little is known about these proteins, but they are secreted into the airway and nasal lining fluids and saliva where, due to their structural similarity with lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein, they may play a role in the innate immune defence. We now describe the generation and characterisation of novel affinity-purified antibodies to SPLUNC2, and use them to determine the expression of this, the major salivary gland PLUNC. Western blotting showed that the antibodies identified a number of distinct protein bands in saliva, whilst immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated protein expression in serous cells of the major salivary glands and in the ductal lumens as well as in cells of minor mucosal glands. Antibodies directed against distinct epitopes of the protein yielded different staining patterns in both minor and major salivary glands. Using RT-PCR of tissues from the oral cavity, coupled with EST analysis, we showed that the gene undergoes alternative splicing using two 5' non-coding exons, suggesting that the gene is regulated by alternative promoters. Comprehensive RACE analysis using salivary gland RNA as template failed to identify any additional exons. Analysis of saliva showed that SPLUNC2 is subject to N-glycosylation. Thus, our study shows that multiple SPLUNC2 isoforms are found in the oral cavity and suggest that these proteins may be differentially regulated in distinct tissues where they may function in the innate immune response

Anti-Allergic Cromones Inhibit Histamine and Eicosanoid Release from Activated Human and Murine Mast Cells by Releasing Annexin A1

PMCID: PMC3601088This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Analog to Digital Workflow Improvement: A Quantitative Study

This study tracked a radiology department’s conversion from utilization of a Kodak Amber analog system to a Kodak DirectView DR 5100 digital system. Through the use of ProModel(®) Optimization Suite, a workflow simulation software package, significant quantitative information was derived from workflow process data measured before and after the change to a digital system. Once the digital room was fully operational and the radiology staff comfortable with the new system, average patient examination time was reduced from 9.24 to 5.28 min, indicating that a higher patient throughput could be achieved. Compared to the analog system, chest examination time for modality specific activities was reduced by 43%. The percentage of repeat examinations experienced with the digital system also decreased to 8% vs. the level of 9.5% experienced with the analog system. The study indicated that it is possible to quantitatively study clinical workflow and productivity by using commercially available software