Sexual well-being and diurnal cortisol after prostate cancer treatment.

Sexual dysfunction and psychological distress are common after prostate cancer. Research has not examined the role of neuroendocrine markers of stress (e.g. cortisol). This study examines whether sexual functioning or sexual bother is associated with diurnal cortisol. Men treated for prostate cancer completed the University of California-Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index and provided saliva samples four times daily for cortisol assessment. Higher sexual bother, but not sexual functioning, was associated with steeper cortisol slope. Better sexual functioning, and not sexual bother, was significantly associated with the cortisol awakening response. Assessment of stress and stress-reducing interventions might be warranted in sexual rehabilitation after prostate cancer

Nonlinear energy-loss straggling of protons and antiprotons in an electron gas

The electronic energy-loss straggling of protons and antiprotons moving at arbitrary nonrelativistic velocities in a homogeneous electron gas are evaluated within a quadratic response theory and the random-phase approximation (RPA). These results show that at low and intermediate velocities quadratic corrections reduce significantly the energy-loss straggling of antiprotons, these corrections being, at low-velocities, more important than in the evaluation of the stopping power.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Effects of Art Intervention on Pediatric Anxiety and Pain in the Medical Setting

Introduction: Hospitalization and illness can be a painful and stressful time for a child. There may be anxiety over procedures and inpatient stays disrupt normal routines. Previous research found that for pre-school aged children, having parents around, having the help of the hospital staff, and playing an active role in alleviating their fears were the most helpful in reducing anxiety. Another study found that visual creative expressions can be meaningful experiences for young adult cancer survivors. Additionally, there is abundant literature on formal art therapy and its favorable effects on children in the hospital, however, there are fewer studies investigating less standardized “art intervention” in the same population. The purpose of our project was to assess whether art intervention reduces anxiety and pain in inpatient and outpatient pediatric patients.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1224/thumbnail.jp

Staged endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm adjacent to a chronic high-flow iliocaval traumatic arteriovenous fistula

Large-vessel chronic traumatic arteriovenous fistulas are a rare complication after trauma. Delayed presentation can consist of one or more features of high-output cardiac failure, pulsatile abdominal mass, bruit, limb ischemia, and venous congestion. We describe a patient with a complex iliocaval fistula secondary to a remote gunshot wound associated with a large 8.5-cm aortic aneurysm. Informed consent of the patient was obtained for publication of the case

Dietary Methionine Restriction Regulates Liver Protein Synthesis and Gene Expression Independently of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2 Phosphorylation in Mice

Background: The phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (p-eIF2) during dietary amino acid insufficiency reduces protein synthesis and alters gene expression via the integrated stress response (ISR).Objective: We explored whether a Met-restricted (MR) diet activates the ISR to reduce body fat and regulate protein balance.Methods: Male and female mice aged 3-6 mo with either whole-body deletion of general control nonderepressible 2 (Gcn2) or liver-specific deletion of protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (Perk) alongside wild-type or floxed control mice were fed an obesogenic diet sufficient in Met (0.86%) or an MR (0.12% Met) diet for ≤5 wk. Ala enrichment with deuterium was measured to calculate protein synthesis rates. The guanine nucleotide exchange factor activity of eIF2B was measured alongside p-eIF2 and hepatic mRNA expression levels at 2 d and 5 wk. Metabolic phenotyping was conducted at 4 wk, and body composition was measured throughout. Results were evaluated with the use of ANOVA (P < 0.05).Results: Feeding an MR diet for 2 d did not increase hepatic p-eIF2 or reduce eIF2B activity in wild-type or Gcn2-/- mice, yet many genes transcriptionally regulated by the ISR were altered in both strains in the same direction and amplitude. Feeding an MR diet for 5 wk increased p-eIF2 and reduced eIF2B activity in wild-type but not Gcn2-/- mice, yet ISR-regulated genes altered in both strains similarly. Furthermore, the MR diet reduced mixed and cytosolic but not mitochondrial protein synthesis in both the liver and skeletal muscle regardless of Gcn2 status. Despite the similarities between strains, the MR diet did not increase energy expenditure or reduce body fat in Gcn2-/- mice. Finally, feeding the MR diet to mice with Perk deleted in the liver increased hepatic p-eIF2 and altered body composition similar to floxed controls.Conclusions: Hepatic activation of the ISR resulting from an MR diet does not require p-eIF2. Gcn2 status influences body fat loss but not protein balance when Met is restricted

Eclipsing Binaries From the CSTAR Project at Dome A, Antarctica

The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) has observed an area around the Celestial South Pole at Dome A since 2008. About $20,000$ light curves in the i band were obtained lasting from March to July, 2008. The photometric precision achieves about 4 mmag at i = 7.5 and 20 mmag at i = 12 within a 30 s exposure time. These light curves are analyzed using Lomb--Scargle, Phase Dispersion Minimization, and Box Least Squares methods to search for periodic signals. False positives may appear as a variable signature caused by contaminating stars and the observation mode of CSTAR. Therefore the period and position of each variable candidate are checked to eliminate false positives. Eclipsing binaries are removed by visual inspection, frequency spectrum analysis and locally linear embedding technique. We identify 53 eclipsing binaries in the field of view of CSTAR, containing 24 detached binaries, 8 semi-detached binaries, 18 contact binaries, and 3 ellipsoidal variables. To derive the parameters of these binaries, we use the Eclipsing Binaries via Artificial Intelligence (EBAI) method. The primary and the secondary eclipse timing variations (ETVs) for semi-detached and contact systems are analyzed. Correlated primary and secondary ETVs confirmed by false alarm tests may indicate an unseen perturbing companion. Through ETV analysis, we identify two triple systems (CSTAR J084612.64-883342.9 and CSTAR J220502.55-895206.7). The orbital parameters of the third body in CSTAR J220502.55-895206.7 are derived using a simple dynamical model.Comment: 41 pages, 12 figures; published online in ApJ

Photometric Variability in the CSTAR Field: Results From the 2008 Data Set

The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) is the first telescope facility built at Dome A, Antarctica. During the 2008 observing season, the installation provided long-baseline and high-cadence photometric observations in the i-band for 18,145 targets within 20 deg2 CSTAR field around the South Celestial Pole for the purpose of monitoring the astronomical observing quality of Dome A and detecting various types of photometric variability. Using sensitive and robust detection methods, we discover 274 potential variables from this data set, 83 of which are new discoveries. We characterize most of them, providing the periods, amplitudes and classes of variability. The catalog of all these variables is presented along with the discussion of their statistical properties.Comment: 38 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables; Accepted for publication in ApJ

Cryopreserved Homografts in Infected Infrainguinal Fields Are Associated with Frequent Reinterventions and Poor Amputation-Free Survival

Background Single-length saphenous vein continues to be the conduit of choice in infected-field critical limb ischemia. However, half of these individuals have inadequate vein secondary to previous use or chronic venous disease. We reviewed our outcomes of infected-field infrainguinal bypasses performed with cryopreserved homografts (CHs), a widely accepted alternative to autogenous vein in this setting. Methods This is a retrospective, institutional descriptive analysis of infected-field infrainguinal revascularizations between 2012 and 2015. Results Twenty-four operations were performed in the same number of patients for limb ischemia with signs of active infection. The mean age of the cohort examined was 62.5 ± 14.4 (standard deviation) years. Mean Society of Vascular Surgery risk score was 3.9 with a baseline Rutherford's chronic ischemia score of 4.3 at presentation. Emergent procedures constituted 29% of cases, and the remainder cases were urgent procedures. The CH bypass captured was a reoperative procedure in all but one of the patients. Culture positivity was present in 75% of cases with Staphylococcus aureus (29%), the most commonly isolated organism. Thirty-day mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events were both 4%. Amputation-free survival (AFS) was 75% at 30 days. Similarly, 30-day reintervention was 38% with debridement (43%) and bleeding (29%), the most common indications. Average duration of follow-up was 27.9 ± 20.4 months (range: 0.5–60.4). Mean length of stay was 14.8 days. Reinfection requiring an additional procedure or antibiotic regimen separate from the index antibiotic course was 13%. Primary patency and AFS at 1 year was 50% and 58%, respectively. Primary patency and AFS at 2 years was 38% and 52%, respectively. Limb salvage at 1 and 2 years was 70% and 65%, respectively. Fifteen patients (63%) required reintervention during the follow-up period with 40% of those subjects undergoing multiple procedures. Conclusions CHs remain a marginal salvage conduit in the setting of infection and no autogenous choices. Therefore, clinicians should individualize usage of this high-cost product in highly selected patients only

A comparative study of sleep and diurnal patterns in house mouse (Mus musculus) and spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)

Most published sleep studies use three species: human, house mouse, or Norway rat. The degree to which data from these species captures variability in mammalian sleep remains unclear. To gain insight into mammalian sleep diversity, we examined sleep architecture in the spiny basal murid rodent Acomys cahirinus. First, we used a piezoelectric system validated for Mus musculus to monitor sleep in both species. We also included wild M. musculus to control for alterations generated by laboratory-reared conditions for M. musculus. Using this comparative framework, we found that A. cahirinus, lab M. musculus, and wild M. musculus were primarily nocturnal, but exhibited distinct behavioral patterns. Although the activity of A. cahirinus increased sharply at dark onset, it decreased sharply just two hours later under group and individual housing conditions. To further characterize sleep patterns and sleep-related variables, we set up EEG/EMG and video recordings and found that A. cahirinus sleep significantly more than M. musculus, exhibit nearly three times more REM, and sleep almost exclusively with their eyes open. The observed differences in A. cahirinus sleep architecture raise questions about the evolutionary drivers of sleep behavior