Indian River Lagoon surface water improvement and management (SWIM) plan, 2002 update.

In recognition of the need to place additional emphasis on the restoration, protection, and management of the surface water resources of the state, the Florida Legislature, through the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act of 1987, directed the state’s water management districts to “design and implement plans and programs for the improvement and management of surface water” (Section 373.451, Florida Statutes [FS]). The SWIM legislation requires the water management districts to protect the ecological, aesthetic, recreational, and economic value of the state’s surface water bodies, keeping in mind that water quality degradation is frequently caused by point and nonpoint source pollution and that degraded water quality can cause both direct and indirect losses of aquatic habitats. This 2002 update is the second update of the Indian River Lagoon SWIM Plan. This 2002 plan update includes a status report on the state of the Lagoon, a summary of progress on projects undertaken since the last update, and recommendations for future projects and other actions over the next 5 years. (262pp.

Lactoferrin's anti-cancer properties. Safety, selectivity, and wide range of action

Despite recent advances in cancer therapy, current treatments, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, although beneficial, present attendant side effects and long-term sequelae, usually more or less affecting quality of life of the patients. Indeed, except for most of the immunotherapeutic agents, the complete lack of selectivity between normal and cancer cells for radio- and chemotherapy can make them potential antagonists of the host anti-cancer self-defense over time. Recently, the use of nutraceuticals as natural compounds corroborating anti-cancer standard therapy is emerging as a promising tool for their relative abundance, bioavailability, safety, low-cost effectiveness, and immuno-compatibility with the host. In this review, we outlined the anti-cancer properties of Lactoferrin (Lf), an iron-binding glycoprotein of the innate immune defense. Lf shows high bioavailability after oral administration, high selectivity toward cancer cells, and a wide range of molecular targets controlling tumor proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and metastasization. Of note, Lf is able to promote or inhibit cell proliferation and migration depending on whether it acts upon normal or cancerous cells, respectively. Importantly, Lf administration is highly tolerated and does not present significant adverse effects. Moreover, Lf can prevent development or inhibit cancer growth by boosting adaptive immune response. Finally, Lf was recently found to be an ideal carrier for chemotherapeutics, even for the treatment of brain tumors due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, thus globally appearing as a promising tool for cancer prevention and treatment, especially in combination therapies

Dermatomyositis as Paraneoplastic Manifestation of Tonsillar Squamous Cell Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: Discussion of a rare case of dermatomyositis associated with tonsillar neoplasm in an African American woman. BACKGROUND: Dermatomyositis is a syndrome of inflamatory myopathy with multiorgan manifestations which has been linked to immune dysregulation and neoplasia. INTRODUCTION: Many studies have shown five to seven fold increased risk of developing malignancy with dermatomyositis within two years of presentation. Most common cancers reported are adenocarcinomas of lung, breast, ovaries, stomach, pancreas and bladder. Dermatomyositis as a paraneoplastic manifestation of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma has not previously been described. DESIGN: This is a case report of a 52 year old woman who presented for the evaluation of weakness, facial rash and burning pains. Diagnosis of dermatomyositis was made clinically and corroborated by EMG and muscle biopsy. She was started on prednisone but did not improve. CT chest, abdomen and pelvis along with panendoscopy was done to evaluate for malignancy. She developed swallowing problems, laryngopharyngeal reflux disease and esophageal dysmotility syndrome within 1 year of diagnosis. Approximately 1.5 years after dermatomyositis diagnosis, she developed a right sided neck mass. Biopsy of the mass found metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Further work up revealed an ulcerating cavity under tonsillolith containing abnormal tissue and this was thought to be the primary malignancy. RESULTS: Patient underwent right radical neck dissection and tonsillectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation and her muscle strength, facial rash, burning pains and swallowing difficulties improved. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case of dermatomyositis in the setting of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma. High suspicion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma should be maintained in dermatomyositis patients with otherwise negative routine malignancy screening who exhibit any pharyngeal or esophageal complaints

Macroglossia in Inclusion Body Myositis

OBJECTIVE: Discussion of a case of Inclusion body myositis (IBM) associated with macroglossia. INTRODUCTION: IBM is one of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Exact pathogenesis is unclear but there is an evidence of dysregulation of antigen driven immune response involving T cells. Typical onset is slowly progressive impacting quadriceps often more than hip flexors, ankle dorsiflexors and distal forearm flexor muscles. Swallowing difficulties often are present and mild facial weakness can be seen. Macroglossia has never been reported in association with IBM. In fact inflammatory myopathies of tongue are a rarity. DESIGN: A case report of a 68 year old woman with 12 year progressive difficulty getting out of chair and inability to twist jar lids. Examination showed forearm flexor and quadriceps atrophy and bilateral face, hip flexion and finger flexion weakness. Clinical diagnosis of IBM was further supported by muscle biopsy findings. One year after the diagnosis, she reported painless progressive enlargement of her tongue resulting in difficulty with chewing. On exam the tongue looked enlarged. MRI of the oropharynx was unremarkable. Tongue muscle biopsy showed non-granulomatous inflammatory infiltrates, myophagocytosis and degenerating regenerating fibers without evidence of amyloidosis. Work up for Sarcoidosis with Chest CT and ACE levels was negative. RESULTS: Decision to start patient on steroids for idiopathic myositis of the tongue was deferred as our patient is currently enrolled in an IBM clinical trial. CONCLUSION: Macroglossia in IBM patients has never been reported in literature. Two reported cases of macroglossia were associated with dermatomyositis and granulomatous myositis. It remains unknown whether this is the first reported case of IBM associated with macroglossia or macroglossia due to a second inflammatory myositis

Archaeological Investigation of an Oil Well Pad Disturbance at the Tom Moore Site (41PN149), Panola County, Texas

The Tom Moore site (41PN149) is situated on the east slope of a circular-shaped landform at the highest point of a steeply-sloping upland in the Irons Bayou valley in Panola County, Texas. Irons Bayou, 1.2 km to the west of the site, flows east to its confluence with the Sabine River. A small tributary of Irons Bayou is 600 m to the south. Soils here are a brown sandy loam overlying a very hard red clay B-horizon. Like most of East Texas, the land has been farmed previously, as indicated by old plow furrows, and it has reforested naturally in pine and mixed hardwoods in the last 30 years. The site\u27s upland setting is similar to other Middle Caddoan sites in the Sabine River basin in East Texas. An oil field employee, J. W. Golden of Kilgore, Texas, located the Tom Moore site. He noticed a cache of seven large celts that had been disturbed by construction equipment preparing a well site. The oil well construction consisted of two wells and three associated storage tanks. Approximately 2 acres had been disturbed during the leveling process, and part of the hill was used to form the level well pad. A cultural resources management survey had not been required by the Railroad Commission of Texas prior to construction. Mr. Golden described the celts as occurring in a group with the blade ends up. The heavy equipment had grazed them and caused some damage. He collected the celts and informed the authors. We visited the site, made a surface collection, noted a midden area at one end of the disturbance, and collected soil samples for flotation (these materials were submitted to S. Eileen Goldborer of Paleoethnobotanical Services, Austin, Texas) as well as OCR dates. No testing was conducted by the authors to determine the extent of the site. A small, circular mound is located in the wooded area adjacent to the well pad

Thermal conductivity and dielectric properties of polypropylene-based hybrid compounds containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this article, we explore the possibility to develop composites with improved thermal conductivity and electrically insulating properties. The strategy adopted is to combine a thermal and electrical conductive filler (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) with secondary dielectric (but thermally conductive) fillers. To this end, particles with different compositions, sizes, and shape were used as secondary fillers and the composites, prepared by melt compounding, are characterized in terms of thermal and dielectric properties. Results show that, in ternary formulations, an increase of thermal conductivity is always verified for all kind of secondary particles. Analogously, increments in electrical conductivity are observed for ternary compounds containing larger size secondary fillers, while a significant reduction is achieved with the addition of smaller ones. This behavior is explained in terms of mutual distribution of the fillers and is consistent with direct (scanning electron microscopy) and indirect (rheological) observations

A case of human parvo virus B 19 infection with erythroid hypoplasia and Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in an immunocompetent child: a case report

Human parvo virus B19 (B19V) is a small (5.5kb) single stranded DNA (deoxy ribo nucleic acid) virus with known tropism and cytotoxicity for erythroid progenitors. Human parvovirus B19 infection is associated with various hematological disorders like aplastic crisis, erythroid hypoplasia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Here we are presenting a rare case of parvo virus B19 infection with erythroid hypoplasia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura occurring simultaneously in a 13year old girl who presented with fever and bleeding manifestations. A 13 year old girl presented with fever of 5 days duration, epistaxis and bleeding gums spontaneously of one day duration. On admission she had pancytopenia. Her B12 and folate levels were within normal range. Bone marrow aspiration suggestive of normal cellularity with paucity of erythroid precursors, myeloid: erythroid ratio 9:1 and gaint basophilic pronormoblasts with intra-nuclear inclusions, with no further maturation, as well as increased megakaryocytes with few hypolobate forms suggestive of erythroid hypoplasia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Parvo virus B19 DNA PCR by nested polymerase chain reaction was detected in serum. She was treated with blood component support and with steroids for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. She recovered and her cell counts are improved. This case highlights the morphology of Human parvo virus B19 inclusions and its association with simultaneous presentation of erythroid hypoplasia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in immunocompetent child, which is very rare