Recognition and management of stroke in young adults and adolescents.

Approximately 15% of all ischemic strokes (IS) occur in young adults and adolescents. To date, only limited prior public health and research efforts have specifically addressed stroke in the young. Early diagnosis remains challenging because of the lack of awareness and the relative infrequency of stroke compared with stroke mimics. Moreover, the causes of IS in the young are heterogeneous and can be relatively uncommon, resulting in uncertainties about diagnostic evaluation and cause-specific management. Emerging data have raised public health concerns about the increasing prevalence of traditional vascular risk factors in young individuals, and their potential role in increasing the risk of IS, stroke recurrence, and poststroke mortality. These issues make it important to formulate and enact strategies to increase both awareness and access to resources for young stroke patients, their caregivers and families, and health care professionals. The American Academy of Neurology recently convened an expert panel to develop a consensus document concerning the recognition, evaluation, and management of IS in young adults and adolescents. The report of the consensus panel is presented herein

Characterisation of the effects of mutation of the caldesmon sequence 691glu-trp-leu-thr-lys-thr696 to pro-gly-his-tyr-asn-asn on caldesmon-calmodulin interaction

AbstractWe have investigated the functional properties of a mutant (Cg1) derived from the C-terminal 99 amino acids of chicken caldesmon, 658–756 (658C) where the sequence 691glu-trp-leu-thr-lys-thr696 is changed to pro-gly-his-tyr-asn-asn. Cg1 bound Ca2+-calmodulin with (1/7)th of the affinity as compared to 658C or whole caldesmon. NMR titrations indicate that the contacts of Ca2+-calmodulin with the Trp-722 region of the peptide are retained but that those at the mutated site are lost. Most importantly Ca2+-calmodulin is not able to reverse the Cg1-induced inhibition. We conclude that the interaction of calmodulin with this caldesmon sequence is crucial for the reversal of caldesmon inhibition of actin-tropomyosin activation of myosin ATPase. The results are interpreted in terms of multi-site attachment of actin and Ca2+-calmodulin to overlapping sequences in caldesmon domain 4b

Cherubism: best clinical practice

Cherubism is a skeletal dysplasia characterized by bilateral and symmetric fibro-osseous lesions limited to the mandible and maxilla. In most patients, cherubism is due to dominant mutations in the SH3BP2 gene on chromosome 4p16.3. Affected children appear normal at birth. Swelling of the jaws usually appears between 2 and 7 years of age, after which, lesions proliferate and increase in size until puberty. The lesions subsequently begin to regress, fill with bone and remodel until age 30, when they are frequently not detectable

Spitzer Space Telescope observatory planning and scheduling team

Launched as the space infrared telescope facility (SIRTF) in August, 2003 and renamed in early 2004, the Spitzer space telescope is performing an extended series of science observations at wavelengths ranging from 3 to 180 microns. The California Institute of Technology is the home of the Spitzer Science Center (SSC) and operates the science operations system (SOS), which supports science operations of the observatory. A key function supported by the SOS is the long-range planning and short-term scheduling of the observatory. This paper describes the role and function of the SSC observatory planning and scheduling team (OPST), its operational interfaces, processes, and tools

Evidence Based Review: Risk of Cardiac Rhythm Problems During Spaceflight

Very little research has systematically evaluated the prevalence (or potential risk) of cardiac arrhythmias during space flight. There are several observational reports of non life-threatening but potentially concerning arrhythmias. At least two potential risk factors for arrhythmias have been reported either during or immediately after space flight: cardiac atrophy and a prolonged QTc interval. The potential severity of the mission impact of a serious arrhythmia requires that a systematic evaluation be conducted of the risk of arrhythmia due to space flight

New fat free mass - fat mass model for use in physiological energy balance equations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Forbes equation relating fat-free mass (<it>FFM</it>) to fat mass (<it>FM</it>) has been used to predict longitudinal changes in <it>FFM </it>during weight change but has important limitations when paired with a one dimensional energy balance differential equation. Direct use of the Forbes model within a one dimensional energy balance differential equation requires calibration of a translate parameter for the specific population under study. Comparison of translates to a representative sample of the US population indicate that this parameter is a reflection of age, height, race and gender effects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We developed a class of fourth order polynomial equations relating <it>FFM </it>to <it>FM </it>that consider age, height, race and gender as covariates eliminating the need to calibrate a parameter to baseline subject data while providing meaningful individual estimates of <it>FFM</it>. Moreover, the intercepts of these polynomial equations are nonnegative and are consistent with observations of very low <it>FM </it>measured during a severe Somali famine. The models preserve the predictive power of the Forbes model for changes in body composition when compared to results from several longitudinal weight change studies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The newly developed <it>FFM</it>-<it>FM </it>models provide new opportunities to compare individuals undergoing weight change to subjects in energy balance, analyze body composition for individual parameters, and predict body composition during weight change when pairing with energy balance differential equations.</p

Science exploration opportunities for manned missions to the Moon, Mars, Phobos, and an asteroid

Scientific exploration opportunities for human missions to the Moon, Phobos, Mars, and an asteroid are addressed. These planetary objects are of prime interest to scientists because they are the accessible, terresterial-like bodies most likely to be the next destinations for human missions beyond Earth orbit. Three categories of science opportunities are defined and discussed: target science, platform science, and cruise science. Target science is the study of the planetary object and its surroundings (including geological, biological, atmospheric, and fields and particle sciences) to determine the object's natural physical characteristics, planetological history, mode of origin, relation to possible extant or extinct like forms, surface environmental properties, resource potential, and suitability for human bases or outposts. Platform science takes advantage of the target body using it as a site for establishing laboratory facilities and observatories; and cruise science consists of studies conducted by the crew during the voyage to and from a target body. Generic and specific science opportunities for each target are summarized along with listings of strawman payloads, desired or required precursor information, priorities for initial scientific objectives, and candidate landing sites. An appendix details the potential use of the Moon for astronomical observatories and specialized observatories, and a bibliography compiles recent work on topics relating to human scientific exploration of the Moon, Phobos, Mars, and asteroids. It is concluded that there are a wide variety of scientific exploration opportunities that can be pursued during human missions to planetary targets but that more detailed studies and precursor unmanned missions should be carried out first

Hairy Black Holes in String Theory

Solutions of bosonic string theory are constructed which correspond to four-dimensional black holes with axionic quantum hair. The basic building blocks are the renormalization group flows of the CP1 model with a theta term and the SU(1,1)/U(1) WZW coset conformal field theory. However the solutions are also found to have negative energy excitations, and are accordingly expected to decay to the vacuum.Comment: 14 pages (References added

Intracranial Vertebrobasilar Artery Dissection Associated with Postpartum Angiopathy

Background. Cervicocephalic arterial dissection (CCAD) is rare in the postpartum period. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of postpartum angiopathy (PPA) presenting with ischemic stroke due to intracranial arterial dissection. Case. A 41-year-old woman presented with blurred vision, headache, and generalized seizures 5 days after delivering twins. She was treated with magnesium for eclampsia. MRI identified multiple posterior circulation infarcts. Angiography identified a complex dissection extending from both intradural vertebral arteries, through the basilar artery, and into both posterior cerebral arteries. Multiple segments of arterial dilatation and narrowing consistent with PPA were present. Xenon enhanced CT (Xe-CT) showed reduced regional cerebral blood flow that is improved with elevation in blood pressure. Conclusion. Intracranial vertebrobasilar dissection causing stroke is a rare complication of pregnancy. Eclampsia and PPA may play a role in its pathogenesis. Blood pressure management may be tailored using quantitative blood flow studies, such as Xe-CT