Early Feeding After a Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

Background: Oral fluids and food are traditionally introduced slowly after total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH). This descriptive study examined the effect and tolerance of early oral intake following this surgery. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 164 patients who had been on a clinical pathway following TAH. Comparisons in initiation of fluids and foods, and gastrointestinal effects were made between the early fed group (n=82) and the traditionally fed group (n=82). Results: Both groups had the similar gastrointestinal symptoms postoperatively, but the early fed group had an earlier bowel movement. The early fed group had a statistically significant shorter length of stay. Similar usage of anti-nausea medication and pain medication usage was noted between the two groups, except for a lower usage of Tylenol #3 (acetaminophen with codeine) in the early fed group. Conclusions: This study found that early feeding could be tolerated well in TAH patients, with statistically significant improvements in usage of some pain medication and length of stay were noted in the early fed group

Acetylcholine levels in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus during trace and delay conditioning

The goal of this experiment was to examine the pattern of ACh release in mPFC and HPC during performance in trace and delay appetitive conditioning

A Comprehensive Analysis of Shared Loci between Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Sixteen Autoimmune Diseases Reveals Limited Genetic Overlap

In spite of the well-known clustering of multiple autoimmune disorders in families, analyses of specific shared genes and polymorphisms between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases (ADs) have been limited. Therefore, we comprehensively tested autoimmune variants for association with SLE, aiming to identify pleiotropic genetic associations between these diseases. We compiled a list of 446 non–Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) variants identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of populations of European ancestry across 17 ADs. We then tested these variants in our combined Caucasian SLE cohorts of 1,500 cases and 5,706 controls. We tested a subset of these polymorphisms in an independent Caucasian replication cohort of 2,085 SLE cases and 2,854 controls, allowing the computation of a meta-analysis between all cohorts. We have uncovered novel shared SLE loci that passed multiple comparisons adjustment, including the VTCN1 (rs12046117, P = 2.02×10−06) region. We observed that the loci shared among the most ADs include IL23R, OLIG3/TNFAIP3, and IL2RA. Given the lack of a universal autoimmune risk locus outside of the MHC and variable specificities for different diseases, our data suggests partial pleiotropy among ADs. Hierarchical clustering of ADs suggested that the most genetically related ADs appear to be type 1 diabetes with rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease with ulcerative colitis. These findings support a relatively distinct genetic susceptibility for SLE. For many of the shared GWAS autoimmune loci, we found no evidence for association with SLE, including IL23R. Also, several established SLE loci are apparently not associated with other ADs, including the ITGAM-ITGAX and TNFSF4 regions. This study represents the most comprehensive evaluation of shared autoimmune loci to date, supports a relatively distinct non–MHC genetic susceptibility for SLE, provides further evidence for previously and newly identified shared genes in SLE, and highlights the value of studies of potentially pleiotropic genes in autoimmune diseases

COLT

COLT is a short historic drama about the true story of famed gunmaker Samuel Colt and his murderous brother John on the day of his execution

New Strategies and Techniques to Preserve Resources of State and Local Government Retirement Funds -The Role of the AGA and CGFM’s as New Fed Recalculation Doubles the Pension Deficit

Defined benefit pension plans have existed for more than 150 years in the public sector, but their future is now threatened. Pension underfunding, occurring for decades,has reached a crisis point. State and local governments are beginning to shift away from plans that provide a fixed annual benefit amount for the life of the retiree, toward 401(k)-style defined contribution plans, following the lead of the private sector. These moves are causing significant consequences for more than 20 million individuals already participating in some 4,000 state and local governmentdefined benefit pension plans

New Strategies and Techniques to Preserve Resources of State and Local Government Retirement Funds -The Role of the AGA and CGFM’s as New Fed Recalculation Doubles the Pension Deficit

Defined benefit pension plans have existed for more than 150 years in the public sector, but their future is now threatened. Pension underfunding, occurring for decades,has reached a crisis point. State and local governments are beginning to shift away from plans that provide a fixed annual benefit amount for the life of the retiree, toward 401(k)-style defined contribution plans, following the lead of the private sector. These moves are causing significant consequences for more than 20 million individuals already participating in some 4,000 state and local governmentdefined benefit pension plans

Public Pension Underfunding

Long a staple benefit for state and local government employees, defined benefit pension plans guarantee a fixed retirement benefit to the employee for life (and often extending to a spouse after the employee\u27s death). These types of plans have frequently been part of the attraction of government jobs in the United States, helping them compete with corporate and business positions that typically offer defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) plans

A Comprehensive Review of the Evolution of Accounting Standards for State and Local Government Pension and Other Post-Employment Benefits in the United States

In recent years, both the business media and the popular press have emphasized the underfunding problems associated with pension funds that are set aside for state and local government workers, a group that also usually includes teachers and professors at state-affiliated colleges and universities. The realization that pension funds are typically underfunded stems from the fact that the accounting standards associated with state and local government employee pension funds have led to greater transparency since 2011. This paper examines, explains, and interprets the historical development over the last 70 years of accounting standards for state and local government pension funds in the United States. Pension accounting is controversial, partially because the issues are complex and because plan sponsors, as preparers, have not always agreed upon disclosure details, nor have they always welcomed transparency. Also, changing accounting standards, along with economic and social change, have led to consequences such as employers transforming their pension programs to avoid substantial costs and significant liabilities, for example by changing from defined benefit to defined contribution plans. Further, in recent years, the media have emphasized liability underfunding problems associated with defined benefit pension plans. The realization that such pension sums are often underfunded can be related to the changing accounting principles associated with pensions, thus increasing attention to such standards