Persons Are Forever

Roll 15. Freshman Week II. Image 12 of 17. (10 September 1952) [PHO 1.15.15]The Boleslaus Lukaszewski (Father Luke) Photographs contain more than 28,000 images of Saint Louis University people, activities, and events between 1951 and 1970. The photographs were taken by Boleslaus Lukaszewski (Father Luke), a Jesuit priest and member of the University's Philosophy Department faculty

The Role of Trailerhitch in Mouse Germ Cell Development

During oogenesis in the Drosophila ovary, a 16-cell cyst develops in which one cell grows to become the oocyte. The surrounding nurse cells transport mRNAs, proteins, and organelles to the oocyte during development and must be localized properly within the oocyte. A complex of proteins is responsible for mRNA localization, including the recently discovered protein Trailerhitch. Homologs of Trailerhitch exist in other species including C. elegans, yeast, mice, and humans, but the function is unknown. We are interested in studying the function of Trailerhitch in mouse germ cell development. Mice with a nonfunctional Trailerhitch gene were synthesized using a gene trapping method in which a β-geo vector was inserted randomly into the intron between exons two and three of the Trailerhitch gene. The coding sequence of the gene was thus interrupted and inactivated. The mutation was then transmitted through the germline of mice in order to analyze the effects. Using Western blotting, β- galactosidase staining, and Whole Mount Antibody staining, we have determined that Trailerhitch is expressed in both ovaries and testes of mice at all ages. In neonatal ovaries, Trailerhitch is expressed in the cytoplasm of oocytes and is highly concentrated in the Golgi. In neonatal testes, Trailerhitch is widely expressed in the cytoplasm of spermatagonia. However, Trailerhitch is expressed only in a concentrated region of the cytoplasm of spermatocytes in adult testes, which is thought to be the chromatoid body. During development, Trailerhitch is expressed widely throughout the embryo, which was determined by performing β- galactosidase staining during ages 7.5 dpc – 13.5 dpc. Trailerhitch expression in other organ systems of the mouse signifies that Trailerhitch may have a more general cellular function. Using PCR primer walking, we have identified the exact base pair location of the β-geo insertion. This discovery has allowed us to distinguish between heterozygous and homozygous mutants. According to genotyping, RT-PCR, and Western blot data, it appears that homozygous mutants are embryonic lethal prior to the age of 7.5 dpc (days post coitum). This finding must be confirmed and the exact age of lethality must be determined

The Hope Valley Shear Zone - A Major Late Paleozoic Ductile Shear Zone in Southeastern New England

Guidebook for field trips in Connecticut and adjacent areas of New York and Rhode Island: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference 77th annual meeting, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, October 4-6, 1985: Trip B

Discourses of Diabetes Management in Patient-Physician Interactions

Discussions of diabetes management are challenging for patients and physicians during treatment plan appointments—in large part because “diabetes management” has multiple, competing meanings. Our goal in this study was to examine talk between patients and physicians over multiple visits to: (1) determine the multiple meanings of diabetes management, and (2) determine the specific ways these meanings compete with each other. To accomplish this goal, we gathered data at a family medicine residency clinic in the Midwestern United States, video-recording the interactions of six different patient-physician dyads over multiple visits. Next, we performed in-depth analyses of these interactions using Baxter’s (2011) Relational Dialectics Theory 2.0, which focuses on discourses occurring within interpersonal interactions, rather than on the individuals within interpersonal interactions. Our results reveal meanings associated with two dominant oppositional discourses comprising the meaning of diabetes management: high self-efficacy and low self-efficacy. Additionally, we found that—during conversations between patients and physicians—the central discourse of high self-efficacy competed with the less-central discourse of low self-efficacy. Our results also reveal that both patients and physicians used both discourses. Finally, our results revealed that at times, both patients and physicians mixed these discourses, creating a new “hybrid” meaning for diabetes management: Moderation. Understanding these discourses and how they compete can help physicians focus on the cultural discourses that shape their own and patients’ views of diabetes management and realize the transformational possibilities that can occur in treatment plan discussions through a more moderate discourse

Utilising Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) for Classifying Osteoarthritis (OA) Patients and Volunteers Based on Biomarker Concentration

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterised by the breakdown of cartilage, causing pain, stiffness, and limited movement. Early diagnosis is crucial for effective management but remains challenging due to non-specific early symptoms. This study explores the application of Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) to classify OA patients and healthy volunteers based on biomarker concentrations of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and Myeloperoxidase (MPO). DFA was employed to analyse biomarker data from 86 participants (58 patients, 28 volunteers) to evaluate the discriminatory power of these biomarkers in predicting OA. Significant differences were observed in MPO and TNF-α levels between groups, while IL-6 did not show a significant distinction. The iterative classification process improved model assumptions and classification accuracy, achieving a pre-classification accuracy of 71.8%, which adjusted to 57.1% post-classification. The results highlight DFA\u27s potential in OA diagnosis, suggesting its utility in managing complex data and aiding personalised treatment strategies. The study underscores the need for larger sample sizes and additional biomarkers to enhance diagnostic robustness and provides a foundation for integrating DFA into clinical practice for early OA detection

Saturation Foot-Patrol in a High-Violence Area: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation

This study incorporates a quasi-experimental design to evaluate a saturation foot-patrol initiative in Newark, NJ. Violent crime was measured for one year prior and during the initiative within the target area, a surrounding catchment area, and two separate control areas. The overall findings provide further sup- port for foot-patrol as a crime prevention tactic. Total street violence as well as the disaggregate categories of murder, shootings, and nondomestic aggravated assault decreased within the target area absent of any displacement effects. However, robbery suffered from substantial levels of both temporal and spatial displacement, showing saturation foot-patrol to have varying impact on different types of street violence. This finding suggests that police should design large-scale foot-patrol initiatives in a manner that does not allow offenders, particularly robbers, to easily gauge the scope of the intervention and identify alternate crime opportunities. Keyword

Collaborative decision making improves interpersonal psychotherapy efficiency: A randomized clinical trial with postpartum women

Background: Randomized controlled trials of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and other psychotherapies for depression have required strict adherence to protocol and do not allow for clinical judgment in deciding frequency of sessions. To determine if such protocols were more effective than allowing therapists to use their clinical judgment, we compared “Clinician- Managed” IPT (CM-IPT), in which clinicians and patients with postpartum depression were allotted 12 sessions and determined collaboratively when to use them, to a once weekly 12 session protocol (“Standard IPT”). We hypothesized that CM-IPT would be more efficient, requiring fewer sessions to reach an equivalent acute outcome, and that CM-IPT would be superior over 12 months because “saved” sessions could be used for maintenance treatment. Method: We conducted a clinical trial including 140 postpartum outpatients with DSM-IV major depression who were randomly assigned to “Standard” IPT (N= 69) or CM-IPT (N= 71). Results: Both CM-IPT and S-IPT were highly efficacious with similar outcomes by 12 weeks but CM-IPT group utilized significantly fewer sessions. Both were superior to a waitlist control. Superiority comparisons at 12 months did not favor the CM-IPT condition. Limitations: Results should be replicated in a more diverse sample to increase generalizability. Conclusions: CM-IPT is more efficient in treating acute depression than mandated weekly IPT. Further, permitting clinicians and patients to use their collaborative judgment is likely to be a more efficient and effective way to conduct future research and to implement evidence-based psychotherapy in the community

Measuring Population Transmission Potential for HIV: An Alternative Metric of Transmission Risk in Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in the US

Background Various metrics for HIV burden and treatment success [e.g. HIV prevalence, community viral load (CVL), population viral load (PVL), percent of HIV-positive persons with undetectable viral load] have important public health limitations for understanding disparities. Methods and Findings Using data from an ongoing HIV incidence cohort of black and white men who have sex with men (MSM), we propose a new metric to measure the prevalence of those at risk of transmitting HIV and illustrate its value. …See full text for complete abstract