High Altitude atmospheric measurements using a Vernier Lab Quest 2 system

The Physics Department and the Center for Environmental, Economic, Earth, and Space Studies at Bemidji State University have operated the high altitude ballooning program since 2011. These flights have included projects and experiments designed by BSU and local K-12 students as part of the Minnesota State K-12 Science Standards. However, due to budget constraints it is not easy to collect reliable atmospheric data that can be readily analyzed by K - 12 students. However, with the rise of relatively inexpensive and and easy to use equipment it is now possible to collect a wide variety of atmospheric data up to 100,000 ft or more. A Labquest 2 Data Collection and Analysis system from Vernier Software and Technology was used to collect data using six different Vernier sensors every 6 seconds for the entire 2 hour flight of the balloon from takeoff to landing in a lake on March 30, 2016. The data was later analyzed to produce graphs of temperature, pressure, UVA, UVA, and cosmic radiation vs altitude from ground level to 85,000 ft. Students from Bemidji Middle School participated in all aspects of the project including packing the data equipment, the balloon launch and recovery, and analysis of the collected data

Additional Treatment with Terracortril® with Polymyxin B when Treating Pericoronitis in General Dental Care

Background: Pericoronitis is an oral condition characterized by inflammation caused by infection in the gingiva surrounding a partially erupted tooth. Terracortril® with Polymyxin B is an ointment with hydrocortisone, oxytetracycline and Polymyxin B that has been observed to occur in treatment of pericoronitis in general dental care, despite recommendations against local antibiotic treatment in dental care. Aim: The aim was to explore to what extent Terracortril® with Polymyxin B is used in the treatment of pericoronitis in general dental care, and to ascertain if the general dentist’s professional experience and degree of difficulty of the pericoronitis affects the choice of treatment. Methods: A survey was sent to general dentists in the Region Västerbotten, consisting of three patient cases with different severity of pericoronitis asking for acute stage treatment. Background questions about Terracortril® with Polymyxin B were included and working years were inquired for.   Results: 81.4% used Terracortril® with Polymyxin B. Usage was associated with professional experience, where dentists with 0-1 and ≥16 working years used Terracortril® with Polymyxin B more frequently than dentists with 2-5 and 6-15 working years.  The severity of symptoms of pericoronitis was decisive for if the dentist used Terracortril® with Polymyxin B, where usage increased with the severity of pericoronitis. Conclusion: Terracortril® with Polymyxin B is frequently used in treatment of pericoronitis. Both the professional experience and the degree of difficulty of the pericoronitis affect the usage. Terracortril® with Polymyxin B should presumably not be used in the treatment of pericoronitis until supporting evidence is available.

High Altitude atmospheric measurements using a Vernier Lab Quest 2 system

The Physics Department and the Center for Environmental, Economic, Earth, and Space Studies at Bemidji State University have operated the high altitude ballooning program since 2011. These flights have included projects and experiments designed by BSU and local K-12 students as part of the Minnesota State K-12 Science Standards. However, due to budget constraints it is not easy to collect reliable atmospheric data that can be readily analyzed by K - 12 students. However, with the rise of relatively inexpensive and and easy to use equipment it is now possible to collect a wide variety of atmospheric data up to 100,000 ft or more. A Labquest 2 Data Collection and Analysis system from Vernier Software and Technology was used to collect data using six different Vernier sensors every 6 seconds for the entire 2 hour flight of the balloon from takeoff to landing in a lake on March 30, 2016. The data was later analyzed to produce graphs of temperature, pressure, UVA, UVA, and cosmic radiation vs altitude from ground level to 85,000 ft. Students from Bemidji Middle School participated in all aspects of the project including packing the data equipment, the balloon launch and recovery, and analysis of the collected data

Serotonin syndrome : a clinical review of current controversies

Serotonin syndrome is a state of increased central and peripheral serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) activity. Unless recognized and treated early, serotonin syndrome can lead to seizures, shock and death. Both substances with direct and indirect serotonergic activity can precipitate the syndrome. Serotonin syndrome can occur not only in psychiatric but also in non-psychiatric settings. Yet, clinicians may not be familiar with the condition. We explore some of the current controversies regarding serotonin syndrome. Specifically, we tested the following assumptions: (i) Despite being rare, serotonin syndrome is still clinically relevant; (ii) The Hunter criteria are the gold standard for diagnosing serotonin syndrome; (iii) Hyperthermia is common in cases of serotonin syndrome; (iv) Serotonin syndrome usually develops fast; (v) Severe serotonin syndrome usually or almost exclusively involves monoamine oxidase inhibitors. We found that (i) despite being rare, serotonin syndrome was clinically relevant, (ii) the Hunter criteria could not be regarded as the gold standard for the diagnosis of serotonin syndrome since they missed more cases than the other two diagnostic criteria systems (Sternbach and Radomski criteria), (iii) Serotonin syndrome could occur in the absence of an elevated temperature, (iv) fast onset could not be regarded as a reliable clinical sign of serotonin syndrome, and (v) absence of monoamine oxidase inhibitors treatment did not exclude a diagnosis of serotonin syndrome. Clinicians should bear in mind that in the context of relevant drug history, serotonin syndrome may still be possible in these circumstances

Elementary and Middle School Student Participation in High Altitude Ballooning: Teacher—Student Perspectives

The Bemidji State University high altitude ballooning program has involved middle or elementary school students with high altitude flights since spring of 2013. A total of about 110 students from the Bemidji Middle School (BMS) and 20 elementary students from the Schoolcraft Learning Community (SLC) have participated in four flights over four years. Student projects were designed to help illustrate authentic science investigation and meet parts of the Minnesota State K-12 Science Standards. One author made five visits to work with SLC students, introducing them to science and engineering fundamentals and payload/experiment construction. Elementary students participated in the launch activity but not the recovery. Two other authors coordinated activities with the BMS through one pre-launch visit—middle school faculty supervised the design and construction of the payloads. An example project involved sending up three types of beans for a controlled experiment. The students visited the BSU laboratory for the final payload construction and review the launch protocols. The students participated and assisted in the launch and recovery activities The post-activity feedback from students suggests: additional participation opportunities in HAB be made available; including more involvement with BSU faculty; increasing direct student participation in the launch/recovery; and continuing the current program. Feedback from teachers suggests: modeling the launch activity in the classroom is beneficial; transportation funding is a major issue; students were excited and engaged; multiple state learning standards were met; and middle school students’ introduction to STEM activities at a university may potentially encourage them to pursue a STEM degree

ECG changes associated with lithium intoxication : a study based on the lisie project

INTRODUCTION: It currently remains unclear in how far supratherapeutic lithium serum concentrations can affect the cardiac conduction system. Prolonged QT interval, arrhythmias and cardiac death have all been anecdotally reported, but the systematic studies are few. OBJECTIVES: To examine ECG changes occurring with supratherapeutic lithium concentrations that have given rise to lithium toxicity. METHODS: We examined all episodes of lithium intoxication defined as serum lithium level (≥ 1.5 mmol/L). We analyzed ECG before, during and after intoxication and recorded ECG changes. These, we then assessed according to type of intoxications, clinical and other pharmacological characteristics. The study is based on 20-year data (1997-2020) from the retrospective cohort study (LiSIE) in the Swedish region of Norrbotten. RESULTS: Of 1101 patients treated with lithium, 77 patients had experienced lithium intoxications. 12 patients had more than one episode of intoxication, yielding 91 episodes. 39 had ECG available both as reference and during lithium intoxication. We found no statistically significant prolongation of the QTc interval during lithium intoxication, compared to respective reference ECG (p = 0.364). Heart rate during lithium intoxication was significantly lower, mean 73 beats/min (SD 16,8, range 43 - 112), compared to the reference ECG, mean 79 beats/min (SD 15,3, range 48-112; p = 0.006). No patient died. All findings were independent of whether an intoxication was acute or chronic. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, heart rate was significantly lower during episodes of intoxication. However, this decrease was of no clinical relevance in most cases. Lithium intoxication was not associated with prolonged QT time. DISCLOSURE: M. Ott: scientific advisory board member of Astra Zeneca, Sweden. U. Werneke: received funding for educational activities on behalf of Norrbotten Region; Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Otsuka/Lundbeck, Servier, Shire, Sunovion. Others: Non

Elementary and Middle School Student Participation in High Altitude Ballooning: Teacher—Student Perspectives

The Bemidji State University high altitude ballooning program has involved middle or elementary school students with high altitude flights since spring of 2013. A total of about 110 students from the Bemidji Middle School (BMS) and 20 elementary students from the Schoolcraft Learning Community (SLC) have participated in four flights over four years. Student projects were designed to help illustrate authentic science investigation and meet parts of the Minnesota State K-12 Science Standards. One author made five visits to work with SLC students, introducing them to science and engineering fundamentals and payload/experiment construction. Elementary students participated in the launch activity but not the recovery. Two other authors coordinated activities with the BMS through one pre-launch visit—middle school faculty supervised the design and construction of the payloads. An example project involved sending up three types of beans for a controlled experiment. The students visited the BSU laboratory for the final payload construction and review the launch protocols. The students participated and assisted in the launch and recovery activities The post-activity feedback from students suggests: additional participation opportunities in HAB be made available; including more involvement with BSU faculty; increasing direct student participation in the launch/recovery; and continuing the current program. Feedback from teachers suggests: modeling the launch activity in the classroom is beneficial; transportation funding is a major issue; students were excited and engaged; multiple state learning standards were met; and middle school students’ introduction to STEM activities at a university may potentially encourage them to pursue a STEM degree

Comprehensive Study on Aptamers and Aptamer-based Assays

Antibodies are the gold standard molecular recognition elements and a cornerstone of molecular biology. They are used in immunoassays to precisely measure a specific analyte, but certain targets are especially challenging. Difficult targets include small molecules and molecules that do not induce an immune response. Aptamers are short oligonucleotides that can form 3-dimensional structures and bind targets with high specificity. Aptamers are smaller and more flexible than antibodies and could therefore solve this problem. In contrast to antibodies, aptamers are synthetically produced, so they can have affinity for molecules that do not induce an immune response. This also makes them cheaper, faster and more ethical to produce. They are also easily modified and have the ability to renature and can therefore be reused.  Our conclusions are that aptamers can outperform antibodies, especially for small molecule targets, and that the synthetic production of aptamers gives them a further advantage over antibodies. Our report compares several different types of detection methods that use aptamers and we conclude that fluorescence-based methods are the most easy to use with basic lab equipment, can be made similar to the ELISA kits in addition to giving highly sensitive detection. We describe a variety of fluorescence-based detection strategies but the optimal method will depend on the specific aptamer and target. The report also includes an ethical analysis where antibodies and aptamers are compared. This report is commissioned by Mercodia AB, a company that develops, manufactures and distributes immunoassays for biomarkers within the field of metabolic disorders. They commissioned this report in order to give an overview of how aptamers interact with their target, and also to compare aptamer-based detection strategies with sensitivity prioritized over selectivity.  This was done by literature research.