Creatine and low-dose lithium supplementation separately alter energy expenditure, body mass, and adipose metabolism for the promotion of thermogenesis.

Nutraceutical approaches to promote adipose tissue thermogenesis may help to prevent obesity onset. Creatine is a critical regulator of adipose metabolic function and low-dose lithium supplementation has been shown to promote adipose thermogenesis. In the present study, we sought to directly compare the two supplements for their effects on adipose metabolism and thermogenesis. We show that both supplements increase daily energy expenditure (EE) and reduce body mass in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Lithium increased brown adipose tissue (BAT) mitochondrial and lipolytic proteins that are associated with thermogenesis, while creatine increased BAT UCP1 and mitochondrial respiration. The BAT thermogenic findings were not observed in females. White adipose tissue and skeletal muscle markers of thermogenesis were unaltered with the supplements. Together, the data show that low-dose lithium and creatine have diverging effects on markers of BAT thermogenesis and that each increase daily EE and lower body mass in a sex-dependent manner.

Thermal conductivity measurements of non-metals via combined time- and frequency-domain thermoreflectance without a metal film transducer.

The thermoreflectance-based techniques time- and frequency-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR and FDTR, respectively) have emerged as robust platforms to measure the thermophysical properties of a wide array of systems on varying length scales. Routine in the implementation of these techniques is the application of a thin metal film on the surface of the sample of interest to serve as an opto-thermal transducer ensuring the measured modulated reflectivity is dominated by the change in thermoreflectance of the sample. Here, we outline a method to directly measure the thermal conductivities of bulk materials without using a metal transducer layer using a standard TDTR/FDTR experiment. A major key in this approach is the use of a thermal model with z-dependent heat source when the optical penetration depth is comparable to the beam sizes and measuring the FDTR response at a long delay time to minimize non-thermoreflectivity contributions to the modulated reflectance signals (such as free carrier excitations). Using this approach, we demonstrate the ability to measure the thermal conductivity on three semiconductors, intrinsic Si (100), GaAs (100), and InSb (100), the results of which are validated with FDTR measurements on the same wafers with aluminum transducers. We outline the major sources of uncertainty in this approach, including frequency dependent heating and precise knowledge of the pump and probe spot sizes. As a result, we discuss appropriate pump-frequency ranges in which to implement this TDTR/FDTR approach and present a procedure to measure the effective spot sizes by fitting the FDTR data of an 80 nm Al/SiO2 sample at a time delay in which the spot size sensitivity dominates an FDTR measurement over the substrate thermal properties. Our method provides a more convenient way to directly measure the thermal conductivities of semiconductors.

MSOs: key to PHOs and community-based health care systems.

In the '50s and '60s, as you drove through the United States, you could not help but notice the large number of mom and pop businesses--gas stations, groceries, restaurants. The same ride in the '70s and '80s is remembered because of the large number of these businesses that had closed their doors. In the '90s, this could very well begin to happen to doctor's offices and small clinics as medicine comes to look more and more like a business. This decade has already seen a shift in medicine from fee-for-service to more managed types of insurance and payment programs and the beginning of larger physician groups. Proposed health reform initiatives can only serve to accelerate these trends. Those in medicine prepared for changes will survive and perhaps even thrive. The others will wither on the vine. One of the key strategies that will enhance survival is cooperation and organization among the different players--hospitals, insurance companies, and providers. An extremely valuable tool for survival, along with the independent practice arrangement, the integrated delivery system, etc., will be the management service organization.

The future of nursing: combining humanistic and technological values.

Technology is increasing. "The most stable characteristic of the present health care system, is change, characterized by expansion and experimentation . . ." To date, nursing has taken a reactive role, adapting out of necessity rather than taking an active part in initiating or promoting specific change. Consequently the health care system has had and continues to have a greater impact on nursing than nursing on the health care system. Two hypothetical frameworks, humanistic and technological, are presented with which to approach the problem of increasing technology. The values and implications of each are examined within the context of the nursing profession.

Detection and ecology of leptospirosis in Iowa wildlife.

To gain additional information on the extent of leptospirosis in wildlife following a human outbreak in Iowa, wild mammals and lower forms of life were collected. Isolation, darkfield microscopic, serologic and pathologic procedures were used to identify past or present evidence of leptospiral infection. Leptospires were isolated from 7 of 75 (9%) mammals. Serotype grippotyphosa was isolated from three raccoons (procyon lotor) and one Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis). Serotype ballum was isolated from three opossums (Didelphis marsupialis). Leptospires, unidentified to date, were isolated from frog (Rana pipiens) kidneys. Other positive serologic and pathologic tests gave evidence of infection or previous infection. Utilization of Darkfield microscopic and silver staining techniques did not detect all cases of leptospiral infection. Macroscopic and microscopic serologic methods failed to identify evidence of leptospirosis in all mammals from which leptospires were isolated. Pathologic lesions could only be considered presumptive evidence for leptospirosis. These findings indicate that detection of leptospirosis in wildlife cannot be limited to a single diagnostic test. A combination of diagnostic procedures and clinical evaluation is necessary. Although serotype pomona was implicated as the predominant infecting leptospire in the human cases and domestic animals and was isolated from water at a swimming site, only serotypes grippotyphosa, ballum and ICF (frog isolate) were isolated from wild mammals and lower forms of life in the same vicinity.