Microvascular anatomy suggests varying aerobic activity levels in the adipose tissues of diving tetrapods.

Adipose tissue has many important functions including metabolic energy storage, endocrine functions, thermoregulation and structural support. Given these varied functions, the microvascular characteristics within the tissue will have important roles in determining rates/limits of exchange of nutrients, waste, gases and molecular signaling molecules between adipose tissue and blood. Studies on skeletal muscle have suggested that tissues with higher aerobic capacity contain higher microvascular density (MVD) with lower diffusion distances (DD) than less aerobically active tissues. However, little is known about MVD in adipose tissue of most vertebrates; therefore, we measured microvascular characteristics (MVD, DD, diameter and branching) and cell size to explore the comparative aerobic activity in the adipose tissue across diving tetrapods, a group of animals facing additional physiological and metabolic stresses associated with diving. Adipose tissues of 33 animals were examined, including seabirds, sea turtles, pinnipeds, baleen whales and toothed whales. MVD and DD varied significantly (P < 0.001) among the groups, with seabirds generally having high MVD, low DD and small adipocytes. These characteristics suggest that microvessel arrangement in short duration divers (seabirds) reflects rapid lipid turnover, compared to longer duration divers (beaked whales) which have relatively lower MVD and greater DD, perhaps reflecting the requirement for tissue with lower metabolic activity, minimizing energetic costs during diving. Across all groups, predictable scaling patterns in MVD and DD such as those observed in skeletal muscle did not emerge, likely reflecting the fact that unlike skeletal muscle, adipose tissue performs many different functions in marine organisms, often within the same tissue compartment.

A RAC-GEF network critical for early intestinal tumourigenesis.

RAC1 activity is critical for intestinal homeostasis, and is required for hyperproliferation driven by loss of the tumour suppressor gene Apc in the murine intestine. To avoid the impact of direct targeting upon homeostasis, we reasoned that indirect targeting of RAC1 via RAC-GEFs might be effective. Transcriptional profiling of Apc deficient intestinal tissue identified Vav3 and Tiam1 as key targets. Deletion of these indicated that while TIAM1 deficiency could suppress Apc-driven hyperproliferation, it had no impact upon tumourigenesis, while VAV3 deficiency had no effect. Intriguingly, deletion of either gene resulted in upregulation of Vav2, with subsequent targeting of all three (Vav2-/- Vav3-/- Tiam1-/-), profoundly suppressing hyperproliferation, tumourigenesis and RAC1 activity, without impacting normal homeostasis. Critically, the observed RAC-GEF dependency was negated by oncogenic KRAS mutation. Together, these data demonstrate that while targeting RAC-GEF molecules may have therapeutic impact at early stages, this benefit may be lost in late stage disease.

FAST in the deployed military setting.

INTRODUCTION: Focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) is historically an effective method of assessing the patient in the trauma bay in order to aid decision-making and optimise patient outcomes. However, in the UK civilian practice, the use of FAST may decline given a recent change in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance as a result of improvement in CT availability and resuscitation techniques. METHOD: In the Role 3 Medical Treatment Facility, Camp Bastion, 187 patients with trauma who received FAST in the trauma bay in 2014 were reviewed to determine the accuracy of FAST in the deployed environment. RESULTS: The data demonstrates the sensitivity and specificity of FAST to be 75% and 99.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that FAST is accurate on operations. FAST is provided by the integrated radiologist as part of damage control radiology, which gives the team leader rapid diagnostic information to improve decision-making and ultimately patient outcomes. CT is heavily utilised in civilian practice; however, the military operates in a different environment often with multiple casualties and limited access to CT, as a result, portable ultrasound will continue to be a valuable tool on operations if used properly. The next challenge is to develop and maintain this high diagnostic accuracy in future deployments where the memories of our prior success may fade.

Wnt ligands influence tumour initiation by controlling the number of intestinal stem cells.

Many epithelial stem cell populations follow a pattern of stochastic stem cell divisions called 'neutral drift'. It is hypothesised that neutral competition between stem cells protects against the acquisition of deleterious mutations. Here we use a Porcupine inhibitor to reduce Wnt secretion at a dose where intestinal homoeostasis is maintained despite a reduction of Lgr5+ stem cells. Functionally, there is a marked acceleration in monoclonal conversion, so that crypts become rapidly derived from a single stem cell. Stem cells located further from the base are lost and the pool of competing stem cells is reduced. We tested whether this loss of stem cell competition would modify tumorigenesis. Reduction of Wnt ligand secretion accelerates fixation of Apc-deficient cells within the crypt leading to accelerated tumorigenesis. Therefore, ligand-based Wnt signalling influences the number of stem cells, fixation speed of Apc mutations and the speed and likelihood of adenoma formation.

Habitat use pattern of the giant parasitic nematode Crassicauda magna within the pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps.

The giant (>3 m) parasitic nematode Crassicauda magna infects kogiid whales, although only 3 studies to date have provided detailed descriptions of these worms, all based upon fragmented specimens. These fragments were found within the neck region of kogiids, an unusual anatomic site for this genus of parasites. C. magna is a species-specific parasite among kogiids, infecting only pygmy sperm whales Kogia breviceps, and with a primarily cervico-thoracic distribution. To date, however, the pattern of habitat use within the host and transmission path of this parasite remain unknown. We used detailed dissections (n = 12), histological examination of host tissues (n = 2), and scanning electron microscopy of excised nematodes (n = 7) to enhance our understanding of this host-parasite relationship. Results revealed that a critical habitat for the parasite is an exocrine gland in the whale's ventral cervical region. C. magna male and female tails were found intertwined within the glandular lumen, and eggs were observed within its presumed secretion, illuminating the transmission path out of the host. The cephalic ends of these worms were often meters away (curvilinearly), embedded deeply within epaxial muscle. A single worm's complete, tortuous 312 cm course, from the gland to its termination in the contralateral epaxial muscle, is described for the first time. This study also provides the first scanning electron micrographs of C. magna, which illustrate taxonomically important features of the heads and tails of both male and female worms.

Microvascular characteristics of the acoustic fats: Novel data suggesting taxonomic differences between deep and shallow-diving odontocetes.

Odontocetes have specialized mandibular fats, the extramandibular (EMFB) and intramandibular fat bodies (IMFB), which function as acoustic organs, receiving and channeling sound to the ear during hearing and echolocation. Recent strandings of beaked whales suggest that these fat bodies are susceptible to nitrogen (N2 ) gas embolism and empirical evidence has shown that the N2 solubility of these fat bodies is higher than that of blubber. Since N2 gas will diffuse from blood into tissue at any blood/tissue interface and potentially form gas bubbles upon decompression, it is imperative to understand the extent of microvascularity in these specialized acoustic fats so that risk of embolism formation when diving can be estimated. Microvascular density was determined in the EMFB, IMFB, and blubber from 11 species representing three odontocete families. In all cases, the acoustic tissues had less (typically 1/3 to 1/2) microvasculature than did blubber, suggesting that capillary density in the acoustic tissues may be more constrained than in the blubber. However, even within these constraints there were clear phylogenetic differences. Ziphiid (Mesoplodon and Ziphius, 0.9 ± 0.4% and 0.7 ± 0.3% for EMFB and IMFB, respectively) and Kogiid families (1.2 ± 0.2% and 1.0 ± 0.01% for EMFB and IMFB, respectively) had significantly lower mean microvascular densities in the acoustic fats compared to the Delphinid species (Tursiops, Grampus, Stenella, and Globicephala, 1.3 ± 0.3% and 1.3 ± 0.3% for EMFB and IMFB, respectively). Overall, deep-diving beaked whales had less microvascularity in both mandibular fats and blubber compared to the shallow-diving Delphinids, which might suggest that there are differences in the N2 dynamics associated with diving regime, phylogeny, and tissue type. These novel data should be incorporated into diving physiology models to further understand potential functional disruption of the acoustic tissues due to changes in normal diving behavior.

Quantitative Health Risk Assessment of Indoor Radon: A Systematic Review.

Exposure to radon is a well-established cause of lung cancer in the general population. The aim of the present work is to identify and summarize the results of studies that have assessed the risk of lung cancer due to indoor radon, based on a systematic review of relevant published studies. Sixteen studies from 12 different countries met eligibility criteria. Large differences in radon concentrations were noted between and within individual countries, and variety of risk models used to estimate the attributable fraction. Calculating again the attributable fraction in each of these studies using the same model (coefficient of 16% per 100 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3) derived from the European residential radon study), the new attributable fraction of these selected studies ranged from 3% to 17%. Radon remains a public health concern. Information about radon health risks is important and efforts are needed to decrease the associated health problems.

The height of the cricothyroid membrane on computed tomography scans in trauma patients.

Emergency cricothyrotomy is a common feature in all difficult airway algorithms. It is the final step following a 'can't intubate, can't oxygenate' scenario. It is rarely performed and has a significant failure rate. There is variation in the reported size of the cricothyroid membrane, especially across population groups. Procedural failure may result from attempting to pass a device with too large an external diameter through the cricothyroid membrane. We aimed to determine the maximum height of the cricothyroid membrane in a UK trauma population. Electronic callipers were used to measure the maximum height of the cricothyroid membrane on 482 reformatted trauma computed tomography scans, 377 (78.2%) of which were in male patients. The mean (SD) height of the cricothyroid membrane, as independently measured by two radiologists, was 7.89 (2.21) mm and 7.88 (2.22) mm in male patients, and 6.00 (1.76) mm and 5.92 (1.71) mm in female patients. The presence of concurrent tracheal intubation or cervical spine immobilisation was found not to have a significant effect on cricothyroid membrane height. The cricothyroid membrane height in the study population was much smaller than that previously reported. Practitioners encountering patients who may require an emergency surgical airway should be aware of these data. Rescue airway equipment with variety of external diameters should be immediately available.

Experimental Investigation of the

The ^{19}Ne(p,γ)^{20}Na reaction is the second step of a reaction chain which breaks out from the hot CNO cycle, following the ^{15}O(α,γ)^{19}Ne reaction at the onset of x-ray burst events. We investigate the spectrum of the lowest proton-unbound states in ^{20}Na in an effort to resolve contradictions in spin-parity assignments and extract reliable information about the thermal reaction rate. The proton-transfer reaction ^{19}Ne(d,n)^{20}Na is measured with a beam of the radioactive isotope ^{19}Ne at an energy around the Coulomb barrier and in inverse kinematics. We observe three proton resonances with the ^{19}Ne ground state, at 0.44, 0.66, and 0.82 MeV c.m. energies, which are assigned 3^{+}, 1^{+}, and (0^{+}), respectively. In addition, we identify two resonances with the first excited state in ^{19}Ne, one at 0.20 MeV and one, tentatively, at 0.54 MeV. These observations allow us for the first time to experimentally quantify the astrophysical reaction rate on an excited nuclear state. Our experiment shows an efficient path for thermal proton capture in ^{19}Ne(p,γ)^{20}Na, which proceeds through ground state and excited-state capture in almost equal parts and eliminates the possibility for this reaction to create a bottleneck in the breakout from the hot CNO cycle.

Three new silver uranyl diphosphonates: structures and properties.

The hydrothermal reaction of uranium trioxide and methylenediphosphonic acid in the presence of silver nitrate resulted in the formation of three new uranyl coordination polymers: AgUO2[CH2(PO3)(PO3H)] (Ag-1), [Ag2(H2O)1.5]{(UO2)2[CH2(PO3)2]F2}·(H2O)0.5 (Ag-2), and Ag2UO2[CH2(PO3)2] (Ag-3). All consist of uranyl pentagonal bipyramids that form two-dimensional layered structures. Ag-1 and Ag-3 possess the same structural building unit, but the structures are different; Ag-3 is formed through edge-sharing of F atoms to form UO5F2 dimers. The pH and silver cation have significant effects on the structure that is synthesized. Raman spectra of single crystals of Ag-1, Ag-2, and Ag-3 reveal v1 UO2(2+) symmetric stretches of 816 and 829, 822, and 802 cm(-1), respectively. Electronic structure calculations were performed using the projector augmented wave (PAW) method with density functional theory (DFT) to gain insight into the nature of bonding and electronic characteristics of the synthesized compounds. Herein, we report the syntheses, crystal structures, Raman spectroscopy, and luminescent behavior of these three compounds.

Practical applications of digital tomosynthesis of the chest.

Digital tomosynthesis is a radiographic technique that generates a number of coronal raw images of a patient from a single pass of the x-ray tube. Tomosynthesis provides some of the tomographic benefits of computed tomography (CT), but at a much lower dose of radiation and cost when compared to CT. This review illustrates the range of practical applications of digital tomosynthesis of the chest.

Locomotor muscle profile of a deep (Kogia breviceps) versus shallow (Tursiops truncatus) diving cetacean.

When a marine mammal dives, breathing and locomotion are mechanically uncoupled, and its locomotor muscle must power swimming when oxygen is limited. The morphology of that muscle provides insight into both its oxygen storage capacity and its rate of oxygen consumption. This study investigated the m. longissimus dorsi, an epaxial swimming muscle, in the long duration, deep-diving pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and the short duration, shallow-diving Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Muscle myoglobin content, fiber type profile (based upon myosin ATPase and succinate dehydrogenase assays), and fiber size were measured for five adult specimens of each species. In addition, a photometric analysis of sections stained for succinate dehydrogenase was used to create an index of mitochondrial density. The m. longissimus dorsi of K. breviceps displayed significantly a) higher myoglobin content, b) larger proportion of Type I (slow oxidative) fibers by area, c) larger mean fiber diameters, and d) lower indices of mitochondrial density than that of T. truncatus. Thus, this primary swimming muscle of K. breviceps has greater oxygen storage capacity, reduced ATP demand, and likely a reduced rate of oxygen consumption relative to that of T. truncatus. The locomotor muscle of K. breviceps appears able to ration its high onboard oxygen stores, a feature that may allow this species to conduct relatively long duration, deep dives aerobically.

The clinical utility of CA 19-9 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: diagnostic and prognostic updates.

CA 19-9 and CEA are the most commonly used biomarkers for diagnosis and management of patients with pancreatic cancer. Since the original compendium by Steinberg in 1990, numerous studies have reported the use of CA 19-9 and, to a lesser extent, CEA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Here we update an evaluation of the accuracy of CA 19-9 and CEA, and, unlike previous reviews, focus on discrimination between malignant and benign disease instead of normal controls. In 57 studies involving 3,285 pancreatic carcinoma cases, the combined sensitivity of CA 19-9 was 78.2% and in 37 studies involving 1,882 cases with benign pancreatic disease the specificity of CA 19-9 was 82.8%. From the combined analysis of studies reporting CEA, the sensitivity was 44.2% (1,324 cases) and the specificity was 84.8% (656 cases). These measurements more appropriately reflect the expected biomarker accuracy in the differential diagnosis of patients with periampullary diseases. We also present a summary of the use of CA 19-9 as a prognostic tool and evaluate CA 19-9 diagnostic and prognostic utility in a 10-year, single institution experience.

Ultrasound of penetrating ocular injury in a combat environment.

Penetrating eye injuries are uncommon in a civilian environment, but unfortunately, very common in a military emergency department. Ultrasound of the eye is quick, reliable, accurate, and easy to learn. This review aims to demonstrate normal anatomy and penetrating injuries of the anterior and posterior compartments of the eye.

Assessment of modeled mercury dry deposition over the Great Lakes region.

Three sets of model predicted values for speciated mercury concentrations and dry deposition fluxes over the Great Lakes region were assessed using field measurements and model intercomparisons. The model predicted values were produced by the Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling System for the year 2002 (CMAQ2002) and for the year 2005 (CMAQ2005) and by the Global/Regional Atmospheric Heavy Metals Model for the year 2005 (GRAHM2005). Median values of the surface layer ambient concentration of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) from all three models were generally within 30% of measurements. However, all three models overpredicted surface-layer concentrations of gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particulate bound mercury (PBM) by a factor of 2-10 at the majority of the 15 monitoring locations. For dry deposition of GOM plus PBM, CMAQ2005 showed a clear gradient with the highest deposition in Pennsylvania and its surrounding areas while GRAHM2005 showed no such gradient in this region; however, GRAHM2005 had more hot spots than those of CMAQ2005. Predicted dry deposition of GOM plus PBM from these models should be treated as upper-end estimates over some land surfaces in this region based on the tendencies of all the models to overpredict GOM and PBM concentrations when compared to field measurements. Model predicted GEM dry deposition was found to be as important as GOM plus PBM dry deposition as a contributor to total dry deposition. Predicted total annual mercury dry deposition were mostly lower than 5 µg m(-2) to the surface of the Great lakes, between 5 and 15 µg m(-2) to the land surface north of the US/Canada border, and between 5 and 40 µg m(-2) to the land surface south of the US/Canada border. Predicted dry deposition from different models differed from each other by as much as a factor of 2 at regional scales and by a greater extent at local scales.

Use of imaging in trauma decision-making.

Damage Control Radiology describes the process where imaging aids the decision making process in a trauma setting and is an important part of Damage Control Surgery and Resuscitation. This article outlines how radiology fits in to the primary and secondary surveys and discusses the role of imaging modalities such as ultrasound and CT. The importance of deployed radiology to aid rapid diagnosis and decision making is described.

Predicting Soybean Rust Incursions into the North American Continental Interior Using Crop Monitoring, Spore Trapping, and Aerobiological Modeling.

Between 2005 and 2009, millions of U.S. and Canadian soybean acres that would have received fungicide application remained untreated for soybean rust due to information disseminated through the Integrated Pest Management Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education (ipmPIPE), increasing North American producers' profits by hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The results of our analysis of Phakopsora pachyrhizi urediniospores in rain collections, aerobiology model output, and observations of soybean rust spread in 2007 and 2008 show a strong correspondence between spore collections and model predictions for the continental interior of North America, where soybean is an important crop. The analysis suggests that control practices based on up-to-date maps of soybean rust observations and associated commentary from Extension Specialists delivered by the ipmPIPE may have suppressed the number and strength of inoculum source areas in the southern states and retarded the northward progress of seasonal soybean rust incursions into continental North America. The analysis further indicates that spore trapping and aerobiological modeling can reduce our reliance on the costly Sentinel Plot Network while maintaining the effectiveness of the ipmPIPE system for soybean rust management.

Comparisons of Pu(IV) and Ce(IV) diphosphonates.

The hydrothermal reaction of PuO(2) with CH(2)(PO(3)H(2))(2) results in the formation of alpha-Pu[CH(2)(PO(3))(2)](H(2)O), beta-Pu[CH(2)(PO(3))(2)](H(2)O) (1), gamma-Pu[CH(2)(PO(3))(2)](H(2)O) (2), and Pu[CH(2)(PO(3))(2)](H(2)O).H(2)O (3) as crystalline compounds with blue, green, red, and very pale peach coloration, respectively. In all cases single crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveals Pu(4+) coordinated by [CH(2)(PO(3))(2)](4-) and water to yield PuO(7) units. The methylenediphosphonate anions bridge between these units to yield three-dimensional networks. Bond-valence parameters of R(o) = 2.068 and b = 0.385 have been derived for Pu(4+) using a combination of the data reported in this work with that available in crystallographic databases. UV-vis-NIR spectroscopic measurements demonstrate that despite the dramatic color differences all of the compounds contain Pu(4+), and that subtle changes in the visible region of the spectra account for different colors.

Evaluating binuclear copper(II) complexes for glycoside hydrolysis.

Three binuclear copper(II) complexes were characterized as solids by X-ray diffraction and in solution by UV/vis spectrophotometric titration, and subsequently evaluated for their glycosidase-like activity. The structure analysis revealed comparable intermetallic Cu...Cu distances (approximately 3.5 A) for the complexes 2 and 3. Despite this similarity, the composition of the complexes differs significantly in aqueous solution as revealed by spectrophotometric titrations. The hydrolysis of selected nitrophenylglycopyranosides is up to 11,000-fold accelerated over background in the presence of the copper(II) complexes in 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid (CAPS) buffer at pH 10.5 and 30 degrees C.