No Sun-like dynamo on the active star ζ Andromedae from starspot asymmetry.

Sunspots are cool areas caused by strong surface magnetic fields that inhibit convection. Moreover, strong magnetic fields can alter the average atmospheric structure, degrading our ability to measure stellar masses and ages. Stars that are more active than the Sun have more and stronger dark spots than does the Sun, including on the rotational pole. Doppler imaging, which has so far produced the most detailed images of surface structures on other stars, cannot always distinguish the hemisphere in which the starspots are located, especially in the equatorial region and if the data quality is not optimal. This leads to problems in investigating the north-south distribution of starspot active latitudes (those latitudes with more starspot activity); this distribution is a crucial constraint of dynamo theory. Polar spots, whose existence is inferred from Doppler tomography, could plausibly be observational artefacts. Here we report imaging of the old, magnetically active star ζ Andromedae using long-baseline infrared interferometry. In our data, a dark polar spot is seen in each of two observation epochs, whereas lower-latitude spot structures in both hemispheres do not persist between observations, revealing global starspot asymmetries. The north-south symmetry of active latitudes observed on the Sun is absent on ζ And, which hosts global spot patterns that cannot be produced by solar-type dynamos.

Estimating US dairy clinical disease costs with a stochastic simulation model.

A farm-level stochastic model was used to estimate costs of 7 common clinical diseases in the United States: mastitis, lameness, metritis, retained placenta, left-displaced abomasum, ketosis, and hypocalcemia. The total disease costs were divided into 7 categories: veterinary and treatment, producer labor, milk loss, discarded milk, culling cost, extended days open, and on-farm death. A Monte Carlo simulation with 5,000 iterations was applied to the model to account for inherent system variation. Four types of market prices (milk, feed, slaughter, and replacement cow) and 3 herd-performance factors (rolling herd average, product of heat detection rate and conception rate, and age at first calving) were modeled stochastically. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to study the relationship between total disease costs and selected stochastic factors. In general, the disease costs in multiparous cows were greater than in primiparous cows. Left-displaced abomasum had the greatest estimated total costs in all parities ($432.48 in primiparous cows and $639.51 in multiparous cows). Cost category contributions varied for different diseases and parities. Milk production loss and treatment cost were the 2 greatest cost categories. The effect of market prices were consistent in all diseases and parities; higher milk and replacement prices increased total costs, whereas greater feed and slaughter prices decreased disease costs.

Nationwide Analysis of the Clinical Outcomes of Patients Admitted With COVID-19 Infection With Myocarditis and Racial Disparities in Mortality.

Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19), while primarily a respiratory virus, affects multiple organ systems, including the cardiovascular system. The relationship between COVID-19 and Myocarditis has been well established, but there are limited large-scale studies evaluating outcome of COVID-19 related Myocarditis. Using National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, we compared patients with Myocarditis with and without COVID-19 infection. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were acute kidney injury requiring hemodialysis, vasopressor use, mechanical ventilation, cardiogenic shock, mechanical circulatory support, sudden cardiac arrest, and length of hospitalization. A total of 17,970 patients were included in study; Myocarditis without COVID (n = 11,515, 64%) and Myocarditis with COVID-19 (n = 6,455, 36%). Patients with COVID-19 and Myocarditis had higher in-hospital mortality compared to those with Myocarditis alone (30.7% vs 6.4%, odds ratio 4.8, 95% CI 3.7-6.3, P< 0.001). That cohort also had significantly higher rates of vasopressor use, mechanical ventilation, sudden cardiac arrest, and acute kidney injury requiring hemodialysis. Given the poor outcome seen in COVID-19 related Myocarditis cohort, further work is needed for development of directed therapies for COVID-19-related Myocarditis.

COVID-19 Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension Hospitalized in the United States During the Early Pandemic: Analysis of In-Hospital Mortality, Clinical Outcomes, and Racial Disparities.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been linked to severe consequences among hospitalized patients diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH), as evidenced by a limited number of studies. Our retrospective study employed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to evaluate in-hospital mortality and various clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients with and without PH. This study included all patients ages 18 years and above who were hospitalized in the United States from January 1,2020 to December 31, 2020 with a COVID-19 diagnosis. The patients were then divided into 2 cohorts based on their PH status. After multivariate adjustment, we discovered that COVID-19 patients with PH experienced considerably higher in-hospital mortality, longer hospital stays, and higher costs of hospitalization when compared to COVID-19 patients without PH. Moreover, we observed an increased dependence on invasive and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation among COVID-19 patients with PH, indicating more severe respiratory failure. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 patients with PH had a heightened risk of acute pulmonary embolism and myocardial infarction while hospitalized. Lastly, among COVID-19 patients with PH, Hispanic and Native American patients demonstrated a persistently higher risk of in-hospital mortality compared to other racial groups. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive study of outcomes for COVID-19 patients with PH. The observed inpatient mortality appears to be driven by in-hospital complications, particularly pulmonary embolism. Given the substantial mortality and complications associated with COVID-19 and PH, we advocate for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and the implementation of aggressive nonpharmacological preventive measures.

COVID-19 and Heart Failure with Preserved and Reduced Ejection Fraction Clinical Outcomes among Hospitalized Patients in the United States.

Heart failure exacerbations impart significant morbidity and mortality, however, large- scale studies assessing outcomes in the setting of concurrent coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) are limited. We utilized National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to compare clinical outcomes in patients admitted with acute congestive heart failure exacerbation (CHF) with and without COVID-19 infection. A total of 2,101,980 patients (Acute CHF without COVID-19 (n = 2,026,765 (96.4%) and acute CHF with COVID-19 (n = 75,215, 3.6%)) were identified. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to compared outcomes and were adjusted for age, sex, race, income level, insurance status, discharge quarter, Elixhauser co-morbidities, hospital location, teaching status and bed size. Patients with acute CHF and COVID-19 had higher in-hospital mortality compared to patients with acute CHF alone (25.78% vs. 5.47%, adjust OR (aOR) 6.3 (95% CI 6.05-6.62, p < 0.001)) and higher rates of vasopressor use (4.87% vs. 2.54%, aOR 2.06 (95% CI 1.86-2.27, p < 0.001), mechanical ventilation (31.26% vs. 17.14%, aOR 2.3 (95% CI 2.25-2.44, p < 0.001)), sudden cardiac arrest (5.73% vs. 2.88%, aOR 1.95 (95% CI 1.79-2.12, p < 0.001)), and acute kidney injury requiring hemodialysis (5.56% vs. 2.94%, aOR 1.92 (95% CI 1.77-2.09, p < 0.001)). Moreover, patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had higher rates of in-hospital mortality (26.87% vs. 24.5%, adjusted OR 1.26 (95% CI 1.16-1.36, p < 0.001)) with increased incidence of vasopressor use, sudden cardiac arrest, and cardiogenic shock as compared to patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Furthermore, elderly patients and patients with African-American and Hispanic descents had higher in-hospital mortality. Acute CHF with COVID-19 is associated with higher in-hospital mortality, vasopressor use, mechanical ventilation, and end organ dysfunction such as kidney failure and cardiac arrest.

Effect of dietary copper source on response to coliform mastitis in dairy cows.

The effect of organic or inorganic dietary Cu on Escherichia coli mastitis was investigated in first-lactation heifers. Twenty-eight primigravid Holstein heifers were assigned to 3 treatments in a completely randomized block design with 10 blocks of 3 animals grouped by expected calving date. Treatments were as follows: basal diet [7.1 mg Cu/kg of dry matter (DM); CON] and diets supplemented with Cu (10 mg/kg of DM) as Cu sulfate (CUS) or as Cu proteinate (CUP). Treatments were fed individually from 60 d prepartum through 49 d of lactation. All heifers were marginally deficient at the onset of the experiment (liver Cu of 60 mg/kg) and did not differ between groups. Mean liver Cu concentrations were about 3-fold greater in CUS and CUP compared with CON at d 0, 21, and 42 of lactation. At d 34 postpartum, one pathogen-free quarter per cow was infused with Escherichia coli strain 727. Copper supplementation did not lower peak responses to challenge; however, CUP tended to offer some benefits: milk bacterial count with CUP was lower compared with CON at 24, 48, and 72 h and lower than CUS at 24 and 96 h, and postchallenge milk production tended to be greater for CUP. Clinical udder score was lower at 12 h for CUP and CUS compared with CON, and at 144 h CUP had lower clinical scores compared with CUS or CON. Somatic cell count, dry matter intake, plasma Cu, and plasma ceruloplasmin did not differ between treatments. Compared with the control diet or Cu sulfate supplement, supplementation with Cu proteinate tended to improve the clinical status of cows after live E. coli intramammary challenge.

COVID-19 and Pulmonary Embolism Outcomes among Hospitalized Patients in the United States: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of National Inpatient Sample.

Venous thromboembolism, in particular, pulmonary embolism (PE), is a significant contributor to the morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. In this study, we utilized the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database 2020 to evaluate and compare clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 with and without PE. Our sample includes 1,659,040 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia between January 2020 and December 2020. We performed propensity-matched analysis for patient characteristics and in-hospital outcomes, including the patient's age, race, sex, insurance status, median income, length of stay, mortality, hospitalization cost, comorbidities, mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor support. Patients with COVID-19 with PE had a higher need for mechanical ventilation (25.7% vs. 15.6%, adjusted odds ratio 1.4, 95% CI 1.4−1.5, p < 0.001), the vasopressor requirement (5.4% vs. 2.6%, adjusted OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.4−1.8, p < 0.001), longer hospital stays (10.8 vs. 7.9 days, p < 0.001), and overall higher in-hospital mortality (19.1 vs. 13.9%, adjusted OR of 1.3, 95% CI 1.1−1.5, p < 0.001). This study highlights the need for more aggressive management of PE in COVID-19-positive patients with the aim to improve early diagnosis and treatment to reduce morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs seen in the synchronous COVID-19 and PE-positive patients.

Multi-format all-optical processing based on a large-scale, hybridly integrated photonic circuit.

We investigate through numerical studies and experiments the performance of a large scale, silica-on-silicon photonic integrated circuit for multi-format regeneration and wavelength-conversion. The circuit encompasses a monolithically integrated array of four SOAs inside two parallel Mach-Zehnder structures, four delay interferometers and a large number of silica waveguides and couplers. Exploiting phase-incoherent techniques, the circuit is capable of processing OOK signals at variable bit rates, DPSK signals at 22 or 44 Gb/s and DQPSK signals at 44 Gbaud. Simulation studies reveal the wavelength-conversion potential of the circuit with enhanced regenerative capabilities for OOK and DPSK modulation formats and acceptable quality degradation for DQPSK format. Regeneration of 22 Gb/s OOK signals with amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise and DPSK data signals degraded with amplitude, phase and ASE noise is experimentally validated demonstrating a power penalty improvement up to 1.5 dB.

Reprint of "Three-dimensional elemental mapping of phosphorus by quantitative electron spectroscopic tomography (QuEST)" [J. Struct. Biol. 160 (2007) 35-48].

We describe the development of quantitative electron spectroscopic tomography (QuEST), which provides 3-D distributions of elements on a nanometer scale. Specifically, it is shown that QuEST can be applied to map the distribution of phosphorus in unstained sections of embedded cells. A series of 2-D elemental maps is derived from images recorded in the energy filtering transmission electron microscope for a range of specimen tilt angles. A quantitative 3-D elemental distribution is then reconstructed from the elemental tilt series. To obtain accurate quantitative elemental distributions it is necessary to correct for plural inelastic scattering at the phosphorus L(2,3) edge, which is achieved by acquiring unfiltered and zero-loss images at each tilt angle. The data are acquired automatically using a cross correlation technique to correct for specimen drift and focus change between successive tilt angles. An algorithm based on the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT) is implemented to obtain quantitative information about the number of phosphorus atoms associated with each voxel in the reconstructed volume. We assess the accuracy of QuEST by determining the phosphorus content of ribosomes in a eukaryotic cell, and then apply it to estimate the density of nucleic acid in chromatin of the cell's nucleus. From our experimental data, we estimate that the sensitivity for detecting phosphorus is 20 atoms in a 2.7 nm-sized voxel.

Social and affective development in infants with a manic-depressive parent.

The authors observed seven infants who had a manic-depressive parent longitudinally in a structured laboratory setting with their mothers at ages 12, 15, and 18 months. The infants' attachment and affiliative behaviors and the patterning of their affective responses were assessed according to systematic measures and compared with those of a matched control group. The proband infants appeared to show a disturbance in the quality of their attachments to their mothers as well as a generalized disturbance in their capacities to regulate their emotions adaptively. There appeared to be an increasing severity of disturbance with increasing age. The authors discuss the implications of these findings.

A developmental view of affective disturbances in the children of affectively ill parents.

The authors review the various clinical and experimental studies of children of parents with affective illness, spanning infancy, childhood, and early adolescence and including their own and the studies reported in this Special Section of the Journal. They find a clear tendency to early disturbances in these children that seems related to adult affective illness in the areas of affect regulation and social interaction. Although these findings suggest a developmental line of affective illness linking child and adult forms, many issues need further clarification.

Sparing of motor function after cortical injury. A new perspective on underlying mechanisms.

Historically, many theories have been offered to explain recovery of function following permanent brain injury. Because specific functional deficits often occur after injury to certain neuroanatomical locations, it has been tempting to suggest that within the brain, structure equals function (this interpretation, of course, has its roots in "phrenology", the 19th-century practice of detecting mental and behavioral traits by examining the skull's shape). Views that were common until recently emphasized structural and functional rigidity in the brain, which would seem to provide little opportunity for the occurrence of compensation. However, the observation that a considerable amount of spontaneous functional recovery occurs after many permanent brain lesions requires some explanation for the recovery that involves modification of intact portions of the brain. Recent research has provided data that reveal several forms of brain plasticity, including changes in neurotransmitter sensitivity, collateral sprouting, and diaschisis. Evidence supporting claims that beneficial behavioral recovery occurs through such physiological modifications in the brain are abundant in the literature, although, in general, there has not been any empirical establishment of causality.

Synthesis and biological activities of chloroethylurea, methylurea, and nitrosourea analogues of N-deacetylmethylthiocolchicine.

A series of urea and nitrosourea analogues of N-deacetylmethylthiocolchicine (1) has been synthesized, and their antineoplastic and antiviral activities were evaluated. The objective for combination of two active moieties, such as thiocolchicine and nitrosourea, into one molecule was the generation of compounds with potential improved biological and pharmacological properties. The ED50 for 2, 3, 4, and 5 was 1.6, 1.2, 3.3, and 1.8 X 10(-8) M for L1210 cells and 3.0, 2.7, 2.9, and 2.6 X 10(-8) M for S-180 cells, respectively. The synthesis and cytotoxic and antiviral properties of these compounds are discussed.

Preparation and anticoagulant activity of trimethylsilyl heparin in Carbowax.

Trimethylsilyl heparin, when administered intraduodenally or intragastrically to rats, did not increase intestinal absorption and, consequently, the clotting times were not influenced. However, suspension of sodium heparin in Carbowax 200 prolonged the whole blood clotting time at a dose of 50 mg/kg when given intraduodenally or intragastrically to rats.

4-amino-6-(trichloroethenyl)-1,3-benzenedisulfonamide, a new, potent fasciolicide.

The synthesis and fasciolicidal activity of 4-amino-6-(trichloroethenyl)-1,3-benzenedisulfonamide are reported. A single dose of 15 mg/kg was effective in removing over 90% of immature Fasciola hepatica from sheep (6 weeks after infection) and calves (8 weeks after infection). A 2.5 mg/kg dose removed over 90% of mature (16 weeks old) liver fluke from sheep. Single oral doses up to 400 mg/kg were tolerated by sheep without gross toxic symptoms.

Psychosocial adaptation of 39 adolescents with sex chromosome abnormalities.

OBJECTIVES: Children with sex chromosome abnormalities (SCA) are known to be at increased risk for neuromotor, language, learning, and behavioral problems, but little is known of psychosocial adaptation of SCA adolescents. This study was conducted to evaluate psychologic characteristics of unselected SCA adolescents, including socialization, educational progress, separation from family, and incidence and severity of psychiatric disturbance. METHODS: Thirty-nine propositi identified through the screening of 40,000 consecutive Denver newborns, including boys with 47,XXY karyotypes and girls with 47,XXX, 45,X, and partial X monosomy, or SCA mosaic karyotypes, have been followed longitudinally into adolescence. Twenty-seven siblings served as controls. Between 12 and 19 years of age, all participated in blind psychiatric interviews and were administered standardized intelligence and achievement tests. RESULTS: SCA propositi demonstrated a mean IQ score 21 points lower than that of control subjects. In addition, lower mean scores were seen on achievement test results as well as lower overall psychosocial adaptation scores and increased incidence of psychiatric disturbance. Depression was the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis. Propositi were more likely to receive special education assistance in high school and were less likely to graduate from high school than were controls. Of the three nonmosaic propositi groups, the 47,XXX girls demonstrated the poorest overall psychosocial adaptation and highest degree of psychiatric disturbance. Mosaic girls were indistinguishable from control subjects. Marked variability was found among all three nonmosaic groups, with some individuals in each group demonstrating relatively strong psychosocial adaptation. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of nonmosaic sex chromosome abnormality increases the risk for impeded cognitive skills, learning abilities, and psychosocial adaptation in adolescence. The factors that allow for stronger adaptation in some of these adolescents include the presence of a stable and supportive family environment. The outlook for adaptation in unselected SCA adults remains uncertain.

47,XXX: what is the prognosis?

Eleven unselected 47,XXX girls, now 15 to 22 years of age, have been observed from birth in a prospective study of children with sex chromosome anomalies. A description of their growth and development is presented. The 47,XXX infants were not generally distinguishable from chromosomally normal children in the first year of life, even though there was a slight delay in neuromotor development. By 2 years of age, developmental delays in speech and language often became evident, and speech therapy was often necessitated in the preschool years. Early school problems included speech and language deficiencies, lack of coordination, poor academic performance, and immature behavior; these persisted throughout the school years. By high school age, a 47,XXX girl was generally tall and often subject to somatic complaints. Sexual development was generally normal. Seven of the 11 propositae had a diagnosed psychiatric disorder or disturbance at some time during adolescence. Variability within this syndrome is great; one proposita is in college and another is mentally retarded. The frequency of the diagnosis of the 47,XXX karyotype by genetic amniocentesis is estimated to be 1/1000, the same incidence as in the newborn population. Expectant parents must be counseled as to the significance of this karyotype and prognostic information must be given. Suggested guidelines are included.

Neuropsychological and functional cognitive skills of 35 unselected adults with sex chromosome abnormalities.

This report presents data defining the neuropsychological and cognitive phenotypes of a group of adults with sex chromosome abnormalities identified at birth through the chromosome screening of 40,000 consecutive newborns between 1964 and 1974. In all three nonmosaic groups, reading skills were impaired and intelligence quotients were on average reduced more than 20 points relative to controls. The 47,XXX women demonstrated greatest overall impairment, including reduced scores on tests of conceptualization and problem solving. 45,X women demonstrated impairment in spatial thinking skills, and 47,XXY men in verbal processing skills. No reduced scores were found in the female mosaic group. Marked variability in scores was seen in all groups; some propositi have been unable to hold any job, whereas others have completed college and are professionally employed.

Psychosocial competence of unselected young adults with sex chromosome abnormalities.

Very little is known about the adult adaptation of individuals with sex chromosome abnormalities (SCA) except for a few reports based upon biased samples of clinically identified patients. This first report from the Denver SCA study on the adult psychosocial adaptation of 36 unselected propositi, identified at birth, shows a continuation of mild psychological and social problems. Psychiatric interviews and self-reported information revealed that adaptation is quite variable, with many of the nonmosaic propositi not faring as well as their siblings, but in a few instances exceeding the success of brothers and sisters. Within this group of SCA subjects a subset demonstrated more marked pathology and a tendency to over-rate their social adaptation relative to the psychiatric interviewer, suggesting that the exclusive use of self-report questionnaires may not provide accurate assessment of psychological characteristics in this and other special populations. The full adult SCA behavioral phenotype has not yet been established but is emerging through additional reports from this and other studies of unselected SCA adults.

Thyroid hormone and the TRH stimulation test in refractory depression.

Seven of 21 refractory depressed patients responded within 7 days to combined thyroid hormone-antidepressant treatment. Five of the 7 responders revealed evidence of subclinical hypothyroidism, suggesting that this subpopulation of depressed patients may benefit most from adjunctive thyroid hormone.