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Short-chain carboxylic acids (SCCAs) produced by gut microbial fermentation may reflect gastrointestinal health. Their concentrations in serum and urine are indicative of specific metabolic pathway activity; therefore, accurate quantitation of SCCAs in different biofluids is desirable. However, it is often challenging to quantitate SCCAs since matrix effects, induced by the presence of a vast variety of other compounds other than SCCAs in complex biofluids, can suppress or enhance signals. Materials used for sample preparation may introduce further analytical challenges. This study reports for the first time a LC-MS/MS-based method to quantitate ten SCCAs (lactate, acetate, 2-hydroxybutyrate, propionate, isobutyrate, butyrate, 2-methylbutyrate, isovalerate, valerate and hexanoate) and evaluates the matrix effects in five human biofluids: serum, urine, stool, and contents from the duodenum and intestinal stoma bags. The optimized method, using 3-Nitrophenylhydrazone as a derivatization agent and a Charge Surface Hybrid reverse phase column, showed clear separation for all SCCAs at a concentration range of 0.1 -100 µM, in a 10.5- minute run without carry-over effects. The validation of the method showed a good linearity (R2 > 0.99) and reproducibility (CV ≤ 15%) assessed by intra- and inter-day monitoring. Quantitative accuracy in all biofluids for most compounds was

OBJECTIVES: This investigation centres on how the mentally ill with a forensic admission compare to the mentally ill with a civil admission, and investigates who inpatients with a forensic and civil admission are, and how the risk factors and negative historical events they have experienced compare or differ. THEORETICAL BASE: Using a risk and resilience framework, risk factors that are deleterious to healthy development are used as variables.\ud METHODS: The records of all adult inpatients both forensic and civil, aged 18 to 89 at admission in two U.S. mountain region public psychiatric hospitals were included in the sample (n=1768). All patients are assessed using the Colorado Clinical Assessment Record (CCAR) which, measures a diverse set of variables including Current Issues, History of Issues, Demographics, and Disabilities.\ud OUTCOMES: Civil and forensic patients have more in common than differences. Both samples compare more closely to risk factors and negative historical events than they do to the general population. However, this begins to break down once the sample is separated by gender.\ud SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: Social Workers who work in prison systems need to become more familiar with mental illness interventions. Additionally, social workers should both educate law enforcement about de-escalation tactics with the mentally ill and intervene on mental health related police calls. On the macro level, social workers should advocate for the mentally ill to be housed in psychiatric hospitals rather than be imprisoned where they will often not receive inpatient psychiatric care.

Improvements in immunosuppression have modified short-term survival of deceased-donor allografts, but not their rate of long-term failure. Mismatches between donor and recipient HLA play an important role in the acute and chronic allogeneic immune response against the graft. Perfect matching at clinically relevant HLA loci does not obviate the need for immunosuppression, suggesting that additional genetic variation plays a critical role in both short- and long-term graft outcomes. By combining patient data and samples from supranational cohorts across the United Kingdom and European Union, we performed the first large-scale genome-wide association study analyzing both donor and recipient DNA in 2094 complete renal transplant-pairs with replication in 5866 complete pairs. We studied deceased-donor grafts allocated on the basis of preferential HLA matching, which provided some control for HLA genetic effects. No strong donor or recipient genetic effects contributing to long- or short-term allograft survival were found outside the HLA region. We discuss the implications for future research and clinical application.

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) interact with human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I ligands and play a key role in the regulation and activation of NK cells. The functional importance of KIR–HLA interactions has been demonstrated for a number of chronic viral infections, but to date only a few studies have been performed in the context of acute self-limited viral infections. During our investigation of CD81 T cell responses to a conserved HLA-B57-restricted epitope derived from dengue virus (DENV) non-structural protein-1 (NS1), we observed substantial binding of the tetrameric complex to non-T/non-B lymphocytes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a long-standing clinical cohort in Thailand. We confirmed binding of the NS1 tetramer to CD56dim NK cells, which are known to express KIRs. Using depletion studies and KIRtransfected cell lines, we demonstrated further that the NS1 tetramer bound the inhibitory receptor KIR3DL1. Phenotypical analysis of PBMC from HLA-B571 subjects with acute DENV infection revealed marked activation of NS1 tetramer-binding natural killer (NK) cells around the time of defervescence in subjects with severe dengue disease. Collectively, our findings indicate that subsets of NK cells are activated relatively late in the course of acute DENV illness and reveal a possible role for specific KIR– HLA interactions in the modulation of disease outcomes.

The continued advancement of oral health and science relies upon the cultivation of a student's interest in research. The Student Research Group at the Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California is working to increase student involvement in research and develop future academic leaders. This study aims to, through student surveys, quantitatively evaluate students' involvement in research, students' interest in participating in research and to identify specific barriers students feel challenge their ability to participate in research.

This thesis investigated the relationship between the leader's gender-role orientation with self and subordinate evaluations of the leader's effectiveness in three leadership skills. The differentiated additive model (Marsh & Byrne, 1991) and the emergent properties model (Taylor & Hall, 1982) provided the theoretical framework for this study. Participants included 155 leaders and 295 subordinates. The Bern Sex-Role Inventory (Bem, 1974) measured leader gender-role orientation. The Making the Match instrument (Evers, 1998) measured leadership effectiveness. When leaders rated themselves, the predictions of the emergent properties model were generally supported. Androgynous leaders perceived themselves to be more competent in leadership skills than leaders of any other gender-role category. The predictions of the differentiated additive model were generally supported with subordinate ratings such that androgynous leaders were rated equal to instrumental leaders in task skills and equal to expressive leaders in people skills. Subordinates only related conceptual skills to instrumentality. Biological sex of the leader was not related to leader or subordinate ratings of effectiveness.

Understanding how highly HIV-exposed individuals remain HIV uninfected may be useful for HIV vaccine design and development of new HIV prevention strategies. To elucidate mechanisms associated with resistance to HIV infection, immunologic and genetic factors were examined in 14 HIV-exposed but persistently seronegative (HEPS) female sex workers from Chiang Rai, northern Thailand and in ethnically matched, HIV-positive (n = 59) and HIV-negative women (n = 59). The HEPS women were identified in a study of commercial sex workers who had an HIV-1 incidence of 20.3 per 100 person-years. A high frequency of HLA-A11 was observed in HEPS women (86%) compared with northern Thai controls (56%). HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) lytic responses were detected in cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), using HLA-A-matched subtype E HIV-1 peptides in four of seven (57%) HEPS women, eight of eight HIV-positive women, and zero of nine HIV-negative unexposed controls (p = 0.019 HEPS women vs. HIV-negative controls). CTL lysis levels were low, but responses were detected to peptides from Nef, Pol, Gag, and Env. Nef responses predominated in HEPS women. Compared with controls, HEPS women tended to have higher frequencies of CCR5 promotor 59402GG and SDF-1 3′UTR 801A genotypes known to influence HIV transmission or course of disease. HEPS women also had higher levels of spontaneous RANTES production by PBMCs than other groups. Each of these factors could potentially contribute to HIV resistance. As most HEPS women had one or more of these factors, they may prevent HIV infection synergistically by blocking HIV cell entry, delaying its dissemination, or killing HIV-infected cells. 17 719 734 Cited By :74

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The cytotoxicity of radiolabelled YAC-1 target cells by natural killer (NK) cells from the spleens of immunocompetent CBA mice is inhibited by unlabelled YAC-1 competitor cells, but not by resting bone marrow from syngeneic or allogeneic adult mice. Rapidly proliferating haemopoietic cells recovered from the spleens of lethally irradiated, bone marrow-reconstituted CBA mice, however, compete strongly in the NK assay. The competitive ability of early regenerating marrow correlates with the presence of an increased percentage of morphologically immature cells of mixed lineages. Competition declines in reconstituted spleens recovered more than 10 days after engraftment, as the proportion of immature elements falls towards that of resting marrow. Although the numbers of unlabelled YAC-1 cells required to produce equivalent competition of unstimulated and interferon-activated NK killing are similar, 10 times fewer regenerating marrow competitors compete cytotoxicity by unstimulated NK effectors to the same degree as interferon activated cells. The numbers of granulocyte-macrophage colonies formed in soft agar by regenerating marrow is also influenced by prior incubation of the marrow cells with NK effector populations. Spleen cells from homozygous athymic mice produce the same effect as cells from their heterozygous littermates. These data suggest that NK cells recognize and regulate the differentiation of progenitor elements within the marrow.

Natural cytotoxicity (NK) by fresh E-rosette-negative (ER-) cells from normal donors was increased after overnight incubation with purified IFN alpha and with supernatants containing IFN gamma. ER- cells from 61% of 23 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus did not show increased cytotoxicity after treatment with IFN alpha. Similarly, ER- cells from nine of 18 patients that were treated with IFN gamma-containing supernatants failed to show increased cytotoxicity. The patients who did not show enhanced cytotoxic responses to IFN had higher mean indices of disease activity than responding patients.

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Twenty-one cases of mediastinal tumors of thymic origin are presented. Five of these were benign and 16 malignant. Surgical excision is proposed as the treatment of choice for the encapsulated benign tumors or for malignant tumors of limited extent. When surgical excision is not feasible, adequate roentgen therapy amounting to 5,000 to 6,000 r calculated tumor dose may eradicate or control the tumor. No correlation between the histological pattern of the tumor and the survival rate or radiation response could be demonstrated in this small series.

A shortened esophagus is probably acquired, rather than congenital, in the great majority of cases. The process by which the shortening develops, as described by Allison and his coworkers, begins with esophageal hiatal hernia, followed by esophagitis caused by the irritation of acids from the stomach, then recurrent ulceration and healing which forms scar tissue which little by little shortens the esophagus. Obesity and relaxation of the supporting musculotendinous structures which accompany advancing years probably are contributory factors in production of esophageal hiatal hernia. Fifteen of a series of 18 patients noted the onset of symptoms on or after the age of 45. Roentgen examination of the esophagus and stomach is indispensable in establishing a diagnosis of acquired short esophagus. Esophagoscopic examination is even more important. In some cases endoscopic differentiation between acute inflammation and carcinoma is difficult. In such circumstances examination of a biopsy specimen taken from the gastric mucosa immediately distal to the area of inflammation or stricture may be helpful. Results in eight patients with advanced esophageal shortening and stricture who were treated conservatively indicate that this should be tried before surgical treatment is considered. For patients with esophageal hiatal hernia accompanied by shortening of the esophagus that is just beginning to produce symptoms, early repair is indicated, since the condition is progressive and the surgical problem is much simpler in the early stages.

An overview of recent results from the MST programme on physics important for the advancement of the reversed field pinch (RFP) as well as for improved understanding of toroidal magnetic confinement more generally is reported. Evidence for the classical confinement of ions in the RFP is provided by analysis of impurity ions and energetic ions created by 1 MW neutral beam injection (NBI). The first appearance of energetic-particle-driven modes by NBI in a RFP plasma is described. MST plasmas robustly access the quasi-single-helicity state that has commonalities to the stellarator and 'snake' formation in tokamaks. In MST the dominant mode grows to 8% of the axisymmetric field strength, while the remaining modes are reduced. Predictive capability for tearing mode behaviour has been improved through nonlinear, 3D, resistive magnetohydrodynamic computation using the measured resistivity profile and Lundquist number, which reproduces the sawtooth cycle dynamics. Experimental evidence and computational analysis indicates two-fluid effects, e.g., Hall physics and gyro-viscosity, are needed to understand the coupling of parallel momentum transport and current profile relaxation. Large Reynolds and Maxwell stresses, plus separately measured kinetic stress, indicate an intricate momentum balance and a possible origin for MST's intrinsic plasma rotation. Gyrokinetic analysis indicates that micro-tearing modes can be unstable at high beta, with a critical gradient for the electron temperature that is larger than for tokamak plasmas by roughly the aspect ratio.

An overview of recent results from the MST reversed field pinch programme is presented. With neutral beam injection, bursty energetic particle (EP) modes are observed. The profiles of the magnetic and density fluctuations associated with these EP modes are measured using a far infrared interferometer-polarimeter. Equilibrium reconstructions of the quasi-single-helicity 3D helical state are provided by the V3FIT code that now incorporates several of MST's advanced diagnostics. The orientation of the helical structure is controlled using a new resonant magnetic perturbation technique. Gyrokinetic simulations based on experimental equilibria predict unstable trapped-electron modes (TEMs), and small-scale density fluctuations are detected in improved-confinement plasmas with TEM-like features. Upgraded pellet injection permits study of density and beta limits over MST's full range of operation, and an MST-record line-average density of 0.9 ×1020 m3 (n/nG = 1.4) has been obtained. Impurity ion temperature measurements reveal a charge-to-mass-ratio dependence in the rapid heating that occurs during a sawtooth crash. Runaway of NBI-born fast ions during the impulsive sawtooth event agrees with test-particle theory. Magnetic self-organization studies include measurements of the dynamo emf with an applied ac inductive electric field using oscillating field current drive.

An extended air sampling program was conducted at an electric-arc secondary steel manufacturing facility using the HI-VOLUME Sampler reference method for suspended particulates. A wind recording device was installed at the facility to provide a continuous record of wind data for correlation with the particulate concentrations collected. Weather data obtained from the National Weather Service were also used. A relationship between wind direction and speed with the levels of particulate matter collected was found indicating areas of significant pollution sources. Wind-pollution roses were constructed showing the frequency distribution of the wind during periods when particulate concentrations were above and below the national ambient air standards. These roses were compared with the atmospheric stability classes for each of those periods. Log-probability plots were constructed for each sampling point and an exponential relationship was found between mean concentrations at each sampler and each sampler's distance from the source. Using this relationship, an estimated emission rate for the facility was calculated. A background level for the area in the vicinity of the facility was found. Some conclusions were that the mean level of concentration decreased exponentially with distance from the source and that the estimated emission rate for the facility was below the maximum allowable by the State Air Pollution Control Board. It was also concluded that, in long term sampling, wind characteristics showed a positive relationship with particulate concentrations. The most significant conclusion was that the emission activity at the steel facility had minimal effect on a sampler located 1,000 yards away. Master of Science