Simultaneous, bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) in polycythemia vera: a case report

BACKGROUND: Polycythemia vera (PV) is a hemopoetic disorder. Apparently, although thrombosis accounts for the majority of morbidity, AION has not been associated with PV so far. PATIENT AND FINDINGS: A 63 y-old woman with PV was hospitalized because of acute liver failure. She also experienced bilateral painless loss of vision. Bilateral, pale optic disc swelling with flame-like hemorrhages, more pronounced in the right eye, constricted visual fields, and relative afferent papillary defect (RAPD) on the right side were present. Computer tomography scan revealed no signs of intraorbital pathology, elevated intracranial pressure or hemorrhages. CLINICAL COURSE: We interpreted the findings as AION associated with the hyperviscosity syndrome. Liver transplantation had to be carried out in the next days. Three weeks later, vision improved slightly, but RAPD persisted, and disc pallor developed in both eyes. The patient died two months later. DISCUSSION: Central retinal artery and vein occlusions have been described as complications of Essential thrombocythemia, but not of PV. We observed a rare case of bilateral neuropathy suggestive of AION. This condition has so far not been associated with PV.

STUDY OF SPARK IGNITION ENGINE COMBUSTION MODEL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF CYCLIC VARIATION AND COMBUSTION STABILITY AT LEAN OPERATING CONDITIONS

A fundamental combustion model for spark-ignition engine is studied in this report. The model is implemented in SIMULINK to simulate engine outputs (mass fraction burn and in-cylinder pressure) under various engine operation conditions. The combustion model includes a turbulent propagation and eddy burning processes based on literature [1]. The turbulence propagation and eddy burning processes are simulated by zero-dimensional method and the flame is assumed as sphere. To predict pressure, temperature and other in-cylinder variables, a two-zone thermodynamic model is used. The predicted results of this model match well with the engine test data under various engine speeds, loads, spark ignition timings and air fuel mass ratios. The developed model is used to study cyclic variation and combustion stability at lean (or diluted) combustion conditions. Several variation sources are introduced into the combustion model to simulate engine performance observed in experimental data. The relations between combustion stability and the introduced variation amount are analyzed at various lean combustion levels.

Firing Up the Crucible with Senator Lee Metcalf & Governor Forrest Anderson -- Judge Gordon Bennett in “The Crucible of Change”

During the lead-up to Montana second progressive era, Lee Metcalf and Forrest Anderson, along with others, kept the progressive flame lit in Montana. Metcalf’s political history is replete with close electoral wins because of his commitment to progressive ideals when the times were not always politically favorable for that. As State Legislator, MT Supreme Court Justice, Congressman and eventually as US Senator, Lee won races by as little as 55 votes because he stuck to his guns as a progressive. In Forrest Anderson’s career as a County Attorney, State Legislator, MT Supreme Court Justice and 12 years as MT Attorney General he was respected as a pragmatic practitioner of politics. But during that entire career leading up to his election as Governor, Forrest Anderson was also a stalwart supporter of the progressive agenda exemplified by FDR and the New Deal, which brought folks out of the Great Depression that was brought on by the bad policies of the GOP and big business. As MT’s second progressive period began in 1965, the first important election was Senator Metcalf’s successful re-election battle in 1966 with the sitting MT Governor, Tim Babcock. And the progressive express was really ignited by the election of Forrest Anderson as Governor in 1968 after 16 years of Republican Governors in MT. Gordon Bennett played a rather unique role, being a confidant of Metcalf and Anderson, both who respected his wide and varied experience, his intellect, and his roots in progressivism beginning with his formative years in the Red Corner of NE Montana. Working with Senator Metcalf and his team, including Brit Englund, Vic Reinemer, Peggy McLaughlin, Betty Davis and Jack Condon among others, Bennett helped shape the progressive message both in Washington DC and MT. Progressive labor and farm organizations, part of the progressive coalition, benefitted from Bennett’s advice and counsel and aided the Senator in his career including the huge challenge of having a sitting popular governor run against him for the Senate in 1966. Metcalf’s noted intern program produced a cadre of progressive leaders in Montana over the years. Most notably, Ron Richards transitioned from Metcalf Intern to Executive Secretary of the Montana Democratic Party (MDP) and assisted, along with Bennett, in the 1966 Metcalf-Babcock race in a big way. As Executive Secretary Richards was critical to the success of the MDP as a platform for Forrest Anderson’s general election run and win in 1968. After Forrest’s gubernatorial election, Richards became Executive Assistant (now called Chief of Staff) for Governor Anderson and also for Governor Thomas Judge. The Metcalf progressive strain, exemplified by many including Richards and Bennett, permeated Democratic politics during the second progressive era. So, too, did the coalition that supported Metcalf and his policies. The progressivism of the period of “In the Crucible of Change” was fired up by Lee Metcalf, Forrest Anderson and their supporters and coalitions, and Gordon Bennett was in the center of all of that, helping fire up the crucible, setting the stage for many policy advancements in both Washington DC and Montana. Gordon Bennett’s important role in the 1966 re-election of Senator Lee Metcalf and the 1968 election of Governor Forrest Anderson, as well as his wide experience in government and politics of that time allows him to provide us with an insider’s personal perspective of those races and other events at the beginning of the period of progressive change being documented “In the Crucible of Change,” as well as his personal insights into the larger political/policy picture of Montana. Gordon Bennett, a major and formative player “In the Crucible of Change,” was born in the far northeast town of Scobey, MT in 1922. He attended school in Scobey through the eighth grade and graduated from Helena High School. After attending Carroll College for two years, he received his BA in economics from Carleton College in Northfield, MN. During a brief stint on the east coast, his daily reading of the New York Times (“best newspaper in the world at that time … and now”) inspired him to pursue a career in journalism. He received his MA in Journalism from the University of Missouri and entered the field. As a reporter for the Great Falls Tribune under the ownership and management of the Warden Family, he observed and competed with the rigid control of Montana’s press by the Anaconda Company (the Great Falls Tribune was the only large newspaper in Montana NOT owned by ACM). Following his intellectual curiosity and his philosophical bend, he attended a number of Farm-Labor Institutes which he credits with motivating him to pursue solutions to economic and social woes through the law. In 1956, at the age of 34, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. Bennett’s varied career included eighteen years as a farmer, four years in the US Army during WWII (1942-46), two years as Assistant MT Attorney General (1957-59) with Forrest Anderson, three years in private practice in Glasgow (1959-61), two years as Associate Solicitor in the Department of Interior in Washington, DC (1961-62), and private law practice in Helena from 1962 to 1969. While in Helena he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Montana Supreme Court (1962) and cemented his previous relationships with Attorney General Forrest Anderson and US Senator Lee Metcalf. Bennett modestly refuses to accept the title of Campaign Manager for either Lee Metcalf (1966 re-election over the challenger, MT Republican Governor Tim Babcock) or Forrest Anderson (his 1968 election as Governor), saying that “they ran their campaigns … we were only there to help.” But he has been generally recognized as having filled that critical role in both of those critical elections. After Governor Anderson’s election in 1968, Bennett was appointed Director of the MT Unemployment Compensation Commission, a position from where he could be a close advisor and confidant of the new Governor. In 1971, Governor Anderson appointed him Judge in the most important jurisdiction in Montana, the 1st Judicial District in Helena, a position he held for seventeen years (1971-88). Upon stepping down from his judgeship, for twenty years (1988-2008) he was a law instructor, mediator and arbitrator. He currently resides in Helena with his wife, Norma Tirrell, former newspaper reporter and researcher/writer. Bennett has two adult children and four grandchildren.

Direct combination of nanoparticle fabrication and exposure to lung cell cultures in a closed setup as a method to simulate accidental nanoparticle exposure of humans

The tremendous application potential of nanosized materials stays in sharp contrast to a growing number of critical reports of their potential toxicity. Applications of in vitro methods to assess nanoparticles are severely limited through difficulties in exposing cells of the respiratory tract directly to airborne engineered nanoparticles. We present a completely new approach to expose lung cells to particles generated in situ by flame spray synthesis. Cerium oxide nanoparticles from a single run were produced and simultaneously exposed to the surface of cultured lung cells inside a glovebox. Separately collected samples were used to measure hydrodynamic particle size distribution, shape, and agglomerate morphology. Cell viability was not impaired by the conditions of the glovebox exposure. The tightness of the lung cell monolayer, the mean total lamellar body volume, and the generation of oxidative DNA damage revealed a dose-dependent cellular response to the airborne engineered nanoparticles. The direct combination of production and exposure allows studying particle toxicity in a simple and reproducible way under environmental conditions.

Iowa State Daily (April 26, 2012)

Contents'This is an American Issue': Obama discusses rising tuition fees in Iowa City visitIowa State gears up for Drake RelaysISU policies set in place to prevent discriminationEvent shows off innovationFreedom's flame burns brightLocusic site focuses on local talent

A case of distinct difference between the measured blood Ethanol concentration and the concentration estimated by Widmark's equation

In the last century, several mathematical models have been developed to calculate blood ethanol concentrations (BAC) from the amount of ingested ethanol and vice versa. The most common one in the field of forensic sciences is Widmark's equation. A drinking experiment with 10 voluntary test persons was performed with a target BAC of 1.2 g/kg estimated using Widmark's equation as well as Watson's factor. The ethanol concentrations in the blood were measured using headspace gas chromatography/flame ionization and additionally with an alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH)-based method. In a healthy 75-year-old man a distinct discrepancy between the intended and the determined blood ethanol concentration was observed. A blood ethanol concentration of 1.83 g/kg was measured and the man showed signs of intoxication. A possible explanation for the discrepancy is a reduction of the total body water content in older people. The incident showed that caution is advised when using the different mathematical models in aged people. When estimating ethanol concentrations, caution is recommended with calculated results due to potential discrepancies between mathematical models and biological systems

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers: Potential human exposure through household dust and dryer lint

This MPH thesis consists of (1) literature review of the relatively new synthetic persistent organic pollutants (POP), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a type of flame retardant posing a potential public health hazard, (2) Presentation of data on PBDE levels in dryer lint from Dallas, TX and Hamburg, Germany. ^ PBDEs are used as additive fire retardants in plastics, polyurethane foam and electronic equipment to reduce flammability and thus save life and property. PBDEs have been widely used beginning in the 1970s. They resemble polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in structure and toxicity. PBDEs are found in environmental sediments, sludges, and wildlife and even in human blood, milk and tissues. ^ PBDEs, due to their lipophilicity, accumulate in fat and other tissues and biomagnify up the food chain, with increasing concentrations. Animal studies have suggested potential health effects including thyroid disruption, permanent learning and memory impairment, fetal malformations, developmental neurotoxicity and, at high doses, possibly cancer. ^ PBDE levels are increasing in blood and breast milk in North America, but PBDEs intake unlike PCBs appears to be not primarily through food; food PBDE levels in the U.S. are not markedly higher than in Europe yet U.S. human blood and milk levels are much higher. For this reason various exposure pathways including PBDE contaminated dust and air have been studied to better characterize routes of PBDE intake into humans. ^ The scientific literature on PBDE levels in household dust reports higher PBDE concentration in dust than that found in dryer lint; levels in the U.S are elevated compared to other countries with congeners such as BDE 47, 99, 100 and 209 predominating. The United Kingdom has elevated BDE 209 due to high usage of Deca commercial mixture. These studies suggest that indoor PBDE contamination through household dust could be a potential source of PBDE exposure and body burden especially in young children. ^ PBDE levels in dryer lint from U.S ranged from 321 to 3073 ng/g (Mean: 1138 ng/g, Median: 803 ng/g) and from Germany were from 330 to 2069 ng/g (Median: 71ng/g, Mean: 361 ng/g). High median levels in U.S samples indicate contamination of lint with PBDEs although the source of the PBDEs in lint may be from dryer electrical components or air deposition onto clothes, lint may be one source of PBDE exposure to humans. ^

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure in North Americans: Cause for concern?

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that have been widely produced and used as flame retardants since the 1970’s in many consumer products such as carpet and drape linings, plastics used in electronics, computer and television casings and polyurethane foam used in chairs, sofas and mattresses. PBDEs are persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which, by definition, are toxic in nature, persistent in the environment and accumulative in living organisms. Animal studies have found PBDEs to cause health defects such as fetal malformations, delayed onset of puberty, decreased sperm count, behavioral changes, permanent learning and memory impairment, endocrine disruption, as well as cancer at high doses. Recent research involving humans reported that elevated breast milk PBDEs levels in their mothers are associated with cryptorchidism (absence of one or both testes from the scrotum) in newborn boys and adverse birth outcomes as well as elevated serum PBDE levels in mothers are associated with low sperm count in young men. There are three commonly manufactured PBDE commercial mixtures: Penta-, Octa-, and Deca-BDEs. Two of them (Octa- and Penta-BDEs) have been banned by the European Union and are being voluntarily phased out in the United States. However, Deca continues to be manufactured, used, and imported in the United States. This MPH thesis consists of a literature review of peer reviewed scientific articles concerned with PBDEs in the environment and in humans, as well as a discussion concerning different routes of exposure to PBDEs and their blood, milk and tissue levels as surrogates for body burdens in North Americans and in people from other countries. Results of this literature review shows PBDE levels in human blood, milk and tissues are higher in North Americans than people from other countries worldwide. To date, the highest level of PBDEs was found in a toddler’s blood in a California study. Despite the fact that PBDEs are associated with adverse health effects, and highest levels of PBDEs in North Americans, Deca-BDE is still manufactured, used and imported in the United States. There is an urgent need of new federal regulatory policy to ban completely the production, importation and use of all commercial mixtures of PBDEs.^

Soil properties of western Wright Valley, Antarctica

Western Wright Valley, from Wright Upper Glacier to the western end of the Dais, can be divided into three broad geomorphic regions: the elevated Labyrinth, the narrow Dais which is connected to the Labyrinth, and the North and South forks which are bifurcated by the Dais. Soil associations of Typic Haplorthels/Haploturbels with ice-cemented permafrost at < 70 cm are most common in each of these geomorphic regions. Amongst the Haplo Great Groups are patches of Salic and Typic Anhyorthels with ice-cemented permafrost at > 70 cm. They are developed in situ in strongly weathered drift with very low surface boulder frequency and occur on the upper erosion surface of the Labyrinth and on the Dais. Typic Anhyorthels also occur at lower elevation on sinuous and patchy Wright Upper III drift within the forks. Salic Aquorthels exist only in the South Fork marginal to Don Juan Pond, whereas Salic Haplorthels occur in low areas of both South and North forks where any water table is > 50 cm. Most soils within the study area have an alkaline pH dominated by Na+ and Cl- ions. The low salt accumulation within Haplorthels/Haploturbels may be due to limited depth of soil development and possibly leaching.

Potassium and argon concentrations and age determination of ODP Site 125-782 and 125-786

K-Ar whole-rock ages have been obtained for 30 samples from Sites 782 and 786, Ocean Drilling Program Leg 125 in the Izu-Bonin (Ogasawara) forearc region. They form a trimodal spread of ages between 9 Ma and 44 Ma and are, with a few exceptions, consistent with the inferred lithostratigraphy. The ages have been interpreted in terms of at least two distinct episodes of magmatic and/or hydrothermal activity. A group of ten samples, including the lava flows, gave an isochron age of 41.3 ± 0.5 Ma (middle-late Eocene). This is thought to represent the age of the principal magmatic development of the volcanic forearc basement, and is comparable to published ages on equivalent rocks from other parts of the forearc basement high (e.g., the Ogasawara Islands). It may be significant that this age is slightly younger than the timing of major plate reorganization in the Western Pacific at about 43 Ma. This was followed by a minor episode of intrusive magmatism at 34.6 ± 0.7 Ma (early Oligocene) which appears to have reset the ages of some of the earlier units. This event probably corresponds to the initiation of rifting of the "proto-arc" to form the Parece Vela Basin. Boninitic samples were erupted during both episodes of magmatism, the earlier being of low-Ca boninite type and the later being of medium- and high-Ca types. It is also possible that a third episode of intrusive magmatism affected the Izu-Bonin forearc region at both Sites 782 and 786 at about 17 Ma. This would be consistent with magmatic activity elsewhere in the region during the Miocene, associated with the end of active spreading in the Parece Vela Basin and the start of arc activity in the West Mariana Ridge.