Report on the Iowa Department for the Blind for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Iowa Department for the Blind for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Iowa Department of Education for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Iowa Department of Education for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Office of Governor for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Office of Governor for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Department of Management for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Department of Management for the year ended June 30, 2010

A tailored approach for the treatment of indirect inguinal hernia in adults--an old problem revisited.

A patent processus vaginalis peritonei (PPV) presents typically as an indirect hernia with an intact inguinal canal floor during childhood. Little is known however about PPV in adults and its best treatment. A cohort study included all consecutive patients admitted for ambulatory open hernia repair. In patients with a PPV, demographics, hernia characteristics, and outcome were prospectively assessed. Annulorrhaphy was the treatment of choice in patients with an internal inguinal ring diameter of < 30 mm. Between 1998 and 2006, 92 PPVs (two bilateral) were diagnosed in 676 open hernia repairs (incidence of 14%). Eighty nine of the 90 patients were males, the median age was 34 years (range: 17-85). A PPV was right-sided in 67% and partially obliterated in 66%. Forty-one patients had an annulorrhaphy and 51 patients had a tension-free mesh repair. The median operation time was significantly shorter in the annulorrhaphy group (38 vs. 48 min, P <.0001). In a median follow-up period of 56 months (27-128), both groups did not differ concerning recurrence (1/41 vs. 2/51), chronic pain (3/41 vs. 4/51), and hypoesthesia (5/41 vs. 9/51). There was however a clear trend to less neuropathic symptoms in favor of annulorrhaphy (0/41 vs. 5/51, P < 0.066). PPV occurs in 14% of adults undergoing hernia repair. In selected patients, annulorrhaphy takes less time and is associated with equally low recurrence but less potential for neuropathic symptoms.

Audit report of the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report of the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on recommendations to the Office of Treasurer of State for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report of the Office of the Treasurer of State for the year ended June 30, 2010

Long-term anticoagulation treatment for acute venous thromboembolism in patients with and without cancer. The SWIss Venous ThromboEmbolism Registry (SWIVTER) II.

In patients with acute cancer-associated thrombosis, current consensus guidelines recommend anticoagulation therapy for an indefinite duration or until the cancer is resolved. Among 1,247 patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) enrolled in the prospective Swiss Venous Thromboembolism Registry (SWIVTER) II from 18 hospitals, 315 (25%) had cancer of whom 179 (57%) had metastatic disease, 159 (50%) ongoing or recent chemotherapy, 83 (26%) prior cancer surgery, and 63 (20%) recurrent VTE. Long-term anticoagulation treatment for >12 months was more often planned in patients with versus without cancer (47% vs. 19%; p<0.001), with recurrent cancer-associated versus first cancer-associated VTE (70% vs. 41%; p<0.001), and with metastatic versus non-metastatic cancer (59% vs. 31%; p<0.001). In patients with cancer, recurrent VTE (OR 3.46; 95%CI 1.83-6.53), metastatic disease (OR 3.04; 95%CI 1.86-4.97), and the absence of an acute infection (OR 3.55; 95%CI 1.65-7.65) were independently associated with the intention to maintain anticoagulation for >12 months. In conclusion, long-term anticoagulation treatment for more than 12 months was planned in less than half of the cancer patients with acute VTE. The low rates of long-term anticoagulation in cancer patients with a first episode of VTE and in patients with non-metastatic cancer require particular attention.

Lentivirus-mediated Bcl-2 expression in betaTC-tet cells improves resistance to hypoxia and cytokine-induced apoptosis while preserving in vitro and in vivo control of insulin secretion.

betaTC-tet cells are conditionally immortalized pancreatic beta cells which can confer long-term correction of hyperglycemia when transplanted in syngeneic streptozocin diabetic mice. The use of these cells for control of type I diabetes in humans will require their encapsulation and transplantation in non-native sites where relative hypoxia and cytokines may threaten their survival. In this study we genetically engineered betaTC-tet cells with the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 using new lentiviral vectors and showed that it protected this cell line against apoptosis induced by hypoxia, staurosporine and a mixture of cytokines (IL-1beta, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha). We further demonstrated that Bcl-2 expression permitted growth at higher cell density and with shorter doubling time. Expression of Bcl-2, however, did not inter- fere either with the intrinsic mechanism of growth arrest present in the betaTC-tet cells or with their normal glucose dose-dependent insulin secretory activity. Furthermore, Bcl-2 expressing betaTC-tet cells retained their capacity to secrete insulin under mild hypoxia. Finally, transplantation of these cells under the kidney capsule of streptozocin diabetic C3H mice corrected hyperglycemia for several months. These results demonstrate that the murine betaTC-tet cell line can be genetically modified to improve its resistance against different stress-induced apoptosis while preserving its normal physiological function. These modified cells represent an improved source for cell transplantation therapy of type I diabetes.

T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 characteristics start to develop during T cell priming and are associated with an immediate ability to induce immunoglobulin class switching.

The respective production of specific immunoglobulin (Ig)G2a or IgG1 within 5 d of primary immunization with Swiss type mouse mammary tumor virus [MMTV(SW)] or haptenated protein provides a model for the development of T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 responses. The antibody-producing cells arise from cognate T cell B cell interaction, revealed by the respective induction of Cgamma2a and Cgamma1 switch transcript production, on the third day after immunization. T cell proliferation and upregulation of mRNA for interferon gamma in response to MMTV(SW) and interleukin 4 in response to haptenated protein also starts during this day. It follows that there is minimal delay in these responses between T cell priming and the onset of cognate interaction between T and B cells leading to class switching and exponential growth. The Th1 or Th2 profile is at least partially established at the time of the first cognate T cell interaction with B cells in the T zone. The addition of killed Bordetella pertussis to the hapten-protein induces nonhapten-specific IgG2a and IgG1 plasma cells, whereas the anti-hapten response continues to be IgG1 dominated. This indicates that a Th2 response to hapten-protein can proceed in a node where there is substantial Th1 activity.

Extração e exportação de nutrientes por variedades de cana-de-açúcar cultivadas sob irrigação plena

A pesquisa tecnológica para suporte do setor sucroalcooleiro nacional mostra que são esporádicos os trabalhos desenvolvidos com cana-de-açúcar irrigada envolvendo a exigência nutricional. Nesse contexto, objetivou-se quantificar, durante o ciclo de cana-planta de 11 variedades de cana-de-açúcar (SP79-1011, RB813804, RB863129, RB872552, RB943365, RB72454, RB763710, SP78-4764, SP81-3250, RB867515 e RB92579) cultivadas sob irrigação plena, a capacidade de extração e exportação de N, P, K, Ca e Mg, bem como a exigência nutricional para produção de uma tonelada de colmo por hectare (TCH). A pesquisa foi realizada em campo, no município de Carpina, PE, durante a safra agrícola 2006/2007. O delineamento experimental empregado foi de blocos casualizados, com 11 tratamentos e quatro repetições. A extração e exportação de nutrientes, assim como a exigência nutricional, foram avaliadas aos 360 dias após o plantio (DAP) na parte aérea das plantas. A extração de nutrientes na parte aérea da cana-planta apresentou, em média, valores de 179, 25, 325, 226 e 87 kg ha-1 de N, P, K, Ca e Mg, respectivamente, o que proporcionou a seguinte ordem decrescente de extração: K > Ca > N > Mg > P. A exportação média de N, P, K, Ca e Mg pelo colmo das variedades irrigadas foi de 92; 15; 188; 187; e 66 kg ha-1; correspondendo, respectivamente, a 51, 60, 58, 83 e 76 % de todo o nutriente extraído na parte aérea da cana-planta, com destaque para as variedades RB92579 e SP81-3250 para o N, RB813804, RB863129, RB872552, RB763710, RB92579, SP78-4764, SP81-3250 e SP79-1011 para o P, SP79-1011, SP81-3250, RB813804, RB872552 e RB763710 para o K, RB92579 e RB863129 para o Ca e RB92579 para o Mg. Para produção de uma TCH, foram exigidos pelas variedades durante o ciclo de cana-planta valores médios de 0,91; 0,13; 1,71; 1,18; e 0,44 kg de N, P, K, Ca e Mg, respectivamente.

Report on the Iowa Department of Public Defense for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Iowa Department of Public Defense for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report of Recommendations to the Board of Regents for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Board of Regents for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Department of Corrections for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Department of Corrections for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Iowa College Student Aid Commission for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Iowa College Student Aid Commission for the year ended June 30, 2010