• 제목/요약/키워드: Johns Hopkins University

검색결과 241건 처리시간 0.035초

The Vomeronasal Organ and Adjacent Glands Express Components of Signaling Cascades Found in Sensory Neurons in the Main Olfactory System

  • Lee, Sang Jin;Mammen, Alex;Kim, Esther J.;Kim, So Yeun;Park, Yun Ju;Park, Mira;Han, Hyung Soo;Bae, Yong-Chul;Ronnett, Gabriele V.;Moon, Cheil
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • 제26권5호
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    • pp.503-513
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    • 2008
  • The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a sensory organ that influences social and/or reproductive behavior and, in many cases, the survival of an organism. The VNO is believed to mediate responses to pheromones; however, many mechanisms of signal transduction in the VNO remain elusive. Here, we examined the expression of proteins involved in signal transduction that are found in the main olfactory system in the VNO. The localization of many signaling molecules in the VNO is quite different from those in the main olfactory system, suggesting differences in signal transduction mechanisms between these two chemosensory organs. Various signaling molecules are expressed in distinct areas of VNO sensory epithelium. Interestingly, we found the expressions of groups of these signaling molecules in glandular tissues adjacent to VNO, supporting the physiological significance of these glandular tissues. Our finding of high expression of signaling proteins in glandular tissues suggests that neurohumoral factors influence glandular tissues to modulate signaling cascades that in turn alter the responses of the VNO to hormonal status.

Haptics for Human-Machine Interaction at The Johns Hopkins University

  • Okamura, Allison M.;Chang, Sung-Ouk
    • 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 제어로봇시스템학회 2003년도 ICCAS
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    • pp.2676-2681
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    • 2003
  • The Haptic Exploration Laboratory at The Johns Hopkins University is currently exploring many problems related to haptics (force and tactile information) in human-machine systems. We divide our work into two main areas: virtual environments and robot-assisted manipulation systems. Our interest in virtual environments focuses on reality-based modeling, in which measurements of the static and dynamic properties of actual objects are taken in order to produce realistic virtual environments. Thus, we must develop methods for acquiring data from real objects and populating pre-defined models. We also seek to create systems that can provide active manipulation assistance to the operator through haptic, visual, and audio cues. These systems may be teleoperated systems, which allow human users to operate in environments that would normally be inaccessible due to hazards, distance, or scale. Alternatively, cooperative manipulation systems allow a user and a robot to share a tool, allowing the user to guide or override the robot directly if necessary. Haptics in human-machine systems can have many applications, such as undersea and space operations, training for pilots and surgeons, and manufacturing. We focus much of our work on medical applications.

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Anemia Screening, Prevalence, and Treatment in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the United States, 2010-2014

  • Miller, Steven D.;Cuffari, Carmelo;Akhuemonkhan, Eboselume;Guerrerio, Anthony L.;Lehmann, Harold;Hutfless, Susan
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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    • 제22권2호
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    • pp.152-161
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    • 2019
  • Purpose: We examined the prevalence of anemia, annual screening for anemia, and treatment of anemia with iron among children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: A retrospective study of U.S. pediatric patients with IBD was performed in the MarketScan commercial claims database from 2010-2014. Children (ages 1-21) with at least two inpatient or outpatient encounters for IBD who had available lab and pharmacy data were included in the cohort. Anemia was defined using World Health Organization criteria. We used logistic regression to determine differences in screening, incident anemia, and treatment based on age at first IBD encounter and sex. Results: The cohort (n=2,446) included 1,560 Crohn's disease (CD) and 886 ulcerative colitis (UC). Approximately, 85% of CD and 81% of UC were screened for anemia. Among those screened, 51% with CD and 43% with UC had anemia. Only 24% of anemia patients with CD and 20% with UC were tested for iron deficiency; 85% were iron deficient. Intravenous (IV) iron was used to treat 4% of CD and 4% UC patients overall and 8% of those with anemia. Conclusion: At least 80% of children with IBD were screened for anemia, although most did not receive follow-up tests for iron deficiency. The 43%-50% prevalence of anemia was consistent with prior studies. Under-treatment with IV iron points to a potential target for quality improvement.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Shear Wave Elastography Evaluation of Crohn's Disease Activity in Three Adolescent Patients

  • Thimm, Matthew A;Cuffari, Carmen;Garcia, Alejandro;Sidhu, Sarah;Hwang, Misun
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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    • 제22권3호
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    • pp.282-290
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    • 2019
  • Characterizing inflammation and fibrosis in Crohn's disease (CD) is necessary to guide clinical management, but distinguishing the two remains challenging. Novel ultrasound (US) techniques: contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and shear wave elastography (SWE) offer great potential in evaluating disease activity in pediatric patients. Three patients ages 16 to 20 with known CD underwent CEUS and SWE to characterize bowel wall inflammation and fibrosis. Magnetic resonance enterography, endoscopy, or surgical pathology findings are also described when available. The patients' disease activity included acute inflammation, chronic inflammation with stricture formation, and a fibrotic surgical anastomosis without inflammation. CEUS was useful in determining the degree of inflammation, and SWE identified bowel wall fibrosis. Used together these techniques allow for better characterization of the degree of fibrosis and inflammation in bowel strictures. With further validation CEUS and SWE may allow for improved characterization of bowel strictures and disease flares in pediatric patients suffering from CD.

Development of a robust bench-scale testing unit for low-pressure membranes used in water treatment

  • Huang, Haiou;Schwab, Kellogg;Jacangelo, Joseph G.
    • Membrane and Water Treatment
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    • 제2권2호
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    • pp.121-136
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    • 2011
  • A bench-scale test has recently been proposed as a predictive tool to minimize the scope of pilot-scale testing or to optimize the operation of full-scale membrane filtration systems. Consequently, a bench-scale testing unit was developed for this purpose and systematically evaluated in this study. This unit was capable of accommodating commercially available, low pressure, hollow fiber (LPHF) membranes with various configurations for testing under conditions comparable to real-world applications. Reproducibility of this unit in assessing membrane fouling and microbial removal efficiency of LPHF membranes was tested and statistically comparable results were obtained. This unit serves as a useful apparatus for academic researchers and utilities to evaluate the performance of LPHF membranes used for water treatment.

Colonic Angioectasia in an Adolescent Boy with Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson on Long-Term Anabolic Steroid Therapy

  • Khalaf, Racha;Cuffari, Carmen
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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    • 제21권1호
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    • pp.68-71
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    • 2018
  • Androgen therapy has proven efficacy in treating patients with bone marrow failure who are not candidates for bone marrow transplantation. Herein, we report on a case of colonic angioectasia secondary to oxymetholone use in an adolescent patient with Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome (HHS). A 13-year-old Caucasian male with HHS characterized by cerebellar hypoplasia, developmental delay, microcephaly, esophageal strictures and myelodysplasia presented with severe hematochezia from colonic angioectasia secondary to long-term oxymetholone therapy. These vascular lesions resolved spontaneously once this anabolic steroid was discontinued. While androgen therapy is often recommended for certain anemias and myelodysplastic syndromes, clinicians should be aware of the potential complication in developing these perceived uncommon colonic angioectasias. Moreover, pediatric gastroenterologists should familiarize themselves in identifying these vascular lesions by colonoscopy, especially among the high risk groups on long-term anabolic steroid therapy.