Coastal plains flora in Indiana botanical areas

Harper, Peattie, and McLaughlin have dealt with plants of the Atlantic Coastal Plain which occur in inland extensions about the Great Lakes. Harper observed that many plants of the coastal plain which occur in New England extend not only to southward along the Atlantic Coast but are also found extending westward as far as Minnesota. Peattie listed 90 species occurring in the Great Lakes region alone and McLaughlin found that many of the species extend west to the sand barrens of northwestern Wisconsin

Effects of Mifepristone on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Patient with a Cortisol-Secreting Adrenal Adenoma

Cushing syndrome (CS), a complex, multisystemic condition resulting from prolonged exposure to cortisol, is frequently associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In patients with adrenal adenoma(s) and NAFLD, it is essential to rule out coexisting endocrine disorders like CS, so that the underlying condition can be properly addressed. We report a case of a 49-year-old woman with a history of hypertension, prediabetes, dyslipidemia, biopsy-confirmed steatohepatitis, and benign adrenal adenoma, who was referred for endocrine work-up for persistent weight gain. Overt Cushing features were absent. Biochemical evaluation revealed nonsuppressed cortisol on multiple 1-mg dexamethasone suppression tests, suppressed adrenocorticotropic hormone, and low dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. The patient initially declined surgery and was treated with mifepristone, a competitive glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. In addition to improvements in weight and hypertension, substantial reductions in her liver enzymes were noted, with complete normalization by 20 weeks of therapy. This case suggests that autonomous cortisol secretion from adrenal adenoma(s) could contribute to the metabolic and liver abnormalities in patients with NAFLD. In conclusion, successful management of CS with mifepristone led to marked improvement in the liver enzymes of a patient with long-standing NAFLD

Comparing Melanoma Invasiveness in Dermatologist- versus Patient-Detected Lesions: A Retrospective Chart Review

This study examined whether patient-identified melanomas were more advanced than dermatologist-identified tumors at routine clinic visits, and whether a personal or family history of skin cancer was associated with patterns of detection. A retrospective chart review was performed on melanoma patients (N = 201) in a private dermatology clinic. Variables included age, gender, pattern of detection (i.e., patient or a board certified dermatologist), personal or family history of skin cancer, skin type, and previous sun exposure, as well as tumor location and severity. Dermatologist-diagnosed melanomas were less invasive (P < 0.0005), and more likely present on the chest, back, and legs (P < 0.01). Conversely, patient-identified lesions were more likely to occur on the face, neck and scalp, be associated with younger patients, and a family history of melanoma, but not other types of skin cancer (P < 0.01). In a post-hoc analysis examining these factors as predictors of tumor invasiveness, only diagnostic source was significant. Specifically, dermatologist-identified tumors were significantly less invasive than patient-identified tumors. Although age, family history, and tumor location played roles in the early detection of melanomas, the most important factor was diagnostic source. Thus, board-certified dermatologists play a key role in the early detection of malignant melanoma

Defining a 3-dimensional trishear parameter space to understand the temporal evolution of fault propagation folds

The application of trishear, in which deformation occurs in a triangular zone in front of a propagating fault tip, is often used to understand fault related folding. A key element of trishear, in comparison to kink-band methods, is that non-uniform deformation within the triangle zone allows the layer thickness and length to change during deformation. By varying three controlling parameters independently (trishear propagation/slip ratio, trishear apical angle and fault dip), we construct a three-dimensional parameter space to demonstrate the variability of resultant geometry feasible with trishear. We plot published natural examples in this parameter space and identify two clusters and show that the most applicable typical trishear propagation/slip ratio is 2to3, while the trishear apical angle varies from 30° to 100°. We propose that these findings can help estimate the best-fit parameters for natural structures. We then consider the temporal evolution of specific geometric examples and factors that increase the complexity of trishear including: (1) fault-dip changes and (2) pre-existing faults.To illustrate the applicability of the parameter space and complex trishear models to natural examples, we apply our results to a sub-surface example from the Qaidam basin in northern Tibetan Plateau

Activation and Impaired Accessory Cell Function of Human Monocytes in Vitro by Cytomegalovirus

vii, 33 p.Monocytes are believed to participate in the host response to cytomegalovirus (CMV), a DNA virus which may exist in a latent form or may cause severe organ pathology depending on the immune competence of the host. To investigate monocyte-CMV interaction, the effect of CMV on monocyte phenotype and function was explored. Purified monocytes were inoculated at a multiplicity of infection of 1.0-2.0 with an isolate of CMV, laboratory propogated strain AD-169. The monocytes did not exhibit cytopathic changes or release virions into the culture supernatant. However, they did express immediate-early (IE) and early antigen (EA) viral proteins as detected by immunoperoxidase staining using monoclonal antibodies against IE and EA. Activation studies revealed that the CMV-infected monocytes spontaneously secreted increased amounts of H2 02 and expressed high levels of surface interleukin 2 and HLA-DR receptors. However, the CMV-infected monocytes secreted significantly less H2 02 following stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, muramyl dipeptide, or phorbol myristate acetate. Similarly, studies of the accessory cell functions of CMV-infected monocytes showed a marked decrease in ability to present antigen and mitogen for lymphocyte proliferation. These findings suggest that CMV infection alters monocyte function and may contribute to immunosuppression in vivo.National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, M