Russians

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. Once, I found out that if you save an entire semester\u27s worth of work for the last day. you\u27ll have to stay up till 4 A.M. to finish it all. In that moment you will realize something else, that there really is a 4 A.M. I thought that it had been made up until that day. I thought that the Russians made that up to make America feel lazy. It worked, too. I felt lazy because I was never up at 4 A.M. to do any work. Then, when I turned fifteen and I started learning about Russians in history class, I realized they were sneaky enough to invent a 4 A.M. I realized that they do things like that all the time, making up things to make Americans feel lazy and bad about themselves. I was so irritated with them about the whole 4 A.M. thing that I didn\u27t speak to a Russian for years

Microbial Communication via Pyrazine Signaling: A New Class of Signaling Molecules Identified in Vibrio cholerae

Quorum sensing is a microbial signaling process that relies on the production, release, and response to extracellular signaling molecules called autoinducers. This Review covers quorum‐sensing systems controlled by a pyrazine‐type autoinducer, 3,5‐dimethyl‐pyrazin‐2‐ol (DPO). The systems we cover span the human pathogen Vibrio cholerae , where DPO regulates pathogenicity and biofilm formation, and phage VP882, where DPO controls lytic development and viral dissemination. In both cases, detection of DPO occurs via a dedicated receptor‐transcription factor called VqmA. In V. cholerae , DPO activates the production of the VqmR regulatory RNA, and in the phage, DPO triggers production of the small protein Qtip. We present our current understanding of DPO biosynthesis, ongoing efforts to resolve the mechanisms underlying DPO‐mediated signal transduction, and a forward‐facing perspective on the role of DPO in human health and undiscovered pyrazine‐based signals in biology, more broadly

Bubble-Driven Detachment of Bacteria from Confined Microgeometries

Moving air–liquid interfaces, for example, bubbles, play a significant role in the detachment and transport of colloids and microorganisms in confined systems as well as unsaturated porous media. Moreover, they can effectively prevent and/or postpone the development of mature biofilms on surfaces that are colonized by bacteria. Here we demonstrate the dynamics and quantify the effectiveness of this bubble-driven detachment process for the bacterial strain Staphylococcus aureus. We investigate the effects of interface velocity and geometrical factors through microfluidic experiments that mimic some of the confinement features of pore-scale geometries. Depending on the bubble velocity U, at least three different flow regimes are found. These operating flow regimes not only affect the efficiency of the detachment process but also modify the final distribution of the bacteria on the surface. We organize our results according to the capillary number, , where μ and γ are the viscosity and the surface tension, respectively. Bubbles at very low velocities, corresponding to capillary numbers Ca 10–3, have lower detachment efficiencies and cause significant nonuniformities in the final distribution of the cells on the substrate. This effect is associated with the formation of a thin liquid film around the bubble at higher Ca. In general, at higher bubble velocities bacterial cells in the corners of the geometry are less influenced by the bubble passage compared to the central region

Ethnic disparities in the risk of colorectal adenomas associated with aspirin and statin use: a retrospective multiethnic study

BACKGROUND: Although data on the inverse association between colorectal adenomas (CRA) and daily aspirin or statin therapy exists in white and black patients, scarce data exists on these associations in the Hispanic population. With a rapidly increasing Hispanic population in the United States, defining the association in Hispanics is crucial. METHODS: The study sample included 1,843 consecutive patients who underwent a colonoscopy (screening or diagnostic) from 2009 to 2011 at a community hospital in East Meadow, New York. Data was then extracted from patient charts regarding aspirin and/or statin use. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the association between colonoscopy findings and aspirin, statin, or aspirin/statin use. RESULTS: In our total population including all races, aspirin user had an increased risk for having two or more adenomas (OR =1.73, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.99, P=0.05) and presence of an adenoma in the proximal colon (OR =1.66, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.58, P=0.02). In the total study population, those who used both statin and aspirin had an increased risk for having two or more adenomas (OR =2.56, 95% CI: 1.21, 5.39, P=0.01). In the Hispanic population, users of both medications had an increased risk for having two or more adenomas (OR =19.04, 95% CI: 1.30, 280.09, P=0.03), adenoma present in the distal colon (OR =5.75, 95% CI: 1.64, 20.21, P=0.01) and largest adenoma in distal colon (OR =5.75, 95% CI: 1.64, 20.21, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Aspirin use and aspirin/statin use was associated with abnormal colonoscopy findings, particularly in the Hispanic population. These findings may be due to environmental factors such as dietary, colonic flora, or genetic susceptibility. The findings warrant further investigational research, particularly in Hispanics

Acute Arterial Thromboembolism in Patients with COVID-19 in the New York City Area

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predisposes to arterial and venous thromboembolic complications. We describe the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of acute arterial ischemia and concomitant infection at the epicenter of cases in the United States. Methods: Patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection between March 1, 2020 and May 15, 2020 with an acute arterial thromboembolic event were reviewed. Data collected included demographics, anatomical location of the thromboembolism, treatments, and outcomes. Results: Over the 11-week period, the Northwell Health System cared for 12,630 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. A total of 49 patients with arterial thromboembolism and confirmed COVID-19 were identified. The median age was 67 years (58–75) and 37 (76%) were men. The most common preexisting conditions were hypertension (53%) and diabetes (35%). The median D-dimer level was 2,673 ng/mL (723–7,139). The distribution of thromboembolic events included upper 7 (14%) and lower 35 (71%) extremity ischemia, bowel ischemia 2 (4%), and cerebral ischemia 5 (10%). Six patients (12%) had thrombus in multiple locations. Concomitant deep vein thrombosis was found in 8 patients (16%). Twenty-two (45%) patients presented with signs of acute arterial ischemia and were subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19. The remaining 27 (55%) developed ischemia during hospitalization. Revascularization was performed in 13 (27%) patients, primary amputation in 5 (10%), administration of systemic tissue‐ plasminogen activator in 3 (6%), and 28 (57%) were treated with systemic anticoagulation only. The rate of limb loss was 18%. Twenty-one patients (46%) died in the hospital. Twenty-five (51%) were successfully discharged, and 3 patients are still in the hospital. Conclusions: While the mechanism of thromboembolic events in patients with COVID-19 remains unclear, the occurrence of such complication is associated with acute arterial ischemia which results in a high limb loss and mortality