Research Triangle Park

About: Research Triangle Park is a nonprofit organization based out in Durham, North Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Environmental exposure. The organization has 24961 authors who have published 35800 publications receiving 1684504 citations. The organization is also known as: RTP.

Land-Use Changes in Southern Appalachian Landscapes: Spatial Analysis and Forecast Evaluation

Abstract: Understanding human disturbance regimes is crucial for developing effective conservation and ecosystem management plans and for targeting ecological research to areas that define scarce ecosystem services We evaluate and develop a forecasting model for land-use change in the Southern Appalachians We extend previous efforts by (a) addressing the spatial diffusion of human populations, approximated by building density, (b) examining a long time period (40 years, which is epochal in economic terms), and (c) explicitly testing the forecasting power of the models The resulting model, defined by linking a negative binomial regression model of building density with a logit model of land cover, was fit using spatially referenced data from four study sites in the Southern Appalachians All fitted equations were significant, and coefficient estimates indicated that topographic features as well as location significantly shape population diffusion and land use across these landscapes This is especially evident in the study sites that have experienced development pressure over the last 40 years Model estimates also indicate significant spatial autocorrelation in land-use observations Forecast performance of the models was evaluated by using a separate validation data set for each study area Depending on the land-use classification scheme, the models correctly predicted between 68% and 89% of observed land uses Tests based on information theory reject the hypothesis that the models have no explanatory power, and measures of entropy and information gain indicate that the estimated models explain between 47% and 66% of uncertainty regarding land-use classification Overall, these results indicate that modeling land-cover change alone may not be useful over the long run, because changing land cover reflects the outcomes of more than one human process (for example, agricultural decline and population growth) Here, additional information was gained by addressing the spatial spread of human populations Furthermore, coarse-scale measures of the human drivers of landscape change (for example, population growth measured at the county level) appear to be poor predictors of changes realized at finer scales Simulations demonstrate how this type of approach might be used to target scarce resources for conservation and research efforts into ecosystem effects

Measuring the functional status and well-being of patients with migraine headache.

Abstract: SYNOPSIS Objective: Compare adult migraineurs' health related quality of life to adults in the general U.S. population reporting no chronic conditions, and to samples of patients with other chronic conditions. Methods: Subjects (n=845) were surveyed 2–6 months after participation in a placebo-controlled clinical trial and asked to complete a questionnaire including the SF-36 Health Survey, a migraine severity measurement scale and demographics. Results were adjusted for severity of illness and comorbidities. Scores were compared with responses to the same survey by the U.S. sample and by patients with other chronic conditions. Results: Response rate was 67%. After adjustment for comorbid conditions, SF-36 scale scores were significantly (P 0.001 ) lower in migraineurs, relative to age and sex-adjusted norms for the U.S. sample with no chronic conditions. Some health dimensions were more affected by migraine than other chronic conditions, while other dimensions were less affected by migraine. Measures of bodily pain, role disability due to physical health and social functioning discriminated best between migraineurs, the U.S. sample, and patients with other chronic conditions. Patients reporting moderate, severe and very severe migraines scored significantly (P £ 0.001 ) lower on five of the eight SF-36 scales than the U.S. sample. Conclusions: Migraine has a unique, significant quality of life burden.

The first 1000 dendritic cell vaccinees.

Abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells that have the ability to stimulate primary T cell antitumor immune responses in animals and humans. Since the first published clinical trial of dendritic cell vaccination in 1995, 98 studies describing more than 1000 vaccinees have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals or presented at the annual meetings of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, the American Association of Cancer Research, or the American Society of Hematology. Trials have been performed in 15 countries. Trials included patients with more than two dozen tumor types; most trials studied patients with malignant melanoma, prostate cancer, colorectal carcinoma, or multiple myeloma, using autologous DCs pulsed with synthetic antigens or idiotype antibodies. The DC vaccines were also prepared by pulsing DCs with tumor lysates or RNA, by transfection with tumor DNA, or by creating tumor cell/DC fusions. Various approaches to vaccine cell numbers, length of vaccine program, site of vaccination, frozen preservation of vaccine, and use of a maturations step for DCs were used. Adverse effects associated with DC vaccination were uncommon; most were mild and self-limited and none were serious. Clinical responses were observed in approximately half the trials. The DC vaccination may provide a safe approach to cancer immunotherapy that can overcome the limited reach and immunogenicity of peptide vaccines.

Spatial and temporal expression of the Cre gene under the control of the MMTV-LTR in different lines of transgenic mice

Abstract: Cre-loxP based gene deletion approaches hold great promise to enhance our understanding of molecular pathways controlling mammary development and breast cancer. We reported earlier the generation of transgenic mice that express the Cre recombinase under the control of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) long terminal repeat (LTR). These mice have become a valuable research tool to delete genes specifically in the mammary gland, other secretory organs, and the female germline. We have now characterized in depth the expression of the MMTV-Cre transgene using the ROSA26-lox-Stop-lox-LacZ reporter strain to determine the temporal and spatial activation of Cre on the level of single cells. Our results show that MMTV-mediated Cre-activation is restricted to specific cell types of various secretory tissues and the hematopoietic system. Secondly, the timing of Cre expression varies between tissues and cell types. Some tissues express Cre during embryonic development, while other selected cell types highly activate Cre around puberty, suggesting a strong influence of steroid hormones on the transcriptional activation of the MMTV-LTR. Thirdly, Cre expression in the female germline is restricted to individual mouse lines and is therefore dependent on the site of integration of the transgene. Information provided by this study will guide the researcher to those cell types and developmental stages at which a phenotype can be expected upon deletion of relevant genes.