University of Texas Medical Branch

About: University of Texas Medical Branch is a education organization based out in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Virus. The organization has 22033 authors who have published 38268 publications receiving 1517502 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston & UTMB.

Prevalence and Consequences of Sleep Disorders in Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract: STUDY OBJECTIVES: Determine prevalence and consequences of sleepiness and sleep disorders after traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: Prospective evaluation with polysomnography (PSG), multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and neuropsychological testing including Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), Profile of Mood States (POMS), and Functional Outcome of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ). SETTING: Three academic medical centers with level I trauma centers, accredited sleep disorders centers, and rehabilitative medicine programs. Participants; Eighty-seven (87) adults at least 3 months post TBI. Measurements And Results: Abnormal sleep studies were found in 40 subjects (46%), including 20 (23%) with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), 10 (11%) with posttraumatic hypersomnia (PTH), 5 (6%) with narcolepsy, and 6 (7%) with periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS). Among all subjects, 22 (25%) were found to have objective excessive daytime sleepiness with MSLT score or =30, p Language: en

The cells of origin of the primate spinothalamic tract.

Abstract: Spinothalamic tract cells in the lumbar, sacral and caudal segments of the primate spinal cord were labelled by the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injected into the thalamus. The laminar distribution of stained spinothalamic cells in the lumbosacral enlargement differed according to whether the HRP was injected into the lateral or the medial thalamus. Lateral injections labelled cells in most laminae, but the largest numbers of cells were in laminae I and V. The highest concentrations of cells labelled from the medial thalamus were in laminae VI-VIII. Ninety percent or more of the stained spinothalamic cells in the lumbosacral enlargement were contralateral to the injection site. In the conus medullaris stained spinothalamic cells were most numerous in laminae I, V and VI following lateral thalamic injections of HRP. Many of the cells of the conus were in Stilling's nucleus. Twenty-three percent of the cells in the conus were ipsilateral to the injection site in the lateral thalamus. Only a few cells in the conus were labelled by medial thalamic injections. The total number of spinothalamic cells from L5 caudally was estimated to be at least 1,200-2,500. An injection of HRP into the midbrain resulted in a laminar distribution of labelled cells much like that produced by a lateral thalamic injection. The types of spinothalamic tract cells and the sizes of their somata were determined for different laminae. The cells types resemble those already described from Golgi and other studies of the spinal cord gray matter. The spinothalamic tract cells in lamina I included Waldeyer cells and numerous small fusiform, pyriform or triangular cells. Those in lamina II included limitrophe and central cells. Spinothalamic cells in lamina III were central cells. Most of the labelled cells in laminae IV-X were polygonal, although there were also flattened cells in these layers. The smallest spinothalamic cells were in laminae I-III, while the largest were in laminae V and VII-IX. Spinothalamic cells in the conus medullaris included cells like those in the lumbosacral enlargement, but also a special cell type in Stilling's nucleus. Some cells in the conus had dendrites that crossed the midline. Spinothalamic axons could sometimes be traced to the ventral white commissure within one or a few sections. In longitudinal sections, most labelled axons were in the ventral part of the lateral funiculus on the side of the injection, although a few were in the ventral funiculus or on the contralateral side. The axons were widely dispersed, and a few were located adjacent to the pia-glial membrane.

Zika, Chikungunya, and Other Emerging Vector-Borne Viral Diseases

Abstract: Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have a long history of emerging to infect humans, but during recent decades, they have been spreading more widely and affecting larger populations. This is due to several factors, including increased air travel and uncontrolled mosquito vector populations. Emergence can involve simple spillover from enzootic (wildlife) cycles, as in the case of West Nile virus accompanying geographic expansion into the Americas; secondary amplification in domesticated animals, as seen with Japanese encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, and Rift Valley fever viruses; and urbanization, in which humans become the amplification hosts and peridomestic mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, mediate human-to-human transmission. Dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika viruses have undergone such urban emergence. We focus mainly on the latter two, which are recent arrivals in the Western Hemisphere. We also discuss a few other viruses with the potential to emerge through all of these mechanisms.

Myopericarditis Following Smallpox Vaccination Among Vaccinia-Naive US Military Personnel

Abstract: ContextIn the United States, the annual incidence of myocarditis is estimated at 1 to 10 per 100 000 population. As many as 1% to 5% of patients with acute viral infections involve the myocardium. Although many viruses have been reported to cause myopericarditis, it has been a rare or unrecognized event after vaccination with the currently used strain of vaccinia virus (New York City Board of Health).ObjectiveTo describe a series of probable cases of myopericarditis following smallpox vaccination among US military service members reported since the reintroduction of vaccinia vaccine.Design, Setting, ParticipantsSurveillance case definitions are presented. The cases were identified either through sentinel reporting to US military headquarters surveillance using the Defense Medical Surveillance System or reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision. The cases occurred among individuals vaccinated from mid-December 2002 to March 14, 2003.Main Outcome MeasureElevated serum levels of creatine kinase (MB isoenzyme), troponin I, and troponin T, usually in the presence of ST-segment elevation on electrocardiogram and wall motion abnormalities on echocardiogram.ResultsAmong 230 734 primary vaccinees, 18 cases of probable myopericarditis after smallpox vaccination were reported (an incidence of 7.8 per 100 000 over 30 days). No cases of myopericarditis following smallpox vaccination were reported among 95 622 vaccinees who were previously vaccinated. All cases were white men aged 21 years to 33 years (mean age, 26.5 years), who presented with acute myopericarditis 7 to 19 days following vaccination. A causal relationship is supported by the close temporal clustering (7-19 days; mean, 10.5 days following vaccination), wide geographic and temporal distribution, occurrence in only primary vaccinees, and lack of evidence for alternative etiologies or other diseases associated with myopericarditis. Additional supporting evidence is the observation that the observed rate of myopericarditis among primary vaccinees is 3.6-fold (95% confidence interval, 3.33-4.11) higher than the expected rate among personnel who were not vaccinated. The background incidence of myopericarditis did not show statistical significance when stratified by age (20-34 years: 2.18 expected cases per 100 000; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.90-2.34), race (whites: 1.82 per 100 000; 95% CI, 1.50-2.01), and sex (males: 2.28 per 100 000; 95% CI, 2.04-2.54).ConclusionAmong US military personnel vaccinated against smallpox, myopericarditis occurred at a rate of 1 per 12 819 primary vaccinees. Myopericarditis should be considered an expected adverse event associated with smallpox vaccination. Clinicians should consider myopericarditis in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with chest pain 4 to 30 days following smallpox vaccination and be aware of the implications as well as the need to report this potential adverse advent.