Action potentials and the postsynaptic potentials they evoke fill the pages of neuroscience textbooks, but students have relatively few opportunities to record these phenomena on their own. However, the act of making such recordings can be key events in a student's scientific education. The crayfish abdominal slow flexor muscle system is a well-established platform for recording spikes and PSPs. It enables students to see nerves and the muscles they innervate, record spontaneous spikes from several motor axons in these nerves as well as PSPs in their postsynaptic muscle fibers, and interpret these recordings quantitatively. Here we describe an improved method for preparing the slow-flexor system for recording that employs transmitted illumination through the stereo microscope's conventional substage lighting. Oblique transmitted lighting allows students to see the nerve and muscles fibers in each segment clearly and position recording electrodes accurately under visual control. Because students can see the nerves, muscles, and recording electrodes, broken electrode tips are relatively uncommon and the first successful recordings come more quickly. Many kinds of neurons in the CNS have the same pattern of multineuronal, multiterminal innervation that occurs on these muscle fibers. To visualize these innervation patterns on these fibers, we describe an immunohistochemical protocol that labels the GABAergic inhibitory motor axon and all the synaptic vesicles in the synaptic terminals on these muscle fibers. Dual-color images reveal extensive branching of the axons and fields of presynaptic terminals, only some of which are double-labeled for GABA.

Albuminuria is a key biomarker for cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Our study aimed to describe the prevalence of albuminuria amongst people who inject drugs in London and to test any potential associations with demographic characteristics, past diagnoses, and drug preparation and administration practices. We carried out a cross-sectional survey amongst people who use drugs in London. The main outcome measure was any albuminuria including both microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria. Three-hundred and sixteen samples were tested by local laboratory services. Our study initially employed point-of-care testing methods but this resulted in a high number of false positives. Our findings suggest the prevalence of albuminuria amongst PWID is twice that of the general population at 19% (95%CI 15.3-24.0%). Risk factors associated with albuminuria were HIV (aOR 4.11 [95% CI 1.37-12.38]); followed by overuse of acidifier for dissolving brown heroin prior to injection (aOR 2.10 [95% CI 1.04-4.22]). Albuminuria is high amongst people who inject drugs compared to the general population suggesting the presence of increased cardiovascular and renal pathologies. This is the first study to demonstrate an association with acidifier overuse. Dehydration may be common amongst this population and may affect the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care testing for albuminuria.

Objective

To evaluate the outcomes of excision and primary anastomosis (EPA) for radiation-associated bulbomembranous stenoses using a multi-institutional analysis. The treatment of radiation-associated urethral stenosis is typically complex owing to the adverse impact of radiation on adjacent tissue.

Methods

An IRB-approved multi-institutional retrospective review was performed on patients who underwent EPA for bulbomembranous urethral stenosis following prostate radiotherapy. Preoperative patient demographics, operative technique, and postoperative outcomes were abstracted from 1/2007-6/2018. Success was defined as voiding per urethra without the need for endoscopic treatment and a minimum follow-up of 12 months.

Results

One hundred and thirty-seven patients from 10 centers met study criteria with a mean age of 69.3 years (50-86), stenosis length of 2.3 cm (1-5) and an 86.9% (119/137) success rate at a mean follow-up 32.3 months (12-118). Univariate Cox regression analysis identified increasing patient age (P = .02), stricture length (P <.0001) and combined modality radiotherapy (P = .004) as factors associated with stricture recurrence while body mass index (P = .79), diabetes (P = .93), smoking (P = .62), failed endoscopic treatment (P = .08) and gracilis muscle use (P = .25) were not. On multivariate analysis, increasing patient age (H.R.1.09, 95%CI 1.01-1.16; P = .02) and stenosis length (H.R.2.62, 95%CI 1.49-4.60; P = .001) remained associated with recurrence. Subsequent artificial urinary sphincter was performed in 30 men (21.9%), of which 25 required a transcorporal cuff and 5 developed cuff erosion.

Conclusions

EPA for radiation-associated urethral stenosis effectively provides unobstructed instrumentation-free voiding. However, increasing stenosis length and age are independently associated with surgical failure. Patients should be counseled that further surgery for incontinence may be necessary.

A measurement of vector boson (V) production in conjunction with a D∗(2010)+ meson is presented. Using a data sample corresponding to 9.7 fb-1 of proton-antiproton collisions at center-of-mass energy s=1.96 TeV produced by the Fermilab Tevatron, we reconstruct V+D∗+ samples with the CDF II detector. The D∗+ is fully reconstructed in the D∗(2010)+→D0(→K-π+)π+ decay mode. This technique is sensitive to the associated production of vector boson plus charm or bottom mesons. We measure the ratio of production cross sections σ(W+D∗)/σ(W)=[1.75±0.13(stat)±0.09(stat)]% and σ(Z+D∗)/σ(Z)=[1.5±0.4(stat)±0.2(stat)]% and perform a differential measurement of dσ(W+D∗)/dpT(D∗). Event properties are utilized to determine the fraction of V+D∗(2010)+ events originating from different production processes. The results are in agreement with the predictions obtained with the pythia program, limiting possible contribution from non-standard-model physics processes.

We measure the forward-backward asymmetry of the production of top-quark and antiquark pairs in proton-antiproton collisions at center-of-mass energy s=1.96 TeV using the full data set collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) in Tevatron Run II corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.1 fb-1. The asymmetry is characterized by the rapidity difference between top quarks and antiquarks (Δy) and measured in the final state with two charged leptons (electrons and muons). The inclusive asymmetry, corrected to the entire phase space at parton level, is measured to be AFBtt=0.12±0.13, consistent with the expectations from the standard model (SM) and previous CDF results in the final state with a single charged lepton. The combination of the CDF measurements of the inclusive AFBtt in both final states yields AFBtt=0.160±0.045, which is consistent with the SM predictions. We also measure the differential asymmetry as a function of Δy. A linear fit to AFBtt(|Δy|), assuming zero asymmetry at Δy=0, yields a slope of α=0.14±0.15, consistent with the SM prediction and the previous CDF determination in the final state with a single charged lepton. The combined slope of AFBtt(|Δy|) in the two final states is α=0.227±0.057, which is 2.0σ larger than the SM prediction.

An updated measurement of the single top quark production cross section is presented using the full data set collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF), corresponding to 9.5 fb-1 of integrated luminosity from proton-antiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV center-of-mass energy. The events selected contain an imbalance in the total transverse momentum, jets identified as containing b quarks, and no identified leptons. The sum of the s- and t-channel single top quark cross sections is measured to be 3.53-1.16+1.25 pb and a lower limit on the magnitude of the top-to-bottom quark coupling, |Vtb| of 0.63, is obtained at the 95% credibility level. These measurements are combined with previously reported CDF results obtained from events with an imbalance in total transverse momentum, jets identified as originating from b quarks, and one identified lepton. The combined cross section is measured to be 3.02-0.48+0.49 pb and a lower limit on |Vtb| of 0.84 is obtained at the 95% credibility level.

The Collider Detector at Fermilab collected a unique sample of jets originating from bottom-quark fragmentation (b-jets) by selecting online proton-antiproton (pp̄) collisions with a vertex displaced from the pp̄ interaction point, consistent with the decay of a bottom-quark hadron. This data set, collected at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1, is used to measure the Z-boson production cross section times branching ratio into bb̄. The number of Z→bb̄ events is determined by fitting the dijet-mass distribution, while constraining the dominant b-jet background, originating from QCD multijet events, with data. The result, σ(pp̄→Z)×B(Z→bb̄)=1.11±0.08(stat)±0.14(syst) nb, is the most precise measurement of this process, and is consistent with the standard-model prediction. The data set is also used to search for Higgs-boson production. No significant signal is expected in our data and the first upper limit on the cross section for the inclusive pp̄→H→bb̄ process at s=1.96 TeV is set, corresponding to 33 times the expected standard-model cross section, or σ=40.6 pb, at the 95% confidence level.

We report a measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry, AFB, in bb pairs produced in proton-antiproton collisions and identified by muons from semileptonic b-hadron decays. The event sample is collected at a center-of-mass energy of s=1.96 TeV with the CDF II detector and corresponds to 6.9 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We obtain an integrated asymmetry of AFB(bb)=(1.2±0.7)% at the particle level for b-quark pairs with invariant mass, mbb, down to 40 GeV/c2 and measure the dependence of AFB(bb) on mbb. The results are compatible with expectations from the standard model.

At the Fermilab Tevatron proton-antiproton (pp) collider, Drell-Yan lepton pairs are produced in the process pp→e+e-+X through an intermediate γ∗/Z boson. The forward-backward asymmetry in the polar-angle distribution of the e- as a function of the e+e - pair mass is used to obtain sin2θefflept, the effective leptonic determination of the electroweak-mixing parameter sin2θW. The measurement sample, recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF), corresponds to 9.4 fb-1 of integrated luminosity from pp collisions at a center-of-momentum energy of 1.96 TeV, and is the full CDF Run II data set. The value of sin2θefflept is found to be 0.23248±0.00053. The combination with the previous CDF measurement based on μ+μ- pairs yields sin2θefflept=0.23221±0.00046. This result, when interpreted within the specified context of the standard model assuming sin2θW=1-MW2/MZ2 and that the W- and Z-boson masses are on-shell, yields sin2θW=0.22400±0.00045, or equivalently a W-boson mass of 80.328±0.024 GeV/c2.

We study charged particle production (pT>0.5 GeV/c, |η|<0.8) in proton-antiproton collisions at total center-of-mass energies s=300 GeV, 900 GeV, and 1.96 TeV. We use the direction of the charged particle with the largest transverse momentum in each event to define three regions of η-φ space: "toward", "away", and "transverse." The average number and the average scalar pT sum of charged particles in the transverse region are sensitive to the modeling of the "underlying event." The transverse region is divided into a MAX and MIN transverse region, which helps separate the "hard component" (initial and final-state radiation) from the "beam-beam remnant" and multiple parton interaction components of the scattering. The center-of-mass energy dependence of the various components of the event is studied in detail. The data presented here can be used to constrain and improve QCD Monte Carlo models, resulting in more precise predictions at the LHC energies of 13 and 14 TeV.