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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (24 results)

  • Article
  • Peer Reviewed
Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine, Volume 6, Issue 2 (2022)

Introduction: Testicular torsion, or the twisting of the spermatic cord compromising blood flow to the testis, is a urologic emergency with the potential to cause infertility in male patients. The diagnosis may be clinical or confirmed using imaging, with ultrasound being the modality of choice.

Case Report: We present a case of right lower quadrant pain with radiation to the groin and right scrotum in a young male. A computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis was ordered to assess for appendicitis, which showed a “whirl” sign on the inferior periphery of the images near the scrotum. The finding was not appreciated during the emergency department visit and the patient was discharged home. He returned 48 hours later due to continued pain and was ultimately diagnosed with testicular torsion via ultrasound and surgical pathology.

Conclusion: This is the first reported case to our knowledge identifying “whirl” sign for the diagnosis of testicular torsion. This finding was not appreciated by multiple clinicians during the initial patient presentation, highlighting the uncommon nature of the finding.

    Cover page: Testicular Torsion Appearance and Diagnosis on Computed Tomography of the Abdomen and Pelvis: Case Report
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine, Volume 2, Issue 4 (2018)
    Isolated angioedema of the uvula, or Quincke’s disease, is a rare condition that can cause respiratory compromise. Although typically self-limiting, episodes of angioedema may require prompt therapy to prevent obstruction of the proximal airway. In this case report we review the appropriate steps for initial evaluation of patients with suspected angioedema, primary etiologies, and appropriate initial therapy.
      Cover page: Threatened Respiratory Compromise in the Setting of Isolated Angioedema
      • Article
      LBL Publications (1992)
        Cover page: Eddy Current Inspection of Supertconducting Cable During Manufacturing
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        Faculty Publications (1999)

        A major shortcoming of the land surface component in climate models is the absence of a river transport algorithm. This issue becomes particularly important in fully coupled climate system models (CSMs), where river transport is required to close and realistically represent the global water cycle. The development of a river transport algorithm requires knowledge of watersheds and river networks at a scale that is appropriate for use in CSMs. These data must be derived largely from global digital topographic information. The purpose of this paper is to describe a new data set of watersheds and river networks, which is derived primarily from the TerrainBase 5′ Global DTM (digital terrain model) and the CIA World Data Bank II. These data serve as a base map for routing continental runoff to the appropriate coast and therefore into the appropriate ocean or inland sea. Using this data set, the runoff produced in any grid cell, when coupled with a routing algorithm, can easily be transported to the appropriate water body and distributed across that water body as desired. The data set includes watershed and flow direction information, as well as supporting hydrologic data at 5′, 1/2°, and 1° resolutions globally. It will be useful in fully coupled land-ocean-atmosphere models, in terrestrial ecosystem models, or in stand-alone macroscale hydrologic-modeling studies.

          Cover page: Five-minute, 1/2°, and 1° data sets of continental watersheds and river networks for use in regional and global hydrologic and climate system modeling studies
          • Article
          LBL Publications (1992)
            Cover page: Eddy Current Inspection of Supertconducting Cable During Manufacturing
            • Article
            • Peer Reviewed
            UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2013)

            Purpose

            How herpes simplex virus (HSV) is transported from the infected neuron cell body to the axon terminal is poorly understood. Several viral proteins are candidates for regulating the process, but the evidence is controversial. We compared the results of Us9 deletions in two HSV strains (F and NS) using a novel quantitative assay to test the hypothesis that the viral protein Us9 regulates the delivery of viral DNA to the distal axon of retinal ganglion cells in vivo. We also deleted a nine-amino acid motif in the Us9 protein of F strain (Us9-30) to define the role of this domain in DNA delivery.

            Methods

            The vitreous chambers of murine eyes were infected with equivalent amounts of F or NS strains of HSV. At 3, 4, or 5 days post infection (dpi), both optic tracts (OT) were dissected and viral genome was quantified by qPCR.

            Results

            At 3 dpi, the F strain Us9- and Us9-30 mutants delivered less than 10% and 1%, respectively, of the viral DNA delivered after infection with the Us9R (control) strain. By 4 and 5 dpi, delivery of viral DNA had only partially recovered. Deletion of Us9 in NS-infected mice has a less obvious effect on delivery of new viral DNA to the distal OT. By 3 dpi the NS Us9-strain delivered 22% of the DNA that was delivered by the NS wt, and by 4 and 5 dpi the amount of Us9-viral DNA was 96% and 81%, respectively.

            Conclusions

            A highly conserved acidic cluster within the Us9 protein plays a critical role for genome transport to the distal axon. The transport is less dependent on Us9 expression in the NS than in the F strain virus. This assay can be used to compare transport efficiency in other neurotropic viral strains.
              Cover page: Delivery of Herpes Simplex Virus to Retinal Ganglion Cell Axon Is Dependent on Viral Protein Us9HSV Us9 in Axonal Delivery of Viral Genome
              • Article
              • Peer Reviewed
              UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2016)

              Background

              Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains one of the most lethal of all solid tumours. Treatment options are limited and gemcitabine-based chemotherapy remains the standard of care. Although growing evidence shows that p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) plays a crucial role in pancreatic cancer, its role has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to characterise the expression and functional relevance of PAK1 in pancreatic cancer.

              Methods

              PAK1 expression was measured in pancreatic cancer specimens by immunohistochemistry and in pancreatic cancer cell lines by western blotting. The effect of inhibition of PAK1 by either shRNA knock-down (KD), or by a selective inhibitor, FRAX597, alone or in combination with gemcitabine, on cell proliferation and migration/invasion was measured by thymidine uptake and Boyden chamber assays, respectively. The effect on tumour growth and survival was assessed in orthotopic murine models.

              Results

              PAK1 was expressed in all human pancreatic cancer samples tested, an7d was upregulated in all pancreatic cancer cell lines tested. PAK1 KD inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth and survival, and increased sensitivity to gemcitabine treatment. AKT activity and HIF1α expression were also inhibited. FRAX597 inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, survival, and migration/invasion. When combined with gemcitabine, FRAX597 synergistically inhibited pancreatic cancer proliferation in vitro and inhibited tumour growth in vivo.

              Conclusions

              These results implicate PAK1 as a regulator of pancreatic cancer cell growth and survival. Combination of a PAK1 inhibitor such as FRAX597 with cytotoxic chemotherapy deserves further study as a novel therapeutic approach to pancreatic cancer treatment.
                Cover page: FRAX597, a PAK1 inhibitor, synergistically reduces pancreatic cancer growth when combined with gemcitabine
                • Article
                • Peer Reviewed
                UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2007)
                We describe the rationale behind the design of key features of Titanium-an explicitly parallel dialect of Java for high-performance scientific programming-and our experiences in building applications with the language. Specifically, we address Titanium's partitioned global address space model, single program multiple data parallelism support, multi-dimensional arrays and array-index calculus, memory management, immutable classes (class-like types that are value types rather than reference types), operator overloading, and generic programming. We provide an overview of the Titanium compiler implementation, covering various parallel analyses and optimizations, Titanium runtime technology and the GASNet network communication layer. We summarize results and lessons learned from implementing the NAS parallel benchmarks, elliptic and hyperbolic solvers using adaptive mesh refinement, and several applications of the immersed boundary method. © 2007 SAGE Publications.
                  Cover page: Parallel Languages and Compilers: Perspective From the Titanium Experience
                  • Article
                  • Peer Reviewed
                  UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2018)

                  Objective

                  To determine if three-dimensional (3D) printed models can be used to improve acetabular fracture pattern recognition and be a valuable adjunct in orthopedic resident education.

                  Design

                  Fifteen randomized testing stations with each containing plain radiographs (XRs), two-dimensional computed tomography (CT) scans, or 3D model of an acetabular fracture.

                  Setting

                  Two orthopedic residency programs based at Level 1 trauma centers.

                  Participants

                  Forty-one orthopedic residents, PGY 1-5.

                  Results

                  Senior residents were superior to junior residents at correctly identifying the provided acetabular fracture pattern. Overall, use of CT scans or the 3D model improved fracture classification as compared to standard XRs, but there was no significant difference between use of the CT scans and 3D models. Subjective survey results indicated agreement among residents that 3D models were accurate representations of acetabular fractures and that models would be a desired educational modality.

                  Conclusions

                  3D models improved the accuracy of acetabular fracture identification compared to XR. In addition, trainees were able to use 3D models to obtain similar accuracy compared to CT scans despite not having previous exposure to the models. Interobserver agreement improved when comparing CT to 3D, but did not provide greater than a fair agreement indicating that fracture patterns were difficult to accurately classify even with the use of 3D models. Residents' subjective responses indicated a positive experience with the use of 3D models. We conclude that the incorporation of 3D models could be an important adjunct to orthopedic residency education for the evaluation complex fracture patterns, but is not significantly superior to identification with CT scans.
                    Cover page: Use of 3D Printed Models in Resident Education for the Classification of Acetabulum Fractures
                    • Article
                    • Peer Reviewed
                    UC Santa Barbara Previously Published Works (2023)
                      Cover page: Volcanic ballistic projectile deposition from a continuously erupting volcano: Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu
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