The Relationship between the Progression of Kyphosis in Stable Thoracolumbar Fractures and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings

Study DesignRetrospective study.PurposeTo investigate the relation between the progression of kyphotic deformity and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in conservatively treated stable thoracolumbar fractures.Overview of LiteratureWhen treated conservatively, excessive progression of kyphotic deformity and vertebral compression can emerge during follow-up. We sought to identify predictors of vertebral body deformation using MR images.MethodsThe presence in MR images of anterior longitudinal ligament (AL) or posterior longitudinal ligament (PL) injury, superior or inferior endplate disruption, superior or inferior disc injury in fractured vertebral bodies, the existence of low signal intensity on T2 weighted images, and bone edema of intravertebral bodies were assessed.ResultsThe presence of superior endplate disruption and a higher level of bone edema were found to cause the progressions of kyphotic angle (KA), wedge angle (WA), and anterior vertebral compression (AVC) rate. When AL or superior disc injury was observed, only KA increased meaningfully. When low signal intensity was present on T2 weighted images WA and AVC increased significantly, but PL injury, inferior endplate disruption, and inferior disc injury showed no notable correlation with kyphotic deformity progression. The risk factors found to be associated with an increase of KA to >5° were AL injury, superior endplate disruption, superior disc injury, and a bone edema level of over 1/3, and their associated risks versus no injury cases were 14.1, 3.7, 6.8, and 10.4-fold, respectively.ConclusionsAL injury, superior endplate and disc injury, or a high level of bone edema, were critical factors that determine kyphotic deformity progression

Cross-resistance of a chlorpyrifos-methyl resistant strain of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) to fumigant toxicity of essential oil extracted from Eucalyptus globulus and its major monoterpene, 1,8-cineole

Abstract The fumigant toxicities of eucalyptus essential oil and 1,8-cineole, the major component of eucalyptus oil, were tested against a chlorpyrifos-methyl resistant strain and a reference strain of the sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.). The resistant strain showed 1.9-and 2.2-fold higher tolerance against essential oil and 1,8-cineole fumigation toxicity, respectively, relative to the susceptible strain. The increased tolerance for the essential oil may be the result of cross-resistance. The resistance mechanisms in the resistant strain are discussed in relation to elevated detoxifying enzymes such as cytochrome P450 and esterases.

The mediating role of the left ventricular mass index on the relationship between the fluid balance and left ventricular diastolic function in patients with chronic kidney disease

Background The pathophysiological mechanism of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is complicated. Mediation analysis is an important statistical tool for gaining insight into the complex mechanisms of exposure-outcome effects. We investigated the potential mediating role of the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) on the association between fluid balance (overhydration/extracellular water, OH/ECW) and left ventricular diastolic function (E/e´ ratio) in patients with CKD not yet on dialysis. Methods Bioimpedance spectroscopy, echocardiography, and laboratory evaluations were performed on 425 consecutive patients on the same day. The patients were classified into two groups according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate corresponding to CKD stages 3 and 5. Mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro and bootstrapping methods. Results OH/ECW and LVMI were positively correlated with the E/e´ ratio in both the CKD stages 3 and five groups. In CKD stage 5, there was a statistically significant association between OH/ECW and LVMI, whereas no correlation was observed in CKD stage 3. In the mediation analysis, LVMI positively mediated the relationship between OH/ECW and E/e´ ratio when controlling for confounders in patients with CKD stage 5 (B = 2.602; Boot 95% confidence interval, 1.313–4.076). Conclusion In our analysis, the indirect effect of mediators was significant in patients with advanced CKD. Therefore, our study suggests that further research on several other risk factors may be needed to determine the underlying mechanisms of association between the associated factors in all CKD stages

Hybrid cylinder dryer for the drying of sheet-form materials with hot air

[EN] In this paper, we introduce a novel energy-efficient dryer that uses hot air as a combined heating method of heat conduction and convection heat transfer. The dryer consisting of rotary cylinders and arched jackets is structurally different from conventional dryers. We designed and built a hybrid 4-cylinder dryer for sheet-form materials. The energy consumption to evaporate unit water is about 930 kcal/kg moisture from the experimental results of a hybrid 4-cylinder dryer. The hybrid 4-cylinders dryer has a compact structure with about 1/3 of the size of a conventional dryer for the drying of sheet-form materials.This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning(KETEP) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy(MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea (No. 20172010105940)Kim, SI.; Oh, SH.; Chun, WP.; Park, KH.; Yu, BH. (2018). Hybrid cylinder dryer for the drying of sheet-form materials with hot air. En IDS 2018. 21st International Drying Symposium Proceedings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 443-448. https://doi.org/10.4995/IDS2018.2018.7682OCS44344