Glyphosate, Other Herbicides, And Transformation Products In Midwestern Streams, 2002

The use of glyphosate has increased rapidly, and there is limited understanding of its environmental fate. The objective of this study was to document the occurrence of glyphosate and the transformation product aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in Midwestern streams and to compare their occurrence with that of more commonly measured herbicides such as acetochlor, atrazine, and metolachlor. Water samples were collected at sites on 51 streams in nine Midwestern states in 2002 during three runoff events: after the application of pre-emergence herbicides, after the application of post-emergence herbicides, and during harvest season. All samples were analyzed for glyphosate and 20 other herbicides using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry or high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The frequency of glyphosate and AMPA detection, range of concentrations in runoff samples, and ratios of AMPA to glyphosate concentrations did not vary throughout the growing season as substantially as for other herbicides like atrazine, probably because of different seasonal use patterns. Glyphosate was detected at or above 0.1 μg/l in 35 percent of pre-emergence, 40 percent of post-emergence, and 31 percent of harvest season samples, with a maximum concentration of 8.7 μg/l. AMPA was detected at or above 0.1 μg/l in 53 percent of pre-emergence, 83 percent of post-emergence, and 73 percent of harvest season samples, with a maximum concentration of 3.6 μg/l. Glyphosate was not detected at a concentration at or above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contamination level (MCL) of 700 μg/l in any sample. Atrazine was detected at or above 0.1 μg/l in 94 percent of pre-emergence, 96 percent of postemergence, and 57 percent of harvest season samples, with a maximum concentration of 55 μg/l. Atrazine was detected at or above its MCL (3 μg/l) in 57 percent of pre-emergence and 33 percent of postemergence samples

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Gastric outlet obstruction in a 12 year old male

Pyloric stenosis presenting beyond infancy is uncommon and poorly understood. Here, we present a case of primary acquired gastric outlet obstruction due to pyloric stenosis in a 12-year-old male child. The patient presented after a four-year history of persistent non-bilious, post-prandial emesis and failure to thrive. A Heineke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty was performed. Pyloric biopsy was without diagnostic abnormality. A gastrostomy tube was also placed at the time of pyloroplasty. The patient was asymptomatic after surgery and had gained 25 pounds after three and a half months. The gastrostomy tube was removed 4 months after the pyloroplasty. Literature review yielded 42 cases, including the current report, of patients ages 4 months to 17 years with a diagnosis of primary acquired gastric outlet obstruction. Useful studies for diagnosis of these cases include abdominal ultrasound, upper GI contrast study and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. The most common curative procedure reported in the literature was a pyloroplasty (31 cases). The remaining patients underwent Bilroth I gastrectomy (7 cases), balloon dilatation (3 cases) and pyloromyotomy (1 case). Keywords: Gastric outlet obstruction, Pyloric stenosis, Pyloroplasty, Failure to thrive, Adolescence, Eosinophilic esophagiti

Characterization of the calcification of cardiac valve bioprostheses by environmental scanning electron microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy

Bioprosthetic heart valve tissue and associated calcification were studied in their natural state, using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the various calcific deposits observed with ESEM. The major elements present in calcified valves were also analyzed by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy. To better understand the precursor formation of the calcific deposits, results from the elemental analyses were statistically correlated. ESEM revealed the presence of four broad types of calcium phosphate crystal morphology. In addition, two main patterns of organization of calcific deposits were observed associated with the collagen fibres. Energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis identified the crystals observed by ESEM as salts containing mainly calcium and phosphate with ratios from 1.340 (possibly octacalcium phosphate, which has a Ca/P ratio of 1.336) to 2.045 (possibly hydroxyapatite with incorporation of carbonate and metal ion contaminants, such as silicon and magnesium, in the crystal lattice). Raman and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy also identified the presence of carbonate and the analyses showed spectral features very similar to a crystalline hydroxyapatite spectrum, also refuting the presence of precursor phases such as β-tricalcium phosphate, octacalcium phosphate and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate. The results of this study raised the possibility of the presence of precursor phases associated with the early stages of calcification.</p

CHATTING ABOUT MARRIAGE WITH FEMALE MIGRANTS TO SYRIA

The increasing number of women migrating to Syria from Europe has not only drawn the attention of the media and the security forces but also of researchers. Publications often either undervalue or overvalue women's agency, presenting them as victims of unscrupulous men or foregrounding their militant activism. As many authors work in the field of radicalisation and terrorism studies and use public online posts, they focus on the more radical, activist women who are keen to present themselves to the world at large. In our research project we work with a different focus and employ a different method. Our interest in how these women arrange their marriages and our use of private chatting produces other kinds of knowledge. In contrast to what labels such as ‘jihadi brides’ suggest, the women themselves desire to live under IS rule, while IS increasingly regulates these marriages. Rather than desiring to become female fighters or recruiting others, they see themselves as responsible for domestic life and attempt to normalize life under IS rule