Major histocompatibility complex restriction fragment length polymorphisms define three diabetogenic haplotypes in bb and bbn rats

BB rats spontaneously develop insulin-dependent, ketosis-prone diabetes mellitus (DM)) Their disease is of autoimmune etiology, since it is characterized by: (a) lymphocytic and rnacrophage inflammation of pancreatic islets (1), (b) circulating autoantibodies that bind to pancreatic islets of Langerhans (2), (c) increased incidence of Ia antigen-bearing T lymphocytes associated with the development of diabetes (3), (d) progressive and selective destruction of insulin-producing beta ceils (1, 4), (e) the ability to transfer disease to immunodeficient animals with concanavalin A-activated splenic lymphocytes (5), and (f) selective destruction of beta cells in transplanted islets (6); in addition, it can be prevented with many forms of immunotherapy (7). BB rats also exhibit a profound T cell lymphocytopenia with an almost total lack of circulating T lymphocytes, although their thymocytes are normal in number and cell surface phenotype (8). In breeding studies, we and others (9, 10) have shown that at least two genes contribute to the development of diabetes in the BB rat. One is autosomal recessive and determines the profound T cell immunodeficiency present in affected rats at birth. The second is linked to RTI, the rat major histocompatibility complex (MHC)

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

A revised method for the preparation of dry bone samples used in histological examination: Five simple steps

Histology of dry bone tissue has many scientific applications. The histological analysis of bone requires the production of good quality thin sections. Many researchers have developed new histological techniques and/or they have refined existing ones. In this paper, we describe a revision of histological techniques for obtaining thin sections from modern dry bone. The method is easy to apply and the equipment required is commonly found in a histology laboratory. In comparison to other techniques presented in the literature, this adapted method reduces the number of consumables and steps, thereby improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the procedure

The loading on a cylinder in post-critical flow beneath periodic and random waves

A major problem encountered in model testing of offshore structures in wave tanks is the difficulty of extrapolating fluid loading on tubular members to full scale conditions. It is well known that in steady flow the drag of a circular cylinder undergoes large changes over the Reynolds number range Re = 10E5. - 10E6. Measurements are presented of the in-line transverse loads on a small element of a vertical and horizontal cylinder in waves at Keulegan Carpenter numbers up to 20 and Reynolds numbers up to 5 x 10E5.. Drag and inertia coefficients are calculated for the vertical cylinder and Morison's equation is found to give a good fit to the measured in-line force. Large transverse forces indicate the presence of strong vortex shedding at post-critical Reynolds numbers. Measurements in regular waves and random waves are found to give similar values of rms force coefficients. Vortex shedding is triggered in random waves when the Keulegan Carpenter number exceeds 7. In both orientations the cylinder loads show little influence of water particle orbit shape. Morison's equation fails to fit the horizontal cylinder data due to the presence of a strong vortex shedding component