Paramedics' perceptions and experiences of pelvic injuries in prehospital situations

In recent years there has been an increase in pelvic injuries due to an increase in road traffic collisions (RTCs) (Chesters 2017). Two thirds of pelvic injuries are due to RTCs and the remainder are made up of pedestrian collisions, motorcycle accidents and falls from heights. Patients with fatal pelvic injuries more than likely die of exsanguinations and/or associated severe injuries (ibid.). Lee & Porter (2007) undertook a literature review to analyse the current practice of assessing and managing pelvic injuries in pre-hospital situations. They write that the mortality rates of patients with pelvic fractures are estimated between 7% and 19%, upon their arrival at hospital. The mortality rates of patients with ‘open book’ fractures can be as high as 50%. An ‘open book’ fracture can be defined as any serious fracture that causes the pelvic ring to open like a book. This is commonly seen in anterior injuries to the pelvis widening the pubic symphysis (Gerecht, Larrimore & Steuerwald 2014). Lee and Porter (2007) argue that paramedics can help reduce the retroperitoneal space that a patient can haemorrhage into, and therefore lower the mortality rates for patients with ‘open-book’ pelvic fractures. Given the high mortality rates associated with pelvic injuries and the role paramedics can play in reducing these outcomes, the aim of this narrative review is to synthesize existing literature about pelvic injury recognition, assessment and management in pre-hospital situations. The authors will also conclude upon any new insights or recommendations found following the review

Measurement of global polarization of {\Lambda} hyperons in few-GeV heavy-ion collisions

The global polarization of {\Lambda} hyperons along the total orbital angular momentum of a relativistic heavy-ion collision is presented based on the high statistics data samples collected in Au+Au collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.4 GeV and Ag+Ag at 2.55 GeV with the High-Acceptance Di-Electron Spectrometer (HADES) at GSI, Darmstadt. This is the first measurement below the strangeness production threshold in nucleon-nucleon collisions. Results are reported as a function of the collision centrality as well as a function of the hyperon transverse momentum (p_T) and rapidity (y_{CM}) for the range of centrality 0--40%. We observe a strong centrality dependence of the polarization with an increasing signal towards peripheral collisions. For mid-central (20--40%) collisions the polarization magnitudes are (%) = 6.0 \pm 1.3 (stat.) \pm 2.0 (syst.) for Au+Au and (%) = 4.6 \pm 0.4 (stat.) \pm 0.5 (syst.) for Ag+Ag, which are the largest values observed so far. This observation thus provides a continuation of the increasing trend previously observed by STAR and contrasts expectations from recent theoretical calculations predicting a maximum in the region of collision energies about 3 GeV. The observed polarization is of a similar magnitude as predicted by 3D fluid dynamics and the UrQMD plus thermal vorticity model and significantly above results from the AMPT model.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Defensin-Like ZmES4 Mediates Pollen Tube Burst in Maize via Opening of the Potassium Channel KZM1

Species-preferential osmotic pollen tube burst and sperm discharge in maize involve induced opening of the pollen tube-expressed potassium channel KZM1 by the egg apparatus-derived defensin-like protein ZmES4

Transcriptional activity of Hyacinthus orientalis L. female gametophyte cells before and after fertilization

We characterized three phases of Hyacinthus orientalis L. embryo sac development, in which the transcriptional activity of the cells differed using immunolocalization of incorporated 5′-bromouracil, the total RNA polymerase II pool and the hypo- (initiation) and hyperphosphorylated (elongation) forms of RNA Pol II. The first stage, which lasts from the multinuclear stage to cellularization, is a period of high transcriptional activity, probably related to the maturation of female gametophyte cells. The second stage, encompassing the period of embryo sac maturity and the progamic phase, involves the transcriptional silencing of cells that will soon undergo fusion with male gametes. During this period in the hyacinth egg cell, there are almost no newly formed transcripts, and only a small pool of RNA Pol II is present in the nucleus. The transcriptional activity of the central cell is only slightly higher than that observed in the egg cell. The post-fertilization stage is related to the transcriptional activation of the zygote and the primary endosperm cell. The rapid increase in the pool of newly formed transcripts in these cells is accompanied by an increase in the pool of RNA Pol II, and the pattern of enzyme distribution in the zygote nucleus is similar to that observed in the somatic cells of the ovule. Our data, together with the earlier results of Pięciński et al. (2008), indicate post-fertilization synthesis and the maturation of numerous mRNA transcripts, suggesting that fertilization in H. orientalis induces the activation of the zygote and endosperm genomes

Recent developments in genetics and medically assisted reproduction : from research to clinical applications

Two leading European professional societies, the European Society of Human Genetics and the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology, have worked together since 2004 to evaluate the impact of fast research advances at the interface of assisted reproduction and genetics, including their application into clinical practice. In September 2016, the expert panel met for the third time. The topics discussed highlighted important issues covering the impacts of expanded carrier screening, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, voiding of the presumed anonymity of gamete donors by advanced genetic testing, advances in the research of genetic causes underlying male and female infertility, utilisation of massively parallel sequencing in preimplantation genetic testing and non-invasive prenatal screening, mitochondrial replacement in human oocytes, and additionally, issues related to cross-generational epigenetic inheritance following IVF and germline genome editing. The resulting paper represents a consensus of both professional societies involved.Peer reviewe

Electronic structure of Ni-Cu alloys studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Ellipsometric measurements of the complex dielectric functions of Ni and Ni1−cCuc alloys (c=0.1,0.3,0.4) have been carried out in the (1.2–5.5)-eV region. Two structures in the σ1 spectrum of pure Ni at about 1.5 and 4.7 eV are attributable to direct interband transitions in the band structure of ferromagnetic Ni. As the Cu concentration increases, the 4.7-eV edge (from transitions between the s-d–hybridized bands well below EF and the s-p-like bands above EF, e.g., X1→X’4) shifts to higher energies, while the 1.5-eV edge (from transitions between a p-like band below EF and a dband above EF along the L–W direction, e.g., L’2→L3) remains at the same energy. A structure grows in the (2–3)-eV region as Cu is added, and it is interpreted to be due to the transitions between the localized Cu subbands. All these observations are in accord with the calculated (coherent-potential-approximation) electronic structure of Ni-Cu alloys.This article is from Physical Review B 39 (1989): 9882, doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.39.9882. Posted with permission</p

A Solve-RD ClinVar-based reanalysis of 1522 index cases from ERN-ITHACA reveals common pitfalls and misinterpretations in exome sequencing

Purpose Within the Solve-RD project (https://solve-rd.eu/), the European Reference Network for Intellectual disability, TeleHealth, Autism and Congenital Anomalies aimed to investigate whether a reanalysis of exomes from unsolved cases based on ClinVar annotations could establish additional diagnoses. We present the results of the “ClinVar low-hanging fruit” reanalysis, reasons for the failure of previous analyses, and lessons learned. Methods Data from the first 3576 exomes (1522 probands and 2054 relatives) collected from European Reference Network for Intellectual disability, TeleHealth, Autism and Congenital Anomalies was reanalyzed by the Solve-RD consortium by evaluating for the presence of single-nucleotide variant, and small insertions and deletions already reported as (likely) pathogenic in ClinVar. Variants were filtered according to frequency, genotype, and mode of inheritance and reinterpreted. Results We identified causal variants in 59 cases (3.9%), 50 of them also raised by other approaches and 9 leading to new diagnoses, highlighting interpretation challenges: variants in genes not known to be involved in human disease at the time of the first analysis, misleading genotypes, or variants undetected by local pipelines (variants in off-target regions, low quality filters, low allelic balance, or high frequency). Conclusion The “ClinVar low-hanging fruit” analysis represents an effective, fast, and easy approach to recover causal variants from exome sequencing data, herewith contributing to the reduction of the diagnostic deadlock