A case of an anomalous cricothyroid artery

The cricothyroid artery typically originates as a branch of the superior thyroid artery and courses medially to reach the median cricothyroid ligament. Anatomical variations of this pattern are not well documented in the literature. We present a case in which the left cricothyroid artery originated from the left superior thyroid artery near the superior border of the thyroid cartilage and coursed medially to pierce the thyroid lamina. This variation was found during a routine anatomy dissection at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. The possible clinical implications and their relevance to emergency airway management procedures are discussed

Dentine Tubule Occlusion by Novel Bioactive Glass-Based Toothpastes.

There are numerous over-the-counter (OTC) and professionally applied (in-office) products and techniques currently available for the treatment of dentine hypersensitivity (DH), but more recently, the use of bioactive glasses in toothpaste formulations have been advocated as a possible solution to managing DH. Aim. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to compare several bioactive glass formulations to investigate their effectiveness in an established in vitro model. Materials and Methods. A 45S5 glass was synthesized in the laboratory together with several other glass formulations: (1) a mixed glass (fluoride and chloride), (2) BioMinF, (3) a chloride glass, and (4) an amorphous chloride glass. The glass powders were formulated into five different toothpaste formulations. Dentine discs were sectioned from extracted human teeth and prepared for the investigation by removing the cutting debris (smear layer) following sectioning using a 6% citric acid solution for 2 minutes. Each disc was halved to provide test and control halves for comparison following the brushing of the five toothpaste formulations onto the test halves for each toothpaste group. Following the toothpaste application, the test discs were immersed in either artificial saliva or exposed to an acid challenge. Results. The dentine samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and observation of the SEM images indicated that there was good surface coverage following artificial saliva immersion. Furthermore, although the acid challenge removed the hydroxyapatite layer on the dentine surface for most of the samples, except for the amorphous chloride glass, there was evidence of tubular occlusion in the dentine tubules. Conclusions. The conclusions from the study would suggest that the inclusion of bioactive glass into a toothpaste formulation may be an effective approach to treat DH

Potential of mathematical modeling in fruit quality

A review of mathematical modeling applied to fruit quality showed that these models ranged inresolution from simple yield equations to complex  representations of processes as respiration, photosynthesis and assimilation of nutrients. The latter models take into account complex  genotype environment interactions to estimate their effects on growth and yield. Recently, models are used to estimate seasonal changes in quality traits as fruit size, dry matter, water content and the concentration of sugars and acids, which are very important for flavor and aroma. These models have demonstrated their ability to generate relationships between physiological variables and quality attributes (allometric relations). This new kind of hybrid models has sufficient complexity to predict quality traits behavior

2016 Philippine Climate Change Assessment (PhilCCA): The Physical Science Basis

This initial assessment of the state of climate change science in the Philippines indicates that climate science in the country is still in its infancy. This report identifies many areas that need further examination, such as the influence of large-scale climate drivers (e.g., ENSO, the Madden-Julian Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation) on Philippine climate, the effect of sea level rise on saltwater intrusion and storm surges along coastal areas, and local climate impacts of aerosols and land use change, as well as their interaction with the enhanced greenhouse effect

Left Displacement of the Abomasum in 4 Beef Calves

Citation: Oman, R. E., Streeter, R. N., Reppert, E. J., & Chako, C. Z. (2016). Left Displacement of the Abomasum in 4 Beef Calves. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 30(4), 1376-1380. doi:10.1111/jvim.14353BackgroundLittle is known about the occurrence rate, underlying etiology or treatment of left displacement of the abomasum in beef calves. ObjectiveDescribe the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of left displacement of the abomasum in 4 beef calves. AnimalsFour client-owned beef breed calves with left displaced abomasum (LDA). MethodsRetrospective case series. Hospital medical records were reviewed to identify all beef breed cattle under the age of 6 months diagnosed with LDA. ResultsFour beef calves were treated for left displacement of the abomasum. All four had a history of decreased appetite and left-sided abdominal distention. Two had recently been treated for necrotic laryngitis and one was being treated for clostridial abomasitis. Ultrasonography confirmed the abomasum to be displaced between the rumen and the left body wall in all calves. The calves were initially treated by rolling to correct the abomasal displacement. The abomasum redisplaced in 3 of 4 calves within 1 hour to 6 days; 1 calf developed a mesenteric volvulus. A right paramedian abomasopexy was performed in all cases. Three of 4 calves grew well and remained in the herd 6-18 months later; 1 calf was euthanized because of complications associated with necrotic laryngitis. Conclusions and clinical importanceLeft displacement of the abomasum should be considered as a differential diagnosis for beef calves with abdominal distention. Concurrent necrotic laryngitis can increase the risk of abomasal displacement in beef calves. Treatment should include surgical correction as rolling is not curative and might be associated with mesenteric volvulus

FASTKIT: A Mobile Cable-Driven Parallel Robot for Logistics

International audienceThe subject of this paper is about the design, modeling, control and performance evaluation of a low cost and versatile robotic solution for logistics. The robot under study, named FASTKIT, is obtained from a combination of mobile robots and a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot (CDPR). FASTKIT addresses an industrial need for fast picking and kitting operations in existing storage facilities while being easy to install, keeping existing infrastructures and covering large areas. The FASTKIT prototype consists of two mobile bases that carry the exit points of the CDPR. The system can navigate autonomously to the area of interest. Once the desired position is attained, the system deploys the CDPR in such a way that its workspace corresponds to the current task specification. The system calculates the required mobile base position from the desired workspace and ensures the controllability of the platform during the deployment. Once the system is successfully deployed, the set of stabilizers are used to ensure the prototype structural stability. Then the prototype gripper is moved accurately by the CDPR at high velocity over a large area by controlling the cable tension

Health services research in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong: An analysis of over 1 million antihypertensive prescriptions between 2004-2007 as an example of the potential and pitfalls of using routinely collected electronic patient data

<b>Objectives</b> Increasing use is being made of routinely collected electronic patient data in health services research. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of a comprehensive database used routinely in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong, using antihypertensive drug prescriptions in primary care as an example.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> Data on antihypertensive drug prescriptions were retrieved from the electronic Clinical Management System (e-CMS) of all primary care clinics run by the Health Authority (HA) in the New Territory East (NTE) cluster of Hong Kong between January 2004 and June 2007. Information was also retrieved on patients’ demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, visit type (new or follow-up), and relevant diseases (International Classification of Primary Care, ICPC codes). <p></p> <b>Results</b> 1,096,282 visit episodes were accessed, representing 93,450 patients. Patients’ demographic and socio-economic details were recorded in all cases. Prescription details for anti-hypertensive drugs were missing in only 18 patients (0.02%). However, ICPC-code was missing for 36,409 patients (39%). Significant independent predictors of whether disease codes were applied included patient age > 70 years (OR 2.18), female gender (OR 1.20), district of residence (range of ORs in more rural districts; 0.32-0.41), type of clinic (OR in Family Medicine Specialist Clinics; 1.45) and type of visit (OR follow-up visit; 2.39). <p></p> In the 57,041 patients with an ICPC-code, uncomplicated hypertension (ICPC K86) was recorded in 45,859 patients (82.1%). The characteristics of these patients were very similar to those of the non-coded group, suggesting that most non-coded patients on antihypertensive drugs are likely to have uncomplicated hypertension. <p></p> <b>Conclusion</b> The e-CMS database of the HA in Hong Kong varies in quality in terms of recorded information. Potential future health services research using demographic and prescription information is highly feasible but for disease-specific research dependant on ICPC codes some caution is warranted. In the case of uncomplicated hypertension, future research on pharmaco-epidemiology (such as prescription patterns) and clinical issues (such as side-effects of medications on metabolic parameters) seems feasible given the large size of the data set and the comparability of coded and non-coded patients

Excursions into the Evolution of Early-Type Galaxies in Clusters

Recent observations have revealed that early-type galaxies (ETG) in clusters comprise an old galaxy population that is evolving passively. We review some recent observations from the ground and from HST that show that ETG have undergone a significant amount of luminosity evolution. This evolution is traced by two projections of the fundamental plane (FP): the size-magnitude relation (SMR) and the color-magnitude relation (CMR). We will briefly discuss the relevance of all these results in the context of the universality of the IMF.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proccedings of "New Quests in Stellar Astrophysics: The Link Between Stars and Cosmology, Chavez et al. ed

Adolescents with metabolic syndrome have a history of low aerobic fitness and physical activity levels

Abstract: Purpose: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors that identifies individuals with the highest risk for heart disease. Two factors that may influence the MS are physical activity and aerobic fitness. This study determined if adolescent with the MS had low levels of aerobic fitness and physical activity as children. Methods: This longitudinal, exploratory study had 389 participants: 51% girls, 84% Caucasian, 12% African American, 1% Hispanic, and 3% other races, from the State of North Carolina. Habitual physical activity (PA survey), aerobic fitness (VO2max), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and lipids obtained at 7–10 y of age were compared to their results obtained 7 y later at ages 14–17 y. Results: Eighteen adolescents (4.6%) developed 3 or more characteristics of the MS. Logistic regression, adjusting for BMI percentile, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, found that adolescents with the MS were 6.08 (95%CI = 1.18–60.08) times more likely to have low aerobic fitness as children and 5.16 (95%CI = 1.06–49.66) times more likely to have low PA levels. Conclusion: Low levels of childhood physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with the presence of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents. Thus, efforts need to begin early in childhood to increase exercise