HYPOGLYCAEMIA AS A CONSEQUENCE OF PRE-OPERATIVE FASTING: MYTH OR REALITY?

Background: The fatal risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents during anaesthesia had since been recognized and consequently preoperative fasting guideline is usually prescribed to prevent this. Concern about development of hypoglycaemia during prolonged fasting has often been expressed, especially in children. AIM: This study is intended to determine the fasting blood glucose in preoperative patients of different age groups who were fasted for varying duration of time, and determine whether indeed hypoglycaemia occurs during inadvertently prolonged fasting which we often encounter in our practice setting. Methodology: A prospective cohort study of fasting blood glucose (FBG) of patients presenting for elective surgery in the principal investigator\u27s operating rooms at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria was carried out. Blood glucose meter was used for estimation of glucose in capillary whole blood of the patients and the obtained data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 statistical software. Comparison of mean values was done using the Chi-square test with statistical significance put at P < 0.05.  Results: Out of one hundred and thirty three patients studied with mean age of 30.2 ± 19.60 years (range: 1-72 years), and mean duration of fasting 12.73 ± 2.01 hours, (range: 8-16 hours), the mean fasting blood glucose was found to be 91.49 ± 13.36mg/dl (range: 58 - 124mg/dl). No relationship was found between age and FBG (Pearson\u27s correlation coefficient, r = 0.025). Likewise duration of fasting did not relate with FBG (Pearson\u27s correlation coefficient, r = 0.088). One patient (0.8%) had hypoglycaemia, with blood glucose of 58mg/dl. Conclusion: Hypoglycaemia as a consequence of pre-operative fasting is rare, even in non-infants fasted for considerably long hours. Neither patient\u27s age, gender, nor duration of fasting had any significant influence on the fasting blood glucose of the patients. Keywords: Hypoglycaemia; Pre-operative fasting; Whole blood; Plasma

HYPOGLYCAEMIA AS A CONSEQUENCE OF PRE-OPERATIVE FASTING: MYTH OR REALITY?

Background: The fatal risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents during anaesthesia had since been recognized and consequently preoperative fasting guideline is usually prescribed to prevent this. Concern about development of hypoglycaemia during prolonged fasting has often been expressed, especially in children. AIM: This study is intended to determine the fasting blood glucose in preoperative patients of different age groups who were fasted for varying duration of time, and determine whether indeed hypoglycaemia occurs during inadvertently prolonged fasting which we often encounter in our practice setting. Methodology: A prospective cohort study of fasting blood glucose (FBG) of patients presenting for elective surgery in the principal investigator's operating rooms at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria was carried out. Blood glucose meter was used for estimation of glucose in capillary whole blood of the patients and the obtained data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 statistical software. Comparison of mean values was done using the Chi-square test with statistical significance put at P < 0.05.  Results: Out of one hundred and thirty three patients studied with mean age of 30.2 ± 19.60 years (range: 1-72 years), and mean duration of fasting 12.73 ± 2.01 hours, (range: 8-16 hours), the mean fasting blood glucose was found to be 91.49 ± 13.36mg/dl (range: 58 - 124mg/dl). No relationship was found between age and FBG (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = 0.025). Likewise duration of fasting did not relate with FBG (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = 0.088). One patient (0.8%) had hypoglycaemia, with blood glucose of 58mg/dl. Conclusion: Hypoglycaemia as a consequence of pre-operative fasting is rare, even in non-infants fasted for considerably long hours. Neither patient's age, gender, nor duration of fasting had any significant influence on the fasting blood glucose of the patients. Keywords: Hypoglycaemia; Pre-operative fasting; Whole blood; Plasma

Education can improve the negative perception of a threatened long-lived scavenging bird, the Andean condor

Human-wildlife conflicts currently represent one of the main conservation problems for wildlife species around the world. Vultures have serious conservation concerns, many of which are related to people's adverse perception about them due to the belief that they prey on livestock. Our aim was to assess local perception and the factors influencing people's perception of the largest scavenging bird in South America, the Andean condor. For this, we interviewed 112 people from Valle Fértil, San Juan province, a rural area of central west Argentina. Overall, people in the area mostly have an elementary education, and their most important activity is livestock rearing. The results showed that, in general, most people perceive the Andean condor as an injurious species and, in fact, some people recognize that they still kill condors. We identified two major factors that affect this perception, the education level of villagers and their relationship with livestock ranching. Our study suggests that conservation of condors and other similar scavengers depends on education programs designed to change the negative perception people have about them. Such programs should be particularly focused on ranchers since they are the ones who have the worst perception of these scavengers. We suggest that highlighting the central ecological role of scavengers and recovering their cultural value would be fundamental to reverse their persecution and their negative perception by people.Fil: Cailly Arnulphi, Verónica Beatríz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; ArgentinaFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Borghi, Carlos Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; Argentin

Morphometry Based on Effective and Accurate Correspondences of Localized Patterns (MEACOLP)

Local features in volumetric images have been used to identify correspondences of localized anatomical structures for brain morphometry. However, the correspondences are often sparse thus ineffective in reflecting the underlying structures, making it unreliable to evaluate specific morphological differences. This paper presents a morphometry method (MEACOLP) based on correspondences with improved effectiveness and accuracy. A novel two-level scale-invariant feature transform is used to enhance the detection repeatability of local features and to recall the correspondences that might be missed in previous studies. Template patterns whose correspondences could be commonly identified in each group are constructed to serve as the basis for morphometric analysis. A matching algorithm is developed to reduce the identification errors by comparing neighboring local features and rejecting unreliable matches. The two-sample t-test is finally adopted to analyze specific properties of the template patterns. Experiments are performed on the public OASIS database to clinically analyze brain images of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls (NC). MEACOLP automatically identifies known morphological differences between AD and NC brains, and characterizes the differences well as the scaling and translation of underlying structures. Most of the significant differences are identified in only a single hemisphere, indicating that AD-related structures are characterized by strong anatomical asymmetry. In addition, classification trials to differentiate AD subjects from NC confirm that the morphological differences are reliably related to the groups of interest

The Main Belt Comets and ice in the Solar System

We review the evidence for buried ice in the asteroid belt; specifically the questions around the so-called Main Belt Comets (MBCs). We summarise the evidence for water throughout the Solar System, and describe the various methods for detecting it, including remote sensing from ultraviolet to radio wavelengths. We review progress in the first decade of study of MBCs, including observations, modelling of ice survival, and discussion on their origins. We then look at which methods will likely be most effective for further progress, including the key challenge of direct detection of (escaping) water in these bodies

Adjuvant radiation therapy in metastatic lymph nodes from melanoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>To analyze the outcome after adjuvant radiation therapy with standard fractionation regimen in metastatic lymph nodes (LN) from cutaneous melanoma.</p> <p>Patients and methods</p> <p>86 successive patients (57 men) were treated for locally advanced melanoma in our institution. 60 patients (69%) underwent LN dissection followed by radiation therapy (RT), while 26 patients (31%) had no radiotherapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median number of resected LN was 12 (1 to 36) with 2 metastases (1 to 28). Median survival after the first relapse was 31.8 months. Extracapsular extension was a significant prognostic factor for regional control (p = 0.019). Median total dose was 50 Gy (30 to 70 Gy). A standard fractionation regimen was used (2 Gy/fraction). Median number of fractions was 25 (10 to 44 fractions). Patients were treated with five fractions/week. Patients with extracapsular extension treated with surgery followed by RT (total dose ≥50 Gy) had a better regional control than patients treated by surgery followed by RT with a total dose <50 Gy (80% vs. 35% at 5-year follow-up; p = 0.004).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Adjuvant radiotherapy was able to increase regional control in targeted sub-population (LN with extracapsular extension).</p

A Novel Immunological Assay for Hepcidin Quantification in Human Serum

Contains fulltext : 81054.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Hepcidin is a 25-aminoacid cysteine-rich iron regulating peptide. Increased hepcidin concentrations lead to iron sequestration in macrophages, contributing to the pathogenesis of anaemia of chronic disease whereas decreased hepcidin is observed in iron deficiency and primary iron overload diseases such as hereditary hemochromatosis. Hepcidin quantification in human blood or urine may provide further insights for the pathogenesis of disorders of iron homeostasis and might prove a valuable tool for clinicians for the differential diagnosis of anaemia. This study describes a specific and non-operator demanding immunoassay for hepcidin quantification in human sera. METHODS AND FINDINGS: An ELISA assay was developed for measuring hepcidin serum concentration using a recombinant hepcidin25-His peptide and a polyclonal antibody against this peptide, which was able to identify native hepcidin. The ELISA assay had a detection range of 10-1500 microg/L and a detection limit of 5.4 microg/L. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variance ranged from 8-15% and 5-16%, respectively. Mean linearity and recovery were 101% and 107%, respectively. Mean hepcidin levels were significantly lower in 7 patients with juvenile hemochromatosis (12.8 microg/L) and 10 patients with iron deficiency anemia (15.7 microg/L) and higher in 7 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (116.7 microg/L) compared to 32 age-matched healthy controls (42.7 microg/L). CONCLUSIONS: We describe a new simple ELISA assay for measuring hepcidin in human serum with sufficient accuracy and reproducibility

Non-Invasive Brain-to-Brain Interface (BBI): Establishing Functional Links between Two Brains

Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is capable of modulating the neural activity of specific brain regions, with a potential role as a non-invasive computer-to-brain interface (CBI). In conjunction with the use of brain-to-computer interface (BCI) techniques that translate brain function to generate computer commands, we investigated the feasibility of using the FUS-based CBI to non-invasively establish a functional link between the brains of different species (i.e. human and Sprague-Dawley rat), thus creating a brain-to-brain interface (BBI). The implementation was aimed to non-invasively translate the human volunteer's intention to stimulate a rat's brain motor area that is responsible for the tail movement. The volunteer initiated the intention by looking at a strobe light flicker on a computer display, and the degree of synchronization in the electroencephalographic steady-state-visual-evoked-potentials (SSVEP) with respect to the strobe frequency was analyzed using a computer. Increased signal amplitude in the SSVEP, indicating the volunteer's intention, triggered the delivery of a burst-mode FUS (350 kHz ultrasound frequency, tone burst duration of 0.5 ms, pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz, given for 300 msec duration) to excite the motor area of an anesthetized rat transcranially. The successful excitation subsequently elicited the tail movement, which was detected by a motion sensor. The interface was achieved at 94.0 +/- 3.0% accuracy, with a time delay of 1.59 +/- 1.07 sec from the thought-initiation to the creation of the tail movement. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a computer-mediated BBI that links central neural functions between two biological entities, which may confer unexplored opportunities in the study of neuroscience with potential implications for therapeutic applications.open12

Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Polymorphism Associates with Individual Differences in Sleep Physiologic Responses to Chronic Sleep Loss

Val158Met polymorphism was a novel marker in healthy adults of differential vulnerability to chronic partial sleep deprivation (PSD), a condition distinct from total sleep loss and one experienced by millions on a daily and persistent basis. allelic frequencies were higher in whites than African Americans.-related treatment responses and risk factors for symptom exacerbation

Chlorproguanil−Dapsone−Artesunate versus Artemether−Lumefantrine: A Randomized, Double-Blind Phase III Trial in African Children and Adolescents with Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

Chlorproguanil−dapsone−artesunate (CDA) was developed as an affordable, simple, fixed-dose artemisinin-based combination therapy for use in Africa. This trial was a randomized parallel-group, double-blind, double-dummy study to compare CDA and artemether−lumefantrine (AL) efficacy in uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria and further define the CDA safety profile, particularly its hematological safety in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) -deficient patients