60 research outputs found
Impact of associated injuries in the Floating knee: A retrospective study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Floating knee injuries are usually associated with other significant injuries. Do these injuries have implications on the management of the floating knee and the final outcome of patients? Our study aims to assess the implications of associated injuries in the management and final outcome of floating knee.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>29 patients with floating knees were assessed in our institution. A retrospective analysis of medical records and radiographs were done and all associated injuries were identified. The impact of associated injuries on delay in initial surgical management, delay in rehabilitation & final outcome of the floating knee were assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>38 associated injuries were noted. 7 were associated with ipsilateral knee injuries. Lower limb injuries were most commonly associated with the floating knee. Patients with some associated injuries had a delay in surgical management and others a delay in post-operative rehabilitation. Knee ligament and vascular injuries were associated with poor outcome.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The associated injuries were quite frequent with the floating knee. Some of the associated injuries caused a delay in surgical management and post-operative rehabilitation. In assessment of the final outcome, patients with associated knee and vascular injuries had a poor prognosis. Majority of the patients with associated injuries had a good or excellent outcome.</p
Integrated Operational Taxonomic Units (IOTUs) in Echolocating Bats: A Bridge between Molecular and Traditional Taxonomy
Background: Nowadays, molecular techniques are widespread tools for the identification of biological entities. However,
until very few years ago, their application to taxonomy provoked intense debates between traditional and molecular
taxonomists. To prevent every kind of disagreement, it is essential to standardize taxonomic definitions. Along these lines,
we introduced the concept of Integrated Operational Taxonomic Unit (IOTU). IOTUs come from the concept of Operational
Taxonomic Unit (OTU) and paralleled the Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit (MOTU). The latter is largely used as
a standard in many molecular-based works (even if not always explicitly formalized). However, while MOTUs are assigned
solely on molecular variation criteria, IOTUs are identified from patterns of molecular variation that are supported by at least
one more taxonomic characteristic.
Methodology/Principal Findings: We tested the use of IOTUs on the widest DNA barcoding dataset of Italian echolocating
bats species ever assembled (i.e. 31 species, 209 samples). We identified 31 molecular entities, 26 of which corresponded to
the morphologically assigned species, two MOTUs and three IOTUs. Interestingly, we found three IOTUs in Myotis nattereri,
one of which is a newly described lineage found only in central and southern Italy. In addition, we found a level of molecular
variability within four vespertilionid species deserving further analyses. According to our scheme two of them (i.e.
M. bechsteinii and Plecotus auritus) should be ranked as unconfirmed candidate species (UCS).
Conclusions/Significance: From a systematic point of view, IOTUs are more informative than the general concept of OTUs
and the more recent MOTUs. According to information content, IOTUs are closer to species, although it is important to
underline that IOTUs are not species. Overall, the use of a more precise panel of taxonomic entities increases the clarity in
the systematic field and has the potential to fill the gaps between modern and traditional taxonomy
Perceived facilitators and barriers to self-management in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury: a qualitative descriptive study
Distortion of symmetrical introgression in a hybrid zone: evidence for locus-specific selection and uni-directional range expansion
The fate of species integrity upon natural hybridization depends on the interaction between selection and dispersal. The relative significance of these processes may be studied in the initial phase of contact before selection and gene flow reach equilibrium. Here we study a hybrid zone of two salamander species, Lyciasalamandra antalyana and Lyciasalamandra billae, at the initial phase of hybridization. We quantify the degree and mode of introgression using nuclear and mtDNA markers. The hybrid zone can be characterized as an abrupt transition zone, the central hybrid zone being only c. 400 m, but introgressed genes were traced up to 3 km. Introgression was traced in both sexes but gene flow may be slightly male-biased. Indirect evidence suggests that hybrid males are less viable than females. Introgression occurred at two levels: (1) locus-specific selection led to different allelic introgression patterns independent of species, while (2) asymmetrical species-level introgression occurred predominately from L. antalyana to L. billae due to range expansion of the former. This indicates that foreign genes can be incorporated into novel genomic environments, which in turn may contribute to the great diversity of morphological variants in Lyciasalamandra
Factors determining tadpole vulnerability to predators: can prior experience compensate for a suboptimal shape?
Exploring how Chinese adults living with spinal cord injury viewed the prospect of inpatient peer support programs within a hospital-based rehabilitation setting
Outcomes following endovascular or open repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in a Chinese population
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