The effect of diclofenac sodium on neural tube development in the early stage of chick embryos

Background: Neural tube defects are congenital malformations of the central nervous system. Genetic predisposition and some environmental factors play an important role in the development of neural tube defects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of diclofenac sodium on the neural tube development in a chick embryo model that corresponds to the first month of vertebral deve- lopment in mammals.  Materials and methods: Seventy-five fertile, specific pathogen-free eggs were incubated for 28 h and were divided into five groups of 15 eggs each. Diclofenac sodium was administered via the sub-blastodermic route at this stage. Incubation was continued till the end of the 48th h. All eggs were then opened and embryos were dissected from embryonic membranes and evaluated morphologically and histopathologically.  Results: It was determined that the use of increasing doses of diclofenac sodium led to defects of midline closure in early chicken embryos. There were statistically significant differences in neural tube positions (open or close) among the groups. In addition; crown–rump length, somite number were significantly decreased in high dose experimental groups compared with control group.  Conclusions: This study showed that development of neurons is affected in chi- cken embryos after administration of diclofenac sodium. The exact teratogenic mechanism of diclofenac sodium is not clear; therefore it should be investigated.

Is early diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome possible with the detection of latent trigger points by shear wave elastography?

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the contribution of shear wave elastography to the diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) of the upper part of the trapezius. Material and methods: Ethical committee approval was obtained for the study. Thirty volunteer women with trigger points in the upper part of the trapezius muscle and 30 healthy women with a similar age distribution were included in the study. The patient group performed a self-stretching exercise program for 4 weeks. No intervention was applied to the control group. Muscle stiffness values of both groups were evaluated with shear wave elastography (SWE), and pain levels of all volunteers were evaluated by the Visual Analogue Scale at the beginning and the end of the study. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 18.0. Results: There was a significant decrease after the treatment in terms of upper trapezius muscle stiffness and the pain levels in the patient group (p 0.05). Conclusions: SWE is a reliable method for detecting latent trigger points in MPS, and it can be used for evaluating the response to treatment

A new approach to estimation of the number of central synapse(s) included in the H-reflex

BACKGROUND: Among the main clinical applications of the H-reflex are the evaluation of the S1 nerve root conductivity such as radiculopathy and measurement of the excitability of the spinal motoneurons in neurological conditions. An attempt has been made to reduce the pathway over which H-reflex can be obtained in a hope to localize a lesion to the S1 nerve root, so the S1 central loop has been suggested. The main goal of this study is the estimation of the H-reflex number of synapse(s) for better understanding of the physiology of this practical reflex. METHODS: Forty healthy adult volunteers (22 males, 18 females) with the mean age of (37.7 ± 10.2) years participated in this study. They were positioned comfortably in the prone position, with their feet off the edge of the plinth. Recording electrodes were positioned at the mid point of a line connecting the mid popliteal crease to the proximal flare of the medial malleolus. Stimulation was applied at the tibial nerve in the popliteal fossa and H, F and M waves were recorded. Without any change in the location of the recording electrodes, a monopolar needle was inserted as cathode at a point 1 cm medial to the posterior superior iliac spine, perpendicular to the frontal plane. The anode electrode was placed over the anterior superior iliac spine, and then M and H waves of the central loop were recorded. After processing the data, sacral cord conduction delay was determined by this formula: * Sacral cord conduction delay = central loop of H-reflex – (delays of the proximal motor and sensory fibers in the central loop). RESULTS: The central loop of H-reflex was (6.77 ± 0.28) msec and the sacral cord conduction delay was (1.09 ± 0.06) msec. CONCLUSION: The sacral cord conduction time was estimated to be about 1.09 msec in this study and because at least 1 msec is required to transmit the signal across the synapse between the sensory ending and the motor cell, so this estimated time was sufficient for only one central synapse in this reflex

Examination of inclinations of the spine at childhood and adolescence

Background: Spine is a column that consists of consecutively lined up vertebras. It includes medulla spinalis. It contributes the motions of head, neck and body. Spine is not a straight column. There is a convexity towards the front of the spine (lordosis) at cervical and lumbar areas in adults and a convexity towards the back of the spine (kyphosis) at thoracic and sacral spine areas.  Materials and methods: In this study, lateral magnetic resonance images of 731 children between 1 and 16 years of age were examined and their cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angles were measured with Cobb method using ImageJ programme for every age group.  Results: The mean calculated cervical lordosis angles in 1–16-year-old children were found to be 20.51o ± 6.11o (minimum 17.96o ± 6.29o, maximum 23.50o ± ± 4.14o). It has been observed that cervical angle values decrease with age. The mean thoracic kyphosis angle measured was 28.71o ± 6.99o (minimum 24.55o ± ± 5.65o, maximum 30.44o ± 4.68o). Lumbar lordosis angle was 28.08o ± 7.39o (minimum 20.36o ± 6.59o, maximum 32.68o ± 6.03o). Thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angle values increased with age. In our study, a statistical differ- ence was found in increasing thoracic kyphosis angle between 1-year-old group and 14-year-old group. Statistical difference was also found in decreasing cervical lordosis angle value between 1-year-old group and 16-year-old group. When we compare our study results with literature values, cervical lordosis values were similar, but lumbar lordosis values were lower.  Conclusions: In summary, we think that knowing sagittal plane inclinations of the spine developing in childhood and adolescence will contribute to earlier de- termination of pathologies. We also hope that it will contribute to clinical stages and other studies in this field.

Non-invasive clinical and microscopic evaluation of the response to treatment with clobetasol cream vs. calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate foam in mild to moderate plaque psoriasis : an investigator-initiated, phase IV, unicentric, open, randomized clinical trial

Treatment response for psoriasis is typically evaluated using clinical scores. However, patients can relapse after clinical clearance, suggesting persistent inflammation. Dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) can non-invasively improve treatment response assessment. To compare the clinical and non-invasive microscopic features in a psoriatic target lesion treated with clobetasol cream or calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate foam (Cal/BD foam). Prospective, unicentric, open, randomized clinical trial comparing clinical data [total clinical score (TCS)] and microscopic data (dermoscopy, RCM and OCT) in psoriasis patients treated with clobetasol or Cal/BD foam. We included 36 adult patients (22 men). At week 4, more patients treated with Cal/BD foam achieved TCS ≤1 than with clobetasol (63.2% vs. 18.8%, P = 0.016). Treatment satisfaction was higher with Cal/BD foam (P < 0.03). Microscopically, Cal/BD foam induced more reduction in epidermal thickness at week 4 (P < 0.049). Dilated horizontal blood vessels were more common with clobetasol than with Cal/BD foam at week 8 (69.2% vs. 31.2%, P = 0.159). If epidermal hyperplasia was noted at baseline, the response was poorer with clobetasol (P = 0.029). Small sample size, open study, imaging sampling bias. Cal/BD foam is more effective than clobetasol, has better patient satisfaction and induces greater reduction in the hyperkeratosis/acanthosis, regardless of baseline epidermal hyperplasia

Strain engineering and one-dimensional organization of metal-insulator domains in single-crystal VO2 beams

Spatial phase inhomogeneity at the nano- to microscale is widely observed in strongly-correlated electron materials. The underlying mechanism and possibility of artificially controlling the phase inhomogeneity are still open questions of critical importance for both the phase transition physics and device applications. Lattice strain has been shown to cause the coexistence of metallic and insulating phases in the Mott insulator VO2. By continuously tuning strain over a wide range in single-crystal VO2 micro- and nanobeams, here we demonstrate the nucleation and manipulation of one-dimensionally ordered metal-insulator domain arrays along the beams. Mott transition is achieved in these beams at room temperature by active control of strain. The ability to engineer phase inhomogeneity with strain lends insight into correlated electron materials in general, and opens opportunities for designing and controlling the phase inhomogeneity of correlated electron materials for micro- and nanoscale device applications.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, with supplementary informatio

Microblotches on dermoscopy of melanocytic lesions are associated with melanoma: A cross-sectional study

Numerous dermoscopic structures for the early detection of melanoma have been described. The aim of this study was to illustrate the characteristics of dermoscopic structures that are similar to blotches, but smaller (termed microblotches), and to evaluate their association with other well-known dermoscopic structures. A cross-sectional study design, including 165 dermoscopic images of melanoma was used to define microblotches, and 241 consecutive images of naevi from the HAM10000 database, were studied to evaluate the prevalence of this criterion in both groups. Microblotches were defined as sharply demarcated structures ≤1 mm, with geographical borders visible only with dermoscopy. Microblotches were present in 38.7% of the melanomas and 6.7% of the naevi. Moreover, microblotches were associated with an odds ratio (OR) of malignancy of 5.79, and were more frequent in invasive melanoma than in the in-situ subtype (OR 2.92). Histologically, they correspond to hyperpigmented parakeratosis or epidermal consumption. In conclusion, microblotches are related to melanomas. This finding could help dermatologists to differentiate between naevi and melanomas

Test of 6-kVA three-phase flux transfer-type current-limiting transformer

A 6-kVA three-phase model of the flux transfer-type current-limiting transformer was developed and tested. In this device, the winding loops of YBCO superconducting tapes couple magnetically two independent iron cores: the primary-side iron core and the secondary-side iron core. The former and the latter are equipped with copper primary and secondary windings, respectively. Because the magnetic fluxes linked to the superconducting winding loops must be kept constant, the magnetic flux is transferred by the superconducting YBCO loops between the two iron cores in order to couple magnetically the primary and secondary coils. While the YBCO loops are superconducting, 100% of the magnetic flux is transferred and the device shows the similar function as usual transformers. Once the YBCO loops become normal by a fault current in any of the windings, the power transfer between two iron cores is limited and the current in the secondary winding is limited naturally on a result of decoupling the iron cores