Epidemiology and management of atlas fractures

Ziel dieser Studie war es, neue Erkenntnisse über die epidemiologischen Merkmale von Patienten mit Atlasfrakturen zu gewinnen und die Komplikationsraten nach operativer und nichtoperativer Behandlung retrospektiv zu bewerten.:Inhaltsverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis ................................................................................................... 2 Einführung ......................................................................................................................3 1. Bedeutung der Halswirbelsäulenverletzungen............................................................3 2. Der 1. Halswirbel (Atlas)............................................................................................3 2.1 Anatomischer Aufbau ...........................................................................................3 2.2 Frakturen des Atlas................................................................................................5 2.2.1 Häufigkeit und Ursache......................................................................................5 2.2.2 Frakturtypen und Klassifikationen.....................................................................5 2.2.2.1 Jefferson-Fraktur....................................................................................6 2.2.3 Patientenpopulation............................................................................................7 2.2.4 Symptome ..........................................................................................................7 2.2.5 Diagnostik .......................................................................................................... 8 2.2.6 Therapie..............................................................................................................8 3. Zielsetzung der Arbeit...............................................................................................11 Publikation ....................................................................................................................12 4. Zusammenfassung der Arbeit ...................................................................................20 5. Abbildungsverzeichnis..............................................................................................23 6. Literaturverzeichnis ..................................................................................................24 7. Anlagen.....................................................................................................................27 7.1 Spezifizierung des eigenen wissenschaftlichen Beitrags ....................................27 7.2 Selbständigkeitserklärung ...................................................................................28 7.4 Danksagung.........................................................................................................31The purpose of this study was to gain new insights into the epidemiologic characteristics of patients with atlas fractures and to retrospectively evaluate complication rates after surgical and non-surgical treatment.:Inhaltsverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis ................................................................................................... 2 Einführung ......................................................................................................................3 1. Bedeutung der Halswirbelsäulenverletzungen............................................................3 2. Der 1. Halswirbel (Atlas)............................................................................................3 2.1 Anatomischer Aufbau ...........................................................................................3 2.2 Frakturen des Atlas................................................................................................5 2.2.1 Häufigkeit und Ursache......................................................................................5 2.2.2 Frakturtypen und Klassifikationen.....................................................................5 2.2.2.1 Jefferson-Fraktur....................................................................................6 2.2.3 Patientenpopulation............................................................................................7 2.2.4 Symptome ..........................................................................................................7 2.2.5 Diagnostik .......................................................................................................... 8 2.2.6 Therapie..............................................................................................................8 3. Zielsetzung der Arbeit...............................................................................................11 Publikation ....................................................................................................................12 4. Zusammenfassung der Arbeit ...................................................................................20 5. Abbildungsverzeichnis..............................................................................................23 6. Literaturverzeichnis ..................................................................................................24 7. Anlagen.....................................................................................................................27 7.1 Spezifizierung des eigenen wissenschaftlichen Beitrags ....................................27 7.2 Selbständigkeitserklärung ...................................................................................28 7.4 Danksagung.........................................................................................................3

Dry electrodes for surface electromyography based on architectured titanium thin films

Electrodes of silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) are dominant in clinical settings for surface electromyography (sEMG) recordings. These electrodes need a conductive electrolyte gel to ensure proper performance, which dries during long-term measurements inhibiting the immediate electrode’s reuse and is often linked to skin irritation episodes. To overcome these drawbacks, a new type of dry electrodes based on architectured titanium (Ti) thin films were proposed in this work. The architectured microstructures were zigzags, obtained with different sputtering incidence angles (α), which have been shown to directly influence the films’ porosity and electrical conductivity. The electrodes were prepared using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and stainless-steel (SS) substrates, and their performance was tested in male volunteers (athletes) by recording electromyography (EMG) signals, preceded by electrode-skin impedance measurements. In general, the results showed that both SS and TPU dry electrodes can be used for sEMG recordings. While SS electrodes almost match the signal quality parameters of reference electrodes of Ag/AgCl, the performance of electrodes based on TPU functionalized with a Ti thin film still requires further improvements. Noteworthy was the clear increase of the signal to noise ratios when the thin films’ microstructure evolved from normal growth towards zigzag microstructures, meaning that further tailoring of the thin film microstructure is a possible route to achieve optimized performances. Finally, the developed dry electrodes are reusable and allow for multiple EMG recordings without being replaced.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2019 and Bilateral Project FCT/DAAD 2016/2017 “Sunshine” (No. 3340). Joel Borges acknowledges FCT for his Researcher Contract from project NANO4BIO POCI-01-0145-FEDER-032299, with FCT reference PTDC/FIS-MAC/32299/2017. Marco S. Rodrigues acknowledges FCT for his PhD Scholarship, SFRH/BD/118684/2016

Internet Use and Perceived Parental Involvement among Adolescents from Lower Socioeconomic Groups in Europe: An Exploration

Internet usage is a salient developmental factor in adolescents’ lives. Although relevant correlates of Internet use have been documented earlier, there is a lack of information on lower socioeconomic status groups. This is important, as these adolescents have increased risk of negative online experiences. The current survey aimed to explore Internet use and parental involvement amongst adolescents from areas of socio-economic disadvantage in 30 urban schools across five European countries. A total of 2594 students participated, of whom 90% were 14–16 years. Virtually all adolescents of socioeconomic disadvantage had Internet access, with 88.5% reporting spending more than two hours per day online, often on apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Almost one-third of adolescents did not talk with their parents about their Internet use and almost two-thirds indicated that their parents were only a little or not interested in their Internet use. A consistent finding across countries was that girls more often talked with their parents about their Internet use and more often reported that their parents were interested in their Internet use than boys. The results suggest that parents have an important task in explicitly showing interest in their adolescents’ Internet use, with special attention needed for boys

Two Patterns of Adipokine and Other Biomarker Dynamics in a Long-Term Weight Loss Intervention

Objective: Long-term dietary intervention frequently induces a rapid weight decline followed by weight stabilization/regain. Here, we sought to identify adipokine biomarkers that may reflect continued beneficial effects of dieting despite partial weight regain. Research design and methods: We analyzed the dynamics of fasting serum levels of 12 traditional metabolic biomarkers and novel adipokines among 322 participants in the 2-year Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT) of low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss. Results: We identified two distinct patterns: Pattern A includes biomarkers (insulin, triglycerides, leptin, chemerin, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and retinol-binding protein 4) whose dynamics tightly correspond to changes in body weight, with the trend during the weight loss phase (months 0–6) going in the opposite direction to that in the weight maintenance/regain phase (months 7–24) (P < 0.05 between phases, all biomarkers). Pattern B includes biomarkers (high molecular weight adiponectin, HDL cholesterol [HDL-C], high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], fetuin-A, progranulin, and vaspin) that displayed a continued, cumulative improvement (P < 0.05 compared with baseline, all biomarkers) throughout the intervention. These patterns were consistent across sex, diabetic groups, and diet groups, although the magnitude of change varied. Hierarchical analysis suggested similar clusters, revealing that the dynamic of leptin (pattern A) was most closely linked to weight change and that the dynamic of hsCRP best typified pattern B. Conclusions: hsCRP, HDL-C, adiponectin, fetuin-A, progranulin, and vaspin levels display a continued long-term improvement despite partial weight regain. This may likely reflect either a delayed effect of the initial weight loss or a continuous beneficial response to switching to healthier dietary patterns

Three-dimensional super-resolution microscopy of the inactive X chromosome territory reveals a collapse of its active nuclear compartment harboring distinct Xist RNA foci

Background: A Xist RNA decorated Barr body is the structural hallmark of the compacted inactive X territory in female mammals. Using super resolution three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) and quantitative image analysis, we compared its ultrastructure with active chromosome territories (CTs) in human and mouse somatic cells, and explored the spatio-temporal process of Barr body formation at onset of inactivation in early differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Results: We demonstrate that all CTs are composed of structurally linked chromatin domain clusters (CDCs). In active CTs the periphery of CDCs harbors low-density chromatin enriched with transcriptionally competent markers, called the perichromatin region (PR). The PR borders on a contiguous channel system, the interchromatin compartment (IC), which starts at nuclear pores and pervades CTs. We propose that the PR and macromolecular complexes in IC channels together form the transcriptionally permissive active nuclear compartment (ANC). The Barr body differs from active CTs by a partially collapsed ANC with CDCs coming significantly closer together, although a rudimentary IC channel system connected to nuclear pores is maintained. Distinct Xist RNA foci, closely adjacent to the nuclear matrix scaffold attachment factor-A (SAF-A) localize throughout Xi along the rudimentary ANC. In early differentiating ESCs initial Xist RNA spreading precedes Barr body formation, which occurs concurrent with the subsequent exclusion of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). Induction of a transgenic autosomal Xist RNA in a male ESC triggers the formation of an `autosomal Barr body' with less compacted chromatin and incomplete RNAP II exclusion. Conclusions: 3D-SIM provides experimental evidence for profound differences between the functional architecture of transcriptionally active CTs and the Barr body. Basic structural features of CT organization such as CDCs and IC channels are however still recognized, arguing against a uniform compaction of the Barr body at the nucleosome level. The localization of distinct Xist RNA foci at boundaries of the rudimentary ANC may be considered as snap-shots of a dynamic interaction with silenced genes. Enrichment of SAF-A within Xi territories and its close spatial association with Xist RNA suggests their cooperative function for structural organization of Xi