Arsenic concentrations in seagrass around the Mediterranean coast and seasonal variations

Arsenic’s occurrence in the environment could be due to human activities as well as to natural sources. In this study, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa are collected in 84 sites around the Mediterranean basin. In addition, both seagrass are collected monthly, in two sites (Calvi in Corsica and Salammbô in Tunisia). Arsenic concentrations in C. nodosa present seasonal variations in relation with spring phytoplankton blooms. For both species arsenic concentration is higher in the vicinity of geological sources (mining), lagoon outlets and industrial activities. Moreover, Mediterranean islands (Balearic, Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, Crete and Cyprus) and the Southern basin coastline exhibit lower concentrations in Arsenic than the rest of the Mediterranean basin. The wide spread distribution of these two species would encourage their use in a global monitoring network devoted to Arsenic contamination.peer-reviewe

Lucy's Flat Feet: The Relationship between the Ankle and Rearfoot Arching in Early Hominins

BACKGROUND. In the Plio-Pleistocene, the hominin foot evolved from a grasping appendage to a stiff, propulsive lever. Central to this transition was the development of the longitudinal arch, a structure that helps store elastic energy and stiffen the foot during bipedal locomotion. Direct evidence for arch evolution, however, has been somewhat elusive given the failure of soft-tissue to fossilize. Paleoanthropologists have relied on footprints and bony correlates of arch development, though little consensus has emerged as to when the arch evolved. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. Here, we present evidence from radiographs of modern humans (n=261) that the set of the distal tibia in the sagittal plane, henceforth referred to as the tibial arch angle, is related to rearfoot arching. Non-human primates have a posteriorly directed tibial arch angle, while most humans have an anteriorly directed tibial arch angle. Those humans with a posteriorly directed tibial arch angle (8%) have significantly lower talocalcaneal and talar declination angles, both measures of an asymptomatic flatfoot. Application of these results to the hominin fossil record reveals that a well developed rearfoot arch had evolved in Australopithecus afarensis. However, as in humans today, Australopithecus populations exhibited individual variation in foot morphology and arch development, and "Lucy" (A.L. 288-1), a 3.18 Myr-old female Australopithecus, likely possessed asymptomatic flat feet. Additional distal tibiae from the Plio-Pleistocene show variation in tibial arch angles, including two early Homo tibiae that also have slightly posteriorly directed tibial arch angles. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE. This study finds that the rearfoot arch was present in the genus Australopithecus. However, the female Australopithecus afarensis "Lucy" has an ankle morphology consistent with non-pathological flat-footedness. This study suggests that, as in humans today, there was variation in arch development in Plio-Pleistocene hominins.Leakey Foundatio

Reversal of childhood idiopathic scoliosis in an adult, without surgery: a case report and literature review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some patients with mild or moderate thoracic scoliosis (Cobb angle <50-60 degrees) suffer disproportionate impairment of pulmonary function associated with deformities in the sagittal plane and reduced flexibility of the spine and chest cage. Long-term improvement in the clinical signs and symptoms of childhood onset scoliosis in an adult, without surgical intervention, has not been documented previously.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A diagnosis of thoracic scoliosis (Cobb angle 45 degrees) with pectus excavatum and thoracic hypokyphosis in a female patient (DOB 9/17/52) was made in June 1964. Immediate spinal fusion was strongly recommended, but the patient elected a daily home exercise program taught during a 6-week period of training by a physical therapist. This regime was carried out through 1992, with daily aerobic exercise added in 1974. The Cobb angle of the primary thoracic curvature remained unchanged. Ongoing clinical symptoms included dyspnea at rest and recurrent respiratory infections. A period of multimodal treatment with clinical monitoring and treatment by an osteopathic physician was initiated when the patient was 40 years old. This included deep tissue massage (1992-1996); outpatient psychological therapy (1992-1993); a daily home exercise program focused on mobilization of the chest wall (1992-2005); and manipulative medicine (1994-1995, 1999-2000). Progressive improvement in chest wall excursion, increased thoracic kyphosis, and resolution of long-standing respiratory symptoms occurred concomitant with a >10 degree decrease in Cobb angle magnitude of the primary thoracic curvature.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This report documents improved chest wall function and resolution of respiratory symptoms in response to nonsurgical approaches in an adult female, diagnosed at age eleven years with idiopathic scoliosis.</p

Migraine in women: the role of hormones and their impact on vascular diseases

Migraine is a predominantly female disorder. Menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, and also the use of hormonal contraceptives and hormone replacement treatment may influence migraine occurrence. Migraine usually starts after menarche, occurs more frequently in the days just before or during menstruation, and ameliorates during pregnancy and menopause. Those variations are mediated by fluctuation of estrogen levels through their influence on cellular excitability or cerebral vasculature. Moreover, administration of exogenous hormones may cause worsening of migraine as may expose migrainous women to an increased risk of vascular disease. In fact, migraine with aura represents a risk factor for stroke, cardiac disease, and vascular mortality. Studies have shown that administration of combined oral contraceptives to migraineurs may further increase the risk for ischemic stroke. Consequently, in women suffering from migraine with aura caution should be deserved when prescribing combined oral contraceptives

Sweet plasmonics: Sucrose macrocrystals of metal nanoparticles

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The realization of plasmonic structures generally necessitates expensive fabrication techniques, such as electron beam and focused ion beam lithography, allowing for the top-down fabrication of low-dimensional structures. Another approach to make plasmonic structures in a bottom-up fashion is colloidal synthesis, which is convenient for liquid-state applications or very thin solid films where aggregation problems are an important challenge. The architectures prepared using these methods are typically not robust enough for easy handling and convenient integration. Therefore, developing a new plasmonic robust platform having large-scale dimensions without adversely affecting the plasmonic features is in high demand. As a solution, here we present a new plasmonic composite structure consisting of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) incorporated into sucrose macrocrystals on a large scale, while preserving the plasmonic nature of the Au NPs and providing robustness in handling at the same time. As a proof of concept demonstration, we present the fluorescence enhancement of green CdTe quantum dots (QDs) via plasmonic coupling with these Au NPs in the sucrose crystals. The obtained composite material exhibits centimeter scale dimensions and the resulting quantum efficiency (QE) is enhanced via the interplay between the Au NPs and CdTe QDs by 58% (from 24% to 38%). Moreover, a shortening in the photoluminescence lifetime from 11.0 to 7.40 ns, which corresponds to a field enhancement factor of 2.4, is observed upon the introduction of Au NPs into the QD incorporated macrocrystals. These results suggest that such "sweet" plasmonic crystals are promising for large-scale robust platforms to embed plasmonic nanoparticles

A graphical user interface for an external fixation system

2014 IEEE-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics, BHI 2014 --1 June 2014 through 4 June 2014 -- Valencia --Usage of Stewart Platform in orthopedics is a challenging task because there are numerous parameters, some of which are obtained from X-ray images, involved in mathematical computations for treatment process. Therefore, a computer program is required to ensure an accurate treatment and this program needs feature a graphical user interface so that the clinician can interact with the input in a convenient way and check the effects of parameter changes on the output effectively. In this work, a graphical user interface is proposed which requires less human intervention compared to similar, commercially available systems in use today. A simulation model, which is a part of the program, allows the clinician to visualize the entire treatment process. © 2014 IEEE

Mesenchymal stem cells: Possibilities of new treatment options

Stem cell research evolved as a new hope and has gained tremendous interest during the last two decades in developing potential strategies for many debilitating diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are bone marrow-derived multipotent stem cells capable of self-renewal and of differentiating into multiple lineages, such as osteocytes, adipocytes, chondrocytes, myoblasts, cardiomyocytes, and hepatocytes. MSCs are an important source for cellular therapies. They can easily be obtained and expanded in vitro in large numbers without significantly altering their properties. MSCs not only migrate to the injured site in vivo but also have immunomodulatory effects that make their use attractive for allogeneic grafting. MSCs can also be frozen for preservation; and when thawed, they retain their normal physiological function, allowing future ''off-the-shelf'' therapy approaches. Because of these features, MSCs have high therapeutic value in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this chapter, the contribution of the MSCs to cardiovascular repair and liver regeneration are summarized. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012. All rights reserved

A salvage chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with a combination of cisplatin, etoposide and CCNU

Between 1985 and 1988, 51 patients (pts) with refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were treated with cisplatin 60 mg/m2 on day 1, etoposide 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 2, 3 and CCNU 50 mg/m2 on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 with cycles repeated every 4 weeks. The overall response rate which was 47% (24/51) after two courses, improved to 62.6% (32/51) following the fourth course. Complete remission (CR) rate was 25.4%. Duration of the responses were 7.6 months for CR and 9 months for partial response (PR). However, the overall survival improved in responders. Median survivals were 22.5 months for CR, 14.7 months for PR and 6.9 months for non responders. Myelosuppression was acceptable. We report here an update of our experience. New trials are currently being undertaken to determine if the addition of consolidation chemotherapy is more effective in terms of response rates and duration

Inverted follicular keratosis

PubMedID: 8214316[No abstract available