Clinical and financial impacts of flexible intramedullary nailing in pediatric diaphyseal forearm fractures: A case-control study.

Flexible intramedullary nailing is regularly applied for pediatric displaced unstable forearm fractures. When compared to closed reduction and casting (orthopedic treatment), flexible intramedullary nailing decreases malalignment, shortens immobilization time, and should decrease follow-up controls. Comparing flexible intramedullary nailing and orthopedic treatment in the clinical, radiological, and financial managements of these fractures was performed. Retrospective 5 years study of pediatric cases in two pediatric orthopedic university departments. Treatment method, post-operative course, and radiological follow-up were reviewed. Number of radiographs, follow-up controls, type and duration of immobilization, final bone angulation, and reported complications were compared. Extensive financial analysis was completed. Of 73 girls and 168 boys included in the study, 150 were treated by flexible intramedullary nailing and 91 by orthopedic treatment. No difference was noted with regard to total number of radiographs (7.3 vs 7.2, respectively). Total number of follow-ups was 6.4 and 5.5, respectively. Malalignment occurred in two flexible intramedullary nailing and sixteen orthopedic treatments. The least expensive cost was ambulatory orthopedic treatment. Flexible intramedullary nailing treated children had similar numbers of radiographs or follow-up consultation, but less malunion when compared to orthopedic treatment. Orthopedic management was systematically cheaper than flexible intramedullary nailing. Unless post-operative management guidelines decreasing the number of radiographs and follow-ups are implemented, flexible intramedullary nailing will remain a costly procedure when compared to conventional orthopedic treatment. level III case-control retrospective study

Comparison in the immunological properties of Borrelia burgdorferi isolates from Ixodes ricinus derived from three endemic areas in Switzerland

Borrelia burgdorferi isolates were obtained from Ixodes ricinus from three sites in Switzerland. They were examined by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. The phenotypes, in respect of three outer surface proteins (Osp), differed between the sites of collection. In site 1, most isolates had an OspA of 31 kDa and an OspB of 34 kDa: in site 2, isolates presenting an OspA of 33 kDa dominated and in site 3, the isolates with an OspA of 32 kDa and an OspB of 35 kDa were most frequent. This distribution differed significantly. About half of the isolates from sites 1 and 3 reacted with anti-OspA monoclonal antibody H5332 compared to 29% from site 2. Site 1 isolates reacted significantly more frequently (81 %) with another anti-OspA monoclonal antibody LA-31 than isolates from site 3 (P < 0·0001). These findings have implications for the epidemiology of Lyme borreliosis, for the further development of serodiagnostic reagents and for the development of a vaccin

Chromatin: a tunable spring at work inside chromosomes

This paper focuses on mechanical aspects of chromatin biological functioning. Within a basic geometric modeling of the chromatin assembly, we give for the first time the complete set of elastic constants (twist and bend persistence lengths, stretch modulus and twist-stretch coupling constant) of the so-called 30-nm chromatin fiber, in terms of DNA elastic properties and geometric properties of the fiber assembly. The computation naturally embeds the fiber within a current analytical model known as the ``extensible worm-like rope'', allowing a straightforward prediction of the force-extension curves. We show that these elastic constants are strongly sensitive to the linker length, up to 1 bp, or equivalently to its twist, and might locally reach very low values, yielding a highly flexible and extensible domain in the fiber. In particular, the twist-stretch coupling constant, reflecting the chirality of the chromatin fiber, exhibits steep variations and sign changes when the linker length is varied. We argue that this tunable elasticity might be a key feature for chromatin function, for instance in the initiation and regulation of transcription.Comment: 38 pages 15 figure

The Vitamin A Derivative All-Trans Retinoic Acid Repairs Amyloid-β-Induced Double-Strand Breaks in Neural Cells and in the Murine Neocortex.

The amyloid-β peptide or Aβ is the key player in the amyloid-cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease. Aβ appears to trigger cell death but also production of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in aging and Alzheimer's disease. All-trans retinoic acid (RA), a derivative of vitamin A, was already known for its neuroprotective effects against the amyloid cascade. It diminishes, for instance, the production of Aβ peptides and their oligomerisation. In the present work we investigated the possible implication of RA receptor (RAR) in repair of Aβ-induced DSBs. We demonstrated that RA, as well as RAR agonist Am80, but not AGN 193109 antagonist, repair Aβ-induced DSBs in SH-SY5Y cells and an astrocytic cell line as well as in the murine cortical tissue of young and aged mice. The nonhomologous end joining pathway and the Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated kinase were shown to be involved in RA-mediated DSBs repair in the SH-SY5Y cells. Our data suggest that RA, besides increasing cell viability in the cortex of young and even of aged mice, might also result in targeted DNA repair of genes important for cell or synaptic maintenance. This phenomenon would remain functional up to a point when Aβ increase and RA decrease probably lead to a pathological state

Aberrant visual pathway development in albinism: from retina to cortex

Albinism refers to a group of genetic abnormalities in melanogenesis that are associated neuronal misrouting through the optic chiasm. Previous imaging studies have shown structural alterations at different points along the visual pathway of people with albinism (PWA) including foveal hypoplasia, optic nerve and chiasm size alterations and visual cortex reorganisation, but fail to provide a holistic in-vivo characterisation of the visual neurodevelopmental alterations from retina to visual cortex. We perform quantitative assessment of visual pathway structure and function in 23 PWA and 20 matched controls using optical coherence tomography (OCT), volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging and visual evoked potentials (VEP). PWA had a higher streamline decussation index (percentage of total tractography streamlines decussating at the chiasm) compared to controls (Z=-2.24, p=0.025), and streamline decussation index correlated weakly significantly with inter-hemispheric asymmetry measured using VEP (r=0.484, p=0.042). For PWA, a significant correlation was found between foveal development index and total number of streamlines (r=0.662, p less than 0.001). Optic nerve (p=0.001) and tract (p=0.010) width, and chiasm width (P less than 0.001), area (p=0.006) and volume (p=0.005), were significantly smaller in PWA compared to controls. Significant positive correlations were found between peri-papillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness and optic nerve (r=0.642, p less than 0.001) and tract (r=0.663, p less than 0.001) width. Occipital pole cortical thickness was 6.88% higher (Z=-4.10, p less than 0.001) in PWA and was related to anterior visual pathway structures including foveal retinal pigment epithelium complex thickness (r=-0.579, p=0.005), optic disc (r=0.478, p=0.021) and rim areas (r=0.597, p=0.003). We were unable to demonstrate a significant relationship between OCT-derived foveal or optic nerve measures and MRI-derived chiasm size or streamline decussation index. Non-invasive imaging techniques demonstrate aberrant development throughout the visual pathways of PWA compared to controls. Our novel tractographic demonstration of altered chiasmatic decussation in PWA corresponds to VEP measured cortical asymmetry and is consistent with chiasmatic misrouting in albinism. We also demonstrate a significant relationship between retinal pigment epithelium and visual cortex thickness indicating that retinal pigmentation defects in albinism lead to downstream structural reorganisation of the visual cortex

Implementation of the Fissile Mass Flow Monitor Source Verification and Confirmation

This report presents the verification procedure for neutron sources installed in U.S. Department of Energy equipment used to measure fissile material flow. The Fissile Mass Flow Monitor (FMFM) equipment determines the {sup 235}U fissile mass flow of UF{sub 6} gas streams by using {sup 252}Cf neutron sources for fission activation of the UF{sub 6} gas and by measuring the fission products in the flow. The {sup 252}Cf sources in each FMFM are typically replaced every 2 to 3 years due to their relatively short half-life ({approx} 2.65 years). During installation of the new FMFM sources, the source identity and neutronic characteristics provided by the manufacturer are verified with the following equipment: (1) a remote-control video television (RCTV) camera monitoring system is used to confirm the source identity, and (2) a neutron detection system (NDS) is used for source-strength confirmation. Use of the RCTV and NDS permits remote monitoring of the source replacement process and eliminates unnecessary radiation exposure. The RCTV, NDS, and the confirmation process are described in detail in this report

The relationship of parenting style and eating behavior in preschool children.

Eating behavior represents individual appetitive traits which are related to the individual's regulation of food intake. Eating behavior develops at an early age. There is some evidence that parenting styles might impact on the child's eating behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of different dimensions of positive and negative parenting styles with the child's eating behavior at a critical age period of the child's early development. Parents of 511 preschool children (aged 2-6 years) completed the Children Eating Behavior Questionnaire and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Analyses revealed that different dimensions of negative parenting styles were associated with eating behavior of the child. In details, inconsistent parenting showed a consistent association with eating behavior of a child (i.e. higher emotional eating, higher food responsiveness, higher food fussiness, higher satiety responsiveness and more enjoyment of food), whereas corporal punishment was associated with more emotional overeating and more food responsiveness but less satiety responsiveness. Further, powerful implementation was related to higher food responsiveness and less enjoyment of food and low monitoring was associated with higher emotional overeating and more slowness in eating. There was no such consistent association of positive parenting and eating behavior. More negative parenting styles were associated with eating behavior which is more often related to potential weight problems in a long term, whereas positive parenting did not show such a consistent relationship with eating behavior. Negative parenting should be in the focus of prevention and treatment of eating behavior problems in young children. ISRCTN41045021 (06/05/2014)

VALOR NUTRITIVO DA ASSOCIAÇÃO DE FEIJÃO JALO (Phaseoulus vulgaris) COM FEIJÃO SOJA (Glycine max)

The authors developed an experimental study with albino rats, in order to evaluate nutritional value of three different mixtures of yellow beans and soya, determining NPR (Net Protein Ratio) and NPU (Net Protein Utilization) according to BENDER & DOELL (1957) index. They verified that the association of yellow bean and soya, in the three proportions that were studied, efficiency of protein utilization increased considerably when compared to yellow beans used alone. There was no significative difference between 75/25 and 50/50 mixture proportions, but there were differences among these two and the 25/75 mixture, wich, revealed proteic value similar to the soya alone.Resumo Os autores elaboraram um estudo experimental em ratos para avaliar o valor nutritivo de três associações distintas de feijão jalo com feijão soja, determinando os índices de valor protéico de BENDER e DOELL (1957) = NPR (Net Protein Ratio) e NPU (Net Protein Utilization) teórico. Verificaram que a associação do feijão jalo ao soja, nas três proporções estudadas, aumentou significativamente a eficiência de utilização protéica, quando comparada à do feijão jalo usado isoladamente. No entanto, quando comparadas à soja isolada, as associações, contendo 25/75 e 50/50 de feijão jalo/soja, revelaram um valor proteico significativamente menor