Skin flora: Differences Between People Affected by Albinism and Those with Normally Pigmented Skin in Northern Tanzania - Cross Sectional Study.

Skin flora varies from one site of the body to another. Individual's health, age and gender determine the type and the density of skin flora. A 1  cm² of the skin on the sternum was rubbed with sterile cotton swab socked in 0.9% normal saline and plated on blood agar. This was cultured at 35 °C. The bacteria were identified by culturing on MacConkey agar, coagulase test, catalase test and gram staining. Swabs were obtained from 66 individuals affected by albinism and 31 individuals with normal skin pigmentation. Those with normal skin were either relatives or staying with the individuals affected by albinism who were recruited for the study. The mean age of the 97 recruited individuals was 30.6 (SD ± 14.9) years. The mean of the colony forming units was 1580.5 per cm2. Those affected by albinism had a significantly higher mean colony forming units (1680  CFU per cm²) as compared with 453.5  CFU per cm² in those with normally pigmented skin (p = 0.023). The skin type and the severity of sun- damaged skin was significantly associated with a higher number of colony forming units (p = 0.038). Individuals affected by albinism have a higher number of colony forming units which is associated with sun- damaged skin

Helpful hints for contact lens laboratory

Currently there is a large number of types of contact lenses. In addition to the now classic rigid (PMMA) lenses and hydrogel lenses, the emergence of rigid gas-permeable lenses has expanded the fitting options for practitioners. The :patient must be fitted with the appropriate lens. The question of which lens to choose IS perhaps the fitters most important decision. Does one go for the short-term reward and choose a soft lens, because it meets with early and rapid patient acceptance or does one consider a rigid gas-permeable lens, which may be superior in the long term with the advantage of Improved vision, durability and easier care? This manual is designed to help the novice fitter answer this question and lessen the apprehension, frustration and confusion of fitting contact lenses

Methodology of calculation of construction and hydrodynamic parameters of a foam layer apparatus for mass-transfer processes

Промислова реалізація методу стабілізації газорідинного шару дозволяє значно розширити галузь застосування пінних апаратів і відкриває нові можливості інтенсифікації технологічних процесів з одночасним створенням маловідходних технологій. У статті встановлені основні параметри, що впливають на гідродинаміку пінних апаратів, розглянуті основні конструкції та режими роботи пінних апаратів. Виявлено зв'язок гідродинамічних параметрів. Розглянуто гідродинамічні закономірності пінного шару. Вказані фактори, що впливають на процес масообміну, як в газовій, так і в рідкій фазах. Проведений аналіз ряду досліджень показав, що перспективним напрямком інтенсифікації процесу масообміну є розробка апаратів з трифазним псевдозрідженим шаром зрошуваної насадки складних форм із сітчастих матеріалів. Отже, необхідне проведення спеціальних досліджень гідродинамічних режимів роботи апарату з сітчастою насадкою і визначенням параметрів, що впливають на швидкість переходу насадки з одного режиму в інший.Industrial implementation of the stabilization method of the gas-liquid layer can significantly expand the field of use of foaming apparatus and opens up new opportunities for intensifying technological processes with the simultaneous creation of low-waste technologies. The article establishes the basic parameters influencing the hydrodynamics of foam apparatus, considers the basic constructions and operating modes of foam apparatus. The connection of hydrodynamic parameters is revealed. The hydrodynamic laws of the foam layer are considered. The indicated factors affecting the process of mass transfer, both in the gas and in the liquid phases. The conducted analysis of a number of studies showed that the perspective direction of intensification of the mass transfer process is the development of apparatuses with a three-phase fluidized bed of an irrigated nozzle of complex forms with mesh materials

Scenario-Based Thinking to Negotiate Coastal Squeeze of Ecosystems: Green, blue, grey, and hybrid infrastructures for climate adaptation and resilience

Scott Hawken, Kaihang Zhou, Luke Mosley and Emily Leyde

Nothing Lasts Forever: Environmental Discourses on the Collapse of Past Societies

The study of the collapse of past societies raises many questions for the theory and practice of archaeology. Interest in collapse extends as well into the natural sciences and environmental and sustainability policy. Despite a range of approaches to collapse, the predominant paradigm is environmental collapse, which I argue obscures recognition of the dynamic role of social processes that lie at the heart of human communities. These environmental discourses, together with confusion over terminology and the concepts of collapse, have created widespread aporia about collapse and resulted in the creation of mixed messages about complex historical and social processes

Adequacy of Diabetes Care for Older U.S. Rural Adults: A Cross-sectional Population Based Study Using 2009 BRFSS Data

Background: In the U.S. diabetes prevalence estimates for adults ≥ 65 years exceed 20%. Rural communities have higher proportions of older individuals and health disparities associated with rural residency place rural communities at risk for a higher burden from diabetes. This study examined the adequacy of care received by older rural adults for their diabetes to determine if older rural adults differed in the receipt of adequate diabetes care when compared to their non-rural counterparts. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey were examined using bivariate and multivariate analytical techniques. Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed that older rural adults with diabetes were more likely to receive less than adequate care when compared to their non-rural counterparts (OR = 1.465, 95% CI: 1.454-1.475). Older rural adults receiving less than adequate care for their diabetes were more likely to be: male, non-Caucasian, less educated, unmarried, economically poorer, inactive, a smoker. They were also more likely to: have deferred medical care because of cost, not have a personal health care provider, and not have had a routine medical check-up within the last 12 months. Conclusion: There are gaps between what is recommended for diabetes management and the management that older individuals receive. Older adults with diabetes living in rural communities are at greater risk for less than adequate care when compared to their non-rural counterparts. These results suggest the need to develop strategies to improve diabetes care for older adults with diabetes and to target those at highest risk

Tuning fresh: radiation through rewiring of central metabolism in streamlined bacteria

Most free-living planktonic cells are streamlined and in spite of their limitations in functional flexibility, their vast populations have radiated into a wide range of aquatic habitats. Here we compared the metabolic potential of subgroups in the Alphaproteobacteria lineage SAR11 adapted to marine and freshwater habitats. Our results suggest that the successful leap from marine to freshwaters in SAR11 was accompanied by a loss of several carbon degradation pathways and a rewiring of the central metabolism. Examples for these are C1 and methylated compounds degradation pathways, the Entner–Doudouroff pathway, the glyoxylate shunt and anapleuretic carbon fixation being absent from the freshwater genomes. Evolutionary reconstructions further suggest that the metabolic modules making up these important freshwater metabolic traits were already present in the gene pool of ancestral marine SAR11 populations. The loss of the glyoxylate shunt had already occurred in the common ancestor of the freshwater subgroup and its closest marine relatives, suggesting that the adaptation to freshwater was a gradual process. Furthermore, our results indicate rapid evolution of TRAP transporters in the freshwater clade involved in the uptake of low molecular weight carboxylic acids. We propose that such gradual tuning of metabolic pathways and transporters toward locally available organic substrates is linked to the formation of subgroups within the SAR11 clade and that this process was critical for the freshwater clade to find and fix an adaptive phenotype.This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (Grant Numbers 2012-4592 to AE and 2012-3892 to SB) and the Communiy Sequencing Programme of the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. The work conducted by the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is supported under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231

Novel M4 Pediatrics Chief Program Utilizing Near-peer Teaching and Mentoring to Enhance Clerkship Curricula

Introduction: Near-peer teachers add many benefits to the academic, clinical performance, and enjoyment of near-peer learners in medical education. This enterprise describes and examines how the Creighton University School of Medicine M4 Pediatrics Chief Program fills a gap in medical education by offering an organized and formal methodology for near-peer teaching. The Creighton University M4 Pediatrics Chief Program utilizes select fourth year medical students to orient, teach basic clinical skills, mentor, and participate in curriculum development for the third year Pediatric clerkship students. Methods: Third year students (n=43) in their Pediatrics clerkship from September 2020 to February 2021 completed surveys at the end of the clerkship to assess the quality and effectiveness of the M4 Pediatrics Chief Program. Results: Students rated effectiveness of the Chiefs most highly as clerkship guides (4.29, SD=0.79), teachers (4.21, SD=0.92), and mentors (4.19, SD=0.75). Near-peer perspectives, education, provision of pertinent content, serving as a clerkship resource, and being a source of encouragement were the most beneficial aspects of the program. Students reported strong agreement all clerkships should have an M4 Chief Program (4.53, SD=0.88). Discussion: Because of the positive reviews by the third years students, the M4 Pediatrics Chief Program is now a permanent part of the Pediatric Clerkship. Additionally, other third year clerkships at Creighton University School of Medicine are adopting this model. Finally, the M4 students acting as the chiefs gain valuable leadership and educational skills. Conclusion: Based on positive perceptions of the “M4 Chief Program”, the authors recommend other medical schools consider initiating similar programs within their third year clerkships.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/chri_forum/1037/thumbnail.jp

Screening history of women with cervical cancer: a 6-year study in Aarhus, Denmark

To identify possible weaknesses in cervical screening in Aarhus County, 10 years after the programme was introduced, screening histories were examined. A major problem for the screening programme was that 31% of women were never screened and 61% under-screened, the latter group being significantly dominated by older women and high-stage tumours