Late Missed Monteggia Lesions—Reconstruction of the Humeroradial Joint

Objective:: Reconstruction of the humeroradial joint resulting in immediate functional stability. Indications:: Missed traumatic dislocation of the radial head. Congenital dislocation of the radial head. Contraindications:: Secondary dislocation of the radial head in instances of dysplasia or aplasia of the capitellum. Relative: deformation of the radial head in adults. Surgical Technique:: Open reduction of the radial head without reconstruction of the annular ligament. Osteotomy of the shaft of the proximal ulna and installation of an external fixator with open clamps. Three-dimensional correction of the ulna under visual control of the humeroradial joint until the radial head is relocated in its anatomic position. Results:: Between 01/1998 and 05/2001, we performed an osteotomy of the proximal ulna, external fixation, and open reduction of the radial head in 14 patients presenting with a late missed Monteggia lesion (Bado type I). The average age of the seven girls and seven boys at the time of reconstruction was 9 (5-15) years, the mean interval between index trauma and reconstruction amounted to 21 months (2 weeks to 7 years). Removal of the external fixator after an average of 12 (7-16) weeks. In twelve patients the reduction was maintained, and in two patients the radial head redislocated postoperatively. In one of these patients a closed reduction was successful, whereas in the other patient an open reduction was done and the external fixation modified. In both patients the joint position was maintained. Preoperatively seven out of 14 patients showed a decreased range of motion; it improved postoperatively in most. A clinical and radiologic follow-up averaging 14 (3-44) months was possible in 13 patients. No complications were recorde

Depolarization-initiated endogenous cannabinoid release and underlying retrograde neurotransmission in interneurons of amygdala

The depolarization is also important for the short-term synaptic plasticity, known as depolarization-induced suppression of excitation (DSE). The two major types of neurons and their synapses in the lateral nucleus of amygdala (LA) are prone to plasticity. However, DSE in interneurons has not been reported in amygdala in general and in LA in particular. Therefore, we conducted the patch-clamp experiments with LA interneurons. These neurons were identified by lack of adaptation in firing rate of action potentials. In this study, we show for the first time a transient suppression of neurotransmission at synapses both within the local network and between cortical inputs and interneurons of the LA. The retrograde neurotransmission from GABAergic interneurons were comparable with that of glutamatergic pyramidal cells. That is the axonal terminals of cortical inputs do not posses selectivity toward two neuronal subtypes. However, the DSE of both types of neurons involve an increase in intracellular Ca[superscript 2+] and the release of endogenous cannabinoids (eCB) and activation of presynaptic CB1 receptors. The magnitude of DSE was significantly higher in interneurons compared with pyramidal cells, though developed with some latency

Wer sind und was wollen ältere Studierende an den Universitäten? : Ergebnisse von Studierendenbefragungen an drei Standorten

Viele Hochschulen führen in unterschiedlichen Abständen Befragungen unter den Teilnehmenden der nachberuflichen wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung durch, die Einblicke in Studienmotive und Studierverhalten Älterer an den jeweiligen Standorten bieten. Es fehlen jedoch einheitliche, bundesweiteDaten zum Studium Älterer. Denn die jeweiligen Ergebnisse sind aufgrund unterschiedlicher Fragestellungen und Frageformen zumeist nicht miteinander vergleichbar. Auch die jährliche bundesweite Zählung von Gasthörenden erfasst nicht alle älteren Studierenden, da nicht alle Teilnehmenden an nachberuflicher wissenschaftlicher Weiterbildung unter diesem Status geführt werden. Um diese Lücke zu schließen, wurde in der Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft WissenschaftlicheWeiterbildung für Ältere (BAG WiWA) ein Fragebogen entwickelt, in dem Motivlagen, Fächerpräferenzen, Formen des Studierens und soziodemographische Daten erfasst werden können. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden einige zentrale Ergebnisse von Teilnehmendenbefragungen älterer Studierenderaus drei Hochschulen vorgestellt, bei denen der Fragebogen erstmalig zum Einsatz kam. Die Ergebnisse weisen eine hohe Übereinstimmung im Hinblick auf Fächerpräferenzen und Motivlagen auf und zeigen, dass soziodemographische Daten wie Bildung und Geschlecht in einem Zusammenhang mit den Teilnahmemotiven und den subjektiven Gewinnen stehen. Darüber hinaus zeigt sich, dass auch die Angebotsstruktur einer Institution Einfluss auf das Antwortverhalten der Befragten hat

Low-frequency sound affects active micromechanics in the human inner ear

Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common auditory pathologies, resulting from overstimulation of the human cochlea, an exquisitely sensitive micromechanical device. At very low frequencies (less than 250 Hz), however, the sensitivity of human hearing, and therefore the perceived loudness is poor. The perceived loudness is mediated by the inner hair cells of the cochlea which are driven very inadequately at low frequencies. To assess the impact of low-frequency (LF) sound, we exploited a by-product of the active amplification of sound outer hair cells (OHCs) perform, so-called spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. These are faint sounds produced by the inner ear that can be used to detect changes of cochlear physiology. We show that a short exposure to perceptually unobtrusive, LF sounds significantly affects OHCs: a 90 s, 80 dB(A) LF sound induced slow, concordant and positively correlated frequency and level oscillations of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions that lasted for about 2 min after LF sound offset. LF sounds, contrary to their unobtrusive perception, strongly stimulate the human cochlea and affect amplification processes in the most sensitive and important frequency range of human hearing

Are there memory effects on greenhouse gas emissions (CO2_{2}, N2_{2}O and CH4_{4}) following grassland restoration?

A 5-year greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange study of the three major gas species (CO$_{2}$, CH$_{4}$ and N$_{2}$O) from an intensively managed permanent grassland in Switzerland is presented. Measurements comprise 2 years (2010 and 2011) of manual static chamber measurements of CH$_{4}$ and N$_{2}$O, 5 years of continuous eddy covariance (EC) measurements (CO$_{2}$–H$_{2}$O – 2010–2014), and 3 years (2012–2014) of EC measurement of CH$_{4}$ and N$_{2}$O. Intensive grassland management included both regular and sporadic management activities. Regular management practices encompassed mowing (three to five cuts per year) with subsequent organic fertilizer amendments and occasional grazing, whereas sporadic management activities comprised grazing or similar activities. The primary objective of our measurements was to compare pre-plowing to post-plowing GHG exchange and to identify potential memory effects of such a substantial disturbance on GHG exchange and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) gains and losses. In order to include measurements carried out with different observation techniques, we tested two different measurement techniques jointly in 2013, namely the manual static chamber approach and the eddy covariance technique for N$_{2}$O, to quantify the GHG exchange from the observed grassland site. Our results showed that there were no memory effects on N$_{2}$O and CH$_{4}$ emissions after plowing, whereas the CO$_{2}$ uptake of the site considerably increased when compared to pre-restoration years. In detail, we observed large losses of CO$_{2}$ and N$_{2}$O during the year of restoration. In contrast, the grassland acted as a carbon sink under usual management, i.e., the time periods 2010–2011 and 2013–2014. Enhanced emissions and emission peaks of N$_{2}$O (defined as exceeding background emissions 0.21 ± 0.55 nmol m$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (SE = 0.02) for at least 2 sequential days and the 7 d moving average exceeding background emissions) were observed for almost 7 continuous months after restoration as well as following organic fertilizer applications during all years. Net ecosystem exchange of CO$_{2}$ (NEECO$_{2}$) showed a common pattern of increased uptake of CO$_{2}$ in spring and reduced uptake in late fall. NEECO$_{2}$ dropped to zero and became positive after each harvest event. Methane (CH$_{4}$) exchange fluctuated around zero during all years. Overall, CH$_{4}$ exchange was of negligible importance for both the GHG budget and the carbon budget of the site. Our results stress the inclusion of grassland restoration events when providing cumulative sums of C sequestration potential and/or global warming potential (GWP). Consequently, this study further highlights the need for continuous long-term GHG exchange observations as well as for the implementation of our findings into biogeochemical process models to track potential GHG mitigation objectives as well as to predict future GHG emission scenarios reliably

Large inter-annual variation in carbon sink strength of a permanent grassland over 16 years: Impacts of management practices and climate

Permanent grasslands cover one third of the European agricultural area and are known to store large amounts of carbon (C) in their soils. However, long-term assessments of their C sink strength are still scarce. Thus, we investigated the C budget of an intensively managed, permanent grassland in Switzerland over 16 years, compared the results to changes in soil C stocks, and determined the most important drivers of the net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE). Combining NEE fluxes with C imports and C exports, we quantified the grassland C budget, i.e., net biome production (NBP). We observed a large inter-annual variation in NBP, with 9 of the 16 years indicating a C sink, and 7 years indicating a C source. On average, the grassland was a small C sink to C neutral, with a NBP of -70±106 g C m$^{−2}$ yr$^{−1}$ (mean±95% confidence interval). Mean NEE fluxes were -284±115 g C m$^{−2}$ yr$^{−1}$, C exports via harvest 335±73 g C m$^{−2}$ yr$^{−1}$, and organic C imports via slurry -121±43 g C m$^{−2}$ yr$^{−1}$. Soil C stocks from 0 to 0.7 m did not change significantly (decrease of 27.5 g C m$^{−2}$ yr$^{−1}$ over 13 years). Inter-annual variation in NBP was affected by management practices and environmental conditions. In the last five years, NBP was positive (C source), most likely due to decreasing C imports in combination with extreme weather conditions. Our study demonstrated the importance of covering multiple years with different management events when assessing the C sink strength of a site. Maintaining even a small grassland C sink in the future will be challenging and will require continuous organic C imports

Livestock enclosures in drylands of Sub-Saharan Africa are overlooked hotspots of N2_{2}O emissions

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is home to approximately ¼ of the global livestock population, which in the last 60 years has increased by factors of 2.5–4 times for cattle, goats and sheep. An important resource for pastoralists, most livestock live in semi-arid and arid environments, where they roam during the day and are kept in enclosures (or bomas) during the night. Manure, although rich in nitrogen, is rarely used, and therefore accumulates in bomas over time. Here we present in-situ measurements of N$_{2}$O fluxes from 46 bomas in Kenya and show that even after 40 years following abandonment, fluxes are still ~one magnitude higher than those from adjacent savanna sites. Using maps of livestock distribution, we scaled our finding to SSA and found that abandoned bomas are significant hotspots for atmospheric N$_{2}$O at the continental scale, contributing ~5% of the current estimate of total anthropogenic N$_{2}$O emissions for all of Africa

Senior*innenstudium digital – Herausforderungen und neue Perspektiven

Die Umsetzung der Digitalisierung in den Bildungseinrichtungen hat, spätestens seit Beginn der Corona-Pandemie, einen ungeahnten Schub erlebt. Dies betrifft alle Bereiche des Bildungswesens, so auch die wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung Älterer an Universitäten und Hochschulen. Wurden hier vor Beginn des Sommersemesters 2020 maximal in kleinem Umfang Onlineveranstaltungen angeboten, so sind diese digitalen Veranstaltungen in Pandemiezeiten die einzige Möglichkeit, Lehrangebote zu realisieren. Der vorliegende Artikel stellt unter diesen Voraussetzungen die Situation der nachberuflichen wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung an den Universitäten in Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Mainz und München dar und zeigt anhand ausgewählter Beispiele, welche (ungeahnten) Chancen sich für die Bildung Älterer an Hochschulen durch die Digitalisierung ergeben. (DIPF/Orig.

Verification of analytical methods for GMO testing when implementing interlaboratory validated methods: Version 2

In the EU, method validation is an essential part of the process that regulates the introduction of new GMOs as food and/or feed into the market. When the inter-laboratory validation study is completed, the method is ready to be implemented in routine testing laboratories. When implementing the new method, the laboratory has to verify that the method can be used for its intended purpose (method verification). The scope of this document is to provide guidance on how to carry out the method verification of inter-laboratory validated methods for the qualitative and quantitative detection of GMOs. Considering that the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is the method of choice in the EU for the identification and quantification of GMOs, this document refers exclusively to real time PCR. However, if novel methods are subsequently developed that fulfil legal requirements, then this document will be amended accordingly.JRC.F.5-Food and Feed Complianc