Exploratory, cognitive, and depressive-like behaviors in adult and pediatric mice exposed to controlled cortical impact

Objective Sequelae of behavioral impairments associated with human traumatic brain injury (TBI) include neurobehavioral problems. We compared exploratory, cognitive, and depressive-like behaviors in pediatric and adult male mice exposed to controlled cortical impact (CCI). Methods Pediatric (21 to 25 days old) and adult (8 to 12 weeks old) male C57Bl/6 mice underwent CCI at a 2-mm depth of deflection. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed 3 to 7 days after recovery from CCI, and injury volume was analyzed using ImageJ. Neurobehavioral characterization after CCI was performed using the Barnes maze test (BMT), passive avoidance test, open-field test, light/dark test, tail suspension test, and rotarod test. Acutely and subacutely (3 and 7 days after CCI, respectively), CCI mice showed graded injury compared to sham mice for all analyzed deflection depths. Results Time-dependent differences in injury volume were noted between 3 and 7 days following 2-mm TBI in adult mice. In the BMT, 2-mm TBI adults showed spatial memory deficits compared to sham adults (P<0.05). However, no difference in spatial learning and memory was found between sham and 2-mm CCI groups among pediatric mice. The open-field test, light/dark test, and tail suspension test did not reveal differences in anxiety-like behaviors in both age groups. Conclusion Our findings revealed a graded injury response in both age groups. The BMT was an efficient cognitive test for assessing spatial/non-spatial learning following CCI in adult mice; however, spatial learning impairments in pediatric mice could not be assessed

Early Surgical Repair of Acute Complete Rupture of the Proximal Hamstring Tendons

Hamstring injuries are common forms of muscle strains in athletes but a complete rupture of a proximal hamstring origin is rare. Often there is a considerable delay in diagnosis and stringent treatment because of its rarity, difficulty in clinical diagnosis, and initial attempts of conservative care. We report two cases of acute complete rupture of the proximal hamstring tendons treated with early surgical repair. The diagnosis and treatment of this unusual injury are discussed

A rare case of miliary tuberculosis accompanying perihepatitis

Perihepatic capsulitis is associated with various diseases, such as Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, perforated cholecystitis, perforated hepatic abscess, and tuberculous peritonitis. Miliary tuberculosis is present in about 2% of all reported cases of tuberculosis and is characterized by the widespread millet-like hematogenous dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We describe a 24-year-old virgin patient presenting with right upper quadrant and costovertebral angle pain. Diffuse perihepatic capsular enhancement was observed in abdominal computed tomography scans. Chest radiography showed miliary tuberculosis, and a polymerase chain reaction hybridization assay of sputum revealed the presence of M. tuberculosis. Symptoms improved after administering anti-tuberculosis medications. This report describes a rare case of miliary tuberculosis accompanying perihepatitis

Extreme Long Period Eclipsing Binary Epsilon Aurigae

From the study of a spectroscopic plate of epsilon Aurigae, we can measure the radial velocity and the relative abundance for this eclipsing binary. Calculated radial velocity is -37 Km/s and the abundance of [Fe] is estimated as -1.5

A Bayesian Approach for Predicting Functional Reliability of One-Shot Devices

Accelerated life tests (ALTs) have been used to assess reliability of one-shot devices in a short time. Due to destructive characteristics of one-shot devices, lifetime data of the devices is incomplete and enough number of failures or even no failures may be not secured in ALT. In such situations, Baysian methods incorporating prior information into the parameters provides useful inference on the reliability of one-shot devices. In this paper, we propose a modeling approach to predict functional reliability of pin pullers as a kind of one-shot devices, mainly in a Bayesian framework. We introduce three different priors to the parameters of the Weibull distribution or reliability function. Sress-strength relationships of key components in pin pullers are employed to the scale and shape parameters via three prior densities. The proposed methods are illustrated with a variety of simulation studies. The simulation works are performed using the Gibbs sampling technique to generate MCMC samples to obtain Bayesian estimates of the Weibull parameters. The Bayesian estimates from the three priors tend to approach to true parameter values as sample size increases

A Case of Radial Nerve Palsy

Objective : The purpose of this study is to report the patient with radial nerve palsy, who improved by oriental medical treatment. Methods : The patient was managed by Cathami Flos aqua-acupuncture, Dong-Qi acupuncture treatment, Comman acupuncture treatment and Herbal medicine. We took pictures of patient's wrist and checked the power of muscles. And we checked the numbness of thumb that was patient's subjective sensation. Results : After 2 weeks-treatment, the movement and power of wrist was restored to nearly normal range, also the numbness of thumb was removed. Combined oriental medical treatment can treat radial nerve palsy earlier than the other methods. Conclusions : The results suggest that combination of Cathami Flos aqua-acupuncture, Dong-Qi acupuncture treatment, Comman acupuncture treatment and Herbal medicine is good method for treatments of radial nerve palsy. But further studies are required to concretely prove the effectiveness of this method for treating radial nerve palsy

Substrate-Free Thermoelectric 25 μm-Thick Ag₂Se Films with High Flexibility and In-Plane <i>zT</i> of 0.5 at Room Temperature

Thermoelectric inorganic films are flexible when sufficiently thin. By removing the substrate, that is, making them free-standing, the flexibility of thermoelectric films can be enhanced to the utmost extent. However, studies on the flexibility of free-standing thermoelectric inorganic films have not yet been reported. Herein, the high thermoelectric performance and flexibility of free-standing thermoelectric Ag2Se films are reported. Free-standing Ag2Se films with a thickness of 25.0 ± 3.9 μm exhibited an in-plane zT of 0.514 ± 0.060 at room temperature. These films exhibited superior flexibility compared to Ag2Se films constrained on a substrate. The flexibility of the Ag2Se films was systematically investigated in terms of bending strain, bending radius, thickness, and elastic modulus. Using free-standing Ag2Se films, a substrate-free, flexible thermoelectric generator was fabricated. The energy-harvesting capacity of the thermoelectric generator was also demonstrated