Perforated Meckel’s diverticulum with acute appendicitis in an infant

Meckel’s diverticulum occurs in approximately 2% of the population and is symptomatic in 16% of cases. In children, the most common presentation is intestinal obstruction due to intussusception. The simultaneous occurrence of acute appendicitis and symptomatic Meckel’s diverticulum is rare and when it occurs, it may be associated with non-specific symptoms that present a diagnostic challenge.Keywords: Meckel’s diverticulum, Acute appendiciti

Aromatic plants in East-Asia to enhance natural enemies towards biological control of insect pests. A review

Introducing flowering plants in fields may attract and benefit predators and parasitoids of insect pests and potentially enhance biological control when associated with crops. Through a vote counting analysis, the present review evaluates whether aromatic plants of East Asia could be used in this purpose. Through a systematic search of the scientific literature, we identified 64 papers published worldwide considering 32 aromatic plant species. We found a significant number of studies reporting that Apiaceae aromatic plants (Anethumgraveolens L., Coriandrumsativum L., Foeniculumvulgare L.) attract and benefit (in terms of longevity and/or fecundity) insect predators. Contrasting results were found for parasitoids, as well as with plant species from other families (mostly Asteraceae and Lamiaceae). Functional traits of plants (corolla shape, colour, volatiles) and of insects (mouthparts mainly) were considered to discuss these results. Additionally, we have not found a significant number of studies reporting an enhancement of biological control in crop or fruit trees cultivated adjacent to aromatic plants. However, the number of studies was limited, suggesting a need for further field-based research. Still, the retrieved studies highlight a recent interest for sowing aromatic plants in fields and orchards towards biological control of insect pests in East Asia and especially in China

Urethro-cutaneous fistula after hypospadia repair: a single institution study

Urethro-cutaneous fistula (UCF) is one of the most frequently seen complications of hypospadias surgery requiring reoperation; it occurs with an incidence of between 4% and 28%. Risk factors associated with the development of UCF can be classified as preoperative, intraoperative or postoperative. The aim of this study was to determine the association of perioperative risk factors and the development of urethrocutaneous fistula after hypospadias repair. A retrospective review of patients who had undergone hypospadias repair at Kenyatta National Hospital between 2013 and 2017 was conducted. 114 patient records were retrieved. The incidence of UCF was 47%. Risk factors that were significantly associated with UCF are hypospadias type (p=0.028), lack of a protective intermediate layer (p=0.002), and presence of postoperative complications (p=0.001). Age at surgery, suture material, type of repair and use of catheter/stents were not significant factors. Multivariate analysis showed wound infection and meatal stenosis as the most significant factors associated with UCF development.Keywords: Hypospadias, Urethro-cutaneous fistula, Risk factors, Wound infection, Meatal stenosi

Designing a ubiquitous sensor-based platform to facilitate learning for young children in Thailand

Education plays an important role in helping developing nations reduce poverty and improving quality of life. Ubiquitous and mobile technologies could greatly enhance education in such regions by providing augmented access to learning. This paper presents a three-year iterative study where a ubiquitous sensor based learning platform was designed, developed and tested to support science learning among primary school students in underprivileged Northern Thailand. The platform is built upon the school’s existing mobile devices and was expanded to include sensor-based technology. Throughout the iterative design process, observations, interviews and group discussions were carried out with stakeholders. This lead to key reflections and design concepts such as the value of injecting anthropomorphic qualities into the learning device and providing personally and culturally relevant learning experiences through technology. Overall, the results outlined in this paper help contribute to knowledge regarding the design, development and implementation of ubiquitous sensor-based technology to support learning

Designing a ubiquitous sensor-based platform to facilitate learning for young children in Thailand

Education plays an important role in helping developing nations reduce poverty and improving quality of life. Ubiquitous and mobile technologies could greatly enhance education in such regions by providing augmented access to learning. This paper presents a three-year iterative study where a ubiquitous sensor based learning platform was designed, developed and tested to support science learning among primary school students in underprivileged Northern Thailand. The platform is built upon the school’s existing mobile devices and was expanded to include sensor-based technology. Throughout the iterative design process, observations, interviews and group discussions were carried out with stakeholders. This lead to key reflections and design concepts such as the value of injecting anthropomorphic qualities into the learning device and providing personally and culturally relevant learning experiences through technology. Overall, the results outlined in this paper help contribute to knowledge regarding the design, development and implementation of ubiquitous sensor-based technology to support learning

AMNIOTE PHYLOGENY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF FOSSILS

Several prominent cladists have questioned the importance of fossils in phylogenctic inference, and it is becoming increasingly popular to simply fit extinct forms, if they are considered at all, to a cladogram of Recent taxa. Gardiner's (1982) and LØvtrup's (1985) study of amniote phylogeny exemplifies this differential treatment, and we focused on that group of organisms to test the proposition that fossils cannot overturn a theory of relationships based only on the Recent biota. Our parsimony analysis of amniote phylogeny, special knowledge contributed by fossils being scrupulously avoided, led to the following best fitting classification, which is similar to the novel hypothesis Gardiner published: (lepidosaurs (turtles (mammals (birds, crocodiles)))). However, adding fossils resulted in a markedly different most parsimonious cladogram of the extant taxa: (mammals (turtles (lepidosaurs (birds, crocodiles)))). That classification is like the traditional hypothesis, and it provides a better fit to the stratigraphic record. To isolate the extinct taxa responsible for the latter classification, the data were successively partitioned with each phylogenetic analysis, and we concluded that: (1) the ingroup, not the outgroup, fossils were important; (2) synapsid, not reptile, fossils were pivotal; (3) certain synapsid fossils, not the earliest or latest, were responsible. The critical nature of the synapsid fossils seemed to lie in the particular combination of primitive and derived character slates they exhibited. Classifying those fossils, along with mammals, as the sister group to the lineage consisting of birds and crocodiles resulted in a relatively poor fit to data; one involving a 2—4 fold increase in evolutionary reversals! Thus, the importance of the critical fossils, collectively or individually, seems to reside in their relative primitive-ness, and the simplest explanation for their more conservative nature is that they have had less time to evolve. While fossils may be important in phylogenetic inference only under certain conditions, there is no compelling reason to prejudge their contribution. We urge systematists to evaluate fairly all of the available evidence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73857/1/j.1096-0031.1988.tb00514.x.pd

Evaluation of Intussusception after Monovalent Rotavirus Vaccination in Africa.

Postlicensure evaluations have identified an association between rotavirus vaccination and intussusception in several high- and middle-income countries. We assessed the association between monovalent human rotavirus vaccine and intussusception in lower-income sub-Saharan African countries.Using active surveillance, we enrolled patients from seven countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) who had intussusception that met international (Brighton Collaboration level 1) criteria. Rotavirus vaccination status was confirmed by review of the vaccine card or clinic records. The risk of intussusception within 1 to 7 days and 8 to 21 days after vaccination among infants 28 to 245 days of age was assessed by means of the self-controlled case-series method.Data on 717 infants who had intussusception and confirmed vaccination status were analyzed. One case occurred in the 1 to 7 days after dose 1, and 6 cases occurred in the 8 to 21 days after dose 1. Five cases and 16 cases occurred in the 1 to 7 days and 8 to 21 days, respectively, after dose 2. The risk of intussusception in the 1 to 7 days after dose 1 was not higher than the background risk of intussusception (relative incidence [i.e., the incidence during the risk window vs. all other times], 0.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], <0.001 to 1.16); findings were similar for the 1 to 7 days after dose 2 (relative incidence, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.16 to 1.87). In addition, the risk of intussusception in the 8 to 21 days or 1 to 21 days after either dose was not found to be higher than the background risk.The risk of intussusception after administration of monovalent human rotavirus vaccine was not higher than the background risk of intussusception in seven lower-income sub-Saharan African countries. (Funded by the GAVI Alliance through the CDC Foundation.)