Electromyographic Evaluation of Early Stage Results of Exoscopic Microdecompressive Spinal Surgery in Dogs

Background: Spinal surgical interventions are generally used in the treatment of various spinal pathologies such as vertebral fracture, luxation-subluxation, congenital vertebral deformities, discal hernia, infection and tumor. Minimally invasive spinal surgery contributes to rapid recovery by reducing iatrogenic muscle damage and postoperative pain. In minimally invasive spinal surgery, a new hybrid imaging technique, the exoscope, has been developed in the last decade The purpose of this study was to report efficacy of the exoscopic microdecompressive spinal surgery (MDSS) and its early postoperative electromyography (EMG) results in dogs.Materials, Methods & Results:The material of this study consisted of the owned 10 dogs with spinal cord injury resulted from the different etiologies. On the basis of examinations, medical support (fluid therapy, corticosteroid, etc.) was applied to the required dogs. Exoscopic MDSS was performed under general anesthesia in dogs. The neurologic, radiologic and EMG examination were completed at pre- and postoperative periods. EMG results at postoperative 1st week showed increased conduction velocity and amplitudes in 3 cases. There was no significant change in a case. And, there was a slight slowdown in conduction velocity and significant decrease in amplitudes in a case. At postoperative 4th week, ther was increased conduction velocity and amplitudes in 8 cases and needle EMG showed that spontan muscle activity was normal in 5 cases, mild in 2 cases, moderate a case and severe in a case. But spontan muscle activity was unfollowed in a case. Postoperative outcomes were poor in 3 cases, fair in 3 cases, good in 3 cases and unfollowed in a case. Discussion: Spinal cord injuries encountered in veterinary medicine have significant morbidity and mortality. In spinal patients, in addition to neurological examination, lesion localization can be determined using imaging techniques such as radiology, computed tomography, and MRI. EMG and somatosensory evoked potentials examinations are used to evaluate quantitative functional recovery, especially in spinal cord injuries. EMG also provides an opportunity to evaluate muscle activation patterns during recovery. Exoscopic spinal surgery is the newest hybrid imaging technique. Exoscopic MDSS facilitated manipulation by providing adequate illumination and vision at the exploration site. Exoscopic MDSS has the advantages of microscopic surgery and is a new technique that can be applied in dogs with spinal pathology

Assessing the validity and reliability of family factors on physical activity: A case study in Turkey

Background: Childhood obesity rates have been rising rapidly in developing countries. A better understanding of the risk factors and social context is necessary to inform public health interventions and policies. This paper describes the validation of several measurement scales for use in Turkey, which relate to child and parent perceptions of physical activity (PA) and enablers and barriers of physical activity in the home environment. Method: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of several measurement scales in Turkey using a population sample across three socio-economic strata in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Surveys were conducted in Grade 4 children (mean age = 9.7 years for boys; 9.9 years for girls), and their parents, across 6 randomly selected schools, stratified by SES (n = 641 students, 483 parents). Construct validity of the scales was evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency of scales and test-retest reliability were assessed by Cronbach\u27s alpha and intra-class correlation. Results: The scales as a whole were found to have acceptable-to-good model fit statistics (PA Barriers: RMSEA = 0.076, SRMR = 0.0577, AGFI = 0.901; PA Outcome Expectancies: RMSEA = 0.054, SRMR = 0.0545, AGFI = 0.916, and PA Home Environment: RMSEA = 0.038, SRMR = 0.0233, AGFI = 0.976). The PA Barriers subscales showed good internal consistency and poor to fair test-retest reliability (personal α = 0.79, ICC = 0.29, environmental α = 0.73, ICC = 0.59). The PA Outcome Expectancies subscales showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability (negative α = 0.77, ICC = 0.56; positive α = 0.74, ICC = 0.49). Only the PA Home Environment subscale on support for PA was validated in the final confirmatory model; it showed moderate internal consistency and test-retest reliability (α = 0.61, ICC = 0.48). Discussion: This study is the first to validate measures of perceptions of physical activity and the physical activity home environment in Turkey. Our results support the originally hypothesized two-factor structures for Physical Activity Barriers and Physical Activity Outcome Expectancies. However, we found the one-factor rather than two-factor structure for Physical Activity Home Environment had the best model fit. This study provides general support for the use of these scales in Turkey in terms of validity, but test-retest reliability warrants further research

Waterpipe Smoking among Herat University Students: Prevalence, Attitudes, and Associated Factors

AbstractBackground: Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) is an ancient type of smoking that has become a globalphenomenon. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of waterpipe smoking and its relation tosocio-demographic characteristics in Herat University students in western Afghanistan.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a structured self-administered questionnaire containing 53 items in3 subscales was distributed between July and December 2018, to examine the use of waterpipe among HeratUniversity students. Data were evaluated in SPSS. Chi-square test was used to observe differences betweencategorical variables. All important variables were separately evaluated for men and women in logisticregression models. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Findings: The prevalence of ever waterpipe use in male and female students was 54.1% and 81.8%,respectively. Parents’ higher education and family economic status were associated with higher rates of everwaterpipe use in both sexes. On the other hand, marital status and parents’ employment were not associatedwith waterpipe use. Ever waterpipe use was associated with having smoking friends or family members inboth sexes. Male and female waterpipe users believed that cigarette smoke had more nicotine thanwaterpipe. While more male waterpipe users believed that cigarette was more addictive than waterpipe, morefemale users believed otherwise.Conclusion: The prevalence of ever waterpipe use is higher in male students at Herat University. Having asmoking friend and family member positively influences waterpipe use among both sexes. Most usersbelieved that waterpipe smoking was less hazardous than cigarette smoking

A Rare Type of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis: Eosinophilic Ascites

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases are a group of inflammatory disorders characterized by signs and symptoms associated with eosinophil infiltration of the gastrointestinal tissues with the absence of any secondary cause of eosinophilia such as parasitic infection, vasculitis and malignancy. Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases are rare and eosinophilic ascite is probably the least common and least reported form. We reported a case of 24-year old women presented with eosinophilic ascites and we want to point out a rare cause of ascites that can be managed appropriately

Is there any association between colonic polyps and gastric intestinal metaplasia?

Background/Aims: Chronic gastritis progression is a multistep process of atrophy, intestinal metaplasia (IM), and dysplasia, which may lead to invasive carcinoma. In this study, we identified an association of colonic polyps with gastric IM in patients undergoing colonoscopy. Materials and Methods: This retrospective case-control, cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary-care institution in Turkey. Pathology and endoscopy reports were reviewed. The study group comprised 400 patients with colonic adenomatous polyps, and the control group comprised 360 patients without colonic adenomatous polyps on colonoscopy. Results: The risk of gastric IM was 1.42-fold higher in the study group (p= 50 years with colonic polyps was 3.35-fold higher than in those aged <50 years (p<0.05). The risk of Helicobacter pylori infection in the study group was 1.07-folder higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). H. pylori infection prevalence was higher only in patients with high-grade colonic polyp dysplasia (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of incomplete IM between the groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study observed increased rates of gastric IM with colonic polyps. An increased risk of gastric IM was associated with higher grades of polyp dysplasia

Geometric Design of Planar Scissor Linkages with Hybrid Loop Assemblies

Due to their expansion capabilities and the simplicity of their design, scissor linkages have been used in both architecture and engineering for various applications, such as expandable roofs and shelters, movable bridges, furniture, and as parts of mechanisms. The two main design methods used for scissor linkages are the unit-based method and the loop-based method. While the unit-based method is based on serial multiplication of the scissor units, the loop-based method is based on aligning predefined loop types onto the desired curve. When the input parameter is the desired curvature for the finally deployed configuration of the linkage, the loop-based method is easier and more convenient for defining the scissor units to create the whole linkage geometry. Most of the existing studies on the loop-based method deal with identical or arbitrary loops. Hybrid loop assemblies have not yet been studied, although they may offer different geometric alternatives. This work aimed to fill this gap in the literature and present a geometric design approach for scissor linkages composed of hybrid loop assemblies using frieze patterns. First, the basic terminology, such as loop types, loop assemblies, and frieze patterns, is introduced. Then, we discuss scissor linkages using hybrid loops, generated using a predefined rectilinear geometry in which frieze groups are used to provide diverse variations. The kinematic definitions of the represented linkages are then explained. To reveal the potential applications of the scissor linkages composed of hybrid loops, a case study was conducted in which the proposed linkages were used as a canopy structure. After discussing the potential for using hybrid loops, and their deployment, we present the concluding remarks and make suggestions for future research. (C) 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Melatonin and n-Acetylcysteine in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Adult Rats

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to apply histopathological and immunohistochemical methods to compare the protective efficacy of melatonin and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) application in rats with experimental brain ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury induced through occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), and to evaluate the protective effect of their combined use. Materials and Methods: Forty-one young adult male Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups—control (n = 8), I/R group (n = 8), melatonin (n = 8), NAC (n = 8), and melatonin + NAC (n = 9). Results: All scores differed between the groups, apart from vascular congestion (p p p p Conclusions: The combined use of NAC and melatonin, the neuroprotective efficacy of which on histopathological parameters is shown in this study, now needs to be supported by further research

Determination of serum CRP, VEGF, Leptin, CK-MB, CA-15-3 and IL-6 levels for malignancy prediction in adnexal masses

Objective: Investigation of serum markers which could be used in the malignancy prediction of adnexal masses