Bilateral variation of the venous corona mortis with a presentation previously undescribed

The corona mortis is an anatomic variant that involves anastomosis between obturator vessels, external iliac vessels and/or inferior epigastric vessels. It is clinically and surgically important because its section may lead to fatal consequences when pelvic procedures are performed. We report a case in which, during an anatomical dissection in a female cadaver, a bilateral corona mortis that involved obturator vessels and external iliac vessels was found, presenting differences on each side, an undescribed type of corona mortis was found and a classification modification was proposed

Effects of varying the intensity of the primary tones on the amplitudes of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEdp) in patients with normal hearing

Indexación: Web of Science; ScieloIntroducción: Las emisiones otoacústicas (EOA) son sonidos generados por las células ciliadas externas (CCE). Se ha visto que la generación y registro de las EOA evocadas depende de factores técnicos de evaluación como el nivel de intensidad de los tonos primarios, relación frecuencial entre los tonos, etc. Objetivos: Estudiar el efecto de la variación de la intensidad de los tonos primarios en la amplitud de la respuesta de las EOA producto de distorsión (pd) en individuos con audición normal. Material y método: Se evaluaron 35 individuos a los cuales se les midieron EOApd utilizando diferentes intensidades de tonos primarios: Intensidad baja (I1=50dBSPL e I2=50dBSPL), intensidad media (I1=55dBSPL e I2=65dBSPL) e intensidad alta (I1=70dBSPL e I2=70dBSPL). Resultados: Se observó que para tonos primarios a bajas intensidades (I1=50dBSPL e I2=50dBSPL) existe una disminución tanto en amplitud y presencia de las EOApd, mientras que para tonos primarios a intensidades mayores (I1=55dBSPL e I2=65dBSPL - I1=70dBSPL e I2=70dBSPL) se evidenció un aumento en amplitud y presencia de EOApd en los sujetos estudiados. Conclusión: Se evidencian diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la amplitud de las EOApd al variar la intensidad de los tonos primarios. Por lo cual se puede establecer que las intensidades medias-altas son las más adecuadas para la evaluación de EOApd en sujetos con audición normal.Introduction: Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) are sounds produced by outer hair cells. The generation and recording of evoked OAE depends on technical factors such as level of intensity of primary tones, frequency relationship between the tones, etc. Aim: To study the effect of varying the intensity of primary tones in the amplitude of the response of Distortion Product OAE (DP) in individuals with normal hearing. Material and method: 35 individuals were measured using different intensities OAEdp primary tones: Low Intensity (I1= I2 =50dBSPL 50dBSPL e), Medium Intensity (11= I2 =65dBSPL 55dBSPL e) and High Intensity (I1 =70dBSPL and I2 =70dBSPL). Results: Using Low primary tones (I1 =I2 =50dBSPL 50dBSPL) there is a decrease in amplitude and presence of DPOAE, while for primary tones at higher intensities (I1 and I2 = = 55dBSPL 65dBSPL -11 =70dBSPL and I2 =70dBSPL) an increase in amplitude and presence of OAEdp in subjects with normal hearing was observed . Conclusion: There are statistically significant differences in OAEdp amplitude by varying the intensity of the primary tones. Therefore medium-high intensities are best suited for the evaluation of OAEdp in subjects with normal hearing.http://ref.scielo.org/36dbs

Genetically engineered bananas resistant to Xanthomonas wilt disease and nematodes

Banana is an important staple food crop feeding more than 100 million Africans, but is subject to severe productivity constraints due to a range of pests and diseases. Banana Xanthomonas wilt caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum is capable of entirely destroying a plantation while nematodes can cause losses up to 50% and increase susceptibility to other pests and diseases. Development of improved varieties of banana is fundamental in order to tackle these challenges. However, the sterile nature of the crop and the lack of resistance in Musa germplasm make improvement by traditional breeding techniques either impossible or extremely slow. Recent developments using genetic engineering have begun to address these problems. Transgenic banana expressing sweet pepper Hrap and Pflp genes have demonstrated complete resistance against X. campestris pv. musacearum in the field. Transgenic plantains expressing a cysteine proteinase inhibitors and/or synthetic peptide showed enhanced resistance to a mixed species population of nematodes in the field. Here, we review the genetic engineering technologies which have potential to improve agriculture and food security in Africa

Triple Oxygen Isotope Measurements (Δ\u27\u3csup\u3e17\u3c/sup\u3eO) of Body Water Reflect Water Intake, Metabolism, and δ\u3csup\u3e18\u3c/sup\u3eO of Ingested Water in Passerines

Understanding physiological traits and ecological conditions that influence a species reliance on metabolic water is critical to creating accurate physiological models that can assess their ability to adapt to environmental perturbations (e.g., drought) that impact water availability. However, relatively few studies have examined variation in the sources of water animals use to maintain water balance, and even fewer have focused on the role of metabolic water. A key reason is methodological limitations. Here, we applied a new method that measures the triple oxygen isotopic composition of a single blood sample to estimate the contribution of metabolic water to the body water pool of three passerine species. This approach relies on Δ\u2717O, defined as the residual from the tight linear correlation that naturally exists between δ17O and δ18O values. Importantly, Δ\u2717O is relatively insensitive to key fractionation processes, such as Rayleigh distillation in the water cycle that have hindered previous isotope-based assessments of animal water balance. We evaluated the effects of changes in metabolic rate and water intake on Δ\u2717O values of captive rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) and two invertivorous passerine species in the genus Cinclodes from the field. As predicted, colder acclimation temperatures induced increases in metabolic rate, decreases in water intake, and increases in the contribution of metabolic water to the body water pool of Z. capensis, causing a consistent change in Δ\u2717O. Measurement of Δ\u2717O also provides an estimate of the δ18O composition of ingested pre-formed (drinking/food) water. Estimated δ18O values of drinking/food water for captive Z. capensis were ~ −11‰, which is consistent with that of tap water in Santiago, Chile. In contrast, δ18O values of drinking/food water ingested by wild-caught Cinclodeswere similar to that of seawater, which is consistent with their reliance on marine resources. Our results confirm the utility of this method for quantifying the relative contribution of metabolic versus pre-formed drinking/food water to the body water pool in birds

Prevalence of the sternalis muscle in Chilean population: A computed tomography study

The sternalis muscle is an anatomic variation that was first described in 1604. It has been studied in different populations worldwide, showing a widespread prevalence. The clinical importance of this muscle depends on mammographic evaluation that can lead to an erroneous diagnosis of breast cancer. Our objective is to determine the prevalence of sternalis muscle in Chilean population, characterizing it by gender and side of presentation using computerized tomography. To our current knowledge, there are no studies determining its prevalence using this method. No institutional review board approval was required for this analysis, which involved data made anonymous from men and women who underwent computerized tomography imaging for diagnostic purpose between January 2012 and February 2014. A retrospective radiological identification of the sternalis muscle was performed in 2288 axial computerized tomographies to determine the overall gender and side distribution. Data were analyzed using chi-square test. The sternalis muscle was present in 20 out of 2288 computerized tomographies, and its prevalence in the Chilean population was 0.87%. This muscle was found in male (12/1064, 1.12%) and female subjects (8/1224, 0.65%), no statistical difference between genders was found. Among people with the sternalis muscle, 12 (0.52%) presented it on the left side, 6 (0.26%) on the right side, and only 2 (0.09%) had bilateral sternalis muscle. The Chilean population has the lowest prevalence of sternalis muscle ever reported

The SECURE project – Stem canker of oilseed rape: : molecular methods and mathematical modelling to deploy durable resistance

N Evans et al, "The SECURE Project - Stem Canker of oilseed rape: Molecular methods and mathematical modeling to deploy durable resistance", in Vol 4 of the Proceedings of the 12th International Rapeseed Congress : Sustainable Development in Cruciferous Oilseed Crops Production, Wuhan, China, March 26 - 30, 2007. The proceedings are available online at: http://gcirc.org/intranet/irc-proceedings/12th-irc-wuhan-china-2007-vol-4.htmlModelling done during the SECURE project has demonstrated the dynamic nature of the interaction between phoma stem canker (Leptosphaeria maculans), the oilseed rape host (Brassica napus) and the environment. Experiments done with near-isogenic lines of L. maculans to investigate pathogen fitness support field data that suggest a positive effect of the avirulence allele AvrLm4 on pathogen fitness, and that the loss of this allele renders isolates less competitive under field conditions on cultivars without the resistance gene Rlm4. The highlight of molecular work was the cloning of AvrLm1 and AvrLm6. L. maculans is now one of the few fungal species for which two avirulence loci have been cloned. Subsequent research focused on understanding the function of AvrLm1 and AvrLm6 and on the analysis of sequences of virulent isolates to understand molecular evolution towards virulence. Isolates of L. maculans transformed with GFP and/or DsRed were used to follow growth of the fungus in B. napus near-isogenic-lines (NIL) with or without MX (Rlm6) resistance under different temperature and wetness conditions. The results greatly enhanced our knowledge of the infection process and the rate and extent of in planta growth on different cultivars. Conclusions from work to model durability of resistance have been tested under field conditions through a series of experiments to compare durability of resistance conferred by the major resistance gene Rlm6 alone in a susceptible background (EurolMX) or in a resistant background (DarmorMX) under recurrent selection over 4 growing seasons. A major priority of the project was knowledge transfer of results and recommendations to target audiences such as plant breeding companies and extension services. CETIOM developed a “diversification scheme” that encourages French growers to make an informed choice about the cultivars that are grown within the rotation based on the resistance genes carried by the individual cultivars. Use of such schemes, in association with survey data on the population structure of L. maculans at both national and European scales will provide opportunities for breeders and the industry to manage available B. napus resistance more effectively.Non peer reviewe