36 research outputs found
Sonoelastography of the Common Flexor Tendon of the Elbow with Histologic Agreement: A Cadaveric Study.
Purpose To determine the correlation of the results of conventional B-mode ultrasonography (US) and compression sonoelastography with histologic results in common flexor tendons of the elbow in human cadavers. Materials and Methods Twenty-five common flexor tendons were evaluated in 16 fresh, unembalmed cadavers of 11 women with a median age of 85 years (range, 71-101 years) and five men with a median age of 78 years (range, 70-88 years). Informed consent was provided according to the last will of the donors. B-mode US results were classified as grade 1, normal tendon with homogeneous fibrillar pattern; grade 2, tendon thickening or hypoechoic areas and/or calcifications in less than 30% of the tendon; or grade 3, hypoechoic areas and/or calcifications greater than 30% of the tendon. Sonoelastographic results were grade 1, blue (hardest) to green (hard); grade 2, yellow (soft); and grade 3, red (softest). The intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated to determine agreement with histologic findings for each B-mode US, sonoelastographic, and combined B-mode US and sonoelastographic examination. Histologic results were grade 1, normal, with parallel fibrillar pattern; grade 2, mild tendinopathy, with cellular infiltration, angiogenesis, or fatty vacuoles; or grade 3, severe tendinopathy, with loss of parallel collagen structure and necrosis. Results Histologic alterations were detected in 44% (11 of 25) of biopsy specimens. Intraclass correlation with histologic results was 0.57 for B-mode US, 0.68 for sonoelastography, and 0.84 for the combination of the two approaches. Conclusion The addition of sonoelastography to B-mode US provided statistically significant improvement in correlation with histologic results compared with the use of B-mode US alone (P \u3c .02). (©) RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article
Problems of multi-species organisms: endosymbionts to holobionts
The organism is one of the fundamental concepts of biology and has been at the center of many discussions about biological individuality, yet what exactly it is can be confusing. The definition that we find generally useful is that an organism is a unit in which all the subunits have evolved to be highly cooperative, with very little conflict. We focus on how often organisms evolve from two or more formerly independent organisms. Two canonical transitions of this type—replicators clustered in cells and endosymbiotic organelles within host cells—demonstrate the reality of this kind of evolutionary transition and suggest conditions that can favor it. These conditions include co-transmission of the partners across generations and rules that strongly regulate and limit conflict, such as a fair meiosis. Recently, much attention has been given to associations of animals with microbes involved in their nutrition. These range from tight endosymbiotic associations like those between aphids and Buchnera bacteria, to the complex communities in animal intestines. Here, starting with a reflection about identity through time (which we call “Theseus’s fish”), we consider the distinctions between these kinds of animal–bacteria interactions and describe the criteria by which a few can be considered jointly organismal but most cannot
Understanding the impact of hybrid water supply systems on wastewater and stormwater flows
An Overview of Hybrid Water Supply Systems in the Context of Urban Water Management: Challenges and Opportunities
www.mdpi.com/journal/wate
Instantaneous and cycle optimization of fuel usage on a dual fuel vehicle leveraging gasoline and natural gas
Missing Genomic Resources for the Next Generation of Environmental Risk Assessment
Environmental risk assessment traditionally relies on
a wide range
of in vivo testing to assess the potential hazards of chemicals in
the environment. These tests are often time-consuming and costly and
can cause test organisms’ suffering. Recent developments of
reliable low-cost alternatives, both in vivo- and in silico-based,
opened the door to reconsider current toxicity assessment. However,
many of these new approach methodologies (NAMs) rely on high-quality
annotated genomes for surrogate species of regulatory risk assessment.
Currently, a lack of genomic information slows the process of NAM
development. Here, we present a phylogenetically resolved overview
of missing genomic resources for surrogate species within a regulatory
ecotoxicological risk assessment. We call for an organized and systematic
effort within the (regulatory) ecotoxicological community to provide
these missing genomic resources. Further, we discuss the potential
of a standardized genomic surrogate species landscape to enable a
robust and nonanimal-reliant ecotoxicological risk assessment in the
systems ecotoxicology era
Missing Genomic Resources for the Next Generation of Environmental Risk Assessment
Environmental risk assessment traditionally relies on
a wide range
of in vivo testing to assess the potential hazards of chemicals in
the environment. These tests are often time-consuming and costly and
can cause test organisms’ suffering. Recent developments of
reliable low-cost alternatives, both in vivo- and in silico-based,
opened the door to reconsider current toxicity assessment. However,
many of these new approach methodologies (NAMs) rely on high-quality
annotated genomes for surrogate species of regulatory risk assessment.
Currently, a lack of genomic information slows the process of NAM
development. Here, we present a phylogenetically resolved overview
of missing genomic resources for surrogate species within a regulatory
ecotoxicological risk assessment. We call for an organized and systematic
effort within the (regulatory) ecotoxicological community to provide
these missing genomic resources. Further, we discuss the potential
of a standardized genomic surrogate species landscape to enable a
robust and nonanimal-reliant ecotoxicological risk assessment in the
systems ecotoxicology era