Reconstruction of Traumatic Dorsal Loss of the Thumb: Four Different Surgical Approaches

This article outlines our methods for thumb reconstruction following dorsal skin loss injury located between the metacarpophalangeal joint (MPj) and the entire nail affecting skin, nail, tendon, and bone in different combinations but with intact sensate palmar skin

Behaviour of a Large Anchored Basement in Dense Sands and Gravels

Prior to the excavation of half a million cubic meters of dense gravelly material within the city centre of Milan, a 24 to 27m long diaphragm wall was built to provide a 17m retained height to a four-level basement. Temporary support was offered by two to four rows of ground anchors with the exception of a portion adjacent to an existing multi-level cark park where a post-tensioned capping beam was installed to protect the car park and prevent it from being subject to sway. Other design challenges were posed by the proximity of a buried channel and of an urban rail tunnel. An extensive monitoring system was set up including inclinometers, load cells and topographical survey points to reveal lateral movements in the order of 10mm or less, negligible variation of anchor loads as the excavation progressed and heave behind the wall. In response to a general lack of case histories and design guidance on deep excavations in dense coarse material, especially in the region, a backanalysis of diaphragm wall monitoring data was carried out and its main results are commented on in the present paper. Lateral movements are best reproduced with pseudo-FE or full FE software if a soil stiffness compatible with the relevant shear strain level is adopted

Device and method for converting direct current into alternate current

The device for converting direct current into alternate current comprises a multilevel converter associated with at least a source of direct current and a modulation unit having piloting means for piloting the converter for the conversion of the direct current into an alternate output current, in which the modulation unit comprises comparison means for comparing the output current value with a preset positive threshold value and a preset negative threshold value, the piloting means being suitable for piloting the converter with a pulse modulation of the unipolar type in the event of the output current value being above the positive threshold value or below the negative threshold value and with a pulse modulation of the complementary type in the event of the output current value being below the positive threshold value and above the negative threshold value. The method for converting direct current into alternate current comprises a piloting phase of a multilevel converter for the conversion of a direct voltage into an alternate output voltage, a comparison phase of the output current value with a preset positive threshold value and a preset negative threshold value, the piloting phase being suitable for piloting the converter with a pulse modulation of the unipolar type in the event of the output current value being above the positive threshold value or below the negative threshold value and with a pulse modulation of the complementary type in the event of the output current value being below the positive threshold value and above the negative threshold value

Fatal poisoning by ingestion of a self‑prepared oleander leaf infusion

An unusual case of poisoning by the ingestion of oleander leaves is reported. A 71 year old male laboratory technician committed suicide at home in this unusual manner. At the death scene a steel pan and other paraphernalia, used for the extraction of oleandrin and other cardiac glycosides from the leaves of the Nerium oleander plant were found. Toxicological investigations for oleandrin, oleandrigenin, neritaloside, and odoroside were performed by LC–MS/MS on all biological samples (peripheral blood, vitreous humor, urine, liver, gastric contents) and on the yellow infusion found at the death scene. In all samples, toxic levels of oleandrin were detected (blood 37.5 ng/mL, vitreous humor 12.6 ng/mL, urine 83.8 ng/mL, liver 205 ng/mg, gastric content 31.2 µg/mL, infusion 38.5 µg/mL). Qualitative results for oleandrigenin, neritaloside, and odoroside were obtained. Oleandrigenin was present in all tissue samples whereas neritaloside and odoroside were absent in the blood and vitreous humor but present in urine, liver, gastric content, and in the leaf brew. The purpose of this study was the identifcation of oleandrin and its congener oleandrigenin, detected in the vitreous humor. The blood/vitreous humor ratio was also calculated in order to assess of the likely time interval from ingestion to death. According to the toxicological results death was attributed to fatal arrhythmia due to oleander intoxication. The manner of death was classifed as suicide through the ingestion of the infusion

Fatal poisoning by ingestion of a self-prepared oleander leaf infusion

An unusual case of poisoning by the ingestion of oleander leaves is reported. A 71 year old male laboratory technician committed suicide at home in this unusual manner. At the death scene a steel pan and other paraphernalia, used for the extraction of oleandrin and other cardiac glycosides from the leaves of the Nerium oleander plant were found. Toxicological investigations for oleandrin, oleandrigenin, neritaloside, and odoroside were performed by LC–MS/MS on all biological samples (peripheral blood, vitreous humor, urine, liver, gastric contents) and on the yellow infusion found at the death scene. In all samples, toxic levels of oleandrin were detected (blood 37.5 ng/mL, vitreous humor 12.6 ng/mL, urine 83.8 ng/mL, liver 205 ng/mg, gastric content 31.2 μg/mL, infusion 38.5 μg/mL). Qualitative results for oleandrigenin, neritaloside, and odoroside were obtained. Oleandrigenin was present in all tissue samples whereas neritaloside and odoroside were absent in the blood and vitreous humor but present in urine, liver, gastric content, and in the leaf brew. The purpose of this study was the identification of oleandrin and its congener oleandrigenin, detected in the vitreous humor. The blood/vitreous humor ratio was also calculated in order to assess of the likely time interval from ingestion to death. According to the toxicological results death was attributed to fatal arrhythmia due to oleander intoxication. The manner of deathwas classified as suicide through the ingestion of the infusion

Brainstem expression of SLC6A4, HTR2C, NGF, BDNF, TRKANGF, TRKBBDNF and P75NTR following paternal alcohol exposure in the male mouse

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Role of Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ-NOP Receptor System in the Regulation of Stress-Related Disorders

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is a 17-residue neuropeptide that binds the nociceptin opioid-like receptor (NOP). N/OFQ exhibits nucleotidic and aminoacidics sequence homology with the precursors of other opioid neuropeptides but it does not activate either MOP, KOP or DOP receptors. Furthermore, opioid neuropeptides do not activate the NOP receptor. Generally, activation of N/OFQ system exerts anti-opioids effects, for instance toward opioid-induced reward and analgesia. The NOP receptor is widely expressed throughout the brain, whereas N/OFQ localization is confined to brain nuclei that are involved in stress response such as amygdala, BNST and hypothalamus. Decades of studies have delineated the biological role of this system demonstrating its involvement in significant physiological processes such as pain, learning and memory, anxiety, depression, feeding, drug and alcohol dependence. This review discusses the role of this peptidergic system in the modulation of stress and stress-associated psychiatric disorders in particular drug addiction, mood, anxiety and food-related associated-disorders. Emerging preclinical evidence suggests that both NOP agonists and antagonists may represent a effective therapeutic approaches for substances use disorder. Moreover, the current literature suggests that NOP antagonists can be useful to treat depression and feeding-related diseases, such as obesity and binge eating behavior, whereas the activation of NOP receptor by agonists could be a promising tool for anxiety

Glycopatterns of the foregut in the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba, Meyen 1833 from the Mediterranean Sea

AbstractThe glycopatterns of the glycans secreted by the mucosa of stomach and duodenal ampulla of the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba were studied by histochemical (Periodic acid‐Schiff, Alcian Blue pH 2.5, High Iron Diamine) and lectin‐binding (SBA, DBA, PNA, WGA, MAA‐II, SNA, ConA, UEA‐I, AAA, LTA) techniques. The stomach can be divided into four compartments: main stomach, two connecting chambers and pylorus. The pylorus is followed by the duodenal ampulla. Mucins are secreted by surface cells and intramucosal glands specific for each compartment. In the main stomach glands, neck cells were weakly sulphated, with prevailing glycosaminylated, glycosylated/mannosylated, and fucosylated residuals. Parietal and chief cells in general were scarcely reactive. In the connecting chambers glands, there were high levels of sulphation, glycosaminylation, glycosylation/mannosylation, and fucosylation, the latter with more complex patterns than those observed in the main stomach glands. In the pyloric glands sulphated, glycosaminylated and fucosylated residuals decreased, whereas the opposite was observed for galactosyl/galactosaminylated residuals. Glycosylation patterns in the glands of the duodenal ampulla differed from those of the pyloric ones, with similar levels of sulphation, lower levels of galactosyl/galactosaminylation and glycosaminylation, and higher level of fucosylation. The results are compared with those available in literature