Primary psoas muscle abscess diagnosed and treated during pregnancy: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Primary psoas muscle abscess is rare and can be difficult to diagnose, particularly during pregnancy. CASE: To our knowledge, this is the first case of primary psoas muscle abscess diagnosed during pregnancy. Clinical investigation did not reveal any infection spreading from adjacent structures. Surgical drainage and simultaneous Cesarean delivery of the infant, combined with appropriate antibiotics, enabled a cure. CONCLUSION: The possibility of psoas muscle abscess should be taken into account when investigating lower back pain during pregnancy if conventional approaches are unsatisfactory

Whole genome sequencing of Turkish genomes reveals functional private alleles and impact of genetic interactions with Europe, Asia and Africa

Background: Turkey is a crossroads of major population movements throughout history and has been a hotspot of cultural interactions. Several studies have investigated the complex population history of Turkey through a limited set of genetic markers. However, to date, there have been no studies to assess the genetic variation at the whole genome level using whole genome sequencing. Here, we present whole genome sequences of 16 Turkish individuals resequenced at high coverage (32 × -48×). Results: We show that the genetic variation of the contemporary Turkish population clusters with South European populations, as expected, but also shows signatures of relatively recent contribution from ancestral East Asian populations. In addition, we document a significant enrichment of non-synonymous private alleles, consistent with recent observations in European populations. A number of variants associated with skin color and total cholesterol levels show frequency differentiation between the Turkish populations and European populations. Furthermore, we have analyzed the 17q21.31 inversion polymorphism region (MAPT locus) and found increased allele frequency of 31.25% for H1/H2 inversion polymorphism when compared to European populations that show about 25% of allele frequency. Conclusion: This study provides the first map of common genetic variation from 16 western Asian individuals and thus helps fill an important geographical gap in analyzing natural human variation and human migration. Our data will help develop population-specific experimental designs for studies investigating disease associations and demographic history in Turkey. © 2014 Alkan et al

First observation of excited states in 173Hg

The neutron-deficient nucleus 173Hg has been studied following fusion-evaporation reactions. The observation of gamma rays decaying from excited states are reported for the first time and a tentative level scheme is proposed. The proposed level scheme is discussed within the context of the systematics of neighbouring neutron-deficient Hg nuclei. In addition to the gamma-ray spectroscopy, the alpha decay of this nucleus has been measured yielding superior precision to earlier measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Ictal Behaviors During Nonepileptic Seizures Differ in Patients with Temporal Lobe Interictal Epileptiform EEG Activity and Patients Without Interictal Epileptiform EEG Abnormalities

Purpose: Ictal behaviors during psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (NES) vary considerably among individuals, and can closely resemble common semiologies of epileptic seizures (ES). We tested the hypothesis that behaviors during NES in patients who have temporal spikes would more closely resemble behaviors during ES in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy than would behaviors during NES in patients who do not have EEG spikes. Methods: We identified 20 patients who had interictal temporal EEG spikes and EEG-video recorded NES (Study Group), 133 patients with temporal EEG spikes and recorded ES, without NES (Epileptic Group), and 24 patients with recorded NES and no epileptiform EEG abnormalities, without ES (Nonepileptic Group). Results: The hypothesis was supported with regard to ictal motor behaviors. Motionless staring or complex automatisms occurred mainly during NES in the Study Group and during ES in the Epileptic Group. In contrast, convulsive movements or flaccid falls were most common during NES in the Nonepileptic Group. Duration of unresponsiveness was longer, and there were fewer postictal states in NES both in the Study and Non-epileptic Groups. Unresponsiveness was briefer and postictal states were more consistent in ES in the Epileptic Group, however. Conclusions: Stereotyped motor activities during NES presumably represent learned behaviors. Processes underlying acquisition of ictal behaviors of NES probably differ in patients with interictal epileptiform EEG abnormalities compared to those without. Prior experiences and temporal lobe dysfunctions that are associated with epilepsy, and psychological characteristics that are unrelated to interictal epileptic dysfunctions, may determine ictal behaviors during NES.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65913/1/j.1528-1157.1998.tb01355.x.pd

Direct observation of the Ba 114 → Xe 110 → Te 106 → Sn 102 triple α -decay chain using position and time correlations

The triple α-decay chain 114Ba → 110Xe → 106Te → 102Sn has been directly observed for the first time, following the 58Ni(58Ni ,2n) reaction. Implantation of 114Ba nuclei into a double-sided silicon-strip detector has allowed their α decays to be correlated in position and time with the α decays of the daughter (110Xe) and granddaughter (106Te) nuclei. In total, 17 events have been assigned to the 114Ba → 110Xe → 106Te → 102Sn triple α-decay chain. The energy of the 114Ba α decay has been measured to be Eα = 3480(20) keV, which is 70 keV higher than the previously measured value, and the half-life of 114Ba has been measured with improved accuracy, to be 380+190 −110 ms. A revised Q12C value of 19 035(45) keV for 114Ba is presented.peerReviewe

Building connectomes using diffusion MRI: why, how and but

Why has diffusion MRI become a principal modality for mapping connectomes in vivo? How do different image acquisition parameters, fiber tracking algorithms and other methodological choices affect connectome estimation? What are the main factors that dictate the success and failure of connectome reconstruction? These are some of the key questions that we aim to address in this review. We provide an overview of the key methods that can be used to estimate the nodes and edges of macroscale connectomes, and we discuss open problems and inherent limitations. We argue that diffusion MRI-based connectome mapping methods are still in their infancy and caution against blind application of deep white matter tractography due to the challenges inherent to connectome reconstruction. We review a number of studies that provide evidence of useful microstructural and network properties that can be extracted in various independent and biologically-relevant contexts. Finally, we highlight some of the key deficiencies of current macroscale connectome mapping methodologies and motivate future developments

Decay of a 19(-) isomeric state in Lu-156

A multiparticle spin-trap isomeric state having a half-life of 179(4) ns and lying 2601 keV above the yrast 10 + state in 156 Lu has been discovered. The 156 Lu nuclei were produced by bombarding isotopically enriched 106 Cd targets with beams of 58 Ni ions, separated in flight using the gas-filled separator RITU and their decays were measured using the GREAT spectrometer. Analysis of the main decay path that populates yrast states observed previously suggests a spin-parity assignment of 19 − for the isomeric state, which is consistent with isomeric states identified in the N = 85 isotones. Comparison with other decay paths in 156 Lu indicates that the [ π h − 1 11 / 2 ⊗ ν h 9 / 2 ] 10 + state at the bottom of the yrast sequence is likely to be the α -decaying isomeric state, with the [ π h − 1 11 / 2 ⊗ ν f 7 / 2 ] 9 + state lying 62 keV above it. The relative ordering of the lowest-lying 9 + and 10 + states is inverted in 156 Lu compared with its odd-odd isotones.peerReviewe