The management of distal ulnar fractures in adults: a review of the literature and recommendations for treatment

The distal ulna represents the fixed point around which the radius and the hand acts in daily living. The significance of distal ulnar fractures is often not appreciated and often results in inadequate treatment in comparison to its larger counterpart; the radius. There is little guidance in the current literature as how to manage these fractures and their associated injuries. This paper aims to critically review the current literature and combine it with treatment suggestions based on the experience of the authors to help guide investigation and management of these often complex injuries

The effect of brief digital interventions on attitudes to intellectual disability: Results from a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the effects of contact and education based interventions on attitudes is limited in the intellectual disability field. This study compared the effects of brief interventions with different education, indirect and imagined contact components on lay people's attitudes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 401 adult participants were randomised to six digital brief interventions consisting of different combinations of education, indirect and imagined contact. Their attitudes, intergroup anxiety and social distance were assessed post-intervention and at four to six-week follow-up. RESULTS: An intervention combining film-based education about intellectual disability and indirect contact had small positive effects on all three outcomes. Social distance was further reduced with the addition of a positively toned imagined contact task. These effects were maintained at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: A brief film-based digital intervention can have small positive effects on attitudes to people with intellectual disabilities. These may be enhanced by adding positive imagined contact

Tethering forces of secretory granules measured with optical tweezers.

Fusion of a vesicle with its target membrane is preceded by tethering or docking. However, the physical mechanism of vesicle-tethering is unknown. To study this mechanism, we used eosinophil secretory granules, which undergo stimulated homotypic fusion events inside the cell during degranulation. Using a dual optical trap system, we observed tether formation between isolated eosinophil secretory granules. The results show that secretory granules interact stochastically with a target membrane forming physical tethers linking the vesicle and target membrane, rather than via interactions with the cytoskeleton. The necessary components are membrane-associated, and the addition of cytosolic components is not required. Tether-lifetime measurements as a function of applied mechanical force revealed at least three kinetically distinct tethered states. The tethered-state lifetimes of isolated eosinophil granules match the residence times of chromaffin granules at the plasma membrane in intact cells, suggesting that the tethering mechanisms reported here may represent the physiological mechanisms of vesicle-tethering in the cell

Health literacy, health status, and healthcare utilization of Taiwanese adults: results from a national survey

Abstract Background Low health literacy is considered a worldwide health threat. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence and socio-demographic covariates of low health literacy in Taiwanese adults and to investigate the relationships between health literacy and health status and health care utilization. Methods A national survey of 1493 adults was conducted in 2008. Health literacy was measured using the Mandarin Health Literacy Scale. Health status was measured based on self-rated physical and mental health. Health care utilization was measured based on self-reported outpatient clinic visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Results Approximately thirty percent of adults were found to have low (inadequate or marginal) health literacy. They tended to be older, have fewer years of schooling, lower household income, and reside in less populated areas. Inadequate health literacy was associated with poorer mental health (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.35-0.91). No association was found between health literacy and health care utilization even after adjusting for other covariates. Conclusions Low (inadequate and marginal) health literacy is prevalent in Taiwan. High prevalence of low health literacy is not necessarily indicative of the need for interventions. Systematic efforts to evaluate the impact of low health literacy on health outcomes in other countries would help to illuminate features of health care delivery and financing systems that may mitigate the adverse health effects of low health literacy.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78252/1/1471-2458-10-614.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78252/2/1471-2458-10-614.pdfPeer Reviewe

Rewiring of the corticospinal tract in the adult rat after unilateral stroke and anti-Nogo-A therapy

The adult CNS has limited potential for functional recovery after structural lesions. Lindau et al. report that a blocking antibody to the neurite-growth inhibitory protein Nogo-A improved functional recovery in a rat sensorimotor cortex stroke model. The functional recovery was accompanied by increased corticospinal innervation from the contralateral corte

Evolution of microstructure in advanced ferritic-martensitic steels under irradiation : the origin of low temperature radiation embrittlement

Advanced reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels and oxide dispersion-strengthened steels exhibit significant radiation embrittlement under low temperature neutron irradiation. In this study we focused on atom probe tomography (APT) of Eurofer97 and ODS Eurofer steels irradiated with neutrons and heavy ions at low temperatures. Previous TEM studies revealed dislocation loops in the neutron-irradiated f\m steels. At the same time, our APT showed early stages of solid solution decomposition. High density (10$^{24}$ m$^{-3}$) of ∼3–5 nm clusters enriched in chromium, manganese, and silicon atoms were found in Eurofer 97 irradiated in BOR-60 reactor to 32 dpa at 332°C. In this steel irradiated with Fe ions up to the dose of 24 dpa, pair correlation functions calculated using APT data showed the presence of Cr-enriched pre-phases. APT study of ODS Eurofer found a significant change in the nanocluster composition after neutron irradiation to 32 dpa at 330 °C and an increase in cluster number density. APT of ODS steels irradiated with Fe ions at low temperatures revealed similar changes in nanoclusters. These results suggest that irradiation-induced nucleation and evolution of very small precipitates may be the origin of low temperature radiation embrittlement of f\m steels