Effect of Defocused CO(2 )Laser on Equine Tissue Perfusion

Treatment with defocused CO(2 )laser can have a therapeutic effect on equine injuries, but the mechanisms involved are unclear. A recent study has shown that laser causes an increase in equine superficial tissue temperature, which may result in an increase in blood perfusion and a stimulating effect on tissue regeneration. However, no studies have described the effects on equine tissue perfusion. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of defocused CO(2 )laser on blood perfusion and to correlate it with temperature in skin and underlying muscle in anaesthetized horses. Differences between clipped and unclipped haircoat were also assessed. Eight horses and two controls received CO(2 )laser treatment (91 J/cm(2)) in a randomised order, on a clipped and unclipped area of the hamstring muscles, respectively. The significant increase in clipped skin perfusion and temperature was on average 146.3 ± 33.4 perfusion units (334%) and 5.5 ± 1.5°C, respectively. The significant increase in perfusion and temperature in unclipped skin were 80.6 ± 20.4 perfusion units (264%) and 4.8 ± 1.4°C. No significant changes were seen in muscle perfusion or temperature. In conclusion, treatment with defocused CO(2 )laser causes a significant increase in skin perfusion, which is correlated to an increase in skin temperature

Children’s views on postsurgical pain in recovery units in Norway: A qualitative study

Aims and objectives: To explore children’s postsurgical experiences with pain and pain management in the recovery unit. Background: Children’s pain is underestimated and undertreated. Untreated pain can cause unnecessary suffering, increased complication risks, and may lead to chronic pain. Research exploring children’s experiences with postoperative pain and pain management is limited. Design: A qualitative, exploratory study. The study complied with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). Methods: Children (N=20), 8–16 years old, took part in semi-structured interviews about their experiences with pain and postoperative pain management while they were in a recovery unit. Data were collected at two university hospitals in Norway. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Three themes emerged from the interviews; “children’s experiences of what felt unpleasant and painful”, “children’s experiences with pain management” and “children’s recommendations for future pain management”. About half of the children reported moderate to severe pain while in the recovery unit and they did not always tell their nurses when they had pain. They also reported experiencing pain in places other than their surgical wounds and stated that nausea and vomiting felt unpleasant and painful. The children indicated that pain medications and the use of non-pharmacological methods helped them cope with their pain and provided several recommendations about how to improve pain management. Conclusion: Paediatric postoperative pain management remains suboptimal. The children in our study provided useful information about their pain experiences, how to improve pain management and explained why they did not tell their nurses when they were in pain. Relevance to clinical practice: These findings should direct further improvements in paediatric postoperative pain management, such as increased use of pain assessment tools and preparatory information, as well as more appropriate administration of pain medications. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Twycross, A.M., Smeland, A., Torgun, N., Nybro, L., Rustøen, T., Lundberg, S., and Reinertsen, H. (2019). Children’s views on postsurgical pain in recovery units in Norway: A qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jocn.14788. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions

Spin dependent quantum interference in non-local graphene spin valves

Spin dependent electron transport measurements on graphene are of high importance to explore possible spintronic applications. Up to date all spin transport experiments on graphene were done in a semi-classical regime, disregarding quantum transport properties such as phase coherence and interference. Here we show that in a quantum coherent graphene nanostructure the non-local voltage is strongly modulated. Using non-local measurements, we separate the signal in spin dependent and spin independent contributions. We show that the spin dependent contribution is about two orders of magnitude larger than the spin independent one, when corrected for the finite polarization of the electrodes. The non-local spin signal is not only strongly modulated but also changes polarity as a function of the applied gate voltage. By locally tuning the carrier density in the constriction we show that the constriction plays a major role in this effect and indicates that it can act as a spin filter device. Our results show the potential of quantum coherent graphene nanostructures for the use in future spintronic devices

Itch and skin rash from chocolate during fluoxetine and sertraline treatment: Case report

BACKGROUND: The skin contains a system for producing serotonin as well as serotonin receptors. Serotonin can also cause pruritus when injected into the skin. SSRI-drugs increase serotonin concentrations and are known to have pruritus and other dermal side effects. CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old man consulted his doctor due to symptoms of depression. He did not suffer from any allergy but drinking red wine caused vasomotor rhinitis. Antidepressive treatment with fluoxetine 20 mg daily was initiated which was successful. After three weeks of treatment an itching rash appeared. An adverse drug reaction (ADR) induced by fluoxetine was suspected and fluoxetine treatment was discontinued. The symptoms disappeared with clemastine and betametasone treatment. Since the depressive symptoms returned sertraline medication was initiated. After approximately two weeks of sertraline treatment he noted an intense itching sensation in his scalp after eating a piece of chocolate cake. The itch spread to the arms, abdomen and legs and the patient treated himself with clemastine and the itch disappeared. He now realised that he had eaten a chocolate cake before this episode and remembered that before the first episode he had had a chocolate mousse dessert. He had never had any reaction from eating chocolate before and therefore reported this observation to his doctor. CONCLUSIONS: This case report suggests that there may be individuals that are very sensitive to increases in serotonin concentrations. Dermal side reactions to SSRI-drugs in these patients may be due to high activity in the serotonergic system at the dermal and epidermo-dermal junctional area rather than a hypersensitivity to the drug molecule itself

Electronic Spin Transport in Dual-Gated Bilayer Graphene

The elimination of extrinsic sources of spin relaxation is key in realizing the exceptional intrinsic spin transport performance of graphene. Towards this, we study charge and spin transport in bilayer graphene-based spin valve devices fabricated in a new device architecture which allows us to make a comparative study by separately investigating the roles of substrate and polymer residues on spin relaxation. First, the comparison between spin valves fabricated on SiO2 and BN substrates suggests that substrate-related charged impurities, phonons and roughness do not limit the spin transport in current devices. Next, the observation of a 5-fold enhancement in spin relaxation time in the encapsulated device highlights the significance of polymer residues on spin relaxation. We observe a spin relaxation length of ~ 10 um in the encapsulated bilayer with a charge mobility of 24000 cm2/Vs. The carrier density dependence of spin relaxation time has two distinct regimes; n<4 x 1012 cm-2, where spin relaxation time decreases monotonically as carrier concentration increases, and n>4 x 1012 cm-2, where spin relaxation time exhibits a sudden increase. The sudden increase in the spin relaxation time with no corresponding signature in the charge transport suggests the presence of a magnetic resonance close to the charge neutrality point. We also demonstrate, for the first time, spin transport across bipolar p-n junctions in our dual-gated device architecture that fully integrates a sequence of encapsulated regions in its design. At low temperatures, strong suppression of the spin signal was observed while a transport gap was induced, which is interpreted as a novel manifestation of impedance mismatch within the spin channel

4-H dressage manual

Replaces Oregon publication 4-H 1311.What is dressage? Somehow this word has developed an aura of mystery among youth and adults in the 4-H Horse Program. In simple terms, dressage is not unlike the basic training given to armed-forces recruits. Dressage is a French word that means “training” or “schooling.” All the aids (hands, seat or weight, and legs) are used in varying degrees to guide the horse through a set of maneuvers that are natural to the horse. Dressage teaches a horse to be obedient, willing, supple, and highly responsive to the wishes of the rider. Not every horse schooled in dressage will become a Grand Prix horse destined for Olympic competition, but every horse, regardless of its size, disposition, or ultimate use, can benefit from dressage. Keep in mind the first horse you worked with in the 4-H program. You started training that horse with some basics you learned from your 4-H leader or your parents. As you and your horse learned from each other, you advanced in your skills and abilities one step at a time. Dressage competition is a similar process. Dressage is a combination of equitation and horsemanship; knowing how to produce each movement until you and your horse move as one. The object of dressage is the harmonious development of the physique and ability of the horse. A dressage rider becomes precisely tuned to the movements of the horse’s body. Through progressive exercises of both horse and rider, the horse becomes calm, supple, obedient, and highly skilled, achieving a perfect understanding with its rider