Adductor insertion avulsion syndrome, "thigh splints”: relevance of radiological follow-up

We present a case of chronic osteomyelitis in a 13-year-old girl which was originally diagnosed as adductor insertion avulsion syndrome ("thigh splints”) on the basis of the clinical presentation, patient history, initial radiographs and MRI examination. However, at follow-up with persistent pain and altered radiographic and MRI appearances, surgical biopsy was indicated. Histopathological findings confirmed a bone abscess. This case underlines the necessity of clinical follow-up and imaging in certain patients with apparent thigh splint

Timescapes of Himalayan hydropower: promises, project life cycles, and precarities

In this paper, we review the existing social science scholarship focused on hydropower development in the Himalayan region, using an interpretive lens attuned to issues of time and temporality. While the spatial politics of Himalayan hydropower are well examined in the literature, an explicit examination of temporal politics is lacking. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework organized around the heuristic of timescapes, highlighting temporal themes implicit in the existing literature. In three sections, we explore the temporal politics of anticipation that shape hydropower dreams, the intersecting temporalities and rhythms that modulate the life cycles of hydropower projects, and the ways that geological and hydrological time affect both hydropower development and broader Himalayan futures. Along the way, we pose a series of questions useful for framing future research given the significant climatic, geophysical, and sociopolitical changes underway in the Himalayan bioregion, calling for greater analytical attention to time, temporality, and temporal ethics in future studies of hydropower in the Himalayas and beyond.Austin Lord, Georgina Drew, Mabel Denzin Gerga

Cross-sectional imaging in cancers of the head and neck: how we review and report.

Cancer of the head and neck is the sixth most frequent cancer worldwide and associated with significant morbidity. The head and neck area is complex and divided into various anatomical and functional subunits. Imaging is performed by cross-sectional modalities like computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and positron emission tomography-computed tomography, usually with fluorine-18-deoxy-D-glucose. Therefore, knowledge of the cross-sectional anatomy is very important. This article seeks to give an overview of the various cross-sectional imaging modalities used in the evaluation of head and neck cancers. It briefly describes the anatomy of the extracranial head and neck and the role of imaging as well as the imaging appearance of tumours and their extension to lymph nodes, bone and surrounding tissue. The advantages and disadvantages as well as basic requirements of the various modalities are described along with ways of optimizing imaging quality. A general guideline for prescription of the various modalities is given. Pitfalls are many and varied and can be due to anatomical variation, due to pathology which can be misinterpreted and technical due to peculiarities of the various imaging modalities. Knowledge of these pitfalls can help to avoid misinterpretation. The important points to be mentioned while reporting are also enumerated

Cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx

Tumours in the oral cavity and oropharynx differ in presentation and prognosis and the detection of spread of tumour from one subsite to another is essential for the T-staging. This article reviews the anatomy and describes the pattern of spread of different cancers arising in the oral cavity and oropharynx; the imaging findings on computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are also described. Brief mention is made on the role of newer imaging modalities such as [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography, perfusion studies and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

Simulated temperatures of forest fires affect water solubility in soil and litter

As wildfires are of increasing concern in a warming world, there is a need to understand how fire temperatures affect solute concentrations of forest litter and soils in drinking water catchments. In addition, the concentrations are expected to be affected by time since the previous fire. We sampled soil and litter from recently (2 months) and less recently (4.5 years) burnt sites from jarrah forest in SW Australia. The samples were heated at 250°C, 350°C, and 500°C for 30min followed by leaching to determine solute compositions at these temperatures and in unburnt samples. At 250°C–350°C, we found increased concentrations of manganese (Mn), arsenic (As), total phosphorus (TP), phosphate (PO43-), ammonia (NH4+), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), mangesium (Mg), cobalt (Co), barium (Ba), sulphate (SO42-), alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon in soils, as well as of zinc (Zn), As, Ca, Ba, alkalinity, aluminium (Al) and chromium (Cr) in litter. At 350°C–500°C, divalent cations and organic carbon declined, while soils generated very high Al and Cr concentrations. The time following the fire was important, with the more recent fire generating higher concentrations. The elevated concentrations in 250°C–350°C were attributed to a decomposition of organic matter and mineral transformations, including CaCO3 formation. Based on thermodynamics, we propose a couple of burn severity indicators: activities of calcium and carbonates that are calculated from pH, alkalinity and Ca concentration. The indicators do not only show the degree of post-fire transformations, but they also inform on CaCO3 formation. Further studies include: (1) application to field data, (2) association with organic contaminants, and (3) validation in other geographical locations

High quality social environment buffers infants’ cognitive development from poor maternal mental health: Evidence from a study in Bhutan

Poor maternal mental health negatively impacts cognitive development from infancy to childhood, affecting both behavior and brain architecture. In a non-western context (Thimphu, Bhutan), we demonstrate that culturally-moderated factors such as family, community social support, and enrichment may buffer and scaffold the development of infant cognition when maternal mental health is poor. We used eye-tracking to measure early building blocks of cognition: attention regulation and social perception, in 9-month-old Bhutanese infants (N = 121). The cognitive development of Bhutanese infants in richer social environments was buffered from poor maternal mental health, while for infants in environments with lower rates of protective social environment factors, worse maternal mental health significantly predicted greater costs for infant attention, a fundamental building block cognition. International policies and interventions geared to improve maternal mental health and child health outcomes should incorporate each regions’ unique family, cultural, and community support structures