Prevention of Seroma After Abdominoplasty

Background: Seroma is one of the most troubling complications after abdominoplasty; incidence rates of up to 25% have been reported. If it is correct that shearing forces between the two separated abdominal layers play a key role in the development of seroma, postoperative immobilization of the patient until the layers are sufficiently adhered may be a solution to the problem. Objectives: The authors examine the association between length of immobilization and the development of seroma. Methods: This retrospective study included 60 patients; half were immobilized for 24 hours (group 1) and the other half were immobilized for at least 48 hours (group 2). For thromboembolism prophylaxis, all patients received low molecular weight heparin and compression stockings. Postoperative follow-up for detection of seroma continued for at least three months. Results: Mobilization after 24 hours led to a seroma rate of 13%, whereas immobilization of at least 48 hours decreased the seroma rate to 0%. Conclusions: For abdominoplasty patients with a low or moderate thromboembolic risk, the data suggest that immobilization for at least 48 hours with chemical and mechanical thromboembolism prophylaxis significantly reduces the risk of serom

Self-paced part-list cuing

Ironically, the presentation of a subset of studied material as retrieval cues at test often impairs recall of the remaining (target) material—an effect known as part-list cuing impairment. Part-list cues are typically provided at the beginning of the recall period, a time when nearly all individuals would be able to recall at least some studied items on their own. Across two experiments, we examined the effects of part-list cuing when student participants could decide on their own when the cues were presented during the recall period. Results showed that participants activated the cues relatively late in the recall period, when recall was already close to asymptote. Critically, such delayed cuing no longer impaired recall performance. The detrimental effect of part-list cuing, as it has been demonstrated numerous times in the memory literature, thus seems to depend on presentating the cue items (too) early in the recall period

Locally Anisotropic Structures and Nonlinear Connections in Einstein and Gauge Gravity

We analyze local anisotropies induced by anholonomic frames and associated nonlinear connections in general relativity and extensions to affine Poincare and de Sitter gauge gravity and different types of Kaluza-Klein theories. We construct some new classes of cosmological solutions of gravitational field equations describing Friedmann-Robertson-Walker like universes with rotation (ellongated and flattened) ellipsoidal or torus symmetry.Comment: 37 page

The High-Acceptance Dielectron Spectrometer HADES

HADES is a versatile magnetic spectrometer aimed at studying dielectron production in pion, proton and heavy-ion induced collisions. Its main features include a ring imaging gas Cherenkov detector for electron-hadron discrimination, a tracking system consisting of a set of 6 superconducting coils producing a toroidal field and drift chambers and a multiplicity and electron trigger array for additional electron-hadron discrimination and event characterization. A two-stage trigger system enhances events containing electrons. The physics program is focused on the investigation of hadron properties in nuclei and in the hot and dense hadronic matter. The detector system is characterized by an 85% azimuthal coverage over a polar angle interval from 18 to 85 degree, a single electron efficiency of 50% and a vector meson mass resolution of 2.5%. Identification of pions, kaons and protons is achieved combining time-of-flight and energy loss measurements over a large momentum range. This paper describes the main features and the performance of the detector system

Non-thermal processing effects on fruits and vegetables phytonutrients

The health‐promoting effects of many phytonutrients are attributed mainly to their antioxidant activity, although there may be other modes of action. The demand for high quality food with high phytonutrients content is attracting a lot of attention, as it provides health benefits and has been shown to possess antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antitumor effects. To maintain food quality at the highest possible levels, there is a need to develop novel processing techniques such as non‐thermal processing. This chapter discusses novel non‐thermal processing techniques, including ultraviolet radiation, high pressure processing (HPP), dense phase carbon dioxide (DPCD), ultrasound processing, and pulsed electric field (PEF). The application of HPP and its effects on quality attributes, specific to the phytochemical compounds in fruits and vegetables. High pressure offers a technology that can achieve the food safety properties of heat‐treated foods while meeting consumer demand for fresher tasting food products

First Dating of a Recombination Event in Mammalian Tick-Borne Flaviviruses

The mammalian tick-borne flavivirus group (MTBFG) contains viruses associated with important human and animal diseases such as encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever. In contrast to mosquito-borne flaviviruses where recombination events are frequent, the evolutionary dynamic within the MTBFG was believed to be essentially clonal. This assumption was challenged with the recent report of several homologous recombinations within the Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). We performed a thorough analysis of publicly available genomes in this group and found no compelling evidence for the previously identified recombinations. However, our results show for the first time that demonstrable recombination (i.e., with large statistical support and strong phylogenetic evidences) has occurred in the MTBFG, more specifically within the Louping ill virus lineage. Putative parents, recombinant strains and breakpoints were further tested for statistical significance using phylogenetic methods. We investigated the time of divergence between the recombinant and parental strains in a Bayesian framework. The recombination was estimated to have occurred during a window of 282 to 76 years before the present. By unravelling the temporal setting of the event, we adduce hypotheses about the ecological conditions that could account for the observed recombination

Suicidal Behavior and Alcohol Abuse

Suicide is an escalating public health problem, and alcohol use has consistently been implicated in the precipitation of suicidal behavior. Alcohol abuse may lead to suicidality through disinhibition, impulsiveness and impaired judgment, but it may also be used as a means to ease the distress associated with committing an act of suicide. We reviewed evidence of the relationship between alcohol use and suicide through a search of MedLine and PsychInfo electronic databases. Multiple genetically-related intermediate phenotypes might influence the relationship between alcohol and suicide. Psychiatric disorders, including psychosis, mood disorders and anxiety disorders, as well as susceptibility to stress, might increase the risk of suicidal behavior, but may also have reciprocal influences with alcohol drinking patterns. Increased suicide risk may be heralded by social withdrawal, breakdown of social bonds, and social marginalization, which are common outcomes of untreated alcohol abuse and dependence. People with alcohol dependence or depression should be screened for other psychiatric symptoms and for suicidality. Programs for suicide prevention must take into account drinking habits and should reinforce healthy behavioral patterns

Prevention of seroma after abdominoplasty

Background: Seroma is one of the most troubling complications after abdominoplasty; incidence rates of up to 25% have been reported. If it is correct that shearing forces between the two separated abdominal layers play a key role in the development of seroma, postoperative immobilization of the patient until the layers are sufficiently adhered may be a solution to the problem. Objectives: The authors examine the association between length of immobilization and the development of seroma. Methods: This retrospective study included 60 patients; half were immobilized for 24 hours (group 1) and the other half were immobilized for at least 48 hours (group 2). For thromboembolism prophylaxis, all patients received low molecular weight heparin and compression stockings. Postoperative follow-up for detection of seroma continued for at least three months. Results: Mobilization after 24 hours led to a seroma rate of 13%, whereas immobilization of at least 48 hours decreased the seroma rate to 0%. Conclusions: For abdominoplasty patients with a low or moderate thromboembolic risk, the data suggest that immobilization for at least 48 hours with chemical and mechanical thromboembolism prophylaxis significantly reduces the risk of serom

Part-List Cuing with Prose Material

Numerous studies have shown that the resentation of a random selection of studied items as retrieval ues at test can impair recall of the remaining items. This effect, often referred to as part-list cuing (PLC) impairment, has mostly been demonstrated with simple word lists and short retention intervals between study and test. Across 4 experiments, this study examined the effects of PLC with educationally relevant prose passages for retention intervals of up to one week. Results showed that the effects of PLC with prose material depend critically on retention interval and type of test. Experiments 1-3 found detrimental effects of PLC after short delay but neutral effects of PLC after delays of 2 days or 1 week. Experiment 4 provided gapped sentences as (additional) retrieval cues at test for recall of target information. Results showed a neutral effect of PLC after short delay but a beneficial effect after a delay of 2 days. The findings suggest that, with prose material, detrimental effects of PLC may be restricted to short retention interval and neutral or even beneficial effects may arise for prolonged retention interval. A complementary survey study showed that participants generally expect beneficial effects of PLC and that these expectations can deviate from the observed recall patterns

Selective retrieval in categorized lists: Detrimental, neutral, and beneficial effects on nonretrieved items.

Numerous studies of retrieval-induced forgetting have shown that the selective retrieval of some studied items can impair recall of other nonretrieved items. Varying the lag between study and selective retrieval and using lists of unrelated items as study material, recent work replicated this detrimental effect when the lag between study and selective retrieval was short but reported a beneficial effect of selective retrieval when the lag was long. Here we report the results of 4 experiments in which we examined the influence of lag (3 min vs. 24 hr) for the effects of selective retrieval in categorized lists. When the selectively retrieved and the nonretrieved items shared the same categories (Experiments 1 and 2), we found detrimental effects of selective retrieval regardless of lag between study and selective retrieval. In contrast, when the selectively retrieved and the nonretrieved items belonged to different categories (Experiments 3 and 4), the effects of selective retrieval varied with lag, showing a neutral effect after the short lag and a beneficial effect after the longer lag. A 2-factor explanation is provided that assumes critical roles in selective retrieval of (a) inhibition and blocking and (b) context retrieval. This account captures the present findings as well as the recent results on the effects of selective retrieval with lists of unrelated items