Recurrence of chronic subdural hematoma due to low-grade infection

Despite the high incidence and multitudes of operative techniques, the risk factors for chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) recurrence are still under debate and a universal consensus on the pathophysiology is lacking. We hypothesized that clinically inapparent, a low-grade infection could be responsible for CSDH recurrence. This investigation is a single-center prospective observational study including patients with recurrent CSDH. In total, 44 patients with CSDH recurrence received an intraoperative swab-based microbiological test. The intraoperative swab revealed an inapparent low-grade hematoma infection in 29% of the recurrent CSDH cases. The majority (69%) of the identified germs belonged to the staphylococcus genus. We therefore, propose a novel potential pathophysiology for CSDH recurrence

Suitability and safety of L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate as a folate source in infant formula: A randomized-controlled trial

L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate is the predominant folate form in human milk but is currently not approved as a folate source for infant and follow-on formula. We aimed to assess the suitability of L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate as a folate source for infants. Growth and tolerance in healthy term infants fed formulae containing equimolar doses of L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (10.4 mu g/100 ml, n = 120, intervention group) or folic acid (10.0 mu g/100 ml, n = 120, control group) was assessed in a randomized, double-blind, parallel, controlled trial. A reference group of breastfed infants was followed. Both formulae were well accepted without differences in tolerance or occurrence of adverse events. The most common adverse events were common cold, poor weight gain or growth, rash, eczema, or dry skin and respiratory tract infection. Weight gain (the primary outcome) was equivalent in the two groups (95% CI -2.11;1.68 g/d). In line with this, there was only a small difference in absolute body weight adjusted for birth weight and sex at visit 4 (95% CI -235;135 g). Equivalence was also shown for gain in head circumference but not for recumbent length gain and increase in calorie intake. Given the nature of the test, this does not indicate an actual difference, and adjusted means at visit 4 were not significantly different for any of these parameters. Infants receiving formula containing L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate had lower mean plasma levels of unmetabolized folic acid (intervention: 0.73 nmol/L, control: 1.15 nmol/L, p<0.0001) and higher levels of red cell folate (intervention: 907.0 +/- 192.8 nmol/L, control: 839.4 +/- 142.4 nmol/L, p = 0.0095). We conclude that L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate is suitable for use in infant and follow-on formula, and there are no indications of untoward effects

Показатели токсичности промышленных отходов

Безотходное производство - новая тенденция в промышленности всего мира. Продукция, получаемая из вторсырья, считается экологичной. Данное направление приветствуется в обществе. Но прежде чем приступить к переработке любой отход проходит оценку на пригодность для дальнейшего использования и токсичность. В зависимости от класса отхода применяется инструментальные методы (химические, физические и физико-химические) или биологические (биоиндикация, биотетирование).Wasteless production is a new trend in the industry of the whole world. Products derived from recyclables are considered environmentally friendly. This direction is becoming popular. Before recycling wastes pass the toxicity assessment. Permission or renouncemen will be issued after verification. Depending on the class of waste, instrumental methods (chemical, physical and physico-chemical), biological methods (bioindication, biotesting) are used

Microstimulation of human somatosensory cortex evokes task-dependent, spatially patterned responses in motor cortex

The primary motor (M1) and somatosensory (S1) cortices play critical roles in motor control but the signaling between these structures is poorly understood. To fill this gap, we recorded – in three participants in an ongoing human clinical trial (NCT01894802) for people with paralyzed hands – the responses evoked in the hand and arm representations of M1 during intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) in the hand representation of S1. We found that ICMS of S1 activated some M1 neurons at short, fixed latencies consistent with monosynaptic activation. Additionally, most of the ICMS-evoked responses in M1 were more variable in time, suggesting indirect effects of stimulation. The spatial pattern of M1 activation varied systematically: S1 electrodes that elicited percepts in a finger preferentially activated M1 neurons excited during that finger’s movement. Moreover, the indirect effects of S1 ICMS on M1 were context dependent, such that the magnitude and even sign relative to baseline varied across tasks. We tested the implications of these effects for brain-control of a virtual hand, in which ICMS conveyed tactile feedback. While ICMS-evoked activation of M1 disrupted decoder performance, this disruption was minimized using biomimetic stimulation, which emphasizes contact transients at the onset and offset of grasp, and reduces sustained stimulation