Nutritional Status, Activity Pattern, and Dietary Intake among the Baka Hunter-gatherers in the Village Camps in Cameroon

The nutritional status of 75 male and 73female pygmy hunter-gatheres were surveyed as well as the daily physical activity, energy and intake of major nutrients, and total energy expenditure were examined for two married couples of the Baka hunter-gatherers in Cameroon. The average stature was intermediate relative to other Pygmy hunter-gatherers, and the subjects were generally well nourished. Despite the limited sample size and survey duration, the results indicated that the energy intake and energy expenditure of Cameroonian Baka hunter-gatherers were relatively low, which may enable them to adapt to low food availability in the village camps during the rainy season

Nutrient Intake, Physical Activity, and Travel Patterns of Adults Living in Contrasting Ecological Zones in Rural Zambia during the Less Labor-intensive Season for Farming

ザンビア南部州の生態学的に異なる３地域（Lowland、Hillside、Upland）に居住する成人において、農閑期における地域間および男女間の食事・身体活動・行動パターンの違いを検討した。男女ともに、体格およびエネルギー摂取量において有意な地域差は認められなかった。しかし、食品群別の摂取割合は地域間で異なっており、Lowland 男女では魚類の摂取割合が高く、Upland 男女では根茎類の摂取割合が高いことが明らかとなった。身体活動はすべての地域の男女で「活動的」と判定された。男女ともに総エネルギー消費量、身体活動レベル、歩数、総移動距離においては地域差が認められなかったが、行動半径においてのみ有意な地域差がみられ、Hillside 男女が大きかった。エネルギー出納に地域差は見られなかったものの食事内容と活動内容においては違いがみられたことから、地域ごとにエネルギー出納を適正に保つための戦略が異なることが示唆された。また副業を営む地域では日常の活動に性差が生じやすく、農業に従事する地域では男女類似した活動パターンであるというように、男女の役割分担に地域差があることが示された。Objectives: To reveal the differences of food consumption, physical activity, and travel patterns among contrasting ecological zones and between sexes in the Southern province of Zambia, and to determine whether the mechanism of sustaining nutritional status differs in each zone.Subjects and Method: A total of 26 men and 30 women aged 18 years and above, living in 3 zones (Lowland, Hillside, and Upland) was examined. Body measurements, a dietary survey using a weighed-food method, a physical activity survey using an accelerometer, and a travel patterns using a portable GPS were conducted.Results: Although daily energy intake did not differ between the 3 groups for either sex, the proportions of specific food groups contributing to the intakes of energy and macronutrients were significantly different in all zones. Subjects in the Lowland group had a high proportion of fish intake, and those in the Upland group tended to consume a high proportion of roots and tubers. Sex difference in the proportional contribution of food groups for energy and nutrient intakes was identified only in the Lowland group. With regard to physical activity and travel patterns, only traveled radius was significantly different between the 3 groups. The Lowland group had the largest sex difference for energy balance, while the Upland group had the smallest of the 3.Conclusions: The findings suggest that the factors affecting the energy intake and expenditure in adult villagers differed in every zone. Furthermore, it also showed that each group has different characteristic of lifestyle between the sexes

Magnons and electromagnons in a spin-lattice-coupled frustrated magnet CuFeO2 as seen via inelastic neutron scattering

We have investigated spin-wave excitations in a four-sublattice (4SL) magnetic ground state of a frustrated magnet CuFeO2, in which `electromagnon' (electric-field-active magnon) excitation has been discovered by recent terahertz time-domain spectroscopy [Seki et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 105 097207 (2010)]. In previous study, we have identified two spin-wave branches in the 4SL phase by means of inelastic neutron scattering measurements under applied uniaxial pressure. [T. Nakajima et al. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 80 014714 (2011) ] In the present study, we have performed high-energy-resolution inelastic neutron scattering measurements in the 4SL phase, resolving fine structures of the lower-energy spin-wave branch near the zone center. Taking account of the spin-driven lattice distortions in the 4SL phase, we have developed a model Hamiltonian to describe the spin-wave excitations. The determined Hamiltonian parameters have successfully reproduced the spin-wave dispersion relations and intensity maps obtained in the inelastic neutron scattering measurements. The results of the spin-wave analysis have also revealed physical pictures of the magnon and electromagnon modes in the 4SL phase, suggesting that collinear and noncollinear characters of the two spin-wave modes are the keys to understand the dynamical coupling between the spins and electric dipole moments in this system.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

C-Arm-Free Minimally Invasive Cervical Pedicle Screw Fixation (MICEPS): A Technical Note

A minimally invasive posterolateral approach designed to avoid the lateral misplacement of midcervical pedicle screws was reported, but there is no technical report that describes this technique without C-arm fluoroscopy. We report the results of a 2.5 years follow-up of a 62-year-old female patient with C4 metastatic breast cancer. The patient suffered from severe neck pain and impending quadriplegia for 2 months after radiation therapy. We performed C-arm-free minimally invasive cervical pedicle screw fixation (MICEPS). The patient was suc-cessfully treated with surgery, and her neck pain was well controlled. She had neither neurological deficits nor neck pain at the final (2.5-year) follow-up. C-arm-free MICEPS is a useful technique; in addition, the sur-geons and staff have no risk of radiation exposure, there is a reduced need for postoperative imaging, and a decreased revision rate can be expected with C-arm-free MICEPS

Komposisi Tubuh dan Kesegaran Kardiovaskuler yang Diukur dengan Harvard Step Test dan 20m Shuttle Run Test pada Anak Obesitas

Body composition and cardiovascular fitness measured by Harvard step test and 20m shuttle run test in obese childrenBackground: One of the impacts of obesity are physical and cardiovascular problems. Harvard step test and 20m shuttle run test can be used to measure cardiovascular fitness. Objective of this research is to determine the association between body composition with cardiovascular fitness in obese children measured by Harvard step test (HST) and 20m shuttle run test (SRT).Method: Cross sectional study was conducted to 31 students of Bernardus Elementary School Semarang in August 2010. Body composition (body mass index/BMI and fat percentage) was measured by Tanita BC545. Cardiovascular fitness was measured by HST and 20m SRT. During the step test Polar Vantage? Heart Rate (HR) monitor was attached to the subjects. Data were analyzed with Spearman correlation.Result: The average age was 10.7 (0.68) years. Only 17 children finished level III of Harvard test. The HR recovery never met the normal limit. There was no difference of physical fitness index (PFI) level I, II, and III (p=0.130) but the HR recovery decreased significantly (p=0.020). The mean of VO2max measured by 20m SRT was 20.5 (1.2) ml/kg/min, significantly lower compared with HST 24.2 (2.27) ml/kg/min. There were negative correlation between PFI and BMI (r=-0.381; p=0.034) and VO2max and BMI(r=-0.448; p=0.012).Conclusion: There are negative correlation between body mass index and cardiovascular fitness. However there are difference result of VO2max from Harvard step test comparing with 20m shuttle run test

Detection of Escherichia coli, rotavirus, and Cryptosporidium spp. from drinking water, kitchenware, and flies in a periurban community of Lusaka, Zambia

Fecal contamination with a poor water, sanitation and hygiene environment in urban informal settlements poses diarrhea risks. Little information is available on the contamination of environmental media with enteric pathogens in such settlements. We investigated the contamination of Escherichia coli, rotavirus, and Cryptosporidium spp. in water, on kitchenware, and on flies in urban informal settlements of Chawama and Kanyama, Lusaka, Zambia. These environmental media were examined by XM-G agar cultivation for E. coli and specific real-time RT-PCR assays to detect rotavirus and Cryptosporidium spp. E. coli; rotavirus, and Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in samples of household stored drinking water (6 of 10 samples, 3 of 10 samples, and 2 of 10 samples, respectively), cups (10 of 20 samples, 2 of 13 samples, 1 of 13 samples, respectively), and flies (35 of 55 samples, 5 of 17 samples, 1 of 17 samples, respectively). The ranges of rotavirus concentrations in household stored drinking water, on cups, and flies were 2.9 × 10²–2.2 × 10⁵ copies/L, 1.2 × 10²–4.3 × 10² copies/cup, and 5.0 × 10¹–2.0 × 10² copies/fly, respectively. These results indicate the contribution of drinking water and kitchenware to enteric pathogen exposure and potential role of flies in microbial transmission

Transtubular Endoscopic Posterolateral Decompression of the L5 Root under Navigation and O-arm: A Technical Note

Among studies evaluating minimally invasive surgical (MIS) decompression of the L5 root, techniques involving transtubular endoscopic decompression under O-arm navigation are rare. We present the case of a 68-yearold woman with left leg pain, muscle weakness and gait disturbance of one month duration. The patient underwent transtubular endoscopic decompression under O-arm navigation. There is no radiation hazard to the operating room staff with this procedure. After surgery, the patient had significant pain relief and her left lower limb motor function had improved by follow-up at one year. C-arm-free endoscopic L5 root decompression is a safe and effective procedure

Quantitative Estimation of Urate Transport in Nephrons in Relation to Urinary Excretion Employing Benzbromarone-Loading Urate Clearance Tests in Cases of Hyperuricemia

Background: A four-component system for urate transport in nephrons has been proposed and widely investigated by various investigators studying the mechanisms underlying urinary urate excretion. However, quantitative determinations of urate transport have not been clearly elucidated yet. Methods: The equation Cua = {Ccr(1 – R1) + TSR}(1 – R2) was designed to approximate mathematically urate transport in nephrons, where R1 = urate reabsorption ratio; R2 = urate postsecretory reabsorption ratio; TSR = tubular secretion rate; Cua = urate clearance, and Ccr = creatinine clearance . To investigate relationships between the three unknown variables (R1, R2, and TSR), this equation was expressed as contour lines of one unknown on a graph of the other two unknowns. Points at regular intervals on each contour line for the equation were projected onto a coordinate axis and the high-density regions corresponding to high-density intervals of a coordinate were investigated for three graph types. For benzbromarone (BBR)-loading Cua tests, Cua was determined before and after oral administration of 100 mg of BBR and CuaBBR(∞) was calculated from the ratio of CuaBBR(100)/Cua. Results: Before BBR administration, points satisfying the equation on the contour line for R1 = 0.99 were highly dense in the region R2 = 0.87–0.92 on all three graphs, corresponding to a TSR of 40–60 ml/min in hyperuricemia cases (HU). After BBR administration, the dense region was shifted in the direction of reductions in both R1 and R2, but TSR was unchanged. Under the condition that R1 = 1 and R2 = 0, urate tubular secretion (UTS) was considered equivalent to calculated urinary urate excretion (Uex) in a model of intratubular urate flow with excess BBR; CuaBBR(∞) = TSR was deduced from the equation at R1 = 1 and R2 = 0. In addition, TSR of the point under the condition that R1 = 1 and R2 = 0 on the graph agreed with TSR for the dense region at excess BBR. TSR was thus considered approximately equivalent to CuaBBR(∞), which could be determined from a BBR-loading Cua test. Approximate values for urate glomerular filtration, urate reabsorption, UTS, urate postsecretory reabsorption (UR2), and Uex were calculated as 9,610; 9,510; 4,490; 4,150, and 440 µg/min for HU and 6,890; 6,820; 4,060; 3,610, and 520 µg/min for normal controls (NC), respectively. The most marked change in HU was the decrease in TSR (32.0%) compared to that in NC, but UTS did not decrease. Calculated intratubular urate contents were reduced more by higher UR2 in HU than in NC. This enhanced difference resulted in a 15.4% decrease in Uex for HU. Conclusion: Increased UR2 may represent the main cause of urate underexcretion in HU

Comparative Study of Bilateral Dual Sacral-Alar-Iliac Screws versus Bilateral Single Sacral-Alar-Iliac Screw for Adult Spine Deformities

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of O-arm navigation of bilateral dual sacral-alar-iliac (SAI) screws compared with conventional bilateral single SAI and S1 pedicle screws for pelvic anchors in cases of adult spinal deformity. Methods This retrospective, comparative study included 39 patients who underwent corrective fusion using SAI screws from T10 to the pelvis. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the number of SAI screws placed during adult spinal deformity surgery: single SAI screw (group S, 17 cases) and dual SAI screws (group D, 22 cases). The incidence of rod breakage, proximal junctional kyphosis, screw loosening, reoperation, and global alignment in each group was estimated. Postoperative patient-reported outcomes were measured using the Oswestry Disability Index, Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire, and visual analog scale. Results The incidence of SAI screw loosening was significantly lower in group D than in group S (23% vs. 65%, P = 0.011). The rod breakage incidence was 0% and 12% in groups D and S, respectively (P = 0.17). There were no significant differences in the postoperative global alignment and clinical outcomes between the 2 groups. Conclusions Dual SAI screws were associated with a significantly reduced incidence of screw loosening compared with single SAI screws. The bilateral dual SAI screws technique for pelvic anchors is feasible for the treatment of patients with adult spinal deformity

O-arm Navigation-Guided Surgical Resection and Posterior Fixation for a Large Sacral Schwannoma

Sacral schwannoma is a rare tumor with relatively few symptoms; it thus tends to be large at diagnosis and is challenging to treat surgically. We present the case of a 12-year-old girl with a large sacral schwannoma that was successfully surgically resected using O-arm navigation in a two-stage operation. First, we performed tumor resection from the posterior aspect with assisted O-arm navigation. One week later, resection from the anterior aspect was conducted with posterior spinopelvic fixation and fibula graft. We performed partial resection of the tumor from the anterior and posterior aspects as much as possible. O-arm navigation contributed to precise and safe tumor resection and implant insertion