Narrowing the gap between livestock research findings and application

No Abstrac

Histological features of the distal third metacarpal bone in thoroughbred racehorses, with and without lateral condylar fractures

A detailed histopathological study of the distal third metacarpal bone of Thoroughbred racehorses was undertaken to characterize lesions observed previously on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The bones were selected and grouped on the basis of MRI features. Representative sections in different planes were processed for histopathology. All lesions observed in the articular cartilage (AC) and subchondral bone (SCB) were recorded and graded with a scoring system, based partially on the Osteoarthritis Research Society International grading system. The scoring system included the severity of the lesion. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed effects models were performed. A positive correlation was observed between the severity of histopathological changes in the superficial and deeper osteochondral tissues, and between the number of race starts and AC score. Age was not correlated with AC or SCB score. A moderate variation in AC and SCB scores was observed between the groups; however, there were differences within individual bones. Bones with focal palmar necrosis (FPN) showed significant differences in the histological scoring of the AC compared with bones without FPN. Bones with incomplete fractures or larger areas of bone remodelling showed significant differences in SCB pathology when compared with bones with FPN. Haematoidin was detected in areas with excessive SCB and cancellous bone sclerosis and/or irregular bone density. This finding is suggestive of poor blood perfusion in these areas

An assessment of the incidence of punctures in latex and non-latex dental examination gloves in routine clinical practice

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the puncture resistance of a recently introduced non-latex, nitrile dental glove in comparison with a latex glove worn during routine clinical dental procedures. SETTING: Dentists in general dental practice working within the UK during 1999. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 2,020 gloves worn by five general dental practitioners were examined for punctures following standard clinical use by a water inflation method. Procedures undertaken during glove usage and length of time worn were recorded. RESULTS: Following clinical use, 1.9% of the latex gloves and 5.3% of the nitrile gloves had punctures, a statistically significant difference (P less than 0.0001). The puncture resistance of the nitrile gloves was superior to the puncture resistance of previously tested worn non-latex (vinyl) gloves. There was no evidence of a statistically significant difference between operators for the percentage or incidence of punctured gloves (P = 0.787) after correcting for glove type. No statistically significant difference was noted between incidence of puncture in the control, unused gloves (n = 200 for each type) and the gloves examined following clinical use (P = 0.907 for nitrile, P = 0.613 for latex). CONCLUSION: No increase in the number of punctures was noted following clinical use for either glove type. This could be considered to indicate good puncture resistance of the gloves tested in clinical use

Mastectomy with axillary clearance versus mastectomy without it

No Abstract

Nutritional Studies on Dried Functional Food Ingredients Containing omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty-Acids.

End of Project ReportTeagasc acknowledges with gratitude grant aid under the EU Framework Programme (EU FAIR contract No. CT-95-0085).The nutritional benefits of fish oils are generally attributed to their content of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Diets rich in these fatty acids are known to reduce the risk of coronary thrombosis, and are recommended to those who are susceptible to atherosclerosis. In addition, some of these long chain PUFAs play an important role in early infant nutrition, in the development of vital human organs such as the neural tube. However, practical difficulties arise in achieving an adequate daily intake of fish oils to obtain these physiological benefits. Per capita fish consumption is low in many countries, especially of oily fish with high levels of omega-3 PUFAs. Fish oil, while available as a dietary supplement, is not universally appealing in that form. Attempts to incorporate fish oil into food formulations have had limited success mainly because of fishy flavours coming through in the consumer products. Fish oil is particularly susceptible to oxidation, which results in fishy, painty and metallic flavours. Hence the main aim of this study was the development of a dried ingredient in which the formulation and related processing conditions were optimised to protect the fish oil from oxidation. Protection of any sensitive oil may be achieved by means of microencapsulation, whereby oil is dispersed as very fine droplets in emulsions. During subsequent spray drying the droplets are effectively sealed inside a protective coating of protein surrounded by carbohydrate. The objective was, therefore, to evaluate microencapsulation as a means of extending the shelf-life of fish oil in powder form thus increasing its versatility as a nutritional ingredient in food formulations.European Unio

Mineralogy and Malignant Mesothelioma: The South African Experience

South Africa is a uniquely mineral rich country. Of the six types of asbestiform minerals found in the country, three, namely crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile were mined and milled on a large commercial scale. Asbestos was used locally in South Africa, but the majority of its production was exported worldwide. In the 1970s, South Africa was the world’s third largest producer of asbestos, behind Canada and the USSR. About 97% of the world’s production of crocidolite and virtually all of the amosite came from South Africa. The output from the South African asbestos mining industry peaked at 380,000 tonnes in 1977 and declined thereafter as export markets declined due to restrictive legislation in countries that imported asbestos (Virta, 2006; Kielkowski et al., 2011). Legislation in South Africa banning the use of all types of asbestos came into effect in 2008, well after the last asbestos mine ceased production in 2001 and closed in 2002. Although South Africa benefitted financially from the exploitation of its asbestos mineral reserves, the revenue from asbestos never accounted for more than 3% of the value of its total minerals output (McCulloch, 2003). There is however a high price to pay in terms of a legacy of disease and environmental contamination through mining activities and the transport of asbestos and asbestos containing products

Enhanced stability of the square lattice of a classical bilayer Wigner crystal

The stability and melting transition of a single layer and a bilayer crystal consisting of charged particles interacting through a Coulomb or a screened Coulomb potential is studied using the Monte-Carlo technique. A new melting criterion is formulated which we show to be universal for bilayer as well as for single layer crystals in the case of (screened) Coulomb, Lennard--Jones and 1/r^{12} repulsive inter-particle interactions. The melting temperature for the five different lattice structures of the bilayer Wigner crystal is obtained, and a phase diagram is constructed as a function of the interlayer distance. We found the surprising result that the square lattice has a substantial larger melting temperature as compared to the other lattice structures. This is a consequence of the specific topology of the defects which are created with increasing temperature and which have a larger energy as compared to the defects in e.g. a hexagonal lattice.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Effects of quenching on phase transformations and ferroelectric properties of 0.35BCZT-0.65KBT ceramics

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Solid solutions of 0.35(Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O3-0.65(K0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 (BCZT-KBT) having various Ca and Zr contents were synthesized by solid state reaction. The sintered ceramics exhibited interesting features comprising core-shell type microstructures and relaxor ferroelectric behaviour. The influence of air-quenching on structure and electrical properties has been systematically investigated. The results indicate that the compositional heterogeneity in the shell regions, for the slow-cooled state, was reduced by air quenching. Improvements are evident in ferroelectric tetragonal phase content, accompanied by increased polarisation values and depolarisation temperatures. Comparing the results obtained for two BCZT compositions, it was demonstrated that the stability of the ferroelectric tetragonal phase in slow-cooled BCZT-KBT samples was improved for the ceramic with lower Ca and Zr concentrations, denoted x = 0.06, comparing with that for higher levels, denoted x = 0.15. Furthermore, the electric field-induced ferroelectric state in the quenched ceramic with x = 0.06 was found to be more stable during heating, yielding an enhanced depolarisation temperature

Is There a Need for Preoperative Imaging of the Internal Mammary Recipient Site for Autologous Breast Reconstruction?

Preoperative imaging of recipient-site vasculatur in autologous breast reconstruction may potentiate improved outcomes through the identification of individual variations in vascular architecture. There are a range of both normal and pathologic states which can substantially affect the internal mammary vessels in particular, and the identification of these preoperatively may significantly affect operative approach. There are a range of imaging modalities available, with ultrasound particularly useful, and computed tomography angiography (CTA) evolving as a useful option, albeit with radiation exposure. The benefits of CTA must be balanced against its risks, which include contrast nephrotoxicity and allergic reactions, and radiation exposure. The radiation risk with thoracic imaging is substantially higher than that for donor sites, such as the abdominal wall, with reasons including exposure of the contralateral breast to radiation (with a risk of contralateral breast cancer in this population 2 to 6 times higher than that of primary breast cancer, reaching a 20-year incidence of 15%), as well as proximity to the thyroid gland. Current evidence suggests that although many cases may not warrant such imaging because of risk, the benefits of preoperative CTA in selected patients may outweigh the risks of exposure, prompting an individualized approach