Antibacterial Effect of Bovine Lactoferrin Against Udder Pathogens

The antibacterial effect of lactoferrin (Lf) was tested on isolates of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) as well as on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), originally isolated from bovine mastitis. Concentrations of Lf used were 0.67 mg/ml, 1.67 mg/ml, and 2.67 mg/ml. Growth of udder pathogens was monitored by turbidometry either in broth culture or in whey prepared from normal milk. We focused on 3 different growth variables: lag time, slope, and maximum absorbance of bacterial growth curves. Growth inhibition was seen in the broth but hardly at all in whey. The isolates of E. coli and CNS did not grow sufficiently well in whey to draw any conclusions. The most effective inhibitory activity of Lf was seen against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. All 5 E. coli isolates had similar growth patterns. Inhibition of growth by Lf was concentration-dependent. The concentration of 0.67 mg/ml in broth and whey was generally too low for a significant inhibitory effect

Brief communication "Application of mobile laser scanning in snow cover profiling"

We present a snowmobile-based mobile mapping system and its first application to snow cover roughness and change detection measurement. The ROAMER mobile mapping system, constructed at the Finnish Geodetic Institute, consists of the positioning and navigating systems, a terrestrial laser scanner, and the carrying platform (a snowmobile sledge in this application). We demonstrate the applicability of the instrument to snow cover roughness profiling and change detection by presenting preliminary results from a mobile laser scanning (MLS) campaign. The results show the potential of MLS for fast and efficient snow profiling from large areas in a millimetre scale

Treatment of keloid scars with intralesional triamcinolone and 5-fluorouracil injections - a randomized controlled trial

Keloids have high recurrence rates. Current first-line therapy is triamcinolone (TAC) injection, but it has been suggested that approximately 50% of keloids are steroid resistant. We compared the efficacy of intralesional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and triamcinalone injections in a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Forty-three patients with 50 keloid scars were treated with either intralesional TAC or 5-FU-injections over 6 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the remission rate at 6 months between the 5-FU and TAC groups (46% vs 60%, respectively). Local adverse effects were higher in the TAC group compared to the 5-FU group. Occurrence of skin atrophy in TAC group was 44% and in the 5-FU group 8% (p <0.05). Also the occurrence of telangiectasia in the TAC group was 50% and in the 5-FU 21% (p <0.05). Vascularity of the keloids, assessed by spectral imaging and immunohistochemical staining for blood vessels, after treatment decreased in the TAC group, but not in the 5-FU group (p <0.05). Fibroblast proliferation evaluated by Ki-67 staining significantly decreased in the TAC group (p <0.05) but increased in the 5-FU group (p <0.05). TAC and 5-FU injections did not differ in their clinical effectivity in this randomized study, but 5-FU injections lead to increased proliferation rate and did not affect vascular density in histological assessment. Due to the greater number of adverse effects observed after TAC treatment, 5-FU injections may be preferable for cosmetically sensitive skin areas. (C) 2018 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Transglutaminases and Obesity in Humans: Association of F13A1 to Adipocyte Hypertrophy and Adipose Tissue Immune Response

Transglutaminases TG2 and FXIII-A have recently been linked to adipose tissue biology and obesity, however, human studies for TG family members in adipocytes have not been conducted. In this study, we investigated the association of TGM family members to acquired weight gain in a rare set of monozygotic (MZ) twins discordant for body weight, i.e., heavy–lean twin pairs. We report that F13A1 is the only TGM family member showing significantly altered, higher expression in adipose tissue of the heavier twin. Our previous work linked adipocyte F13A1 to increased weight, body fat mass, adipocyte size, and pro-inflammatory pathways. Here, we explored further the link of F13A1 to adipocyte size in the MZ twins via a previously conducted TWA study that was further mined for genes that specifically associate to hypertrophic adipocytes. We report that differential expression of F13A1 (ΔHeavy–Lean) associated with 47 genes which were linked via gene enrichment analysis to immune response, leucocyte and neutrophil activation, as well as cytokine response and signaling. Our work brings further support to the role of F13A1 in the human adipose tissue pathology, suggesting a role in the cascade that links hypertrophic adipocytes with inflammation

The construction and validation of a short form of the developmental, diagnostic and dimensional interview

We aimed to construct and validate a shortened form of the developmental, diagnostic and dimensional interview (3Di), a parent report interview for assessing and diagnosing autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs). Data from 879 children and young people were used. In half of the sample (n = 440) reliability analysis was used to identify 3Di items that best measured each dimension of the autism triad. This informed the construction of a shortened (53 item) 3Di, which was then validated on subjects not used in the reliability analysis (n = 439). This involved comparison with scores from the original 3Di algorithm and, in a subsample (n = 29), with the autism diagnostic interview-revised (ADI-R). Agreement of the new shortened 3Di with the 3Di’s original algorithm was excellent in both dimensional and categorical terms. Agreement on caseness (27 out of 29) with the ADI-R was also strong. The new 3Di short version is less than half as long as the original version and outputs very similar scores. It will be useful to clinicians and researchers for obtaining a dimensional autism assessment in less than 45 minutes

Transverse myocutaneous gracilis flap reconstruction is feasible after pelvic exenteration : 12-year surgical and oncological results

Introduction: Pelvic exenteration (PE) is the only curative treatment for certain locally advanced intrapelvic malignancies. PE has high morbidity, and optimal reconstruction of the pelvic floor remains undetermined. Materials and methods: A retrospective chart review was performed at a tertiary university center to assess the surgical and oncological outcomes of 39 PE procedures over a 12-year period. The majority of patients (n = 25) underwent transverse musculocutaneous gracilis (TMG) flap reconstruction for pelvic floor reconstruction. Results: The 1- and 5-year overall survival (OS) was 72% (95%CI 58%-86%) and 48% (95%CI 31%-65%), respectively. In multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (HR 3.070, p = 0.024) and positive surgical margins (HR 3.928, p = 0.009) were risk factors for OS. In this population, 71.8% of the patients had at least one complication. The complication rate was 65.4% and 84.6% for patients with versus without flap reconstruction, respectively (p = 0.191). The length of stay was longer for patients with a major complication 16,0 +/- 5,9 days vs. 29,4 +/- 14,8 days, p = 0.001, but complications did not affect OS. Conclusion: For selected patients, PE is a curative option for locally advanced, residual, or recurrent intrapelvic tumors. Pelvic floor and vulvovaginal defects can reliably be reconstructed using TMG flaps. TMG flaps are favored in our institution over abdominal-based flaps because the donor site morbidity is reasonable and TMG does not interfere with enterostomy. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd, BASO similar to The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Preregistration Classification of Mobile LIDAR Data Using Spatial Correlations

We explore a novel paradigm for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) point classification in mobile laser scanning (MLS). In contrast to the traditional scheme of performing classification for a 3-D point cloud after registration, our algorithm operates on the raw data stream classifying the points on-the-fly before registration. Hence, we call it preregistration classification (PRC). Specifically, this technique is based on spatial correlations, i.e., local range measurements supporting each other. The proposed method is general since exact scanner pose information is not required, nor is any radiometric calibration needed. Also, we show that the method can be applied in different environments by adjusting two control parameters, without the results being overly sensitive to this adjustment. As results, we present classification of points from an urban environment where noise, ground, buildings, and vegetation are distinguished from each other, and points from the forest where tree stems and ground are classified from the other points. As computations are efficient and done with a minimal cache, the proposed methods enable new on-chip deployable algorithmic solutions. Broader benefits from the spatial correlations and the computational efficiency of the PRC scheme are likely to be gained in several online and offline applications. These range from single robotic platform operations including simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms to wall-clock time savings in geoinformation industry. Finally, PRC is especially attractive for continuous-beam and solid-state LIDARs that are prone to output noisy data

Power line mapping technique using all-terrain mobile laser scanning

Power line mapping using remote sensing can automate the traditionally labor-intensive power line corridor inspection. Land-based mobile laser scanning (MLS) can be a good choice for the power line mapping if an aerial inspection is impossible, too costly or slow, unsafe, prohibited by regulations, or if more detailed information on the power line corridor is needed. The mapping of the power lines using MLS was studied in a rural environment outside the road network for the first time. An automatic power line extraction algorithm was developed. The algorithm first found power line candidate points based on the shape and orientation of the local neighborhood of a point using principal component analysis. Power lines were retrieved from the candidates using random sample consensus (Ransac) and a new power line labeling method, which takes into account the three-dimensional shape of the power lines. The new labeling method was able to find the power lines and remove false detections, which were found, for example, from the forest. The algorithm was tested in forested and open field (arable land) areas, outside the road environment using two different platforms of MLS, namely, personal backpack and all-terrain vehicle. The recall and precision of the power line extraction were 93.3% and 93.6%, respectively, using 10 cm as a distance criterion for a successful detection. Drifting of the positioning solution of the scanner was the largest error source, being the (contributory) cause for 60–70% of the errors. The platform did not have a significant effect on the power line extraction accuracy. The accuracy was higher in the open field compared to the forest, because the one-dimensional point density along the power line was inhomogeneous and GNSS (global navigation satellite system) signal was weak in the forest. The results suggest that the power lines can be mapped accurately enough for inspection purposes using MLS in a rural environment outside the road network.</p

The potential of dual-wavelength terrestrial lidar in early detection of Ips typographus (L.) infestation – Leaf water content as a proxy

Climate change is causing novel forest stress around the world due to changes in environmental conditions. Forest pest insects, such as Ips typographus (L.), are spreading toward the northern latitudes and are now able to produce more generations in their current range; this has increased forest disturbances. Timely information on tree decline is critical in allowing forest managers to plan effective countermeasures and to forecast potential infestation areas. Field-based infestation surveys of bark beetles have traditionally involved visual estimates of entrance holes, resin flow, and maternal-gallery densities; such estimates are prone to error and bias. Thus, objective and automated methods for estimating tree infestation status are required. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of dual-wavelength terrestrial lidar in the estimation and detection of I. typographus infestation symptoms. In addition, we examined the relationship between leaf water content (measured as gravimetric water content and equivalent water thickness) and infestation severity. Using two terrestrial lidar systems (operating at 905 nm and 1550 nm), we measured 29 mature Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) trees that exhibited low or moderate infestation symptoms. We calculated single and dual-wavelength lidar intensity metrics from stem and crown points to test these metrics' ability to discriminate I. typographus infestation levels using regressions and linear discriminant analyses. Across the various I. typographus infestation levels, we found significant differences (p Peer reviewe

The potential of dual-wavelength terrestrial lidar in early detection of Ips typographus (L.) infestation – Leaf water content as a proxy

Climate change is causing novel forest stress around the world due to changes in environmental conditions. Forest pest insects, such as Ips typographus (L.), are spreading toward the northern latitudes and are now able to produce more generations in their current range; this has increased forest disturbances. Timely information on tree decline is critical in allowing forest managers to plan effective countermeasures and to forecast potential infestation areas. Field-based infestation surveys of bark beetles have traditionally involved visual estimates of entrance holes, resin flow, and maternal-gallery densities; such estimates are prone to error and bias. Thus, objective and automated methods for estimating tree infestation status are required.In this study, we investigated the feasibility of dual-wavelength terrestrial lidar in the estimation and detection of I. typographus infestation symptoms. In addition, we examined the relationship between leaf water content (measured as gravimetric water content and equivalent water thickness) and infestation severity. Using two terrestrial lidar systems (operating at 905 nm and 1550 nm), we measured 29 mature Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) trees that exhibited low or moderate infestation symptoms. We calculated single and dual-wavelength lidar intensity metrics from stem and crown points to test these metrics' ability to discriminate I. typographus infestation levels using regressions and linear discriminant analyses.Across the various I. typographus infestation levels, we found significant differences (p </p