A preliminary study into the use of infrared thermography as a means of assessing the horse's response to different training methods

Infrared thermography (IRT) has been used as a non-invasive means of assessing stress responses in animals. Changes in surface temperature that relate to redirected blood flow have been associated with emotional responses in a range of species. For example, when horses were subjected to a sham clipping procedure, increases in eye temperature were found to correlate significantly with increases in salivary cortisol. The Pessoa Training Aid is claimed to enhance the physical development of the horse but may also increase the psychological stress associated with training. The aim of the current study was to use IRT to evaluate whether the use of this training device affected the stress response of horses during a lunge session. Riding school horses (n = 8) were used for the study. All had previously been lunged in the Pessoa. Each horse was lunged for two sessions of approximately 15 minutes, once with and once without the Pessoa using a cross-over design. In each session the horse was lunged on both reins at walk, trot, canter, trot and walk. With the Pessoa the horse was lunged initially with the device fitted loosely and it was only tightened for the second trot. Thermal images were taken from a distance of one metre after each gait and from each side of the horse using a Mobir GuidIR M4 thermal camera. Ambient temperature was also recorded. A digital rectal thermometer was used to measure core temperature. Thermal images were analysed using Guide IR analyser software. The same area around the eye, on the neck and around the ear was circled on each image and the maximum temperature recorded. Mean temperatures (eye, ear, neck and core) were calculated for each gait with and without the Pessoa. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was carried out on the mean temperatures to assess the effects of Pessoa and gait. Significantly higher eye temperatures were recorded with the Pessoa (30.59 ± 0.58°C) than without it (28.7 ± 0.83°C) (p < 0.05). There was also a significant effect of gait (p < 0.01), with the highest eye temperature being recorded following the second trot when the Pessoa was worn (32.34 ± 2.61°C) and the lowest at halt (27.5 ± 0.95°C). There was no significant effect of either gadget or gait on ear or neck temperature. Significantly higher core temperatures were found when the Pessoa was used (with: 37.11 ± 0.2°C; without: 36.7 ± 0.17°C) although this was not affected by gait. No correlation between ambient temperature and eye, ear or neck temperature was found. The results of this preliminary study indicate that the horses experienced more stress when lunged with the Pessoa than without it. The increased eye temperature that occurred in relation to gait and was highest after the second trot was accentuated by the use of the Pessoa following tightening of the device. The use of IRT offers an objective non-invasive method of assessing the horse's response to other training methods and a means of improving the welfare of the ridden horse

Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors Use and Outcome after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Aims. We investigate the effect of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GP IIb/IIIa) inhibitors on long-term outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Meta-analyses indicate that these agents are associated with improved short-term outcomes. However, many trials were undertaken before the routine use of P2Y12 inhibitors. Recent studies yield conflicting results and registry data have suggested that GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors may cause more bleeding than what trials indicate. Methods and Results. This retrospective observational study involves 3047 patients receiving dual-antiplatelet therapy who underwent PCI for NSTEMI. Primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were a secondary outcome. Mean follow-up was 4.6 years. Patients treated with GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors were younger with fewer comorbidities. Although the unadjusted Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested that GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor use was associated with improved outcomes, multivariate analysis (including propensity scoring) showed no benefit for either survival (P=0.136) or MACE (P=0.614). GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor use was associated with an increased risk of major bleeding (P=0.021). Conclusion. Although GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor use appeared to improve outcomes after PCI for NSTEMI, patients who received GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors tended to be at lower risk. After multivariate adjustment we observed no improvement in MACE or survival and an increased risk of major bleeding

Three-dimensional soil organic matter distribution, accessibility and microbial respiration in macroaggregates using osmium staining and synchrotron X-ray computed tomography

The spatial distribution and accessibility of organic matter (OM) to soil microbes in aggregates – determined by the fine-scale, 3-D distribution of OM, pores and mineral phases – may be an important control on the magnitude of soil heterotrophic respiration (SHR). Attempts to model SHR on fine scales requires data on the transition probabilities between adjacent pore space and soil OM, a measure of microbial accessibility to the latter. We used a combination of osmium staining and synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (CT) to determine the 3-D (voxel) distribution of these three phases (scale 6.6 μm) throughout nine aggregates taken from a single soil core (range of organic carbon (OC) concentrations: 4.2–7.7 %). Prior to the synchrotron analyses we had measured the magnitude of SHR for each aggregate over 24 h under controlled conditions (moisture content and temperature). We test the hypothesis that larger magnitudes of SHR will be observed in aggregates with (i) shorter length scales of OM variation (more aerobic microsites) and (ii) larger transition probabilities between OM and pore voxels. After scaling to their OC concentrations, there was a 6-fold variation in the magnitude of SHR for the nine aggregates. The distribution of pore diameters and tortuosity index values for pore branches was similar for each of the nine aggregates. The Pearson correlation between aggregate surface area (normalized by aggregate volume) and normalized headspace C gas concentration was both positive and reasonably large (r D0.44), suggesting that the former may be a factor that influences SHR. The overall transition probabilities between OM and pore voxels were between 0.07 and 0.17, smaller than those used in previous simulation studies. We computed the length scales over which OM, pore and mineral phases vary within each aggregate using 3-D indicator variograms. The median range of models fitted to variograms of OM varied between 38 and 175 μm and was generally larger than the other two phases within each aggregate, but in general variogram models had ranges <250 μm. There was no evidence to support the hypotheses concerning scales of variation in OM and magnitude of SHR; the linear correlation was 0.01. There was weak evidence to suggest a statistical relationship between voxel-based OM–pore transition probabilities and the magnitudes of aggregate SHR (r D0.12).We discuss how our analyses could be extended and suggest improvements to the approach we used

Human geophagia, Calabash chalk and Undongo: Mineral element nutritional implications

The prime aim of our work is to report and comment on the bioaccessible concentrations – i.e., the soluble content of chemical elements in the gastrointestinal environment that is available for absorption – of a number of essential mineral nutrients and potentially harmful elements (PHEs) associated with the deliberate ingestion of African geophagical materials, namely Calabash chalk and Undongo. The pseudo-total concentrations of 13 mineral nutrients/PHEs were quantified following a nitric-perchloric acid digestion of nine different Calabash chalk samples, and bioaccessible contents of eight of these chemical elements were determined in simulated saliva/gastric and intestinal solutions obtained via use of the Fed ORganic Estimation human Simulation Test (FOREhST) in vitro procedure. The Calabash chalk pseudo-total content of the chemical elements is often below what may be regarded as average for soils/shales, and no concentration is excessively high. The in vitro leachate solutions had concentrations that were often lower than those of the blanks used in our experimental procedure, indicative of effective adsorption: lead, a PHE about which concern has been previously raised in connection with the consumption of Calabash chalk, was one such chemical element where this was evident. However, some concentrations in the leachate solutions are suggestive that Calabash chalk can be a source of chemical elements to humans in bioaccessible form, although generally the materials appear to be only a modest supplier: this applies even to iron, a mineral nutrient that has often been linked to the benefits of geophagia in previous academic literature. Our investigations indicate that at the reported rates of ingestion, Calabash chalk on the whole is not an important source of mineral nutrients or PHEs to humans. Similarly, although Undongo contains elevated pseudo-total concentrations of chromium and nickel, this soil is not a significant source to humans for any of the bioaccessible elements investigated

The Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for the Management of Non-union Fractures.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The treatment of non-union fractures represents a significant challenge for orthopaedic surgeons. In recent years, biologic agents have been investigated and utilised to support and improve bone healing. Among these agents, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an emerging strategy that is gaining popularity. The aim of this review is to evaluate the current literature regarding the application and clinical effectiveness of PRP injections, specifically for the treatment of non-union fractures. RECENT FINDINGS: The majority of published studies reported that PRP accelerated fracture healing; however, this evidence was predominantly level IV. The lack of randomised, clinical trials (level I-II evidence) is currently hampering the successful clinical translation of PRP as a therapy for non-union fractures. This is despite the positive reports regarding its potential to heal non-union fractures, when used in isolation or in combination with other forms of treatment. Future recommendations to facilitate clinical translation and acceptance of PRP as a therapy include the need to investigate the effects of administering higher volumes of PRP (i.e. 5-20 mL) along with the requirement for more prolonged (> 11 months) randomised clinical trials

Soil-sebum partition coefficients for high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAH)

In vitro high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAH) soil-sebum partition coefficients (KSS) were measured for twelve soils collected from former UK gasworks. Concentrations of ∑16 USEPA PAH in the soils ranged from 51 to 1440 mg/kg. Time series extractions (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h) at skin temperature (32 °C) of HMW-PAH from sebum to soil for two samples were conducted to determine the maximum release time-step. The maximum HMW-PAH release time-step was determined as 4 h, which was subsequently used as the extraction time for the remaining samples. The 4 h extraction for all samples showed HMW-PAH KSS ranging from 0.06 to 1.4 (median = 0.59; mean = 0.59; standard deviation = 0.27; median absolute deviation = 0.29). Evaluation of KSS data for the 4 h extractions showed that soil type and selected HMW-PAH properties (literature based molecular weight and octanol-carbon partition coefficients) affect the amount of HMW-PAH released from soil into sebum

Geochemistry, mineralogy, solid-phase fractionation and oral bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils of Lisbon

An urban survey of Lisbon, the largest city in Portugal, was carried out to investigate its environmental burden, emphasizing metallic elements and their public health impacts. This paper examines the geochemistry of lead (Pb) and its influence on human health data. A total of 51 soil samples were collected from urban recreational areas used by children to play outdoors. The semi-quantitative analysis of Pb was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after an acid digestion. X-ray diffraction was used to characterize the soil mineralogy. The solid-phase distribution of Pb in the urban soils was investigated on a subset of 7 soils, out of a total of 51 samples, using a non-specific sequential extraction method coupled with chemometric analysis. Oral bioaccessibility measurements were obtained using the Unified BARGE Method developed by the Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe. The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) investigation of Pb solid-phase distribution; (2) interpretation of Pb oral bioaccessibility measurements; (3) integration of metal geochemistry with human health data; and (4) understanding the influence of geochemistry and mineralogy on oral bioaccessibility. The results show that the bioaccessible fraction of Pb is lower when major metal fractions are associated with less soluble soil phases such as Fe oxyhydroxides, and more increased when the metal is in the highly soluble carbonate phase. However, there is some evidence that the proportion of carbonates in the soil environment is also a key control over the oral bioaccessibility of Pb, irrespective of its solid-phase fractionation

On the shopfloor: exploring the impact of teacher trade unions on school-based industrial relations

Teachers are highly unionised workers and their trade unions exert an important influence on the shaping and implementation of educational policy. Despite this importance there is relatively little analysis of the impact of teacher trade unions in educational management literature. Very little empirical research has sought to establish the impact of teacher unions at school level. In an era of devolved management and quasi-markets this omission is significant. New personnel issues continue to emerge at school level and this may well generate increased trade union activity at the workplace. This article explores the extent to which devolved management is drawing school-based union representation into a more prominent role. It argues that whilst there can be significant differences between individual schools, increased school autonomy is raising the profile of trade union activity in the workplace, and this needs to be better reflected in educational management research