Common Body Research Articles

Inference of forensic body fluids/tissues based on mitochondrial DNA copy number: a preliminary study.

The inference of body fluids and tissues is critical in reconstructing crime scenes and inferring criminal behaviors. Nevertheless, present methods are incompatible with conventional DNA genotyping, and additional testing might result in excessive consumption of forensic scene materials. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of distinguishing common body fluids/tissues through the difference in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn). Four types of body fluids/tissues were analyzed in this study - hair, saliva, semen, and skeletal muscle. MtDNAcn was estimated by dividing the read counts of mitochondrial DNA to that of nuclear DNA (RRmt/nu). Results indicated that there were significant differences in RRmt/nu between different body fluids/tissues. Specifically, hair samples exhibited the highest RRmt/nu (log10RRmt/nu: 4.3 ± 0.28), while semen samples showed the lowest RRmt/nu (log10RRmt/nu: -0.1 ± 0.28). RRmt/nu values for DNA samples without extraction were notably higher (approximately 2.9 times) than those obtained after extraction. However, no significant difference in RRmt/nu was observed between various age and gender groups. Hierarchical clustering and Kmeans clustering analyses showed that body fluids/tissues of the same type clustered closely to each other and could be inferred with high accuracy. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the simultaneous detection of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA made it possible to perform conventional DNA analyses and body fluid/tissue inference at the same time, thus killing two birds with one stone. Furthermore, mtDNAcn has the potential to serve as a novel and promising biomarker for the identification of body fluids/tissues.

Young females experience higher body image dissatisfaction associated with a high social media use: a cross-sectional study in Omani university students

BackgroundThis study aimed to assess body image dissatisfaction in Omani university students across gender and age and explore the potential impact of social media use on body image dissatisfaction. This cross-sectional online survey was responded by 482 Omani university students. The survey included socio-demographic data, a Social Media Activity Questionnaire, and a Body Dissatisfaction Scale. The participants were approached through promotion of the study on locally famous social media accounts.ResultsThe prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was higher in females compared to males (37.7% and 24%, respectively). Additionally, 53.6% of participants with a high body mass index reported high levels of body image dissatisfaction, while underweight participants reported the lowest body image dissatisfaction (21.3%). High social media use showed a significant correlation with body image dissatisfaction (p < 0.001); however, age did not exhibit a significant association with body image dissatisfaction. Concerns related to being overweight and not having clear skin were the most common body features associated with body image issues.ConclusionHigher levels of body image dissatisfaction were found with high social media use. The study also identified a higher prevalence of body image dissatisfaction in females compared to males, with no significant differences across age groups.

A-097 Body Fluid Validation for 11 Analytes on a Chemistry Analyzer

Abstract Background Most clinical chemistry assays are intended for use in serum, plasma, urine, and/or CSF with no performance characteristics on body fluids. However, testing of body fluids can be medically necessary for certain diagnoses. Such as determining the cause of fluid buildup in peritoneal spaces, pleural effusions, whether effusions are transudates or exudates, and even diagnosing some joint disorders. To provide these medically necessary tests, the burden is on the laboratory to perform regulatory-required validations. Herein is the validation of 11 clinical chemistry analytes in several common body fluids. Methods Mixing and stability studies were performed for the following analytes on the Roche cobas c702 (Roche Diagnostics), using the methods intended for use with serum/plasma samples: Albumin, Amylase, Bilirubin, Urea Nitrogen, Cholesterol, Creatinine, Glucose, Lactate Dehydrogenase, Lipase, Protein, and Triglycerides. Six individual fluid samples were mixed with the intended use matrix in 3 ratios: 1:3, 1:1, and 3:1. The following matrices were evaluated: pleural, peritoneal, JP drainage, synovial, and pancreatic cyst fluids. Stabilities were tested for 7 days at room temperature (RT) and 2-8°C. A maximum dilution study was also performed for Amylase. Results Mixing Study: The results are shown in the table below: Stability: For most body fluids, analytes were stable for 7 days at RT and 2-8 °C. The following analytes displayed shorter stability at RT: Bilirubin (peritoneal: 2 days, pleural: 1 day, JP drainage: 1 day), Urea Nitrogen (JP drain fluid: 2 days), Lipase (peritoneal fluid 5 days), and Triglycerides (peritoneal fluid: 5 days). Lactate dehydrogenase in pleural fluid showed a stability of 5 days at RT and 2 days at 2-8 °C. Maximum Dilution A 1:505 compounded manual and automated dilution displayed a &amp;lt;7% bias. Conclusions No sample matrix interferences were observed for any of the body fluids-analyte pairs tested allowing for this medically necessary testing.

The Ingestion Question: Public Knowledge of Safe Food Introduction in Children.

National guidelines advise delaying initiation of solid foods until after 4-6 months of age and avoiding "high-risk" foods under the age of 4 years. However, foreign body aspiration of food remains a common preventable pediatric emergency. Our primary aim was to investigate public knowledge regarding the safe age of introduction of different foods to children and determine if demographic factors affect this knowledge. An online survey was designed following a literature review and consultation with an expert panel. This was distributed via social media platforms. A review of our institutional data of bronchoscopy/foreign body retrievals was performed to identify trends. There were 1000 survey responses: 79.4% of respondents cared for children and 21.5% were medical professionals; 37.7% of respondents (n = 385) would offer high-risk foods to children <2 years of age and 56.9% (n = 582) to children <3 years. At our institution nuts (65.7%) were the most common food-related foreign body retrieved from a total of 265 over 21 years. Notably, 80% of respondents (n = 800) would offer whole nuts to children <4 years. Respondents with medical training were more likely to hold off on introducing nuts to children until a later age. Although the public has an overall appreciation of food safety, a significant proportion would feel comfortable offering high-risk foods to children under 2 and 3 years. There is a poor understanding of the danger of nuts and the appropriate age of introduction. Further research into effective public education strategies on safe food introduction in children are warranted. V Laryngoscope, 2024.

FP7.17 - Appendiceal Foreign Bodies in Adults: A Systematic Review of Case Reports

Abstract Adults can accidentally swallow foreign bodies (FBs) with food. In rare occasions, these can lodge in the appendix lumen causing inflammation. This is known as foreign body appendicitis. We conducted this study to review different types and management of appendiceal FBs. A comprehensive search on PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar was performed to detect appropriate case reports for this review. Case reports eligible for this review included patients above 18 years of age with all types of FB ingestion causing appendicitis. A total of 64 case reports were deemed to be eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. The patient mean age was 44.3 ± 16.7 years (range, 18-77). Twenty-four foreign bodies were identified in the adult appendix. They were mainly lead shot pellet, fishbone, dental crown or filling, toothpick, and others. Forty-two percent of the included patients presented with classic appendicitis pain, while 17% were asymptomatic. Moreover, the appendix was perforated in 11 patients. Regarding modalities used for diagnosis, computed tomography (CT) scans confirmed the presence of FBs in 59% of cases while X-ray only managed to detect 30%. Almost all of the cases (91%) were treated surgically with appendicectomy and only six were managed conservatively. Overall, lead shot pellets were the most common foreign body found. Fishbone and toothpick accounted for most of the perforated appendix cases. This study concludes that prophylactic appendicectomy is recommended for the management of foreign bodies detected in the appendix, even if the patient is asymptomatic.

Disordered eating behaviours during the menopausal transition: a systematic review.

Disordered eating refers to a range of eating behaviours and attitudes towards weight and food that can negatively influence physical and psychosocial well-being. The menopausal transition could be a vulnerable period for disordered eating due to major hormonal fluctuations, menopausal symptoms, common body composition shifts, and an increased risk of psychological challenges. This systematic review aimed to summarize evidence on the associations between the menopausal transition and disordered eating. Records published before October 2023 were identified through MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Embase, and CINAHL. Studies investigating associations between menopausal status, menopausal symptoms, or reproductive hormone levels, and disordered eating during the menopausal transition were sought. A total of 1301 non-duplicate records were screened, with 10 studies deemed eligible for inclusion. Most included studies used a cross-sectional design (n=9). Findings include potentially higher levels of binge eating during the perimenopausal stage, whereas restrictive eating behaviours appeared more common during postmenopause compared to premenopause. Both studies investigating menopausal symptoms found strong positive associations with disordered eating. Nonetheless, findings are equivocal with contrasting results and limited methodological quality across studies. Further research is needed to verify these findings and better assist health professionals in supporting healthy eating behaviours in menopausal women during this complex transition. (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021290736).

Epidemiological Investigation of the Foreign Body in the Ear, How to Treat It and Its Complications in the Hospital Kamkar-Arabnia in Qom in 2019

Background: A foreign object in the ear is a relatively common emergency, and failure to remove it properly or using incorrect methods can cause irreparable damage. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of foreign bodies in the ear, their treatment, and associated complications at Kamkar-Arabnia Hospital in Qom in 2019. Methods: This descriptive study used a census method to include 102 patients referred to Kamkar-Arabnia Hospital with complaints of foreign bodies in the ear. Data were collected using a checklist that included demographic and hospital information, and then analyzed using SPSS 18 with descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: The study included 102 participants with an average age of 12.41 ± 7.11 years. Most participants were male (58.9%, n = 60), and the age distribution was as follows: 0 - 6 years (49%, n = 50), 6 - 12 years (30.4%, n = 31), 12-18 years (13.7%, n = 14), and over 18 years (6.9%, n = 7). The most common foreign body was seeds (35.2%, n = 36). Complications were observed in 41.4% of cases, with the majority occurring in the age group of 0-6 years. In this age group, seeds were the most common foreign body, whereas in the age groups 6 - 12 years and 12 - 18 years, seeds were also prevalent. For individuals over 18 years, common foreign bodies included matchsticks, cotton, and plastic. Only 22 patients required anesthesia for removal. Among the age groups 0 - 6, 6 - 12, and 12 - 18 years, most foreign bodies were removed without complications, whereas 5 individuals over 18 years experienced canal bleeding. Conclusions: The study highlights the need for effective preventive measures to avoid the entry of foreign substances in children, emphasizing the importance of proper management to prevent complications.

Pose-Aware Attention Network for Flexible Motion Retargeting by Body Part.

Motion retargeting is a fundamental problem in computer graphics and computer vision. Existing approaches usually have many strict requirements, such as the source-target skeletons needing to have the same number of joints or share the same topology. To tackle this problem, we note that skeletons with different structure may have some common body parts despite the differences in joint numbers. Following this observation, we propose a novel, flexible motion retargeting framework. The key idea of our method is to regard the body part as the basic retargeting unit rather than directly retargeting the whole body motion. To enhance the spatial modeling capability of the motion encoder, we introduce a pose-aware attention network (PAN) in the motion encoding phase. The PAN is pose-aware since it can dynamically predict the joint weights within each body part based on the input pose, and then construct a shared latent space for each body part by feature pooling. Extensive experiments show that our approach can generate better motion retargeting results both qualitatively and quantitatively than state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, we also show that our framework can generate reasonable results even for a more challenging retargeting scenario, like retargeting between bipedal and quadrupedal skeletons because of the body part retargeting strategy and PAN.

A Study of Nonverbal Persuasion in TED Talks

This study investigates the realm of nonverbal communication and its persuasive impact in the context of TED talks. Nonverbal communication plays a significant role in effectively conveying persuasive messages, especially in TED talks, which are considered a useful database for the study. Surprisingly, little researches and studies have investigated the role of nonverbal behavior in persuading and influencing others. The study aims to find the most common body movements in TED talks, analyze the common movements kinetically to have a better understanding of these movements, and investigate the nonverbal persuasiveness of the selected movements. The study adopts a model consisting of Birdwhistell's (1952) kinesic analysis model and Andre et al.'s (2011) nonverbal persuasion analysis model. Final results reveal that (1) hand movement is the most common type among other types of movements, (2) the persuasiveness of nonverbal communication is achieved by basing on the following persuasive body behaviors: importance, emotion, certainty, the sender’s competence, evaluation, and the sender’s benevolence, (3) body language, such as hand gestures, head nods, and facial expressions, can be broken down into smaller parts, these smaller parts, known as the kinemorph, kineme, and kine, make the body movements understandable.

The Association between Body Composition Phenotype and Insulin Resistance in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Patients without Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional, Single-Center Study.

The most frequent body composition alterations in post-COVID-19 syndrome include low muscle mass, dynapenia, sarcopenia, and obesity. These conditions share interconnected pathophysiological mechanisms that exacerbate each other. The relationship between body composition phenotypes and metabolic abnormalities in post-COVID-19 syndrome remains unclear. To evaluate the association between body composition phenotypes and insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic abnormalities in non-diabetic individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome. A cross-sectional, single-center study involving 483 subjects with post-COVID-19 syndrome following moderate to severe acute COVID-19 requiring hospitalization. Individuals with diabetes, those who declined to participate, or those who could not be contacted were excluded. Body composition phenotypes were classified as normal weight, dynapenia, sarcopenia, dynapenic obesity, and sarcopenic obesity (SO). The average age was 52.69 ± 14.75 years; of note, 67.08% were male. The prevalence of body composition phenotypes was as follows: 13.25% were of normal weight, 9.52% had dynapenia, 9.94% had sarcopenia, 43.69% had obesity, 18.84% had dynapenic obesity, and 4.76% had SO. Additionally, 58.18% had IR. Obesity (OR: 2.98, CI95%; 1.64-5.41) and dynapenic obesity (OR: 4.98, CI95%; 1.46-6.88) were associated with IR. The most common body composition phenotypes were obesity, dynapenic obesity, and dynapenia. Furthermore, obesity and dynapenic obesity were associated with IR in post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Differentiation of five forensically relevant body fluids using a small set of microRNA markers.

In forensic investigations, identifying the type of body fluid allows for the interpretation of biological evidence at the activity level. Over the past two decades, significant research efforts have focused on developing molecular methods for this purpose. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) hold great promise due to their tissue-specific expression, abundance, lack of splice variants, and relative stability. Although initial findings are promising, achieving consistent results across studies is still challenging, underscoring the necessity for both original and replication studies. To address this, we selected 18 miRNA candidates and tested them on 6 body fluids commonly encountered in forensic cases: peripheral blood, menstrual blood, saliva, semen, vaginal secretion, and skin. Using reverse transcription quantitative PCR analysis, we confirmed eight miRNA candidates (miR-144-3p, miR-451a, miR-205-5p, miR-214-3p, miR-888-5p, miR-891a-5p, miR-193b-3p, miR-1260b) with high tissue specificity and four (miR-203a-3p, miR-141-3p, miR-200b-3p, miR-4286) with lesser discrimination ability but still contributing to body fluid differentiation. Through principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering, the set of 12 miRNAs successfully distinguished all body fluids, including the challenging discrimination of blood from menstrual blood and saliva from vaginal secretion. In conclusion, our results provide additional data supporting the use of a small set of miRNAs for predicting common body fluids in forensic contexts. Large population data need to be gathered to develop a body fluid prediction model and assess its accuracy.

Isotopic evidence for a common parent body of IIG and IIAB iron meteorites

Magmatic iron meteorites are thought to sample the metallic cores of differentiated planetesimals and are subdivided into several chemical groups, each representing a distinct parent body. The only exceptions are the groups IIAB and IIG, which have been proposed to sample two immiscible melts from the same core. To test this model, we report the first Fe, Ni, O, and Cr isotope data for IIG iron meteorites and the first high-precision O isotope data for IIAB iron meteorites. The new data demonstrate that IIG iron meteorites belong to the non-carbonaceous (NC) meteorites. This is evident from the isotope anomaly of each of the four elements investigated, where the IIG irons always overlap with the compositions of NC meteorites but are distinct from those of carbonaceous (CC) meteorites. Moreover, among the NC meteorites and in particular, the NC irons, the isotopic composition of the IIG irons overlaps only with that of the IIAB irons. The combined Fe-Ni-O-Cr isotope data for IIAB and IIG iron meteorites, therefore, reveal formation from a single isotopic reservoir, indicating a strong genetic link between the two groups. The indistinguishable isotopic composition of the IIAB and IIG irons, combined with chemical evidence for the formation of IIG irons as late-stage liquids of the IIAB core, strongly suggests that both groups originate from the same core. The results underscore the strength of utilizing multiple elements and their isotopic compositions to establish genetic links among meteorites, rather than using a single element. They also highlight the significance of integrating multiple geochemical tracers and petrologic observations to accurately determine genetic relationships and the formation of meteorites within the same parent body.

A Five-Year Overview of Bicycle Injuries in the United States Between the Years 2017 and 2021.

Introduction This study investigates the changes in bicycle-related injury rates between 2017 and 2021. We focus specifically onchanges in age demographics, and the most common diagnosesand body parts injured. Methods We queried the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) for injuries associated with bicycles from 2017 to 2021. Chi-square analysis was used to evaluate trends in injuries vs. time for the entire sample, age groups in five-year increments, and the proportion of injury types by diagnosis and body part. Results The highest annual injury rate (12,800 counts) occurred in 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 safer-at-home order. Pediatric patients continue to make up the majority of injured cyclists (48% of patients are younger than 19 years), but their percentage is decreasing (zero to four years (-13%, p < 0.005), five to nine years (-17%, p < 0.005), 10-14years (-5%, p < 0.005), 20-24years (-16%, p < 0.005), 25-29 years (-2%, p < 0.005), and 50-54 years (-14%, p < 0.005)) and mirrored by an increase in the proportion of older injured cyclists (40-44years (+26%, p < 0.005), 60-64years (+44%, p< 0.005), 65-69years (+69%, p < 0.005), and 70+years (+57%, p < 0.005)). The past five years saw an increase in injuries associated with higher impact forces and the potential for more severe morbidity and mortality, such as internal organ injuries (+13%, p < 0.01). The incidence of concussions, however, has not changed significantly. The extremities are the most commonly injured body parts(upper and lower arm, elbow, wrist, hand, fingers, upper and lower leg, knee, ankle, foot, and toe = 47% total) and continue to increase in frequency (lower arm (+2%, p < 0.005), lower leg (+3%, p < 0.01), upper arm (+18%, p < 0.005), and hand (+11%, p < 0.05)), while facial injuries are becoming less common(-3%, p < 0.05), and head injuries have not experienced a significant change of incidence. Conclusion Although there was an increase in bicycle-related injuries during the COVID-19 safer-at-home order, numbers have since returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. Other changes in bicycle injury demographics and mechanisms, such as a rise in older adult cyclists and high-force mechanism injuries, however, call for a re-evaluation of preventive and treatment priorities.

Lesions Causing Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Map to a Common Brain Network Linking Body and Size Perception

ObjectiveAlice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) profoundly affects human perception of size and scale, particularly regarding one's own body and the environment. Its neuroanatomical basis has remained elusive, partly because brain lesions causing AIWS can occur in different brain regions. Here, we aimed to determine if brain lesions causing AIWS map to a distributed brain network.MethodsA retrospective case–control study analyzing 37 cases of lesion‐induced AIWS identified through systematic literature review was conducted. Using resting‐state functional connectome data from 1,000 healthy individuals, the whole‐brain connections of each lesion were estimated and contrasted with those from a control dataset comprising 1,073 lesions associated with 25 other neuropsychiatric syndromes. Additionally, connectivity findings from lesion‐induced AIWS cases were compared with functional neuroimaging results from 5 non‐lesional AIWS cases.ResultsAIWS‐associated lesions were located in various brain regions with minimal overlap (≤33%). However, the majority of lesions (≥85%) demonstrated shared connectivity to the right extrastriate body area, known to be selectively activated by viewing body part images, and the inferior parietal cortex, involved in size and scale judgements. This pattern was uniquely characteristic of AIWS when compared with other neuropsychiatric disorders (family‐wise error‐corrected p &lt; 0.05) and consistent with functional neuroimaging observations in AIWS due to nonlesional causes (median correlation r = 0.56, interquartile range 0.24).InterpretationAIWS‐related perceptual distortions map to one common brain network, encompassing regions critical for body representation and size‐scale processing. These findings lend insight into the neuroanatomical localization of higher‐order perceptual functions, and may inform future therapeutic strategies for perceptual disorders. ANN NEUROL 2024;96:662–674

Analysis of laboratory markers in body contouring procedures after bariatric surgery does not indicate particular risks for perioperative complications

BackgroundBody contouring surgery after massive weight loss is associated with different risk factors. Wound healing disorders and seromas commonly occur postoperatively. Bariatric interventions lead to massive weight loss with excess skin and soft tissue. In this study, perioperatively collected laboratory markers of this special patient population were analyzed.MethodsFifty-nine patients were analyzed retrospectively regarding bariatric surgery, weight loss, body contouring surgery, laboratory markers, and complication rates.ResultsBody contouring surgery (n = 117) was performed in 59 patients. Weight loss was achieved after gastric bypass (40.1%), gastric banding (33.9%), or sleeve gastrectomy (26.0%), with an average of 69.2 kg. The most common body contouring procedure included abdominoplasty (n = 50), followed by thigh lift (n = 29), mammaplasty (n = 19), brachioplasty (n = 14), and upper body lift (n = 5). Analysis of laboratory markers revealed no exceptional and clinically relevant variations. Correlation analysis revealed associations between resection weight, amount of drain fluid, and particular laboratory markers.ConclusionAnalysis of perioperative laboratory markers in this special patient population after massive weight loss did not indicate clinically relevant risk factors regardless of the type of bariatric or body contouring surgery. Body contouring surgeries after bariatric interventions prove to be safe and low risk concerning perioperative laboratory markers and postoperative hospitalization.

Force magnitude and distribution during impacts to the hip are affected differentially by body size and body composition

Hip fractures are a severe health concern among older adults. While anthropometric factors have been shown to influence hip fracture risk, the low fidelity of common body composition metrics (e.g. body mass index) reduces our ability to infer underlying mechanisms. While simulation approaches can be used to explore how body composition influences impact dynamics, there is value in experimental data with human volunteers to support the advancement of computational modeling efforts. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to use a novel combination of subject-specific clinical imaging and laboratory-based impact paradigms to assess potential relationships between high-fidelity body composition and impact dynamics metrics (including load magnitude and distribution and pelvis deflection) during sideways falls on the hip in human volunteers.Nineteen females (<35 years) participated. Body composition was assessed via DXA and ultrasound. Participants underwent low-energy (but clinically relevant) sideways falls on the hip during which impact kinetics (total peak force, contract area, peak pressure) and pelvis deformation were measured. Pearson correlations assessed potential relationships between body composition and impact characteristics.Peak force was more strongly correlated with total mass (r = 0.712) and lean mass indices (r = 0.510–0.713) than fat mass indices (r = 0.401–0.592). Peak deflection was positively correlated with indices of adiposity (all r > 0.7), but not of lean mass. Contact area and peak pressure were positively and negatively associated, respectively, with indices of adiposity (all r > 0.49). Trochanteric soft tissue thickness predicted 59 % of the variance in both variables, and was the single strongest correlate with peak pressure. In five-of-eight comparisons, hip-local (vs. whole body) anthropometrics were more highly associated with impact dynamics.In summary, fall-related impact dynamics were strongly associated with body composition, providing support for subject-specific lateral pelvis load prediction models that incorporate soft tissue characteristics. Integrating soft and skeletal tissue properties may have important implications for improving the biomechanical effectiveness of engineering-based protective products.

Foreign body cases in obstetrics and gynecology practice

The article presents cases that took place in obstetrics and gynecology practice, the detection of a foreign body after surgical operations, childbirth through the natural birth canal.Patient safety is one of the most pressing issues in healthcare. Promoting safety requires that all those involved in health care recognize that the potential for error exists and that teamwork and communication are essential to preventing errors.Retention of surgical objects such as a gauze pad, instrument, or needle after surgery or an invasive procedure is a rare but potentially serious phenomenon associated with significant morbidity and mortality.Gauze swabs and napkins are the most common finds, while surgical instruments and needles are rare.We will present cases of foreign bodies in the practice of obstetrician-gynecologists.In the first case, the foreign body was left in the anterior abdominal wall. Two cases of napkins being left in the abdominal cavity after gynecological and surgical operations. In the fourth case, a needle was left in the cervix after delivery through the natural birth canal and suturing of soft tissue tears in the birth canal. Moreover, the needle was not detected either after childbirth, or outside of pregnancy, or during pregnancy, but was detected during examination of the cervix in mirrors in the early postoperative period.The problem of finding a foreign body after surgery remains unsolved. According to statistics, one patient per year in each hospital suffers from a forgotten foreign body. A foreign body left behind can give rise to a lawsuit for damages against the surgeon and medical staff.Pre- and post-operative object counting is the most common foreign body screening method used in the world.Careful surgical technique should be routinely followed, which includes counting sponges, tampons, napkins, and instruments aimed at preventing postoperative foreign material in body cavities. A patient with significant gastrointestinal symptoms and a history of surgery should have a high index of suspicion for postoperative foreign body retention. Perioperative counting of equipment and materials is the most common method of foreign body screening.

Sex estimation and sexual dimorphism analysis through hand anthropometry: Insights from a cross-sectional study

One crucial aspect of a forensic procedure is sex estimation during individual identification. Hand and its remains are usually among the common body parts found in scenes of mass disasters during forensic investigations. Hand outlines are also important in several biomedical fields such as prosthetics, plastic surgery, and ergonomics. This cross-sectional study was done to investigate sexual dimorphism and discriminate sex using hand and hand print dimensions of 283 male and 317 female subjects who were randomly selected. Bare hand measurement and bilateral hand prints were obtained using Vernier caliper, inked pad, and A4 plain paper. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 IBM. Sexual dimorphism in all the hand dimensions and prints of both hands were observed. The binary logistic regression model showed that in the left hand, bare left-hand breadth (BLHB) was the single best variable to discriminate sex with a percentage accuracy of 69.5 %. Bare right-hand breadth (BRHB) was the best predictor in the right hand with a percentage accuracy of 71.8 %. The predicted probabilities of the binary logistic model (BLR) for the variables that contributed best to the prediction were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. It was observed that the BLHB and BRHB had the highest area under the curve (above 0.5) in the hand and print variables respectively. Sexual dimorphism and sex determination were established in this study using hand dimensions and prints. The BLHB and BRHB were the best sex determinants in this study. Although the accuracies of sex estimation from both hands in this study are low, it does confirm and support previous reports of handbreadth being the best variable for sex estimation.

Ultrasensitive composite electrochemical sensor with printed wrinkled CNTs nanostructure for simultaneous detection

Combining biomimetic and 3D printing has created new opportunities for the manufacture of electrochemical sensors. Dopamine (DA) and Uric acid (UA) are common body electroactive substances, and their detection is important for diagnosing metabolic diseases. Metal electrochemical sensors have limitations in sensitivity and selectivity due to their smooth 2D structures, which make it challenging to capture comprehensive electrochemical information. Here, inspired by taste buds, an ultrasensitive CNT-Pt composite electrochemical sensor, including a printed biomimetic wrinkled CNTs film, was prepared for simultaneous detection of DA and UA. Nanoscale Pt electrode was prepared by UV-LIGA process and the wrinkled CNTs nanofilm was fabricated by thermally assisted electrohydrodynamic jet (E-Jet) printing. CNT lines of 3∼58 μm, droplets of 4 μm and 2D array structures have been printed. The enhanced sensing mechanism of wrinkled CNTs nanofilm was analyzed theoretically. The nanoscale wrinkled morphology (nanofolds∼50 nm) and hydrophilicity (CÃ20°) of printed wrinkled CNTs nanofilm were analyzed. The anodic peak potential for UA was observed to range from 0.429 V to 0.489 V for the conventional Pt electrochemical sensor, whereas it ranged from 0.205 V to 0.276 V for the CNT-Pt composite electrochemical sensor. The detection performance of CNT-Pt composite electrochemical sensor was improved by ∼40 % contrast with Pt electrochemical sensor. The prepared composite electrochemical sensor can effectively recognize DA, UA and AA. From analysis, the peak value of AA was not obvious, the peak values of DA and UA were 0.096 V and 0.265 V. The composite electrochemical sensor successfully eliminated the detection interference caused by AA in detecting DA and UA. The nanoscale composite electrochemical sensor and its hybrid manufacturing method provide great potential for electrochemical testing applications.

A Case Study of Spontaneous Category Formation and Behavioral Expression in a Language-Trained Steller Sea Lion Eumetopias jubatus

The purpose of this study was to examine the responses of a Steller sea lion to two consecutive commands. We conducted this study on one same subject, Hama, as a continuation of Sasaki et al. (2022), which examined whether the Steller sea lion can discriminate human vocal commands. In Sasaki et al. (2022), commands were presented individually to examine the accuracy rate for each command. In the present study, we observed how Hama responded to the rapid presentation of two consecutive commands. The commands were presented in 20 different orders and combinations as 20 command combination patterns using five different commands. The results showed that Hama responded to 12 command combination patterns by performing behaviors corresponding to two consecutive commands. Hama performed the two behaviors in sequence in 8 of the 12 command combination patterns. The responses to the other four command combination patterns were combined single behaviors that combined the behaviors indicated by the two consecutive commands and that were already connected to different single commands. Although the combined single behaviors were not simple combinations of behaviors induced by the two consecutive commands, the combined single behaviors included the common body parts (e.g., fore flippers) or common action types (e.g., rotation) of behaviors induced by each command in the two consecutive commands. These results not only indicate that Hama could understand multiple linguistic information, but also suggest the possibility that Hama spontaneously formed categories based on the learned commands.