Nose Pads Research Articles

Genome-wide data support recognition of an additional species of Neotropical river otter (Mammalia, Mustelidae, Lutrinae)

Abstract Cryptic biodiversity continues to be revealed worldwide, even in apparently well-known groups such as carnivorans. The Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) presents shape variation in its nose pad, a character that has been used to differentiate species in this group. Based on this, 3 subspecies are recognized: L. l. annectens (Mexico, Central America, and South America west of the Andes), L. l. enudris (Amazon and Orinoco basins), and L. l. longicaudis (Paraná basin and remaining distribution). Previous studies partially supported their distinctness based on mitochondrial DNA markers, morphometrics, and ecological niche modeling. We analyzed genome-wide nuclear markers (ultraconserved elements) of 29 L. longicaudis individuals across the species’ range to assess its population structure. Phylogenomic analysis recovered L. longicaudis as paraphyletic with robust support, with 1 clade comprising samples from Mexico and Colombia (trans-Andean populations) and another encompassing the remaining samples (cis-Andean populations), which grouped with 2 other South American species, L. felina and L. provocax. Principal component and admixture analyses strongly differentiated the 2 main L. longicaudis groups, and distinguished the Amazonian individuals from the remaining cis-Andean samples. Our results support the recognition of trans-Andean populations of L. longicaudis as a distinct otter species, which should be recognized as Lontra annectens.

Size children’s eyeglasses: An assembly-guided and comfort-oriented optimization approach based on 3D statistical ophthalmic modeling

Eyeglasses are critical for correcting and protecting the vision of children with myopia/hyperopia. Children’s heads grow as their age increases, which can easily cause improperly fitting and uncomfortable eyeglasses. Hence, better sizing for children’s eyeglasses is needed, but to date this topic is underexplored. To solve this, we proposed a comfort-oriented and assembly-guided approach based on a statistical ophthalmic model to establish an eyeglasses sizing system. First, we developed an assembly-guided design scheme in which eyeglasses could be separated into three components – rims, temples, and nose pads – and assembled in different combinations. Then, we modeled the geometric variances of children’s heads’ ophthalmic regions. After that, we used descriptive statistics to size nose pads and temples and employed a statistical model with a genetic algorithm to search for representative shapes and customize rim sizes. Here, the coverage rate and overall comfort were computed as objective functions. Experimental results showed that both an assembly-guided design scheme and comfort-oriented searching strategy can effectively produce more comfortable eyeglasses sizing systems. Our method can also be extended to other head and body wearables.

The challenge of measuring physiological parameters during motor imagery engagement in patients after a stroke.

It is suggested that eye movement recordings could be used as an objective evaluation method of motor imagery (MI) engagement. Our investigation aimed to evaluate MI engagement in patients after stroke (PaS) compared with physical execution (PE) of a clinically relevant unilateral upper limb movement task of the patients' affected body side. In total, 21 PaS fulfilled the MI ability evaluation [Kinaesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ-10), body rotation task (BRT), and mental chronometry task (MC)]. During the experiment, PaS moved a cup to distinct fields while wearing smart eyeglasses (SE) with electrooculography electrodes integrated into the nose pads and electrodes for conventional electrooculography (EOG). To verify MI engagement, heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were recorded, simultaneously with electroencephalography (EEG). Eye movements were recorded during MI, PE, and rest in two measurement sessions to compare the SE performance between conditions and SE's psychometric properties. MI and PE correlation of SE signals varied between r = 0.12 and r = 0.76. Validity (cross-correlation with EOG signals) was calculated for MI (r = 0.53) and PE (r = 0.57). The SE showed moderate test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) with r = 0.51 (95% CI 0.26-0.80) for MI and with r = 0.53 (95% CI 0.29 - 0.76) for PE. Event-related desynchronization and event-related synchronization changes of EEG showed a large variability. HR and SpO2 recordings showed similar values during MI and PE. The linear mixed model to examine HR and SpO2 between conditions (MI, PE, rest) revealed a significant difference in HR between rest and MI, and between rest and PE but not for SpO2. A Pearson correlation between MI ability assessments (KVIQ, BRT, MC) and physiological parameters showed no association between MI ability and HR and SpO2. The objective assessment of MI engagement in PaS remains challenging in clinical settings. However, HR was confirmed as a reliable parameter to assess MI engagement in PaS. Eye movements measured with the SE during MI did not resemble those during PE, which is presumably due to the demanding task. A re-evaluation with task adaptation is suggested.

A 3D anthropometry-based quantified comfort model for children's eyeglasses design

Modeling the quantified relationships between anthropometric/product parameters and human perceptions provides research-driven guidelines for mass customization and personalization of ergonomic products. In particular, such models are critical for designing children's eyeglasses; however, they are still underexplored. This study examined children's comfort perceptions for eyeglasses with two variables (i.e., nose pads width and temple clamping force), and established quantified linkage models between subjective human perceptions and objective 3D anthropometric/product parameters. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to quantify these relationships for ergonomic eyeglasses design. A psychological experiment with thirty child participants was performed, and our analyses showed that two eyeglasses variables significantly influenced the children's comfort perceptions; static vs. dynamic conditions caused slight differences. The mathematical trendlines and trend surfaces established by our findings can estimate perceived component-specific and overall comfort scores based on 3D anthropometric/product parameters. This also allows for calculation of parameter's allowances for sizing and grading eyeglasses while maintaining satisfactory comfort.

Eye lens dose for medical staff assisting patients during computed tomography: comparison of several types of radioprotective glasses

Medical staff sometimes assists patients in the examination room during computed tomography (CT) scans for several purposes. This study aimed to investigate the dose reduction effects of four radioprotective glasses with different lead equivalents and lens shapes. A medical staff phantom was positioned assuming body movement restraint of the patient during chest CT, and Hp(3) at the eye surfaces of the medical staff phantom and inside the lens of the four types of radioprotective glasses were measured by changing the distance of the staff phantom from the gantry, eye height, and width of the nose pad. The Hp(3) at the right eye surface with glasses of 0.50–0.75 mmPb and 0.07 mmPb was approximately 83.5% and 58.0%, respectively, lower than that without radioprotective glasses. The dose reduction rates at left eye surface increased with over-glass type glasses by 14%–28% by increasing the distance from the CT gantry to the staff phantom from 25 to 65 cm. The dose reduction rates at the left eye surface decreased with over-glass type glasses by 26%–31% by increasing the height of the eye lens for the medical staff phantom from 130 to 170 cm. The Hp(3) on the left eye surface decreased by 46.9% with the widest nose pad width compared to the narrowest nose pad width for the glasses with adjustable nose pad width. The radioprotective glasses for staff assisting patients during CT examinations should have a high lead equivalent and no gap around the nose and under the front lens.

THE RED WOLF (CANIS RUFUS) IN EAST TEXAS

Wildlife biologists believe the red wolf (Canis rufus) is limited in the wild to the Red Wolf Recovery Experimental Population Area on the Albemarle Peninsula, North Carolina. Several black-and-white photos from trail cameras placed on the Environmental Studies Area of East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas, indicate the presence of a large canid possessing wolf-like characters. Two pictures, in particular, indicate the wolf-like characters with estimated morphometrics at the upper range reported for body length, shoulder height, width of head, and width of nose pad. Hair samples and tracks from this location indicate the presence of Canis rufus in east Texas.

CORRELATION BETWEEN WEIGHT OF SPECTACLE AND THE CONTACT AREA OF NOSE PADS WITH RESPECT TO STANDARD ALIGNMENT

Aim: To understand the co-relation between the weight of spectacle and the contact area of nose pads with respect to standard alignment. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Method: Parameters such as weight of spectacle, frontal angle of nose and nose pads, splay angle of nose and nose pads and pantoscopic angle, area of nose pads and contact area of nose pads were measured using simple tools such as portable weighing machine and a handmade gauge similar to Fairbanks facial gauge and the correlation between all the parameters was found out. Results: Out of total 75 frames, 42 frames (56%) had no change in contact area with the corresponding area of nose pads with respect to the parameters including weight of spectacle frontal angle, splay angle and pantoscopic angle in standard alignment of spectacle, while other 33 frames (44%) had a noticeable change in the contact area of nose pads with respect to the corresponding parameters. Conclusion: Difference of 50mm2 of area between contact area and area of nose pads is ac-ceptable with current trend of frames. Current trend of light weight frames and lenses has given ease to alignment as even misalignment does not result into marks. Contact area corresponding with the area of nose pad play a significant role in distribution of spectacle weight on nose. Mismatch between contact area and area of nose pads will result into skin marks. Ideally, a wearer is happy when standard alignment is achieved with respect to facial measurements.

Commentary: Preferred practice pattern for primary eye care in the context of COVID-19 in L V Prasad Eye Institute network in India.

Commentary: Preferred practice pattern for primary eye care in the context of COVID-19 in L V Prasad Eye Institute network in India.

Vampire bats.

Gerald Wilkinson introduces the blood-drinking vampire bats.

MEMS-Based Sensor for Simultaneous Measurement of Pulse Wave and Respiration Rate.

The continuous measurements of vital signs (body temperature, blood pressure, pulse wave, and respiration rate) are important in many applications across various fields, including healthcare and sports. To realize such measurements, wearable devices that cause minimal discomfort to the wearers are highly desired. Accordingly, a device that can measure multiple vital signs simultaneously using a single sensing element is important in order to reduce the number of devices attached to the wearer’s body, thereby reducing user discomfort. Thus, in this study, we propose a device with a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based pressure sensor that can simultaneously measure the blood pulse wave and respiration rate using only one sensing element. In particular, in the proposed device, a thin silicone tube, whose inner pressure can be measured via a piezoresistive cantilever, is attached to the nose pad of a pair of eyeglasses. On wearing the eyeglasses, the tube of sensor device is in contact with the area above the angular artery and nasal cavity of the subject, and thus, both pulse wave and breath of the subject cause the tube’s inner pressure to change. We experimentally show that it is possible to extract information related to pulse wave and respiration as the low-frequency and high-frequency components of the sensor signal, respectively.

Bite Out Your Tongue

Bite Out Your Tongue

眼鏡先セルおよび鼻パッドに含まれた紫外線吸収剤2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamateによるアレルギー性接触皮膚炎の１例

眼鏡先セルおよび鼻パッドに含まれた紫外線吸収剤2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamateによるアレルギー性接触皮膚炎の１例

A view to a kill? – Ambient bacterial load of frames and lenses of spectacles and evaluation of different cleaning methods

Surfaces with regular contact with the human body are typically contaminated with microorganisms and might be considered as fomites. Despite spectacles being widespread across populations, little is known about their microbial contamination. Therefore, we swab-sampled 11 worn spectacles within a university setting as well as 10 worn spectacles in a nursing home setting. The microbial load was determined by aerobic cultivation. All spectacles were found to be contaminated with bacteria, with nose pads and ear clips having the highest density, i.e. at sites with direct skin contact. Summed over all sites, the median microbial load of the university spectacles (1.4 ± 10.7 x 103 CFU cm-2) did not differ significantly from the spectacles tested in the nursing home (20.8 ± 39.9 x 103 CFU cm-2). 215 dominant bacterial morphotypes were analyzed by MALDI biotyping. 182 isolates could be assigned to 10 genera, with Staphylococcus being the most common. On genus-level, bacterial diversity was greater on nursing home spectacles (10 genera) compared to the university environment (2 genera). Four cleaning methods were investigated using lenses artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, a 1:2 mixture of E. coli and M. luteus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis (the dominant isolate in our study), respectively. Best cleaning results (99% -100% median germ reduction) were obtained using impregnated wipes; dry cleaning was less effective (85% -90% median germ reduction). Finally, 10 additional worn university spectacles were cleaned with wipes impregnated with an alcohol-free cleaning solution before sampling. The average bacterial load was significantly lower (0.09 ± 0.49 x 103 CFU cm-2) compared to the uncleaned university spectacles previously investigated. Spectacles are significantly contaminated with bacteria of mostly human skin origin—including significant amounts of potentially pathogenic ones and may contribute to eye infections as well as fomites in clinical environments.

Holocranohistochemistry enables the visualization of \u03b1-synuclein expression in the murine olfactory system and discovery of its systemic anti-microbial effects

Braak and Del Tredici have proposed that typical Parkinson disease (PD) has its origins in the olfactory bulb and gastrointestinal tract. However, the role of the olfactory system has insufficiently been explored in the pathogeneses of PD and Alzheimer disease (AD) in laboratory models. Here, we demonstrate applications of a new method to process mouse heads for microscopy by sectioning, mounting, and staining whole skulls (‘holocranohistochemistry’). This technique permits the visualization of the olfactory system from the nasal cavity to mitral cells and dopamine-producing interneurons of glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. We applied this method to two specific goals: first, to visualize PD- and AD-linked gene expression in the olfactory system, where we detected abundant, endogenous α-synuclein and tau expression in the olfactory epithelium. Furthermore, we observed amyloid-β plaques and proteinase-K-resistant α-synuclein species, respectively, in cranial nerve-I of APP- and human SNCA-over-expressing mice. The second application of the technique was to the modeling of gene–environment interactions in the nasal cavity of mice. We tracked the infection of a neurotropic respiratory-enteric-orphan virus from the nose pad into cranial nerves-I (and -V) and monitored the ensuing brain infection. Given its abundance in the olfactory epithelia, we questioned whether α-synuclein played a role in innate host defenses to modify the outcome of infections. Indeed, Snca-null mice were more likely to succumb to viral encephalitis versus their wild-type littermates. Moreover, using a bacterial sepsis model, Snca-null mice were less able to control infection after intravenous inoculation with Salmonella typhimurium. Together, holocranohistochemistry enabled new discoveries related to α-synuclein expression and its function in mice. Future studies will address: the role of Mapt and mutant SNCA alleles in infection paradigms; the contribution of xenobiotics in the initiation of idiopathic PD; and the safety to the host when systemically targeting α-synuclein by immunotherapy.

Isolated Congenital Nasal Bifid Septum Separated by a Wide Layer of Soft Tissue.

Isolated Congenital Nasal Bifid Septum Separated by a Wide Layer of Soft Tissue.

Development of an eyewear to measure eye and body movements.

To enable precise detection of mental and physical states of users in a daily life, we have been developing an eyewear to measure eye and body movement in a unrestricted way. The horizontal and vertical EOG (electrooculogram) signals are measured and amplified with three metal dry electrodes placed near nasion and both sides of rhinion, of which positions correspond to the bridge and nose pads of eyewear, respectively. The user's mental states like drowsiness, sleepiness, fatigue, or interest to objects can be identified by the movements and blinking of the eyes extracted from the measured EOG. And the six-axis motion sensor (three-axis accelerometer and three-axis gyroscope) mounted in the eyewear measures the body motion. As the sensor located near the head is on the body axis, this eyewear is suitable to measure user's movement or shift of center of gravity during physical exercise with a high precision. The measured signals are used to extract various events of eye and body movement by the mounted microcontroller chip, or can be transmitted to the external devices via Bluetooth communication. This device can enable you to look into "yourself", as well as outer scenes. In this presentation, the outline of the eyewear is introduced and some possible applications are shown.

The spiny rat Proechimys guyannensis (Rodentia: Echimydae) fails to respond to intradermal inoculation with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis

Leishmaniasis a disease of worldwide occurrence is caused by protozoa of the Leishmania genus. In Brazil, Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis is the main parasite responsible for the American cutaneous leishmaniasis. Main hosts of this protozoa are small wild mammals particularly marsupials and rodents. The aim of this study was to evaluate if spiny rat Proechimys guyannensis (Rodentia: Echimydae) has role in the cycle of the American cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. (V.) braziliensis. Thus, promastigotes (the flagellate stage) of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis were used to inoculate seven spiny rats (Proechimys guyannensis). After inoculated intradermal at the ear pinna, nose and plantar pad, the rats were monitored for 180 days. Tissue samples collected at 90 and 180 days from the rats proved to be negative for the presence of genetic material from the parasite. After euthanasia, the protozoa also failed to growth in culture medium containing tissue samples collected from the rats showing that there was no infection. These results fail to prove that spiny rat has a role in the cycle of the American cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. (V.) braziliensis.

Cleaning of filtering facepiece respirators contaminated with mucin and Staphylococcus aureus

Decontamination, cleaning, and reuse of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) has been proposed to mitigate an acute FFR shortage during a public health emergency. Our study evaluates the ability of commercially available wipe products to clean FFRs contaminated with either infectious or noninfectious aerosols. Three models of surgical N95 FFRs were contaminated with aerosols of mucin or viable Staphylococcus aureus then cleaned with hypochlorite, benzalkonium chloride, or nonantimicrobial wipes. After cleaning, FFRs were separated into components (nose pad, fabrics, and perforated strip), and contaminants were extracted and quantified. Filtration performance was assessed for cleaned FFRs. Mucin removal was <1 log for all wipe products on all components. Inert wipes achieved ∼1-log attenuation in viable S aureus on fabrics from all FFR models--removal was less effective from nose pads and perforated edges. Both antimicrobial wipes achieved 3-5-log attenuation on most components, with smaller reductions on nose pads and greater reductions on perforated strips. Particle penetration following cleaning yielded mean values <5%. The highest penetrations were observed in FFRs cleaned with benzalkonium chloride wipes. FFRs can be disinfected using antimicrobial wipe products, but not effectively cleaned with the wipes evaluated in this study. This study provides informative data for the development of better FFRs and applicable cleaning products.

Infection Risk from Surgeons' Eyeglasses

To assess bacterial contamination of 20 eyeglasses from surgeons. 40 samples were taken from the nose pad (n=20) and earpiece (n=20) of 20 eyeglasses from orthopaedic surgeons using a sterile swab stick soaked in sterile distilled water. Swabs were incubated and inoculated onto 3 plates: Staphylococcus/Streptococcus agar plate, Mannitol salt plate, and Chromogenic agar plate. Organisms isolated were identified. Of 20 eyeglasses, 19 were contaminated with Staphylococcus epidermidis (3 of them additionally grew S haemolyticus or S xylosus) and the remaining one grew S aureus . Eyeglasses are a source of surgical infection. Contamination can be caused by direct contact of the eyeglasses to the wound and indirect contact by the surgeon's fingers, splashes from saline irrigation, and through air. Therefore, disinfection should be performed for eyeglasses of surgeons. The use of surgical visor masks or filtered exhaust helmets (space suits) are alternatives.

Nose pads

An idea to fix broken nose pads of spectacles has been suggested.