Residual Body Research Articles

Winter corticosterone and body condition predict breeding investment in a nonmigratory bird

AbstractReproduction is an energetically demanding life history stage that requires costly physiological and behavioral changes, yet some individuals will invest more into reproduction and breed more successfully than others. To understand variation in reproductive investment, previous studies have evaluated factors during breeding, but conditions outside of this life history stage may also play a role. Using a free-ranging population of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), we assessed the repeatability of plastic traits relating to energetic condition (circulating initial corticosterone concentrations and body condition) during the nonbreeding season and evaluated whether these traits predicted reproductive investment in the subsequent breeding season. We found that initial corticosterone concentrations and an index of body condition, but not fat score, were moderately repeatable over a 1-week period in winter. This trait repeatability supports the interpretation that among-individual variation in these phenotypic traits could reflect an intrinsic strategy to cope with challenging conditions across life history stages. We found that females with larger fat reserves during winter laid eggs sooner and tended to spend more time incubating their eggs and feeding their offspring. In contrast, we found that females with higher residual body mass delayed breeding, after controlling for the relationship between fat score and timing of breeding. Additionally, females with higher initial corticosterone in winter laid lighter eggs. Our findings suggest that conditions experienced outside of the breeding season may be important factors explaining variation in reproductive investment.

Strategies for Obtaining and Pruning Imputed Whole-Genome Sequence Data for Genomic Prediction

Genomic prediction with imputed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data is an attractive approach to improve predictive ability with low cost. However, high accuracy has not been realized using this method in livestock. In this study, we imputed 435 individuals from 600K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip data to WGS data using different reference panels. We also investigated the prediction accuracy of genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) using imputed WGS data from different reference panels, linkage disequilibrium (LD)-based marker pruning, and pre-selected variants based on Genome-wide association society (GWAS) results. Results showed that the imputation accuracies from 600K to WGS data were 0.873 ± 0.038, 0.906 ± 0.036, and 0.979 ± 0.010 for the internal, external, and combined reference panels, respectively. In most traits of chickens, the prediction accuracy of imputed WGS data obtained from the internal reference panel was greater than or equal to that of the combined reference panel; the external reference panel had the lowest prediction accuracy. Compared with 600K chip data, GBLUP with imputed WGS data had only a small increase (1–3%) in prediction accuracy. Using only variants selected from imputed WGS data based on GWAS results resulted in almost no increase for most traits and even increased the bias of the regression coefficient. The impact of the degree of LD of selected and remaining variants on prediction accuracy was different. For average daily gain (ADG), residual feed intake (RFI), intestine length (IL), and body weight in 91 days (BW91), the accuracy of GBLUP increased as the degree of LD of selected variants decreased, but the opposite relationship occurred for the remaining variants. But for breast muscle weight (BMW) and average daily feed intake (ADFI), the accuracy of GBLUP increased as the degree of LD of selected variants increased, and the degree of LD of remaining variants had a small effect on prediction accuracy. Overall, the optimal imputation strategy to obtain WGS data for genomic prediction should consider the relationship between selected individuals and target population individuals to avoid heterogeneity of imputation. LD-based marker pruning can be used to improve the accuracy of genomic prediction using imputed WGS data.

Therapeutic Outcome of Achalasia Based on High-Resolution Manometry: A Korean Multicenter Study.

Because achalasia subtype is associated with therapeutic response, it is possible that regional differences in subtype distribution could lead to differences in therapeutic outcomes. We aimed to evaluate and compare high-resolution manometry (HRM) profiles among the different subtypes of achalasia and to elucidate predictive factors associated with treatment outcomes. Patients who were diagnosed with achalasia using HRM at 4 Korean university hospitals were retrospectively identified and analyzed. Sixty-four patients with untreated achalasia were divided into 3 subtypes using the Chicago classification system. Clinical characteristics, manometric features, and treatment outcomes were compared. Among 64 patients diagnosed with achalasia, 31 patients were classified as type I, 27 as type II, and 6 as type III. Regarding HRM parameters, there were statistically significant differences in basal lower esophageal sphincter pressure, 4-second-integrated relaxation pressure, residual upper esophageal sphincter pressure, body amplitude, and maximal intrabolus pressure between subtypes. Regarding therapeutic outcome, type II patients (overall success rate of 80.0%) were more likely to respond than type I (55.2%) or type III (33.2%) patients. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that achalasia subtype (type I vs. III, P = 0.072; type II vs. III, P = 0.005), therapeutic modality (dilation vs. pharmacologic, P = 0.013; laparoscopic Heller's myotomy vs. pharmacologic, P = 0.006), and HRM-measured esophageal length (<27.5 vs. ≥27.5 cm, P = 0.014) are independent predictive factors for therapeutic failure. Patients with type II achalasia had better treatment outcomes than patients with other achalasia subtypes. Achalasia subtype, therapeutic modality, and esophageal length are independent predictive factors of therapeutic outcome.

Chronic stress in superb fairy‐wrens occupying remnant woodlands: Are noisy miners to blame?

AbstractInteractions between competing species may be intensified when they are restricted to small patches of remnant habitat, potentially increasing physiological stress in individuals. The effects of interspecific competition on stress in wildlife remain largely unexplored. In Australia, remnant woodlands are often dominated by aggressive honeyeaters, especially the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala). Harassment of smaller birds by miners may result in their exclusion from suitable woodland habitat. We tested whether the presence of noisy miners is also associated with elevated stress in a model species of small passerine bird, the superb fairy‐wren (Malurus cyaneus). We sampled wrens from six sites, three remnant woodlands with noisy miners and three larger fragments of reserved habitat without noisy miners. Differential white blood cell counts were used to infer levels of chronic stress. We also assessed variation in body condition and the prevalence of blood parasites (Haemoproteus spp.) to test for associations between stress and parasitemia. The mean heterophil‐to‐lymphocyte (H:L) ratio was 1.8 × higher among superb fairy‐wrens living in miner‐dominated woodlands, suggesting higher levels of chronic stress. Individuals with higher stress appeared to be in poorer condition, as indicated by fat scores and residual body mass. Prevalence of blood parasites was generally high and was highest in reserved habitat (59%) where miners were absent. Birds with blood parasites living in these habitats had higher H:L ratios but the intensity of infection and H:L ratio was inversely related. Our results suggest that birds persisting in the presence of noisy miners might experience chronic stress, but further study is necessary to separate the relative importance of noisy miner aggression from other potential stressors in small patches of degraded woodland. Stress induced by interspecific aggression should be considered in future studies of wildlife living in remnant vegetation.

Superior Laryngeal Nerve Neuralgia: Case Series and Review of Anterior Neck Pain Syndromes.

Superior laryngeal nerve neuralgia (SLNN) is an anterior neck pain syndrome that is underrecognized and, as a result, is often misdiagnosed. We present a series of patients who were diagnosed with and subsequently treated for SLNN. Nineteen patients were treated with oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and/or a therapeutic neck injection with 2% lidocaine and 40% triamcinolone acetonide. All patients completed a visual analog scale (VAS) to rate the level of pain before and after treatment. Four patients rated their pain as mild, 14 as moderate, and 1 as severe according to the VAS. Of the 19 patients, 8 chose to proceed with a 2-week course of NSAIDs and only 1 of them had complete resolution of their symptoms. A total of 18 patients underwent therapeutic neck injections, with a complete response to injection therapy in 10 patients. Five patients described a minimal residual foreign body sensation and 3 patients complained of mild residual pain. In this study, we found that therapeutic neck injections are effective not only in confirming the diagnosis but also in treating pain.

Windshield glass fragment mimicking a nasal fracture

A male patient with facial trauma by road traffic accident arrived in the emergency room and he was assisted by the Trauma and Neurosurgery team. After clinical evaluation a frontal sinus anterior wall fracture plus a nasal fracture were diagnosed. On the primary OMS examination was checked multiple facial lacerations and gross nasal dorsum deviation with pain, nasal airway obstruction and crepitus with clinical diagnosis of a nasal fracture. After radiologic exam a piece of windshield glass that was superimposed on the nasal bones simulating a nasal fracture was visualized. This paper presents clinical data and literature review of foreign body mimicking facial fractures.Descriptors: Road Traffic Accident; Facial Fractures; Windshield Glass.ReferênciasMazinis E, Lambrianidis T, Margelos J. Detection of a residual foreign body during root canal treatment. J Endod. 2005;31(9):691-93. Gray ST. Windshield safety glass foreign body masquerading as a root fragment. Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 1994;23(1):49-51.Goldstein E, Gottlieb MA. Foreign bodies in the nasal fossae of children. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1973;36(3):446-47 .Madhere S, Barba CA, Painter RL, Morgan AS. Aspiration of shattered windshield glass after blind nasotracheal intubation in a motor vehicle crash. J Trauma. 1997;43:353-56.

Three F-actin assembly centers regulate organelle inheritance, cell-cell communication and motility in Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii possesses a limited set of actin-regulatory proteins and relies on only three formins (FRMs) to nucleate and polymerize actin. We combined filamentous actin (F-actin) chromobodies with gene disruption to assign specific populations of actin filaments to individual formins. FRM2 localizes to the apical juxtanuclear region and participates in apicoplast inheritance. Restricted to the residual body, FRM3 maintains the intravacuolar cell-cell communication. Conoidal FRM1 initiates a flux of F-actin crucial for motility, invasion and egress. This flux depends on myosins A and H and is controlled by phosphorylation via PKG (protein kinase G) and CDPK1 (calcium-dependent protein kinase 1) and by methylation via AKMT (apical lysine methyltransferase). This flux is independent of microneme secretion and persists in the absence of the glideosome-associated connector (GAC). This study offers a coherent model of the key players controlling actin polymerization, stressing the importance of well-timed post-translational modifications to power parasite motility.

Residual airway foreign bodies in children who underwent rigid bronchoscopy

ObjectiveTo analyze the causes of residual airway foreign bodies in children who underwent rigid bronchoscopy in order to improve the success rate of primary surgery. MethodsClinical data from 1130 children with airway foreign bodies, including 736 males and 394 females aged 0.42–14 years, who underwent rigid bronchoscopy in our hospital from January 2015 to May 2018 were retrospectively collected and analyzed by cluster sampling. Clinical characteristics including sex, age, time of onset, location of the foreign body, type of foreign body and experience of surgeon were gathered. All patients were classified into two groups as Group A (with residual airway foreign bodies) and Group B (without residual airway foreign bodies) according to chest CT scans and fiberoptic bronchoscope examinations after rigid bronchoscopy. The values were compared between the two groups. ResultsThirty-one patients with residual foreign bodies were confirmed by fiberoptic bronchoscopy among 1130 children with airway foreign bodies who underwent rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia. The percentage of residual airway foreign body was 2.7%. The mean age was 1.55 ± 0.46 years (range 1–3 years). There were 24 male patients (77.4%), and 7 female patients (22.6%), with a male/female ratio of 3.43:1. The time of onset was 1.0 (interquartile range: 1.0–8.0) day. There were no significant difference in age, sex and time of onset between the two groups. Most residual foreign bodies were food-related: nuts (n = 27, 87.1%), beans (n = 3, 9.7%), and one case was unclear in nature (3.2%). The residual incidence of fragile foreign bodies was higher than non-friable foreign bodies (P = 0.028). The most common residual foreign body locations were left superior lobar bronchi (32.3%), left inferior lobar bronchi (25.8%) and right inferior lobar bronchi (25.8%). The residual rate of foreign bodies for surgeons with more than 5 years of operative experience was 1.92%, and 4.25% for surgeons with less than 5 years of operation experience, showing a significant difference (P = 0.022). ConclusionFriable foods, the complicated structure of the bronchus tree and the surgeon's experience are important causes of residual foreign bodies in the airway. Surgeons with sufficient experience are important for the success of the procedure, which is supported by chest CT and flexible bronchoscopy.

Pterygium surgery combined with the removal of a missed occult iris foreign body detected incidentally during pterygium examination: a case report

BackgroundAn occult foreign body may be retained in patient with small self-sealing wound and no decreased visual acuity without complete examination. Here we report a case of a retained occult ferrous iris foreign body detected incidentally during pterygium examination.Case presentationA 69-year-old man presented to our ophthalmology department because of foreign body sensation and persistent redness in both eyes for 2 years. In the left eye, a pterygium, paracentral corneal opacity and a vertically oval pupil were observed. Ultrasound biomicroscopy and gonioscopy revealed a retained metallic-like foreign body partially embedded in the inferior peripheral iris. Pterygium surgery and the removal of the retained iris foreign body were performed simultaneously. No recurrent pterygium or residual foreign body was found during follow-up.ConclusionsA thorough history should be obtained and complete physical examination should be performed in patients with ocular self-sealing wounds to prevent missed intraocular foreign bodies, which may result in potential sight-threatening ocular complications.

Radioactive Iodine Therapy in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Study of External Dose Rate Attenuation Law and Individualized Patient Management.

Therapy with radioactive iodine (131I) is a well established treatment method for postsurgical differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). A fixed discharge time is generally set, regardless of individual differences in residual body radioactivity (RBA). This study aimed to investigate the RBA of each patient to find the attenuation law and to identify underlying factors in order to predict the time point for a safe, scientifically sound discharge plan. A total of 231 DTC patients undergoing 131I treatment were all treated with 3.7 GBq (100 mCi) of 131I. RBA was estimated by measuring the external body dose rate (EDR) at a distance of 1 m from the body surface between 0 and 72 hours after oral administration of 131I. Data from each patient were used to establish a time-EDR value (h-μSv/h) curve. Software was developed to predict the time when a patient's dose equivalent meets the national safety standard by including six time points between 40 and 60 hours. Several factors that might affect that time were analyzed. The EDR attenuation law in patients could be described with a double exponential decay model, and the cutoff value was set as 23.3 μSv/h, upon which the predictive software was developed. Student's t-test showed there was no statistical difference between predicted values and the actual measured values (p > 0.05). Correlation analysis found that serum thyroglobulin, total triiodothyronine, total thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyrotropin, 2- and 24-hour iodine uptake rate of the thyroid, scores of 99mTc-pertechnetate thyroid scan, scores of 131I whole-body scan, scores of ultrasound scan, and gastrointestinal residues were associated with attenuation speed. A further multiple linear regression analysis found that 24-hour iodine uptake (X1), residual thyroid grading by 131I whole-body scan (X2), blood free triiodothyronine (X3) and free thyroxine (X4) predominantly influenced the decline of the EDR. The regression equation was Ŷ = 2.091X1 + 6.370X2 + 4.529X3 + 2.466X4 - 8.614 (F = 44.03, p < 0.01). An effective and convenient method was created to measure and predict the individual safety time for discharge. This could play a significant role not only for scientific hospital discharge planning, rational use of medical resources, and better individualized management, but also in public radiation protection.

Comparative biomechanical evaluation of two technologically different microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joints in safety-relevant daily-life situations.

Safety-relevant gait situations (walking on stairs and slopes, walking backwards, walking with small steps, simulated perturbations of swing phase extension) were investigated in a motion analysis laboratory with six unilateral transfemoral amputees using two different microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joints (Rheo Knee XC, C-Leg). A randomized crossover design was chosen. The study results imply that the performance and safety potential of a microprocessor-controlled knee joint can be associated with the individual control algorithms and the technological concepts that are implemented to generate motion resistances for controlling flexion and extension movements. When walking with small steps, advantages of the "default swing" concept used in the Rheo Knee XC were identified due to a highly reproducible swing phase release. However, when walking backwards, this concept may lead to an uncontrolled knee flexion which partly resulted in falls. When walking down stairs, walking on slopes or while recovering from a stumble after perturbations of the swing phase extension, the C-Leg demonstrated a reliable prosthetic side load-bearing capacity resulting in reduced loading on the residual body. In contrast, the Rheo Knee XC required increased compensatory movements of the remaining locomotor system in order to compensate for reduced load-bearing and safety reserves.

PSXV-5 Divergent residual intake and body weight gain on ingestive behavior and diet selection by feedlot lambs.

PSXV-5 Divergent residual intake and body weight gain on ingestive behavior and diet selection by feedlot lambs.

The Formation of Continental Crust from a Physics Perspective

The generation of crustal material and the formation of continental crust with a thickness of ≈40 km involve different physical mechanisms operating over different time-scales and length-scales. This review focusses on the building of a thick crustal assemblage and on the vertical dimension where the consequences of gravity-driven processes are expressed most clearly. Continental crustal material is produced by a sequence of crust and mantle mlelting, fractionation of basaltic melts and sinking of dense mafic cumulates. The repeated operation of these mechanisms over tens of million years leads to a thick stably stratified crust. We evaluate the main mechanisms involved from a physics perspective and identify the key controls and constraints, with special attention to thermal requirements. To form magma reservoirs able to process significant magma volumes and to allow the foundering of mafic cumulates, melt must be fed locally at rates that are larger than that of average crustal growth. This requires the temporary focussing of magmatic activity in a few centers. In some cases, foundering of dense cumulates does not go to completion, leaving a deformed residual body bearing tell-tale traces of the process. Crust must be thicker than a threshold value in a 30–45 km range for mafic cumulates to sink into the mantle below the crust. Once that threshold thickness has been reached, further additions lead to increase the proportion of felsic material in the crust at the expense of mafic lithologies which disappear from the crust. This acts to enhance radiogenic heat production in the crust. One consequence is that crustal temperatures can be kept at high values in times of diminished melt input and also when magmatic activity stops altogether, which may lead to post-orogenic intracrustal melting and differentiation. Another consequence is that the crust becomes too weak mechanically to withstand the elevation difference with neighbouring terranes, which sets a limit on crustal thickening. The thermal structure of the evolving crust is a key constraint on the overall process and depends strongly on radiogenic heat production, which is surely one of the properties that make continental crust very distinctive. In the Archean Superior Province, Canada, the formation of juvenile continental crust and its thermal maturation 2.7 Gy ago can be tracked quite accurately and reproduced by calculations relying on the wealth of heat flow and heat production data available there. Physical models of magma ascent and storage favour the formation of magma reservoirs at shallow levels. This suggests that crustal growth proceeds mostly from the top down, with material that gets buried to increasingly large depths. Vertical growth is accompanied by lateral spreading in two different places. Within the crust, magma intrusions are bound to extend in the horizontal direction. Deeper down, lateral variations of Moho depth that develop due to the focussing of magmatic activity get relaxed by lower crustal flow. This review has not dealt with processes at the interface between the growing crust and the mantle, which may well be where dikes get initiated by mechanisms that have so far defied theoretical analyses. Research in this particular area is required to further our understanding of continental crust formation.

Males with More Pheomelanin Have a Lower Oxidative Balance in Asian Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica gutturalis).

Pheomelanin-based plumage pigmentation has been suggested to be an honest signal of individual quality to conspecifics. It has been hypothesized that oxidative stress is an important agent linking pheomelanic pigmentation to individual quality. Using the Asian barn swallow Hirundo rustica gutturalis, a wild passerine, we tested whether the pheomelanin pigmentation in the red throat patch of adult males, a sexually selected trait, is associated with the ratio between reduced and oxidized glutathione (RGSH/GSSG) as an indicator of current oxidative balance during the early breeding season. We found that males with a higher pheomelanin concentration in their throat feathers had a significantly lower RGSH/GSSG ratio (i.e., higher oxidative stress), but exhibited a better body condition, measured as residual body mass on body size, compared to males with a lower pheomelanin concentration. The total GSH level was not significantly related to the pheomelanin concentration. These findings suggest a negative association between the red pheomelanin pigmentation and oxidative balance during mating and reproductive efforts, which might be mitigated by high-quality males. Further research is needed to understand its actual damage and mitigation mechanism.

Pipeline embolization device treatment of internal carotid artery terminus aneurysms

BackgroundThe pipeline embolization device (PED) is approved for the treatment of large aneurysms of the proximal internal carotid artery (ICA). Its off-label application in treating aneurysms located specifically at the...

Development and fate of the residual body of Toxoplasma gondii

As the tachyzoite form of Toxoplasma gondii divides inside the parasitophorous vacuole, the daughter cells remain attached to each other at the posterior end through the so-called residual body (RB). Here, we studied this process using field emission scanning electron microscopy of dry scraped infected cells, transmission electron microscopy of random ultrathin sections, X-ray microanalysis, and 3-D modelling of tomographic volumes and slice and view series obtained by FIB SEM at 7, 24, and 48 h post infection. Combining these methods of observation, we traced a timeline of events for the formation, development, and fate of the RB. The RB is formed as the first endodyogenic division is complete. Before that, finger-like invaginations at the posterior end of the tachyzoite secrete tubules from the intravacuolar network. The RB is roughly spherical and measures 1 μm in diameter at random. Its size does not vary considerably as the division cycles that form the rosette proceed. The contents of the RB are similar to the cytoplasm of the parasites. It contains ER membranous profiles and vacuolar structures identified as acidocalcisomes. This was confirmed by microanalysis. Mitochondrial profiles seen inside the RB are actually branches of mother cell mitochondrion not yet split between the two daughter cells. Acidocalcisomes of a mother cell are distributed between the two daughter cells, but as the rosette of parasites grow, acidocalcisomes seem to concentrate inside the RB where they are usually larger and tend to fuse to each other, filling most of the space in the RB. Here we hypothesize that, upon egress, the acidocalcisomes would ultimately fuse with the RB membrane liberating its contents inside the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and, by doing so; the RB would disintegrate, releasing its contents in the PV.

Calcium sulphate based 3D printed tooling for vacuum forming of medical devices: An experimental evaluation

ABSTRACTMedical devices such as prosthetics and orthotics are highly customized products and are designed to fit unique geometry of the patient’s existing or residual body part. Traditional manual processes are time consuming and painful to patient. This paper discusses the possibility to use patient-specific 3D printed mould to produce these medical devices through vacuum forming process. Various tests have been conducted to evaluate and compare mechanical properties of calcium sulphate based 3D printing powder and traditional POP based powders used by medical practitioners. Results show that calcium sulphate based 3D printing powder possess approximately double pneumatic permeability and almost equal wear ability, hardness, flexural strength, water dissolution and tensile strength than the traditional POP material. The study concludes that 3D printed moulds can be used as vacuum forming mould to manufacture medical devices. The use of 3D printed mould will not only reduce the manufacturing lead time of devices but also patients’ pain and number of visits to the clinic.

Gender difference in requesting abdominoplasty, after bariatric surgery: Based on five years of experience in two centers in Sulaimani Governorate, Kurdistan Region/Iraq

BackgroundThe increasing incidence of morbid obesity suggests that the quantity of bariatric surgical procedures will continue to multiply each year, many patients who have experienced massive weight loss are left with the dissatisfying consequences of loose and redundant skin, resulting in contour irregularities, an aesthetic and functional problem, and profound dissatisfaction with appearance, residual body image dissatisfaction, There is a subsequent increase in the number of patients seeking additional corrective procedures including abdominoplasty which considered as one of the most popular body-contouring procedures. Correcting skin excess, could improve all the corollaries, including body, and functional problems and gives profound satisfaction with appearance, it has shown to improve both psychological and social aspects of the patients' lives. ObjectivesIs there a gender difference in seeking body countering after bariatric surgery for weight loss? Patients and methodsA longitudinal observational study includes 209 obese patients with mean age of 31 ± 8.6 years; (31 ± 9, 31 ± 7 years for female and male patients respectively). Gender ratio M/F = 1.94/1, mean BMI 40 ± 9 kg/m2sin (n = 138 female) and 45±8m2s in (n = 71 male) patients, and Waist circumference 109 ± 7 cm in female and 118 ± 4 cm in males. ResultsSome female (n = 10, 7.25%) patients were seeking abdominoplasty from the third month after the operations were they have lost (21 ± 2 kg) of their excess weight, fourteen patients (10.14%), at 6 months and 27 patients (19.56%) at 12 months, but most of male patients were requesting abdominoplasty (n = 7, 09.86%) at 12 months after the operations. Male patients have shifted their ideal from weight loss to abdominoplasty after losing (50–70) of their excess weight 12 months after the operations. The main motivation of requesting abdominoplasty in female and male patients was physical difficulty because of redundant skin, and a smaller number in both genders were motivated by a friend or by a doctor. ConclusionThe motivation for abdominoplasty in females is parallel to the amount of EWL or waist circumference. Female patients are looking for body countering three months after surgery, while male patients more often than not request body shaping following one year after surgery, the age groups are invert in genders; female patients asking for body contouring in younger age group while male patients in older age group.

Ants and their nests as indicators for industrial heavy metal contamination

Ants accumulate heavy metals and respond to pollution with modification in species composition, community structure, altered behaviour and immunity. However, the levels of heavy metals in ants’ nests and explicit individual-level responses towards heavy metals have not been revealed. We found that red wood ants Formica lugubris accumulate high and correlated values of such heavy metals as Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn both in ants and nest material near cobalt smelter in Finland. Relative differences in metal concentrations were higher in nests than in ants. The highest values were obtained for elements such as Co (36.6), Zn (14.9), Cd (9.7), Pb (8.5), Cu (7.4), Ni (6.4), As (4.7), Cr (2.9) and Fe (2.4) in nest material, and Co (32.7), Cd (6.3), Pb (6), Fe (2.8), Ni (2.9) and Zn (2.1) in ants. In industrial and reference areas, ants have no differences in size, but differed in dry and residual body mass. In polluted areas, F. lugubris had less melanised heads, but not thoraxes. The sensitivity of cuticular colouration in red wood ants subjected to heavy metal pollution might be related to metal-binding properties of melanins. The overall results are useful for the improvement of biomonitoring techniques using ants as indicators of industrial contamination and for further discovery of novel ecotoxicological biomarkers.

Risk Factors for Adverse Fetal Outcome in Hemodialysis Pregnant Women

IntroductionPregnancy in women on dialysis is associated with a higher risk of adverse events, and the best care for this population remains to be established.MethodsIn this series, we aimed to identify factors associated with the risk of adverse fetal outcomes among 93 pregnancies in women on hemodialysis. Dialysis dose was initially assigned according to the presence of residual diuresis, body weight, and years on dialysis. Subsequent adjustments on dialysis dose were performed according to several parameters.ResultsThe overall successful delivery rate was 89.2%, with a dialysis regimen of 2.6 ± 0.7 h/d, 15.4 ± 4.0 h/wk, and mean weekly standard urea Kt/V of 3.3 ± 0.6. In the logistic models, preeclampsia, lupus, primigravida, and average midweek blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level were positively related to the risk of a composite outcome of perinatal death or extreme prematurity, whereas polyhydramnios was inversely related to it. In multivariable linear regression, preeclampsia, polyhydramnios, primigravida, average midweek BUN, and residual diuresis remained significantly and independently related to fetal weight, which is a surrogate marker of fetal outcome. An average midweek BUN of 35 mg/dl was the best value for discriminating the composite outcome, and BUN ≥35 mg/dl was associated with a significant difference in a Kaplan-Meier curve (P = 0.01).ConclusionOur results showed that a good fetal outcome could be reached and that preeclampsia, lupus, primigravida, residual diuresis, polyhydramnios, and hemodialysis dose were important variables associated with this outcome. In addition, we suggested that a midweek BUN <35 mg/dl might be used as a target for adjusting dialysis dose until hard data were generated.