Total Disappearance Research Articles

Estimating the expansion of urban areas and urban heat islands (UHI) in Ghana: a case study

This research is focused on identifying urban sprawl pattern and extent in two rapidly growing major Ghanaian cities (Accra and Kumasi) and how urban expansion affected heat island effect over the period of 2002–2017 using remote sensing imagery. The research employed remotely sensed images from Landsat 7 and 8 missions for mapping the urban sprawl. Land cover classification was done by using object-based image analysis, and for land surface temperature estimation single-channel algorithm was used. The intensity and magnitude of urban heat island were estimated. The results showed that urban expansion was more dominant process than densification in both cities. A significant area of bare soils and sparsely vegetated lands became built-up accompanied by total disappearance of forest belt of Kumasi. The intensity and magnitude values indicated the presence and expansion of urban heat island in both cities. However, there was a significant amount of bare lands and sparsely vegetated areas with relatively high surface temperature in and around these cities. From the results of this work, we note that bare or sparsely vegetated land cover types in urban areas located in tropical climates can escalate overall urban temperatures. The urban heat island magnitude values were relatively higher compared to values for European cities during the heat wave of 2016. Although urban configurations and climatic conditions may be the reason for the differences, this shows how alarming and dangerous urban heat islands could be in tropical cities.

Skene Keith. Total disappearance of a fibroid tumor after D-r Apostoli’s treatment. (Brit. Med. Journ. July 9, 1892). Complete disappearance of fibrous tumor after treatment according to the Apostoli method.

Diagnosis of uterine fibroid was made on the basis of the following data: N.N., 29 years old, since the birth of her only child, who is now 10 years old, has never felt completely well. General weakness, dysmenorrhoea; pains for the period of regulation with each time increase; Months are becoming more and more abundant, both in quantity and in duration: in every period of the menstrual period, she spends from 50-70 napkins. At the first visit of the author, in July 1889, the patient walked from weakness with difficulty, complaining of constant pain in the lower abdomen. Upon examination, it was found that the pelvis was filled with a fibrous tumor of the uterus.

Chronic rhinosinusitis due to cyano-acrylic glue after endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery

BackgroundTo reduce the risk of cerebrospinal fluid leak, clinicians utilize a filling material placed in the sella followed by floor reconstruction with various materials, including glue sealing. Cyano-acrylic glue Glubran®2 glue is commercially available and is generally used as embolizing agent and for the prevention of cerebrospinal fluid leakage.Case DescriptionA 25-year-old woman underwent endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma. After tumor resection, sellar floor reconstruction was performed by mucosal graft and Glubran®2 glue. The early post-operative period was uneventful. However, 2 months after surgery, the patient complained of headache, facial pain and greenish foul-smelling nasal discharge with solid particles dripping from the nose. Medical treatment was unsuccessful. Brain MRI showed inflammation and thickening of the sphenoidal and para-sphenoidal mucosa. The patient underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery and a solid glass-like mass surrounded by inflamed infected mucosa was seen in the inferior and lateral aspects of the sphenoid sinus. Efforts were made to erupt and de-crust the solid mass until total resection was achieved. Early post-operative period was uneventful, and a course of antibiotics was continued until total disappearance of the discharge.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reporting of acrylic glue (Glubran®2)-related sinusitis. Surgeon should be aware about similar side effects for the glue material that would complicate the surgery.

Lesiones ocasionadas por el bagre armado del Amazonas Pterygoplichthys sp. en tres manatíes antillanos en cautiverio Trichechus manatus manatus

Background. The interaction between Pterygoplichthys and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) was recorded approximately 13 years ago in Florida, United States. In Mexico, this interaction has not been documented neither in the wild nor in captivity. Until now it was supposed that Pterygoplichthys attach to manatees to forage the epibiota of the skin without causing any damage. However, some behaviour displayed suggests pain, stress, and discomfort when these fish attach to the manatee’s skin. Goals. To determine if the skin wounds found in three captive manatees are associated with the presence of Pterygoplichthys in the facilities where they are housed. Methods. By trawling a large artificial lagoon (AL) for three consecutive days, every six months for two and a half years we decimated the local population of Pterygoplichthys; in the management pool (MP), fish were removed manually. Additionally, we reduced the time individuals spent in the management facilities by releasing them into the AL. Results. Total disappearance of the skin wounds was achieved in three years, due to their decreased interaction with the catfish (both through the reduction of the population of Pterygoplichthys and of the time spent by the manatees in the MP). Conclusions. Injuries were caused by the fact that manatees lived in a small space, without food available for the catfish, which caused an increase in the frequency and aggressiveness of the encounters. Therefore, we recommend creating and implementing strategies to reduce Pterygoplichthys populations in places where manatees inhabit, because in the future the wounds they cause could be a potential threat for the long-term population viability of the endangered Antillean manatee.

Immune Alterations in a Patient with SARS-CoV-2-Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

We report a longitudinal analysis of the immune response associated with a fatal case of COVID-19 in Europe. This patient exhibited a rapid evolution towards multiorgan failure. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in multiple nasopharyngeal, blood, and pleural samples, despite antiviral and immunomodulator treatment. Clinical evolution in the blood was marked by an increase (2–3-fold) in differentiated effector T cells expressing exhaustion (PD-1) and senescence (CD57) markers, an expansion of antibody-secreting cells, a 15-fold increase in γδ T cell and proliferating NK-cell populations, and the total disappearance of monocytes, suggesting lung trafficking. In the serum, waves of a pro-inflammatory cytokine storm, Th1 and Th2 activation, and markers of T cell exhaustion, apoptosis, cell cytotoxicity, and endothelial activation were observed until the fatal outcome. This case underscores the need for well-designed studies to investigate complementary approaches to control viral replication, the source of the hyperinflammatory status, and immunomodulation to target the pathophysiological response. The investigation was conducted as part of an overall French clinical cohort assessing patients with COVID-19 and registered in clinicaltrials.gov under the following number: NCT04262921.

Photoluminescence properties of nano-sized (Lu1-xYx)PO4:Pr3+ (x = 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 at. %) phosphor powders

Abstract Herein we present the enhancement of photoluminescence properties of nano-sized LuPO4:Pr3+ phosphor powders synthesized by sol gel process with incorporation of yttrium ions inside of this single matrix to obtain (Lu1-xYx)PO4:Pr3+ (x = 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 at. %) powders. Under UV excitation at 270 nm the emission spectra of LuPO4:Pr3+ nanopowder do not present any characteristics emission band attributed to 4f15d1→4f2 transitions of Pr3+ ions, while a large emission band has been observed which due to defects created in LuPO4 cell by doping considering the ionic radius of Pr3+ is larger compared to the ionic radius of Lu3+, this band extinguishes gradually at the time insertion of the Y3+ ions until its total disappearance (for x = 40 at. %).It was found that the emission spectra of (Lu1-xYx)PO4:Pr3+ nanopowders under λex = 230 nm presents only the characteristics emission bands of Pr3+ ions with a remarkable influence of the rate of Y3+ ions on the intensity of this bands. Furthermore, it was observed that the improvement in the luminescence properties of (Lu1-xYx)PO4:Pr3+ nanopowders is very remarkable in visible range.

Recording of spontaneous vagus nerve activity during Pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in rats

BackgroundVagus nerve stimulation is a treatment for refractory epilepsy. The vagus nerve carries parasympathetic information and innervates multiple organs. As seizures are commonly associated with autonomic manifestations, we believe that biomarkers for diseases affecting autonomic functions such as epilepsy can be found in vagus nerve signals. New methodWe present a method to record vagus nerve electroneurogram (VENG) and detect in the VENG single unit activity in anesthetized rats during Pentylenetetrazol induced seizures using a true tripolar cuff electrode. ResultsThe VENG consisted of high amplitude bursts and lower amplitude bursts synchronous to respiration and heartbeat respectively. The average spikes exhibited a triphasic shape with duration below 1.5ms and root mean square amplitude varied between 5.5 +/- 0.2 μV and 11.4 +/- 3.1 μV depending on the type of recording. An increase of the contact distance resulted in a signal amplitude increase. Application of Lidocaine led to a total disappearance of the recorded spontaneous spiking of the nerve. Comparison with existing methodsTrue tripolar cuff electrodes exhibited a better performance in terms of artefact rejection, stability and reproducibility of the signal compared to commonly used hook electrodes which is of special interest in seizures where important motion and EMG artifacts are expected. ConclusionWe present a new method to record single unit activity of the vagus nerve during acute chemically induced seizures in rats and verified the neural origin of the recorded signals. This recording method might be a powerful tool to develop seizure biomarkers based on VENG.

Energy values and protein digestibility of soybean milk by-product in pigs based on in vitro assays

Background: Soybean milk by-product (SMBP) is a potential alternative feed ingredient in swine diets due to its high protein content. However, information on energy and nutritional values of SMBP used as swine feed ingredient is limited. Objective: To estimate energy values and protein digestibility of SMBP in pigs based on in vitro assays. Methods: Four SMBP samples were obtained from 3 soybean milk-producing facilities. In vitro total tract disappearance (IVTTD) and in vitro ileal disappearance (IVID) of dry matter (DM) in the SMBP samples were determined. In vitro ileal disappearance of crude protein was determined by analyzing crude protein content in undigested residues after determining IVID of DM. Digestible and metabolizable energy of SMBP were estimated using gross energy, IVTTD of DM, and prediction equations. Results: Sample 4 had greater IVTTD of DM than that of sample 3 (97.7 vs. 94.4%, p<0.05), whereas IVID of DM in sample 4 was lower compared with sample 1 (53.5 vs. 65.0%, p<0.05). In vitro ileal disappearance of crude protein in sample 2 was greater than that in sample 1 and 3 (92.6 vs. 90.6 and 90.1%; p<0.05). The estimated metabolizable energy of SMBP ranged from 4,311 to 4,619 kcal/kg as-is basis and the value of sample 3 was the least (p<0.05) among SMBP samples. Conclusion: Energy values and protein digestibility should be determined before using SMBP in swine diets.

Spectral and seasonal variations of aerosol optical depth with special reference to Kanpur, Indo-Gangetic Basin

Objectives: To find characteristics of Aerosol optical depth (AOD) at ultraviolet (340-380 nm), visible (440-675 nm) and near-infrared (870-1020 nm) wavelength spectrum. During estimation of the radiative effect of aerosol in the atmosphere of earth radiation budget, it is important to study AOD. It is the total disappearance of sun rays due to aerosols in atmospheric column by absorption and scattering. Methodology: AOD is being measured using ground based sensor called CIMEL Sun photometer over Kanpur as it is situated in the Indo-Gangetic Basin. Findings: The seasonal variations in AOD as well as in various months of the year at 340nm, 500nm and 1020nm under all clear days have been studied. The observations showed that AOD was increasing from Pre-monsoon to Post-monsoon season at short wavelengths; whereas it was found to be decreasing at longer wavelengths regions. Novelty: Area under study is surrounded by small to large scale industries. Therefore, industrial emission is a major source of anthropogenic aerosols. The study of spectral and seasonal variations of Aerosol Optical Depth is important because the accumulation of aerosol particularly mixing state of aerosols has impact on atmospheric dynamics. Furthermore this work will also motivate the researchers to develop aerosol climatology map particularly for Indian regions. Keywords: Aerosol optical depth (AOD); CIMEL sun photometer; solar radiations

Anti-inflammatory latex proteins of the medicinal plant Calotropis procera: a promising alternative for oral mucositis treatment.

Oral mucositis (OM) is an intense inflammatory reaction progressing to tissue damage and ulceration. The medicinal uses of Calotropis procera are supported by anti-inflammatory capacity. PII-IAA, a highly homogenous cocktail of laticifer proteins (LP) prepared from the latex of C. procera, with recognized pharmacological properties was tested to treat OM. Male Golden Sirius hamsters were used in all treatments. The latex protein samples were injected i.p. (5 mg/Kg) 24 h before mucositis induction (mechanical trauma) and 24 h later. Histology, cytokine measurements [ELISA], and macroscopic evaluation [scores] were performed. PII-IAA eliminated OM, accompanied by total disappearance of myeloperoxidase activity and release of IL-1b, as well as reduced TNF-a. Oxidative stress was relieved by PII-IAA treatment, as revealed by MDA and GSH measurements. PII-IAA also reduced the expression of adhesion molecules (ICAM-1) and Iba-1, two important markers of inflammation, indicating modulatory effects. Histological analyses of the cheek epithelium revealed greater deposition of type I collagen fibers in animals given PII-IAA compared with the control group. This performance was only reached when LPPII was treated with iodoacetamide (IAA), an irreversible inhibitor of proteolytic activity of cysteine proteases. The endogenous proteolytic activity of LPPII induced adverse effects in animals. Candidate proteins involved in the phytomodulatory activity are proposed. Therapy was successful in treating OM with the laticifer protein fraction, containing peptidases and osmotin, from Calotropis procera. The effective candidate from the latex proteins for therapeutic use is PII-IAA.

Use, management and local ecological knowledge of Sabal mauritiiformis in the Colombian Caribbean

The leaves of the palm Sabal mauritiiformis constitute the natural material most used for thatching in the Colombian Caribbean. The leaves and other parts of the plant are also used in other economic and cultural activities on a smaller scale. Through 49 semi-structured interviews and seven days of participant observation, we documented the management and local ecological knowledge of this species in a Colombian peasant community, and identified the value chain for its leaves. We found 25 uses for S. mauritiiformis, belonging to 11 use categories. The leaves are harvested from wild populations, where the most outstanding management practice is tolerance, consisting of the maintenance of the palms in traditional production systems, even after the elimination of forest canopy. Leaf marketing results in an organized, simple and regional value chain, mainly linked to tourism. The relevance of this species in the Caribbean was evident both in the different management modalities and in the stock of ecological and technical knowledge that the communities have accumulated. This has allowed the conservation of this palm, despite the almost total disappearance of its natural habitat. With some adjustments in the practices applied to palms and to the value chain, the case of S. mauritiiformis in the Caribbean would constitute a model of how use and conservation of native biodiversity can contribute to boost regional economy.

Surgical treatment of breast carcinoma after neoadjuvant therapy.

Neoadjuvant therapy (NT) applied before breast cancer surgery can lead in favourable cases to regression of the tumor or its total disappearance - pathological complete response (pCR). Due to downstaging after NT, the extent of the surgery can be reduced. pCR represents an important prognostic factor for survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of NT resulting in pCR on our sample of patients and to assess the frequency of locoregional recurrence (LRR) depending on the extent of the surgery in postoperative care. This retrospective study was performed on asample of 96 patients who underwent breast cancer surgery between 2006 and 2018 after previous NT. On the basis of the histological examination after surgery we evaluated the degree of regression and thus also pCR. In postoperative care we followed the patients for any occurrence of LRR in the breast and axilla. pCR (Chevallier 1) was observed in 26 cases - 27.1%. During follow-up in postoperative care, 8 cases of LRR occurred - 8.3% (5.2% after mastectomy and 2.1% after breast-conserving surgery). Mean follow-up was almost 30 months with the median of 26.5 months. With the development of new NT procedures asignificant rise in pCR has occurred, predominantly in HER 2+ and triple negative subtypes, thus leading to adecreased incidence of LRR. The number of breast-conserving surgeries with sentinel lymph node biopsy is rising. In aselect group of patients breast-conserving surgery is safe and is associated with alow number of LRR events.

«BIRD-HEAD» OR «HORSE-HEAD» SCEPTRES — A REAL OR APPARENT DILLEMA?

«BIRD-HEAD» OR «HORSE-HEAD» SCEPTRES — A REAL OR APPARENT DILLEMA?

Suppression of self-absorption effect in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy by employing a Penning-like energy transfer process in helium ambient gas.

A unique approach for achieving total suppression of the self-absorption effect in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been demonstrated employing a previously published technique of laser-induced plasma spectroscopy utilizing a helium (He) metastable excited state (LIPS-He*).This achievement was attained by the use of the He metastable excited state (He*) and a Penning-like energy transfer mechanism for the delayed excitation of the ablated analyte atoms. KCl and NaCl samples showed the disappearance of the self-absorption emission lines of K I 766.4 nm, K I 769.9 nm, Na I 588.9 nm, and Na I 589.5 nm, and the FWHM values of K I 766.4 and Na I 588.9 nm were found to be 0.8 nm and 0.15 nm, respectively, by LIPS-He* as compared to 4.8 nm and 1.4 nm, respectively, by single-laser operation. A standard Al sample also showed the total disappearance of the self-absorption emission lines Al I 394.4 nm and Al I 396.1 nm. The FWHM of Al I 396.1 nm was 0.12 nm when LIPS-He* was employed compared to 0.44 nm when a single laser was used. A remarkable linear calibration line with zero intercepts was also obtained for high-concentration Al samples (87.0%, 93.0% and 99.8%). Thus, it is established that the self-absorption effect can be completely neglected when excitation through He* is employed in LIBS.

Decreasing falls from shopping-carts: An effective pro-active intervention

IntroductionThe effects of an intervention designed to decrease the probability of adults placing a child into the basket of a supermarket cart and thus at risk was assessed. MethodA mixed multiple baseline and ABA withdrawal designs across four supermarkets was used to measure intervention effects. It consisted of placing a salient card with a red ban sign attached to the side of the cart opposite the cart handle. The person pushing the cart faced the salient card throughout the shopping trip. An instruction to not place a child in the basket was above the ban sign. ResultsResults showed an almost total disappearance of the target behaviour during intervention compared to baseline levels in all four supermarkets only when the intervention was implemented in each store. Baseline levels of the behaviour were recovered after the intervention was removed. ConclusionsIt was possible to affect the target behaviour of adults that sets children at risk for accidents. Further research is needed, e.g., the effects of such intervention on the overall rate of yearly shopping cart related accidents and injuries to children if super-markets adopt this intervention. Direct and systematic replications of this experiment, assessment of long-term effects of the intervention, and of variables that may affect the probability of the target behaviour in adults are needed. Practical applicationsIf the intervention studied here would be adopted in stores where shopping carts are available to customers the rate of cart-related injuries to children could decrease tremendously, even globally.

Performance of an Escherichia coli phytase expressed in Lactococcus lactis on nutrient retention, bone traits and intestinal morphology in broiler chickens.

The availability of plant phosphorus in the gut chicken can be improved by increasing phosphorus retention using phytase enzyme or a probiotic with phytase activity as an alternative. In this study, the efficacy of a recombinant probiotic, Lactococcus lactis (L.lactis), with a potential of phytase production was evaluated in broiler chickens. To this aim, 360 one-day-old male broiler Cobb 500 were divided into six treatments with six replicates and reared to 42days of age. The experimental treatments included positive control diet containing adequate phosphorus (PC), negative control diet containing reduced available phosphorus (NC), negative control diet involving recombinant L.lactis (RLL), negative control diet containing both recombinant L.lactis and Lactobacillus salivarius (RLL+LBS), negative control diet including non-recombinant L.lactis (LL) and negative control diet containing Hostazym® . Growth performance, total tract apparent disappearance of phytate-P and nutrient retention, mineral content of the tibia and histomorphology of jejunum were evaluated at the age of 35days. Based on the results, the phosphorus (P) deficiency in the diet reduced body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), length and strength of tibia and increased feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to PC group. However, the supplementation of Hostazym® or RLL probiotic into the feed improved BW, ADG, FCR, disappearance of Phytate-P and retention of P, length and strength of the tibia in a level similar to PC treatment. Phosphorus content of tibia in the chickens fed P-deficient diets containing RLL was similar to that of the tibia in the control group. Excreta phytate and total P excretion of the chickens decreased when diets contained Hostazym® , RLL and RLL+LBS. In addition, the diet containing RLL+LBS probiotic increased villi height compared with other treatments (p<.05). Further, recombinant L.lactis could represent phytase activity in the gut environment of the chickens and could be an alternative to the commercial phytase.

Immobilization of nanocarriers within a porous chitosan scaffold for the sustained delivery of growth factors in bone tissue engineering applications

To guide the natural bone regeneration process, bone tissue engineering strategies rely on the development of a scaffold architecture that mimics the extracellular matrix and incorporates important extracellular signaling molecules, which promote fracture healing and bone formation pathways. Incorporation of growth factors into particles embedded within the scaffold can offer both protection of protein bioactivity and a sustained release profile. In this work, a novel method to immobilize carrier nanoparticles within scaffold pores is proposed. A biodegradable, osteoconductive, porous chitosan scaffold was fabricated via the "freeze-drying method," leading to scaffolds with a storage modulus of 8.5 kPa and 300 μm pores, in line with existing bone scaffold properties. Next, poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) nanoparticles were synthesized and immobilized to the scaffold via carbodiimide-crosslinker chemistry. A fluorescent imaging study confirmed that the conventional methods of protein and nanocarrier incorporation into scaffolds can lead to over 60% diffusion out of the scaffold within the first 5 min of implantation, and total disappearance within 4 weeks. The novel method of nanocarrier immobilization to the scaffold backbone via carbodiimide-crosslinker chemistry allows full retention of particles for up to 4 weeks within the scaffold bulk, with no negative effects on the viability and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Metabolic profiles of coumarin in human plasma extrapolated from a rat data set with a simplified physiologically based pharmacokinetic model.

Coumarin is a dietary-derived substance that is extensively metabolized by human liver to excretable 7-hydroxycoumarin. Although coumarin under daily dietary consumption is generally regarded as nontoxic, the substance is of toxicological and clinical interest because of its potential association with hepatotoxicity, which is especially evident in rats. In this study, the pharmacokinetics of coumarin were modeled after virtual oral administration in humans. The adjusted monitoring equivalents of coumarin, along with the biotransformation of coumarin to o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (via 3,4-epoxidation) based on reported plasma concentrations from rat studies, were scaled to human coumarin equivalents using known species allometric scaling factors. Using rat and human liver preparations, data on the rapid in vitro metabolic clearance for humans (~50-fold faster than in rats) were obtained for in vitro-in vivo extrapolation. For human physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, the metabolic ratios to o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and 7-hydroxycoumarin were set at minor (0.1) and major (0.9) levels for the total disappearance of coumarin. The resulting modeled plasma concentration curves in humans generated by simple PBPK models were consistent with reported simulated coumarin maximum concentrations. These results provide basic information to simulate plasma levels of coumarin and its primary metabolite 7-hydroxycoumarin or its secondary activated metabolite o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (via 3,4-epoxidation) resulting from dietary foodstuff consumption. Under the current assumptions, little toxicological impact of coumarin was evident in humans, thereby indicating the usefulness of forward dosimetry using PBPK modeling for human risk assessment.

Linseed and glycerol in forage diets effect methane production and rumen fermentation parameters in a Rusitec semi-continuos system

Context The use of oilseeds as a feed ingredient has been proposed to improve fatty acid profiles and reduce methane (CH4) emissions. Glycerol has been used as a common additive in ruminant feeding systems with variable effects on CH4 production. The effects of the combination of these ingredients remain unknown. Aims The aim of this study was to assess the effects of feeding linseed and increasing concentrations of glycerol in forage diets supplemented with corn grain on nutrient disappearance, CH4 production and rumen fermentation parameters. Methods Experimental diets were: control (70:30% hay:corn); linseed (70:15 :15% hay:corn:linseed); 5% glycerol (70:10:15:5% hay:corn:linseed:glycerol); 10% glycerol (70:5:15:10% hay:corn:linseed:glycerol). Diets were incubated in a completely randomised design with four replicates per treatment in a Rusitec apparatus for 15 days (10 days adaptation, 5 days sampling). Key results Total VFA production (VFA, mmol/day) was quadratically increased due to glycerol concentration in the diets (P = 0.009). Acetate:propionate (A:P) decreased by the inclusion of linseed (P &amp;lt; 0.001) and glycerol into the diets (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Linseed inclusion in the diet reduced CH4 production, mg/DM disappeared (P = 0.004) by up to 36%. These effects were not altered by the addition of glycerol into the diets. Ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) production increased 2-fold in the linseed-added diets, but this effect was partially reverted by increasing glycerol concentrations in the diets (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Crude protein (CP) disappearance increased (P &amp;lt; 0.001) in the linseed added diets, with no effect of glycerol addition. Neutral detergent fibre (aNDFom; P = 0.005) disappearance was increased by the addition of linseed to the diet. Conclusions The use of linseed in ruminant diets reduces CH4 emissions but increases NH3-N production in a Rusitec system. This latter effect is partially reverted by glycerol inclusion in the diet. Propionate production increases with the inclusion of glycerol, but does not alter CH4 production. Including linseed increases the in vitro CP disappearance without affecting DM total disappearance. Implications Care should be taken with the use of oilseeds in ruminant diets as it can reduce CH4 emissions but may cause important increases in NH3 emissions. Inclusion of glycerol may partially overcome this latter issue.

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula: a misdiagnosed and treatable cause of non-compressive myelopathy

A 50-year-old woman, previously healthy, presented with a 9-month history of progressive paraparesis with sphincter disturbances and hypoesthesia in lower legs. Several weeks before admission, her paraplegia and urinary dysfunction rapidly deteriorated. She was unsuccessfully treated 4 months prior with analgesics and corticosteroids drugs. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (A) showed central myelopathy of the conus medullaris with posterior dilated perimedullary veins (arrows), suggestive of a spinal vascular malformation. Selective spinal angiogram of the right T11 segmental artery (B) demonstrated a right sided fistulous connection between the segmental artery and the perimedullary venous plexus (dotted oval circle). A thoracic T10-T12 laminectomy and durotomy was performed, which showed engorged venous vessels on the posterior surface of the spinal cord (C). An arterialized draining vein was identified arising from the inner aspect of the dura of the right T11 nerve root. This vessel was completely clipped (arrow). Postoperatively, neurologic examination remained unchanged at the time of discharge. However, at 4-month follow-up, she was able to ambulate with a walker. Postoperative angiography performed 2 months later showed total disappearance of the vascular fistula (D).