Tube Running Research Articles

The Lacing Dermatotraction Suturing Technique

Introduction: Hailing from a tertiary government-aided center, infected surgical wounds varying from diabetic foot and necrotizing fasciitis to surgical site infection are by far the most common cluster of cases encountered in our practice. Due to an overall lack of patient education on wounds, most of these patients present late, necessitating extensive debridement and tissue loss.
 Aim and Objective: To describe the lacing dermatotraction technique and to study its application in aiding early secondary closure of infected surgical wounds.
 Material and Methods: An interventional Study was conducted at VICTORIA Hospital, Bangalore, from February 2020 to October 2021. Fifty-four patients with Infected wounds were debrided until healthy margins were obtained, followed by applying the shoelace tension lacing suture. This consisted of an infant feeding tube running under loops of prolene fixed 1 cm away from the edge of the wound. One end of the IFT is anchored to the skin, and the other is held in position with single throws of no-1 silk suture, which can be loosened at the next sitting for adequate wound exposure, which aids in better debridement. The tension suture is again tightened to attain the maximal possible wound approximation. Thus, constant traction on the skin edges creates progressive closure until secondary closure is achieved.
 Results: 54 Patients were enrolled, consisting of 8 amputation stump infections, 11 diabetic foot, 14 disarticulations, five bed sore, 12 fasciotomies, three mastectomy flap necrosis, and one traumatic avulsion. There were 38 males and 16 females, with a mean age of 53.4 years. The mean duration of the wound at presentation was 17 days, and they were subjected to an average of 11 days of debridement. Mean wound dimensions - length= 11.02cm, breadth=4.86cm and area = 53.55 cm2. On applying the lacing, the wounds were debrided for an average of 8.85 days with 2.9 tightening. Secondary closure was achieved in 45 (83.33%) patients,.
 Conclusion: The lacing technique is inexpensive and safe to achieve early secondary closure of infected wounds. It avoids the need for skin grafts, reducing the need for anesthesia, hospital expenditure, and duration of hospital stay of patients.

Orthoceras and Black Marinace Stone: From Quarries in North Africa and Brazil

Recognizing the contribution art has had in the Mayo Clinic environment since the original Mayo Clinic Building was finished in 1914, Mayo Clinic Proceedings features some of the numerous works of art displayed throughout the buildings and grounds on Mayo Clinic campuses as interpreted by the author.

A method to create a new rat model of combination of disease and syndrome with cervical vertigo hyperactivity of liver yang syndrome

To establish a simple and reliable model of cervical vertigo in rats with hyperactivity of liver-yang syndrome, and to establish a simple and feasible method for evaluating the degree of vertigo in animals. SPF male SD rats (aged 8 weeks, weighing 280 to 320 g) were randomly divided into 4 groups (6 rats in each group). The model of cervical vertigo of hyperactivity of liver yang syndrome (joint modeling group) was established by combining local injection of lauromacrogol (hardener) and receiving fuzi decoction by gavage. The joint modeling group was compared with the hardener group, the fuzi decoction group and the blank control group. The vertigo degree of rats was measured by the time of passing through a glass tube (running time) before modeling, 2 weeks and 3 weeks after the established model. There was no statistical difference in the running time between control group and fuzi decoction group, between joint modeling group and hardener group. The running time in the hardener group and the joint modeling group was longer than that in the control group (P< 0.05), and was even longer than that in the fuzi decoction group (P<0.01). There was significant difference in running time after modeling compared with that before modeling (P<0.05); there was no significant difference in running time between 2 and 3 weeks after modeling (P>0.05). This method can effectively establish a rat model of cervical vertigo with hyperactivity of liver-yang syndrome, and the running time can reflect the degree of vertigo in rats to a certain extent. This experiment provides a simple and feasible animal model and detection method for research of cervical vertigo in the future.

Mating Behavior of the Endemic Hawaiian Cricket Leptogryllus elongatus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Oecanthinae)

Hawaiian tree crickets are remarkably speciose and phenotypically diverse and yet we know very little about their behavior. I present the first description of courtship and mating in a member of this group. Leptogryllus elongatus Perkins inhabit the hollow fronds of giant tree ferns on the windward slope of Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Unlike all other tree crickets, except for the closely related genus Thaumatogryllus, Leptogryllus lack a stridulum to produce song and have no auditory tympanum. In the absence of song, courtship in L. elongatus appears to be vibratory and tactile, in the form of tremulation and tapping of the male cerci against the body of the female. Tremulation by male L. elongatus takes the form of a rhythmic “push-up” beginning at first contact and continuing until the postcopulatory dismount. During courtship, the male maneuvers his abdomen beneath the female and the female dorsally mounts the male. As in other tree crickets, copulation results in transfer of a small spermatophore composed on a external sperm sack and a tube running inside the genitalia of the dorsally mounted female. The rate of tremulation is relatively constant from first contact until copulation. Tremulation rate decreases after spermatophore transfer but increases dramatically when the female begins to move off the male. Another key difference is the lack of metanotal gland feeding in L. elongatus. Nevertheless, L. elongatus display prolonged postcopulatory mounted courtship which delays removal of the spermatophore by the female.

The effect of external perturbations on variability in joint coupling and single joint variability

This paper explores the effect of goal-oriented external perturbations created by elastic tubes attached to the hip and ankles on lower limb joint variability and hip–knee and knee–ankle coordination variability during running. Kinematics of ten healthy male runners were analysed prior to and following a 7-week tube running intervention while running with and one without this constraint. The training intervention was based on variable training aspects to increase within-movement variability and adaptability of the running pattern. To analyse the effects of the tubes on the running pattern, the phase plot vector length deviation (i.e., the standard deviation of the phase plot vector length) for the within-joint variability and the continuous relative phase variability for the joint coupling variability were calculated. Results revealed acute increases of variability in both parameters. However, after the intervention, variability of the tube running situation returned to normal for all couplings and joints except the knee. No transfer effects to normal running were observed. This suggests very rapid adaptations to such perturbations. In the long-term, it may ask for more or different variations.

Spatial and temporal variation of turbulence characteristics in combined sewer flow

Flow unsteadiness is a typical feature of both combined and storm sewer flow. The following study therefore deals with both theoretical and experimental investigations of the steady uniform and transient turbulent open-channel flows in a circular conduit with smooth walls as well as over rough sediment deposits. The aim of the study is to define the relationship between flow unsteadiness and selected flow/turbulence characteristics estimated in a circular tube running partially full using the ultrasonic velocity profiler (UVP) method. The temporal/spatial turbulence intensities and the Reynolds stress distribution were identified in the mid-vertical of the pipe. Generally, the absolute values of turbulent characteristics are larger in the rising branch of the hydrograph than in the descending one for the same flow depths. This difference in absolute values is related to the flow equilibrium parameter. Furthermore, the influence of the sediment bed on selected flow/turbulence variables was studied. The results show a strong impact of cross-section geometry on local values of friction velocity, i.e. bottom shear stress, along the wetted perimeter of the channel cross-section. Interestingly, their relative values decreased along with an increase in flow depth.

Pneumo-surgical pack—a preliminary report

Surgical packs made of sponge or gauze towel have been described for more than a thousand years in surgery textbooks and relevant literature but until now without much innovation. This study presents a self-retaining pneumo-surgical pack as an alternative device to the intra-abdominal gauze towel packs used during laparotomy to restrain abdominal contents—to keep the omentum and intestines away from the uterus Fallopian tubes and ovaries and provide satisfactory surgical exposure. The pneumo-surgical pack consists of two layers of inflatable and leak-proof silicone with a long tube incorporated laterally at its lowest part. This tube running from the operative field to the exterior draws attention; it thus prevents the possibility of being left in the abdominal cavity and spares the need for a count. (excerpt)

Normal oxygenation and ventilation during snow burial by the exclusion of exhaled carbon dioxide.

To confirm that the accumulation of exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2) is the principal cause of nonmechanical asphyxiation during avalanche burial by demonstrating that complete exclusion of exhaled CO2 during experimental snow burial results in normal oxygenation and ventilation utilizing the air within the snowpack. In the experimental group, 8 healthy volunteers (mean age 32 years, range 19-44 years) were fully buried up to 90 minutes in compacted snow with a density ranging from 300 to 680 kg/ m3 at an elevation of 2385 m. The 6 men and 2 women breathed directly from the snow utilizing a device containing no air pocket around the inhalation intake, in addition to an extended exhalation tube running completely out of the snowpack to remove all exhaled CO2. Continuous physiologic monitoring included oxygen saturation, end-tidal CO2, inspired CO2, electrocardiogram, rectal core temperature, and respiratory rate. As controls, 5 of the 8 subjects repeated the study protocol breathing directly into a small, fist-sized air pocket with no CO2 removal device. In the experimental group, the mean burial time was 88 minutes, despite the absence of an air pocket. No significant changes occurred in any physiologic parameters in this group compared to baseline values. In contrast, the controls remained buried for a mean of 10 minutes (P = .003) and became significantly hypercapnic (P < .01) and hypoxic (P < .02). There is sufficient oxygen contained within a densified snowpack comparable to avalanche debris to sustain normal oxygenation and ventilation for at least 90 minutes during snow burial if exhaled CO2 is removed. The prolonged oxygenation observed during CO2 exclusion is irrespective of the presence of an air pocket.

Enteral feeding tube guidewire—another factor in the retrograde contamination of enteral feeding systems?

Background: In vitro enteral feeding systems were used to investigate the effect that withdrawal of the guidewire from the feeding tube has on bacteria ascending from a patients’ stomach or intestine via the feeding tube to the giving set and nutrient container of the feeding system. Methods: Enteral feeding systems were assembled with the feeding tube running into nutrient broth contaminated with Klebsiella aerogenes. The enteral feeding tubes were held in different orientations (horizontal and vertical) to examine the effect in both prostrate and ambulant patients. The guidewire was removed either prior to or after the enteral feeding tube had been inserted into the K. aerogenes broth. Feed was then run through the systems for 24 h, with feed samples being collected from the distal (patient) end of the giving set at 0 and 24 h. Results: After 24 h, 103–108 c.f.u. (colony forming units) K. aerogenes/ml were detected in feed samples taken from the distal end of the giving set in systems where the guidewire had been removed after the enteral feeding tube had been inserted into the contaminated broth (both orientations), but K. aerogenes was not detected in samples from systems in which the guidewire had been removed before the end of the tube was inserted into the broth (both orientations). However, when the latter feed samples were enriched (i.e. incubated at 37 °C for a further 24 h to detect if very low levels of bacteria were present in the original sample), 40% of samples from systems with horizontally orientated tubes, and 20% from systems with vertically orientated tubes were positive for the test organism. K. aerogenes was not detected in any samples of feed taken from the nutrient container or just below the drip chamber. Conclusion: The results demonstrate: (i) that bacteria ascend the feeding tube over a 24‐h period (retrograde contamination) and (ii) removal of the guidewire can contribute to the colonization of the lumen of the feeding tube and distal end of the giving set with bacteria from a patients’ own flora.

The barrelettes—architectonic vibrissal representations in the brainstem trigeminal complex of the mouse. Normal structural organization

The organization of the brainstem trigeminal complex (BTC) of the mouse is described, with emphasis on the normal organization of the vibrissal representations. Thionin staining for Nissal substance was employed to reveal the cytoarchitecture. Cytochrome oxidase histochemistry was used to reveal the chemoarchitecture. Golgi impregnation methods, in combination with thionin staining, were used to examine the neuronal dendritic morphology within a defined cytoarchitectonic context. An in vitro horseradish peroxidase labelling method was used to study the distribution and morphology of primary trigeminal afferent terminals within the BTC. The BTC consists of four distinct subnuclei: principalis (nVp), oralis (nVo), interpolaris (nVi), and caudalis (nVc). The present study shows that these sub-nuclei can be distinguished from each other on the basis of several anatomical criteria, including the distribution and density of neuronal size classes, histochemical staining intensity, morphology and orientation of neuronal dendrites, and size and texture of primary afferent terminal arbors. Anatomical manifestation of vibrissal representations within the BTC can be described in nVp, nVi, and nVc, but not in nVo. Within the three subnuclei where they are found, anatomical vibrissal representations are composed to architectural subunits that form an overall pattern homeomorphic to the pattern of vibrissae on the face of the animal. Each sub-unit forms a cylindrical tube running in a rostrocaudal orientation within the BTC. These sub-units will be called barrelettes. Cytologically, each barrelette consists of cell-dense "sides," surrounding a practically cell-free "hollow." Individual sub-units are separated by narrow, cell-free "septa." Histochemically, each subunit is manifested as a discrete patch of positive-staining reaction products. Differential interference contrast optics shows that these patches correspond precisely to the barrelette hollows. Evidence is presented to show that the barrelettes are the functional units for the processing of vibrissal sensory information. Terminal arborizations of individual primary afferents seem to be confined to the hollow of single barrelettes. The majority of neurons that form the sides of a barrelette have bitufted dendritic arbors, which project predominantly into the barrelette hollow, although a minority of neurons, particularly in nVi and nVc, also extend part of their dendritic arbors into adjacent barrelette hollows. The barrelette hollows are thus the principal neuropil region in which primary afferents and their target neurons interact. Contacts are made mainly between en passant varicosities and terminal boutons on primary afferent collaterals and dendritic spines and shafts of second order neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Tube running activity in mice: A method to evaluate the behavioural effects of drugs

A new method to study locomotor activity in mice has been developed. The time it takes for a mouse to run 100 cm in a narrow tube is measured. In the present study the effects of various environmental factors on this tube running activity have been examined. The most important factor was found to be the frequency of testing. With repeated testing the run time was increased, which probably is due to a decrease in exploratory activity. However, tube running seems not to be a specific measure of exploratory activity. Administration of nialamide alone (50–200 mg/kg IP) as well as combined with 5-hydroxy-DL-tryptophan (6.25–25 mg/kg IP) gave a dose dependent decrease in run time. The result of the present drug studies suggests that tube running activity may be useful for measuring 5-hydroxy-tryptamine mediated behaviour.

The effects of chlorimipramine and protriptyline on tube running activity in mice

We have developed a new technique, tube running activity, to study the effects of drugs on a specific behaviour in mice. The time it takes for a mouse to run 100 cm in a narrow tube is measured. The effects on tube running activity of chlorimipramine, a relatively specific blocker of the amine pump in the 5-hydroxytryptaminergic neurons, and protriptyline, a relatively specific blocker of the amine pump in the noradrenergic neurons, were studied. During the first two hours after the administration of chlorimipramine 7.5 mg/kg IP there was a decreased run time as compared with controls. The run time could not be further decreased by increasing the dose of chlorimipramine, but the effect was prolonged. Protriptyline in the dose range of 3.75–30 mg/kg IP had no observable effect on the run time, but protriptyline 60 mg/kg IP decreased the run time in the same way as chlorimipramine 60 mg/kg IP did. The decreased run time after protriptyline 60 mg/kg IP is probably due to a blockade of the amine pump in the 5-hydroxytryptamine neurons at this high dose. Our results suggest that tube running activity more specifically measures functional effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine than functional effects of noradrenaline.

The biology of the Stingless Bee Trigonu (Hypotrigona) gribodoi Magretti (Meliponidae).

SUMMARY. An African meliponid bee (Trigona (Hypotrigona) gribodoi Magretti) has been kept in observation nests near Accra, Gold Coast. The nests had up to 750 bees, honey and pollen store cells of 8 mm. height and 6 mm. diameter and brood cells of 31/2 mm. height and 21/2 mm. diameter arranged in clusters. The nests had a trumpet‐shaped tubular entrance and another tube running in to the nest. The nesting cavity is sealed where necessary by a thick propolis screen and the nest area may be cut off from the rest of the cavity by a wax sheet. The queen is physogastric. Drones take thirty‐two days from egg laying to emergence, are reared in cells identical with those of the worker caste and perform no work. Workers take thirty‐five days to develop and after emergence pass through five recognizable stages of increasing pigmentation. In the absence of a queen, workers lay eggs but only drones are reared. The five stages of the worker caste perform work on a rotation system comparable with that of the honey bee. Stage 1 performs no work: stage 2 rears the brood and feeds all castes; stage 3 ripens nectar and cleans the nest: stage 4 ventilates the nest and carries debris out; stage 5 guards the entrance and forages for nectar, pollen and propolis. A detailed description is given of activities in the nest. Foraging takes place mainly in the morning. There is a heavy brood mortality.