Neural Correlates of Hiccups in Patients with Lateral Medullary Infarction

Background Hiccups is a known presentation of lateral medullary infarction. However, the region in the medulla associated with this finding is not clearly known. In this study, we aimed to study the neural correlates of hiccups in patients with lateral medullary infarction (LMI). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included all patients who presented with lateral medullary infarction between January 2008 and May 2018. Patients with hiccups following LMI were identified as cases and those with no hiccups but who had LMI were taken as controls. The magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was done viewed and individual lesions were mapped manually to the template brain. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping employing nonparametric permutation testing was performed using MRIcron. Results There were a total of 31 patients with LMI who presented to the hospital during the study period. There were 11 (35.5%) patients with hiccups. Using the voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping analysis, the dorso-lateral region of the middle medulla showed significant association with hiccups. Conclusion In patients with LMI, we postulate that damage to the dorsolateral aspect on the middle medulla could result in hiccups.

Activity of biochemical biomarkers in grasshoppers Abracris flavolineata (De Geer, 1773) (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Ommatolampidinae)

Biochemical biomarkers are commonly used in environmental monitoring programs due to their sensitivity to certain pollutants. From this perspective, their responses can be used as indicators of environmental quality. The present study aimed to determine the activity of the catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) enzymes in grasshoppers Abracris flavolineata (De Geer, 1773) from two forest remnant areas in Serra da Jiboia (BA) and compare them between males and females. The specimens were collected at two sites in Serra da Jiboia (Bahia, Brasil), named ‘Baixa de Areia’ and ‘Baixa Grande’. The animals were actively collected in the morning using a sweep net and a 2.5 h sampling effort. In total, 160 individuals were collected, with 80 individuals from each sampling site, 50 males and 30 females. After identification, an incision was made in the lateral region of the abdomen to remove the midgut, which was used to extract the CAT and GST enzymes. The results obtained demonstrated that CAT and GST activity did not vary significantly between sampling areas. However, with regard to sex, enzyme activity was significantly higher in males (p<0.005) in both locations. This is a pioneer study on the responses of CAT and GST activity in grasshoppers in Brazil.

Micro-computed tomography analysis of the lumbar pedicle wall

Background Although the pedicle is routinely used as a surgical fixation site, the pedicle wall bone area fraction (bone area per unit area) and its distribution at the isthmus of the pedicle remain unknown. The bone area fraction at the pedicle isthmus is an important factor contributing to the strength of pedicle screw constructs. This study investigates the lumbar pedicle wall microstructure based on micro-computed tomography. Methods Six fresh-frozen cadaveric lumbar spines were analyzed. Left and right pedicles of each vertebra from L1 to L5 were resected for micro-computed tomography scanning. Data was analyzed with custom-written software to determine regional variation in pedicle wall bone area fraction. The pedicular cross-section was divided into four regions: lateral, medial, cranial, and caudal. The mean bone area fraction values for each region were calculated for all lumbar spine levels. Results The lateral region showed lower bone area fraction than the medial region at all spinal levels. Bone area fraction in the medial region was the highest at all levels except for L4, and the median values were 99.8% (95.9–100%). There were significant differences between the lateral region and the caudal region at L1, L2 and L3, but none at L4 and L5. The bone area fraction in the lateral region was less than 64% at all spinal levels and that in the caudal region was less than 67% at the L4 and L5 levels. Conclusions This study provides initial detailed data on the lumbar pedicle wall microstructure based on micro-computed tomography. These findings may explain why there is a higher incidence of pedicle screw breach in the pedicle lateral and caudal walls.

Short Communication: A new cyprinid fish Barilius cyanochlorus from Kerala, India

Plamoottil M, Vineeth K. 2020. Short Communication: A new cyprinid fish Barilius cyanochlorus from Kerala, India. Biodiversitas 21: 5389-5393. A new Barilius species is described from a small freshwater stream at Kasargod district of Kerala, India. It can be distinguished from its congeners in having a body with blackish-brown dorsal and upper laterals, greenish-yellow middle part and silvery lower lateral part, 8 vertical bands on mid-lateral region, each of these bands with 2 segments-lower blue part and upper green part, a large round blotch on the caudal base with similar color pattern, dorsal fin with basal 2/3 portion brown and distal 1/3 part orange-red, anal fin orange-red, pectoral fin pale reddish, 14-16 pre-dorsal scales and 37-39 lateral line scales. The new species is taxonomically analyzed, compared with its congeners, scientifically named and described. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F3B30158-CE71-496B-B8F4-B7645C2AD8B4 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7763B3FE-6A97-447E-B718-2FB34807DFF9

Electromyographic study of neuromuscular coordination of chewing muscular at the stages of protetic treatment

The study of masticatory muscles allows timely detection of changes in their functional state, as well as to identify borderline pathological processes that can lead to the development of morphological and functional disorders in the maxillofacial region. This work was carried out in order to determine changes in the functional state of the masticatory muscles in patients with de-fects in the dentition in the lateral region before and after the orthopedic treatment. To achieve this goal, an electromyographic study of the masticatory muscles was performed in 95 patients with uni-lateral and bilateral defects of the dentition in the lateral region before and after restoration of the occlusal relationship of the dentition. As a result of the examination, pronounced malfunctions of the masticatory muscles were revealed in patients with defects in the dentition. After orthopedic treatment, a restoration of the balanced functioning of the muscular system of the maxillofacial re-gion was noted.

Overcoming seed dormancy and rooting in air-layering polyembryonic seedlings of sapucaia (Lecythis pisonis Cambess.)

Lecythis pisonis produces edible seeds rich in nutritional and functional elements such as selenium and are a great alternative to Brazilian nuts. The seeds have low germination, which may be related to physical dormancy imposed by tegument, meaning that polyembryonic seedlings can be a strategy to increase final stand. The objective of this work was to study methods to overcome seed dormancy and auxin induction in polyembryonic seedlings of pisonis. The experiment to break dormancy consisted of seven treatments: T1: intact seeds; T2: seeds scarified on hilum’s opposite side; T3: seeds scarified hilum’s adjacent region; T4: seeds scarified in lateral region; T5: seeds scarified in both opposite and adjacent region to the hilum; T6: T2 + immersion in water at 40 °C/20 minutes; T7: T2 + immersion in water at 60 °C/5 minutes. The experiment to induce rooting was arranged in a 2 x 6 factorial randomized complete block design (environments: A. greenhouse and B. greenhouse covered with black polyolefin (80% shading) x concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA): 0; 1000; 2000; 3000; 4000 and 5000 mg L-1), with four replicates of eight polyembryonic seedlings. Seed coat scarification in hilum’s adjacent (T3) and lateral regions (T4) was the most efficient methods for breaking physical dormancy. IBA at 5000 mg L-1 promoted the greatest rhizogenesis of L. pisonis layers.

Modern View on the Problem of Treating Minor Dentition Defects with the Use of Zirconium Oxide Ceramic Resin-Bonded Prostheses

The objective of the research was to substantiate the effective method of treating minor dentition defects in the lateral and frontal areas considering anatomic features, functionality and aesthetic appearance of the prosthesis. Materials and methods. A new approach to the problem of treating minor dentition defects with the use of zirconium oxide ceramic resin-bonded prostheses was proposed. The method of its manufacturing was described and the indications to the application were clearly explained. The comparative analysis with similar prostheses was conducted and the advantages of the proposed prosthesis were proved. Ceramic resin-bonded prosthesis allowed us to restore the dentition integrity in the presence of small bounded edentulous spaces in the lateral region and to provide high aesthetic qualities and bio-inertness of the prosthesis with maximum approximation to the physiological characteristics of natural teeth. Results. Thirty-eight patients with small bounded edentulous space in the lateral region were treated with the use of zirconium oxide resin-bonded prosthesis for 18 months. The obtained results of prosthetic treatment indicated that the proposed prosthesis provided an opportunity to restore the aesthetic appearance and integrity of the dentition, to prevent the occurrence of the deformations and to ensure the functionality of the dento-facial system. Conclusions. The framework made of zirconium oxide allowed us to significantly reduce the depth of hard dental tissue preparation resulting in a great aesthetic appearance thereby providing an opportunity to significantly expand the indications for use. The remote results of treatment indicated the absence of marginal coloration at the margin of indirect restoration and hard dental tissues, namely the marginal ridge, ensuring good aesthetics and functional integrity of the restorative construction.

Dorsal-to-ventral neocortical expansion is physically primed by ventral streaming of early embryonic preplate neurons

SummaryMammalian neocortex exhibits a disproportionally “luxurious” representation of somatotopies in its lateral region, which depends on dorsal-to-ventral expansion of the pallium during development. Despite recent studies elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the cortical arealization/patterning, we know very little about how the cortex expands ventrally and the nature of the underlying force-generating events. We found that neurons born earliest (at embryonic day 10 [E10]) in the mouse pallium migrated ventrally and then extended corticofugal axons, which together formed a morphogenetic flow of the preplate that persists until E13. These neurons exerted pulling and pushing forces at the process and the soma, respectively. Ablation of these E10-born neurons attenuated both deflection of radial glial fibers (by E13) and extension of the cortical plate (by E14), which should occur ventrally, and subsequently shrank the postnatal neocortical map dorsally. This previously unrecognized preplate stream physically primes neocortical expansion and somatotopic map formation.

Supra-inguinal injection for fascia iliaca compartment block results in more consistent spread towards the lumbar plexus than an infra-inguinal injection: a volunteer study

Background and objectivesLumbar plexus block has been used to provide postoperative analgesia after lower limb surgery. The fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) has been proposed as an anterior approach of the lumbar plexus targeting the femoral, obturator and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. However, both radiological and clinical evidence demonstrated that an infra-inguinal approach to the fascia iliaca compartment does not reliably block the three target nerves.We hypothesized that a supra-inguinal approach of the fascia iliaca compartment results in a more consistent block of the three target nerves than an infra-inguinal approach.MethodsWe performed a randomized controlled, double-blind trial in 10 healthy volunteers. Both an infra-inguinal FICB (I-FICB) and a supra-inguinal FICB (S-FICB) were performed on the left or the right side in each volunteer. Forty milliliters of lidocaine 0.5% was injected with each approach. Sensory and motor block and spread of local anesthetics (LA) on MRI were assessed.ResultsAfter an S-FICB, 80% of the volunteers had a complete sensory block of the medial, anterior and lateral region of the thigh, compared with 30% after an I-FICB (p=0.035). There was an insignificant effect on motor function with both approaches. After an S-FICB, in 8 out of 10 volunteers there was spread of LA in the expected anatomic location of the obturator nerve on MRI compared with 1 out of 10 volunteers after an I-FICB (p=0.0017). The cranial spread of LA after an S-FICB on MRI was higher than after an I-FICB (p=0.007), whereas there was a more caudal spread of LA on MRI after an I-FICB than after an S-FICB (p=0.005).ConclusionsAn S-FICB produces a more complete sensory block of the medial, anterior and lateral region of the thigh, compared with an I-FICB. Our study demonstrates that an S-FICB with 40 mL of LA more reliably spreads LA to the anatomical location of the three target nerves of the lumbar plexus on MRI than an I-FICB. An S-FICB also leads to a more consistent spread in a cranial direction under the fascia iliaca and around the psoas muscle.Clinical trial registrationThis work was registered with the European clinical trial registry: Identifier Eudra CT 2015-004607-24.