Histopathological analysis of selected organs of Oreochromis niloticus due to sub-lethal industrial effluents exposure.

On a daily basis, our environment is exposed to tons of a composite of industrial effluents, which has a negative impact on commercial fish production and, as a result, on humans. Present study was designed to evaluate the acute, sub-chronic, and chronic toxicity of a composite of raw industrial effluent from Sunder Industrial Estate in the freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus biosystem by investigating at the histopathological changes in different organs such as heart, kidney, and muscle after exposure. Fish was exposed to 1/3 rd , 1/5 th and 1/10 th of predetermined LC 50 . Significant histopathological alterations in heart (myocarditis, pericardium bending and lifting) kidney (renal tube degeneration, glomerulus structural alteration and necrotic proximal tubule) and muscle (inflammation, atrophy and tumor) were observed in treated groups. After the sub-lethal exposure histological alteration index (HAI) was highest in chronic group as compared to the acute and sub-chronic group as HAI group D ? HAI group C ? HAI group B. Moreover physic-chemical parameters of water were found to be out of the range of the APHA standard approach.

Changes in Bihemispheric Structural Connectivity Following Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction

This study investigated the changes in the structural connectivity of the bilateral hemispheres over time following a middle cerebral artery infarction. Eighteen patients in the subacute group and nine patients in the chronic group with mild upper extremity motor impairment (Fugl-Meyer motor assessment score for the upper limb > 43) following middle cerebral artery infarction were retrospectively evaluated in this study. All the patients underwent T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging. Tract-based statistical analyses of fractional anisotropy were used to compare the changes in the bilateral structural connectivity with those of age-matched normal controls. The corticospinal tract pathway of the affected hemisphere, corpus callosum, and corona radiata of the unaffected hemisphere had decreased structural connectivity in the subacute group, while the motor association area and anterior corpus callosum in the bilateral frontal lobes had increased structural connectivity in the chronic group. The bilateral hemispheres were influenced even in patients with mild motor impairment following middle cerebral artery infarction, and the structural connectivity of the bilateral hemispheres changed according to the time following the stroke.

Factors Affecting Disability With Nonspecific Low Back Pain in Different Subgroups: A Hierarchical Linear Regression Analysis

Purpose: To systematically explore how disability is influenced with layers (demographic level, pain level and psychosocial factors) in nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) in different subgroups.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that compared two different subgroups in NSLBP at two hospitals. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to analyse factors affecting disability in different groups (overall group, acute group and subacute/chronic group).Results: In the overall group (n = 235), explanatory power increased with each additional variable in the order of demographic characteristics, pain intensity and psychosocial factors. Pain intensity (ß = 0.219), Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS) (ß = 0.175) and Pain Self-Efficiency Questionnaire (PSEQ) (ß = −0.370) were significantly associated with disability. In the acute group (n = 65), explanatory power improved with each additional variable for the disability in the order of demographic characteristics, pain intensity and psychosocial factors. Ultimately, pain intensity and PSEQ had significant explanatory power, with pain having the most influence. However, in the subacute/chronic group (n = 170), explanatory power increased with each additional variable in the order of demographic characteristics, pain intensity and psychosocial factors and all, including psychosocial factors, had a strong impact, with self-efficacy having the most substantial impact on disability.Conclusion: Depending on the duration of the disease, the factors affecting the disability differed, with pain having more influence than psychosocial factors in the acute phase and psychosocial factors having more influence in the chronic phase.

Characterizing Diaschisis-Related Thalamic Perfusion and Diffusion After Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction

Background and Purpose: Ipsilateral thalamic diaschisis (ITD) initially describes functional depression of the thalamus ipsilateral to a supratentorial lesion, but accumulating evidence has shown morphological changes also occur. Therefore, we aimed to characterize thalamic perfusion and diffusion related to ITD over time and their inter-relationships after middle cerebral artery infarction. Methods: Eighty-five patients with middle cerebral artery infarction who underwent diffusion kurtosis imaging and arterial spin labeling were retrospectively included. ITD was diagnosed as ipsilateral thalamic hypoperfusion present on ≥2 cerebral blood flow maps. The thalamic asymmetrical index was calculated as (ipsilateral value−contralateral value)/contralateral value×100%. Finally, the inter-relationships of thalamic perfusion and diffusion were analyzed. Results: ITD was present in 56/85 patients (65.9%, ITD+). In ITD+ patients, larger abnormal perfusion volume, higher perfusion-infarct mismatch and lower rates of focal hyperperfusion were observed than ITD− patients. Infarction affecting the corona radiata were more frequent among ITD+ patients. Mean kurtosis were slightly but significantly increased within the ipsilateral thalamus compared with the contralateral one in ITD+ patients of subacute and chronic groups, while fractional anisotropy was significantly increased in subacute group but decreased in chronic group for both ITD+ and ITD− patients. Mean diffusivity was significantly increased in ITD+ patients of chronic group. Furthermore, the AI CBF was negatively and significantly correlated with AI MK and AI FA in ITD+ patients in subacute group, and AI MD , even after adjustment for abnormal perfusion volume and days from symptoms onset, in chronic group. ITD+ patients had significantly higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and modified Rankin Scale scores at admission and discharge and also showed a trend to independent association with clinical outcome at discharge. Conclusions: The combination of arterial spin labeling and diffusion kurtosis imaging can reveal early, time-specific thalamic perfusion and diffusion changes after middle cerebral artery infarction. ITD-related hypoperfusion was significantly correlated with underlying microstructural alterations.

T1 mapping is useful for staging deep venous thrombosis in the lower extremities

Background The discrimination of acute and chronic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is of great importance. Quantitative imaging is an urgent requirement in reflecting intrinsic characteristics of thrombosis. Purpose To investigate the feasibility of T1 mapping in staging DVT in the lower extremities. Material and Methods A total of 57 patients with DVT in the lower extremities (26 men, 31 women; mean age = 53.3 years) underwent T1-weighted imaging and T1 mapping for obtaining T1 signal intensity (SI) and T1 time of thrombus. The relative SI (rSI) of DVT was obtained by calculating the ratio of thrombus SI to muscle SI. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare rSI and T1 time of DVT between acute group (patients with limb edema ≤ 2 weeks) and chronic group (patients with limb edema > 2 weeks). A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed for further evaluation. Results DVT rSI was significantly higher in the acute group versus the chronic group (2.8 ± 1.2 vs. 1.4 ± 0.6; P<0.05). DVT T1 time was significantly lower in the acute group versus the chronic group (819.4 ± 223.7 ms vs. 1264.8 ± 270.7 ms; P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.93 for T1 time and 0.75 for rSI. When using 1015 ms as the cut-off, the sensitivity and specificity of T1 time were 91% (32/35) and 86% (19/22), respectively. Conclusion T1 mapping is a potential technique in discriminating acute from chronic DVT in the lower extremities and warrants further investigation.

Behavioral and Physiologic Effects of Dirty Bedding Exposure in Female ICR Mice

Exposure of sentinel mice to dirty bedding is commonly used in health monitoring programs to screen colonies for clinical and subclinical disease. Despite the potential stressors present in dirty bedding, including but not limited to microorganisms, pheromones, and ammonia, it is unknown whether sentinel mice exposed to soiled bedding experience stress. In this study, select behavioral and physiologic changes associated with stress were assessed in female ICR mice exposed to dirty bedding. Behavioral parameters included evaluation in the home cage and selected behavioral tests; physiologic measurements included neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio and weight. Mice in the acute group were exposed for 24 h whereas mice in the chronic group were exposed for 4 wk. Mice in the chronic group exposed to dirty bedding weighed less at days 21 and 28 than did control mice. Chronic mice exposed to dirty bedding also exhibited decreased net weight gain over the entire study period as compared with control mice. No significant differences were detected in the other behavioral and physiologic parameters measured. These results indicate that dirty bedding exposure may affect sentinel mice, but further investigation is needed to determine the specific mechanism(s) behind the weight difference.

Trajectory of Depression among Victims of Elder Mistreatment

Individuals exposed to elder mistreatment are affected in dissimilar ways. Most existing studies are cross-sectional and fail to capture the change in mental health of older adults with exposure to elder mistreatment. This study aims to examine depression trajectories of elder mistreatment victims and identify protective factors. Data were drawn from the two-wave Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) with 725 participants who reported elder mistreatment at the baseline. Depression was measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Self-mastery was assessed by the Pearlin Mastery Scale. Conscientiousness was evaluated by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Multinomial logistic regression was used while controlling demographic factors and recurrence of elder mistreatment. We identified four depression trajectories among elder mistreatment victims: chronic (9.61%), delayed (6.27%), recovery resilience (21.17%), and resistance resilience (62.95%). The chronic group was showing severe depression in both waves. The delayed group experienced a delayed reaction with increasing depression over time. The depression level of the recovery resilience group bounced back from elder mistreatment. The resistance resilience group exhibited low depression over time. Elder mistreatment victims with increasing self-mastery were more likely to be in recovery resilience group than in chronic group (RRR=1.05, 95%CI=1.02-1.09). In addition, elder mistreatment victims with increasing conscientiousness were less likely to be in delayed group than in resistance resilience group (RRR=0.96, 95%CI=0.92-1.00). Healthcare providers and social service agents could focus on elder mistreatment victims with chronic and delayed depression trajectories. Interventions could promote mental health of elder mistreatment victims through improving self-mastery and conscientiousness.

A study of the different parameters in acute and chronic Budd–Chiari syndrome

Background Budd–Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare and potentially life-threatening vascular disease of the liver. There are a few studies on the differences between acute and chronic BCS in clinical and laboratory characteristics, as well as the outcomes, so we designed this research to study the different parameters in acute and chronic BCS. Diagnosis of BCS was made using Doppler ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and venography. Patients with BCS were then divided into chronic and acute groups based on both imaging characteristics and disease duration. Finally, the outcomes, clinical features, and laboratory parameters of acute and chronic BCS were compared. Results In total, 60 patients were included in this study, of whom 28.3% and 71.7% had acute and chronic BCS, respectively. According to clinical features, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (PR 1.289; 95% CI 1.115–1.489; P = 0.001) and jaundice (PR 1.308; 95% CI 1.148–1.490; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with chronic than acute BCS. According to laboratory parameters, the levels of international normalized ratio (INR) (PR 0.953; 95% CI 0.918–0.989; P = 0.012), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (PR 0.996; 95% CI 0.993–1.000; P = 0.039), and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score (PR 1.024; 95% CI 1.012–1.037; P < 0.001) in chronic group were significantly higher than in the acute BCS. The hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality rate between the two groups did not differ significantly. Conclusions This study showed that the spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, jaundice, increased levels of MELD score, INR, and BUN were significantly associated with the chronic group compared with the acute group. The hospital LOS and mortality rate between the two groups did not differ significantly. Further research is recommended to clarify this issue.

Modified Langenskiöld procedure for chronic, recurrent, and congenital patellar dislocation

Purpose Langenskiöld described a reconstructive soft-tissue procedure for irreducible lateral congenital patellar dislocations. Paley further detailed the technique in the surgical management of congenital femoral deficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with congenital, chronic and recurrent patellar dislocations treated with the modified Langenskiöld procedure. Methods This is a retrospective case series. Between 2011 and 2018, 18 knees in 13 patients (mean age 15.8 years (sd 4.4; 12 to 29.9), nine female) with diagnoses of recurrent (six patients, eight knees), chronic (four patients, six knees) and congenital (three patients, four knees) patellar dislocations were treated with the modified Langenskiöld procedure. Results There were no recurrent lateral dislocations in the congenital or recurrent groups. One of the patients in the congenital group had an overcorrection with some medial patellar maltracking but until this time has not required any further surgery. In the chronic group two of the six knees developed further dislocations; these were both on the same patient, who had no dislocations until one year after surgery. Mean Kujala score was 83.7 (sd 17; 47 to 100) for all groups. In spite of preoperative knee flexion contractures of up to 30° in three patients (six knees), all patients had full extension postoperatively. Eight patients reported being satisfied with their outcome, one was somewhat satisfied, two were very dissatisfied, and two did not respond. Conclusion The modified Langenskiöld reconstruction provides a powerful correction for challenging cases of congenital and recurrent patellar dislocations. Re-dislocation as well as overcorrection can occasionally occur. Level of Evidence Level IV

Influence of operative timing on the early post-operative radiological and clinical outcome after kyphoplasty

Purpose To clarify the relationship between operative timing and the early post-operative radiological and clinical outcome after kyphoplasty. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study including patients who underwent kyphoplasty of a single vertebra. Patients were divided into three groups (acute [< 2 weeks], subacute [2–6 weeks] or chronic [6–51 weeks]) based on the interval between fracture and surgery. The relative vertebral body height (VBH) and local kyphotic angle (LKA) of the fractured vertebra (measured on plain radiographs) as well as pain and use of analgesics were compared pre- and post-operatively (day 2) and between the groups. Results A total of 230 patients (100 with acute, 91 with subacute and 39 with chronic fractures) with fractures from T4 to L5 were included. In all groups, there was a significant post-operative improvement in the anterior (8.9–12.9%) and middle (10.7–13.4%) VBH (all groups: p < 0.001), LKA (acute: 3.8°, p < 0.001; subacute: 4.3°, p < 0.001; chronic: 1.7°, p = 0.046) and pain. The use of analgesics significantly decreased post-operatively in the acute and subacute groups, but did not significantly change in the chronic group. Patients from acute (p = 0.042) and subacute (p = 0.027) groups showed significantly better post-operative correction of the LKA than the chronic group. Conclusion Kyphoplasty is effective for vertebral height restoration as well as pain relief for both acute, subacute and chronic fractures. However, the achievable correction of the fracture-related local kyphosis decreases significantly after 6 weeks. Therefore, we recommend making a final decision about conservative vs. operative treatment within 6 weeks to ensure better height restoration in surgically treated patients.