(Sea?) Fortress Commander Huynefer, and His Shabti

A hitherto anonymous Nineteenth Dynasty shabti is published fully for the first time. Its text, though damaged, identifies its owner as Huynefer, a Royal Scribe and a xtm-Fortress Commander. This unusual combination of administrative and military titles was particularly associated with two important northern frontier fortresses, the fortress of Tjaru and the Fortress of the Great Green, guarding respectively the Ways of Horus and the Mediterranean Sea. The same name and titles are known from a tomb at Saqqara, although the owner’s immediate family members, Mahu and Nebnefer, are better known from an adjacent tomb. The administrative and military implications of the titles held by these men are discussed in relation to the sea fortress, which is shown to be Huynefer’s post, set against events that took place in Egypt’s northern territories during their lifetimes. The possible impact of Huynefer’s career on the atypical design of this shabti is explored.

Synergistic Properties of Arabinogalactan (AG) and Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Sodium Salt Mixtures

The properties of mixtures of two polysaccharides, arabinogalactan (AG) and hyaluronic acid (HA), were investigated in solution by the measurement of diffusion coefficients D of water protons by DOSY (Diffusion Ordered SpectroscopY), by the determination of viscosity and by the investigation of the affinity of a small molecule molecular probe versus AG/HA mixtures in the presence of bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) by 1HNMR spectroscopy. Enhanced mucoadhesive properties, decreased mobility of water and decreased viscosity were observed at the increase of AG/HA ratio and of total concentration of AG. This unusual combination of properties can lead to more effective and long-lasting hydration of certain tissues (inflamed skin, dry eye corneal surface, etc.) and can be useful in the preparation of new formulations of cosmetics and of drug release systems, with the advantage of reducing the viscosity of the solutions.

Ectoedemia argyropeza (Zeller, 1839) sur Peuplier Tremble : traits de comportement inférés à partir de la distribution des traces d’activités subsistant sur les feuilles-hôtes (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae)

Ectoedemia argyropeza on Aspen leaves: deciphering retrospectively some behavioural traits from the distribution of traces of the insect activities subsisting on host-leaves (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae). Despite their usually small size, endotrophic insects —especially those whose larvae are mining into their host-leaves— exhibit patterns of behaviour that are often more elaborate than what is usually seen in many ectotrophic herbivorous insects. However, since it is generally difficult to capture properly these behaviours in the field, precisely due to the small size of these insects, it turns out to be more convenient attempting to uncover retrospectively some of these behaviours on the basis of their resulting traces which subsist on the host-leaves. In order to be able to infer reliable information from this retrospective approach, the examination of a substantial number of host leaves and the support of appropriate statistical tests are required. The present study concerns a species of microlepidoptera, Ectoedemia argyropeza, whose caterpillars are exclusively mining the leaves of Aspen (Populus tremula) and which is still further distinguished, in a remarkable manner, by the induction of a preliminary galling (“cecidian”) development stage. This unusual combination of life traits contributes to enrich the insect’s behavioural repertoire and therefore offers a more promising field of investigation. For this species, I more particularly focus on the way the artefacts resulting from the insect activities are distributed spatially, on (or in) the host leaf, namely: (i) the spatial distribution of eggs deposited on the host-leaf petiole, (ii) the hierarchy of preferential positioning of the caterpillar corridor in the section of the petiole, hypertrophied by the cecidogenic reaction, (iii) the hierarchy of preferential locations of mines in the host-leaf blade. Were also tested, on the one hand, the existence (or not) of paired relationships between each of the three categories of distributions mentioned above and, on the other hand, the degree of conformation of each of these different distributions to the bilateral symmetry of the leaf support. The behavioural aspects that can be tentatively inferred from the above information are subsequently discussed.

Posterior hip dislocation associated with concomitant ipsilateral femoral head and shaft fractures: an unusual combination of injuries

The combination of posterior hip dislocation with an ipsilateral femoral head and shaft fractures is unusual. While cases of concomitant fractures of femoral head and shaft have been previously reported, the treatment of such injuries is challenging. Presence of an associated hip dislocation further complicates the matter. A timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial to have a good outcome.We are presenting the case of a 20-year-old man who sustained a traumatic posterior hip dislocation with ipsilateral femoral shaft and femur head fractures. After reducing the hip, we fixed the femoral shaft with a retrograde femur nail and the femoral head by the trochanteric flip approach in the same sitting. The patient returned to his pre-injury occupation after 4 months. He has been doing well until his last follow-up, 1 year after the surgery, thus emphasising the utility of following basic principles of trauma management in the management of unusual injuries.

Can a-C:H-Sputtered Coatings Be Extended to Orthodontics?

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) coatings are attractive materials for protecting metallic surfaces in extreme biological environments like the human oral cavity, due to the unusual combination of mechanical properties, superior bioinertness, and relative easier and cheaper production. In this work, two a-C:H coatings were deposited on AISI 316L substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering with two CH4 flows to assess if this outstanding system could extend its application range to orthodontics. A 30-day immersion test in Fusayama-Meyer artificial saliva was conducted to mimic an extreme acidic intraoral pH. Extracts were quantified and used to perform in vitro assays with mono- and co-cultures of macrophages and fibroblast to assess cell viability, while mechanical and structural behaviors were studied by nanoindentation and visible Raman. The empirically estimated H contents of ~28 and 40 at.% matched the hard and soft a-C:H coating regimes of 18 and 7 GPa, respectively. After immersion, no important structural/mechanical modifications occurred, regardless of the H content, without corrosion signs, delamination, or coating detachment. However, the adhesion-promoting Cr-based interlayer seems to reduce corrosion resistance via galvanic coupling. The highest biocompatibility was found for a-C:H coatings with the lowest H content. This study indicates that sputtered a-C:H are promising surface materials in orthodontics.

France

This chapter offers an in-depth look at health politics and the national health insurance system in France. It traces the development of the French healthcare system through its series of political regimes, characterized by its unusual combination of statism and corporatism. Since the 1990s, a technocratic consensus emerged that has led to new public management reforms, tighter parliamentary control of social security budgets, and efforts to improve coverage by subsidizing supplementary voluntary health insurance coverage for low-income persons and increasing tax-financing. Other healthcare issues have been regional health inequalities, reimbursement of medical professionals, and individuals’ responsibility for their health.

Trombose, Hemorragia e Trombocitopenia Induzidas pelas Vacinas contra a COVID-19: Protocolo de Atuação

After widespread vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines, there have been worldwide reports on thrombosis, bleeding, and thrombocytopenia. Recently, a rare syndrome with a high mortality rate consisting of an unusual combination of thrombocytopenia and thrombosis, in particular cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, which clinically resembles heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, was reported following vaccination. Different statements and recommendations were developed regarding the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of these rare complications. We present here a protocol with recommendations, based on current evidence.