Effects of Repeated Sand Replenishment Projects on Runs of a Beach-Spawning Fish, the California Grunion

Beach habitats are diminishing globally, particularly in urban areas, as sea-level rise, erosion, and shoreline hardening, along with reduced sediment inputs, combine to squeeze the coast. In California, USA an endemic marine fish, the California grunion, spawns on sandy beaches during late-night spring tides. Its unique recreational fishery is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The City of Oceanside, CA contracts for annual harbor dredging and, after testing, places the sandy sediment on its public beach. The effects on local beach wildlife from this annual sand replenishment are not known. We examined the effect of this repeated activity as a case study over three years on the spawning runs of the California grunion. Some spawning runs occurred in all three years, but the fish avoided areas with high scarps in the intertidal zone that developed following sand placement activity. Grunion spawning runs have declined in the habitat range as a whole over the past two decades, and those in Oceanside have declined to an even greater extent. Increasing sandy beach habitat can be beneficial to wildlife, but the method of placement, timing of the project, and fate of the beach afterward can modulate or prevent beneficial effects. Frequent repetition of sand placement may accumulate impacts without allowing sufficient time for the ecosystem to recover. Rather than improving the habitat, these repeated projects in Oceanside may degrade the spawning habitat for the grunion. Alternative discharge methods and locations, slope and elevation designs, sediment volumes, and greater care in beach fill practices should be implemented to reduce future impacts.

Pain perception with cervical tenaculum placement during intrauterine device insertion: a randomised controlled trial

Introduction'Slow’ and ‘cough’ techniques for tenaculum placement are commonly used. This trial sought to determine if one method of placement resulted in less pain for patients.MethodsThis study was a randomised controlled trial of patients presenting for intrauterine device placement. Sixty-six participants were randomised to tenaculum placement via the 'slow' method (closure of tenaculum over a 5-s period) versus the 'cough' method (closure of tenaculum at the time of patient’s cough). The primary outcome was pain at time of tenaculum placement measured on a 100 mm visual analogue scale. The study was powered to detect a 16 mm difference in pain. Secondary outcomes included pain with insertion and provider satisfaction with tenaculum grasp. Pain scores were analysed with Wilcoxon rank-sum test.ResultsSixty-six women were enrolled, 33 randomised to each group. Demographics were similar in each group. The primary outcome of pain with tenaculum placement showed a median pain score of 44 (IQR=21, 63) with slow placement and 32 (IQR=19, 54) with cough placement. There was no significant difference in pain scores between methods of tenaculum placement (p=0.16). There was no significant difference in overall pain scores (p=0.12). Provider satisfaction was not associated with one method of placement (p=1). Pre-procedure anxiety was significantly associated with pain at the time of tenaculum placement (p=0.01).ConclusionsNeither the slow method nor cough method is superior for pain reduction or provider satisfaction. Pain with tenaculum use is significantly associated with anxiety.Clinical trial registrationNCT02969421.

Use of orthodontic mini-screws among orthodontists in Saudi Arabia

Background: Orthodontic anchorage is a technique used to avoid undesired tooth movement. The miniature screw (mini-screw) implant is an orthodontic innovation that was introduced to circumvent the limitations of conventional anchorage systems. Mini-screws, known as temporary anchorage devices (TADs), give clinicians good control over tooth movement in 3 dimensions and can assist orthodontists in anchorage-demanding cases.Methods: A questionnaire was distributed by online survey using SurveyMonkey and on paper during orthodontic meetings in Saudi Arabia. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software (version 23, IBM). A 2-way cross-tabulation and Fisher’s exact or Pearson chi-square tests were used to evaluate statistically significant differences. A P-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Results: Of 133 respondents, 72 (54.1%) of practitioners worked in the governmental sector and 61 (45.9%) worked in the private sector. A total of (87.3%) of practitioners in the governmental sector and (80%) of practitioners in the private sector reported using mini-screws in clinical practice. Practitioners who reported that they did not use mini-screws in clinical practice listed the following reasons: “I don’t have enough information” (33.3%), “It’s a surgeon’s job” (11.1%), “Not available in the hospital” (29.6%), and “Other” (25.9%). A total of 60.2% of practitioners loaded mini-screws immediately, 8.3% loaded them 1 week after implantation, 11.3% loaded them 2-3 weeks after implantation, and 3.8% loaded them >3 weeks after implantation. Regarding the method of placement, 63.2% of practitioners used radiography for placement guidance/confirmation, 9.8% used a self-made guide, and 8.3% did not use a guide.Conclusions: Lack of education and training are major reasons that practitioners do not use orthodontic mini-screws in Saudi Arabia. Increased efforts to organize seminars and workshops may motivate practitioners to incorporate mini-screw usage into routine practice.

Aloplasty of oncisional ventral hernias of using nanomodified polypropilene mesh

Aloplasty of incisional ventral hernia (IVH), method of placement and fixation nanomodified polypropylene mesh retro muscular, buth this is accompanied by a fairly high freguency of postoperative complications from the postoperative wound. In our view, the use of a nanomodified polypropylene mesh modified by carbon nanotubes and an antiseptic of polyhexamethlene guanidme chloride in combination with the method of placement and fixation retro muscular the results of operative treatment of IVH. Aim – to improve the results of operative treatment of incisional ventral hernias in combination with the method of placement and fixation retro muscular nanomodified polypropylene mesh. Materials and methods. The analysis of operative treatment of 148 patients with IVH of has been performed. Depending on the type of mesh used during surgical treatment, patients were divided into 2 groups. In 74 (50%) of Group I patients, method of placement and fixation nanomodified polypropylene mesh retro muscular. In the 2nd group, 74 (50%) patients method of placement and fixation retro muscular of a classic polypropylene mesh. Results and discussion. Statistically significant results were obtained in patients of Group I compared to Group II: seroma was in 24 (32.4±1.2%) in Group II compared to 5 (6.8±0.5%) in Group I (p<0.05), respectively, the suppuration of the postoperative wound – 7 (9.5±0.5%) to 1 (1.4±0.2%) (p<0.05). The terms of stay of patients of group II on inpatient treatment – 12,1±2,3 days group II – 7,1±1,1 days. Long-term results: ligature fistulas of the anterior abdominal wall were detected in 5 (7.7±0.5%) patients of group II, in patients of group I of the ligature fistulas were not detected (p<0.05), meshoma – in 3 (4.6±0.3%) of patients in group II, in group I there was no stir (p>0.05). Chronic pain in the abdominal wall in 6 – 8 months after surgery was observed in 5 (7.7±0.6)% patients in group II and in 1 (1.5±0.2%) group I (p>0.05), recurrences of hernia were found in 6 (9.2±0.6%) patients of group II, in group I – in 1 (1.5±0.2)% (p<0.05). Conclusion. Operative treatment of IVH method of placement and fixation nanomodified polypropylene mesh retro muscular is more effective compared with the use of the classical polypropylene mesh, namely, reducing the freguency of seroma from 32.4±1.2% in the II group of patients to 6.8±0.5% in group I, respectively, suppurations of postoperative wounds – from 9.5±0.5% to 1.4±0.2%, inflammatory infiltrates – from 12.2±0.6% to 1.4±0.2%, ligaturial fistulas of the anterior abdominal wall – from 7.7±0.5% to 0%, meshoma – from 4.6±0.3% to 0%, chronic postoperative pain – from 7.7±0.6% to 1.5±0.2%, recurrence of hernia–from 9.2±0.6% to 1.5±0.2%.

Use of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) as concrete additive

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) are new, very promising multipurpose chemical admixtures for concrete. They make available a number of new possibilities with respect to the control of free water in the mixture. In turn they contribute to the control of the rheological properties of fresh concrete and to the mitigation of autogenous and plastic shrinkage through internal curing. Furthermore, pore systems built up as a result of SAP addition seem to remain stable regardless of the consistency of the concrete, the addition of superplasticizers, or the method of placement and compacting. Thus, SAP can be used as an alternative to air-entrainment agents. This article presents these and other potential practical applications of SAP in concrete construction.