The question of safety in horse-riding sports

Introduction: To reduce the number of equine-related injuries, knowledge about causes of accidents is of great importance. In the present study the causes of equine-related accidents were evaluated by a questionnaire survey. Based on our results options for prevention of equine-related accidents were formulated.Material and Methods: The working-group "safer riding, Hamburg" and the "German riding association (FN)" created a questionnaire to evaluate causes of equine-related accidents. This questionnaire was published in the print media "Cavallo" and "St.?Georg" as well as on the online portal www.hamburger-ag-reitersicherheit.de. The questionnaire was intended for all equestrians who had suffered a horse-riding accident in the past. Results: 371 female and 18 male equestrians returned a completed questionnaire. At the time of the accident the average age of the casualties was 32.5 years (range: 5 - 68 years). 86 % of the casualties wore a helmet while only 14 % used a body protector. 61 % of the equestrians were amateur riders and 66 % of the accidents occurred during leisure riding. 44 % of the horses were professional sport horses. 83 % of the equestrians had known the horse for over 6 months at time of injury.Discussion: The qualification of the horse as well as the familiarity between rider and horse do not seem to have an effect of reducing of the number of accidents in equestrian activities. On the other hand a good education of the rider can contribute to decrease the accident rate. While the employment of helmets in riding sports has increased in recent years the use of preventive measures such as body protectors and safety education programmes are being used too rarely.     

Glycosaminoglycans of human dentine

The glycosaminoglycans of root dentine from permanent human teeth were studied. The tissue was digested with papain and the glycosaminoglycans were precipitated with cetylpyridinium chloride and recovered by centrifugation. A small quantity of keratan sulphate was recovered from the supernatant after fractionation on cetylpyridinium chloride and Ecteola-cellulose. The cetylpyridinium chloride-precipitated glycosaminoglycans were studied by infra-red spectrophotometry, cetylpyridinium chloride cellulose chromatography and electrophoresis on cellulose acetate. Individual hexosamines were determined on an autoanalyzer. The results indicate that chondroitin-4-sulphate is the major glycosaminoglycan and that chondroitin-6-sulphate, hyaluronic acid, dermatan sulphate and a nonsulphated galactosaminoglycan are also present in minor quantities.     

The question of the question: impactful implementation science to address the HIV epidemic

IntroductionQuestions about the implementation of evidence‐based intervention to treat and prevent HIV have risen to the top of the field''s scientific priorities. Despite the availability of highly efficacious treatment and prevention interventions, impact has fallen short of targets because these interventions are used with insufficient reach, consistency, sustainability and equity in diverse real‐world settings. At present, substantial excitement for implementation science — defined as research methods and strategies to improve use of evidence‐based interventions — has focused on developing and disseminating methods to conduct rigorous research. Yet, impactful answers depend on a sometimes less visible, but even more important, step: asking good questions about implementation.DiscussionIn this commentary, we offer several considerations for researchers formulating implementation research questions based on several distinctive features of the field. First, as findings are used not only by other researchers but by implementers, scientific questions must incorporate a range of stakeholder and community perspectives to be most relevant. Second, real‐world settings are contextually diverse, and the most relevant scientific questions must position answers to make sense within these contexts (whether geographical, organizational and sociological), rather than apart from them. Third, implementation is complex and dynamic; consequently, research questions must make use of emerging standards in describing implementation strategies and their effects whenever possible. Finally, the field of implementation science continues to evolve, so framing problems with a diverse disciplinary lens will enable researchers to pose insightful and impactful questions.ConclusionsWe are now at a juncture marked by both rich evidence‐based interventions and a persistent global pandemic. To achieve continued scientific progress against the HIV epidemic, asking the right questions might be part of the answer itself.     

Low-temperature ashing of bovine dentine

The present studies were performed to obtain data on the low-temperature ashing (LTA of dentine. Observations of colour and acid solubility, measurement of weight loss, and chemical analyses of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen assessed the ashing efficiency. The LTA method was sufficient to deproteinize dentine powder below 300 mesh. The determinations of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus in dentine showed no significant differences between LTA, muffle furnace ashing (MFA), and wet ashing. The carbonate content was not significantly different after drying and LTA, but approximately 48% carbonate was lost using MFA. X-ray diffraction patterns of dentine powder showed no detectable changes before and after LTA treatment compared to the patterns after treatment by MFA and/or ethylenediamine extraction.     

Gallstone pancreatitis. The question of time

Two hundred consecutive patients with gallstone pancreatitis were treated during a 6-year period; 92 patients were operated on after the acute attack subsided but during the same admission (group 1), 102 patients were discharged after recovery and scheduled for elective surgery (group 2), and the conditions of 6 patients deteriorated and they underwent emergency operation (group 3). All patients in group 3 had hemorrhagic pancreatitis. Mortalities for groups 1, 2, and 3 were 0%, 0%, and 50%, respectively. Although the outcome of patients in groups 1 and 2 was similar, only 60 of 102 patients in group 2 had their treatment completed. Furthermore, 29 (44%) of 65 patients who were followed up in group 2 suffered recurrent pancreatitis or biliary tract disease before elective surgery. The timing of surgery in patients whose conditions improve is not critical; however, patients whose conditions deteriorate after admission have severe disease with high morbidity and mortality.