Foramen Thyroideum: A Comparative Study in Embryos,Fetuses, and Adults

The incidence and characteristics of foramen thyroideum (FT) in embryonic and/or fetal larynges have not been established. In the present study, 90 adult larynges and 53 embryonic-fetal larynges were studied. The incidence of FT during the embryonic-fetal period (57%) was statistically different from the adult period (31%) (P = 0.005). All the FT found in the adult period contained vessels and/or nerves, while in the embryonic and fetal period only 63% presented neurovascular elements (P < 0.001). The origin of FT in the embryonic period and its persistence during adult life is discussed.     

Systematic Evidence Map for Over One Hundred and Fifty Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of synthetic (man-made) chemicals widely used in consumer products and industrial processes. Thousands of distinct PFAS exist in commerce. The 2019 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan outlines a multiprogram national research plan to address the challenge of PFAS. One component of this strategy involves the use of systematic evidence map (SEM) approaches to characterize the evidence base for hundreds of PFAS.Objective: SEM methods were used to summarize available epidemiological and animal bioassay evidence for a set of ∼150 PFAS that were prioritized in 2019 by the U.S. EPA’s Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE) for in vitro toxicity and toxicokinetic assay testing.Methods: Systematic review methods were used to identify and screen literature using manual review and machine-learning software. The Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PECO) criteria were kept broad to identify mammalian animal bioassay and epidemiological studies that could inform human hazard identification. A variety of supplemental content was also tracked, including information on in vitro model systems; exposure measurement–only studies in humans; and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Animal bioassay and epidemiology studies meeting PECO criteria were summarized with respect to study design, and health system(s) were assessed. Because animal bioassay studies with ≥21-d exposure duration (or reproductive/developmental study design) were most useful to CCTE analyses, these studies underwent study evaluation and detailed data extraction. All data extraction is publicly available online as interactive visuals with downloadable metadata.Results: More than 40,000 studies were identified from scientific databases. Screening processes identified 44 animal and 148 epidemiology studies from the peer-reviewed literature and 95 animal and 50 epidemiology studies from gray literature that met PECO criteria. Epidemiological evidence (available for 15 PFAS) mostly assessed the reproductive, endocrine, developmental, metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Animal evidence (available for 40 PFAS) commonly assessed effects in the reproductive, developmental, urinary, immunological, and hepatic systems. Overall, 45 PFAS had evidence across animal and epidemiology data streams.Discussion: Many of the ∼150 PFAS were data poor. Epidemiological and animal evidence were lacking for most of the PFAS included in our search. By disseminating this information, we hope to facilitate additional assessment work by providing the initial scoping literature survey and identifying key research needs. Future research on data-poor PFAS will help support a more complete understanding of the potential health effects from PFAS exposures. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10343     

Integration of Hot Isostatic Pressing and Heat Treatment for Advanced Modified γ-TiAl TNM Alloys

The conventional processing route of TNM (Ti-Nb-Mo) alloys combines casting and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) followed by forging and multiple heat treatments to establish optimum properties. This is a time-consuming and costly process. In this study we present an advanced alternative TNM alloy processing route combining HIP and heat treatments into a single process, which we refer to as IHT (integrated HIP heat treatment), applied to a modified TNM alloy with 1.5B. A Quintus HIP lab unit with a quenching module was used, achieving fast and controlled cooling, which differs from the slow cooling rates of conventional HIP units. A Ti-42.5Al-3.5Nb-1Mo-1.5B (at.%) was subjected to an integrated two HIP steps at 200 MPa, one at 1250 °C for 3 h and another at 1260 °C for 1 h, both under a protective Ar atmosphere and followed by cooling at 30 K/min down to room temperature. The results were compared against the Ti-43.5Al-3.5Nb-1Mo-0.8B (at.%) thermomechanically processed in a conventional way. Applying IHT processing to the 1.5B alloy does indeed achieve good creep strength, and the secondary creep rate of the IHT processed materials is similar to that of conventionally forged TNM alloys. Thus, the proposed advanced IHT processing route could manufacture more cost-effective TiAl components.     

Role of Surface Topography in the Superhydrophobic Effect—Experimental and Numerical Studies

Within these studies, the effect of surface topography for hydrophobic coatings was studied both numerically and experimentally. Chemically modified polyurethane coating was patterned by application of a laser beam. A set of patterns with variously distant linear peaks and grooves was obtained. The cross section of the pattern showed that the edges of the peaks and grooves were not sharp, instead forming a rounded, rectangle-like shape. For such surfaces, experimental studies were performed, and in particular the static contact angle (SCA), contact angle hysteresis (CAH), and roll-off angle (ROA) were measured. Profilometry was used to create a numerical representation of the surface. Finite volume method was then applied to simulate the behavior of the water droplets. The model developed herewith enabled us to reproduce the experimental results with good accuracy. Based on the verified model, the calculation was extended to study the behavior of the water droplet on the simulated patterns, both spiked and rectangular. These two cases, despite a similar SCA of the water droplet, have shown extremely different ROA. Thus, more detailed studies were dedicated to other geometrical features of such topography, such as the size and distance of the surface elements. Based on the results obtained herewith, the future design of superhydrophobic and/or icephobic topography is discussed.     

Posttraumatic ectopic nail: case report

Ectopic nail, also known as onychoheterotopia or onychoheterotropia, is an extremely rare disorder. It is characterized by the growth of nail-like tissue in a different location other than the nail bed. Congenital and acquired deformities have been reported. We describe a case of posttraumatic ectopic nail and review the literature on this unusual condition.     

Characterisation of Bacteriophage vB_SmaM_Ps15 Infective to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Clinical Ocular Isolates

Recent acknowledgment that multidrug resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains can cause severe infections has led to increasing global interest in addressing its pathogenicity. While being primarily associated with hospital-acquired respiratory tract infections, this bacterial species is also relevant to ophthalmology, particularly to contact lens-related diseases. In the current study, the capacity of Stenotrophomonas phage vB_SmaM_Ps15 to infect ocular S. maltophilia strains was investigated to explore its future potential as a phage therapeutic. The phage proved to be lytic to a range of clinical isolates collected in Australia from eye swabs, contact lenses and contact lens cases that had previously shown to be resistant to several antibiotics and multipurpose contact lenses disinfectant solutions. Morphological analysis by transmission electron microscopy placed the phage into the Myoviridae family. Its genome size was 161,350 bp with a G + C content of 54.2%, containing 276 putative protein-encoding genes and 24 tRNAs. A detailed comparative genomic analysis positioned vB_SmaM_Ps15 as a new species of the Menderavirus genus, which currently contains six very similar globally distributed members. It was confirmed as a virulent phage, free of known lysogenic and pathogenicity determinants, which supports its potential use for the treatment of S. maltophilia eye infections.     

Physical fitness factors to predict male Olympic wrestling performance

To determine differences in maximal strength and muscle power output of the arm and leg extensor muscles, peak and mean power during a modified standing crank-arm Wingate test, running speed, muscle extensibility, and anthropometric markers between elite and amateurs wrestlers according to the weight classes system; 92 male wrestlers were assigned into 6 groups according to their body mass (light, middle and heavy weight) and their competitive level (elite and amateur): Light Weight (body mass ranged between 55 and 68 kg) in elite (LW_E, n = 18) and amateur (LW_A, n = 15) level; Middle Weight (body mass ranged between 68 and 84 kg) in elite (MW_E, n = 18) and amateur (MW_A, n = 19) level; and Heavy Weight (body mass ranged between 84 and 100 kg) in elite (HW_E, n = 10) and amateur (HW_A, n = 12) level. Elite wrestlers were older (8–12%), had more training experience (25–37%), fat-free mass (3–5%), maximal strength in absolute and relative terms (8–25%), muscle power (14–30%), mean and peak power during crank-arm Wingate testing in absolute and relative terms (13–22%), jumping height (8–17%) as well as grip (6–19%) and back strength (7–20%) compared to amateur wrestlers. However, no differences were observed between elite and amateur groups in height, body mass index, percentage of body fat, hamstring extensibility and running speed. The present results suggest that the higher absolute and relative values of maximal strength, muscle power, and anaerobic metabolism, explained in part by the differences in lean mass and neural activation patterns, will give elite wrestlers a clear advantage during the most frequently used techniques in Olympic wrestling.     

The role of intrahepatic lymphocytes in mediating protective immunity induced by attenuated Plasmodium berghei sporozoites

Summary: Exposure to irradiated Plasmodium sporozoites (g‐spz) results in protection against malaria. Like infectious spz, g‐spz colonize hepatocytes to undergo maturation. Disruption of liver stage development prevents the generation of protection, which appears, therefore, to depend on liver stage antigens. Although some mechanisms of protection have been identified, they do not include a role for intrahepatic mononuclear cells (IHMC). We demonstrated that P. berghei g‐spz‐immune murine IHMC adoptively transfer protection to naive recipients. Characterization of intrahepatic CD4+ T cells revealed an immediate, albeit transient, response to g‐spz, while the response of CD8+ T cells is delayed until acquisition of protection. It is presumed that activated CD8+ T cells home to the liver to die; g‐spz‐induced CD8+CD45RBloCD44hi T cells, however, persist in the liver, but not the spleen, during protracted protection. The association between CD8+CD45RBloCD44hi T cells and protection has been verified using MHC class I and CD1 knockout mice and mice with disrupted liver stage parasites. Based on kinetic studies, we propose that interferon‐g, presumably released by intrahepatic effector CD8+ T cells, mediates protection; the persistence of CD8+ T cells is, in turn, linked to Plasmodium antigen depots and cytokines released by CD4+ T cells and/or NK T cells.     

Longitudinal study of a mouse model of chronic pulmonary inflammation using breath hold gated micro-CT

Objectives  

To evaluate the feasibility of using automatic quantitative analysis of breath hold gated micro-CT images to detect and monitor disease in a mouse model of chronic pulmonary inflammation, and to compare image-based measurements with pulmonary function tests and histomorphometry.