Kinematic patterns for hindlimb obstacle avoidance during sheep locomotion

ABSTRACT

Functional recovery following general nerve reconstruction is often associated with poor results. Comparing to rat and mice experimental studies, there are much fewer investigations on nerve regeneration and repair in the sheep, and there are no studies on this subject using gait analysis in the sheep model as an assessment tool. Additionally, this is the first study evaluating obstacle negotiation and the compensatory strategies that take place at each joint in response to the obstacle during locomotion in the sheep model. This study aims to get kinematic data to serve as a template for an objective assessment of the ankle joint motion in future studies of common peroneal nerve (CP) injury and repair in the ovine model. Our results show that a moderately high obstacle set to 10% of the sheep’s hindlimb length was associated to several spatial and temporal strategies in order to increase hoof height during obstacle negotiating. Sheep efficiently cleared an obstacle by increasing knee, ankle and metatarsophalangeal flexion during swing, whereas the hip joint is not affected. This study establishes the bounds of normal motion in the neurologically intact hindlimb when approached and cleared an obstacle and provides baseline data for further studies of peripheral nerve research in the ovine model.     

Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy changes between 2000 and 2015: an analysis of 183 World Health Organization member states

Aim

To analyze the changes and inequalities in life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE) of 183 World Health Organization (WHO) member states between 2000 and 2015, focusing on gender differences.

Subjects and methods

An exploratory study was carried out. The database containing information about male and female LE and HLE at birth and at the age of 60 years old, for the years 2000 and 2015, was gathered for each country from WHO’s global health observatory.

Results

Countries with low LE (respectively HLE) are obtaining greater gains in LE (respectively HLE), overcoming infant mortality, while countries with greater LE (respectively HLE) are improving the elderly’s survivorship. Gains in LE are expected to be followed by gains in HLE, but such gains are getting smaller over time. The female-male LE gap is strongly correlated with the female-male HLE gap. A regression towards the mean is observed regarding the gender gap.

Conclusions

Monitoring of LE and HLE indicators is important to assess the health situation in countries across time, detecting both successful and unsuccessful cases. In our analysis, we noticed that African countries are overcoming the bad results of the 1990s and that army conflicts are the main cause of losses in LE in the third millennium.

     

Customized Root-Analogue Implants: A Review on Outcomes from Clinical Trials and Case Reports

(1) It is estimated that 10% of the world’s population will need a dental implant in their lifetime. Despite all the advances in the comprehension of dental implant designs, materials and techniques, traditional implants still have many limitations. Customized root-analogue implants are, therefore, gaining increased interest in dental rehabilitation and are expected to not only preserve more hard and soft tissues but also avoid a second surgery and improve patient overall satisfaction. In this sense, the aim of this review was to collect and analyse the clinical trials and case reports on customized root-analogue implants available in the literature; (2) This review was carried out according to the PRISMA Statement. An electronic database search was performed using five databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline, Science Direct, and Scopus. The following keywords were used for gathering data: custom-made, dental implants, root-analogue, anatomical, customized and tooth-like; (3) 15 articles meeting the inclusion criteria—articles reporting clinical trials, case reports or animal studies and articles with root-analogue implants and articles with totally customized implant geometries—were selected for the qualitative synthesis. The design and manufacturing techniques, implant material and surface treatments were assessed and discussed; (4) The performance of some root-analogue implants with specific features (i.e., macro-retentions) was successful, with no signs of infection, periodontitis nor bleeding during the follow-up periods.     

Nosocomial Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a “Non-COVID-19” Hospital Ward: Virus Genome Sequencing as a Key Tool to Understand Cryptic Transmission

Dissemination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in healthcare institutions affects both patients and health-care workers (HCW), as well as the institutional capacity to provide essential health services. Here, we investigated an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a “non-COVID-19” hospital ward unveiled by massive testing, which challenged the reconstruction of transmission chains. The contacts network during the 15-day period before the screening was investigated, and positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA samples were subjected to virus genome sequencing. Of the 245 tested individuals, 48 (21 patients and 27 HCWs) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. HCWs were mostly asymptomatic, but the mortality among patients reached 57.1% (12/21). Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that all cases were part of the same transmission chain. By combining contact tracing and genomic data, including analysis of emerging minor variants, we unveiled a scenario of silent SARS-CoV-2 dissemination, mostly driven by the close contact within the HCWs group and between HCWs and patients. This investigation triggered enhanced prevention and control measures, leading to more timely detection and containment of novel outbreaks. This study shows the benefit of combining genomic and epidemiological data for disclosing complex nosocomial outbreaks, and provides valuable data to prevent transmission of COVID-19 in healthcare facilities.     

Expression of p53 in early (T1) gastric carcinoma and precancerous adjacent mucosa.

Abnormalities of the tumour suppressor gene p53 have been shown in approximately 60% of advanced gastric adenocarcinomas and it has been suggested that the immunohistochemical finding of increased p53 expression is a prognostic marker in gastric cancer. No studies of early (T1) tumours have been reported. Over expression of p53 protein in 95 early gastric carcinomas and in adjacent mucosa was investigated using immunohistochemistry with antibody CM1. Thirty five per cent of the tumours were positive. The frequency of p53 positivity in tumours of tubular histological type (46%) was significantly higher than that in signet ring tumours (10%) (p = 0.006), and neoplasms that invaded deeply into the submucosa were more frequently positive (45%) than others (30%). Five of eight (62%) T1 tumours with lymph node metastases showed immunoreactive p53. In signet ring tumours, immunopositivity correlated with the frequency of DNA aneuploidy. p53 Over expression was also found in 15% of 26 examples of high grade dysplasia in mucosa adjacent to invasive tumours. No positivity was found in intestinal metaplasia or in normal mucosa. The findings show that immunocytochemically demonstrable over expression of p53 correlates with other morphological markers of aggressiveness in T1 gastric adenocarcinoma. The increasing frequency of p53 immunoreactivity in the sequence of high grade dysplasia-->early gastric cancer-->advanced gastric cancer supports the view that abnormalities of p53 are related to tumour progression in gastric carcinogenesis.     

COVID-19: Dados Atualizados e sua Relação Com o Sistema Cardiovascular

In December 2019, a new human coronavirus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization, emerged in the city of Wuhan, China. Spreading globally, it is now considered pandemic, with approximately 3 million cases worldwide at the end of April. Its symptoms include fever, cough, and headache, but the main one is shortness of breath. In turn, it is believed that there is a relationship between COVID-19 and damage to the heart muscle, and hypertensive and diabetic patients, for example, seem to have worse prognosis. Therefore, COVID-19 may worsen in individuals with underlying adverse conditions, and a not negligible number of patients hospitalized with this virus had cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases. Systemic inflammatory response and immune system disorders during disease progression may be behind this association. In addition, the virus uses angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) receptors, more precisely ACE2, to penetrate the cell; therefore, the use of ACE inhibitor drugs and angiotensin receptor blockers could cause an increase in these receptors, thus facilitating the entry of the virus into the cell. There is, however, no scientific evidence to support the interruption of these drugs. Since they are fundamental for certain chronic diseases, the risk and benefit of their withdrawal in this scenario should be carefully weighed. Finally, cardiologists and health professionals should be aware of the risks of infection and protect themselves as much as possible, sleeping properly and avoiding long working hours.