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Objective: The treatment of symptomatic Tarlov cysts remains a controversial topic within neurosurgery. We describe our experience with patients who underwent surgical intervention for sacral Tarlov cysts at a single institution. General and disease-specific outcome measures were used to assess health-related quality of life., Methods: Patients who underwent surgical treatment for one or more sacral Tarlov cysts between 2018 and 2021 were included. The Tarlov Cyst Quality of Life (TCQoL), a validated disease-specific measure, was the primary outcome of the study. Secondary outcomes included general outcome measures: 36-Item Short Form Survey, the Oswestry Disability Index, and Visual Analog Scale. Patients were followed at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Repeated measures analyses were used to assess change from preoperative to 12 months postoperative., Results: Data were obtained from 144 patients who underwent surgery for sacral Tarlov cysts, average age 52.3 ± 11.3 years, 90.3% female. Patients reported significant mean improvement on the TCQoL over time (preoperative 3.2 ± 0.1; 3-month postoperative 2.1 ± 0.1; 6-month 1.9 ± 0.1; 12-month 1.9 ± 0.1; P < 0.001). Patient age and duration of symptoms were not associated with outcome. A total of 82.3% of patients reported improvement on TCQoL. There was not a significant difference in the proportion of patients reporting improvement on TCQoL by cyst size (small 90.9% vs. large 77.9%; P = 0.066)., Conclusions: Our longitudinal series demonstrated patient-reported improvement following surgery for symptomatic sacral Tarlov cysts using a validated disease-specific health-related quality of life scale through 12 months after surgery. Patient age and preoperative duration of symptoms were not correlated with outcome., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Tarlov cysts are known contributors to radiculopathy but are often misdiagnosed and mismanaged due to a paucity of information. This is particularly true of cervical spine Tarlov cysts because most attention has been focused on sacral cysts. In this study, we describe our longitudinal experience with patients who underwent surgery for cervical spine Tarlov cysts. We hypothesized that patients undergoing surgical treatment for cervical spine Tarlov cysts would report improvement following surgery., Methods: We conducted a prospective study of patients who underwent surgical treatment for cervical Tarlov cysts between 2010 and 2021. The Short-Form 36-item survey (SF-36) was administered at the preoperative and follow-up visits. Repeated measures analyses were used to assess changes from preoperatively to postoperatively., Results: A total of 37 patients with cervical spine cysts were included in the study. Follow-up data were available for 27 patients with a median follow-up of 1 year. Of the cohort, 97.3% were women, with an average age of 47.5 ± 10.3 years. Patients reported statistically significant improvement in 2 of the 4 SF-36 physical health domains (physical function, P< 0.001; and bodily pain, P < 0.001) and 2 of the 4 mental health domains (vitality/energy, P < 0.003; and social functioning, P = 0.007). Patients also reported less interference in work, education, and retirement activities at follow-up (P = 0.017)., Conclusions: Our longitudinal series consisted of patients with symptomatic cervical spine Tarlov cysts, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the largest series described. Significant improvements in the SF-36 domains were documented, indicating these patients can be successfully treated surgically., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In veterinary medicine, point-of-care testing techniques have become popular, since they provide immediate results and only small amounts of blood are needed. The handheld i-STAT1 blood analyzer is used by poultry researchers and veterinarians; however, no studies have evaluated the accuracy of this analyzer determined reference intervals in turkey blood. The objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the effect of storage time on turkey blood analytes, 2) compare the results obtained by the i-STAT1 analyzer to those obtained by the GEM Premier 3000, a conventional laboratory analyzer, and 3) establish reference intervals for blood gases and chemistry analytes in growing turkeys using the i-Stat. For the first and second objectives, we used the CG8+ i-STAT1 cartridges to test blood from 30 healthy turkeys in triplicate and once with the conventional analyzer. To establish the reference intervals, we tested a total 330 blood samples from healthy turkeys from 6 independent flocks during a 3-yr period. Blood samples were then divided into brooder (<1 wk) and growing (1-12 wk of age). Friedman's test demonstrated significant time-dependent changes in blood gas analytes, but not for electrolytes. Bland-Altman analysis revealed that there was agreement between the i-STAT1 and the GEM Premier 300 for most of the analytes. However, Passing-Bablok regression analysis identified constant and proportional biases in the measurement of multiple analytes. Tukey's test revealed significant differences in the whole blood analytes between the means of brooding and growing birds. The data presented in the present study provide a basis for measuring and interpreting blood analytes in the brooding and growing stages of the turkey lifecycle, offering a new approach to health monitoring in growing turkeys., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Combined fractures of the femoral head and acetabulum due to ballistic injuries are rare injuries, especially in the elderly. We present a case of a 70-year-old female who sustained a gunshot wound to the left hip, resulting in a comminuted femoral head fracture and posterior wall acetabular fracture. She was treated with open reduction and internal fixation of the acetabulum, as well as bipolar hemiarthroplasty for treatment of her femoral head fracture. At her 18-month follow-up visit, the patient was doing well and had no complaints., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between post-traumatic functional and psychological outcomes in patients with severe pelvic ring injuries., Methods: Forty-four patients who sustained a completely unstable pelvic ring injury (Tile C, AO/OTA 61C) treated in our institution from 2012 to 2017 were included. A telephone interview was performed in 16 of 44 patients to evaluate pelvic functionality, using the Majeed pelvic score, and psychological evaluation, using Hamilton anxiety and depression rating scales., Results: The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 27 ± 12, and mean GCS at presentation was 13 ± 4. Average time from trauma to interview was 3 years (range, 1-5 years). Mean Majeed pelvic score was 67 ± 22. Majeed sub-scores were pain 19 ± 9, work 10 ± 7, sitting 8 ± 2, sexual intercourse 3 ± 2, walking aids 11 ± 2, gait unaided 9 ± 2, walking distance 8 ± 3. Mean depression and anxiety scores were 16 ± 12 and 17 ± 14, respectively. Significant correlations were observed between functional and psychological outcomes (P < 0.005). Majeed score was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (r = -0.721, P = 0.002) and anxiety symptoms (r = -0.756, P = 0.001). Depression and anxiety scores were positively correlated (r = 0.945, P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Lower functional outcomes in patients with Tile C pelvic injuries were correlated with more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety. We recommend that providers consider and treat patients' mental health condition during posttraumatic recovery., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is important for its contributions to agricultural production, food security, and ecosystem services. Increasing SOC stocks can contribute to mitigate climate change by transferring atmospheric CO 2 into long-lived soil carbon pools. The launch of the 4 per 1000 initiative has resulted in an increased interest in developing methods to quantity the additional SOC that can be stored in soil under different management options. In this work, we have made a first attempt to estimate SOC storage potential of arable soils using a data-driven approach based on the French National Soil Monitoring Network. The data-driven approach was used to determine the maximum SOC stocks of arable soils for France. We first defined different carbon-landscape zones (CLZs) using clustering analysis. We then computed estimates of the highest possible values using percentile of 0.8, 0.85, 0.9 and 0.95 of the measured SOC stocks within these CLZs. The SOC storage potential was calculated as the difference between the maximum SOC stocks and current SOC stocks for topsoil and subsoil. The percentile used to determine highest possible SOC had a large influence on the estimates of French national SOC storage potential. When the percentile increased from 0.8 to 0.95, the national SOC storage potential increased by two to three-fold, from 336 to 1020 Mt for topsoil and from 165 to 433 Mt for subsoil, suggesting a high sensitivity of this approach to the selected percentile. Nevertheless, we argue that this approach can offer advantages from an operational point of view, as it enables to set targets of SOC storage taking into account both policy makers' and farmers' considerations about their feasibility. Robustness of the estimates should be further assessed using complementary approaches such as mechanistic modelling., (Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although soils have a high potential to offset CO 2 emissions through its conversion into soil organic carbon (SOC) with long turnover time, it is widely accepted that there is an upper limit of soil stable C storage, which is referred to SOC saturation. In this study we estimate SOC saturation in French topsoil (0-30cm) and subsoil (30-50cm), using the Hassink equation and calculate the additional SOC sequestration potential (SOC sp ) by the difference between SOC saturation and fine fraction C on an unbiased sampling set of sites covering whole mainland France. We then map with fine resolution the geographical distribution of SOC sp over the French territory using a regression Kriging approach with environmental covariates. Results show that the controlling factors of SOC sp differ from topsoil and subsoil. The main controlling factor of SOCsp in topsoils is land use. Nearly half of forest topsoils are over-saturated with a SOC sp close to 0 (mean and standard error at 0.19±0.12) whereas cropland, vineyard and orchard soils are largely unsaturated with degrees of C saturation deficit at 36.45±0.68% and 57.10±1.64%, respectively. The determinant of C sequestration potential in subsoils is related to parent material. There is a large additional SOC sp in subsoil for all land uses with degrees of C saturation deficit between 48.52±4.83% and 68.68±0.42%. Overall the SOCsp for French soils appears to be very large (1008Mt C for topsoil and 1360Mt C for subsoil) when compared to previous total SOC stocks estimates of about 3.5Gt in French topsoil. Our results also show that overall, 176Mt C exceed C saturation in French topsoil and might thus be very sensitive to land use change., (Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The use of electroencephalograms (EEG) to study the avian brain relative to behavior was conducted as early as the 1960's. EEG readings, combined with visual cues, provide the ability to elucidate and correlate behaviors to neurological and physiological changes in a chicken. The use of EEG recordings in animal models require access to the brain to implant electrodes. Having the ability to observe EEG activity on sensible birds without surgical implantation could broaden the research in this area and give further insight related to the hen's state of awareness. The development, construction, and implementation of a minimally invasive EEG electrode placement method is described. After implementation, test animals were exposed to extreme environmental stressors as part of a concurrent depopulation methods study and EEG placement withstood the condition changes and corresponding animal physical activity. Sixteen white commercial laying hens had three monopolar 32-gauge needle electrodes inserted subcutaneously and secured to their head and body. Electrodes were attached to a pre-amplifier which transferred EEG signals to a laptop based recording system. Once the electrodes were in place, the hens were placed in individual treatment/observation chamber then various environmental stressors were applied. Verification that the observed brainwave activity was neural and not muscular was done using a photic stimulation validation test. Behavior observations were recorded to correlate sensible and insensible brainwave activity. The validation test and behavior observations demonstrated the method was successful in measuring EEG in sensible laying hens. The use of a non-surgical method for recording EEG will broaden research capabilities and enhance the understanding of a hen's response its environment, eliminate the need for invasive surgical procedures, and minimizes the confounding components of anesthesia, brain surgery, and recovery. With further refinements, the method could open new avenues in avian behavioral and physiological research.

Irreversible inhibitors that modify cysteine or lysine residues within a protein kinase ATP binding site offer, through their distinctive mode of action, an alternative to ATP-competitive agents. 4-((6-(Cyclohexylmethoxy)-9H-purin-2-yl)amino)benzenesulfonamide (NU6102) is a potent and selective ATP-competitive inhibitor of CDK2 in which the sulfonamide moiety is positioned close to a pair of lysine residues. Guided by the CDK2/NU6102 structure, we designed 6-(cyclohexylmethoxy)-N-(4-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl)-9H-purin-2-amine (NU6300), which binds covalently to CDK2 as shown by a co-complex crystal structure. Acute incubation with NU6300 produced a durable inhibition of Rb phosphorylation in SKUT-1B cells, consistent with it acting as an irreversible CDK2 inhibitor. NU6300 is the first covalent CDK2 inhibitor to be described, and illustrates the potential of vinyl sulfones for the design of more potent and selective compounds., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The HLA class I and II genes encode molecules that lie at the heart of the acquired immune response against infectious diseases. Associations between these polymorphic loci and genetically complex infectious diseases have been historically elusive, in contrast to the more obvious HLA associations with autoimmune diseases. High resolution molecular typing of large, clinically well-defined cohorts has begun to uncover evidence for the influence of HLA diversity on diseases of viral etiology, such as those caused by HIV-1, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human papilloma virus. Combinations of HLA and KIR also appear to affect outcome to viral infection, supporting a role for HLA class I diversity in the innate immune response in addition to the acquired immune response.

Natural killer (NK) cells and NK cell activities in the rhesus macaque have been incompletely characterized. Using a recently developed rhesus NK target cell line with down-regulated MHC-I (B116Lo) as stimulators and FACS-sorted cells as effectors in a 4-h [51Cr]-release assay we showed that the CD3-CD8lo subpopulation is the primary effector population for NK cell-mediated cytolysis. The majority of these cells co-express CD16, CD11b, NKG2D, and NKp46. To evaluate functional activity at the individual cell level, we employed intracellular cytokine staining and a flow cytometric assay for degranulation, based on cell surface CD107a expression. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that a greater proportion of NK cells degranulated than produced cytokines in response to B116Lo stimulation; the frequency of CD107a-expressing cells within the total NK cell population ranging from 5 to 39%. Somewhat surprisingly, we did not find a significant correlation between lysis, measured by [51Cr]-release assay, and the size of the degranulating NK cell population, implying that additional mechanisms may regulate lytic activity. Use of these approaches should facilitate an improved understanding of NK activity in the rhesus macaque.