Search

Background: Malnutrition prior to surgery can lead to inflammation, increased length of hospital stay, bed sores, muscle weakness, poor quality of life and mortality post-surgery in patients. Therefore, preoperative drinks that have been enriched with vitamins, easily digestible carbohydrates and amino acids have been necessitated by ESPEN. Health benefits of brown rice, which is a good source of phytonutrients like GABA, Ferulic acid Oryzanol and B- complex, BCAA and maltodextrin, have been well researched.Methods: In the present study, a nutritious product was developed using germinated brown rice, salt and micronutrient mix (GBR Mix), analysed quantitatively (Proximate composition) and qualitatively (Phytochemicals). Major orthopaedic and gastrointestinal surgical patients in the age group of 40-65 years (n=124) were supplemented with GBR Mix in bouts of 3 meals (20gms x 3meals) namely lunch, mid-evening and bedtime time snack, 8 hrs prior to surgery unlike other patients who fasted for 12-16 hours prior to surgery. They were assessed for nutritional status, Serum Albumin, inflammatory markers (CRP and WBC), post-surgery complications and length of hospital stay.Results: Supplementation was found to improve blood sugar (p

Inula cappa (family Compositae) is used in the Ayurvedic medicinal system for the treatment of bronchitis, diabetes, fever, hypertension, and rheumatism. The proposed high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) study offers coherent evaluation of isoalantolactone, germacranolide, β-sitosterol, and lupeol from I. cappa root. Methanolic solutions of isoalantolactone, germacranolide, β-sitosterol, and lupeol were applied on an HPTLC plate and they were scanned at 525 nm. The mobile phase toluene—methanol (9.4:0.6, v/v) was used for all the phytochemicals. After development, all the plates were air-dried at room temperature, derivatized with anisaldehyde–sulfuric acid reagent and heated at 105°C. This study aids the identification of these compounds and provides an easy and simple method for the simultaneous estimation of these markers in the I. cappa roots. The method would serve as an expedient tool in routine analyses to corroborate the drug through good constancy.

Achillea millefolium is a flowering plant in the family, Asteraceae and is known to be used in traditional medicine as astringent, stimulant, tonic, antiphlogistic and for the treatment of cold and influenza. In an earlier study in the authors’ laboratory, four different extracts of a variety of yarrow called Achillea ‘Moonshine’ were tested for anti-acne effect. The petroleum ether extract of Achillea ‘Moonshine’ was demonstrated earlier in the authors’ laboratory to have phytochemicals that could scavenge free radicals, inhibit growth of Propionibacterium acnes and reduce tyrosinase activity which are needed for acne treatment. Using column chromatography, the petroleum ether extract was fractionated and each fraction was tested against P. acnes using TLC bioautography. The active compound from TLC bioautography was isolated by HPLC and identified using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mass Spectrometry studies. This led to characterization of a novel piperidide, N-(21-hydroxy-21-(piperidin-1-yl) henicosa-17, 19-diyl-1-yl) acetamide, from the petroleum ether extract of Achillea ‘Moonshine’ that contributed to the anti-acne activity. This study led to identification of a novel natural anti-acne compound that is anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial against acne causing organism. Key words: Achillea ‘Moonshine’, petroleum ether extract, anti-acne activity, piperidides

Prameha is one of the major diseases and has been described in all Available classics of Ayurveda. The disease where excessive sweet urination takes place is called as Madhumeha.Sanskrit term “Madhumeha” is composed of Madhu+ meha. The word“Madhu” means sweet and “Meha” means excessive urination (atipravritti/ bahula Avila Mutrata). The Pramehavyadhi has 20 types i.e. (VinshatiPrameha) according to ayurveda classic. All those types are made on the basis of urine examination with respect to its pattern of urination, color, odor, consistency, appearance etc. these types can diagnose only by clinical assessment of urine of patient. In this research the diagnosis of Vinshati Prameha were suitable not only clinically but also urine and blood examination will obviously be helpful in diagnose of Prameha Condition with standardized format. The study of all 20 types will be fruitful but as per time limit and for suitability only Shadvidh Prameha i.e. 6 types of Pittaja Prameha were taken for research work. Such work is not carried out elsewhere in Ayurvedic Sphere.

Manufacturers consume about 27% of the total electricity in the U.S. and are among the main contributors in the rising electricity demand. End-user electricity demand response is an effective demand side management tool that can help energy suppliers reduce electricity generation expenditures while providing opportunities for manufacturers to decrease operating costs. Several studies on demand response for manufacturers have been conducted. However, there lacks a unified production model that balances production capability degradation, maintenance requirements, and time-of-use (TOU) electricity prices simultaneously such that the interaction between production, maintenance, and electricity costs is considered. In this paper, a cost-effective production and maintenance scheduling model considering TOU electricity demand response is presented. Additionally, an aggregate cost model is formulated, which considers production, maintenance, and demand response parameters in the same function. The proposed models provide manufacturers with tools for implementing feasible and cost-effective demand response while meeting production targets and efficiently allocating maintenance resources. A case study is performed and illustrates that 19% in cost savings can be achieved when using the proposed model compared to solely minimizing the electricity billing cost. In addition, 14% in cost savings can be achieved when using the proposed model compared to a strategy where only the maintenance cost is minimized. Finally, the benefits of demand response driven production and maintenance scheduling under different cost and parameter settings are investigated; where the rated power, production rate, and initial machine production capability show to have the largest impact on the cost effectiveness of implementing demand response.

Achillea millefolium (yarrow) is a traditionally used plant to treat wounds. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-acne activity of Achillea ‘Moonshine’, a hybrid variety of Achillea. The plant was extracted in four solvents- petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, ethanol and water. These extracts were screened for anti-microbial, free radical scavenging, anti-tyrosinase, anti-inflammatory activity and cytotoxicity assays necessary to characterize its anti-acne activity. The most promising activity was determined in the petroleum ether extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value for the petroleum ether extract was 0.83 mg/ml against Propionibacterium acnes and 0.37 mg/ml against Staphylococcus. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) value for petroleum ether was 0.83 and 0.75 mg/ml for P. acnes and S. epidermidis respectively. Though the ethyl acetate had a high flavonoid and phenolic content it was observed that the IC50 values for the petroleum ether extract for free radical scavenging activity was 64.81 µg/ml which was higher than ethyl acetate. Petroleum ether also showed tyrosinase inhibition at 0.033 mg/ml. The extract was also able to decrease the inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-8, and showed no cytotoxicity against dermal fibroblasts. These results suggest presence of active anti-acne phytochemicals in the petroleum ether extract making it a novel plant candidate for the treatment of acne. Key words: Anti-acne, Achillea ‘Moonshine’, petroleum ether extract.

Background We sought to evaluate the ability of the Identification of Seniors At Risk (ISAR) tool to differentiate between older adult patients having a poor outcome within 30 days of emergency department (ED) care and those who do not. We compare prognostic accuracy of subjective versus objective risk factors. Methods 202 community-dwelling patients age 65 years and older presenting to two EDs were prospectively enrolled. Participants completed the six-question ISAR and objective testing (cognition, ambulation, vision). We reviewed electronic medical records for current medications, hospitalisations in the past six months, ED disposition, length of hospital stay, subsequent ED visits or inpatient admissions or death at 30 days. Participants were given a point for each risk factor present; subjective and objective risk factors were scored separately. We tested ability of individual risk factors and scores to predict a composite outcome of subsequent ED visit, postdischarge hospitalisation or death by day 30 after the index ED visit. We computed receiver operating curve area under the curves (AUC) to determine tool discrimination. Results 23% of participants had a poor 30-day outcome. The optimum subjective ISAR cut-off score for screening was ≥2, which was present in 84% of participants, had a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 19%. Using the subjective ISAR tool, the AUC was 0.66. The optimum objective ISAR-related risk cut-off score for screening was ≥3, which was present in 82% of participants, had a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 40%. Using the objective ISAR-related tool, the AUC was 0.69. Conclusions The self-reported ISAR tool did not discriminate well between older adults with or without 30-day hospital revisit or death. An optimum score of ≥2 would identify many older adults at no apparent increased risk of poor outcomes at 30 days. Using objective ISAR-related risk factors did not improve overall discrimination.

When children and adolescents present to the emergency department with agitation or mental status changes, intoxication from synthetic drug use should be in the differential diagnosis. Identifying the responsible compound(s) may be difficult, so asking the patient broad questions and utilizing appropriate diagnostic studies, when indicated, will aid in making the diagnosis and help identify more-serious complications. This issue discusses the challenges presented by the changing chemical formulations of synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones, and phenethylamines; outlines common presentations of intoxication from these substances; and summarizes best practices for evaluating and managing patients who present with intoxication after consumption of these synthetic drugs of abuse.

In the view of the expeditious growth of infrastructure around the globe, there is an acute shortage of building materials and also a very stern problem of the disposal of the remaining and continuously generating waste. The demand of natural sand in the construction industry also has magnificently increased resulting in the rapid depletion of the river beds which are the natural sources of sand. Acute shortage of good quality of sand has resulted in to considerable increase in its price ultimately affecting the construction cost. Thus there is a severe need to identify a suitable substitute of sand which is eco-friendly and can be used effectively in construction practices mainly in concrete which requires sand as fine aggregates. An attempt is required to investigate use of some alternative materials to save precious natural resources. The current study focuses on determining suitability of using quarry dust, which is a waste product from quarry, as fine aggregates in traditional concrete. During the tenure of the study, some physical and engineering properties of quarry dust and sand were determined and compared. The compressive strength of concrete was determined after replacing sand with quarry dust in various ratios. The results of the study showed encouraging results for replacement of 50% of sand with quarry dust.

With the rapid growth in building construction and urbanisation, buildings are getting taller and bigger than ever. In India majority of structures are constructed with the help of concrete resulting into very heavy structures. Heavy loads are one of the limitations for construction of tall buildings. If somehow structures are made lighter, cost of the foundation can also be lowered down. Conventional concrete is one of the main reason in increasing the weight of the buildings. Light weight concrete can be very much effective in reducing the overall weight of the building. In conventional concrete, larger volume comprises of coarse aggregates. In this study, attempt has been made to replace conventional coarse aggregates with Styrofoam which is a very light weight foam. Concrete with different aggregate replacement percentage was tested. The results show very encouraging results for the compressive strength and density.

Inflammatory events occur very early in the development of acne lesions. Inflammation also plays a role in the late stages of acne vulgaris infection. Hence drugs used in the treatment of acne should also have anti-inflammatory properties as inflammation exists throughout the life cycle of acne lesions. This chapter gives an account of the current knowledge on the phytochemistry and pharmacological aspects of anti-acne compounds in yarrow ( Achillea millefolium ), which were also tested to be anti-inflammatory. Different parts of this plant have been in used in traditional medicine as astringent, stimulant and mild aromatic, for treating cold and influenza and as antiphlogistic. Alkaloids such as azulene extracted from flowers and leaves of yarrow have been reported to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. A research study in our laboratory has established a novel alkamide isolated from the leaves and stems of Achillea “ Moonshine ” that are anti-microbial to acne causing bacteria Propionibacterium acnes . This compound was isolated from petroleum ether extracts of A . “ Moonshine ” leaves and stems, using high performance chromatography and bioactivity guided thin layer chromatography. The potent anti-acne alkamide demonstrated the ability to reduce inflammation, scavenge free radicals and reduce tyrosinase activity to remove residual pigmentation caused after acne treatment.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of caesarean section has increased. Maternal morbidity has also increased. Inadvertent use of antibiotics many drug resistant microbial strains have emerged. Management of post caesarean wound infection becoming difficult. Attempts have been made to bring down such infections by taking all aseptic precautions and use of minimal possible effective dose of prophylactic antibiotic or antibiotics post operatively. The purpose of this study to evaluate the effectiveness of single dose antibiotic in uncomplicated caesarean section. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of single dose of ceftriaxone prophylaxis to that of ampicillin, gentamicin and metronidazole for 5 days post-operatively with regard to post-operative complications in uncomplicated caesarean sections. MATERIAL & METHODS: Hundred registered patients were selected among the pregnant women who underwent caesarean section in Obstetrics & Gynaecology department in Bharati Hospital, Sangli for a period of 1 year from December 2013 to November 2014. This study compares the drug efficacy of prophylactic single dose injection of ceftriaxone 1gm given intravenously 30 minutes prior to caesarean section with the control group of injection Ampicillin, + Gentamicin, Metronidazole given routinely for 5 days post operatively to prevent postoperative infection. In single dose antibiotic 50 patients and in control group 50 patients were studied. RESULT: Failure rate in single dose antibiotic was 2.0% (1 out of 50) and failure rate in multiple dose antibiotics was 6.0% (3 out of 50). Average duration of hospital stay was about 7 to 8 days. In all failure patients antibiotic were given according to culture and sensitivity report. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic single dose antibiotic is effective in reducing infective morbidity in low risk patients and also reduces chances of drug resistant in future.

Background Sporadic vascular malformations (VMs) are complex congenital anomalies of blood vessels that lead to stroke, life-threatening bleeds, disfigurement, overgrowth, and/or pain. Therapeutic options are severely limited and multi-disciplinary management remains challenging, particularly for high-flow arteriovenous malformations (AVM). Project To investigate the pathogenesis of 160 sporadic VMs in which known genetic causes had been excluded, sequencing of affected tissue DNA was undertaken using deep next generation sequencing with analysis optimised for detection of low mutant allele frequency. Results Mosaic activating variants in KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and MAP2K1 were identified, most commonly in AVM, both intracranial and extracranial. Transgenic zebrafish expressing BRAFV600E only in the vasculature recapitulated the human phenotype. Treatment of zebrafish with the BRAF inihibitor, vemurafinib, restored blood flow in AVM. Conclusions These findings reveal an important unifying cause of sporadic vascular malformations of different clinical types, and offer the potential of personalised medical treatment for affected individuals by repurposing of existing licensed cancer therapies.

As the U.S. manufacturing sector becomes more and more competitive, manufactures are seeking to adopt more cost and resource efficient operation practices. Several research studies that optimize production, maintenance, and energy have been conducted. However, research integrating them all in one model is less developed. In this paper, we present a framework on joint maintenance and energy planning while considering production throughput target and buffer constraints. The problem considers a Time-of-Use (TOU) demand response program such that the cost of production, energy, and maintenance is reduced. A sensitivity analysis considering the effect of production system parameters, such as machine rated power, machine production rate, number of maintenance crew resources, etc., on the cost per part is conducted. In addition, the sensitivity due to varying the individual unit costs incurred from production throughput, power demand, and maintenance is investigated. This study can guide manufacturers and researchers in determining the value of using such joint methods. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis considering joint energy and maintenance can aid manufacturers and researchers in data acquisition so that the most sensitive parameters are given priority, help identify which controllable parameters have the largest impact on the system performance; and determine which parameters are most impactful.

To evaluate the efficacy of COThis is a cohort retrospective study. Thyroid function and cervical ultrasonography examinations were performed before operation. Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on patients with a repeated infection (≥2 times) and/or if they had a prior open surgery. Patients were divided into two groups: the8-year-old group and the ≥8-year-old group. The differences in the number of cauterization procedures between the two age groups and between the initial treatment and the retreatment groups were analyzed.COCOTreatment Study.Level III.

In Today's life, skin cancer is the most common and dangerous form of cancer found in humans. If we detect melanoma cancer in the early stage, there are possibilities to cure it. In this paper, we present the method which segments skin lesion using clustering, which is helpful to detect the melanoma skin. The input to the system is, the image of the skin and then apply clustering method on it and give the cancer lesion as the output. We compare the final output of cancer lesion with the reference image. The final output have high accuracy and low error rate. The outputs obtained are used by doctors for quick judgment which in turns give benefit to both doctors and patients.

Dieulafoy's lesion (DL) is a relatively rare, but potentially life-threatening condition. It accounts for 1-2% of acute gastrointestinal bleedings. Its serious nature makes it necessary for early diagnosis and treatment. This is a case report of a patient who presented with life-threatening haematemesis due to gastric Dieulafoy's that was successfully treated laparoscopically after failed endotherapy.

Gingival melanin pigmentation occurs in all races in variable amount caused by melanin granules. The degree of pigmentation varies from person to person. Excessive gingival pigmentation may be a major esthetic concern for many patients. Methods of deepithelialization of the pigmented or discolored areas of gingiva using different methods such as scalpel method, bur method or laser method are well documented. The procedure for all three techniques has been described and evaluated here. Following presentation encloses a case series in which depigmentation of upper anterior gingival was carried out. The case presented with moderate to severe pigmented gingival (DOPI score ≥ 3) which were treated with one of the above mentioned techniques. The results of these cases suggested that ablation of the gingiva by a Diode laser, abrasion with a scalpel or rotary round bur is good enough to achieve esthetic satisfaction and fair wound healing without infection or severe pain.

The paper describes the characteristics of the equatorial electrojet at Huancayo (HUA, 12.1oS, 75.3oW, inclination 1.5oN, declination 1.0oE) in western side of South America, where the geomagnetic field is aligned almost along the geographic meridian, and at Itinga (ITI, 4.3oS, 47.oW, inclination 1.4oN, declination 19.3oW) in eastern part of South America, where the geomagnetic field is aligned about 19o west of the geographic meridian; although the mean intensity of the magnetic field in the two regions are almost of the same order. Further comparisons are made of the current at Itinga and at Tatuoca (TTB, 1.2oS, 48.5oW, inclination 7.8o N, declination 18.7oW), a low latitude station in the same longitude sector. The daily range of horizontal component of the geomagnetic field, H, is shown to be almost 16% higher at HUA compared to that at ITI. The daily variation of the eastward field, Y, showed a strong minimum of -40 nT around 13-14 hr LT at ITI whereas very low values were observed at HUA with a positive peak of about 4 nT around 11- 12 hr LT. The vertical field, Z, showed abnormally large negative values of -70 nT at TTB around 13 hr LT. The day-today fluctuations of midday and midnight values of X field were positively correlated between HUA and ITI with a high correlation coefficient of 0.78 and 0.88 respectively. Values of Y field were also significantly positively correlated between HUA and ITI for midnight hours (0.72), while no correlation was observed for the midday hours. The midnight values of X field at HUA, ITI and TTB showed significant (0.90 or greater) correlation with Dst index. Correlation values of about 0.7 were observed between Dst and midday values of X at ITI and TTB and to a lesser degree (0.4) at HUA.

For pediatric hematology/oncology and hematopoietic stem cell patients, blood transfusions are a critical component of supportive care. Transfusions have an inherent potential for adverse reactions; however, many of the adverse events or near-miss events are the result of avoidable process errors. To decrease the frequency of both inherent and avoidable adverse events, transfusion safety must be prioritized. This begins with prospective auditing of the transfusion process from donor to recipient, a process known as Hemovigilance. Novel strategies for improving safety by simplifying the process and improving accuracy have been aided by technological advances. Patient blood management strategies which focus on appropriate use of transfusions and avoidance of unnecessary transfusion have been implemented successfully. However, all safety programs require multifaceted, interdisciplinary approaches to improve patient outcomes and ensure sustainability with continued monitoring and supervision.

In FY16, Los Alamos National Laboratory carried out 22 shot days on the OMEGA and OMEGA- EP laser facilities in the areas of High Energy Density (HED) Science and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). In HED our focus areas were on radiation flow, hydrodynamic turbulent mix and burn, warm dense matter equations of state, and coupled Kelvin-­Helmholtz (KH)/Richtmyer-­ Meshkov (RM) instability growth. For ICF our campaigns focused on the Priority Research Directions (PRD) of implosion phase mix and stagnation and burn, specifically as they pertain to Laser Direct Drive (LDD). We also had several focused shot days on transport properties in the kinetic regime. We continue to develop advanced diagnostics such as Neutron Imaging, Gamma Reaction History, and Gas Cherenkov Detectors. Below are a summary of our campaigns, their motivation, and main results from this year.

Background The medicinal properties of Inula cappa, a perennial shrub, are ascribed to its roots. In this article, we study the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities of I. cappa root extracts based on its utilization in traditional medicine-treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, menoxenia, fever, jaundice and many others. Methods Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities of I. cappa extracts were studied. The anti-inflammatory activity was determined by carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and cotton pellet-induced granulation method while the immunomodulatory activity was estimated by phagocytic assay method, hemagglutinating antibody (HA) titer assay, delayed-type hypersensitivity assay method, plaque forming cell assay and determination of immunoprophylatic activity. Results The methanolic extract showed maximum reduction in the rat paw edema and showed significant inhibition of the cotton pellet-induced granulomas in rats. The methanolic extract also showed potential immunomodulatory activity in all the assays performed. Two sesquiterpenes, isoalantolactone and germacranolide were also isolated from the methanolic extract. Conclusions The present study supports the evidence that the roots of I. cappa can be used as a potent anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agent.

A 61-year-old woman presented with features of acute cholangitis and distal common bile duct obstruction. Histopathology from ampulla of Vater biopsy demonstrated extensive local amyloid deposition. Amyloidomas can cause local obstructive effects and have been described in the small intestine, stomach, and gallbladder. This is the second case of a discrete amyloid deposit causing extrahepatic biliary obstruction and cholangitis.

The membrane-proximal region spanning residues 649-684 of the HIV-1 envelope protein gp41 (MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄) is an attractive vaccine target for humoral immunity that blocks viral transcytosis across the mucosal epithelia. However, induction of high-titer MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄-specific antibodies remains a challenging task. To explore potential solutions for this challenge, we tested a new translational fusion protein comprising the plague F1-V antigen and MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ (F1-V-MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄). We employed systemic immunization for initial feasibility analyses. Despite strong immunogenicity demonstrated for the immunogen, repeated systemic immunizations of mice with F1-V-MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ hardly induced MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄-specific IgG. In contrast, a single immunization with F1-V-MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ mounted a significant anti-MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ IgG response in animals that were primed with another MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ fusion protein based on the cholera toxin B subunit. Additional boost immunizations with F1-V-MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ recalled and maintained the antibody response and expanded the number of specific antibody-secreting B cells. Thus, while F1-V-MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ alone was not sufficiently immunogenic to induce detectable levels of MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄-specific antibodies, these results suggest that prime-boost immunization using heterologous antigen-display platforms may overcome the poor humoral immunogenicity of MPR₆₄₉₋₆₈₄ for the induction of durable humoral immunity. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the feasibility of this strategy in mucosal immunization. Lastly, our findings add to a growing body of evidence in support of this strategy for immunogen design for poorly immunogenic epitopes besides the MPR of HIV-1's transmembrane envelope protein.

A process for manufacture of Mozzarella cheese analogue (MCA) using rennet casein and plastic cream as protein and fat sources respectively was standardized. The formulation comprised of 25% plastic cream (72% fat), 27% rennet casein along with 3% tri-sodium citrate as emulsifying salt, 2% maltodextrin as binder, 0.55% lactic acid as pH regulator, 1% common salt for seasoning, 1% Mozzarella cheese bud as flavouring and 40.4% water. The process involved (a) dissolving the dry mixture of casein, maltodextrin, flavouring and common salt in hot emulsifying salt solution, (b) incorporation of half the quantity of acid solution in casein-maltodextrin dough, followed by addition and emulsification of plastic cream, and (c) addition of remaining half of the acid solution and heating the mass to 80 °C until a plastic cheese mass was obtained. The analogue was shaped in ball form, cooled and packaged in polyethylene bag. The MCA conformed to the PFA requirements for pizza cheese and had all the requisite baking characteristics expected of pizza cheese topping.

Cholesterol 24-hydroxylase is a highly conserved cytochrome P450 that is responsible for the majority of cholesterol turnover in the vertebrate central nervous system. The enzyme is expressed in neurons, including hippocampal and cortical neurons that are important for learning and memory formation. Disruption of the cholesterol 24-hydroxylase gene in the mouse reduces both cholesterol turnover and synthesis in the brain but does not alter steady-state levels of cholesterol in the tissue. The decline in synthesis reduces the flow of metabolites through the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, of which one, geranylgeraniol diphosphate, is required for learning in the whole animal and for synaptic plasticity in vitro. This review focuses on how the link between cholesterol metabolism and higher-order brain function was experimentally established.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of open reduction and semirigid internal fixation in the management of displaced pediatric mandibular fractures. Method: Ten patients with displaced mandibular fractures treated with 1.5 mm four holed titanium mini-plate and 4 mm screws which were removed within four month after surgery. Results: All cases showed satisfactory bone healing without any growth disturbance. Conclusion: Open reduction and rigid internal fixation (ORIF) with 1.5 mm titanium mini- plates and 4 mm screws is a reliable and safe method in treatment of displaced paediatric mandibular fractures.

International audience; Experimental findings of a fully optical, keV x-ray source of 1-2° divergence and broadband spectrum (>5 keV bandwidth) are presented. The radiation results from the highly relativistic interaction of a 30 TW(1 J, 30 fs) laser pulse thru a 3 mm length span of He gas (ne = 1 x 10^19 electrons/cm^3). Quantitative measurements from the filtered back-illuminated CCD give 105 photons/eV, and the knife-edge technique measures the source diameter of 10 μm. These source characteristics, the measured beam of relativistic electrons, and PIC simulation indicate the radiation results from forceful transverse oscillations of the laser-accelerated electrons in response to the ionic channel formed by the laser pulse. The source brightness (10^7 photons/eV/mm^2m^2/shot and ultrafast duration (≤30 fs) make it applicable to both backlighting and x-ray science applications.