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In the current article, a developed, patented method denoted the 'Camel Semen Collection Kit-CSCK', was designed to solve the problem of semen collection in dromedary camels. CSCK is composed of three main parts: (1) Semen collection sac: made from supersensitive flexible low-density polyethylene- (LDPE); (2) Metal stainless steel applicator: designed to introduce the collection sac intravaginally and fixate it to the vaginal wall of a female camel through air insufflation; (3) Fixation sticker: a cushion sheet sticker is used to secure the outer portion of the collection sac to the female's perineal area. Semen was collected twice a week from eight dromedary bulls by using electroejaculation (EJ), artificial vagina (AV) and CSCK. Successful semen collections were 81.3%, 84.4% and 43.8% using EJ, CSCK and AV techniques respectively. Semen obtained by EJ technique showed lower semen volume, gross activity, sperm concentration, total sperm motility and percentage of live sperm cells compared to the other two techniques. Semen collected by CSCK showed a longer collection period and higher volume, gross activity, sperm motility and percentage of live spermatozoa and a lower rate of visible contamination compared to AV technique. The advantages and disadvantages of the three techniques were compared and discussed. In conclusion, CSCK represents a practical and easy method to reliably collect high-quality semen from any untrained male dromedary camel and may facilitate the widespread application of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) on a large scale in this species.

This study proposed to collect and analyze the daily activities of dromedary camels kept under farm conditions by training a model depending on frames as opposed to long-term windows. Any change in daily activities gives information on the camel’s health status, and an early warning can be generated to issue a signal upon identifying any diseased camels. Five daily activities: eating, standing, sitting, drinking, and sleeping, were recorded, and analyzed in two phases, each of 7 days of continuous video recordings in November and December 2022. Phase 1 was applied on two camels to test the time elapsed for each daily activity and Phase 2 was applied on 4 camels to determine the difference in daily activities between different camel individuals. The average standing and sleeping activities reduced from 9.8 h to 6.0 h, and from 4.3 h to 2.8 h in phases 1 and 2, respectively. While the average sitting and eating activities increased from 6.2 h to 9.9 h and from 3 h to 4.7 h in phases 1 and 2, respectively. The average drinking activity for all tested camels was 43 min in both phases. All camels were active in the eating, drinking, and standing activities during the early morning hours and after 16:00 O’clock till evening. While during noon and early afternoon, they were sitting under shadows. During the evening and nighttime, they mainly sat, occasionally moving their heads, with some standing and walking activities. The average eating, standing, and sleeping activities did not differ between the 4 tested camels throughout the experiment. While the drinking and sitting activities showed an average variation of 25% and 12%, respectively, in between the tested camels. In conclusion, the camel’s daily activities can be monitored by using the deep learning model. This model efficiently monitors and improves the health of camels kept on farms in remote areas beyond human control.

This is the first study shows the results of breeding of Arabian Tahr, Arabitrgus jayakari, with a hormonal attempt to increase its reproductive efficacy in a captive breeding unite. Data of reproductive success of a small population of Arabian Tahr kept in a protected area of Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah, was summarized from 2018-2022. The pregnancy rate, which was around 90% in the first three breeding seasons, decreased to 66.7% in the last breeding season. Rate of late abortion and/or still birth in all breeding seasons was between 11-25%. No multiple births or abortion of fetuses were observed during the four recorded breeding seasons. A hormonal trial was performed in the last breeding season 2021-2022 to synchronize the estrus and increase the reproductive efficacy. Eighteen parous females and 9 adult males were randomly mixed and divided into three groups: two treatment groups and a control group (G3; n = 6). Females were treated with an intravaginal sponge impregnated with 30 mg of Flurogestone acetate (FGA) for either fourteen (G1; n = 6) or seven (G2; n = 6) days, respectively. At the sponge removal, females of G1 and G2 groups were received intramuscular injections of 200 IU of eCG and 75 µg of Cloprostenol. Pregnancy rate was higher in G2 compared to the other two groups and it was also higher in G1 than in G3. Lambing rate was 100% in the control group, and it was higher in G2 compared to G1. Rate of estrous synchronization was similar in both treated groups. In conclusion, Breeding of Arabian Tahr in captivity can be improved by estrous synchronization and induction of ovulation early in the breeding season by using short-term progestagen treatment followed by eCG injection. More research on other doses of eCG and on the nutritional requirements are required to increase the reproductive efficacy of Arabian Tahr in captive breeding.

Although Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) was proven superior to Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR) in achieving higher complete remission rates for neoplastic Barrett's Esophagus (BE), its safety with Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) remains unstudied. We share our experience with ESD + RFA for nodular BE eradication.A retrospective study of all patients ≥18-years with nodular BE who underwent ESD + RFA between September 2015 and December 2020 at our tertiary center. Patients with advanced adenocarcinoma requiring esophagectomy were excluded. Primary outcomes included adverse events (AE) rates and complete eradication rates for adenocarcinoma (CE-EAC), dysplasia (CE-D), and intestinal metaplasia (CE-IM). Secondary outcomes included local recurrence rates following eradication.Eighteen patients were included with a total of 22 ESDs performed and a median of 2 RFA sessions-per-patient [IQR: 1.25, 3]. Sixteen patients were males and/or white (88.9%) with a median BMI of 29.75 kg/mIn high-risk patients with long-segment neoplastic BE requiring extensive endoscopic resection, ESD + RFA offers excellent complete eradication rates with rare additional adverse events by RFA. Standard endoscopic surveillance following eradication remains important.

Objective: Despite the growing evidence that lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) plays a major role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathophysiology and obesity, data regarding this association in children are rare. Therefore, our objectives were to assess whether there was a difference between overweight/obese and normal-weight children in plasma LBP levels and to assess the cardiovascular changes in both groups. Methods: In an observational, case-control study, a total of 30 children as obese and overweight children. Obese children with body mass index (BMI) above 95th percentile, and overweight children with BMI between 85th and 95th percentile were recruited if they aged between 8-16 years old. A similar number of matched controls were included. Serum LBP was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Results: With regard to serum LBP, the mean LBP was significantly higher in obese children than in the control group (52.74 ± 17.25 versus 12.34 ± 2.67 μg/mL, respectively; p 0.001). The ROC curve showed that the serum LBP, at a cutoff value of >19 μg/mL, was a significant discriminator of obesity with a sensitivity of 96.67% and specificity of 100%. The regression analysis showed that BMI was an independent predictor of serum LBP (B coefficient = 0.684; p = 0.024). The serum LBP correlated significantly with age (r = 0.58; p = 0.001), BMI (r = 0.834; p = 0.001), and LV longitudinal strain (r = 0.362; p = 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings showed that obesity was associated with a worse lipid profile and cardiovascular function. LBP is a promising predictor of obesity in children.

Background: With increase in the incidence of preterm birth, quality of life in premature infants who suffer from perinatal brain injury has become a major concern. Amplitude electroencephalogram has the advantages of being simple bedside monitoring for assessment of brain function and follow up in preterm neonates. Aim of Study: To evaluate the aEEG changes in preterm infants and compare it to cranial ultrasound. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted at the NICU of Al Zahraa University Hospital for a period from May 2020 to May 2021. Our study was conducted on 60 preterm infants (26 - 36 w) in the first 7 days of life with exclusion of obvious congenital anomalies and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy patients. Cranial ultrasound was performed on all the studied groups then aEEG recording was done for 4 hours. Results: The pattern of aEEG was discontinuous in patients with low gestational age and in infants small for gestational age. The pattern was also discontinuous in infants who had convulsions. Among our studied infants who had PROM, pre-eclampsia and experienced prolonged delivery, some infants had low voltage amplitude recording as well as infants with intraventricular hemorrhage grade III. Conclusion: This study confirms that aEEG background activity is strongly related to gestational age, birth weight, convulsions and IVH. Complications during delivery alter neonatal brain activity and aEEG background. Early aEEG combined with cranial ultrasound increases the sensitivity for detecting abnormal neurological outcome.

Identifying dysplasia of Barrett's esophagus (BE) in the electronic medical record (EMR) requires manual abstraction of unstructured data. Natural language processing (NLP) creates structure to unstructured free text. We aimed to develop and validate an NLP algorithm to identify dysplasia in BE patients on histopathology reports with varying report formats in a large integrated EMR system.We randomly selected 600 pathology reports for NLP development and 400 reports for validation from patients with suspected BE in the national Veterans Affairs databases. BE and dysplasia were verified by manual review of the pathology reports. We used NLP software (Clinical Language Annotation, Modeling, and Processing Toolkit; Melax Tech, Houston, TX) to develop an algorithm to identify dysplasia using findings. The algorithm performance characteristics were calculated as recall, precision, accuracy, and F-measure.In the development set of 600 patients, 457 patients had confirmed BE (60 with dysplasia). The NLP identified dysplasia with 98.0% accuracy, 91.7% recall, and 93.2% precision, with an F-measure of 92.4%. All 7 patients with confirmed high-grade dysplasia were classified by the algorithm as having dysplasia. Among the 400 patients in the validation cohort, 230 had confirmed BE (39 with dysplasia). Compared with manual review, the NLP algorithm identified dysplasia with 98.7% accuracy, 92.3% recall, and 100.0% precision, with an F-measure of 96.0%.NLP yielded a high degree of sensitivity and accuracy for identifying dysplasia from diverse types of pathology reports for patients with BE. The application of this algorithm would facilitate research and clinical care in an EMR system with text reports in large data repositories.

In the current study, we have developed an easy, practical, and reliable method to collect semen from camel bulls. Simply, intromission ofa super-sensitive artificial insemination glove intravaginally with an outer fixation in the perineal region from lateral and dorsal sides of thevulva, mating, glove withdrawal and semen collection were the successive steps. Bull behaviour before and during the mating process wasobserved. The collected semen was evaluated in aspects of semen colour, volume and sperm cell concentration. Also, individual spermmotility and semen fertility by applying in-vitro fertilization were investigated after semen dilution in a new developed extender for camelsemen (100 mmol/l Tris, 65 mmol/l lactose, 50 mmol/l glucose, 40 mmol/l galactose, 125 mg/100ml BSA, 50 IU/ml catalase enzyme,1000 IU/ml penicillin G and 500µg/ml streptomycin: pH 7.0). Presence of the intravaginal glove and its fixation by the external adhesivetape did not affect the bull willingness and did not interrupt the mating process. Semen collection was successful in 112 out of total128 trials (87.5%) and the lengthy copulation was (10.3 ± 6.2 min - Mean ± SD). Mean parameters of the collected ejaculates were:volume of 8.3 ± 3.6 ml (Mean ± SD); sperm cell concentration of 437.6 ± 62.4 X 106 (Mean ± SD) sperm/ml; and sperm individualmotility after liquefaction for 45 min was 68.2 ± 11.4 % (Mean ± SD). Semen was grayish white to creamy white in colour dependingon sperm cell concentration. Finally, using of the collected diluted semen in IVF technique showed cleaved, morula and blastocyst rates66.1%, 43.5% and 25.8%, respectively. In conclusion, using of intravaginal super-sensitive AI gloves is a practical technique for semencollection and will facilitate the application of the new reproductive technologies on a large scale in dromedary camels.Keywords: Semen collection, Camel, In-vitro fertilization

Introduction: Vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive technique in which percutaneous injection of bone cement under fluoroscopic guidance Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) has been widely and successfully accepted in the treatment of osteoporotic and neoplastic vertebral compression fractures to control pain refractory to medical treatment. However, using of vertebroplasty as primary line treatment for traumatic, non-osteoporotic compression fractures still not widely accepted and considered a debatable issue. Patients and methods: This prospective comparative study was conducted at Neurosurgery department, Mansoura university hospital and Mansoura emergency hospital through the period between January 2015 and March 2016. 20 patients complaining of back pain due to single level thoracolumbar vertebral compression non-osteoprotic fractures were admitted to the study. Patients were divided into two groups 10 patients each, PVP group and conservative group. Outcome were assessed as regard pain improvement using Visual analogue scale VAS and quality of life using short form 36 scale (SF36). Results: Ten patients in the PVP group received Vertebroplasty, eight males (80%) and two females (20%) the age ranged from 29 to 62 years with mean age of 44.2+8.3 (mean+SD) years. The conservative group included ten patients seven males (70%) and three females (30%) the age ranged from 31 to 64 years with mean age of 45.1+9.2 (mean+SD) years. The level of injury ranged from D6 to L4. VAS and SF36 results showed significant improvement in post injection results compared to preinjection and to the conservative group Conclusion: Percutaneous vertebroplasty is safe and effective procedure to improve pain and quality of life in non osteoprotic patients complaining of traumatic compression fractures of thoraco-lumar region it decreases pain, and provide early ambulation of patients which improve their quality of life without significant morbidity.

Background: The hemifacial spasm (HFS) defined as involuntary intermittent twitching of the muscles of the face (usually unilateral). The spasms characteristically begin around the eye and then extend to affect other muscles of the ipsilateral face. It is caused by vascular element compressing the facial nerve that may be either the anterior or the posterior inferior cerebellar arteries in most cases. Objective of our work: to describe the operative technique (pearls and common mistakes), the efficacy and morbidity of microvascular decompression technique for hemifacial spasm through mini craniotomy, determine the prognostic factors affecting success rate of the surgery. Material & method: A retrospective study of 23 cases of hemifacial spasm treated by mini craniotomy retro sigmoid approach and microvascular decompression at neurosurgery dept., Mansoura University Hospital in last 10 years was investigated. This include Epidemiological, clinical and imaging details, selected treatment options and patients’ outcome. Results: complete resolving of symptoms was conducted in 19 cases 82.6% while reoperated in 2 cases with improvement in one case. Facial palsy appeared postoperative in 6 cases 4 of them improved in 3 months, transient hearing loss in 4 cases17.4% which improved later, cerebrospinal fluid leak appeared in 3 cases 13% which managed conservatively. Conclusions: MVD relieves symptoms of HFS in about 80% of patients while recurrence still in low percentage. The study reported low permanent Complications and generally transient.

INTRODUCTION: Social distancing mandates and temporary changes in telemedicine reimbursements have led to wide-scale adoption of telemedicine services in primary care and specialty clinics In this study, we evaluated patient and provider satisfaction of the expanded use of telemedicine within our facility METHODS: Patients originally scheduled or referred to Baylor Medicine Gastroenterology Clinic were offered telemedicine appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic Video-based telemedicine visits from April 20 to May 5, 2020 were included Patient demographics were obtained by chart review Telephone questionnaires to assess patient satisfaction on care and quality were administered by personnel not involved in patient care Questionnaires were also administered to providers to assess satisfaction and feasibility of telemedicine to evaluate disease states and symptoms Satisfaction was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale (5 = very satisfied) Summary statistics were performed RESULTS: In 15 days, 18 providers completed 268 visits Of these,144 (54%) patients responded to the surveys Median age was 49 5 years, 68% were female, 63% were White, and 97% had high school education or above Median distance from the study site was 26 miles Average patient satisfaction of provider care was 4 9 ± 0 3, and 89 5% would participate in a telemedicine encounter again even after the pandemic ceases Average satisfaction with the interface quality was 4 6 ± 0 8, and average ease of set-up of 1 9 ± 1 4 (1 = very easy) Patients reported median savings of 90 minutes and ≥15 per visit Of the 8 providers who responded to the survey, average provider satisfaction was 4 ± 0 5, and average likelihood of future telemedicine use independent of institutional policy was 4 8 ± 0 5 (5 = very likely) Technical difficulties were noted in 1 3% of visits and important physical exam findings were unable to be elicited in 1 3% of visits Figure 1 shows the feasibility of providers to evaluate diseases or symptoms during video-enabled telemedicine encounters CONCLUSION: Given very high patient and provider satisfaction with telemedicine use along with substantial time and money savings to patients, telemedicine is a viable way to provide care in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic Given its significant success, use of telemedicine for routine specialty visits should be evaluated and considered independent of social distancing mandates (Table Presented)

Background Data: Fixed cervical deformities are devastating pathological entities that interfere with normal daily activities and may progress to leave patients bedbound. Purpose: To present early experience and outcome of managing fixed cervical deformities, and to explore the safety and efficacy of the methods used. Study Design: A retrospective clinical case series that tracks subjects with fixed cervical deformities as regard presentation, treatment and outcome. Patients and Methods: Patient sample included those presented with kyphotic segmental deformities causing regional angular and translational deformities with presenting clinical picture related to the deformity. The patients were corrected by either anterior-only or combined approached, with assessment of outcome using radiological sagittal plane profile, neurological improvement (Nurick classification) and overall work capacity (Odom’s criteria). Results: Eleven patients (78.6%) underwent anterior-only, while 3 patients underwent combined approaches in posterior-anterior-posterior fashion. Perioperative complications were minor and managed conservatively. The mean correction in segmental kyphosis was 27.3±6.7 degrees, that of regional kyphosis was 29±12 degrees, while mean correction in cervical SVA was 22±12 mm. Lordotic curves were achieved in 68.5% of patients (the overall mean of postoperative C2-C7 angle=9±6.4o). The mean improvement in Nurick grades was 1.5 and the good (Odom grade 2) to excellent (Odom grade 3) outcome was reported by 10 (71%) of our patients. Conclusion: Sagittal plane-based correction of cervical fixed kyphosis is a safe and effective strategy that spinal surgeons should bear in mind in addition to the usual neural decompression target.Angular and translational should be both used in assessment as they may be no closely correlated. (2016ESJ114)

Objective To define the role of neuroendoscopy as an adjuvant technique for the management of pediatric complex hydrocephalus. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of a series of pediatric patients who had undergone surgery for complex hydrocephalus from January 2002 to March 2017 at 2 pediatric neurosurgery units in Rome, Italy and Mansoura, Egypt. The endoscopic procedures performed included cyst or membrane fenestration, septum pellucidotomy, foraminoplasty, and aqueductoplasty with or without a stent. In selected cases, endoscopic third ventriculostomy was performed as a combined procedure. The mean follow-up period was 5 years. Results A total of 68 patients (26 females, 42 males), with a mean age of 2 years (range, 0–18), underwent 109 endoscopic procedures. Of the 68 patients, 39 (57%) were affected by multiloculated hydrocephalus, 17 by isolated lateral ventricle (24.6%), 3 by an excluded lateral ventricle horn (4.3%), 7 by an isolated fourth ventricle (10.1%), and 1 each by an isolated third ventricle and a cavum septi pellucidi cyst. The overall postoperative complications rate was 28% (shunt infection, 16.1%; shunt malfunction, 8.8%; subdural collection, 2.9%). At the latest clinical follow-up visit, 65% of the children had only 1 shunt, 25% (n = 17) had a double ventricular catheter, and 10% (n = 7) were shunt free. Conclusions We have confirmed that neuroendoscopy has a main role in the long-term management of complex hydrocephalus, significantly contributing to the reduction of the number of shunts and the shunt revision rate. Neuronavigation should be performed in all cases in which the ideal trajectory should be established.

Introduction: Posterior short segment pedicle screw fixation is considered the most common way for management of unstable thoracolumbar spine fracture. This study is aiming to evaluate the efficacy of both posterior short same segment and posterior short segment pedicle screw fixation on postoperative kyphotic angle and pain dense score in thoracolumbar fractures. Methods: This is a Prospective study of 32 patients with single level thoracolumbar spine fracture between June 2011 and May 2014. Patients were divided randomly into 2 groups, one of them was submitted to short same segment posterior pedicle screw fixation with mean age 31.25+9.25ys, while the other group submitted to short segment posterior pedicle screw fixation with mean age 29.18+9.65ys. Cobb method and Denis work scale were used to assess kyphotic angle and pain score respectively on admission, during follow up period and after one year postoperatively. Results: The short same segment type of operation showed improvement in correction in kyphotic angle deformity at the end of follow up period although this improvement was not statistically significant compared to short segment type. The short same segment patients showed statistically significant improvement as regard pain Denis score among those patients treated by short segment fixation. Conclusion: In this study short same segment posterior pedicle screw fixation is more efficient in postoperative pain reduction than short segment posterior pedicle screw fixation.

Objective To detect predictors of the clinical course and outcome of cerebellar hematoma in conscious patients that may help in decision making. Methods This study entails retrospective and prospective review and collection of the demographic, clinical, and radiologic data of 92 patients with cerebellar hematoma presented conscious and initially treated conservatively. Primary outcome was deterioration lower than a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14 and secondary outcome was Glasgow Outcome Scale score at discharge and 3 months later. Relevant data to primary outcome were used to create a prediction model and derive a risk score. The model was validated using a bootstrap technique and performance measures of the score were presented. Surgical interventions and secondary outcomes were correlated to the score to explore its use in future decision making. Results Demographic and clinical data showed no relevance to outcome. The relevant initial computed tomography criteria were used to build up the prediction model. A score was derived after the model proved to be valid using internal validation with bootstrapping technique. The score (0–6) had a cutoff value of ≥2, with sensitivity of 93.3% and specificity of 88.0%. It was found to have a significant negative association with the onset of neurologic deterioration, end point Glasgow Coma Scale scores and the Glasgow Outcome Scale scores at discharge. The score was positively correlated to the aggressiveness of surgical interventions and the length of hospital stay. Conclusions Early definitive management is critical in conscious patients with cerebellar hematomas and can improve outcome. Our proposed score is a simple tool with high discrimination power that may help in timely decision making in those patients.

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There is a mismatch between the requirements of the multifaceted role of academic physicians and their education. Medical institutions use faculty development initiatives to support their junior academic physicians, however, these rarely revolve around academic physician competencies. The aim of this study was to identify these academic physician competencies and develop a competency framework customized to an organizational context.The authors conducted semi-structured interviews and Critical Incident Technique with 25 academic physicians at a teaching medical center in the Middle East region inquiring about the behaviors of academic physicians in teaching, clinical, research, and administrative roles.Using content analysis, the authors identified 16 competencies: five "Supporting Competencies", common to all four roles of academic physicians, and 11 "Function-Specific Competencies", specific to the role being fulfilled. The developed framework shared similarities with frameworks reported in the literature but also had some distinctions.The framework developed represents a step towards closing the gap between the skills medical students are taught and the skills required of academic physicians. The model was customized to the context of the current organization and included a future orientation and addressed the literature calling for increasing focus on the administrative skills of academic physicians.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine (AUB-FM) strategy is to develop faculty members (fm) skills by sponsoring local and international scientific activities has been in place for over three decades, and remains dependent on individuals' efforts. In 2011-2012, Faculty Development Program (FDP) was introduced to develop faculty leadership, business skills in medicine, fulfill personal and professional goals, followed by a five-year plan to cover five themes: Management/Leadership, Marketing, Finance, Strategic Planning and Communications with the purpose of integrating these themes in medical practice. METHODS A survey was sent to all departments at AUB-FM in 2011 to assess needs and determine themes. Nine workshops were conducted, followed by post-workshop evaluation. RESULTS 117 fm responded to needs assessment surveys. Respondents had on average 15 years in clinical practice, 50% with extensive to moderate administrative experience; 71% assumed administrative responsibilities at least once, 56% in leadership positions. Faculty attendance dropped midway from 69 to 19, although workshops were rated very good to excellent. DISCUSSION Although faculty were interested in FDP, the drop in attendance might be attributed to: challenges to achieve personal and professional goals while struggling to fulfill their roles, satisfy promotion requirements and generate their income. RECOMMENDATIONS FDP has to be aligned with FM strategic goals and faculty objectives, be complimentary to a faculty mentoring program, provide rewards, and be supported by a faculty progression tool.

This experiment was undertaken in a newly reclaimed area at Badr district, Egypt to study the influence of a geotextile material under sprinkler irrigation on the availability of soil moisture content and salinity in the top 40 cm of the soil profile. The farm was planted by Navel orange from about ten years. To achieve the objectives of this research, the field experiment was carried out in order to measure soil moisture content, water distribution and different water relations (water application efficiency, water use efficiency and water stored efficiency) under sprinkler irrigation. The results indicated that the maximum fruit yield was obtained with mats placed at 20 cm depth whilst the minimum fruit yield was recorded with the control treatment. Mats at 20 cm depth increased the availability of soil moisture content in the root zone. The results further showed increases in water use efficiency and water application efficiency as a result of using the geotextile material. In addition, soil salinity in the root zone decreased as a result of increasing soil moisture content. As a conclusion, a geotextile mat is good and suitable for using under newly reclaimed areas to enhance the soil ability for catching of water

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure applied to the field of spine surgery since 1990s. Purpose: To explore the feasibility, safety, efficacy, and cosmetic results of thoracoscopy in management of thoracolumbar fractures. Methods: We used both the Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity (TLICS) score and the Load Sharing Classification Score for selection of cases. Cases were operated on by a combined approach of posterior pedicle screw fixation and anterior thoracoscopic reconstruction and fusion with follow up of cases up to 12 months as regard clinical and radiological results. Results: Patients’ ages ranged from 22-56 years, including 8 males and 7 females. Falls were the most common cause and LV1 was the most common level. Two cases were reconstructed by a corpectomy cage, while the rest by tricortical iliac bone graft. All except two cases showed signs of fusion at 12 months, while all cases were cosmetically satisfied. Neither major complications nor death were reported. Conclusion: Video-assisted thoracoscopic reconstruction of thoracolumbar fractures is an effective, minimally invasive, relatively safe technique that needs further training to widen its applications.(2012ESJ008)

In the current design of steel eccentrically braced frames (EBFs), the yielding link is coupled with the floor beam. This often results in oversized link elements, which leads to overdesigned structures and foundations. In addition, the beams are expected to sustain significant damage through repeated inelastic deformations under design-level earthquakes, and thus the structure may require extensive repair or replacement. These drawbacks can be mitigated by designing EBFs with replaceable shear links. Two different replaceable link types with alternate section profiles, connection configurations, welding details, and intermediate stiffener spacings were tested. A total of 13 cyclic quasi-static full-scale cyclic tests were performed, including tests on EBFs with replaceable shear links, to study their inelastic seismic performance. The links exhibited a very good ductile behavior, developing stable and repeatable yielding. Additional inelastic rotation capacity can be achieved with bolted replaceable link...

Although moment resisting frames (MRFs) designed according to the latest seismic codes can provide life safety during a design level earthquake, they are expected to sustain significant damage at flexural yielding locations in the beams. The design of the beams for strength and drift control considerations are also interlinked, often resulting in overdesign of other elements, such as diaphragms and foundations. These drawbacks can be mitigated by introducing replaceable links at the locations of expected inelastic action. A five-story prototype MRF building with replaceable links in a high-seismic zone was designed. Four full-scale beam-to-column subassemblages representing the first floor exterior connections in the prototype building were experimentally evaluated. The results demonstrated that MRFs with replaceable flexural links can provide strength and ductility equivalent to existing MRFs while minimizing the effect of the added links on the elastic stiffness of the system. Finite-element models were...

This study investigated the relationship between fertility and fatty acid (FA) profiles of egg chorions, total egg, and sperm cells of Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus (L.) broodstock housed in tanks and fed a commercial diet. Fertility of semen from individual males was assessed using pooled eggs, and vice versa. Fertility of the gametes of broodstock fish was classified according to the percentages of eyed stage embryos into: (a) for males, high, ≥ 68%, medium: 49–67% and low: ≤ 48%; (b) for females, high: ≥ 55%; medium: 28–54% and low: ≤ 27%. Spermatozoa from the high fertility group contained less short-chain saturated FAs, more n-3 and n-6 FAs with a higher n-3 to n-6 ratio compared to the sperm from the low fertility group. Egg chorions from the high fertility group also had less short-chain saturated FAs compared to the low fertility group. For spermatozoa significant correlations were found between C15:0, total saturated FAs, C22:5n-3, C22:6n-3, total n-3 FAs, and the ratios of n-3 to n-6 and their fertility, but no correlations were found between fatty acid profiles of egg chorions and of total eggs and egg fertility. In conclusion, sperm fertility of Arctic char is influenced to a much higher extent by their fatty acid composition than that of the eggs.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a leading cause of acute liver failure and is the most frequent reason for post-marketing drug withdrawal. The spectrum of liver injury is wide, ranging from mild and subclinical injury, noticeable only on routine biochemical testing, to fulminant liver failure and death. Antibiotics, as a group, are a leading cause of DILI. We herein describe 4 patients who developed moderate to severe hepatotoxicity after exposure to a commercially - available combination of two antibiotics - spiramycin and metronidazole - commonly used for the treatment and prevention of periodontal infections. No other aetiology for liver injury could be identified in all cases. Two patients recovered spontaneously, and two had a more severe course, one responding to corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil and the other requiring liver transplantation for subacute massive necrosis.

Summary For years, severe mortality of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in late summer has been reported in the prealpine river systems of Austria. For an initial understanding of the potential reasons for this mortality, brown trout were exposed to water under differing conditions from an affected river system. Blood parameters, histology of various organs, hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, and occurrence of ectoparasites and fish diseases were investigated. In brown trout exposed to water from the affected river, concentrations of peripheral blood lymphocytes, granulocytes, plasma immunoglobulin and plasma lyszoyme activity decreased significantly, indicating a reduction in unspecific, innate and specific, adaptive immune response. Erythropoietic and thrombopoietic functions were also disturbed, with fish mortalities up to 100%. From the results of the present study it seems unlikely that ectoparasites, diseases, or effluent water from sewage plants were causative for the observed phenomenon. However, brown trout maintained in river water and in the dark survived longer than those under natural light conditions, and their immune systems were less drastically affected. As periods of high solar UV-radiation occurred during the experiment and the Traun River water temperature was quite variable, these factors might have had an effect on immune systems. Laboratory studies were therefore conducted to ascertain whether water temperature variations and/or UV could indeed affect the immune system. The tested temperature variations (10°C/d) suppressed the brown trout immune system, whereas UV radiation (0.045 mW/m2 for 6.5 h per day) had no effect. However, UV-radiation did enhance the immune-suppression effect of variable temperatures.

We assessed the temporal relationship between abdominal pain and elevation in liver function tests (LFTs) in patients with acute symptomatic choledocholithiasis.Retrospective study of patients that presented within 12 hours of pain onset and were subsequently found to have choledocholithiasis.We identified 40 patients with complete medical records. Levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT) correlated with duration of pain (Pearson correlation, r = 0.633 and 0.622 respectively, P.001 for both); the correlation was not as strong for γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) (r = 0.326, P = .046) and was not significant for alkaline phosphatase or bilirubin. This temporal association was stronger in patients that had undergone cholecystectomy versus those with intact gallbladders (for ALT, r = 0.603 vs r = 0.311, respectively). Eighteen patients, evaluated within 6 hours of pain, had normal or minimal alterations in LFTs; transabdominal ultrasound was abnormal in 6 (sensitivity 33.3%). All had repeat LFTs within 24 hours (mean 10.3 ± 6.9 hours later) and large increases in ALT and aspartate aminotransferase levels (mean 10.5- and 6.8-fold respectively; P.01 for both), intermediate increases in glutamyl transpeptidase levels, (mean 4-fold, P.05), and no changes in alkaline phosphatase levels. This significant increase in LFTs was the only indication of biliary pathology before endoscopy in 11/18 patients.Increasing duration of pain is associated with increasing LFTs (particularly transaminases) in patients with acute symptomatic choledocholithiasis. Patients with normal LFTs and ultrasound upon presentation should have repeat LFTs if biliary pain is suspected. The absence of significant biochemical abnormalities within the first 24 hours makes the diagnosis of symptomatic choledocholithiasis unlikely.