Synergistic effects of organic carbon and silica in preserving structural stability of drying soils.

Predicted climate warming and prolonged droughts pose a threat to the soil structure as organic carbon losses weaken the stability of soil aggregates. Well-structured soils are important for storage and movement of water, solutes, and air, the development of plant roots, as habitat for soil organisms, and the microbial activity. Structural stability is measured in terms of hydro-mechanical properties. This study compares effects of amorphous silica with those of organic carbon on stability parameters during drying of aggregates from relatively finer- and coarser-textured soils. Silica amendment enhanced the positive effect of organic carbon on structural stability in terms of the tensile strength. Synergistic effects between silica and organic carbon in soil colloids appear to dynamically alter aggregate density and friability (i.e., ability to crumble) during drying. Silica together with organic carbon could help soil management to reduce negative effects of predicted prolonged droughts on soil structure and stability.

CYTOSPOT: Intracellular Staining and Detection of Cytokines by Flow Cytometer, an Alternative to LYMESPOT.

Intracellular cytokine staining is a versatile technique used to analyze cytokine production in individual cells by flow cytometry. This methodology has the specific advantage of enabling the simultaneous assessment of multiple phenotypic, differentiation, and functional parameters pertaining to responding T cells. This methodology applied after short-term culture of cells, followed by fixation and permeabilization make this technique ideal for the assessment of T-cell immune responses induced by different challenges. Here we describe an intracellular staining method followed by flow cytometry after cell stimulation with immune-relevant antigens for Lyme disease.

Classification of Continuous ECG Segments - Performance Analysis of a Deep Learning Model.

Classification of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals plays an important role in the diagnosis of heart diseases. It is a complex and non-linear signal, which is the first option to preliminary identify specific pathologies/conditions (e.g., arrhythmias). Currently, the scientific community has proposed a multitude of intelligent systems to automatically process the ECG signal, through deep learning techniques, as well as machine learning, where this present high performance, showing state-of-the-art results. However, most of these models are designed to analyze the ECG signal individually, i.e., segment by segment. The scientific community states that to diagnose a pathology in the ECG signal, it is not enough to analyze a signal segment corresponding to the cardiac cycle, but rather an analysis of successive segments of cardiac cycles, to identify a pathological pattern.In this paper, an intelligent method based on a Convolutional Neural Network 1D paired with a Multilayer Perceptron (CNN 1D+MLP) was evaluated to automatically diagnose a set of pathological conditions, from the analysis of the individual segment of the cardiac cycle. In particular, we intend to study the robustness of the referred method in the analysis of several simultaneous ECG signal segments. Two ECG signal databases were selected, namely: MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database (D1) and European ST-T Database (D2). The data was processed to create datasets with two, three and five segments in a row, to train and test the performance of the method. The method was evaluated in terms of classification metrics, such as: precision, recall, f1-score, and accuracy, as well as through the calculation of confusion matrices.Overall, the method demonstrated high robustness in the analysis of successive ECG signal segments, which we can conclude that it has the potential to detect anomalous patterns in the ECG signal. In the future, we will use this method to analyze the ECG signal coming in real-time, acquired by a wearable device, through a cloud system.Clinical Relevance-This study evaluates the potential of a deep learning method to classify one or several segments of the cardiac cycle and diagnose pathologies in ECG signals.

Development of a cavity ring-down spectrometer toward multi-species composition.

This work presents the development of a cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS) designed for the detection of several molecules relevant for air pollution, including the second overtone of ro-vibration transitions from CO at 1.58 µm and NO at 1.79 µm. A unique feature of this CRDS is the use of custom mirrors with a reflectivity of about 99.99% from 1.52 to 1.80 µm, enabling efficient laser coupling into the cavity while ensuring a minimum detectable absorbance of 1.1 × 10-10 cm-1 within an integration time of about 1.2 s. In this work, the successful implementation of the current CRDS is demonstrated in two different wavelength regions. At 1.79 µm, the transitions R17.5 and R4.5 of the second overtone of NO are detected. At 1.58 µm, carbon dioxide and water vapor from untreated ambient air are measured, serving as an example to investigate the suitability of a post-processing procedure for the determination of the molar fraction in a multi-species composition. This post-processing procedure has the benefit of being calibration-free and SI-traceable. Additionally, CRDS measurements of gas mixtures containing CO and CO2 are also shown. In the future, the advantages of the developed cavity ring-down spectrometer will be exploited in order to perform fundamental studies on the transport processes of heterogeneous catalysis by locally resolving the gas phase near a working catalytic surface. The possibility to cover a broad wavelength region with this CRDS opens up the opportunity to investigate different catalytic reactions, including CO oxidation and NO reduction.

Modelling, simulation and performance evaluation of the IEEE 802.11e protocol with station mobility.

In this article, we present a parameterized Colored Petri Net (CPN) model of the IEEE 802.11e protocol for wireless communications with mobile stations. CPNs provide a graphical model for the modeling and analysis of concurrent systems, which can be parameterized by the use of constants, and thus they allow us to create more flexible models. Our CPN model captures the protocol's behavior, and the specific parameters used for the 802.11e protocol and the scenarios to be evaluated are captured by the CPN parameters. The model presented is flexible enough to cover full customization of traffic types, user mobility and collision avoidance protocols. In this model, there is an access point (AP) which is visible to all the stations, and we assume that due to physical restrictions, there are two range groups. All the stations in the same range group are visible to each other. The impact of mobility is then analyzed by studying a situation in which the stations move in a controlled way to the same range group. The simulation results demonstrate the impact on network performance for sensitive and insensitive traffic types, as well as the role of the RTS/CTS protocol in collision avoidance, especially when users are located in different regions. Specifically, we show how the performance improves in the different scenarios when the stations move to the same area, where they can see each other, and we also study the impact on the performance for each type of traffic.

Should We Turn off the Music? Music with Lyrics Interferes with Cognitive Tasks.

People often listen to music while doing cognitive tasks. Yet, whether music harms or helps performance is still debated. Here, we assessed the objective and subjective effects of music with and without lyrics on four cognitive tasks. College students completed tasks of verbal and visual memory, reading comprehension, and arithmetic under three conditions: silence, instrumental music, and music with lyrics. Participants judged their learning during and after each condition. Music with lyrics hindered verbal memory, visual memory, and reading comprehension (d ≈ -0.3), whereas its negative effect (d = -.19) on arithmetic was not credible. Instrumental music (hip-hop lo-fi) did not credibly hinder or improve performance. Participants were aware of the detrimental impact of the lyrics. Instrumental music was, however, sometimes perceived as beneficial. Our results corroborate the general distracting effect of background music. However, faulty metacognition about music's interfering effect cannot fully explain why students often listen to music while studying.

Osteotomies around the knee are not correlated to substantial post-operative ankle pain.

PURPOSE: The relationship between osteotomies around the knee and ankle alignment has been well established. However, little is known about the incidence of new-onset ankle pain after knee osteotomies in the setting of both varus and valgus lower limb malalignments. The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence and characteristics of ankle pain after knee osteotomies; and to clarify the relationship between knee alignment correction, coronal changes suffered by the ankle joint and the development of new-onset ankle pain. METHODS: Fifty-four lower limbs in 51 consecutive patients, who underwent realignment osteotomies around the knee between April 2013 and October 2020, were retrospectively reviewed. Ultimately, 39 patients (42 knees) were enrolled: 34 had varus deformities and eight had valgus deformities. Ankle pain was assessed according to the Numerical Pain Rating Scale by telephonic interview. The magnitude of alignment correction and the consequent change of both knee and ankle joint lines were analyzed. Correlation between the former and the onset of post-operative ankle pain was evaluated. Patient satisfaction and complications were also noted. RESULTS: The incidence of new-onset ankle pain after knee realignment osteotomy was 14%, at a mean follow-up of 55 ± 26 months (range 12-93 months). The mean time between osteotomy and onset of ankle pain was 21 ± 25 months (range 2-60 months). The degree of coronal correction was significantly correlated with ankle joint obliquity changes. However, a significant correlation with post-operative ankle pain was not found (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Fourteen percent of the patients who underwent osteotomies around the knee developed new-onset persistent low-intensity ankle pain. The knee and ankle joint biomechanics are closely related, however, only a small percentage of patients suffer from low-intensity ankle pain which is successfully managed with occasional analgesics. Most osteotomies around the knee seem to require no particular concern for the ipsilateral ankle function.

Evaluation of the effect of physical exercise interventions in Primary Health Care in Brazil on cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review / Avaliação do efeito de intervenções de exercícios físicos na Atenção Primária à Saúde no Brasil sobre fatores de risco cardiometabólicos: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract The objective was to systematically search and synthesize the evidence available in the literature about the effect of physical exercise interventions Primary Health Care (PHC), carried out in Brazil, on cardiometabolic risk factors. The search was performed in the PubMed, Virtual Health Library and Web of Science databases. The inclusion criteria were: studies with physical activity (PA) interventions or exercise in PHC; carried out in Brazil; population aged >18 years; at least one cardiometabolic risk factor assessed pre and post-intervention. The "Health Sciences Descriptors" were used to define the search descriptors: "physical activity" OR "exercise" OR "motor activity" AND "primary health care" OR "health centers" OR "primary care" AND "Brazil". The selection phases were performed by pairs of blinded researchers and the conflicts were decided by a third evaluator. Jadad scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the articles included. In total, 1,817 articles were found and 26 duplicates excluded, leaving 1,791 for reading of titles. The abstracts of 105 articles were read, and 53 articles were read in full. Finally, 06 articles were considered eligible and included in the review. The cardiometabolic risk factors evaluated in the included studies were body mass index (4 studies), waist-hip ratio (1 study), fat percentage (1 study), blood pressure (2 studies), lipid profile (1 study), inflammatory profile (1 study), and aerobic capacity (3 studies). It is concluded that there is insufficient evidence in the literature about the effect of exercise interventions in PHC with a focus on cardiometabolic risk factors.

Resumo O objetivo foi buscar sistematicamente e sintetizar as evidências disponíveis na literatura acerca do efeito de intervenções com exercício físico na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS), realizadas no Brasil, sobre os fatores de risco cardiometabólicos. A busca sistemática foi realizada nas bases de dados PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde e Web of Science. Foram incluídos estudos com intervenção de AF ou exercício na APS; realizadas no Brasil; com população >18 anos de idade; pelo menos um fator de risco cardiometabólico avaliado pré e pós intervenção. Utilizou-se o Descritores em Ciências da Saúde para definir os descritores de busca: "physical activity" OR "exercise" OR "motor activity" AND "primary health care" OR "health centers" OR "primary care" AND "Brazil". As fases de seleção foram realizadas por pares e com cegamento e os conflitos decididos por um terceiro avaliador. Utilizou-se a escala de Jadad para avaliar a qualidade metodológica dos artigos incluídos. Foram encontrados 1.817 artigos e excluídas 26 duplicatas, restando 1.791 para leitura dos títulos. Foram lidos 105 resumos e 53 artigos na íntegra. Por fim, 06 artigos foram considerados elegíveis e incluídos na revisão. Os fatores de risco cardiometabólicos avaliados nos estudos incluídos foram índice de massa corporal (4 estudos), razão cintura quadril (1 estudo), percentual de gordura (1 estudo), pressão arterial (2 estudos), perfil lipídico (1 estudo), perfil inflamatório (1 estudo) e capacidade aeróbica (3 estudos). Conclui-se que não há evidências suficientes na literatura sobre o efeito das intervenções de exercícios na APS com foco nos fatores de risco cardiometabólicos.

A sensorized needle guide for ultrasound assisted breast biopsy.

One in every eight women will get breast cancer during their lifetime. Therefore, the early diagnosis of the lesions is fundamental to improve the chances of recovery. To find breast cancers, breast screening using techniques such as mammography and ultrasound (US) imaging scans are often used. When a lesion is found, a breast biopsy is performed to extract a tissue sample for analysis. The breast biopsy is usually assisted by an US to help find the lesion and guide the needle to its location. However, the identification of the needle tip in US image is challenging, possibly resulting in puncture failures. In this paper, we intend to study the potential of a sensorized needle guide system that provides information about the needle angle and displacement in respect to the US probe. Laboratory tests were initially conducted to evaluate the accuracy of each sensor in controlled conditions. After, a practical experiment with the US probe, working as a proof of concept, was performed. The angle sensor showed a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.48 degrees and the displacement sensor showed a RMSE of 0.26mm after being calibrated. For the US probe tests, the displacement sensor shows high errors in the range of 1.19mm to 2.05mm due to mechanical reasons. Overall, the proposed system showed its potential to be used to accurately estimate needle tip localization throughout breast biopsies guided by US, corroborating its potential clinical application. Clinical relevance - Potential for clinical application where precise needle localization in ultrasound image is required.

Metabolome fingerprints, performance and carcass quality of beef calves supplemented with antibiotic free additive.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of probiotics on pre-weaning performance, muscle, and fat deposition and serum metabolite profiles in male and female Senepol calves. Thirty new-born Senepol calves, 15 males and 15 females, were randomly allocated to the following treatments: CON a control group that received the basal creep feeding diet and PRO animals that received the basal diet with addition of 2 g/100 kg of body weight (BW) of probiotic. PRO supplementation did not change the DMI but increased average BW, final BW, ADG relative to animals fed CON. Additionally, PRO improved LMA and marbling. Regardless of the serum metabolite profile, the important metabolites for discriminating PRO and CON were glutamine, leucine, creatine, acetate, creatinine, arginine, glutamate, hippurate, glycerol, carnitine, lactate, carnosine, myo-inositol and histidine. According to gender, males had an overabundance of glutamine, glycerol, isoleucine, creatinine and glucose, whereas females had an overabundance of acetyl carnitine, glutamate and carnitine. In conclusion, the addition of PRO in the pre-weaning diet of calves increases performance, weight at weaning and muscle and fat deposition on the carcass, improving proteins and fatty acid metabolism, the immune system response and rumen development.

Metabolomic signature of genetic potential for muscularity in beef cattle.

The aim of this study was to investigate the serum and meat metabolomic changes according to the genetic potential for muscularity of non-castrated Nellore males and its association with phenotypic traits. Forty-eight non-castrated Nellore males were separated into two groups based on their genetic potential for post-weaning muscularity: high (HM) and low (LM). Selection for muscularity did not cause noticeable differences in the traits evaluated during the finishing phase and after slaughter. However, several metabolites in meat and serum, have changed according to the muscularity group. HM animals presented an over-abundance of glycerol, glutamine, choline, methylhistidine, betaine, creatinine and methionine in serum, compared with their LM counterparts. Similarly, the meat samples of HM animals were rich in glucose-6-phosphate, lactate, pyruvate, creatinine, betaine, choline, glycerol and arginine relative to LM bulls. Inosine monophosphate was the only metabolite over-abundant in LM animals. In conclusion, the genetic potential for post-weaning muscularity did not affect performance during the finishing phase, carcass traits and meat quality. However, multivariate analysis shows that the genetic potential of muscularity can be correlated with serum lipid and protein metabolites, and with energy metabolism in meat, providing a footprint of cattle muscularity metabolism.

Composition, richness and nestedness of gallery forest bird assemblages in an Amazonian savanna landscape: lessons for conservation.

Gallery forests are important to the maintenance of a substantial portion of the biodiversity in neotropical savanna regions, but management guidelines specific to this forest type are limited. Here, we use birds as study group to assess if: (1) functional traits can predict the abundance and occupancy of forest species within a savanna landscape, (2) habitat structures influence the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of forest assemblages, and (3) less diverse gallery forest assemblages are a nested subset of more diverse assemblages living near continuous forests. Then, we propose strategies on how gallery forests can be managed to maintain their species assemblages amidst the fast expansion of human activities across tropical savanna landscapes. We studied 26 sites of gallery forests in an Amazonian savanna landscape and found that: (1) habitat specificity is the only functional trait that predicts species abundance and occupancy across a landscape; (2) phylogenetic diversity is negatively correlated with understory foliage density; (3) the percentage of forests and savannas around sites is positively correlated with both phylogenetic and functional diversity; (4) increasing human activities around gallery forest negatively influences taxonomic and functional diversity; and (5) forest bird assemblages are not distributed at random across the landscape but show a nested pattern caused by selective colonization mediated by habitat filtering. Our combined findings have three implications for the design of conservation strategies for gallery forest bird assemblages. First, maintaining the connectivity between gallery forests and adjacent continuous forests is essential because gallery forest bird assemblages are derived from continuous forest species assemblages. Second, because most species use the savanna matrix to move across the landscape, effectively managing the savanna matrices where gallery forests are embedded is as important to maintaining viable populations of forest bird species as managing the gallery forest themselves. Third, in savanna landscapes planned to be used for agriculture production, protecting gallery forests alone is not enough. Instead, gallery forests should be protected with surrounding savanna buffers to avoid the detrimental effects (edge effects and isolation) of human activities on their biodiversity.

On the Impact of Information Technologies Secondary-School Capacity in Business Development: Evidence From Smart Cities Around the World.

Smart City initiatives across the globe have spurred increasing demand for high-skilled workers. The digital transformation, one of the main building blocks of the Smart City movement, is calling for a workforce prepared to develop novel business processes. Problem-solving, critical and analytical thinking are now the essential skills being looked at by employees. The development of the so-called STEM curriculum, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is being given a lot of attention by educational boards in response to preparing young generations for the Smart City work market. Based on the IMD Smart City Index, PISA, and World Bank reports, we develop a model for assessing the impact of the IT secondary school capacities on Smart-City business developments. The model reveals the relationship between the technological capacity of the secondary-school, and the business activity of a Smart City. Moreover, the study shows the existence of a positive relationship between the IT capacity of secondary schools and the resulting entrepreneurial activity of the city. Our results are of interest to decision-makers and stakeholders responsible for designing educational policies and agents involved in the digital transformation and development of Smart Cities initiatives.

Contributions to the Taxonomy of Arlesminthurus Bretfeld and Calvatomina Yosii (Collembola, Symphypleona, Appendiciphora), with the Description of New Species from Northeastern Brazil.

Arlesminthurus Bretfeld is a small genus of Neotropical Bourletiellidae, with only four described species so far. Calvatomina Yosii is a widespread taxon of Dicyrtomidae, with most species known from the tropics. Here, we describe two new species from northeastern Brazil: Arlesminthurus caatinguensis sp. nov. and Calvatomina gladiata sp. nov. We also provide a detailed chaetotaxic study for Arlesminthurus for the first time, with updated diagnoses and identification keys for the Neotropical species of both genera and notes on their morphology. Arlesminthurus caatinguensis sp. nov. resembles A. aueti Arlé in body color pattern, male head and dental chaetotaxy. The discovery of one bothriotrichum-like sens on the large abdomen of the new species needs to be investigated as a possible generic diagnostic feature, but we suggest that this structure is homologous to the S-sens seen in at least four Bourletiellinae genera, and they are likely related to each other. Calvatomina gladiata sp. nov. belongs to the rufescens-group and resembles C. rufescens Reuter and C. guyanensis Nayrolles and Betsch in some aspects of the head, dental and abdominal chaetotaxy. These descriptions represent the first record of Arlesminthurus from Caatinga and the first nominal species of Calvatomina from Brazil.

Using TD-NMR relaxometry and 1D 1H NMR spectroscopy to evaluate aging of Nellore beef.

The aim of this study was to explore the use of TD-NMR relaxometry and 1H NMR spectroscopy-based for detecting differences in meat quality attributes. There was limited association between various TD-NMR signals and any physicochemical parameters of fresh and aged meat differing in tenderness ratings. Samples were then divided into three groups based on statistical changes in metabolite concentration. Group A samples possessed near linear increases in metabolite concentration over aging time; whereas samples assigned to Groups B and C were characterized by increases in metabolites that peaked between 7 and 14 days, and up to 14 days aging, respectively. 1H NMR spectroscopy discriminated meat quality using changes in metabolites reflective of glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, protein degradation, amino acid generation and purine metabolisms. These data suggest segregation of meat quality is possible using both NMR technologies but additional work is necessary to understand fully their utility in a commercial industry setting.

Preliminary study on the characterization of Longissimus lumborum dark cutting meat in Angus × Nellore crossbreed cattle using NMR-based metabolomics.

The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate meat quality properties, muscle metabolite profile and metabolic pathways associated with the occurrence of dark cutting meat in Angus x Nellore crossbreed cattle. After 14 days' ageing, dark cutting meat presented a higher pH, lower cooking loss and colour parameters, and greater tenderness compared with normal meat. Dark cutting meat had a higher ATP level and lower concentrations of glucose-6-phosphate, lactate, glucose, serine, threonine, creatine phosphate, inosine, leucine, methionine, succinate and glucose-1-phosphate compared to normal meat. In dark cutting samples, the ultimate pH was positively correlated with carnitine and negatively correlated with glucose-6-phosphate. However, in normal meat, the ultimate pH presented a positive correlation with arginine, leucine, methionine, proline, threonine, tyrosine and valine. Pathway analysis showed that differentiation of the groups was linked to energetic pathways such as starch and sucrose metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, amino sugar, nucleotide sugar metabolism, and glycolysis or gluconeogenesis. In conclusion, the occurrence of dark cutting meat has a notable impact on meat quality attributes and concentrations of post-mortem glycolytic metabolites, appears to be correlated with mitochondrial activity and affects energetic metabolic pathways.

10 semanas de treinamento de força melhoram quais capacidades físicas em adolescentes fisicamente ativos? / 10 weeks of strength training improve what physical capabilities in physically active adolescents?

o estudo teve como objetivo verificar as adaptações geradas pelo treinamento de força (TF) nos parâmetros neuromusculares e na composição corporal de adolescentes. A amostra foi composta por 10 adolescentes do sexo masculino (16,4 ± 1,0 anos), o protocolo de treinamento de força teve duração de 10 semanas com 3 sessões semanais, divididos em treinos A e B. Para comparação do desempenho, foram avaliadas variáveis antropométricas e composição corporal (estatura, peso, índice de massa corporal e percentual de gordura), bem como, neuromusculares, por meio da resistência muscular de membros superiores (teste de flexão de braços), força explosiva de membros inferiores (teste de salto horizontal), flexibilidade (teste de sentar e alcançar), e força muscular (supino, puxada e leg press 45º). Para comparar os resultados pré e pós intervenção foram utilizadas as diferenças de médias estandardizadas e seus respectivos intervalos de confiança (IC= 90%) e as probabilidades (maior/similar/menor). Foram encontrados aumentos substanciais entre os períodos pré e pós intervenção, para a resistência muscular localizada de membros superiores (92/7/1, Likely), um impacto benéfico de força no supino (86/11/2, Likely), puxada (82/15/3, Likely) e leg press 45° (84/14/2, Likely), e redução em média de 3% na gordura corporal. Os resultados contribuem para uma reflexão crítica em relação ao incentivo a prática de TF em adolescentes, pois com supervisão adequada, planejamento, individualização das cargas de treino e educação técnica correta de cada exercício, os riscos foram suprimidos e os benefícios amplificados.(AU)

Our aim was to investigate the adaptations caused by strength training (ST) in neuromuscular parameters and body composition of adolescents. The sample consisted of 10 male adolescents (16.4 ± 1.0 years) and the strength training protocol lasted 10 weeks with 3 weekly sessions, divided into training sessions A and B. Anthropometric variables and body composition (height, weight, body mass index and percentage of fat) as well as neuromuscular performance (upper limb endurance strength, horizontal jump height, flexibility and muscle strength in bench-press, lat pull-down and 45º leg press exercises). Pre- and post-intervention results were compared using standardized mean differences and their respective confidence intervals (CI = 90%) and likelihood (greater / similar / lower). Substantial increases were found between the pre- and post-intervention periods for upper-limb muscle endurance (92/7/1, Likely) and bench press (86/11/2, Likely), lat pull-down (82 / 15/3, Likely) and leg press (84/14/2, Likely) strength, while a beneficial reduction of 3% in body fat was observed. The results contribute to a critical reflection regarding the incentive to practice ST in adolescents. With proper supervision, planning, individualization of training loads and correct technical education of each exercise, the potential risks were suppressed and the benefits amplified.(AU)

Characterization of chicken muscle disorders through metabolomics, pathway analysis, and water relaxometry: a pilot study.

Metabolite profiles of chicken breast extracts and water mobility in breasts were studied using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy and time-domain NMR (TD-NMR) relaxometry, respectively, using normal breast (NB), and wooden breast (WB) and white striping (WS) myopathies in broilers. One thousand eight hundred sixty broilers were raised to commercial standards, receiving the same diets that were formulated as per the different growth stages. At 49 D of age, 200 animals were slaughtered following routine commercial procedures, and at 4 h postmortem, the whole breast (pectoralis major muscle) was removed and visually inspected by an experienced meat inspector who selected NB (without myopathies) and samples with the presence of WS and WB myopathies. Fifteen breasts (5 each of NB, WS, and WB) were analyzed through TD-NMR relaxometry, and samples of approximately 20 g were taken from each breast and frozen at -80°C for metabolite profiling through 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate the effect on water relaxometry and metabolite profile in accordance with the presence and type of myopathy in the breast. 1H-NMR data showed that the metabolite profiles in WS and WB breasts were different from each other and from NB. This pilot study shows that myopathies appear to be related to hypoxia, connective tissue deposition, lower mitochondrial function, and greater oxidative stress compared with NB. The longitudinal and transverse relaxation time of the breasts determined by TD-NMR relaxometry was shorter for NB than that for WS and WB, indicating greater water mobility in breasts affected by myopathies. 1H-NMR spectroscopy can be used to differentiate the metabolism of WS, WB, and NB, and TD-NMR has the potential to be a fast, simple, and noninvasive method to distinguish NB from WB and WS. As a practical application, the metabolomic profile as per the occurrence of breast myopathies may be used for a better understanding of these issues, which opens a gap to mitigate the incidence and severity of WS and WB. In addition, the present study brings an opportunity for the development of a new and objective tool to classify the incidence of breast myopathies through TD-NMR relaxometry.

Spondylodiscitis: A Retrospective Analysis of Clinical, Etiological, and Radiological Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Spondylodiscitis is an uncommon disease, and due to its indolent nature, it is often a late diagnosis. Great stress is put on the etiologic diagnosis, but blood cultures do not always yield positive results. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), despite being the diagnostic method of choice, is not always available. Our aim was to characterize the clinical presentation and to identify and check the efficacy of the etiologic and radiological methods of diagnosis of spondylodiscitis used at our hospital. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in which spontaneous spondylodiscitis cases were identified. The clinical presentation and the results of etiologic and radiological methods of diagnosis were analyzed. RESULTS: Over a period of 5 years, 34 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria of the study. Regarding days of complaints, we identified a median of 9.5 days (1-547 days), with back pain being the predominant symptom. Fever was present in half the patients. Blood cultures were positive in 16 patients (48.5%). Nineteen patients underwent a computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy (positive in 7 patients [36.8%]), and 10 patients underwent a surgical biopsy (positive in half of them). Overall, 27 patients (79.4%) had an etiologic diagnosis. The diagnostic work-up consisted mostly of an initial CT scan followed by a confirmatory MRI. Of note, in 5 patients the CT scan did not reveal changes that were later confirmed by MRI. A total of 29 patients (85.3%) underwent an MRI, with 28 being diagnostic. CONCLUSIONS: Spondylodiscitis remain a difficult diagnosis. Blood cultures should always be obtained before antibiotic administration and a CT-guided or surgical biopsy should be done if needed. Our results confirm the importance of MRI as the imaging modality of choice and highlight the possibility of false-negative CT scans and the inability of CT to allow for a definitive diagnosis.

Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty for Treatment of 3- and 4-Part Proximal Humeral Fractures: Clinical and Radiological Analysis With Minimum Follow-Up of 2 Years.

BACKGROUND: Hemiarthroplasty has been associated with inferior and unpredictable outcomes when used in the treatment of complex proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients. In this age-group, reverse shoulder arthroplasty is gaining popularity due to the promising results presented in recent evidence. Our aim is to analyze the cases of complex proximal humeral fractures treated by reverse shoulder arthroplasty, regarding functional results and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five fractures from 33 patients with the mean age of 73.5 (65-81) years were treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty for complex fractures of the proximal humerus. These patients were followed for a mean of 38.3 months (24-68) and analyzed regarding clinical outcomes and complications. RESULTS: The average Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores were 6.8 points and 78.3%, respectively. The mean Constant score on the affected side was 64.4 points, 19.5% less than the nonoperated side. The mean active elevation was 123°, abduction 109°, external rotation 38°, and internal rotation 41°. The radiographic tuberosity healing rate was 85.7%. There were no significant differences in outcomes, between patient with healed and reabsorbed tuberosities. Inferior scapular notching was seen in 8 patients. The global complication rate was 12.8%. CONCLUSION: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty yields good and reproductive results with acceptable complication rates in selected elderly patients with complex proximal humeral fractures.