Global Vertical Distribution of Water Vapor on Mars: Results From 3.5 Years of ExoMars-TGO/NOMAD Science Operations.

We present water vapor vertical distributions on Mars retrieved from 3.5 years of solar occultation measurements by Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which reveal a strong contrast between aphelion and perihelion water climates. In equinox periods, most of water vapor is confined into the low-middle latitudes. In aphelion periods, water vapor sublimated from the northern polar cap is confined into very low altitudes-water vapor mixing ratios observed at the 0-5 km lower boundary of measurement decrease by an order of magnitude at the approximate altitudes of 15 and 30 km for the latitudes higher than 50°N and 30-50°N, respectively. The vertical confinement of water vapor at northern middle latitudes around aphelion is more pronounced in the morning terminators than evening, perhaps controlled by the diurnal cycle of cloud formation. Water vapor is also observed over the low latitude regions in the aphelion southern hemisphere (0-30°S) mostly below 10-20 km, which suggests north-south transport of water still occurs. In perihelion periods, water vapor sublimated from the southern polar cap directly reaches high altitudes (>80 km) over high southern latitudes, suggesting more effective transport by the meridional circulation without condensation. We show that heating during perihelion, sporadic global dust storms, and regional dust storms occurring annually around 330° of solar longitude (L S) are the main events to supply water vapor to the upper atmosphere above 70 km.

Martian CO2 Ice Observation at High Spectral Resolution With ExoMars/TGO NOMAD.

The Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument suite aboard ExoMars/Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft is mainly conceived for the study of minor atmospheric species, but it also offers the opportunity to investigate surface composition and aerosols properties. We investigate the information content of the Limb, Nadir, and Occultation (LNO) infrared channel of NOMAD and demonstrate how spectral orders 169, 189, and 190 can be exploited to detect surface CO2 ice. We study the strong CO2 ice absorption band at 2.7 µm and the shallower band at 2.35 µm taking advantage of observations across Martian Years 34 and 35 (March 2018 to February 2020), straddling a global dust storm. We obtain latitudinal-seasonal maps for CO2 ice in both polar regions, in overall agreement with predictions by a general climate model and with the Mars Express/OMEGA spectrometer Martian Years 27 and 28 observations. We find that the narrow 2.35 µm absorption band, spectrally well covered by LNO order 189, offers the most promising potential for the retrieval of CO2 ice microphysical properties. Occurrences of CO2 ice spectra are also detected at low latitudes and we discuss about their interpretation as daytime high altitude CO2 ice clouds as opposed to surface frost. We find that the clouds hypothesis is preferable on the basis of surface temperature, local time and grain size considerations, resulting in the first detection of CO2 ice clouds through the study of this spectral range. Through radiative transfer considerations on these detections we find that the 2.35 µm absorption feature of CO2 ice clouds is possibly sensitive to nm-sized ice grains.

Optical and radiometric models of the NOMAD instrument part II: the infrared channels - SO and LNO.

NOMAD is a suite of three spectrometers that will be launched in 2016 as part of the joint ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission. The instrument contains three channels that cover the IR and UV spectral ranges and can perform solar occultation, nadir and limb observations, to detect and map a wide variety of Martian atmospheric gases and trace species. Part I of this work described the models of the UVIS channel; in this second part, we present the optical models representing the two IR channels, SO (Solar Occultation) and LNO (Limb, Nadir and Occultation), and use them to determine signal to noise ratios (SNRs) for many expected observational cases. In solar occultation mode, both the SO and LNO channel exhibit very high SNRs >5000. SNRs of around 100 were found for the LNO channel in nadir mode, depending on the atmospheric conditions, Martian surface properties, and observation geometry.

Salvage total hip arthroplasty after two gamma 3 nail failures: a case report.

We report a case of 68-year-old female patient who suffered two Gamma 3 nail breakages following trochanteric fixation failure revision surgery. A patient was primarily treated with sliding hip screw. Revision surgeries of reverse trochanteric nonunion were performed with short Gamma 3 nails and bone grafting. The nail failures occurred 11 and 7 months after implantation. This undesired series of events were caused by inappropriate implant selection, thus replacing the nail to a modular total hip arthroplasty was more effective as salvage surgery. Key words: salvage total hip arthroplasty, gamma nail, sliding hip screw, fixation failure, reverse trochanteric fracture, nonunion.

The influence of alcohol intoxication on the severity of injuries suffered by drivers in road traffic accidents.

PURPOSE: To determine the severity of injuries in drunk and sober drivers in traffic accidents, by using the Injury Severity Score (ISS), as well as the most vulnerable body region of those involved. METHODS: This was an observational case-control study covering a 1-year period of patients treated in the emergency department of the Health Center in Kraljevo, Serbia. Seventy-five patients were identified as drunken drivers [blood alcohol concentration (BAC) >0.03 %] (group of cases), while 70 patients were found to be sober drivers (group of controls). Injuries were categorized by body region according to the ISS. RESULTS: Half of all drivers (51.7 %) injured in traffic accidents were under the influence of alcohol. Males represented a substantial majority of both groups. In both categories of drivers, the greatest incidence of traffic accidents was in the age group 19-35 years. Injuries of drunken drivers were more frequently present in all body regions except in the areas of limbs with shoulder and pelvic bones. Drivers under the influence of alcohol have a 3.80 times greater risk of suffering deadly injuries in traffic accidents. The average ISS in drunken drivers was higher in comparison to sober drivers (p < 0.05). The greatest ISS was in the drunk group with BAC level over 0.051 % (the ISS range was 15-20). A strong correlation was found between the BAC level and the degree of injury (r = 0.63). CONCLUSION: The severity of injuries and, especially, the 3.80 times greater risk of suffering deadly injuries in traffic accidents for drunken drivers obliges us to pay attention to prevention strategies.

[Treatment of eosinophilic fasciitis with cimetidine]. / Lecenje eozinofilnog fasciitisa cimetidinom.

A case of a female patient with clinical and histological manifestation of eosinophilic fascitis has been reported. After five months cimetidine therapy a significant improvement was achieved. During the therapy some adverse effects occurred and cimetidine therapy had to be ceased.

Skin lesions--an indicator of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus?

Cutaneous manifestations have great diagnostic value for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study we tried to establish a correlation between lupus erythematosus LE-specific and LE-nonspecific cutaneous lesions and disease activity measured by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Sixty-six patients with SLE were evaluated. They were divided into three groups having: (1) only LE-specific lesions (38 or 58.46%); (2) only LE-nonspecific lesions (4 or 6.15%); and (3) both types of lesions (23 or 35.38%). Results were analyzed using the Student t-test. Patients with LE-nonspecific skin manifestations had significantly increased disease activity compared to those with only LE-specific lesions. The number of different skin lesion types also correlated with disease activity. It was significantly increased in a group with three different types of lesion, either specific or nonspecific. Patients with only one type of lesion had mild disease. An intermediate disease activity was found in the group with two different lesion types. Lupus-specific skin manifestations serve primarily as an important diagnostic clue. In conclusion, patients with LE-nonspecific lesions have significantly more active SLE than those with LE-specific lesions and may therefore require more intensive therapy and disease monitoring.

[Transmeatal direct myringoplasty]. / Transmeatusna direktna miringoplastika.

A surgical method of transmeatal direct myringoplasty (TDM) was performed in 30 patients. Out of those, 21 patients were previously treated for chronic otitis media, 4 patients were with dry perforations of neomembrane following myringoplasty, and 5 patients were with blasttraumatic ruptures of the eardrum. Fascia of the temporal muscle was used in the defect reconstruction. Graft healing and closure of the eardrum defect were observed in all patients 3 months after the surgery. Postoperative improvement of hearing in an interval of 15-20 dB was found in 21 patients. Milder sensorineural hearing damage was found in 1 patient, while in the others the hearing was on the preoperative level. Simplicity of the method, minimal surgical procedure and favorable postoperative results were the reason why the authors recommended TDM as the method of choice in the reconstruction of the eardrum defects caused by an inflammation or blasttraumatic damages of the eardrum.

[Onychatrophy in a female patient with lichen planus]. / Onihatrofija kod bolesnice sa lichen planus-om.

A case of female patient with onychatrophy, as a single clinical manifestation of lichen planus is reported. Nail histopathologic and direct immunofluorescent findings confirmed the diagnosis.

Real-time extraction of tissue impedance model parameters for electrical impedance spectrometer.

This paper presents a new algorithm for real-time extraction of tissue electrical impedance model parameters from in vivo electrical impedance spectroscopic measurements. This algorithm was developed as a part of a system for muscle tissue ischemia measurements using electrical impedance spectroscopy. An iterative least square fitting method, biased with a priori knowledge of the impedance model was developed. It simultaneously uses both the real and imaginary impedance spectra to calculate tissue parameters R0, R infinity, alpha and tau. The algorithm was tested with simulated data, and during real-time in vivo ischemia experiments. Experimental results were achieved with standard deviations of sigma R0 = 0.80%, sigma R infinity = 0.84%, sigma alpha = 0.72%, and sigma tau = 1.26%. On a Pentium II based PC, the algorithm converges to within 0.1% of the results in 17 ms. The results show that the algorithm possesses excellent parameter extraction capabilities, repeatability, speed and noise rejection.

[Submandibular secretion of immunoglobulins IgA and IgG in peripheral paralysis of the facial nerve]. / Submandibularna sekrecija imunoglobulina IgA i IgG kod perifernih paraliza zivca lica.

INTRODUCTION: In all lesions of the facial nerve suprachoroidally localized, and due to disturbance of parasympathetic and sympathetic component, there comes to qualitative and quantitative disorders of the secretion of submandibular salivary gland. Glandular immunoglobulins IgA and IgG are the secretion of the specific plasma cells in the interstice of this gland. The mechanism of the secretion of immunoglobulins is not sufficiently clear, but it is certainly under the direct neurogenic control, since the disorders of the secretion emerge after the denervation of the submandibular salivary gland. The aim of the study was to prove the direct relation between the degree of submandibular immunoglobulin secretion IgA and IgG, and the degree of the lesion of the facial nerve U which is vitally important in the clinical estimation of the peripheral paralysis of this nerve. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 35 patients with peripheral idiopathic facial nerve paralysis, the quantity of the secreted immunoglobulins IgA and IgG was examined by laser nephelometar BLN, Module 3. The quantity of the secreted immunoglobulins IgA and IgG (mg lit) in the saliva of the paralysed side was indirectly compared to the secreted immunoglobulins of the healthy, i.e. control side. The examination was performed three times: a) after the appearance of the disease, in the first 30 days; b) two to three months later; c) after six to twelve months. RESULTS: The quantity of the secreted immunoglobulins is significantly higher in the saliva samples taken from the paralysed side (9.50U204.77 mg lit), in comparison with the samples taken from the healthy side (9.50U70.36 mg lit). In the group of patients with favourable results and significantly higher secretion (p 0.01) normalization occurred in the final period of observation. In patients with unfavourable results the difference in secretion was continuously present (p 0.05) (table 1). DISCUSSION: In the lesions of the facial nerve suprachoroidally localized, there comes to disorder concerning the secretion of immunoglobulins IgA and IgG by submandibular salivary gland, which can be applied in the estimation of the degree of paralysis and the prognosis of the final result. CONCLUSION: The results of the research show that in the peripheral idiopathic facial nerve paralysis, there comes to increased secretion of immunoglobulins IgA and IgG in submandibular gland, at the paralysed side. In the patients who, during the paralysis, show quicker fall and normalization of the previously increased quantities of immunoglobulins, the recovery of the motor function of the facial nerve comes more successfully and more certainly. The degree of the secretion of immunoglobulins IgA and IgG can be used for the estimation of the severely of the pathological process in the suprachoroidal part of the nerve, and it can be used as a reliable parameter for the prognosis of the paralysis outcome.

[Facial nerve injuries caused by firearms]. / Povrede facijalnog nerve izazvane vatrenim oruzjem.

In the period from 1990 to 1994, 52 facial nerve injuries caused by fragments firearm projectiles were managed. Their features (localization, severity and extensiveness) were correlated with 37 nerve injuries in blunt head injuries with fracture of temporal bone. In blunt head injuries, 81.1% patients were with the nerve lesion in the area of geniculate ganglion (labyrinthine and tympanic segment). Compression of nerve with bone fragments of fallopian tube was found in 56.8% cases, the cleft of neural sheath and intraneural hematoma were rarer, while the nerve tear was not found in any injured. The distal part of mastoid and beginning part of parotid nerve segment were injured in over 70% cases of gunshot injuries, and in 38.5% cases the injury was multiple. Direct suture was performed in 8 nerve injuries, neuroplasty in 6, and the other injuries were managed by skeletization of fallopian tube, nerve decompression or some other microsurgical procedure. Micro-surgery was performed 7-14 days after the injury.

[An atraumatic approach in stapes reconstruction]. / Atraumatski postupak u stapedoplastici.

In order to prevent complications which occur in classical stapedoplasty, authors applied a new atraumatic procedure in 138 patients with otosclerosis. Along with preserved ossicular chain, stapedotomy was performed and a piston-wire prosthesis placed. Disarticulation of incudostapedial joint was the next part of the procedure with removal of suprastructure of the stapes. Early and late cochlear disorders were rare while the final functional effects were much better. This paper analyzes numerous advantages of this procedure with directives for promotion of our work in the future.

Hyperthermic stress modulates the functions of rat liver glucocorticoid receptor.

A mild whole body hyperthermic stress causes a rapid and reversible reduction of rat liver glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding capacity and affects the stability of the GR-DNA complexes formed after thermal transformation of the receptor. These changes appear to be physiologically relevant, since they are accompanied by a decrease in dexamethasone induction of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT). In spite of the decreased rate of the GR degradation in liver cytosol of hyperthermic as compared to control rats, the total amount of the GR and its proteolytic products recognized by BuGR2 monoclonal antibody was found to be lower in the former cytosol, but higher in the respective nuclei.