Object Detection for Agricultural and Construction Environments Using an Ultrasonic Sensor.

This study tested an ultrasonic sensor's ability to detect several objects commonly encountered in outdoor agricultural or construction environments: a water jug, a sheet of oriented strand board (OSB), a metalfence post, a human model, a wooden fence post, a Dracaena plant, a juniper plant, and a dog model. Tests were performed with each target object at distances from 0.01 to 3 m. Five tests were performed with each object at each location, and the sensor's ability to detect the object during each test was categorized as "undetected," "intermittent," "incorrect distance," or "good." Rigid objects that presented a larger surface area to the sensor, such as the water jug and OSB, were better detected than objects with a softer surface texture, which were occasionally not detected as the distance approached 3 m. Objects with extremely soft surface texture, such as the dog model, could be undetected at almost any distance from the sensor. The results of this testing should help designers offuture systems for outdoor environments, as the target objects tested can be found in nearly any agricultural or construction environment.

Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) on iNKT cells mediates lung ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Activation of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and signaling through receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) are known to independently mediate lung ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. This study tests the hypothesis that activation of RAGE specifically on iNKT cells via alveolar macrophage-produced high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is critical for the initiation of lung IR injury. A murine in vivo hilar clamp model was utilized, which demonstrated that RAGE(-/-) mice were significantly protected from IR injury. Treatment of WT mice with soluble RAGE (a decoy receptor), or anti-HMGB1 antibody, attenuated lung IR injury and inflammation, whereas treatment with recombinant HMGB1 enhanced IR injury in WT mice but not RAGE(-/-) mice. Importantly, lung dysfunction, cytokine production and neutrophil infiltration were significantly attenuated after IR in Jα18(-/-) mice reconstituted with RAGE(-/-) iNKT cells (versus WT iNKT cells). In vitro studies demonstrated that, after hypoxia-reoxygenation, alveolar macrophage-derived HMGB1 augmented IL-17 production from iNKT cells in a RAGE-dependent manner. These results suggest that HMGB1-mediated RAGE activation on iNKT cells is critical for initiation of lung IR injury and that a crosstalk between macrophages and iNKT cells via the HMGB1/RAGE axis mediates IL-17 production by iNKT cells causing neutrophil infiltration and lung IR injury.

Abnormal heart rate characteristics before clinical diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis.

OBJECTIVE: Earlier diagnosis and treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants, before clinical deterioration, might improve outcomes. A monitor that measures abnormal heart rate characteristics (HRC) of decreased variability and transient decelerations was developed as an early warning system for sepsis. As NEC shares pathophysiologic features with sepsis, we tested the hypothesis that abnormal HRC occur before clinical diagnosis of NEC. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of Bells stage II to III NEC cases among infants <34 weeks gestation enrolled in a prospective randomized clinical trial of HRC monitoring at three neonatal intensive care units. RESULT: Of 97 infants with NEC and HRC data, 33 underwent surgical intervention within 1 week of diagnosis. The baseline HRC index from 1 to 3 days before diagnosis was higher in patients who developed surgical vs medical NEC (2.06±1.98 vs 1.22±1.10, P=0.009). The HRC index increased significantly 16 h before the clinical diagnosis of surgical NEC and 6 h before medical NEC. At the time of clinical diagnosis, the HRC index was higher in patients with surgical vs medical NEC (3.3±2.2 vs 1.9±1.7, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Abnormal HRC occur before clinical diagnosis of NEC, suggesting that continuous HRC monitoring may facilitate earlier detection and treatment.

Vehicle-Mounted Optical Sensing: An Objective Means for Evaluating Turf Quality.

Visual evaluation of turfgrass quality is a subjective process that requires experienced personnel. Optical sensing of plant reflectance provides objective, quantitative turf quality evaluation and requires no turf experience. This study was conducted to assess the accuracy of optical sensing for evaluating turf quality, to compare the rating consistency among human evaluators and optical sensing, and to develop a model that describes a relationship between optically sensed measurements and visual turf quality. Visual evaluations for turf color, texture, percent live cover (PLC), and optically sensed measurements were collected on the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb) and creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) trials at Stillwater, OK. Measurements were made monthly for 12 consecutive months from June 1999 through May 2000. Red (R) and near infrared (NIR) reflectance were collected with sensors and converted to normalized difference vegetative indices (NDVI). The NDVI were closely correlated with visual evaluations for turf color, moderately correlated with percent live cover (PLC), and independent of texture. Measurements of turf color and PLC were evaluated more consistently with optical sensors than by visual ratings. Normalized difference vegetation index (Y) could be reliably predicted by the following generalized model for turf color (X) and PLC (Z): Y = B(0) + B(1)log10X + B(2)Z(3). Optical sensing provided fast, reliable turf assessment and deserves consideration as a supplemental or replacement technique for evaluating turf quality.

Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides: a report of 7 cases and review of the literature.

Over the last 2 decades, hypopigmented macules have been reported with increasing frequency as an initial presentation of mycosis fungoides (MF). We retrospectively reviewed 7 patients with hypopigmented MF. The mean age was 35 years at disease onset, with a mean of 5.5 years' duration of illness before presentation. All of our patients were Fitzpatrick skin type IV or V, and most reported pruritus. Histologic findings in all cases were consistent with MF. Treatment with topical nitrogen mustard produced repigmentation in 4 of 6 patients.

Characteristics of patients with primary acute lateral patellar dislocation and their recovery within the first 6 months of injury.

We prospectively studied the characteristics and early recovery of an unselected population of patients who had acute first-time lateral patellar dislocation. The recovery program used standardized rehabilitation, emphasizing range of motion, muscle strength, and return of function. Patients returned to stressful activities including sports as tolerated when they regained full passive range of motion, had no effusion, and when quadriceps muscle strength was at least 80% compared with the noninjured limb. Seventy-four patients met the enrollment criteria; 37 men and 37 women. The average age was 19.9 years, and preinjury sports participation was similar to that of ligament-injury patients. Four percent of patients (N = 3) had a history of birth complications, 3% (N = 2) had a history of lower extremity problems as an infant or child, and 9% (N = 7) had a family history of patellar dislocation. Radiographs revealed a 50% incidence (N = 37) of patella alta; all patients demonstrated lateral patellar overhang. Patients regained range of motion (mean, 0 degrees to 132 degrees) by 6 weeks. Sports participation remained significantly reduced throughout the first 6 months after injury, with the greatest limitations in kneeling and squatting. At 6 months, 58% of patients (N = 43) noted limitation in strenuous activities. The patients who had acute primary patellar dislocation were young and active. Most injuries occurred during sports, and few patients had abnormal physical features, contradicting any stereotype of an overweight, sedentary, adolescent girl whose patella dislocates with little or no trauma.

Family size, infections, and asthma prevalence in New Zealand children.

We conducted a prevalence case-control study to investigate the relation between family composition, infection, and development of asthma at age 7-9 years. Potential cases (399) and controls (398) were selected from the Wellington, NZ, arm of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, a population-based prevalence study. Further screening questions restricted cases to children with a diagnosis of asthma and current medication use (N = 233) and restricted controls to children without a history of wheezing and no diagnosis of asthma (N = 241). After controlling for confounders (including infections, atopy, and socioeconomic status), family size was strongly related to asthma. Having no siblings [prevalence odds ratio (POR) = 2.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-6.01] or one sibling (POR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.14-3.03) was associated with an increased risk of asthma compared with having more than one sibling. Parent-reported rubeola infection (and possibly other similar viral exanthems) was independently associated with a decreased risk of asthma (POR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.27-0.83), but reported pertussis infection (POR = 1.57; 95% CI = 0.58-4.24) and day care attendance in the first year of life (POR = 1.81; 95% CI = 0.93-3.51) were not strongly associated with increased risks of asthma.

Combined injuries of the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments of the knee. Effect of treatment on stability and function of the joint.

We performed a retrospective study of sixty-six patients (forty-one male and twenty-five female) who had a combined injury of the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. Our purpose was to determine the prevalence of late valgus instability of the knee. The mean age of the patients was thirty-five years (range, sixteen to sixty-three years). The mean follow-up interval was forty-five months (range, twenty-one to 108 months). Twenty patients had been injured while snow-skiing; twenty-four, during other sports activities; seven, in a motor-vehicle accident; and the remaining fifteen, during activities of daily living. Eleven patients had reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and repair of the medial collateral ligament, thirty-three had reconstruction of only the anterior cruciate ligament, and twenty-two were managed non-operatively. There was no evidence of valgus instability on clinical examination at the most recent follow-up visit. However, there was evidence of instability on stress roentgenograms of the knee in eight (13 per cent) of sixty patients. With the numbers available, we could detect no relationship between the presence of valgus instability and the method of treatment of the ligamentous tears ( p > 0.4). We also compared the results for twenty-one of the thirty-three patients who had a combined ligamentous injury and reconstruction of only the anterior cruciate ligament with those for thirty-seven patients who had reconstruction of an isolated tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. After a mean follow-up interval of thirty-five months (range, twenty-one to sixty-six months), there was no difference in the anterior displacement, impairment of function, level of participation in sports activities, results of the one-leg-hop for distance test, or strength as determined by testing on a Cybex machine. On the basis of the findings in this study, we believe that, when there is mild or moderate valgus instability, an injury of the medial collateral ligament does not need to be repaired when the anterior cruciate ligament is repaired after a combined ligamentous injury.

Intra-articular calcaneal fractures. Current concepts.

Intra-articular fractures of the calcaneus should be treated like any other fractures of major weight-bearing joints. Technology has advanced significantly in the evaluation of such complex pathology. Surgical instrumentation is now available to address any fracture classification. In the past, this had been a problem, as maintenance of the anatomic reduction, rigid internal/dynamic external fixation, and early mobilization may not have been attainable. The two remaining major variables are the mechanism of injury and its force that creates the fracture in combination with a very complex intra-articular anatomical structure. There will always be some morbidity in complex and serious fractures, but at least a more favorable outcome may be attainable with application of the current concepts discussed in this text. Finally, the most crucial factor when dealing with this trauma is the skill of the surgeon, which includes his or her decision-making, preoperative planning, surgical acumen, atraumatic technique, experience, and training and postoperative management of possible complications.

Instrumented measurement of patellar mobility.

To provide an objective analysis of medial and lateral patellofemoral laxity, we examined 94 uninjured athletic subjects and 22 patients with unilateral lateral patellar dislocation. We developed an instrument to measure the compliance of the medial and lateral patellar restraints. The instrument recorded the force-displacement relationship as the patella was pushed medially and laterally. Subtracting the medial displacement from the lateral displacement at a given force level allowed the tester to assess the peripatellar soft tissue "balance." The results for both the 2.5- and the 5-pound tests were significant. Paired comparisons differentiated the three groups, with significant differences between control and affected (P = 0.0001), control and contralateral (P = 0.0036), and affected and contralateral (P = 0.0157) knees. The mean result of the lateral minus medial displacement test for our sample population of control subjects was -2.1 mm for the 5-pound test. A negative value in this test indicates that medial displacement exceeds lateral displacement. This finding was present in 81% of control subjects. In contrast, the mean result for the patients' affected knees was +3.2 mm for the 5-pound test. Using the value of 0.0 mm as the diagnostic determinant for peripatellar imbalance, we found a test sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 81%.

Effects of tourniquet use in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Although tourniquets are used commonly during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, little data are available regarding their effects on postoperative function. This retrospective study evaluated 94 patients who had an arthroscopically assisted, autogenous bone-patellar ligament-bone ACL reconstruction between 1988 and 1991 at the San Diego Kaiser Hospital. A tourniquet was used in 48 patients (T+ group). No tourniquet was used in 46 patients (T- group). The surgical and postoperative protocols were identical for the two groups. There were no bleeding complications. There was no significant difference in anesthesia time between the two groups. This study has shown that ACL surgery can be performed expeditiously without a pneumatic tourniquet. Quadriceps strength recovery after surgery was less in the T+ group at 12 weeks after surgery, but there was no significant difference between the groups 52 weeks after surgery. Difference in thigh girth was greater in T+ group 6 and 12 weeks after surgery, but there was no significant difference between the groups 52 weeks after surgery.

The effect of cold therapy on pain, swelling, and range of motion after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery.

This prospective study assessed the effect of cold therapy on pain, pain medication use, limb swelling, and knee range of motion in 131 patients who had an arthroscopically assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Patients were randomized into five treatment groups. Cooling pads were incorporated into the dressing in 89 patients, and no cooling pads were used in 42 patients. There were four cooling-pad temperature groups: 40 degrees F, 45 degrees F, 55 degrees F, and 70 degrees F. The cooling pads lowered the skin temperature. There was no difference between groups with respect to hospital stay, pain medication use, pain scale, knee girth, or range of motion.

[Instrumented measurement of ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament]. / Instrumentelle Messungen von Rupturen des vorderen Kreuzbands.

The KT-1000 arthrometer was used to measure anterior tibial displacement in patients with acute unilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) disruptions. Measurement revealed 11.5 mm absolute displacement on the injured side and 3.6 mm side-to-side difference with the 89 N test, 15.2 mm absolute displacement and 6.1 mm side-to-side difference with the manual maximum displacement test, and 8.5 mm displacement and 2.0 mm side-to-side difference with the active quadriceps test. Chronic anterior instabilities measured 13.0 mm absolute displacement on the involved side and 5.4 mm side-to-side difference with the 89N test, 17.7 mm displacement and 8.6 mm side-to-side difference with the manual maximum displacement test, 10.8 mm displacement and 4.4 mm side-to-side difference with the active quadriceps test. Testing technique, measurements in control subjects without previous knee injuries, and displacement measurements of other authors and other instrumented testing devices are described.

Fate of the ACL-injured patient. A prospective outcome study.

We followed 292 patients who had sustained an acute traumatic hemarthrosis for a mean of 64 months. The KT-1000 arthrometer measurements within 90 days of injury revealed the injured knee was stable in 56 patients and unstable in 236. Forty-five unstable patients had an ACL reconstruction within 90 days of injury. Surgical procedures performed > 90 days after injury included ligament reconstruction in 46 patients. Factors that correlated with patients who had late surgery for a meniscal tear or an ACL reconstruction (P < 0.05) were preinjury hours of sports participation, arthrometer measurements, and patient age. Follow-up data are presented for the patients divided into four groups: I, early stable, no reconstruction; II, early unstable, no reconstruction; III, early reconstruction; and IV, late reconstruction. No patient changed occupation because of the knee injury. Hours per year of sports participation and levels of sports participation decreased in all groups. Joint arthrosis was documented by radiograph and bone scan. Joint surface injury abnormalities observed at surgery and meniscal surgery showed greater abnormalities by radiograph and bone scan scores (P < 0.05). Reconstructed patients had a higher level of arthrosis by radiograph and bone scan.

Open vs. arthroscopic acromioplasty: a prospective, randomized study.

Between May 1988 and May 1990, 44 patients with Stage II impingement were randomized into open and arthroscopic treatment groups. Forty-one patients were available for final follow-up in May 1991: 22 in the open group, 19 in the arthroscopic group. Comparisons of pain, function, motion, and strength were made preoperatively and at 2, 6, 12, 26, and 52 weeks postoperatively. Final analysis showed that the main benefits of arthroscopic acromioplasty were evident in the first 3 months postoperatively. Arthroscopic patients regained flexion and strength more rapidly than did open patients, had shorter hospitalizations, used less narcotics, and returned more quickly to both work and activities of daily living. By 3 months postoperatively, open patients tended to "catch up" with arthroscopic patients, and further recovery was equivalent. In both groups, full recovery took at least 1 year for the majority of patients and in both groups at 1 year > 90% of patients achieved a satisfactory result. Because of its medical and economic advantages for both the patient and the health-care system, we conclude that arthroscopic acromioplasty should become the procedure of choice for patients with impingement syndrome refractory to conservative treatment.

Graft impingement after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Presentation as an active extension "thunk".

Twelve of 215 patients with an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction developed a "thunk," a low-pitched sound, on active extension of the operative knee at an average of 5 months after surgery. In 4 of the patients the thunk resolved without surgical treatment at an average of 4 months after onset (range, 2 to 6). In 3 of the patients an increase in anterior knee laxity was associated with resolution of the thunk. Seven of the patients were treated with arthroscopic examination. Six of the patients had graft impingement on the lateral wall or the roof of the notch with knee extension. The thunk was eliminated with an adequate notchplasty that corrected the impingement. In the other patient the thunk was secondary to fibrosis of the anterior fat pad. One patient with a persistent thunk declined surgery and was lost to followup.

Diagnosis of an ACL disruption with KT-1000 arthrometer measurements.

The KT-1000 was used to measure anterior tibial displacement in three populations: normal subjects (n = 120), patients with unilateral acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) disruptions (n = 105), and patients with chronic unilateral ACL disruptions who were scheduled for ACL reconstructions (n = 159). All patients with ACL disruptions were measured with and without anesthesia. Tibial displacement under three loading conditions was measured: 89-N anterior displacement force, manual maximum displacement force, and quadriceps contraction to lift the leg. The measurements of the normal knee in the injured populations were not significantly different from those of the knees in the normal population on any test. The injured knee tested with and without anesthesia was significantly different from the normal knee on all tests. The right-left difference in the normal population as less than 3 mm in 98% of patients in the 89-N test, 97% in the manual maximum test, and 99% in the quadriceps active test. The largest amount of displacement and the greatest difference in displacement between the injured and the normal knee was produced by the manual maximum test. The manual maximum injured-minus-normal knee displacement was 3 mm or more in 99% of patients with chronic ACL disruptions and in 95% of patients with acute ACL disruptions.

Does epidural administration of butorphanol offer any clinical advantage over the intravenous route? A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

The differential effects of intravenous versus epidural administration of short-acting, lipid-soluble opioids is controversial. This study was undertaken to compare these two routes of administration using the mixed agonist-antagonist opioid, butorphanol. Forty-five women undergoing elective cesarean delivery at term under epidural lidocaine anesthesia were randomized to receive a single bolus of either epidural or intravenous butorphanol 2 mg or saline control for postoperative analgesia. At precisely 60 min after the last dose of epidural local anesthetic, all patients received a simultaneous epidural and intravenous injection in a randomized, double-blinded fashion. The intravenous group received butorphanol intravenous and saline epidurally; the epidural group received saline intravenous and butorphanol epidurally; and a control group received saline via both routes. When additional analgesia was requested, all patients received patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with intravenous morphine (2-mg demand dose, 7-min lockout interval). Analgesia was quantitated using a visual analogue scale and subsequent PCA morphine requirements. The interval from study drug injection until first request for PCA use was equivalent for the intravenous and epidural groups (89 +/- 9 and 83 +/- 8 min, respectively) and significantly longer than in control group (39 +/- 4 min, P less than 0.001, intravenous and epidural vs. control). Analgesia was equivalent in the intravenous and epidural groups at all observation points, and pain scores were significantly lower than control for the first 120 min after study drug injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Patellofemoral problems after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

UNLABELLED: Between 1982 and 1986, 126 patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction were followed in a prospective manner. One year follow-up statistics were reviewed for the presence of 13 different complications. The most prevalent complications were quadriceps weakness, flexion contracture, and patellofemoral pain. Quadriceps weakness (strength less than 80% of the normal side) was present in 65% of patients and correlated positively with flexion contracture, patellar irritabibilty, and ACL reconstructions using patellar tendon grafts. Flexion contracture of 5 degrees or more was present in 24% of patients and correlated positively with increased age and patellar irritability. Patellofemoral pain was present in 19% of patients and correlated positively with flexion contracture. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The three most common complications of knee ligament surgery are shown to be strongly interrelated. It is likely that a causal relationship is present in which flexion contracture causes patellofemoral irritability, and that both of these factors, alone or in combination, result in quadriceps weakness. If this theory is correct, then it is crucial that postoperative rehabilitation programs place a major emphasis on the avoidance of flexion contracture.