Vertebral Trabecular Bone Mechanical Properties Vary Among Functional Groups of Cetaceans.

Since their appearance in the fossil record 34 million years ago, modern cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) have radiated into diverse habitats circumglobally, developing vast phenotypic variations among species. Traits such as skeletal morphology and ecologically linked behaviors denote swimming activity; trade-offs in flexibility and rigidity along the vertebral column determine patterns of caudal oscillation. Here, we categorized 10 species of cetaceans (families Delphinidae and Kogiidae; N = 21 animals) into functional groups based on vertebral centra morphology, swimming speeds, diving behavior, and inferred swimming patterns. We quantified trabecular bone mechanical properties (yield strength, apparent stiffness, and resilience) among functional groups and regions of the vertebral column (thoracic, lumbar, and caudal). We extracted 6 mm3 samples from vertebral bodies and tested them in compression in 3 orientations (rostrocaudal, dorsoventral, and mediolateral) at 2 mm min-1. Overall, bone from the pre-fluke/fluke boundary had the greatest yield strength and resilience, indicating that the greatest forces are translated to the tail during caudal oscillatory swimming. Group 1, composed of 5 shallow-diving delphinid species, had the greatest vertebral trabecular bone yield strength, apparent stiffness, and resilience of all functional groups. Conversely, Group 3, composed of 2 deep-diving kogiid species, had the least strong, stiff, and resilient bone, while Group 2 (3 deep-diving delphinid species) exhibited intermediate values. These data suggest that species that incorporate prolonged glides during deep descents in the water column actively swim less, and place relatively smaller loads on their vertebral columns, compared with species that execute shallower dives. We found that cetacean vertebral trabecular bone properties differed from the properties of terrestrial mammals; for every given bone strength, cetacean bone was less stiff by comparison. This relative lack of material rigidity within vertebral bone may be attributed to the non-weight-bearing locomotor modes of fully aquatic mammals.

Desde su aparición en el registro fósil 34 Mya, los cetáceos modernos (delfines, ballenas y marsopas) se han radiado a diversos hábitats a nivel mundial, desarrollando vastas variaciones fenotípicas entre especies. Rasgos como la morfología esquelética y los comportamientos vinculados ecológicamente denotan actividad de natación; las compensaciones en flexibilidad y rigidez a lo largo de la columna vertebral determinan los patrones de oscilación caudal. Aquí, categorizamos 10 especies de cetáceos (familias Delphinidae y Kogiidae; N = 21 animales) en grupos funcionales basados ​​en la morfología de los centros vertebrales, velocidades de nado, comportamiento de buceo y patrones de nado inferidos. Cuantificamos las propiedades mecánicas del hueso trabecular (límite elástico, rigidez aparente y resiliencia) entre grupos funcionales y regiones de la columna vertebral (torácica, lumbar y caudal). Extrajimos muestras de 6 mm3 de cuerpos vertebrales y las probamos en compresión en tres orientaciones (rostrocaudal, dorsoventral y mediolateral) a 2 mm min-1. En general, el hueso de la platija tuvo el mayor límite elástico y resiliencia, lo que indica que las mayores fuerzas se trasladan a la cola durante la natación oscilatoria caudal. El grupo 1, compuesto por cinco especies de delfínidos de buceo superficial, tuvo el mayor límite elástico del hueso trabecular vertebral, rigidez aparente y resiliencia de todos los grupos funcionales. Por el contrario, el Grupo 3, compuesto por dos especies de kogiidos de inmersión profunda, tenía el hueso menos fuerte, rígido y resistente, mientras que el Grupo 2 (tres especies de delfínidos de inmersión profunda) exhibió valores intermedios. Estos datos sugieren que las especies que incorporan deslizamientos prolongados durante descensos profundos en la columna de agua nadan menos activamente y colocan cargas relativamente más pequeñas en sus columnas vertebrales, en comparación con las especies que realizan inmersiones menos profundas. Encontramos que las propiedades del hueso trabecular vertebral de los cetáceos diferían de las propiedades de los mamíferos terrestres; por cada resistencia ósea dada, el hueso de cetáceo era menos rígido en comparación. Esta relativa falta de rigidez del material dentro del hueso vertebral puede atribuirse a los modos locomotores que no soportan peso de los mamíferos totalmente acuáticos.

An association between fingerprint patterns with blood group and lifestyle based diseases: a review.

In the current era of the digital world, the hash of any digital means considered as a footprint or fingerprint of any digital term but from the ancient era, human fingerprint considered as the most trustworthy criteria for identification and it also cannot be changed with time even up to the death of an individual. In the court of law, fingerprint-proof is undeniably the most dependable and acceptable evidence to date. Fingerprint designs are exclusive in each human and the chance of two individuals having identical fingerprints is an exceptional case about one in sixty-four thousand million also the fingerprint minutiae patterns of the undistinguishable twins are different, and the ridge pattern of each fingertip remain unchanged from birth to till death. Fingerprints can be divided into basic four categories i.e. Loop, whorl, arch, and composites, nevertheless, there are more than 100 interleaved ridge and valleys physiognomies, called Galton's details, in a single rolled fingerprint. Due to the immense potential of fingerprints as an effective method of identification, the present research paper tries to investigate the problem of blood group identification and analysis of diseases those arises with aging like hypertension, type 2-diabetes and arthritis from a fingerprint by analyzing their patterns correlation with blood group and age of an individual. The work has been driven by studies of anthropometry, biometric trademark, and pattern recognition proposing that it is possible to predict blood group using fingerprint map reading. Dermatoglyphics as a diagnostic aid used from ancient eras and now it is well established in number of diseases which have strong hereditary basis and is employed as a method for screening for abnormal anomalies. Apart from its use in predicting the diagnosis of disease; dermatoglyphics is also used in forensic medicine in individual identification, physical anthropology, human genetics and medicine. However, the Machine and Deep Learning techniques, if used for fingerprint minutiae patterns to be trained by Neural Network for blood group prediction and classification of common clinical diseases arises with aging based on lifestyle would be an unusual research work.

Endoscopy supply water and final rinse testing: five years of experience.

BACKGROUND: The penultimate stage in endoscope reprocessing is the final rinse with water following terminal disinfection. This requires a degree of microbiological and chemical control of the quality of the final rinse water. AIM: To report experience gained over five years of testing, reporting and managing the quality of final rinse water for endoscopic devices. METHODS: Three endoscope reprocessing units, each comprising five endoscope washer-disinfectors (EWDs) supplied by two reverse osmosis (RO) water units, were subjected to weekly monitoring and control of final rinse water quality. EWDs were subjected to nightly thermal self-disinfection, and RO units were subjected to periodic sanitization with peracetic acid. Final rinse water samples were processed periodically for total viable counts (TVCs), Pseudomonas spp., endotoxins, conductivity, environmental mycobacteria and Legionella spp. FINDINGS: Over the five-year study period (2008-2013), no Pseudomonas spp., environmental mycobacteria or Legionella spp. were isolated from endoscopy rinse water. All conductivity readings were below 30 µs/cm. Endotoxin levels fluctuated over the recommended cut-off of 0.25 EU/mL, with no correlation with TVCs. Trend analysis of TVCs established alert and action limits. Apart from the supply water of one EWD becoming contaminated with Aspergillus spp., there have been no interruptions to operational capacity of the endoscope reprocessing units. CONCLUSIONS: Quality control principles coupled with appropriate thermal and chemical disinfection of EWDs resulted in the achievement of microbiological standards for final rinse water. A co-ordinated team approach between the microbiology department, infection control department, endoscope unit managers and estates department is required to achieve this degree of success.

Life table methodology applied to NHANES II database for analysis of mortality associated with cholesterol/HDL ratios.

This article describes the association between total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol ratios and all-cause mortality in a large cohort of Americans with nearly 17 years of follow-up. Detailed actuarial life table methodology was used. It concludes that the relationship is best described as a J-shaped curve.

Review of the toxicologic properties of medium-chain triglycerides.

Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are a family of triglycerides, containing predominantly, caprylic (C(8)) and capric (C(10)) fatty acids with lesser amounts of caproic (C(6)) and lauric (C(12)) fatty acids. MCTs are widely used for parenteral nutrition in individuals requiring supplemental nutrition and are being more widely used in foods, drugs and cosmetics. MCTs are essentially non-toxic in acute toxicity tests conducted in several species of animals. In ocular and dermal irritation testing MCTs exhibit virtually no potential as ocular or dermal irritants, even with prolonged eye or skin exposure. MCTs exhibit no capacity for induction of hypersensitivity. Ninety-day toxicity tests did not result in notable toxicity, whether the product was administered in the diet up to 9375mg/kg body weight/day or by intramuscular (im) injection (up to 0. 5ml/kg/day, rabbits). There was no evidence that intravenous (iv) or dietary administration of MCTs adversely affected the reproductive performance of rats or resulted in maternal toxicity, foetal toxicity or teratogenic effects at doses up to 4.28g/kg body weight/day (iv) or 12,500mg/kg body weight/day (dietary). There was no evidence that dietary administration of MCTs adversely affected the reproductive performance of pigs or resulted in maternal toxicity, foetal toxicity or teratogenic effects at doses up to 4000mg/kg body weight/day in the diet. In rabbits, following iv administration, the maternal and foetal no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAELs) were between 1.0 and 4.28g/kg body weight/ day. A 2-year study in rats, conducted with a closely related compound (tricaprylin, a triglyceride with C(8) fatty acids), provided no evidence of a carcinogenic effect when the material was administered by oral gavage at levels up to 10ml/kg (9.54g/kg) per day. Although tricaprylin was found to be positive in one of five strains of Salmonella typhimurium in the presence of metabolic activation in an Ames mutagenicity assay, the results of the carcinogenicity test with tricaprylin and mutagenicity tests with caprylic acid indicate that MCTs do not have the potential to be carcinogenic or mutagenic. The safety of human dietary consumption of MCTs, up to levels of 1g/kg, has been confirmed in several clinical trials.

Fetal alcohol syndrome in Alaska, 1977 through 1992: an administrative prevalence derived from multiple data sources.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence and characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome cases and the usefulness of various data sources in surveillance were examined in Alaska to guide prevention and future surveillance efforts. METHODS: Sixteen data sources in Alaska were used to identify children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Medical charts were reviewed to verify cases, and records were reviewed to provide descriptive data. RESULTS: Fetal alcohol syndrome rates varied markedly by birth year and race, with the highest prevalence (4.1 per 1000 live births) found among Alaska Natives born between 1985 and 1988. Screening and referral programs to diagnostic clinics identified 70% of all recorded cases. The intervention program for children 0 to 3 years of age detected 29% of age-appropriate cases, and Medicaid data identified 11% of all cases; birth certificates detected only 9% of the age-appropriate cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a high prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in Alaska and illustrate that reliance on any one data source would lead to underestimates of the extent of fetal alcohol syndrome in a population.

Youth risk behavior survey: the Alaskan perspective.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a national school-based survey used to monitor health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. Both high school and middle school surveys were administered to a representative group of Alaska high school and middle school students for the first time in 1995. Surveys were administered in a confidential and anonymous manner, taking care to assure student privacy. A total of 1,634 high school students and 1,265 middle school students completed surveys. The survey revealed that, for the most part, Alaska students are similar to U.S. students. Among high school students, 23.2% of boys and 15.4% of girls seldom or never used seat belts; 36.4% of boys and 36.5% of girls had smoked cigarettes in the previous 30 days; 23.5% of boys and 6.7% of girls had used smokeless tobacco in the previous 30 days; 48.7% of boys and 48.0% of girls reported having had sexual intercourse at least once; 23.7% of boys and 59.5% of girls were trying to lose weight; and 77.9% of boys and 65.6% of girls had exercised vigorously on three of the previous seven days. The middle school survey was somewhat different than the high school survey, so that results are not directly comparable. Nonetheless, the data indicate that high-risk behaviors, such as tobacco use, drug use, and early sexual intercourse, do occur at the middle school level. The survey also showed that Alaska teens have desirable health behaviors as well, such as frequent exercise and eating fruits and vegetables. The 1995 Alaska YRBS was the first time that representative data on Alaska students were collected on a statewide basis. The YRBS provides Alaska with baseline data that can be compared to national data.

Developing and conducting a health risk behavior survey among school-aged students.

PURPOSE: To conduct a survey in the school setting which inquires about health risk behaviors among students in grades 7-12. METHOD: The survey was designed by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in conjunction with many federal and state agencies, to monitor behaviors in the following six areas: unintentional and intentional injuries, tobacco use, alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviors, dietary behaviors, and physical activity. Surveys are administered at the national and state levels and can be optionally administered by local school districts. The standard survey instrument allows for comparisons of national, state, and, where appropriate, local data. Computer software allows for the selection of a random sample and when a sufficient response rate is achieved, survey results can be generalized to the entire sampling frame. Standard software packages can be used for analysis of the data. RESULTS: The Youth Risk Behavior Survey developed by the CDC provides a useful and practical tool to monitor health risk behaviors in adolescent populations. This type of instrument may prove useful to public health professionals in other countries.

A comparison of demographic characteristics of selected year 2000 health objectives for the United States, using behavioral risk factor surveillance system data for Alaska.

PURPOSE: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a nationally developed and state-administered telephone survey which monitors the health behaviors and practices of adults aged 18 and older. One use of the survey is to monitor progress towards some of the Year 2000 Health Objectives for the United States. METHOD: Alaska has been conducting BRFSS monthly since January 1991, collecting approximately 128 interviews each month, for a yearly yield of approximately 1,530. Survey design allows for the aggregation of data over several years to accumulate sufficient sample size to look at health behaviors in subgroups of interest. We look at progress towards Year 2000 objectives for Alaska by various demographic characteristics: age, gender, education, employment, and geographic region. RESULTS: Survey data such as BRFSS can be used to monitor health behaviors and practices in a population in a cost-efficient and systematic manner.

The prevalence of tobacco use among Alaska adults.

The Alaska Division of Public Health monitors the prevalence of smoking and other tobacco use among Alaska adults through the Alaska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a telephone survey performed in cooperation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of approximately 1530 interviews are completed each year in Alaska by specially trained interviewers. The prevalence of smoking among Alaska adults in 1994 (28.9%) was second highest in the U.S. Alaska Natives have higher smoking rates (42.9%). Overall, smoking rates have declined in the last three decades nationally. However, in recent years, little change has been found in the prevalence of smoking among adults. Alaska's rate of smokeless tobacco use has also been higher than the national rate of use. The majority of Alaska smokers (83.7%) began smoking between 10 and 20 years of age. In 1994, an estimated 121,000 Alaska adults aged 18 and older were current smokers.

Tobacco use among Alaska youth.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a national school-based survey used to monitor health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. Tobacco use is one of the behaviors monitored. Both high school and middle school surveys were administered to a representative group of Alaska high school and middle school students for the first time in 1995. Surveys were administered in a confidential and anonymous manner, taking care to assure student privacy. A total of 1,634 high school students and 1,265 middle school students completed surveys. The survey found that Alaska high school students have smoking rates higher than the national rate and that Alaska Native youth have even higher smoking rates. Furthermore, smoking is not uncommon among Alaska middle school students. Among high school students, 36.5% were current smokers (had smoked in the past 30 days) and 21.1% had smoked on 20 or more of the previous 30 days. Boys were more likely than girls to report having used chewing tobacco or snuff in the 30 days prior to the survey (23.5% of boys and 6.7% of girls). Smokeless tobacco use increased with grade level so that 29.1% of high school senior boys had used smokeless tobacco products within the previous 30 days. Over 60% of Alaska Native students reported smoking in the previous 30 days, 43.7% reported smoking 20 or more of the previous 30 days and 22.5% reported using chewing tobacco or snuff in the previous 30 days. Over half of middle school students reported having tried smoking at least once; about one-fourth smoked at least one day in the past 30 days and 5.6% smoked on 20 or more of the past 30 days.

The contribution of reinfection to gonorrhea incidence in Alaska, 1983 to 1987.

Gonorrhea case reports to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services were used to study the contribution of reinfection to rates of gonorrhea infection in Alaska. The case reports of 13,910 infections among 11,132 persons who had laboratory-proven gonorrhea between 1983 and 1987 were examined. Among 1,886 persons who had multiple infections, the average number of infections per person was 2.5 (range = 2-11). These persons accounted for 33.5% of all infections and 16.9% of all patients with gonorrhea from 1983 to 1987. Compared to persons with one infection, those having multiple infections were more likely to be Alaska Natives (relative risk = 1.8, 95% confidence interval = 1.6-1.9) and less than 21 years of age (relative risk = 1.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.2-1.4). There was no difference in risk between men and women. Two thirds of the reinfections occurred within 12 months of the initial infection. If gonorrhea incidence were calculated based on the number of people infected rather than as a "case rate," the mean annual rate (per 100,000) from 1983 to 1987 decreased from 1,644 to 1,228 (a 25.3% decrease) for Alaska Natives and from 316 to 267 (a 15.5% decrease) for non-Natives. Reporting gonorrhea incidence rates by number of persons infected rather than by total number of cases more accurately measures gonorrhea morbidity in a population and will allow prevention efforts to be directed to those persons who contribute the most to perpetuating the disease.

The goldfish as a retinex animal.

In an experiment designed to test color constancy in a situation comparable to that used in E. H. Land's experiments with human observers, goldfish were trained to approach a particular color within a richly colored but variable "Mondrian" background. They retained the ability to identify colors accurately even when the spectral composition of the illuminant was radically altered in generalization tests. Since the behavior of fish resembles that of human beings in these tests, Land's retinex theory seems to apply to a relatively primitive vertebrate as well as to humans.

A repartitioning agent to improve performance and carcass composition of broilers.

Clenbuterol [benzyl alcohol, 4-amino-alpha-(t-butylamino)methyl-3,5-dichloro] was tested in the finisher ration of broilers in three series of experiments for its effects on performance and carcass characteristics. In Experiment 1, administration of clenbuterol at feed levels of .25, .5, 1, 2, and 4 ppm from 28 to 49 days of age resulted in significant sex combined weight gain improvements at all levels except 4 ppm and significant feed efficiency improvements at all levels tested. Uneviscerated body composition analysis indicated that clenbuterol treatment significantly increased body protein and water content and decreased body fat in female birds. In males, body fat was significantly reduced by 1, 2, and 4 ppm clenbuterol. From these results the 1 ppm level was selected for further testing. In Experiments 2 and 3, clenbuterol fed from 28 to 49 days of age significantly improved sex combined weight gain and feed efficiency and both male and female 49-day weights. Carcass yield was significantly increased in males and females by 1.11 and 1.91 percentage points, respectively. Abdominal fat was significantly reduced by clenbuterol feeding only in females. Carcass analysis indicated that clenbuterol-fed birds had a significantly lower carcass fat content. In Experiments 4 to 7, clenbuterol was administered at 1 ppm in the finishing feed but was withdrawn 3 to 5 days prior to terminal performance and carcass evaluations. Clenbuterol significantly improved sex combined weight gain and feed efficiency, and 49-day weights for both sexes. Carcass yield was significantly increased in males and females by .54 and .98 percentage points, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

New methods for analysis of vision in the gerbil.

The visual behavior of gerbils has been studied by adapting natural behaviors such as food pursuit, aperture detection, barrier negotiation and ladder climbing. Methods are described for measuring detection and discrimination thresholds using visual orienting tasks. Furthermore, studies of size-distance constancy, anticipation of a moving target's trajectory, and optimal planning of barrier detours show the usefulness of film records for quantitative analysis of complex perceptual abilities. Finally, preliminary studies of gerbils following ablation of primary visual cortex indicate that some visuomotor abilities are cortically dependent.

Some effects of pretectum lesions on the frogs' detection of stationary objects.

Frogs with bilateral aspiration lesions of the caudal thalamus were unable to avoid collision with a vertically striped barrier that partly surrounded the animal. This striking deficit co-existed with normal visual guidance of feeding and avoidance of threat. In addition, all lesioned animals were unable to turn towards an aperture within black or white enclosures in order to escape noxious stimulation. Some residual detection of stationary edges remains, however, since most lesioned animals were able to avoid a small barrier placed before them. It is concluded that pretectal visual neurons play a key role in the detection of stationary objects in contrast to the motion detection functions of the frogs optic tectum.