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A Comparative Study of Plasma Trace Elements (Copper, Iron and Zinc) Status in Anaemic and Non-anaemic Pregnant Women in Abakaliki, Nigeria
No full textFor a comparative study of plasma copper, iron and zinc between anaemic and non-anaemic pregnant women, data for anaemic (n = 223) and non-anaemic (n = 126) pregnant women drawn from a cohort of 351 pregnant Nigerians recruited at gestational age of ≤ 25 weeks for the study of impacts of trace element status on pregnancy outcomes were analysed. With the exception of plasma copper which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in anaemic women in comparison to the non-anaemic women (10.11 ± 10.15 vs. 8.68 ± 7.92 µmol/l), plasma iron and zinc were lower (p > 0.05) in the former. While plasma copper, iron and zinc concentration were not correlated with maternal haemoglobin concentration, plasma zinc significantly correlated negatively (r = -0.141, p < 0.05) with plasma copper. It is thus concluded that anaemia in pregnant women in this population may partly be due to a combination of trace element deficiencies and their interactions with each other. While interventions should go beyond improving intakes, more research is desired to clearly define these interactions
Binder’s Syndrome
No full textBinder's Syndrome also known as Maxillo-Nasal Dysplasia is a developmental disorder primarily affecting the anterior part of the maxilla and nasal complex (nose and jaw). It is a rare disorder and the causes are unclear. It is an uncommon condition characterized by a retruded mid-face with an extremely flat nose. Hereditary factors and vitamin D deficiency during embryonic growth have been researched as possible causes. Morphological characteristics of the syndrome are of fundamental importance for the correct diagnosis and treatment planning of these patients. We hereby report to you a rare case of Binder's syndrome with clinical, radiographic features and discussed the treatment options
An Unusual Melanocytic Nevus of Conjunctiva : Balloon Cell Nevus
No full textMelanocytic nevi are one of the most common benign tumors of the conjunctiva. The balloon cell nevus is a rare and unusual variant of nevus of melanocytic origin, in which more than 50% of the tumor is composed of large polygonal cells with small nucleus and a clear to vacuolated cytoplasm. We describe a case of balloon cell nevus in a 6-year-old child who presented with pigmented lesion of the right eye since birth. The melanocytic nature of these cells was confirmed by immunohistochemical study. Excision of the tumor results in cure. This report describes a rare balloon cell nevus of conjunctiva which to the best of our knowledge is not documented in Indian literature
Unusual Large Sporadic Angiomyolipoma Co-existing with Huge Simple Renal Cyst
No full textRenal Angiomyolipoma (AML) is an unusual benign mesenchymal tumor with no malignant potential. It is composed of adipose tissue, smooth muscle and abnormal thick walled blood vessels. It can occur sporadically or may be associated with tuberous sclerosis. Sporadic angiomyolipoma (AML) coexisting with simple renal cyst is extremely rare and only one case report is available in the literature. In our case, unique combination of sporadic AML along with simple renal cyst with huge size and weight was noted. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the second such case and first case from India. Due to its large size, complete nephrectomy was performed to avoid chances of rupture and retroperitoneal hemorrhage. Post-operative period was uneventful and the patient ahs been on regular follow-up
Histomorphometric changes in repaired mouse sciatic nerves are unaffected by the application of a scar-reducing agent
No full textMicrosurgical repair of transected peripheral nerves is compromised by the formation of scar tissue and the development of a neuroma, thereby limiting the success of regeneration. The aim of this study was to quantify histomorphometrically the structural changes in neural tissue that result from repair, and determine the effect of mannose-6-phosphate (M6P), a scar-reducing agent previously shown to enhance regeneration. In anaesthetised C57-black-6 mice, the left sciatic nerve was sectioned and repaired using four epineurial sutures. Either 100 mu L of 600 mM M6P (five animals) or 100 mu L of phosphate-buffered saline (placebo controls, five animals) was injected into and around the nerve repair site. A further group acted as sham-operated controls. After recovery for 6 weeks, the nerve was harvested for analysis using light and electron microscopy. Analysis revealed that when compared with sham controls, myelinated axons had smaller diameters both proximal and distal to the repair. Myelinated axon counts, axonal density and size all decreased across the repair site. There were normal numbers and densities of non-myelinated axons both proximal and distal to the repair. However, there were more Remak bundles distal to the repair site, and fewer non-myelinated axons per Remak bundle. Application of M6P did not affect any of these parameters
Complex Neuro-Cognitive Systems
No full textCognitive functions such as a perception, thinking and acting are based on the working of the brain, one of the most complex systems we know. The traditional scientific methodology, however, has proved to be not sufficient to understand the relation between brain and cognition. The aim of this paper is to review an alternative methodology – nonlinear dynamical analysis – and to demonstrate its benefit\ud
for cognitive neuroscience in cases when the usual reductionist method fails
Morphometry of Glenoid Cavity
No full textObjectives: Knowledge of the shape and dimensions of the glenoid are important in the design and fitting of glenoid components for total shoulder arthroplasty. An understanding of variations in normal anatomy of the glenoid is essential while evaluating pathological conditions like osseous Bankart lesions and osteochondral defects. Methods: This study was done on 202 dry, unpaired adult human scapulae of unknown sex belonging to the south Indian population. Three glenoid diameters were measured, the superior-inferior diameter, anterior-posterior diameter of the lower half and the anterior-posterior diameter of the upper half of the glenoid. Based on a notch present on the anterior glenoid rim, variations in the shape of the glenoid cavity were classified as inverted comma shaped, pear shaped and oval. Results: The average superior-inferior diameter on right and the left sides were 33.67±2.82mm and 33.92±2.87mm respectively. The average anterior-posterior diameter of the lower half of the right glenoid was 23.35±2.04mm and that of the left was 23.02±2.30mm. The mean diameter of the upper half of the right glenoid was 16.27±2.01mm and that of the left was 15.77±1.96mm. Conclusion: The dimensions of the glenoid observed in the present study were lesser than those recorded in the studies done on other populations. This fact may be taken into consideration while designing glenoid prostheses for the south Indian population. The current study recorded a higher percentage of glenoid cavities having the glenoid notch as compared to earlier studies. While evaluating defects/lesions of the glenoid, this fact could be useful
Pattern Recognition by Hierarchical Temporal Memory
No full textHierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) is still largely unknown by the pattern recognition community and only a few studies have been published in the scientific literature. This paper reviews HTM architecture and related learning algorithms by using formal notation and pseudocode description. Novel approaches are then proposed to encode coincidence-group membership (fuzzy grouping) and to derive temporal groups (maxstab temporal clustering). Systematic experiments on three line-drawing datasets have been carried out to better understand HTM peculiarities and to extensively compare it against other well-know pattern recognition approaches. Our results prove the effectiveness of the new algorithms introduced and that HTM, even if still in its infancy, compares favorably with other existing technologies
Theory of Cognitive Distortions: Application to Generalised Anxiety Disorder
No full textIn a previous paper (Compléments pour une théorie des distorsions cognitives, Journal de Thérapie Comportementale et Cognitive, 2007), we did present some elements aimed at contributing to a general theory of cognitive distortions. The latter elements, based on the reference class, the duality and the system of taxa, are applied here to generalised anxiety disorder. This allows to describe, on the one hand, the specific distortions related to generalised anxiety disorder, consistently with recent work emphasising the role played by uncertain situations with regard to future events. On the second hand, these elements allow to define one type of structured reasoning, of inductive nature, which contributes to the formation and maintenance of anxious ideas
"Friendship". To appear in the Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics.
No full textThe essay discusses the nature of friendship and the role of parental love in the development of what Aristotle refers to as perfect friendship. I also conclude with some remarks regarding the influence of technology upon the significance of friendship