Morphology and composition of the ventral neck muscles in individuals with chronic whiplash related disorders compared to matched healthy controls: a cross-sectional case-control study.

Background: OBJECTIVE: Studies of cross-sectional area (CSA) (morphology) and muscle fat infiltration (MFI) (composition) in ventral neck muscles is scarce in patients with chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD), especially for men and those with severe WAD compared with matched healthy controls. The aim was to compare CSA and MFI of sternocleidomastoid (SCM), longus capitis (LCA) and longus colli (LCO) in patients with chronic right-sided dominant moderate (Neck Disability Index: NDI < 40) or severe WAD (NDI ≥ 40), compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Methods: Cross-sectional case-control study with blinded investigators.

A man in his nineties with fever and dry cough.

Background: COVID-19 can cause a fatal outcome in elderly patients, as this case report illustrates.

Case Presentation: An active male in his nineties with a high level of function, despite several severe chronic diseases, was admitted to Oslo University Hospital after two days of fatigue, fever, dyspnoea and dry cough. He scored qSOFA 1 of 3 points due to high respiratory rate, and SIRS 2 of 4 points due to high respiratory rate and fever of 39.

Determination of low molecular weight organic acids in soil solution by HPLC.

An HPLC method employing an ion exclusion column was developed for the determination of low molecular weight organic acids in soil solution. The method includes extensive sample pretreatment using ultrafiltration and cation exchange. The method showed linear calibration graphs (r>0.

Development of a harmonized method for the profiling of amphetamines. I. Synthesis of standards and compilation of analytical data.

Reference material was synthesised for 21 substances that are frequently present as synthetic impurities, i.e. by-products, in illicitly produced amphetamine.

Use of an electronic tongue and HPLC with electrochemical detection to differentiate molds in culture media.

A study was conducted to further evaluate an electronic tongue, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical (EC) and UV detection as a reference method. The electronic tongue consisted of four working electrodes made of different metals and arranged in a standard three-electrode configuration. Pulses of voltage were applied to the metals, and the current responses were sampled and collected in a data matrix.

Use of an electronic tongue to analyze mold growth in liquid media.

The feasibility of employing an electronic tongue to measure the growth of mold in a liquid medium was studied. We used the electronic tongue developed at Linköping University, which is based on pulsed voltammetry and consists of an array of different metal electrodes. Instead of focusing on a single parameter, this device provides information about the condition or quality of a sample or process.

Trimethylamine content in vaginal secretion and its relation to bacterial vaginosis.

The presence of a fishy odor emanating from women who present with a malodorous vaginal discharge is well known. The odor is due to bacterial reduction of trimethylamine oxide to trimethylamine (TMA) in vaginal secretion. The release of TMA from specimens of vaginal fluid following the addition of alkali is often used in making a clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Analysis of mono- and diesters of o-phthalic acid by solid-phase extractions with polystyrene-divinylbenzene-based polymers.

Retention mechanisms of an unmodified and a hydroxylated polystyrene-divinylbenzene polymer were studied by solid-phase extraction of o-phthalic acid and some of its mono- and diesters from purified water and then analysing by GC-MS. The monoesters and phthalic acid were retained only when protonated (i.e.

Analysis of bacterial vaginosis-related amines in vaginal fluid by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

The presence of various amines in vaginal fluid from women with malodorous vaginal discharge has been reported before. The investigations have used several techniques to identify the amines. However, an optimized quantification, together with a sensitive analysis method in connection with a diagnostic procedure for vaginal discharge, including the syndrome of bacterial vaginosis, as defined by the accepted "gold standard," has not been done before.

Abnormal glucose levels found in transportation accidents.

Background: The Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Aerospace Medicine is responsible for the certification of pilots with diabetic conditions. The present study evaluated the use of postmortem vitreous humor and urine glucose levels in transportation accident fatalities as indicators of potentially incapacitating medical conditions or performance impairment.

Methods: Vitreous humor and/or urine from 192 accident fatalities were analyzed for glucose using a hexokinase method.

Determination of the molecular weight of fulvic acids by UV/VIS spectroscopy.

Partial least squares (PLS) modeling was applied to investigate number-average molecular weights (Mn) and weight-average molecular weights (Mw) of fulvic acids (FAs) in relation to the corresponding UV/VIS spectra. The Mn and Mw values were determined by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The impact of pH control, wavelength range and density as well as smoothing and derivation of spectra were tested.

Determination of group parameters for organically bound chlorine, bromine and iodine in precipitation.

The presence of organically bound halogens in precipitation was studied by first adsorbing organics on activated carbon and then analysing the chloride, bromide and iodide formed during combustion of the carbon. A standard instrument for the group parameter AOX (adsorbable organic halogens) was used for the combustion. The halides formed were trapped in an alkaline solution and analysed by capillary zone electrophoresis.

Fractionation of halogenated organic matter present in rain and snow.

Organic matter in samples of rain and snow from Sweden, Poland, Germany and the Republic of Ireland was fractionated by employing a series of filtration, purging, evaporation and extraction steps. Determinations of the group parameter AOX (adsorbable organic halogens) in aqueous phases and EOX (extractable organic halogens) in organic phases showed that halogenated organic matter present in bulk precipitation is composed of several different groups of compounds. The largest amounts of organically bound halogens were found in fractions of relatively polar and non-volatile to semivolatile compounds.

Determination of the carboxyl content in humic substances by methylation.

The carboxyl content of different fulvic acids was estimated by means of a methylation technique. The procedure involved methylation by diazomethane followed by base catalyzed hydrolysis, esterification with propionyl chloride and gas chromatographic analysis of the methyl ester formed. After optimization of each step, the whole sequence of reactions was performed using only a few milligrams of starting material.

Impact of bleached kraft mill effluents on drinking water quality.

Bleaching effluents from kraft pulp mills contain large quantities of chlorinated organic compounds, some of which are mutagenic. Mutagenic chloro-organic compounds are also formed as by-products in chlorination of drinking water. The work reported here was a combined field and laboratory study aimed at comparing the evidence of health risks from pulp mill contaminants in drinking water, with corresponding evidence from normal, chlorine disinfection by-products.

Male reproductive function in long-term survivors of childhood cancer.

We evaluated reproductive function in 27 male long-term survivors of childhood cancer treated during the prepubertal and pubertal period. Sperm samples were obtained from 23 patients; four who refused to provide specimens indicated that they had fathered normal healthy children. Thirteen patients were 12 years old or younger at the time of diagnosis and initiation of therapy.

A comparison of methods for concentrating mutagens in drinking water--recovery aspects and their implications for the chemical character of major unidentified mutagens.

A comparison of techniques for concentrating mutagenic compounds in drinking water has shown that XAD-2 adsorption and dichloromethane extraction have acceptable and almost identical enrichment properties, while purging at an elevated temperature is inappropriate in this context. Quantitatively, the most important drinking water mutagens could only be adsorbed (extracted) after acidification of the water, and even then recovery was far from complete. Recovery experiments with known mutagens from pulp mill effluents have shown that none of the major chlorination-stage mutagens identified thus far can explain the mutagenic activity of extracts from neutral or acidified chlorinated drinking water.

Stress reduction. A spectrum of strategies in pediatric oncology nursing.

It is important to provide resources to promote effective coping mechanisms for dealing with the stresses encountered by children, families, and staff in a pediatric oncology setting. Knowledge of how such resources can be used to the maximum advantage must be combined with the utilization and development of support services.

Direct liquid chromatographic separation of enantiomers on immobilized protein stationary phases. IV. Molecular interaction forces and retention behaviour in chromatography on bovine serum albumin as a stationary phase.

Chromatography with the use of immobilized bovine serum albumin as a stationary phase and aqueous buffer systems as eluents has proved to be a highly selective method, capable of separating structurally very closely related compounds. Retention can be effectively regulated by changes in at least three independent parameters of the mobile phase, which may be used for an optimization of separation factors. Particularly, the enantioselective properties of the chiral stationary phase have been demonstrated to be useful for the analytical resolution of a variety of racemates into enantiomers.