Testing pterosaur ingroup relationships through broader sampling of avemetatarsalian taxa and characters and a range of phylogenetic analysis techniques.

The pterosaurs first appear in the fossil record in the middle of the Late Triassic. Their earliest representatives are known from Northern Hemisphere localities but, by the end of the Jurassic Period, this clade of flying reptiles achieved a global distribution, as well as high levels of diversity and disparity. Our understanding of early pterosaur evolution and the fundamental interrelationships within Pterosauria has improved dramatically in recent decades.

Does Coronal Plane Malalignment of the Tibial Insert in Total Ankle Arthroplasty Alter Distal Foot Bone Mechanics? A Cadaveric Gait Study.

Background: Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is becoming a more prevalent treatment for end-stage ankle arthritis. However, the effects of malalignment on TAA remain poorly understood.

Questions/purposes: The purpose of this study was to quantify the mechanical effects of coronal plane malalignment of the tibial insert in TAA using cadaveric gait simulation.

Similar patient reported outcomes at long-term follow-up after external fixation versus internal fixation of the anterior ring component of APC injuries.

Purpose: Unstable pelvic ring injuries produced by external rotation of the hemipelvis and a symphyseal disruption are most often treated with internal fixation of the anterior ring, with percutaneous treatment of the posterior ring as needed. In some clinical situations, patients are treated with external fixation for their anterior injuries and the long-term functional outcomes associated with external fixation are not well understood. We ask if there is a difference in functional outcome, between treatment of these injuries with internal versus external fixation, when measured at a minimum of three years after injury.

The Assessment of Clinically Significant Differences in Treating Spinal Deformity Using the SRS Questionnaire: What Is the Threshold of Change That Is Meaningful to Patients?

Background: The measurement of health-related quality of life is important in spinal deformity surgery. The Scoliosis Research Society questionnaire has allowed disease-specific research in this area, and determining the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is as important as it is elusive. We seek to further refine our estimations of clinically perceived improvements by the patient.

How has our knowledge of dinosaur diversity through geologic time changed through research history?

Assessments of dinosaur macroevolution at any given time can be biased by the historical publication record. Recent studies have analysed patterns in dinosaur diversity that are based on secular variations in the numbers of published taxa. Many of these have employed a range of approaches that account for changes in the shape of the taxonomic abundance curve, which are largely dependent on databases compiled from the primary published literature.

Multiple optimality criteria support Ornithoscelida.

A recent study of early dinosaur evolution using equal-weights parsimony recovered a scheme of dinosaur interrelationships and classification that differed from historical consensus in a single, but significant, respect; Ornithischia and Saurischia were not recovered as monophyletic sister-taxa, but rather Ornithischia and Theropoda formed a novel clade named Ornithoscelida. However, these analyses only used maximum parsimony, and numerous recent simulation studies have questioned the accuracy of parsimony under equal weights. Here, we provide additional support for this alternative hypothesis using Bayesian implementation of the Mkv model, as well as through number of additional parsimony analyses, including implied weighting.

Investigations to extend viability of a rainbow trout primary gill cell culture.

The primary culture of fish gill cells can provide functional, cell diverse, model in vitro platforms able to tolerate an aqueous exposure analogous to in vivo tissues. The utility of such models could be extended to a variety of longer term exposure scenarios if a method could be established to extend culture viability when exposed to water for longer periods. Here we report findings of a series of experiments to establish increased longevity, as monitored by culture transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and concurrent histological developments.

A dinosaur missing-link? and the early evolution of ornithischian dinosaurs.

The enigmatic dinosaur taxon was originally described as a tetanuran theropod, but this species possesses a highly unusual combination of features that could provide evidence of alternative phylogenetic positions within the clade. In order to test the relationships of , we added it to a new dataset of early dinosaurs and other dinosauromorphs. Our analyses recover in a novel position, as the earliest diverging member of Ornithischia, rather than a tetanuran theropod.

A Teachable Moment After Orthopaedic Fracture in the Smoking Patient: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To assess whether education during hospitalization after an acute fracture changes patient attitudes toward smoking-related complications and to assess whether this change persists into the first outpatient follow-up visit.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

Setting: Level 1 trauma center.

Traumatic Cervical Unilateral and Bilateral Facet Dislocations Treated With Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Has a Low Failure Rate.

Study Design: Retrospective radiographic and chart review.

Objective: To define the rate and associated risk factors of treatment failure of anterior cervical fusion for treatment of cervical facet dislocations.

Methods: Between 2004 and 2014, a retrospective review at a single level 1 trauma center identified 38 patients with unilateral or bilateral dislocated facet(s) treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

A new hypothesis of dinosaur relationships and early dinosaur evolution.

For 130 years, dinosaurs have been divided into two distinct clades-Ornithischia and Saurischia. Here we present a hypothesis for the phylogenetic relationships of the major dinosaurian groups that challenges the current consensus concerning early dinosaur evolution and highlights problematic aspects of current cladistic definitions. Our study has found a sister-group relationship between Ornithischia and Theropoda (united in the new clade Ornithoscelida), with Sauropodomorpha and Herrerasauridae (as the redefined Saurischia) forming its monophyletic outgroup.

Pharmaceutical Metabolism in Fish: Using a 3-D Hepatic In Vitro Model to Assess Clearance.

At high internal doses, pharmaceuticals have the potential for inducing biological/pharmacological effects in fish. One particular concern for the environment is their potential to bioaccumulate and reach pharmacological levels; the study of these implications for environmental risk assessment has therefore gained increasing attention. To avoid unnecessary testing on animals, in vitro methods for assessment of xenobiotic metabolism could aid in the ecotoxicological evaluation.

A Systematic Cell-Based Analysis of Localization of Predicted Drosophila Peroxisomal Proteins.

Peroxisomes are membrane-bound organelles found in almost all eukaryotic cells. They perform specialized biochemical functions that vary with organism, tissue or cell type. Mutations in human genes required for the assembly of peroxisomes result in a spectrum of diseases called the peroxisome biogenesis disorders.

An investigation of the genus Mesacanthus (Chordata: Acanthodii) from the Orcadian Basin and Midland Valley areas of Northern and Central Scotland using traditional morphometrics.

Mesacanthus is a common and speciose genus of acanthodian fish from Lower Old Red Sandstone and Middle Old Red Sandstone assemblages (representing the Lower Devonian and Middle Devonian respectively) and is well represented in many palaeoichthyology collections in the UK. Based upon descriptions given during the 19th century, specimens of the genus Mesacanthus from the Orcadian Basin and Midland Valley areas of Northern and Central Scotland have historically been referred to a number of different species; of these, the most frequently discussed in the literature are M. mitchelli, M.

Glenoid perforation with pegged components during total shoulder arthroplasty.

A subset of patients undergoing primary total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) have a medialized joint line secondary to glenoid wear. In some cases, the central pegs or peripheral pegs of a peg design glenoid component may violate the medial cortex of the glenoid vault. It is unknown whether this leads to early failure.

Postnatal progression of bone disease in the cervical spines of mucopolysaccharidosis I dogs.

Introduction: Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I) is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by deficient α-l-iduronidase activity leading to accumulation of poorly degraded dermatan and heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). MPS I is associated with significant cervical spine disease, including vertebral dysplasia, odontoid hypoplasia, and accelerated disk degeneration, leading to spinal cord compression and kypho-scoliosis. The objective of this study was to establish the nature and rate of progression of cervical vertebral bone disease in MPS I using a canine model.

Immediate postoperative radiographs after shoulder arthroplasty are often poor quality and do not alter care.

Background: It is technically difficult to obtain high-quality, postoperative shoulder radiographs immediately after surgery. Further, poor-quality radiographs may be unlikely to change clinical practice or improve patient outcomes. We therefore questioned the value of routine postoperative radiographs after shoulder arthroplasty.

Towards a more representative in vitro method for fish ecotoxicology: morphological and biochemical characterisation of three-dimensional spheroidal hepatocytes.

The use of fish primary cells and cell lines offer an in vitro alternative for assessment of chemical toxicity and the evaluation of environmental samples in ecotoxicology. However, their uses are not without limitations such as short culture periods and loss of functionality, particularly with primary tissue. While three-dimensional (spheroid) technology is now established for in vitro mammalian toxicity studies, to date it has not been considered for environmental applications in a model aquatic species.

Intracranial extension of retrobulbar blastomycosis (Blastomyces dermatitidis) in a dog.

Blastomycosis (Blastomyces dermatitidis) is a fungal disease that is endemic in the southern United States. This case report illustrates the clinical, MRI and histopathologic findings in a dog with invasion of a retrobulbar blastomycotic lesion into the calvarium. A 5-year-old intact female Weimaraner was referred for a 2-month history of change in behavior and recent onset of visual deficits.

Multi scale and slice-based approach for automatic spine detection.

Dendritic spines play an essential role in the central nervous system. Recent experiments have revealed that neuron functional properties are highly correlated with the statistical and morphological changes of the dendritic spines. In this paper, we propose a new multi scale approach for detecting dendritic spines in a 2D Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) image of the 3D neuron data stacks collected from a 2-photon laser scanning confocal microscope.

Ultrasonographic observation of secretin-induced pancreatic duct dilation in healthy cats.

Secretin is a polypeptide hormone that stimulates secretion of bicarbonate from the exocrine pancreas and, in healthy human subjects, causes transient pancreatic duct dilation observable sonographically. In humans with chronic pancreatitis, secretin administration fails to cause pancreatic duct dilation, theoretically due to the restrictive effects of periductal fibrosis. We characterized the effect of exogenous secretin administration on the width of the pancreatic duct in nine healthy domestic cats.

Conspecific presence affects the physiology and behaviour of developing trout.

Interactions between conspecifics during embryonic development have the potential to influence phenotypic traits of individuals, with social interaction being particularly important for the realisation of normal behaviours. Here, the effect of increasing numbers of conspecifics (from isolation to groups of 20, 50, 100 and 200) on the physiology and behaviour of developing trout was investigated with the hypothesis that a) conspecific presence would alter physiological processes and b) that development in the absence of conspecifics would affect subsequent behavioural performance. During development, mass, oxygen consumption, sodium uptake and ammonia excretion rates were measured at a variety of time points from fertilisation to after hatching.

A neurocomputational method for fully automated 3D dendritic spine detection and segmentation of medium-sized spiny neurons.

Acquisition and quantitative analysis of high resolution images of dendritic spines are challenging tasks but are necessary for the study of animal models of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Currently available methods for automated dendritic spine detection are for the most part customized for 2D image slices, not volumetric 3D images. In this work, a fully automated method is proposed to detect and segment dendritic spines from 3D confocal microscopy images of medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs).