Diaphragmatic eventration associated with megacolon: A case report.

Introduction: Diaphragmatic eventration (DE) associated with gastrointestinal anomalies is rarely reported, and its treatment is not well defined.

Case Presentation: We present a 24-years-old male admitted for cough, dyspnea, and chest pain, all of gradual onset. Chest computerized tomography (CT) and chest x-ray diagnosed diaphragmatic eventration and colonic distension.

Applications of a vacuum-actuated multi-material hybrid soft gripper: lessons learnt from RoboSoft manipulation challenge.

Soft grippers are garnering increasing attention for their adeptness in conforming to diverse objects, particularly delicate items, without warranting precise force control. This attribute proves especially beneficial in unstructured environments and dynamic tasks such as food handling. Human hands, owing to their elevated dexterity and precise motor control, exhibit the ability to delicately manipulate complex food items, such as small or fragile objects, by dynamically adjusting their grasping configurations.

Le comportement alimentaire des étudiants de l'Université de Yaoundé I, Cameroun : entre la littératie alimentaire, la littératie en santé et l'e-littératie alimentaire.

Contexte: Il est connu que les maladies non transmissibles s'originent dans les habitudes et les choix alimentaires, et la littératie en santé est le meilleur déterminant de la santé d'un individu au 21e siècle. Or, cet aspect reste peu exploré en contexte camerounais. Dès lors, cette étude examine la relation entre la littératie en santé, la littératie alimentaire, la littératie alimentaire numérique et le comportement alimentaire des étudiants de l'Université de Yaoundé I.

Bezoar in Meckel's diverticulum: Case report and narrative review.

Introduction: Bezoars are a known cause of complications in Meckel's diverticulum. We present a case in which a bezoar in a Meckel's diverticulum resulted in intestinal obstruction. In addition, we conducted a narrative review to explore the association between Meckel's diverticulum and bezoars.

Design and Performance Evaluation of a Fully Integrated Knitted Knee Brace for Knee Motion Sensing.

The use of e-textiles in wearable sensor design has recently received much interest in many applications, such as robotics, rehabilitation, personal wellness, and sports. Particularly in the rehabilitation domain, it has provided a potential alternative tool for telerehabilitation. In this paper, we designed and evaluated a knitted knee brace with interconnects, resistors, and sensors for real-time kinematic data acquisition.

All Knitted and Integrated Soft Wearable of High Stretchability and Sensitivity for Continuous Monitoring of Human Joint Motion.

E-textiles have recently gained significant traction in the development of soft wearables for healthcare applications. However, there have been limited works on wearable e-textiles with embedded stretchable circuits. Here, stretchable conductive knits with tuneable macroscopic electrical and mechanical properties are developed by varying the yarn combination and the arrangement of stitch types at the meso-scale.

Comparison of Cytokine Profile between Postmenopausal Women with and Without Osteoporosis - A Case-Control Study.

Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis, but the cytokines implicated remain elusive.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the difference in cytokine profile between postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

Methods: Postmenopausal women with (n = 20) and without osteoporosis (n = 20) were recruited for this study.

Regulation of Nodal signaling propagation by receptor interactions and positive feedback.

During vertebrate embryogenesis, the germ layers are patterned by secreted Nodal signals. In the classical model, Nodals elicit signaling by binding to a complex comprising Type I/II Activin receptors (Acvr) and the co-receptor Tdgf1. However, it is currently unclear whether receptor binding can also affect the distribution of Nodals themselves through the embryo, and it is unknown which of the putative Acvr paralogs mediate Nodal signaling in zebrafish.

Hand compartment syndrome secondary to contrast media extravasation: A case report.

Introduction: Contrast media extravasation injury is a recognized complication of contrast media use. Compartmental syndrome of the hand secondary to contrast extravasation is exceptional. We describe a case of compartment syndrome of the hand secondary to contrast media extravasation.

Management of midline ventral hernias in a surgical department of sub-Saharan Africa: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: The linea alba is the second most frequent site of abdominal wall hernias after the inguinal region. Prosthetic approach, often recommended, comes up against the low socio-economic level and the availability of these materials in developing countries. Our objective is to evaluate the indications and results of midline ventral hernia surgery.

A Simple and Effective Transplantation Device for Zebrafish Embryos.

Classical embryological manipulations, such as removing cells and transplanting cells within or between embryos, are powerful techniques to study complex developmental processes. Zebrafish embryos are ideally suited for these manipulations since they are easily accessible, relatively large in size, and transparent. However, previously developed devices for cell removal and transplantation are cumbersome to use or expensive to purchase.

Long-range interaction effects on coupled excitable nodes: traveling waves and chimera state.

In this paper, analytical and numerical studies of the influence of the long-range interaction parameter on the excitability threshold in a ring of FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) system are investigated. The long-range interaction is introduced to the network to model regulation of the Gap junctions or hemichannels activity at the connexins level, which provides links between pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neurons. Results show that the long-range coupling enhances the range of the threshold parameter.

Integration of Nodal and BMP Signaling by Mutual Signaling Effector Antagonism.

Opposing sources of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and Nodal signaling molecules are sufficient to induce the formation of a full axis in zebrafish embryos. To address how these signals orchestrate patterning, we transplant sources of fluorescently tagged Nodal and BMP into zebrafish embryos, robustly inducing the formation of secondary axes. Nodal and BMP signal non-cell-autonomously and form similar protein gradients in this context, but the signaling range of Nodal (pSmad2) is shorter than the BMP range (pSmad5).

FRAP Analysis of Extracellular Diffusion in Zebrafish Embryos.

Morphogens are signaling molecules that provide positional information to cells during development. They must move through embryonic tissues in order to coordinate patterning. The rate of a morphogen's movement through a tissue-its effective diffusivity-affects the morphogen's distribution and therefore influences patterning.

Scale-invariant patterning by size-dependent inhibition of Nodal signalling.

Individuals can vary substantially in size, but the proportions of their body plans are often maintained. We generated smaller zebrafish by removing 30% of their cells at the blastula stages and found that these embryos developed into normally patterned individuals. Strikingly, the proportions of all germ layers adjusted to the new embryo size within 2 hours after cell removal.

Quantitative diffusion measurements using the open-source software PyFRAP.

Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) and inverse FRAP (iFRAP) assays can be used to assess the mobility of fluorescent molecules. These assays measure diffusion by monitoring the return of fluorescence in bleached regions (FRAP), or the dissipation of fluorescence from photoconverted regions (iFRAP). However, current FRAP/iFRAP analysis methods suffer from simplified assumptions about sample geometry, bleaching/photoconversion inhomogeneities, and the underlying reaction-diffusion kinetics.

Dynamics of BMP signaling and distribution during zebrafish dorsal-ventral patterning.

During vertebrate embryogenesis, dorsal-ventral patterning is controlled by the BMP/Chordin activator/inhibitor system. BMP induces ventral fates, whereas Chordin inhibits BMP signaling on the dorsal side. Several theories can explain how the distributions of BMP and Chordin are regulated to achieve patterning, but the assumptions regarding activator/inhibitor diffusion and stability differ between models.

A Compact Magnetic Field-Based Obstacle Detection and Avoidance System for Miniature Spherical Robots.

Due to their efficient locomotion and natural tolerance to hazardous environments, spherical robots have wide applications in security surveillance, exploration of unknown territory and emergency response. Numerous studies have been conducted on the driving mechanism, motion planning and trajectory tracking methods of spherical robots, yet very limited studies have been conducted regarding the obstacle avoidance capability of spherical robots. Most of the existing spherical robots rely on the "hit and run" technique, which has been argued to be a reasonable strategy because spherical robots have an inherent ability to recover from collisions.

A study on estimation of planar gait kinematics using minimal inertial measurement units and inverse kinematics.

This paper describes a preliminary study of using four inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached to the heel and pelvis to estimate the joint angles of normal subjects during walking. The IMU, consisting of a 3-D accelerometer and gyroscope, is used to estimate the planar displacement of the heel and pelvis and the angular change of heel in one gait cycle. We then model the gait as a planar 3R serial chain and solve its inverse kinematics by using such information.

Airway inflammation and IgE production induced by dust mite allergen-specific memory/effector Th2 cell line can be effectively attenuated by IL-35.

CD4(+) memory/effector T cells play a central role in orchestrating the rapid and robust immune responses upon re-encounter with specific Ags. However, the immunologic mechanism(s) underlying these responses are still not fully understood. To investigate this, we generated an allergen (major house dust mite allergen, Blo t 5)-specific murine Th2 cell line that secreted IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13, but not IL-9 or TNF-α, upon activation by the cognate Ag.

Accuracy of the orthopantomogram in assessment of tooth length in orthodontic patients.

The orthopantomogram (OPG) provides as assessment of root length and characteristics before orthodontic tooth movement. This study determined the accuracy of the OPG in assessing tooth length. Investigators compared the radiographic and actual tooth lengths in permanent first premolars indicated for orthodontic extractions.

The effect of smear layer removal on marginal contraction gaps.

The presence of the smear layer prevents direct contact between dentine and a dentine adhesive. The use of agents to remove the smear layer theoretically should improve the bonding of composite resins to dentine. This study examined the effect of smear layer removal on the effectiveness of a dentine bonding agent in reducing marginal contraction gaps.