Management of Uveitis-Glaucoma-Hyphema Syndrome Caused by Soemmering Ring Cataract: Case Report and Literature Review.

We describe a rare case of Soemmering's ring-induced uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema (UGH) syndrome, caused by an undisplaced, in-the-bag intraocular lens (IOL) 16 years after implantation. The presenting symptoms were recurrent episodes of transient monocular vision loss, which prompted extensive unremarkable investigations. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) eventually revealed an enlarging Soemmering's ring contacting the posterior iris and causing UGH syndrome. This is a unique case because the IOL haptics remained in the bag. Anterior vitrectomy, Soemmering's ring extraction, IOL exchange to a 3-piece IOL, and implantation of a trabecular meshwork bypass microstent were performed. IOP control and both functional and structural stability were achieved long term. Soemmering's ring-induced UGH syndrome should be on the differential of a patient with previous cataract surgery and elevated IOP complaining of visual disturbances. Early diagnosis with UBM and surgical intervention may provide optimal outcomes.

Reduced Graphene Oxide/Barium Ferrite Ceramic Nanocomposite Synergism for High EMI Wave Absorption.

The developed nanocomposite exhibits significantly enhanced shielding performance due to the synergistic effect of high dielectric and magnetic loss materials, which modifies the material's impedance and improves its absorption ability. Different weight percentages (0, 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt %) of thermally treated chemically reduced graphene oxide (TCRGO) were combined with two types of magnets, barium hexaferrite (BF) and magnetite (MAG), using a dry powder compaction technique to produce binary ceramic nanocomposite sheets. The shielding performance of a 1 mm thick compressed nanoceramic sheet over the X-band was evaluated using a vector network analyzer. The 25% TCRGO showed high shielding performance for both BF and MAG, while BF had a total shielding efficiency (SET) that exceeded MAG by 130%. The SET of 25 wt % TCRGO/BF was 52 dB, with a 41 dB absorption shielding efficiency (SEA). Additionally, the effect of different levels of incident electromagnetic wave power (0.001-1000 mW) at various thicknesses (1, 2, and 5 mm) was explored. At 1000 mW, the 5 mm TCRGO/BF had an SET of 99 dB, an SEA of 91 dB, and a reflection shielding efficiency (SER) of 8 dB. The use of BF as a hard magnet paired with TCRGO exhibited excellent and stable electromagnetic shielding performance.

Superior quality chemically reduced graphene oxide for high performance EMI shielding materials.

The chemical reduction process of graphene oxide combined with a mild and controllable thermal treatment under vacuum at 200 °C for 4 hours provided a cost-effective, scalable, and high-yield route for Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) industrial production and became a potential candidate for producing electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. We investigated graphite, and RGO using l-ascorbic acid and Sodium borohydride before and after thermal treatment by carefully evaluating the chemical and morphological structures. The thermally treated l-ascorbic Acid reduction route (TCRGOL) conductivity was 2.14 × 103 S m-1 and total shielding efficiency (SET) based on mass loadings per area of shielding was 94 dB with about one-tenth less graphite weight and surpassing other graphene reduction mechanisms in the frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz, i.e., X-band, at room temperature while being tested using the waveguide line technique. The developed treatment represents valuable progress in the path to chemical reduction using a safe reducing agent and offering superior quality RGO rarely achieved with the top-down technique, providing a high EMI shielding performance.

Stability and performance of gun propellants incorporating 3,6-dihydrazino-s-tetrazine and 5-aminotetrazolium nitrate.

The addition of either 3,6-dihydrazino-s-tetrazine (DHT) or 5-aminotetrazolium nitrate (HAT-NO3) to nitrocellulose-based propellants were investigated. At 25% (m/m) concentration, DHT and HAT-NO3 had significant impact on the burning rate of the propellant, up to 80% higher than that of the reference propellant. DHT was found to have very poor compatibility with nitrocellulose and the nitrated esters used in the formulation despite the presence of stabilizer. This lead to a rapid autocatalytic decomposition reaction resulting in a deflagration. HAT-NO3 also had poor compatibility with the same materials. On the contrary, non-ionic tetrazoles were found to be fully compatible with nitrocellulose and nitrated esters based propellants. Most nitrogen-rich energetic molecules have been studied for their explosive characteristics. This study shed light on the potential use of these materials as burning rate modifiers for gun propellant applications, for which very little is known. Moreover, it investigates the stability of the formulations incorporating nitrogen-rich molecules, as a means of assessing the safe use of these novel propellants.

Prediction of hamstring injury in professional soccer players by isokinetic measurements.

OBJECTIVES: previous studies investigating the ability of isokinetic strength ratios to predict hamstring injuries in soccer players have reported conflicting results. HYPOTHESIS: to determine if isokinetic ratios are able to predict hamstring injury occurring during the season in professional soccer players. STUDY DESIGN: case-control study; LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3. METHODS: from 2001 to 2011, 350 isokinetic tests were performed in 136 professional soccer players at the beginning of the soccer season. Fifty-seven players suffered hamstring injury during the season that followed the isokinetic tests. These players were compared with the 79 uninjured players. The bilateral concentric ratio (hamstring-to-hamstring), ipsilateral concentric ratio (hamstring-to-quadriceps), and mixed ratio (eccentric/concentric hamstring-to-quadriceps) were studied. The predictive ability of each ratio was established based on the likelihood ratio and post-test probability. RESULTS: the mixed ratio (30 eccentric/240 concentric hamstring-to-quadriceps) <0.8, ipsilateral ratio (180 concentric hamstring-to-quadriceps) <0.47, and bilateral ratio (60 concentric hamstring-to-hamstring) <0.85 were the most predictive of hamstring injury. The ipsilateral ratio <0.47 allowed prediction of the severity of the hamstring injury, and was also influenced by the length of time since administration of the isokinetic tests. CONCLUSION: isokinetic ratios are useful for predicting the likelihood of hamstring injury in professional soccer players during the competitive season.

Uncommon external abdominal oblique muscle strain in a professional soccer player: a case report.

BACKGROUND: This is the first report of external abdominal oblique muscle injury occurring in a professional soccer player. CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old Caucasian professional soccer player presented after experiencing a popping sensation associated with strong parietal pain localized between the left 11th and 12th ribs. Ultrasound examination revealed a collection of fluid under the 11th rib, suggesting injury of the left external oblique muscle. Platelet-rich plasma treatment was administered and the soccer player returned to competition on the 21st day after treatment. CONCLUSION: This rare injury results from a sudden intrinsic eccentric contraction of the internal oblique muscle while in a stretched position. Ultrasound can help to confirm the diagnosis and to monitor clinical follow-up. Platelet-rich plasma treatment could aid recovery in high-level athletes.

Congenital anomalous origin of a single coronary artery and high-level sporting competition.

Using a single clinical case of a professional soccer player presenting an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery, cardiac screening and surgical treatment are described taking into account the recommendations of cardiac and sports societies.

Multiscale thermodynamics and mechanics of heat.

Heat transfer is investigated on three levels of description: Fourier, Cattaneo, and Peierls. The microscopic nature of the heat that becomes important, in particular in nanoscale systems, is characterized by a vector field related to the heat flux on the Cattaneo level and by the phonon distribution function on the Peierls level. All dynamical theories discussed in the paper are fully nonlinear and all are proven to be compatible among themselves, with equilibrium thermodynamics, and with mechanics. An investigation of the first two compatibilities gives rise to potentials having the physical interpretation of nonequilibrium entropies. The compatibility with mechanics is manifested by the Hamiltonian structure of the time-reversible part of the time evolution.

Change in posture control after recent knee anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction?

The aim of this study was to compare statical postures of a knee anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) population with a healthy control population. Thirty-five patients (age 25.5 +/- 5.8 years) were compared at 15 days after an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with 35 healthy, age and sex-matched subjects. Bilateral and unilateral postures were studied according to various stances, knee extension and 20 degrees knee flexion with opened and closed eyes, using a stabilometric platform. A comparison with the non-ACLR limb and the healthy limbs of the control population was carried out. The ACLR subjects present with the following: (i) a significant change in two-legged stance, i.e. distances covered by the centre of pressure projection are significantly increased; (ii) a postural alteration during the ACLR one-legged stance with knee extension and opened eyes in comparison with the non-ACLR limb; (iii) an incapacity for certain ACLR subjects to perform one-legged stance on the non-ACLR limb when there is no visual compensation. Only 11.4% (95% CI: 0.9-21.9%) and 42.8% (95% CI: 26.3-59.3%) of ACLR subjects are capable of maintaining correctly a one-legged stance posture with closed eyes on both sides (knee extension and flexion, respectively). The identification of the ACLR knee limb is possible from the one-legged stance postural test in knee extension and opened eyes condition. Because of a change in two-legged balance and of the incapacity for certain ACLR subjects to maintain one-legged stance with closed eyes, a central origin explaining the abnormalities of postural control is suggested.

[The Treaty of diseases of the bones of the funds of the Museum Laennec de Nantes]. / Le Traité des maladies des os du Fonds du Musée Laennec de Nantes.

In this article, we analyse and give commentaries on one of the rare Guillaume Laennec's medical manuscripts. It is a treatise of bones' diseases, which is in fact a compilation of notes made, between 1769 and 1772, of Antoine Petit's lectures and other sources. This original document confirms at this time the emergence of rheumatology. It brings it obvious that the paediatrics assert their specific clinical forms. It illustrates the links between surgical and medical pathologies in the eighteenth century. It shows the old humoral theories to be the main obstacle in the way of understanding these pathologies. At last, it reveals that Guillaume Laennec is a member of a medical elite, and contributes to explain the beneficial effect he had on his nephew of genius, René Laennec.

Fabrication and THz loss measurements of porous subwavelength fibers using a directional coupler method.

We report several strategies for the fabrication of porous subwavelength fibers using low density Polyethylene plastic for low-loss terahertz light transmission applications. We also characterize transmission losses of the fabricated fibers in terahertz using a novel non-destructive directional coupler method. Within this method a second fiber is translated along the length of the test fiber to probe the power attenuation of a guided mode. The method is especially suitable for measuring transmission losses through short fiber segments, a situation in which standard cutback method is especially difficult to perform. We demonstrate experimentally that introduction of porosity into a subwavelength rod fiber, further reduces its transmission loss by as much as a factor of 10. The lowest fiber loss measured in this work is 0.01 cm(-1) and it is exhibited by the 40% porous subwavelength fiber of diameter 380 microm. For comparison, the loss of a rod-in-the-air subwavelength fiber of a similar diameter was measured to be approximately 0.1 cm(-1), while the bulk loss of a PE plastic used in the fabrication of such fibers is >or= 1 cm(-1). Finally, we present theoretical studies of the optical properties of individual subwavelength fibers and a directional coupler. From these studies we conclude that coupler setup studied in this paper also acts as a low pass filter with a cutoff frequency around 0.3 THz. Considering that the spectrum of a terahertz source used in this work falls off rapidly below 0.25 THz, the reported loss measurements are, thus, the bolometer averages over the approximately 0.25 THz-0.3 THz region.

Fabrication strategies and potential applications of the "green" microstructured optical fibers.

Biodegradable microstructured polymer optical fibers have been created using synthetic biomaterials such as poly(L-lactic acid), poly(epsilon-caprolactone), and cellulose derivatives. Original processing techniques were utilized to fabricate a variety of biofriendly microstructured fibers that hold potential for in vivo light delivery, sensing, and controlled drug-release.

Iliopsoas hematoma in patients with hemophilia: a single-center study.

Six cases of iliopsoas hematoma were diagnosed in 5 patients with hemophilia over the last 5 years at our hemophilia center. We reviewed these cases to determine the incidence and precipitating factors of iliopsoas hematoma in hemophilia. Of the 5 patients, 4 had severe hemophilia A and 1 had moderate hemophilia A with a history of inhibitors to factor VIII concentrates. The age range was 13 to 33 years. The hematoma was posttraumatic in 2 cases and spontaneous in 4 cases. Femoral nerve compression developed in 2 cases. There were four recurrences. At the time of the hematoma, 2 patients were receiving long-term prophylactic factor VIII concentrate therapy but one of them had stopped the injections of his own accord. The treatment consisted of recombinant factor VIII concentrates, a brief course of glucocorticoid therapy in the 2 cases with femoral nerve involvement, lower limb traction in 3 patients, and rehabilitation therapy. The annual incidence rate of iliopsoas hematoma was 2.9/1000 patients with severe or moderate hemophilia A. The use of prophylactic factor VIII therapy and compliance with recommendations about avoiding activities that put strain on the hip flexor muscles probably explain the low rate of iliopsoas muscle hematoma in patients with hemophilia in France. An early diagnosis allows early Factor VIII therapy, which decreases the risk of femoral nerve involvement and recurrence.

Prospective for biodegradable microstructured optical fibers.

We report fabrication of a novel microstructured optical fiber made of biodegradable and water soluble materials that features approximately 1 dB/cm transmission loss. Two cellulose butyrate tubes separated with hydroxypropyl cellulose powder were codrawn into a porous double-core fiber offering integration of optical, microfluidic, and potentially drug release functionalities.

[The work of R.T.H. Laennec at the Necker Hospital, then Charity Hospital from 1821 to 1826]. / L'activité du service de R.T.H. Laennec a l'hôpital Necker, puis a l'hôpital de La Charité, entre 1821 et 1826.

His bad health obliged RTH Laennec to interrupt his hospital activities from 1819 to 1821. He goes back to his head functions in Necker's then Charity's Hospitals from 1821 to 1826. His others activities, especially teaching, affect his busy time table. His unit's recruitment is less specialized in thoracic pathologies than it was from 1816 to 1819. It is true that his "Collège of France Lessons" as his lectures, in the faculty of medicine concern all the clinical aspects. So the links between hospital activities and the second edition of his Treaty are not so strong as they were with the first one.

Drawing of the hollow all-polymer Bragg fibers.

Drawing of the hollow all-polymer Bragg fibers based on PMMA/PS and PVDF/PC materials combinations are demonstrated. Hole collapse during drawing effects the uniformity of a photonic crystal reflector in the resultant fiber. We first investigate how the core collapse effects fiber transmission properties. We then present modelling of fluid dynamics of hollow multilayer polymer fiber drawing. Particularly, hole collapse during drawing and layer thickness non-uniformity are investigated as a function of draw temperature, draw ratio, feeding speed, core pressurization and mismatch of material properties in a multilayer. Both the newtonian and non-newtonian cases are considered assuming slender geometries.

Assessment of soil toxicity from an antitank firing range using Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia andrei in mesocosms and laboratory studies.

Earthworm mesocosms studies were carried out on a explosives-contaminated site at an antitank firing range. Survival of earthworms and the lysosomal neutral red retention time (NRRT), a biomarker of lysosomal membrane stability, were used in these studies to assess the effect of explosives-contaminated soils on the earthworms Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia andrei under field conditions. Toxicity of the soils samples for E. andrei was also assessed under laboratory conditions using the earthworms reproduction test and the NRRT. Results indicate that the survival was reduced up to 40% in certain explosive-contaminated soil mesocosms following 10 days of exposure under field conditions, whereas survival was reduced up to 100% following 28 days of exposure under laboratory conditions. Reproduction parameters such as number of cocoons and number of juveniles were reduced in many of the selected contaminated soils. Compared to the reference, NRRT was significantly reduced for E. andrei exposed to explosive-contaminated soils under both field and laboratory conditions, whereas for L. terrestris NRRT was similar compared to the reference mesocosm. Analyses showed that HMX was the major polynitro-organic compound in soils. HMX was also the only explosive detected in earthworm tissues. Thus, results from both field mesocosms and laboratory studies, showed lethal and sub-lethal effects associated to soil from the contaminated area of the antitank firing range.

Toxicity assessment of contaminated soils from an antitank firing range.

Explosives are released into the environment at production and processing facilities, as well as through field use. These compounds may be toxic at relatively low concentrations to a number of ecological receptors. A toxicity assessment was carried out on soils from an explosive-contaminated site at a Canadian Forces Area Training Center. Toxicity studies on soil organisms using endpoints such as microbial processes (potential nitrification activity, dehydrogenase activity, substrate-induced respiration, basal respiration), plant seedling and growth (Lactuca sativa and Hordeum vulgare), and earthworm (Eisenia andrei) growth and reproduction were carried out. Results showed that 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazacyclooctane (HMX) was the principal polynitro-organic compound measured in soils. Soils from the contaminated site decreased microbial processes and earthworm reproduction; whereas plant growth was not significantly reduced. Toxicity to aquatic organisms and genotoxicity were also assessed on soil elutriates using Microtox (Vibrio fischeri), growth inhibition of algae (Selenastrum capricornutum), and SOS Chromotest (Escherichia coli). Results indicated that soil elutriates were generally not toxic to bacteria (Microtox) and algae. However, genotoxicity was found in a number of soil elutriate samples. Thus, the explosive-contaminated soils from the antitank firing range may represent a hazard for the soil organisms. Nevertheless, the global toxicity might have partially resulted from HMX as well as from other (not identified) contaminants such as heavy metals.