Integument: Guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.

PURPOSE: Skin-related issues have a significant impact on health, activities of daily living, and quality of life among people with spina bifida. Data presented by select clinics that participate in the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry reported that 26% of individuals had a history of pressure injuries with 19% having had one in the past year. The spina bifida community lack direct guidelines on prevention of these and other skin related issues. The Integument (skin) Guidelines focus on prevention, not treatment, of existing problems. METHODS: Using a consensus building methodology, the guidelines were written by experts in spina bifida and wound care. RESULTS: The guidelines include age-grouped, evidence-based guidelines written in the context of an understanding of the whole person. They are presented in table format according to the age of the person with spina bifida. CONCLUSION: These guidelines present a standardized approach to prevention of skin-related issues in spina bifida. Discovering what results in successful minimization of skin-related issues with testing of technology or prevention strategies is the next step in protecting this vulnerable population.

Wing cross veins: an efficient biomechanical strategy to mitigate fatigue failure of insect cuticle.

Locust wings are able to sustain millions of cycles of mechanical loading during the lifetime of the insect. Previous studies have shown that cross veins play an important role in delaying crack propagation in the wings. Do cross veins thus also influence the fatigue behaviour of the wings? Since many important fatigue parameters are not experimentally accessible in a small biological sample, here we use the finite element (FE) method to address this question numerically. Our FE model combines a linear elastic material model, a direct cyclic approach and the Paris law and shows results which are in very good agreement with previously reported experimental data. The obtained results of our study show that cross veins indeed enhance the durability of the wings by temporarily stopping cracks. The cross veins further distribute the stress over a larger area and therefore minimize stress concentrations. In addition, our work indicates that locust hind wings have an endurance limit of about 40% of the ultimate tensile strength of the wing material, which is comparable to many engineering materials. The comparison of the results of the computational study with predictions of two most commonly used fatigue failure criteria further indicates that the Goodman criterion can be used to roughly predict the failure of the insect wing. The methodological framework presented in our study could provide a basis for future research on fatigue of insect cuticle and other biological composite structures.

Alterações no perfil tegumentar em pacientes com má oclusão de Classe II tratados com aparelhos funcionais fixos e extrações de 2 pré-molares / Soft-tissue treatment changes with fixed functional appliances or maxillary premolar extraction in the treatment of Class II division 1 malocclusion

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as alterações e as condições póstratamento do perfil tegumentar de pacientes com má oclusão de Classe II divisão 1 tratados sem extrações e com extrações de 2 pré-molares superiores. A amostra foi constituída por 96 telerradiografias em norma lateral de 48 pacientes, os quais foram divididos em 2 grupos. O grupo 1 foi formado por 23 pacientes tratados com aparelhos funcionais fixos associados ao aparelho fixo, com idade média inicial e final de 12,71 e 15,16 anos, respectivamente, tempo médio de tratamento de 2,44 anos e sobressaliência inicial de 6,83 mm. O Grupo 2 foi composto por 25 pacientes, tratados com extrações de dois pré-molares superiores, com idade média inicial e final de 13,05 e 15,74 anos, respectivamente, tempo médio de tratamento de 2,69 anos e sobressaliência inicial de 7,01 mm. A comparação intergrupos das alterações do tratamento foi realizada através do teste t. Os resultados demonstraram que pacientes com má oclusão de Classe II divisão 1 tratados com aparelhos funcionais fixos associados ao aparelho fixo e pacientes tratados com extrações de 2 prémolares superiores apresentam semelhanças nas alterações e no estágio póstratamento no perfil tegumentar.

The aim of this study was to compare soft-tissue changes and posttreatment status after nonextraction and maxillary premolar extraction treatment in patients with Class II division 1 malocclusion. The sample consisted of 96 lateral cephalograms of 48 patients, divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of 23 patients treated with fixed functional appliance associated with fixed appliance, with initial and final mean ages of 12.71 and 15.16 years, respectively, mean treatment time of 2.44 years and initial mean overjet of 6.83 mm. Group 2 comprised 25 patients treated with extraction of 2 maxillary premolars with initial and final mean ages of 13.05 and 15.74 years, respectively, mean treatment time of 2.67 years and initial mean overjet of 7.01 mm. Independent t tests were used to compare treatment changes between groups. The results showed that patients with Class II malocclusion treated with fixed functional appliances associated with fixed appliance and 2 maxillary premolar extraction provides similar soft-tissue changes and posttreatment status.

Alterações no perfil tegumentar em pacientes com má oclusão de Classe II tratados com aparelhos funcionais fixos e extrações de 2 pré-molares / Soft-tissue treatment changes with fixed functional appliances or maxillary premolar extraction in the treatment of Class II division 1 malocclusion

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as alterações e as condições póstratamento do perfil tegumentar de pacientes com má oclusão de Classe II divisão 1 tratados sem extrações e com extrações de 2 pré-molares superiores. A amostra foi constituída por 96 telerradiografias em norma lateral de 48 pacientes, os quais foram divididos em 2 grupos. O grupo 1 foi formado por 23 pacientes tratados com aparelhos funcionais fixos associados ao aparelho fixo, com idade média inicial e final de 12,71 e 15,16 anos, respectivamente, tempo médio de tratamento de 2,44 anos e sobressaliência inicial de 6,83 mm. O Grupo 2 foi composto por 25 pacientes, tratados com extrações de dois pré-molares superiores, com idade média inicial e final de 13,05 e 15,74 anos, respectivamente, tempo médio de tratamento de 2,69 anos e sobressaliência inicial de 7,01 mm. A comparação intergrupos das alterações do tratamento foi realizada através do teste t. Os resultados demonstraram que pacientes com má oclusão de Classe II divisão 1 tratados com aparelhos funcionais fixos associados ao aparelho fixo e pacientes tratados com extrações de 2 prémolares superiores apresentam semelhanças nas alterações e no estágio póstratamento no perfil tegumentar.

The aim of this study was to compare soft-tissue changes and posttreatment status after nonextraction and maxillary premolar extraction treatment in patients with Class II division 1 malocclusion. The sample consisted of 96 lateral cephalograms of 48 patients, divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of 23 patients treated with fixed functional appliance associated with fixed appliance, with initial and final mean ages of 12.71 and 15.16 years, respectively, mean treatment time of 2.44 years and initial mean overjet of 6.83 mm. Group 2 comprised 25 patients treated with extraction of 2 maxillary premolars with initial and final mean ages of 13.05 and 15.74 years, respectively, mean treatment time of 2.67 years and initial mean overjet of 7.01 mm. Independent t tests were used to compare treatment changes between groups. The results showed that patients with Class II malocclusion treated with fixed functional appliances associated with fixed appliance and 2 maxillary premolar extraction provides similar soft-tissue changes and posttreatment status.

Effect of cuticular abrasion and recovery on water loss rates in queens of the desert harvester ant Messor pergandei.

Factors that affect water loss rates (WLRs) are poorly known for organisms in natural habitats. Seed-harvester ant queens provide an ideal system for examining such factors because WLRs for mated queens excavated from their incipient nests are twofold to threefold higher than those of alate queens. Indirect data suggest that this increase results from soil particles abrading the cuticle during nest excavation. This study provides direct support for the cuticle abrasion hypothesis by measuring total mass-specific WLRs, cuticular abrasion, cuticular transpiration, respiratory water loss and metabolic rate for queens of the ant Messor pergandei at three stages: unmated alate queens, newly mated dealate queens (undug foundresses) and mated queens excavated from their incipient nest (dug foundresses); in addition we examined these processes in artificially abraded alate queens. Alate queens had low WLRs and low levels of cuticle abrasion, whereas dug foundresses had high WLRs and high levels of cuticle abrasion. Total WLR and cuticular transpiration were lowest for alate queens, intermediate for undug foundresses and highest for dug foundresses. Respiratory water loss contributed ~10% of the total WLR and was lower for alate queens and undug foundresses than for dug foundresses. Metabolic rate did not vary across stages. Total WLR and cuticular transpiration of artificially abraded alate queens increased, whereas respiratory water loss and metabolic rate were unaffected. Overall, increased cuticular transpiration accounted for essentially all the increased total water loss in undug and dug foundresses and artificially abraded queens. Artificially abraded queens and dug foundresses showed partial recovery after 14 days.

The Kura files: qualitative social survey.

The widespread use of Kura/Noni came to the attention of researchers from both the University of the South Pacific and the Fiji School of Medicine. Amongst other associated research undertakings to better understand the use and potential benefits of this herbal medicine, a nationwide qualitative research was undertaken from September 2002-February 2004. Interviews, participant observation and participatory activities involved over 400 respondents. These research activities showed Kura is thought to be beneficial for a large number of ailments that ranged from skin conditions to high blood pressure. In total Kura has been reported to be useful for 66 medical conditions and 1 spiritual application. Based on the findings of the Research Team, it is concluded that there is sufficient grounds to proceed further with the next two phases of this research project: biochemical analysis to identify the active ingredients in the different parts of the plant, and later clinical trials to determine opportunities for developing pharmaceutical drugs.