In-Water Fish Body-Length Measurement System Based on Stereo Vision.

Fish body length is an essential monitoring parameter in aquaculture engineering. However, traditional manual measurement methods have been found to be inefficient and harmful to fish. To overcome these shortcomings, this paper proposes a non-contact measurement method that utilizes binocular stereo vision to accurately measure the body length of fish underwater. Binocular cameras capture RGB and depth images to acquire the RGB-D data of the fish, and then the RGB images are selectively segmented using the contrast-adaptive Grab Cut algorithm. To determine the state of the fish, a skeleton extraction algorithm is employed to handle fish with curved bodies. The errors caused by the refraction of water are then analyzed and corrected. Finally, the best measurement points from the RGB image are extracted and converted into 3D spatial coordinates to calculate the length of the fish, for which measurement software was developed. The experimental results indicate that the mean relative percentage error for fish-length measurement is 0.9%. This paper presents a method that meets the accuracy requirements for measurement in aquaculture while also being convenient for implementation and application.

Estimation of body weight using body measurements in female water buffaloes reared in southeastern Mexico.

Buffalo farming is an important livestock activity in Mexico. However, the low technological level of the farms makes it difficult to monitor the growth rates of the animals. The objectives of this study were to analyse the body measurements of 107 adult female Murrah buffaloes, to estimate the interrelationships between those measurements and body weight, and to develop equations to predict body weight (BW) using body measurements including withers at height (WH), rump height (RH), body height (BH), heart girth (HG), abdominal girth (AG), pelvic girth (PG), body length (BL), girth circumference (GC), diagonal body length (DBL), pelvic circumference (PC), and abdomen circumference (AC). The study was conducted on two commercial farms in southern Mexico. Pearson correlation and stepwise regression techniques were used for the data analysis. To find out the best regression models, we used model quality criteria such as coefficient of determination (R2), adjusted R2 (Adj.R2), root mean square error (RMSE), Mallow's Cp, Akaike's information criteria (AIC), Bayesian information criteria (BIC), and coefficient of variation (CV). Correlation results indicated that BW had a positive high correlation (P < 0.01) of all the measured traits. Model 4 (-780.56 + 311.76GC + 383.51DBL + 51.82PC + 47.65AC-106.78BL) was the best regression model with a higher R2 (0.87), Adj. R2 (0.86) smaller Cp (4.24), AIC (749.19), BIC (752.16), and RMSE (36.91). The current study suggests that GC, DBL, PC, AC, and BL might be used in combination to estimate BW of adult female Murrah buffaloes.

[Comparative aspect of normative (reference) values of indicators of length and weight of children living in the region of the Far North (part 1 - body length indicators)].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: to analyze the differences in the normative (reference) values of the body length indicators of children and adolescents living in four ecological and geographical zones of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Statistical data processing was carried out on 24,123 schoolchildren who do not have chronic diseases belonging to health groups I and II. Statistical, analytical, mathematical and sociological methods were used. RESULTS: Among boys, the highest level of statistically significant differences in body length was observed in the age groups of 12, 13 and 15-17 years, among girls - in the age groups of 13, 14 and 16 years. Higher reference values of body length indicators for boys and girls living in the industrial regions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), lower - for those living in the Arctic zone of the Far North and rural areas of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), where the population is represented mainly by the indigenous peoples of the Far North.

Environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics modulated the immune response and swimming activity, and impaired the development of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma larvae.

Microplastics (MPs), due to their impacts on the ecosystem and their integration into the food web either through trophic transfer or ingestion directly from the ambient environment, are an emerging class of environmental contaminants posing a great threat to marine organisms. Most reports on the toxic effects of MPs exclusively focus on bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, pathological damage, and metabolic disturbance in fish. However, the collected information on fish immunity in response to MPs is poorly defined. In particular, little is known regarding mucosal immunity and the role of mucins. In this study, marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) larvae were exposed to 6.0 µm beads of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) at three environmentally relevant concentrations (102 particles/L, 104 particles/L, and 106 particles/L) for 14 days. The experiment was carried out to explore the developmental and behavioural indices, the transcriptional profiles of mucins, pro-inflammatory, immune, metabolism and antioxidant responses related genes, as well as the accumulation of PS-MPs in larvae. The results revealed that PS-MPs were observed in the gastrointestinal tract, with a concentration- and exposure time-dependent manner. No significant difference in the larval mortality was found between the treatment groups and the control, whereas the body length of larvae demonstrated a significant reduction at 106 particles/L on 14 days post-hatching. The swimming behaviour of the larvae became hyperactive under exposure to 104 and 106 particles/L PS-MPs. In addition, PS-MP exposure significantly up-regulated the mucin gene transcriptional levels of muc7-like and muc13-like, however down-regulated the mucin gene expression levels of heg1, muc2, muc5AC-like and muc13. The immune- and inflammation and metabolism-relevant genes (jak, stat-3, il-6, il-1ß, tnf-а, ccl-11, nf-κb, and sod) were significantly induced by PS-MPs at 104 and 106 particles/L compared to the control. Taken together, this study suggests that PS-MPs induced inflammation response and might obstruct the immune functions and retarded the growth of the marine medaka larvae even at environmentally relevant concentrations.

[The physical development of children of school age (7-17 years) in the Kirghiz Republic].

The article presents the results of comparative analysis of indices of physical development of school-age children residing in various regions of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The statistically significant relationship between body length and body mass of examined children from territories of their residence was established. The children from Bishkek had significantly higher values as compared to children from villages of highlands and the south and the north of the country as well. The statistically significant dependence of body length and body mass of examined children on gender was revealed, explained by higher anthropometric indices in boys, as compared with girls in age categories of 7-8 years and 15-17 years. The multivariate variance analysis established that territorial factor statistically significant affected anthropometric indices in all studied age categories. At that, input of this factor into indices dispersion did not exceed 10%. The input of sex assignment to variance of body height and body mass in children under age of 14 years was insignificant. However, in the age of 15 years and older effect of this factor on anthropometric indices increased significantly, reaching its maximum by the age of 17 years and significantly predominating over influence of territorial factor.

Using fisher-contributed secondary fins to fill critical shark-fisheries data gaps.

Developing-world shark fisheries are typically not assessed or actively managed for sustainability; one fundamental obstacle is the lack of species and size-composition catch data. We tested and implemented a new and potentially widely applicable approach for collecting these data: mandatory submission of low-value secondary fins (anal fins) from landed sharks by fishers and use of the fins to reconstruct catch species and size. Visual and low-cost genetic identification were used to determine species composition, and linear regression was applied to total length and anal fin base length for catch-size reconstruction. We tested the feasibility of this approach in Belize, first in a local proof-of-concept study and then scaling it up to the national level for the 2017-2018 shark-fishing season (1,786 fins analyzed). Sixteen species occurred in this fishery. The most common were the Caribbean reef (Carcharhinus perezi), blacktip (C. limbatus), sharpnose (Atlantic [Rhizoprionodon terraenovae] and Caribbean [R. porosus] considered as a group), and bonnethead (Sphyrna cf. tiburo). Sharpnose and bonnethead sharks were landed primarily above size at maturity, whereas Caribbean reef and blacktip sharks were primarily landed below size at maturity. Our approach proved effective in obtaining critical data for managing the shark fishery, and we suggest the tools developed as part of this program could be exported to other nations in this region and applied almost immediately if there were means to communicate with fishers and incentivize them to provide anal fins. Outside the tropical Western Atlantic, we recommend further investigation of the feasibility of sampling of secondary fins, including considerations of time, effort, and cost of species identification from these fins, what secondary fin type to use, and the means with which to communicate with fishers and incentivize participation. This program could be a model for collecting urgently needed data for developing-world shark fisheries globally. Article impact statement: Shark fins collected from fishers yield data critical to shark fisheries management in developing nations.

Uso de Aletas Secundarias Proporcionadas por Pescadores para Llenar Vacíos Importantes de Información sobre las Pesquerías de Tiburones Resumen Con frecuencia no se evalúan las pesquerías de tiburones del mundo en desarrollo ni cuentan con un manejo activo de sustentabilidad. Uno de los principales obstáculos para esto es la falta de información sobre las especies y la composición de los tamaños en las capturas. Probamos e implementamos una estrategia nueva y potencialmente aplicable en todas partes para la recolección de estos datos: la entrega obligatoria de las aletas secundarias de bajo valor económico (aletas anales) obtenidas de los tiburones desembarcados por parte de los pescadores y el uso de estas aletas para reconstruir las especies y tamaños en la captura. Usamos identificaciones genéticas de bajo costo e identificaciones visuales para determinar la composición de las especies y aplicamos una regresión lineal a la longitud total y a la de la base de la aleta anal para la reconstrucción del tamaño en captura. Probamos la viabilidad de esta estrategia en Belice, primero en un estudio de prueba de concepto y después subiendo al nivel nacional para la temporada de pesca de tiburón 2017-2018 (1,786 aletas analizadas). Se registraron 16 especies en esta pesquería. Las más comunes fueron Carcharhinus perezi, C. limbatus, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae y R. porosus (consideradas como un grupo) y Sphyrna cf. tiburo. Las últimas tres especies fueron desembarcadas principalmente por encima del tamaño maduro, mientras que con las dos primeras especies lo hacían por debajo del tamaño maduro. Nuestra estrategia demostró ser efectiva en la obtención de información crítica para el manejo de la pesquería de tiburones y sugerimos que las herramientas desarrolladas como parte de este programa puedan ser exportadas a otras naciones en esta región y aplicadas casi de manera inmediata si existen los medios para comunicarse con los pescadores e incentivarlos a proporcionar las aletas anales. Fuera del Atlántico Occidental tropical, recomendamos una mayor investigación de la viabilidad del muestreo de aletas secundarias, incluyendo la consideración del tiempo, esfuerzo y costo de la identificación de especies a partir de estas aletas; cuál tipo de aleta secundaria utilizar; y los medios mediante los cuales comunicarse con los pescadores e incentivarlos a participar. Este programa podría ser un modelo para la recolección de información de necesidad urgente para las pesquerías del mundo en desarrollo.

N-acetylcysteine restores the cadmium toxicity of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Cadmium is a well-known environmental toxicant. At the cellular level, exposure to cadmium results in cytotoxic effects through the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Although cadmium exposure leads to the dysfunction of various organs, the underlying mechanisms of the toxic effects of cadmium in vivo are still largely unknown. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a useful model animal and exhibits unique biological reactions in response to environmental toxicants. In this study, the toxic mechanisms of cadmium exposure in C. elegans were investigated using N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which has dual functions, i.e., as a chelator of metals and as an antioxidant. NAC did not inhibit the uptake of cadmium into nematodes, suggesting that NAC did not function as a chelator of cadmium under these experimental conditions. Based on this finding, we investigated the effect of NAC as an antioxidant on representative phenotypic traits caused by cadmium exposure-reduced body length, aversion behavior, and shortened lifespan. NAC did not reverse the decreased body size but did clearly restore the aversion behavior and the shortened lifespan. These data suggest that aversion behavior and shortened lifespan are mediated by oxidative stress in C. elegans.

A novel microRNA and its pfk target control growth length in the freshwater shrimp Neocaridina heteropoda.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression and play roles in a wide range of physiological processes, including ontogenesis. Herein, we discovered a novel miRNA, novel miR-26, which inhibits translation of the phosphofructokinase (PFK) gene by targeting the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of pfk directly, thereby inhibiting molting and body length growth of the freshwater shrimp Neocaridina heteropoda Lowering expression of pfk by RNA interference (RNAi) led to a longer ecdysis cycle and smaller individuals. This phenotype was mirrored in shrimps injected with novel miR-26 agomirs, but the opposite phenotype occurred in shrimps injected with novel miR-26 antagomirs (i.e. the ecdysis cycle was shortened and body length was increased). After injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone 20E), expression of the novel miR-26 was decreased, while expression of pfk was up-regulated, and the fructose-1,6-diphosphate metabolite of PFK accumulated correspondingly. Furthermore, expression of eIF2 (eukaryotic initiation factor 2) increased under stimulation with fructose-1,6-diphosphate, suggesting that protein synthesis was stimulated during this period. Taken together, our results suggest that the novel miR-26 regulates expression of pfk and thereby mediates the molting and growth of N. heteropoda.

Time-Dependent Responses of Oxidative Stress, Growth, and Reproduction of Daphnia magna Under Thermal Stress.

The present study evaluated the effects of temperature (20 and 25°C) on the oxidative stress responses and life-history traits of Daphnia magna depending on exposure time. Daphnid exposed to an elevated temperature for 21 days had notably higher activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione S-transferase while the enzyme activities did not differ significantly between the two temperature groups for daphnid exposed for 5 days. However, the results of body length were opposite where only the 5 days exposure daphnid had significantly longer bodies at 25°C compared to those at 20°C (p < 0.05). Despite the earlier reproduction for daphnids at 25°C, the cumulative number of offspring per female for 21 days was not significantly different from those at 20°C (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that D. magna undergo strategic changes in oxidative stress response, growth, and reproduction throughout the exposure period of 21 days.

Preliminary safety assessment of oridonin in zebrafish.

Context: Oridonin, isolated from the leaves of Isodon rubescens (Hemsl.) H.Hara (Lamiaceae), has good antitumor activity. However, its safety in vivo is still unclear. Objective: To investigate the preliminary safety of oridonin in zebrafish. Materials and methods: Embryo, larvae and adult zebrafish (n = 40) were used. Low, medium and high oridonin concentrations (100, 200 and 400 mg/L for embryo; 150, 300 and 600 mg/L for larvae; 200, 400 and 800 mg/L for adult zebrafish) and blank samples were administered. At specific stages of zebrafish development, spontaneous movement, heartbeat, hatching rate, etc., were recorded to assess the developmental effects of oridonin. VEGFA, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3 gene expression were also examined. Results: Low-dose oridonin increased spontaneous movement and hatching rate with median effective doses (ED50) of 115.17 mg/L at 24 h post-fertilization (hpf) and 188.59 mg/L at 54 hpf, but these values decreased at high doses with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 209.11 and 607.84 mg/L. Oridonin decreased heartbeat with IC50 of 285.76 mg/L at 48 hpf, and induced malformation at 120 hpf with half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 411.94 mg/L. Oridonin also decreased body length with IC50 of 324.78 mg/L at 144 hpf, and increased swimming speed with ED50 of 190.98 mg/L at 120 hpf. The effects of oridonin on zebrafish embryo development may be attributed to the downregulation of VEGFR3 gene expression. Discussions and conclusions: Oridonin showed adverse effects at early stages of zebrafish development. We will perform additional studies on mechanism of oridonin based on VEGFR3.

[Anthropometric indicators of physical development and nutritional status employed in hygiene practice in Russia].

In the current review, we consider the main working methods of Russian hygienists to assess anthropometric indices using a) regional data on (populational) variability of the concerning measurements and b) unified reference data applicable in most regions. An analysis showed that in most cases, the regional standards are based on average values and variabilities derived from a local sample, which can not serve as a working normative. As a result, these so called "standards" do not provide information on how healthy children should develop, and the assessments inferred are difficult to integrate to draw a picture for the whole country. In 2017, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation recommended the use of the WHO Child Growth Standards and the WHO Growth Reference for the purpose of medical screenings in children and adolescents. These data sets reflect the conditions, that healthy children should attain growing in supportive environment, with adequate nutrition and care. The single set of criteria will allow unifying the data collected in different regions, which is a necessity in communal hygiene and medical statistics. However, additional research is needed to check the validity of the WHO standards and reference to assess physical development and nutritional status in highly anthropologically specific populations, in particular in those indigenous and long-ago adapted to the sharply continental or Arctic climate.

[On patterns of human height distributions relative to the specific length of the foot]. / O zakonomernostiakh raspredeleniia znachenii rosta cheloveka dlia konkretnoi dliny stopy.

The purpose of the study is to clarify the patterns of distribution of height measurements relative to a specific length of a foot in humans, in order to use them for more accurate and reliable determination of body length (height). 15,892 people of mixed population (9814 men and 6078 women of 49 nationalities) aged from 20 to 50 years were examined. Their heights and their foot lengths were measured, and the coefficients of the ratios were calculated. A chart was made showing the distribution of body lengths relative to different lengths of the feet, in increments of 10 mm. The nature and density distribution of body lengths for each specific foot length were analyzed. The data revealed that each individual length of the foot corresponds to several values of height with a total spread of up to 24 cm at different frequencies of occurrence, which in fact does not allow to unambiguously determine the length of the body (height) of a person relative to the length of his foot. The maximum concentration of body lengths corresponding to a specific foot length is within the proximity of the average value, while significant deviations in one direction or another are much less common - making an exception in 1-3% of cases. The main density of the distribution of height values (76-86%) relative to foot lengths falls within the range of 10-12 cm. This makes it possible with a high degree of probability to determine height relative to foot length within these limits. The ratios of foot length to height, calculated in various ways, differ from each other. In this regard, the ratio between height and foot length, established by anthropologists and shoe designers/ergonomists - including methods for determining height, based on their calculations - are poorly suited for forensic science and forensic purposes.

Body size and ecological traits in fleas parasitic on small mammals in the Palearctic: larger species attain higher abundance.

We studied the relationships between body size and (a) abundance and (b) host specificity in fleas parasitic on small mammals (rodents and shrews) in the Palearctic taking into account the confounding effect of phylogeny. We tested these relationships both across 127 flea species and within separate phylogenetic clades, predicting higher abundance and lower host specificity (in terms of the number or diversity of hosts used by a flea) in smaller species. We also tested for the relationships between body size and abundance separately for species that spend most of their lives on a host's body (the "body" fleas) and species that spend most of their lives in a host's burrow or nest (the "nest" fleas). A significant phylogenetic signal in body size was detected across all fleas, as well as in five of six separate clades. Across all fleas and in majority of phylogenetic clades, mean abundance significantly increased with an increase in body size. The same pattern was found for both the "body" and the "nest" fleas, although the slope of the relationship appeared to be steeper in the former than in the latter. Neither measure of host specificity demonstrated a significant correlation with body size regardless of the subset of flea species analysed. We explain higher abundance attained by larger flea species by higher fecundity and/or competitive advantage upon smaller species at larval stage. We conclude that the macroecological patterns reported to date in parasites are far from being universal.

An Improved Technique for Obtaining Accurate and Precise Morphometric Data on Snakes.

Morphometric measurements are basic but essential data in morphological and ecological research. It is thus beneficial to develop a safe, convenient, multipurpose device/technique to determine body length and physical characteristics of living snakes with high accuracy/precision and low stress, and to enable the probing of snakes and collection of tissue samples. To meet these requirements, we developed an improved technique, which we named the Confining-Box Method (CBM). On measuring the body lengths of a total of 72 live snakes, we found significant differences in the accuracy and precision of measurements among the squeeze-box method, the anesthesia method, and the CBM, as well as between vertebral line and the mid-ventral line measurements. Body lengths, as measured along the vertebral line and corrected for perspective errors, using the CBM, did not differ significantly from the standard lengths measured by hand using anesthesia. The squeeze-box method produced substantial negative bias and/or less precision in ventral measurements, especially for large snakes (> 1.2 m in snout-vent length). The differences between measurers were much smaller than among the different techniques. Compared to the anesthesia technique, CBM is a fast and simple method that is also safer for snakes. Unlike the traditional squeeze-box technique, CBM can record both dorsal and ventral body images of snakes simultaneously and enable researchers to measure accurate and/or precise total length (from dorsal images), tail length (from ventral images), and snout-vent length using images from a single photography session. CBM could therefore become a standard to improve measurement consistency, allowing improved data comparison in future studies.

Swimming performance of 12 Schizothoracinae species from five rivers.

A series of stepped velocity tests were carried out in a Brett-type swimming respirometer and the overall range in swimming performance for 12 Schizothoracinae species was measured. The relative critical swimming speed Ucrit and burst speed Uburst decreased with body length, while absolute Ucrit and Uburst increased with body length. Ucrit increased with temperature up to approximately 15° C and then decreased. Species with a high Ucrit also displayed a higher Uburst .

Effects of acute temperature and salinity changes, body length and starvation on the critical swimming speed of juvenile tiger puffer, Takifugu rubripes.

The critical swimming speed (U crit, cm s-1) of juvenile tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes was determined under different temperatures (15, 21, 25 and 30 °C), salinities (5, 10, 20, 32 and 40), body lengths (3.32, 4.08, 5.06 and 5.74 cm) and starvation days (1, 3, 6 and 9 days). Acute temperature change, body length and starvation significantly influenced the U crit of tiger puffers, whereas acute salinity change had no significant effect. The U crit increased as the temperature increased from 15 to 30 °C. The U crit increased as the body length increased from 3.32 to 5.74 cm, whereas relative critical swimming speed (U crit', body length s-1) decreased. The relationship between the body length (l, cm) and U crit or U crit' can be described by the quadratic model as U crit = - 1.4088 l 2 + 16.976 l - 11.64, R 2 = 0.9698 (P < 0.01) or U crit' = - 0.1937 l 2 + 0.9504 l + 7.7666, R 2 = 0.9493 (P < 0.01). The U crit decreased as starvation days increased from 1 to 9 days. Low temperature and starvation can reduce the swimming ability of juvenile tiger puffers. Results can be of value in evaluating the swimming ability of juvenile tiger puffers, understanding ecological processes and improving the population enhancement of tiger puffers.

Concentrations of Cadmium, Copper, and Zinc in Macrobrachium rosenbergii (Giant Freshwater Prawn) from Natural Environment.

This study analyzed the levels of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) by the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS), in the muscle tissues, exoskeletons, and gills from freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) (n = 20) harvested from natural habitat in Kerang River, Malaysia on 25th November 2015. Significant increase of the metals level in muscle tissue and gill (r > 0.70, p < 0.05) were observed with increase in length except for Cu in gills. No relationship was found between metals level in exoskeleton and length. The concentrations of Cd, Cu and Zn were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in males (muscle tissues and exoskeleton) except for Cd in exoskeleton. In gills, only Cu was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in female than male. All samples contained metals below the permissible limit for human consumption (i.e., Cd < 2.00 mg/kg; Cu < 30.00 mg/kg; Zn < 150 mg/kg). Annual metals monitoring in prawn and environmental samples is recommended to evaluate changes of metals bioaccumulation and cycling in the system, which is useful for resources management.

[About the anthropometric relationship between the foot length and the height in the newborn infants and adult subjects]. / Ob antropometricheskoi zavisimosti mezhdu dlinoi stopy i rostom u novorozhdennykh detei i vzroslykh.

The objective of the present study was to clarify the relationship between the foot length and the height (body length) in the human subjects for the development of the rationale for the use of this characteristic for the estimation of the probable height of the newborn infants and adults. A total 1293 newborn babies (654 boys and 639 girls) were available for the examination. In addition, a mixed population of 12,141 men and 8213 women at the age ranging from 18 to 60 years and representing 49 ethnic groups were included in the study. We measured the height and the foot length in all the participants of the study and calculated the coefficients of correlation between these parameters. The same aspects of the anthropometric relationship between the height and the foot length were subjected to the analysis. It was shown that all the main characteristics of such dependence revealed in the adults are inherent in the newborn infant too; moreover, they are especially pronounced at birth. The differences were documented only between the relative values of the height to the foot length ratio. It is concluded that such qualitative differences can be accounted for by the fact that soon after the birth of a human being his (her) individual personality traits together with the age and gender as well as other subjective and objective factors begin to influence the above relationship. The coincidence of the height to the foot length ratios in the newborn infants and the adult subjects give evidence that such relationship is intrinsic in the anatomical structure of the human body. Therefore, it can be safely used for determining the height (body length) from the foot length for the purpose of forensic medical and criminalistic expertise.

Evaluation of training programme uptake in an attempt to reduce obstetric anal sphincter injuries: the SUPPORT programme.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to assess the feedback from a quality improvement training programme to reduce obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS). METHODS: Training sessions were organised that included evidence-based information on OASIS risk factors and training on models to measure perineal body length (PBL), perform episiotomies with standard and 60° fixed angle scissors (EPISCISSORS-60®), and measure post-delivery episiotomy suture angles with protractor transparencies. Feedback forms using a Likert scale (1-4) were completed and analysed. The setting was an evidence-based quality improvement programme (Strategy for Using Practical aids for Prevention of OASIS, Recording episiotomies and clinician Training [SUPPORT]) at two National Health Service (NHS) Hospitals in the UK. The participants were midwives and doctors attending the SUPPORT training programme RESULTS: All of the participants (100 %) would recommend the training programme to a friend or colleague. 92 % felt that the training session improved their knowledge of the impact of PBL and perineal distension and their knowledge of the relationship between episiotomy angle and OASIS "a lot" or "somewhat". CONCLUSION: Based on this feedback, we recommend the addition of the knowledge content of the SUPPORT programme to other centres providing perineal assessment and repair courses.

Morphometric assessment of normal human ciliary body using ultrasound biomicroscopy.

PURPOSE: To quantitatively assess the biometry of the ciliary body in normal human eyes using ultrasound biomicroscopy. METHODS: We evaluated 85 eyes of 85 normal subjects (35 men and 50 women), whose age ranged from 11 to 86 years (mean ± SD, 56.8 ± 20.4 years). The eyes were assessed along the 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-o'clock meridians relative to the center of the cornea. Clinical data were collected, including age, axial length, ciliary body length (CBL), ciliary body thickness (CBT), anterior chamber depth, iris root thickness, trabecular-iris angle, and scleral-ciliary process angle. Axial length was measured using A-scan ultrasonography. RESULTS: CBL and CBT tended to be larger in the superior than in the inferior quadrant, but the differences among the four quadrants were not statistically significant. The average CBL showed a significant positive correlation with the average CBT (r = 0.40, P < 0.001). Average CBL and CBT were significantly correlated with axial length (r = 0.33, P = 0.031; r = 0.46, P < 0.01 respectively). In addition, the average CBL was significantly correlated with anterior chamber depth (r = 0.23, P < 0.05), trabecular-iris angle (r = 0.29, P = 0.01), and scleral-ciliary process angle (r = 0.40, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound biomicroscopic imaging demonstrated that the ciliary body is similar in size in all circumferences, and eyes with longer axial length have an elongated and thicker ciliary body. The values obtained in the present study may serve as standard clinical references.