Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2018 Dec 4. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

From the Department of Orthopaedics, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI.

Cutibacterium acnes, long thought to be skin flora of pathological insignificance, has seen a surge in interest for its role in spine pathology. C acnes has been identified as a pathogen in native spine infection and osteomyelitis, which has implications in the management compared with more commonly recognized pathogens. In addition, It has also been recognized as a pathogen in postoperative and implant-associated infections. Read More

Saudi Med J 2018 Dec;39(12):1186-1194

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail.

Objectives: To explore the risk factors, the prevalence rate, and gene types of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria as the causative agents of infection at King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital (KAASH), Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted during the period between February 2017 and January 2018. All samples obtained from the KAASH were analyzed. Read More

Atten Percept Psychophys 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Experimental & Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Numerous studies have shown that visual performance critically depends on the stimulus' projected retinal location. For example, performance tends to be better along the horizontal relative to the vertical meridian (lateral anisotropy). Another case is the so-called upper-lower anisotropy, whereby performance is better in the upper relative to the lower hemifield. Read More

Transl Vis Sci Technol 2018 Nov 30;7(6):13. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Institut Catalá de Retina, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.

Purpose: To evaluate two glaucoma diagnostic calculators (GDC) in a group of eyes with preperimetric glaucoma (PPG).

Methods: All eyes ( = 265) included in this study had ocular hypertension with normal visual fields (VFs) on repeated VF tests. PPG was defined as progression in the Guided Progression Analysis software from Cirrus-optical coherence tomography (GPA-OCT). Read More

Infect Drug Resist 2018 13;11:2249-2255. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Department of Emergency, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110004, People's Republic of China,

Purpose: To study the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and epidemiological characteristics of extended-spectrum β lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria.

Patients And Methods: Lower respiratory tract secretions from 156 patients with mechanical ventilation were collected using a protective specimen brush (PSB), with quantitative bacterial culture carried out and antibiotic sensitivity measured. ESBLs produced by Gram-negative bacilli were detected using the double disk diffusion method and monitored by plasmid profiles. Read More

Nature 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA.

Evidence for the capture of nebular gases by planetary interiors would place important constraints on models of planet formation. These constraints include accretion timescales, thermal evolution, volatile compositions and planetary redox states. Retention of nebular gases by planetary interiors also constrains the dynamics of outgassing and volatile loss associated with the assembly and ensuing evolution of terrestrial planets. Read More

Nanomaterials (Basel) 2018 Dec 4;8(12). Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58018, USA.

Corrosion and corrosion-induced damage have resulted mostly in malfunctions and sometimes even in failures of metallic structures, including oil and gas pipelines. In this study, new high-performance composite coatings were developed by incorporating nanoparticles in the polymer resins with applications to oil and gas pipelines. The graphene nanoplatelets under different concentrations were used to prepare the epoxy-based nanocomposites and were then evaluated through mechanical and electrical tests. Read More

PLoS Comput Biol 2018 Dec 3;14(12):e1006628. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Physics, Institute of Molecular Biology, Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America.

Three-dimensional microscopy is increasingly prevalent in biology due to the development of techniques such as multiphoton, spinning disk confocal, and light sheet fluorescence microscopies. These methods enable unprecedented studies of life at the microscale, but bring with them larger and more complex datasets. New image processing techniques are therefore called for to analyze the resulting images in an accurate and efficient manner. Read More

IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

This work presents fabrication of thermal-piezoresistive nanoelectromechanical (NEM) silicon disk resonators and their characterization as highly sensitive mass sensors. Forest of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) has been grown on top surface of the fabricated devices increasing the resonator effective surface area, which in turn increases the adsorption capacity and therefore frequency shift of the sensor in molecular or particulate detection applications. To investigate the effect of the enhanced surface area on frequency shift, devices with and without MWCNTs were exposed to an aqueous solution of manganese sulfate for different deposition times and the resonance frequency shift was recorded accordingly. Read More

Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Faculty of System Science and Technology, Akita Prefecture University, Yuri-Honjo 015-0055, Japan.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) constitute promising nanomedicine tools based on the possibility of obtaining different actuations (for example, heating or mechanical response) triggered by safe remote stimuli. Particularly, the possibility of performing different tasks using the same entity constitutes a main research target towards optimizing the treatment. But such a goal represents, in general, a very difficult step because the requisites for achieving efficient responses for separate actuations are often disparate - if not completely incompatible. Read More

Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi 2018 Dec;56(12):907-914

Institute of Antibiotics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.

To investigate the prevalence and resistance changes of carbapenem-resistant (CRE) strains isolated from children patients of Chinese Bacterial Resistance Surveillance Network (CHINET) from 2005 to 2017. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out by disk diffusion method (KB method) and automated systems. Results were analyzed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) 2017 edition standards. Read More

ACS Nano 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Recent work has shown that optical magnetism, generally considered a challenging light-matter interaction, can be significant at the nanoscale. In particular, the dielectric nano-structures that support magnetic Mie resonances have been recognized as low-loss and versatile optical magnetic elements that can effectively manipulate the magnetic field of light. However, the usually narrow magnetic resonance band of the dielectric Mie resonators is often overshadowed by the electric response, which prohibits the use of such nano-resonators as efficient magnetic nano-antennas. Read More

Eurasian J Med 2018 Oct;50(3):178-181

Department of Neurosurgery, Atatürk University School of Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with lumbar disk hernia operated between 2012 January and 2017 August and to compare the differences between open discectomy (OD) and microdiscectomy (MD).

Materials And Methods: Files of 519 patients who presented at our neurosurgical department with lumbar disk herniation were retrospectively reviewed and recorded. Preoperatively, all patients routinely underwent spinal lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and anteroposterior as well as lateral lumbar vertebrae X-rays. Read More

Zhongguo Gu Shang 2018 Nov;31(11):1065-1068

Department of Spinal Surgery, Mingzhou Hospital of Zhejiang University, Ningbo 315100, Zhejiang, China;

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy via lateral position assisted with local anesthesia for lumbar disc herniation in elder with systemic diseases.

Methods: The clinical data of 44 elder patients with lumbar disc herniation and systemic diseases treated from June 2013 to June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Including 26 males and 18 females, aged 70 to 86 years old with an average of(77. Read More

Zhongguo Gu Shang 2018 Nov;31(11):1041-1045

Spinal Minimally Invasive Department, Xi'an Honghui Hospital Xi'an 710054, Shaanxi, China;

Objective: To investigate the early clinical effects of transforaminal endoscopic spine system (TESSYS) for the treatment of bilateral lumbar disc herniation in single segment.

Methods: The clinical data of 38 patients with single-segment bilateral lumbar disc herniation treated by TESSYS technique from February 2016 to February 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 26 males and 12 females, aged from 30 to 55 years old with an average of(35. Read More

Burns 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Division of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Austria; COREMED - Cooperative Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Graz, 9 Austria.

Background: With the increase of antimicrobial resistance in recent decades, other methods of preventing and fighting infections must be considered. Burn patients, whose wound areas are often extensive, are especially prone to wound infections. The loading of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) with antiseptics has already been successfully performed but unfortunately, the described procedure is time-consuming and thus not applicable in a clinical emergency setting. Read More

BMC Bioinformatics 2018 Dec 3;19(1):462. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Genome Data Integration Center, Syntekabio Incorporated, Techno-2ro B-512, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, 34025.

Background: The use of whole genome sequence has increased recently with rapid progression of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. However, storing raw sequence reads to perform large-scale genome analysis pose hardware challenges. Despite advancement in genome analytic platforms, efficient approaches remain relevant especially as applied to the human genome. Read More

PLoS One 2018 30;13(11):e0208183. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.

Objective: We aim to assess the similarities of proportional, phenotypic, and molecular characteristics between the school environment and schoolchildren on methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) isolates.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2016 and August 2016 in eight elementary schools in Guangzhou, China. Read More

Elife 2018 Nov 30;7. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.

It is unclear how the two principal functions of the Golgi complex, processing and transport, are spatially organized. Studying such spatial organization by optical imaging is challenging, partially due to the dense packing of stochastically oriented Golgi stacks. Using super-resolution microscopy and markers such as Giantin, we developed a method to identify en face and side views of individual nocodazole-induced Golgi mini-stacks. Read More

Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol 2018 18;2018:6532014. Epub 2018 Oct 18.

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medical and Health Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.

Background: Food handlers with untrimmed finger nails could contribute or serve as a vehicle for the transmission of food poisoning pathogens.

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of bacteria and intestinal parasites among food handlers and antibiotic susceptibility profile of the isolated bacteria in Debre Markos University, Ethiopia.

Materials And Methods: This laboratory-based cross-sectional study involved 220 food handlers working in food service establishments in Debre Markos University between 1st January 2015 to 31th June 2016. Read More

J Lab Physicians 2018 Oct-Dec;10(4):432-436

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem worldwide especially among the surgical site infections (SSIs). SSI is becoming more serious due to hospital-acquired infections/nosocomial infections, which further leads to the overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. To investigate the antimicrobial resistance patterns among Gram-negative bacteria in SSI in in- and out-patients the present study was designed. Read More

J Lab Physicians 2018 Oct-Dec;10(4):414-419

Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India.

Purpose: This study has been done to speciate coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and also study their antibiotic susceptibility pattern isolated from clinical samples.

Materials And Methods: A total of 120 consecutive CoNS were isolated from various clinical samples such as blood, pus, wound swab, drain fluid, tracheal aspirate, peritoneal fluid, and pleural fluid over a period of 6 months. CoNS were identified by characteristic growth on media such as Blood agar and MacConkey agar. Read More

J Lab Physicians 2018 Oct-Dec;10(4):387-391

Department of Microbiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Background: () is an important nosocomial pathogen, and the emergence of multidrug resistance in these organisms limits the treatment options for serious infections caused by them. carbapenemase (KPC) is one of the clinically significant Class A beta-lactamases.

Aim And Objective: This study was aimed to detect the KPC and its coexistence with other beta-lactamases in . Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2018 Nov 26. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Departamento de Patologia, Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address:

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the bla gene, the pathogenic potential and antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from patients admitted to the University Hospital of Londrina between January 2014 and March 2017.

Methods: bla and virulence genes were investigated using conventional PCR methods Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed the disk diffusion method according to the standards described in CLSI 2017. Clonal relationships the NDM-positive isolates were determined by ERIC-PCR and MLST. Read More

IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 2018 Nov 26. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

This part II of a two-paper sequence presents fabri-cation and measurement results for a micromechanical disk-based RF channel-select filter designed using the theory and procedure of Part I. Successful demonstration of an actual filter required sev-eral practical additions to an ideal design, including the introduc-tion of a 39nm-gap capacitive transducer, voltage-controlled fre-quency tuning electrodes, and a stress relieving coupled array de-sign, all of which combine to enable a 0.1%-bandwidth 223. Read More

Zookeys 2018 15(796):241-252. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Research Associate, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA American Museum of Natural History New York United States of America.

A new species of the plant bug genus , tribe Orthotylini, is described from Mexico. This species, unlike any other in the genus, is characterized by a predominantly black coloration, the absence of black scale-like setae on the pronotal disk, and unique male genitalia. Read More

Nature 2018 Nov 28;563(7733):657-660. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

The broadening of atomic emission lines by high-velocity motion of gas near accreting supermassive black holes is an observational hallmark of quasars. Observations of broad emission lines could potentially constrain the mechanism for transporting gas inwards through accretion disks or outwards through winds. The size of regions for which broad emission lines are observed (broad-line regions) has been estimated by measuring the delay in light travel time between the variable brightness of the accretion disk  continuum and the emission lines-a method known as reverberation mapping. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2018 Nov 27;18(12). Epub 2018 Nov 27.

School of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea.

This study aims to explore the applicability of diffuse ultrasound to the evaluation of water permeability and chloride ion penetrability of cracked concrete. Lab-scale experiments were conducted on disk-shaped concrete specimens, each having a different width of a penetrating crack that was generated by splitting tension along the centerline. The average crack width of each specimen was determined using an image binarization technique. Read More

Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar. Pakistan.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the major pathogen associated with acute tissue damage in patients with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). Antibiotic resistance in P. aeruginosa often bodes unpredictable and unfavourable clinical outcomes, owing to a variety of intrinsic and acquired molecular mechanisms. Read More

Oral Radiol 2018 Aug 29. Epub 2018 Aug 29.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty Of Dentistry, Karabuk University, Balıklar Kayası Street, 78050, Karabuk, Turkey.

Objectives: This study was performed to ultrasonographically assess the masseter muscle thicknesses of individuals with disk displacement with reduction.

Methods: The thickness of the masseter muscle in 100 patients (28 male, 72 female; average age 34 years) who presented with one-sided temporomandibular joint pain and a clicking sound and were diagnosed with disk displacement with reduction was measured in relaxation and at maximum contraction using ultrasonography.

Results: In the contracted position, the difference in the masseter muscle thickness between the healthy side and the side with disk displacement with reduction was statistically significant (p < 0. Read More

Oral Radiol 2018 Sep 20;34(3):245-250. Epub 2018 Jan 20.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Tokyo Dental College, 2-9-18, Misaki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0016, Japan.

Objectives: Joint effusion is demonstrated by high signal intensity in the upper and lower temporomandibular joint (TMJ) spaces on T2-weighted images. The fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) technique can be applied to analyze joint effusion in the TMJ. FLAIR signal intensity can be more sensitively influenced by the contents of joint effusion than T2-weighted signal intensity. Read More

Iran J Microbiol 2018 Aug;10(4):254-257

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.

Background And Objectives: Anaerobic Gram negative bacteria are the main cause of periodontal destruction. It has been shown that have anti-bacterial activity on Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial effect of aquatic and methanolic extract of on some of the oral Gram-negative bacteria. Read More

Iran J Microbiol 2018 Aug;10(4):215-219

Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Background And Objectives: is the main Gram-positive bacteria isolated from patients with ocular infections. Herein, we describe the pattern of antibiotic resistance, presence of resistance genes including and the cytotoxin gene in isolates collected from patients with external ocular infection.

Materials And Methods: In this study, 8 isolates were collected from 81 patients that suffered from eye damage. Read More

G3 (Bethesda) 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

University of Calgary

Matrices representing genetic relatedness among individuals (i.e., Genomic Relationship Matrices, GRMs) play a central role in genetic analysis. Read More

Neurocirugia (Astur) 2018 Oct 25. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Servicio de Neurocirugía, Módulo de Columna, Hospital Regional 1° de Octubre, ISSSTE, Mexico City, Mexico.

Spinal cord teratomas are rare. There are few reports of teratomas affecting the cervical spine and their association with spondylotic radiculopathy has not been described. A 59-year-old woman with history of fecal incontinence attended with cervical radicular pain radiating to upper limbs. Read More

Lab Anim 2018 Nov 27:23677218815203. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

2 Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padua, Italy.

Few reports evaluate the clinical effects of opioids in sheep during experimental surgical procedures. Catecholamine-mediated haemodynamic changes resulting from surgical noxious stimulation are blunted by opioids. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three opioid-based analgesic protocols in avoiding a 20% increase in heart rate (HR) and/or mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) during experimental intervertebral disk nucleotomy in sheep. Read More

Zhonghua Shao Shang Za Zhi 2018 Nov;34(11):802-808

State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Burn Research, the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University (the Third Military Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China.

To analyze the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens from the wounds of thermal burn patients, so as to provide reliable basis for the rational use of antibiotics and the effective control over nosocomial infection. Wound samples of 1 310 thermal burn patients admitted into our burn wards from January 2012 to December 2017 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. API bacteria identification panels and automatical bacteria identification equipment were used to identify pathogens. Read More

Zhonghua Shao Shang Za Zhi 2018 Nov;34(11):796-801

Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Ruijin Hospitals, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China.

To investigate resistance mechanism and virulence features of carbapenems-resistant (CRKP) and to provide theoretical foundation for the prevention and control of nosocomial infections in burn wards as well as clinical therapy of CRKP. Strains of isolated from clinical samples of burn patients hospitalized in our unit from February to December 2016 were collected. The diameters of inhibition zone of imipemen or meropenem susceptibility disk of the above strains were≤22 mm. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, China-INI, 45# Changchun Street, Xicheng District, 100053, P.R. China. Electronic address:

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of OLIF (Oblique lumbar interbody fusion) in the treatment of degenerative lumbar disease.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with degenerative lumbar disease who underwent OLIF between October 2016 and January 2017 were included. Radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed pre- and postoperatively. Read More

Foodborne Pathog Dis 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

2 Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba , Winnipeg, Canada .

To evaluate the Salmonella prevalence and its antimicrobial susceptibility in dual-purpose cattle farms, fecal (n = 3964; from cows and calves) and environmental samples (n = 334; personnel, feed, and water sources) were collected over a 1-year period at six farms in the eastern region of Zulia State, Venezuela. Salmonella detection was carried out using standard microbiological culture methods. From 453 isolated Salmonella, antimicrobial susceptibility was tested using a panel of 10 antibiotics by the disk diffusion test method. Read More

Nanoscale 2018 Dec 27;10(47):22549-22559. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong.

Lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) possess the highest theoretical specific density among all types of lithium batteries, making them ideal candidates to replace the current Li ion batteries for next-generation electric vehicle applications. However, designing highly active catalysts with high electronic conductivities to kinetically accelerate the sluggish oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OER) is still a big challenge. This work was dedicated to developing two-dimensional (2D) trigonal phase MoS (1T-MoS) nanosheets as a highly active electrocatalyst for LOBs for the first time. Read More

Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2018 19;7:138. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

1School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.

Background: The rates of resistant microorganisms which complicate the management of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are increasing worldwide and getting more serious in developing countries. The objective of this study was to describe microbiological features and resistance profiles of bacterial pathogens of HAIs in Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC) in Ethiopia.

Methods: Institution based cross sectional study was carried out on hospitalized patients from May to September, 2016 in JUMC. Read More

Nat Commun 2018 Nov 27;9(1):5001. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.

Demonstrations of passive daytime radiative cooling have primarily relied on complex and costly spectrally selective nanophotonic structures with high emissivity in the transparent atmospheric spectral window and high reflectivity in the solar spectrum. Here, we show a directional approach to passive radiative cooling that exploits the angular confinement of solar irradiation in the sky to achieve sub-ambient cooling during the day regardless of the emitter properties in the solar spectrum. We experimentally demonstrate this approach using a setup comprising a polished aluminum disk that reflects direct solar irradiation and a white infrared-transparent polyethylene convection cover that minimizes diffuse solar irradiation. Read More

Eur Spine J 2018 Nov 26. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Orthopedics Department, Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal.

Purpose: To describe and analyze the use of the V-rod technique described by Gillet to repair spondylolysis in both early and late postoperative periods.

Methods: Patients submitted to surgical correction of lumbar spondylolysis with a V-rod system were selected upon exclusion of adjacent disk degenerative changes and high-grade spondylolisthesis. A preoperative clinical (ODI and VAS) and radiological evaluation was performed, along with assessments on the early (clinical evaluation-up to 1 year) and late (clinical and radiological-at least 10 years) postoperative periods. Read More

Molecules 2018 Nov 23;23(12). Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Department of Pharmacy, and Research Institute of Life Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea.

One hundred and seventy seven acetone extracts of lichen and 258 ethyl acetate extracts of cultured lichen-forming fungi (LFF) were screened for antimicrobial activity against and using a disk diffusion method. Divaricatic acid was isolated from and identified by LC-MS, ¹H-, C- and DEPT-NMR. Purified divaricatic acid was effective against Gram + bacteria, such as , , , and , with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 7. Read More

PLoS One 2018 26;13(11):e0207857. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Microbiology of Plant Foods, Agroscope, Waedenswil, Switzerland.

Irrigation water is a major source of fresh produce contamination with undesired microorganisms including antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and contaminated fresh produce can transfer ARB to the consumer especially when consumed raw. Nevertheless, no legal guidelines exist so far regulating quality of irrigation water with respect to ARB. We therefore examined irrigation water from major vegetable growing areas for occurrence of antibiotic-resistant indicator bacteria Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2018 Nov 20. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Neurosurgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona.

Study Design: Case-control whole genome sequencing analysis of a highly selected, young cohort with symptomatic lumbar disk herniation (LDH) compared to the standard variation in a large reference population.

Objective: To assess genetic influences predisposing pediatric and young adult patients to symptomatic LDH.

Summary Of Background Data: LDH has traditionally been attributed to natural weakening or mechanical insult, but recent literature supports a potential genetic influence. Read More

Astron Astrophys 2018 Sep;617

Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM-CSIC). E-28049, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.

Context: To our knowledge, R Mon is the only B0 star in which a gaseous Keplerian disk has been detected. However, there is some controversy about the spectral type of R Mon. Some authors propose that it could be a later B8e star, where disks are more common. Read More

Int J Surg 2018 Nov 21. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Education, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. Electronic address:

Objectives: Lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) is a treatment option for patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD). However, the effects of the most common LIF procedures-posterior LIF, transforaminal LIF, and anterior LIF-for the treatment of patients with DDD remain controversial. This study evaluated the pain and function caused by the LIF procedures for the treatment of patients with DDD. Read More

Opt Express 2018 Oct;26(22):28461-28468

We demonstrate the carrier-envelope offset (CEO) frequency stabilization of a Kerr lens mode-locked Yb:LuO thin-disk laser oscillator operating in the strongly self-phase modulation (SPM) broadened regime. This novel approach allows overcoming the intrinsic gain bandwidth limit and is suited to support frequency combs from sub-100-fs pulse trains with very high output power. In this work, strong intra-oscillator SPM in the Kerr medium enables the optical spectrum of the oscillating pulse to exceed the bandwidth of the gain material Yb:LuO by a factor of two. Read More