Swine building exposure causes inflammatory reactions that appear to be attenuated with prolonged periods of contact. The mechanisms behind this adaptation to a dusty and endotoxin-rich environment are poorly understood. Our aim was to compare levels of selected inflammatory mediators in swine farm workers at times with differences in exposure. Participants had blood sampling done before and after each of three work shifts-two in winter and one in summer. Before one of the winter visits they had avoided pulmonary exposure to the swine buildings by wearing respiratory protection for 4 d. The other visits were done after non-protected periods of work. Protein and mRNA concentrations were measured in blood. Mixed models were used for the statistics. During summer higher concentrations of mRNA to IL-8, lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) were observed. BPI mRNA increased only over the work shift after the unprotected winter period (P = 0.039). BPI decreased from elevated levels across the shift after use of respiratory protection (P = 0.003), but was unchanged during the other two visits. The findings suggest possible roles for these proteins in adaptation to the swine building environment after repeated exposures.
BackgroundDiabetic muscle infarction is a rare complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and is often misdiagnosed as cellulitis. This complication is usually associated with poor disease prognosis and high mortality with previous studies reporting a risk of 50% recurrence or another macrovascular complication occurring within one year. Thus, there needs to be greater awareness of this complication of diabetes.Case presentationIn the current work, we present a case report and literature review of DMI occurring in a calf of a 57 year old male. However, unlike the suspected trend, our patient has performed well after this incident and has not sustained another macrovascular event now > 15 month since his original diabetic muscle infarction.ConclusionEven though diabetic muscle infarction is an uncommon condition, it is important to consider this diagnosis in a diabetic patient. We hope that our findings and literature review will aid clinicians to better diagnose and manage this condition.
Background: Nonanatomic placement of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) grafts is a leading cause of ACL graft failure. Three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) femoral footprint localization could enhance planning for an ACL graft's position. Purpose: To determine the intra- and interobserver reliability of measurements of the ACL femoral footprint position and size obtained from 3D MRI scans. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 41 patients with complete ACL tears were recruited between November 2014 and May 2016. Preoperatively, a coronal-oblique proton-density fast spin echo 3D acquisition of the contralateral uninjured knee was obtained along the plane of the ACL using a 1.5T MRI scanner. ACL footprint parameters were obtained independently by 2 musculoskeletal radiologists (observers A and B). The distal and anterior positions of the center of the footprint were measured relative to the apex of the deep cartilage at the posteromedial aspect of the lateral femoral condyle, and the surface area of the ACL femoral footprint was approximated from multiplanar reformatted images. After 1 month, the measurements were repeated. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess for intra- and interobserver reliability. Bland-Altman plots were produced to screen for potential systematic bias in measurement and to calculate limits of agreement. Results: The ICCs for intraobserver reliability of the ACL femoral distal and anterior footprint coordinates were 0.75 and 0.78, respectively, for observer A. For observer B, they were 0.75 and 0.74, respectively. The ICCs for interobserver reliability were 0.75 and 0.85 for the distal and anterior coordinates, respectively. Bland-Altman plots demonstrated no significant systematic bias. For surface area measurements, the intraobserver ICCs were 0.37 and 0.62 for observers A and B, respectively. The interobserver reliability was 0.60. Observer B consistently measured the footprints as slightly larger versus observer A (1.19 ± 0.27 vs 1 ± 0.22 cm2, respectively; P < .001). Conclusion: Locating the center of the anatomic footprint of the ACL with 3D MRI showed substantial intra- and interobserver agreement. Interobserver agreement for the femoral footprint surface area was fair to moderate.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.