Microbial community and network responses across strong environmental gradients: How do they compare with macroorganisms?

The way strong environmental gradients shape multispecific assemblages has allowed us to examine a suite of ecological and evolutionary hypotheses about structure, regulation and community responses to fluctuating environments. But whether the highly diverse co-occurring microorganisms are shaped in similar ways as macroscopic organisms across the same gradients has yet to be addressed in most ecosystems. Here, we characterize intertidal biofilm bacteria communities, comparing zonation at both the "species" and community levels, as well as network attributes, with co-occurring macroalgae and invertebrates in the same rocky shore system. The results revealed that the desiccation gradient has a more significant impact on smaller communities, while both desiccation and submersion gradients (surge) affect the larger, macroscopic communities. At the community level, we also confirmed the existence of distinct communities within each intertidal zone for microorganisms, similar to what has been previously described for macroorganisms. But our results indicated that dominant microbial organisms along the same environmental gradient exhibited less differentiation across tidal levels than their macroscopic counterparts. However, despite the substantial differences in richness, size and attributes of co-occurrence networks, both macro- and micro-communities respond to stress gradients, leading to the formation of similar zonation patterns in the intertidal rocky shore.

Quality of life improves among post-menopausal women who received bone augmentation during dental implant therapy

Quality of life outcomes among patients receiving implants have been well studied, but little is known about the effects of bone augmentation in this therapy. The purpose of this paper was to assess quality of life changes among postmenopausal women receiving dental implants with bone augmentation during implant therapy. This was a prospective cohort study. 48 patients were recruited at the University of Connecticut Health Center and received one of three surgical augmentation methods: dehiscence repair; expansion alone; or expansion with dehiscence repair. The predictor variable was type of augmentation procedure. Quality of life measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) was the outcome measure and was assessed prior to treatment, 1 week, 8 weeks and 9 months after surgery. Changes in OHIP-14 were evaluated by repeated measures analysis of variance. The mean initial OHIP-14 scores on total items checked were 4.6 (SD=3.0) and declined significantly to 2.0 (SD=2.0) at 9 months. The mean baseline severity score was 15.4 (SD=8.9) improving significantly to 7.5 (SD=7.6) at 9 months. Type of augmentation procedure did not affect quality of life. The participants' quality of life improved continuously from the pretreatment to the 9-month assessment, including improvements 1 week after implant placement.

Identification of epidural neoplasm. Radiography and bone scintigraphy in the symptomatic and asymptomatic spine

Early identification and treatment of epidural neoplasm, before the development of significant neurologic deficits, provides the best opportunity for a favorable outcome. Among the many patients with symptoms, signs, or scintigraphic or radiographic findings suggesting possible epidural disease, a small proportion will have the lesion. The selection of patients for definitive imaging of the epidural space should be based on a determination of the risk of this complication. In this study, the medical records, plain spinal radiographs, bone scintigraphs and myelograms of 43 patients were analyzed retrospectively to assess the risk of epidural disease associated with specific clinical, radiographic, and scintigraphic findings. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral spinal segments were evaluated independently. Symptomatic segments (SS) (N = 41), defined by focal pain or neurologic dysfunction, were distinguished from asymptomatic segments (AS). At SS, epidural disease was found at 86% and 8% of abnormal and normal spinal radiographs, respectively (P less than 0.001), and at 69% and 0% of abnormal and normal scintigrams, respectively (P less than 0.001), whereas at AS epidural disease occurred in 43% and 3% of abnormal and normal spinal radiographs, respectively (P less than 0.001), and 14% and 7% of abnormal and normal scintigrams, respectively (P = NS). Vertebral collapse was highly predictive of an epidural lesion. Epidural disease occurred in 12% of SS and 0% of AS with an abnormal scintigram and normal radiograph, 86% of SS and 45% of AS with abnormalities on both scintigram and radiograph, and at two AS when both were normal. Decision analysis applied to these data yielded a specific conditional probability of epidural disease for each combination of clinical, scintigraphic, and radiographic findings. These data provide a basis for the selection of patients for additional evaluation of the epidural space before neurologic deficits develop.

Computed tomography of cerebrovascular calcifications in postsurgical hypoparathyroidism

Despite the extensive literature on the radiographic appearance of basal ganglia calcification in hypoparathyroidism, the vascular and perivascular deposits that are the hallmark of this disease have not been described radiographically. We report two patients with postsurgical hypoparathyroidism in whom such vascular calcification was observed on CT and was confirmed pathologically in one. The metabolic disturbance leading to the vascular deposits is discussed.

Interhemispheric fissure sign of dysgenesis of the corpus callosum

Failure to develop of the corpus callosum and the neighboring midline structures results in abnormal proximity between the interhemispheric fissure (IHF) and the third ventricle. We have called this finding the IHF sign of dysgenesis of the corpus callosum (DCC). In a retrospective study of 39 cases the presence of the IHF sign was assessed in conjunction with the other well recognized CT manifestations of the disorder. These are: (a) lateral ventricles: pointing of the frontal horns, disproportionate enlargement of the occipital horns and separation of bodies of the lateral ventricles; (b) third ventricle: enlargement, elevation and anterior displacement; and (c) interventricular foramen: enlargement. We found that the IHF sign was present concurrently with the other CT signs of DCC in all 35 cases (100%) where the quality of the CT scans permitted its satisfactory evaluation; in the remaining four the sign could not be assessed because of the unsatisfactory quality of the CT scans. Our study confirms that the IHF sign is an additional reliable CT feature of DCC.

The use of a curved uterine vulsellum for removal of rectal foreign bodies: report of a case

Removal of retained foreign bodies can be a tedious process, requireing considerable skill and ingenuity on the part of the surgeon. Employment of a curved, double-pronged, uterine vulsellum can be useful in simplifying removal of certain of these objects. A method which can be employed on an outpatient basis is described. When this method fails, suitable cooperation by the patient is lacking, or there is evidence of serious rectal injury or perforation, hospitalization for appropriate treatment under general or regional anesthesia is indicated.