Analysis of traumatic injuries presenting to a referral hospital emergency department in Moshi, Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Injuries represent a significant and growing public health concern in the developing world, yet their impact on patients and the emergency health-care system in the countries of East Africa has received limited attention. This study evaluates the magnitude and scope of injury related disorders in the population presenting to a referral hospital emergency department in northern Tanzania. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients presenting to the emergency department at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre was performed. A standardized data collection form was used for data abstraction from the emergency department logbook and the complete medical record for all injured patients. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, location, type and outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Ten thousand six hundred twenty-two patients presented to the emergency department for evaluation and treatment during the 7-month study period. One thousand two hundred twenty-four patients (11.5%) had injuries. Males and individuals aged 15 to 44 years were most frequently injured, representing 73.4% and 57.8%, respectively. Road traffic injuries were the most common mechanism of injury, representing 43.9% of injuries. Head injuries (36.5%) and extremity injuries (59.5%) were the most common location of injury. The majority of injured patients, 59.3%, were admitted from the emergency department to the hospital wards, and 5.6%, required admission to an intensive care unit. Death occurred in 5.4% of injured patients. CONCLUSIONS: These data give a detailed and more robust picture of the patient demographics, mechanisms of injury, types of injury and patient outcomes from similar resource-limited settings.

Group takeover by a natal male howling monkey (Alouatta palliata) and associated disappearance and injuries of immatures

As part of a long-term study on howling monkey behavior and social dynamics, a known natal male was observed taking over his group from his putative sire. Due to the accidental death of one of the adult males, this natal male had matured in a one-male group and had never observed juvenile male emigration nor adult male immigration and associated behaviors. Nevertheless, the behaviors associated with the takeover were indistinguishable from those of an immigrant male, including disappearance of immatures, one of whom was found with extensive injuries. While it cannot be said that the natal male inherited these behaviors from his presumed father, it can be said that he exhibited species-typical behaviors associated with male takeover in the absence of observational learning. © 1994 Japan Monkey Centre.

Measurement of intracellular strain on deformable substrates with texture correlation.

Mechanical stimuli are important factors that regulate cell proliferation, survival, metabolism and motility in a variety of cell types. The relationship between mechanical deformation of the extracellular matrix and intracellular deformation of cellular sub-regions and organelles has not been fully elucidated, but may provide new insight into the mechanisms involved in transducing mechanical stimuli to biological responses. In this study, a novel fluorescence microscopy and image analysis method was applied to examine the hypothesis that mechanical strains are fully transferred from a planar, deformable substrate to cytoplasmic and intranuclear regions within attached cells. Intracellular strains were measured in cells derived from the anulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc when attached to an elastic silicone membrane that was subjected to tensile stretch. Measurements indicated cytoplasmic strains were similar to those of the underlying substrate, with a strain transfer ratio (STR) of 0.79. In contrast, nuclear strains were much smaller than those of the substrate, with an STR of 0.17. These findings are consistent with previous studies indicating nuclear stiffness is significantly greater than cytoplasmic stiffness, as measured using other methods. This study provides a novel method for the study of cellular mechanics, including a new technique for measuring intranuclear deformations, with evidence of differential magnitudes and patterns of strain transferred from the substrate to cell cytoplasm and nucleus.