Mandibula wing osteotomy for correction of the mandibular plane: A case report

We report a new technique for vertical enlargement of the inferior border of the mandible.

Clinical signs of deformed wing virus infection are predictive markers for honey bee colony losses.

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor acting as a virus vector constitutes a central mechanism for losses of managed honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies. This creates demand for an easy, accurate and cheap diagnostic tool to estimate the impact of viruliferous mites in the field. Here we evaluated whether the clinical signs of the ubiquitous and mite-transmitted deformed wing virus (DWV) can be predictive markers of winter losses. In fall and winter 2007/2008, A.m. carnica workers with apparent wing deformities were counted daily in traps installed on 29 queenright colonies. The data show that colonies which later died had a significantly higher proportion of workers with wing deformities than did those which survived. There was a significant positive correlation between V. destructor infestation levels and the number of workers displaying DWV clinical signs, further supporting the mite's impact on virus infections at the colony level. A logistic regression model suggests that colony size, the number of workers with wing deformities and V. destructor infestation levels constitute predictive markers for winter colony losses in this order of importance and ease of evaluation.

Distribution and variability of deformed wing virus of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in the Middle East and North Africa.

Three hundred eleven honeybee samples from twelve countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Palestine and Sudan) were analyzed for the presence of deformed wing virus (DWV). The prevalence of DWV throughout the MENA region was pervasive, but variable. The highest prevalence was found in Lebanon and Syria, with prevalence dropping in Palestine, Jordan and Egypt before increasing slightly moving westwards to Algeria and Morocco Phylogenetic analysis of a 194 nucleotide section of the DWV Lp gene did not identify any significant phylogenetic resolution among the samples, although the sequences did show consistent regional clustering, including an interesting geographic gradient from Morocco through North Africa to Jordan and Syria. The sequences revealed several clear variability hotspots in the deduced amino acid sequence, that furthermore showed some patterns of regional identity. Furthermore, the sequence variants from the Middle East and North Africa appear more numerous and diverse than those from Europe. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The ectoparasitic mite Tropilaelaps mercedesae reduces western honey bee, Apis mellifera, longevity and emergence weight, and promotes Deformed wing virus infections

Historically an ectoparasite of the native Giant honey bee Apis dorsata, the mite Tropilaelaps mercedesae has switched hosts to the introduced western honey bee Apis mellifera throughout much of Asia. Few data regarding lethal and sub-lethal effects of T. mercedesae on A. mellifera exist, despite its similarity to the devastating mite Varroa destructor. Here we artificially infested worker brood of A. mellifera with T. mercedesae to investigate lethal (longevity) and sub-lethal (emergence weight, Deformed wing virus (DWV) levels and clinical symptoms of DWV) effects of the mite on its new host. The data show that T. mercedesae infestation significantly reduced host longevity and emergence weight, and promoted both DWV levels and associated clinical symptoms. Our results suggest that T. mercedesae is a potentially important parasite to the economically important A. mellifera honey bee.

Inter- and intraobserver reliability of the COFAS end-stage ankle arthritis classification system

End-stage ankle arthritis should have an appropriate classification to assist surgeons in the management of end-stage ankle arthritis. Outcomes research also requires a classification system to stratify patients appropriately.

Icatibant, a new bradykinin-receptor antagonist, in hereditary angioedema

Hereditary angioedema is characterized by recurrent attacks of angioedema of the skin, larynx, and gastrointestinal tract. Bradykinin is the key mediator of symptoms. Icatibant is a selective bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist.

Multiple LRRK2 variants modulate risk of Parkinson disease: a Chinese multicenter study

We and others found two polymorphic LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) variants (rs34778348:G>A; p.G2385R and rs33949390:G>C; p.R1628P) associated with Parkinson disease (PD) among Chinese patients, but the common worldwide rs34637584:G>A; p.G2019S mutation, was absent. Focusing exclusively on Han Chinese, we first sequenced the coding regions in young onset and familial PD patients and identified 59 variants. We then examined these variants in 250 patients and 250 control subjects. Among the 17 polymorphic variants, five demonstrated different frequency in cases versus controls and were considered in a larger sample of 1,363 patients and 1,251 control subjects. The relative risk of an individual with both p.G2385R and p.R1628P is about 1.9, and this is reduced to 1.5-1.6 if the individual also carries rs7133914:G>C; p.R1398H or rs7308720:C>A: p.N551K. The risk of a carrier with p.R1628P is largely negated if the individual also carries p.R1398H or p.N551K. In dopaminergic neuronal lines, p.R1398H had significantly lower kinase activity, whereas p.G2385R and p.R1628P showed higher kinase activity than wild type. We provided the first evidence that multiple LRRK2 variants exert an individual effect and together modulate the risk of PD among Chinese.

Mesh-based vs. Image-based Statistical Appearance Model of the Human Femur: a Preliminary Comparison Study for the Creation of Finite Element Meshes

Statistical models have been recently introduced in computational orthopaedics to investigate the bone mechanical properties across several populations. A fundamental aspect for the construction of statistical models concerns the establishment of accurate anatomical correspondences among the objects of the training dataset. Various methods have been proposed to solve this problem such as mesh morphing or image registration algorithms. The objective of this study is to compare a mesh-based and an image-based statistical appearance model approaches for the creation of nite element(FE) meshes. A computer tomography (CT) dataset of 157 human left femurs was used for the comparison. For each approach, 30 finite element meshes were generated with the models. The quality of the obtained FE meshes was evaluated in terms of volume, size and shape of the elements. Results showed that the quality of the meshes obtained with the image-based approach was higher than the quality of the mesh-based approach. Future studies are required to evaluate the impact of this finding on the final mechanical simulations.

Virus infections and winter losses of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera)

Apiculturists have recently been confronted with drastic and inexplicable winter losses of colonies, and virus infections may be involved. Here, we surveyed 337 Swiss honey bee colonies in the winter of 2005 and 2006 and categorized their health status as: 1. dead (= no or few live bees left); 2. weak (= dwindling, high mortality of adult bees); or 3. healthy (= normal overwintering colony). From each colony, pooled adult workers were analyzed for deformed wing virus (DWV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) and Kashmir bee virus (KBV). Neither KBV nor CBPV were found, but significantly higher ABPV and DWV infections were found in dead vs. weak vs. healthy colonies (except DWV in 2006 between weak and healthy). Moreover, ABPV and DWV loads were positively correlated with each other. This is the first report demonstrating statistically significant correlations between viruses associated with Varroa destructor and winter mortality.

Impact of complications in total ankle replacement and ankle arthrodesis analyzed with a validated outcome measurement

Major modifications in the design and techniques of total ankle replacement have challenged the perception that ankle arthrodesis is the treatment of choice for end-stage ankle arthritis. High complication and revision rates have been reported after both procedures.