Effects of exposure to physical factors on homeopathic preparations as determined by ultraviolet light spectroscopy

Clinical trials have reported statistically significant and clinically relevant effects of homeopathic preparations. We applied ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy to investigate the physical properties of homeopathic preparations and to contribute to an understanding of the not-yet-identified mode of action. In previous investigations, homeopathic preparations had significantly lower UV light transmissions than controls. The aim of this study was to explore the possible effects of external factors (UV light and temperature) on the homeopathic preparations. Homeopathic centesimal (c) dilutions, 1c to 30c, of copper sulfate (CuSO(4)), decimal dilutions of sulfur (S(8)), 1x to 30x, and controls (succussed potentization medium) were prepared, randomized, and blinded. UV transmission was measured at six different time points after preparation (from 4 to 256 days). In addition, one series of samples was exposed to UV light of a sterilization lamp for 12 h, one was incubated at 37 degrees Celsius for 24 h, and one was heated to 90 degrees Celsius for 15 min. UV light transmission values from 190 or 220 nm to 340 nm were measured several times and averaged. After each exposure, UV transmission of the homeopathic preparations of CuSO(4) was significantly reduced compared to the controls, particularly after heating to 37 degrees Celsius. Overall, the nonexposed CuSO(4) preparations did not show significantly lower UV transmission compared to controls; however, the pooled subgroup of measurements at days 26, 33, and 110 yielded significant differences. UV light transmission for S(8) preparations did not show any differences compared to controls. Our conclusion is that exposure to external factors, incubation at 37 degrees Celsius in particular, increases the difference in light transmission of homeopathic CuSO(4) preparations compared to controls.

Neurological outcome, working capacity and prognostic factors of patients with SCIWORA

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, the neurological outcome, retirement and prognostic factors of patients with spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) were evaluated. SETTING: Swiss national work accident insurance database. METHODS: The medical histories of 32 patients who were insured by the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) and had SCIWORA between 1995 and 2004 were evaluated thoroughly. Moreover, all available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were evaluated. RESULTS: At the last follow-up, none of the patients had complete spinal cord injury, only 4 patients had severe deficits and 12 patients had normal motor and sensory function in the neurological examination. However, only 7 out of 32 patients had returned to full-time work and 10 out of 32 patients were fully retired. Both the presence of spinal cord change (ρ=0.51) and higher maximum spinal cord compression (ρ=0.57) in MRI scan correlated with the likelihood for retirement; older age (ρ=0.38) and physical load of work (ρ=0.4) correlated with retirement to a lesser extent. CONCLUSION: Although the neurological outcome of SCIWORA is mostly good, the retirement rate is high. Presence of spinal cord change and severity of cord compression are the best predictors for the degree of retirement.

Relative sensitivity factors of inorganic cations in frozen-hydrated standards in secondary ion MS analysis

We describe the measurement, at 100 K, of the SIMS relative sensitivity factors (RSFs) of the main physiological cations Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ in frozen-hydrated (F-H) ionic solutions. Freezing was performed by either plunge freezing or high-pressure freezing. We also report the measurement of the RSFs in flax fibers, which are a model for ions in the plant cell wall, and in F-H ionic samples, which are a model for ions in the vacuole. RSFs were determined under bombardment with neutral oxygen (FAB) for both the fibers and the F-H samples. We show that referencing to ice-characteristic secondary ions is of little value in determining RSFs and that referencing to K is preferable. The RSFs of Na relative to K and of Ca relative to Mg in F-H samples are similar to their respective values in fiber samples, whereas the RSFs of both Ca and Mg relative to K are lower in fibers than in F-H samples. Our data show that the physical factors important for the determination of the RSFs are not the same in F-H samples and in homogeneous matrixes. Our data show that it is possible to perform a SIMS relative quantification of the cations in frozen-hydrated samples with an accuracy on the order of 15%. Referencing to K permits the quantification of the ionic ratios, even when the absolute concentration of the referencing ion is unknown. This is essential for physiological studies of F-H biological samples.

Association between various physical factors and acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion or protrusion in Dachshunds.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether body weight, body condition score, or various body dimensions were associated with acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion or protrusion and whether any of these factors were associated with severity of clinical signs in Dachshunds. DESIGN Cross-sectional clinical study. ANIMALS 75 Dachshunds with (n = 39) or without (36) acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion or protrusion. PROCEDURES Signalment, various body measurements, body weight, body condition score, and spinal cord injury grade were recorded at the time of initial examination. RESULTS Mean T1-S1 distance and median tuber calcaneus-to-patellar tendon (TC-PT) distance were significantly shorter in affected than in unaffected dogs. A 1-cm decrease in T1-S1 distance was associated with a 2.1-times greater odds of being affected, and a 1-cm decrease in TC-PT distance was associated with an 11.1-times greater odds of being affected. Results of multivariable logistic regression also indicated that affected dogs were taller at the withers and had a larger pelvic circumference than unaffected dogs, after adjusting for other body measurements. Results of ordinal logistic regression indicated that longer T1-S1 distance, taller height at the withers, and smaller pelvic circumference were associated with more severe spinal cord injury. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggest that certain body dimensions may be associated with acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion or protrusion in Dachshunds and, in affected dogs, with severity of neurologic dysfunction.

Students' knowledge of symptoms and risk factors of potential life-threatening medical conditions

In order to assess medical students' knowledge of Basic Life Support (BLS) principles, we defined a minimal knowledge (MK) of three life-threatening medical conditions that should be universally known: cardiac arrest, heart attack and stroke, and compared the results with those of laypersons.

Risk factors of mortality in different age groups after thoracic endovascular aortic repair

The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for mortality in different age groups after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).

Impact of Bone Harvesting Techniques on Cell Viability and the Release of Growth Factors of Autografts

Background: Autogenous bone grafts obtained by different harvesting techniques behave differently during the process of graft consolidation; the underlying reasons are however not fully understood. One theory is that harvesting techniques have an impact on the number and activity of the transplanted cells which contribute to the process of graft consolidation. Materials and Methods: To test this assumption, porcine bone grafts were harvested with four different surgical procedures: bone mill, piezosurgery, bone drilling (bone slurry), and bone scraper. After determining cell viability, the release of molecules affecting bone formation and resorption was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunoassay. The mitogenic and osteogenic activity of the conditioned media was evaluated in a bioassay with isolated bone cells. Results: Cell viability and the release of molecules affecting bone formation were higher in samples harvested by bone mill and bone scraper when compared with samples prepared by bone drilling and piezosurgery. The harvesting procedure also affected gene expression, for example, bone mill and bone scraper samples revealed significantly higher expression of growth factors such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor compared with the two other modalities. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand expression was lowest in bone scraper samples. Conclusion: These data can provide a scientific basis to better understand the impact of harvesting techniques on the number and activity of transplanted cells, which might contribute to the therapeutic outcome of the augmentation procedure.

Impact of weather and climate on the incidence of acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND: First investigations of the interactions between weather and the incidence of acute myocardial infarctions date back to 1938. The early observation of a higher incidence of myocardial infarctions in the cold season could be confirmed in very different geographical regions and cohorts. While the influence of seasonal variations on the incidence of myocardial infarctions has been extensively documented, the impact of individual meteorological parameters on the disease has so far not been investigated systematically. Hence the present study intended to assess the impact of the essential variables of weather and climate on the incidence of myocardial infarctions. METHODS: The daily incidence of myocardial infarctions was calculated from a national hospitalization survey. The hourly weather and climate data were provided by the database of the national weather forecast. The epidemiological and meteorological data were correlated by multivariate analysis based on a generalized linear model assuming a log-link-function and a Poisson distribution. RESULTS: High ambient pressure, high pressure gradients, and heavy wind activity were associated with an increase in the incidence of the totally 6560 hospitalizations for myocardial infarction irrespective of the geographical region. Snow- and rainfall had inconsistent effects. Temperature, Foehn, and lightning showed no statistically significant impact. CONCLUSIONS: Ambient pressure, pressure gradient, and wind activity had a statistical impact on the incidence of myocardial infarctions in Switzerland from 1990 to 1994. To establish a cause-and-effect relationship more data are needed on the interaction between the pathophysiological mechanisms of the acute coronary syndrome and weather and climate variables.