Rehabilitation interventions for foot drop in neuromuscular disease

"Foot drop" or "Floppy foot drop" is the term commonly used to describe weakness or contracture of the muscles around the ankle joint. It may arise from many neuromuscular diseases

Mycobacterieel conjunctivaal granuloom bij een Chinese zaagbekeend (Mergus squamatus)

A five-year-old, female scaly-sided merganser was presented with a chronic recurrent conjunctivitis of the left eye. Physical examination showed a caseous nodular lesion at the palpebral conjunctiva associated with excessive tearing. Necropsy revealed caseous necrotic debris at the left conjunctiva and infra-orbital sinus, but also multiple granuloma in several internal organs. Histological examination showed granulomatous splenitis, hepatitis, arteritis, fibrinonecrotic enteritis and conjunctivitis, and also amyloidosis of liver and spleen. Bacterial and molecular tests of a conjunctival swab in the live animal showed the presence of a multiresistant Escherichia coli strain and Chlamydia psittaci, respectively. These bacteria had only a secondary pathogenic role. No premortem cytological examination or Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining of the histological section of the conjunctiva biopt or additional tests, such as blood test and radiographs, were performed. Finally, a Mycobacterium avium infection of the conjunctiva and internal organs was confirmed following necropsy by ZN staining and PCR analysis. Local and systemic antimicrobial treatments with fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines and aminoglycosides were unsuccessful

Direct catalytic conversion of cellulose to liquid straight-chain alkanes

High yields of liquid straight-chain alkanes were obtained directly from cellulosic feedstock in a one-pot biphasic catalytic system. The catalytic reaction proceeds at elevated temperatures under hydrogen pressure in the presence of tungstosilicic acid, dissolved in the aqueous phase, and modified Ru/C, suspended in the organic phase. Tungstosilicic acid is primarily responsible for cellulose hydrolysis and dehydration steps, while the modified Ru/C selectively hydrogenates intermediates en route to the liquid alkanes. Under optimal conditions, microcrystalline cellulose is converted to 82% n-decane-soluble products, mainly n-hexane, within a few hours, with a minimum formation of gaseous and char products. The dominant route to the liquid alkanes proceeds via 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), whereas the more common pathway via sorbitol appears to be less efficient. High liquid alkane yields were possible through (i) selective conversion of cellulose to glucose and further to HMF by gradually heating the reactor, (ii) a proper hydrothermal modification of commercial Ru/C to tune its chemoselectivity to furan hydrogenation rather than glucose hydrogenation, and (iii) the use of a biphasic reaction system with optimal partitioning of the intermediates and catalytic reactions. The catalytic system is capable of converting subsequent batches of fresh cellulose, enabling accumulation of the liquid alkanes in the organic phase during subsequent runs. Its robustness is illustrated in the conversion of the raw (soft)wood sawdust

Irreversible Electroporation:Cytoreduction and Immunomodulation in Oncology

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) employs high-voltage electrical pulses for non-thermal image-guided tumor ablation in solid organs. The pulses disrupt the membrane potential of all cells within the ablation zone causing loss of tumour cell homeostasis which results in death. IRE has the advantage of sparing extracellular matrix structures and thereby preserves the anatomical integrity of blood vessels, bile ducts, and ureters. Several prospective phase-I and -II studies demonstrated the safety and cytoreductive efficacy of IRE for the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic, and local prostate tumours. In addition, IRE induces a systemic immune response. When this immune effect can be amplified by combinatory treatment with immunotherapeutic drugs its synergy might form a bridge between local and systemic therapies with potential to develop into a fundamentally new approach to cancer treatment

The association of health literacy with adherence in older 2 adults, and its role in interventions: a systematic meta-review

Background: Low health literacy is a common problem among older adults. It is often suggested to be associated with poor adherence. This suggested association implies a need for effective adherence interventions in low health literate people. However, previous reviews show mixed results on the association between low health literacy and poor adherence. A systematic meta-review of systematic reviews was conducted to study the association between health literacy and adherence in adults above the age of 50. Evidence for the effectiveness of adherence interventions among adults in this older age group with low health literacy was also explored. Methods: Eight electronic databases (MEDLINE, ERIC, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, DARE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Knowledge) were searched using a variety of keywords regarding health literacy and adherence. Additionally, references of identified articles were checked. Systematic reviews were included if they assessed the association between health literacy and adherence or evaluated the effectiveness of interventions to improve adherence in adults with low health literacy. The AMSTAR tool was used to assess the quality of the included reviews. The selection procedure, data-extraction, and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. Seventeen reviews were selected for inclusion. Results: Reviews varied widely in quality. Both reviews of high and low quality found only weak or mixed associations between health literacy and adherence among older adults. Reviews report on seven studies that assess the effectiveness of adherence interventions among low health literate older adults. The results suggest that some adherence interventions are effective for this group. The interventions described in the reviews focused mainly on education and on lowering the health literacy demands of adherence instructions. No conclusions could be drawn about which type of intervention could be most beneficial for this population. Conclusions: Evidence on the association between health literacy and adherence in older adults is relatively weak. Adherence interventions are potentially effective for the vulnerable population of older adults with low levels of health literacy, but the evidence on this topic is limited. Further research is needed on the association between health literacy and general health behavior, and on the effectiveness of interventions

Health literacy among older adults is associated with their 10-years' cognitive functioning and decline - the Doetinchem Cohort Study.

Many older adults have low levels of health literacy which affects their ability to participate optimally in healthcare. It is unclear how cognitive decline contributes to health literacy. To study this, longitudinal data are needed. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the associations of cognitive functioning and 10-years' cognitive decline with health literacy in older adults

Brake the meme machine: Slow circulation, ‘Z' gesture, and pro-war propaganda on TikTok

In one of the videos posted in response to a trending TikTok dance challenge, a young woman performs a series of gestures. The performance is accompanied by a catchy tune, culminating as her hands shape the letter Z. In a similar video, another woman wearing sunglasses replicates the gesture when a sticker in Russian emerges, reading ‘The gang sign of real women’. In yet another variation, the gesture repeats with an added video effect, flash-enlarging the final position of fingers decorated with long acrylic nails. The nails extend the gesture. The video caption proclaims, ‘Russian Lives Matter’. Z, however, is not a typical viral TikTok challenge. A trusted identity marker for Putin's supporters that lingers on the pro-war side of TikTok, it reverberates itself into being by pretending that it has an audience of its own. Its normcore look, aiming to blend into the crowd of aspiring influencers, conveys the message that Z stands for the many. Film yourself Z-ing, add a song from the music library, put a sticker, and post. Not ‘Russian’ enough? Search for Katyusha, select a trending version, use #viral hashtags, and publish. The collective body of Z is a broken meme machine — too scripted to feel authentic, it feeds forward attention that clusters on already visible content. By incorporating popular elements (songs, hashtags, effects) in anticipation of new adaptations, Z templates serve as a means of targeted bonding. The logic is simple: trial, error, remix. In this piece, we ‘brake’ the meme machine behind the ‘Z’ gesture. Following Boler and Davis’s notion of propaganda ‘by other means’, we make a case for examining Z in its role as a symbolic and affective vehicle. We propose that, within TikTok's participatory environments, Z simulates a community that thrives on the replication of the seemingly banal. Unlike the painted sign on the military vehicles invading Ukraine, it primarily exists to distract from the plain terror of the Russian ‘special military operation

Brake the meme machine: Slow circulation, ‘Z' gesture, and pro-war propaganda on TikTok

In one of the videos posted in response to a trending TikTok dance challenge, a young woman performs a series of gestures. The performance is accompanied by a catchy tune, culminating as her hands shape the letter Z. In a similar video, another woman wearing sunglasses replicates the gesture when a sticker in Russian emerges, reading ‘The gang sign of real women’. In yet another variation, the gesture repeats with an added video effect, flash-enlarging the final position of fingers decorated with long acrylic nails. The nails extend the gesture. The video caption proclaims, ‘Russian Lives Matter’. Z, however, is not a typical viral TikTok challenge. A trusted identity marker for Putin's supporters that lingers on the pro-war side of TikTok, it reverberates itself into being by pretending that it has an audience of its own. Its normcore look, aiming to blend into the crowd of aspiring influencers, conveys the message that Z stands for the many. Film yourself Z-ing, add a song from the music library, put a sticker, and post. Not ‘Russian’ enough? Search for Katyusha, select a trending version, use #viral hashtags, and publish. The collective body of Z is a broken meme machine — too scripted to feel authentic, it feeds forward attention that clusters on already visible content. By incorporating popular elements (songs, hashtags, effects) in anticipation of new adaptations, Z templates serve as a means of targeted bonding. The logic is simple: trial, error, remix. In this piece, we ‘brake’ the meme machine behind the ‘Z’ gesture. Following Boler and Davis’s notion of propaganda ‘by other means’, we make a case for examining Z in its role as a symbolic and affective vehicle. We propose that, within TikTok's participatory environments, Z simulates a community that thrives on the replication of the seemingly banal. Unlike the painted sign on the military vehicles invading Ukraine, it primarily exists to distract from the plain terror of the Russian ‘special military operation

Wind assessment for micro wind turbines in an urban environment

Wind flow in urban environments could be seen as a potential source of energy. This form of energy could be exploited by means of micro wind turbines placed along the existing infrastructures. To test this, an outdoor campaign was organised, which recorded the wind characteristics at different locations around a highway noise barrier in Delft, the Netherlands. The real-time data set was validated with a two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics study. Both the influence of the high turbulence and the inflow angle on the positioning of the micro wind turbines are assessed for the case of perpendicular flow towards the plane of the noise barrier. Results indicated that integrating micro wind turbines with the noise barriers proves advantageous due to the flow velocity increment downstream. Lastly, a noise assessment was conducted in order to determine the optimal spacing between micro wind turbines, which impacts its social acceptance