Search

Background: The placement of ligatures in the cervical area of rat molars is considered as a predictable model to induce periodontitis. Objectives: The present explorative study aimed to compare the efficacy of metal wires (MWs), without or with sandblasting, versus silk ligatures (SLs) in inducing periodontal bone loss in rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of eight rats that received three different types of ligatures (MW, sandblasted wire [SMW], and SL) around their first right mandibular molar, while the contralateral tooth was left without the ligature and served as a control. Bone loss was assessed by measuring the distance from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the bone crest at the distal aspect of the first molar on central mesiodistal sections generated from micro-CT scans taken 24 and 35 days after ligature placement. Results: In the SL group, only in two rats the ligatures were retained until the end of the 24-day period; in all other animals, the ligatures were lost at some time point. In the SMW, the ligatures were retained only for the 24-day period. In the MW group, no ligatures were lost. Irrespective of the group or experimental period, the difference in the crestal bone level between ligated and control teeth was in most cases z < 0.20 mm, that is, in 19 out of 25 pairs of teeth. In a few cases, the bone crest was more apically located at the control teeth compared to the ligated ones (four cases each, during both 24- and 35-day experimental periods). Conclusions: Bone loss was minimal during the experimental period, with no significant differences between the test and control teeth, or among the three types of ligatures. MWs, not even roughened, do not seem to be a better alternative to SLs for inducing bone loss in the experimental periodontitis model in the rat. This assumption, however, has to be confirmed in a larger, well-powered study.

Atomic segmentation of cursive scripts into con- stituent characters is one of the most challenging problems in pattern recognition. To avoid segmentation in cursive script, concrete shapes are considered as recognizable units. Therefore, the objective of this work is to find out the alternate recognizable units in Pashto cursive script. These alternatives are ligatures and primary ligatures. However, we need sound statistical analysis to find the appropriate numbers of ligatures and primary ligatures in Pashto script. In this work, a corpus of 2, 313, 736 Pashto words are extracted from a large scale diversified web sources, and total of 19, 268 unique ligatures have been identified in Pashto cursive script. Analysis shows that only 7000 ligatures represent 91% portion of overall corpus of the Pashto unique words. Similarly, about 7, 681 primary ligatures are also identified which represent the basic shapes of all the ligatures.

The aim was to investigate the doping of titanium alloys produced by powder metallurgy from applying powder complex ligatures. The analysis of the requirements for complex ligatures for complex-type two-phase titanium alloys VT6 and VT3-1 by synthesis of the powders in the solid phase. It is shown that the most efficient is to use a double Al-V ternary and Al-Mo-Cr alloys produced in electric furnace under protective gas.

Atomic segmentation of cursive scripts into con- stituent characters is one of the most challenging problems in pattern recognition. To avoid segmentation in cursive script, concrete shapes are considered as recognizable units. Therefore, the objective of this work is to find out the alternate recognizable units in Pashto cursive script. These alternatives are ligatures and primary ligatures. However, we need sound statistical analysis to find the appropriate numbers of ligatures and primary ligatures in Pashto script. In this work, a corpus of 2, 313, 736 Pashto words are extracted from a large scale diversified web sources, and total of 19, 268 unique ligatures have been identified in Pashto cursive script. Analysis shows that only 7000 ligatures represent 91% portion of overall corpus of the Pashto unique words. Similarly, about 7, 681 primary ligatures are also identified which represent the basic shapes of all the ligatures.

Traumatic hemorrhage and vascular injury management have been concerns for both civilian and military physicians. During the 20th century, advances in technique allowed surgeons to focus on vascular repair, restoration of perfusion, limb salvage, and life preservation. Military surgeons such as Makins, DeBakey, Hughes, Rich and others made significant contributions to the field of surgery in general and vascular surgery in particular. Casualties from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq confront physicians and surgeons with devastating injuries. The current generation of providers is challenged with applying contemporary care while expanding upon the lessons taught by our predecessors. The objective of this report is to review the historical experience with managing military upper extremity arterial injuries and compare that experience with current management., Published in Perspectives in Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy v18, n2, p141-145, Jun 2006.

Laparoscopic appendectomy is a minimally invasive endoscopic surgical procedure to remove the appendix. From December 1990 to February 1991, Tripler Army Medical Center performed laparoscopic appendectomies on 25 patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Our technique uses Hulka clips across the mesoappendix, endoloop ligatures around the appendiceal base and a latex rubber bag to extract the appendix. Twenty-three of our patients had a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of acute appendicitis, with 60% of the cases categorized as suppurative, necrotic, gangrenous or perforated.One patient was switched from laparoscopic management to open laparotomy when a necrotic appendiceal base disintegrated following application of endoloops and two patients had minor complications. Patients stayed in the hospital an average of 1.5 days, returned to work and regular activities within a week, and were generally pain-free within four to five days of the operation. Our early results have been extremely encouraging. Laparoscopic appendectomy appears to be a safe, cost-effective, minimally invasive surgical technique that in skilled hands may be used to remove most diseased appendices.

A procedure was developed for preparing uniform fecal samples for LSC counting and study of fecal metabolites. The procedure requires milling of a rat or monkey feces sample with anhydrous Na2SO4 in a stainless steel ball mill. The fine off-white flours that result are passed through a fine wire sieve (18-8 stainless steel wire, 30 holes/inch). This sieving increases homogeneity by removing traces of unground material and dietary fiber. Digestion of samples with NaOH and counting total 14C in dioxane-toluene-naphthalene with Cab-O-Sil (DTN-C) gave reproducible recoveries. This procedure was adequate for 0.25 g and 0.5 g samples but inadequate for 1.0 g samples. In a study of 7 solvent/digestants (1) Soluene, (2) NaOH and (3) Protosol extracted the most dpm (14C) from feces samples and showed the best reproducibility. Protosol and Soluene digests counted as efficiently in Biofluor as in DTN-C. Ten replicate Soluene digests in Biofluor and 10 replicate NaOH digests in DTN-C showed mean % recoveries which matched well (NaOH, 40.6 + or - 1.0 SD; Soluene, 41.3 + or - 1.35 SD). Combustion assays for total 14C gave recoveries that agreed well with values obtained by digestion in NaOH, Soluene, and perchloric acid - H2O2. One gram aliquots of 4 milled feces samples were extracted sequentially 3 times with THF and extracted once with Soluene., Revision of report dated 11 Jun 80.

The right-left (R-L) ratios for tibial uptake of Tc99 diphosphonate (EHDP) and relative blood flow (from microsphere distribution) were determined in control rats and rats with right femoral artery ligation or healing right tibial fractures. There was highly significant correlation (r = 0.917; P less than 0.0001) between the TC99 EHDP uptake and relative blood flow for relative flow ratios less than 1.7. When relative tibial blood flow was greater than 1.7, there was little further increase in Tc99 EHDP uptake. In addition, femoral artery ligation in rats with healing fractures resulted in a more marked reduction of flow than of Tc99 EHDP uptake. Our results suggest that regional bone flow is a major determinant of Tc99 EHDP uptake, but changes in regional tracer extraction efficiency are also important. This work increases our understanding of the basic mechanisms of Tc99 phosphate bone imaging. The results can be applied toward improved clinical interpretations, and benefit patients(soldiers) with trauma, bone grafts, osteomyelitis or other conditions which can be detected with these techniques. (Author)

A scheme for the computerized composition of Urdu Nastaliq is described. A standardized character set was defined for the Urdu language. The script was decomposed into its constituent elements which were then defined and digitized in accordance with pattern recognition principles. An efficient mapping of Urdu characters to the standard QWERTY keyboard was achieved by matching character frequency to finger agility and by applying additional pattern recognition concepts. An analysis of finger work loads was then used to make final adjustments to the layout. A set of rules for combining characters was developed, by which a sizable portion of the Nastaliq script could be composed. Rules for certain exceptional cases were not implemented. A program for displaying well-formed Nastaliq using a Vax 11/780 and a VT-550 graphics terminal was devised; the scheme is described in hardware-independent terms. Samples of text thus obtained illustrate the true composition, style, and elegance of the Nastaliq script. Recommendations for expanding the existing software to handle the entire language are included. (Author)

The serological, biochemical and enzymic specificities of shigella associated with virulence were sought after in conjunction with the ability to induce changes in the ligated intestinal loop of rabbits. The lactose or sucrose positive shigella were isolated from patients and the correlation of the ability to ferment lactose and sucrose and the ability to induce changes in the loop were examined. The ability to ferment lactose seems to be associated with virulence but antigens seems more closely associated with virulence. The ability to be agglutinated by acid which was said to be associated with virulence was not associated with the ability to induce changes. The pathological changes were not associated with the number of shigella recovered after 24 hours of inoculation, if the number exceeded 108. Shigella was mutated to non-virulent mutants several hours after inoculation and some shigella recombined with residential organisms and became lactose positive or shigella without shigella antigens. These organisms had weaker ability to induce changes. But on the other hand, there were residential organisms which enhanced the pathological changes in the loop.