Amphibian Body Impressions from the Mississippian of Pennsylvania,USA

Temnocorpichnus isaacleai is a new ichnogenus and ichnospecies of temnospondyl amphibian body impression from the Mississippian (Visean) Mauch Chunk Formation of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The shovel-shaped head, robust limbs, relatively short trunk and smooth integument diagnose the ichnotaxon and readily distinguish it from Hermundurichnus and Sauropleura, the only other named body impressions of Paleozoic tetrapods. Temnocorpichnus is a compound ichnogenus in which the footprint ichnogenus Batrachichnus is a behaviorally distinct component. The temnospondyl identity of Temnocorpichnus adds to the sparse and earliest records of temnspondyls, which are of Visean age. The smooth integument of the ichnogenus does not support the presence of ventral scales or armor in the earliest temnospondyls, but body proportions of the Mauch Chunk body impressions indicate a relatively terrestrial temnospondyl not matched by any taxon now known from bones. Three closely associated impressions of Temnocorpichnus on a single bedding plane suggest some sort of gregarious behavior in Mississippian temnospondyls and may support speculation that internal fertilization and associated courtship behavior evolved independently in one group of amphibians more than 300 million years ago.     

Rapid intra‐operative diagnosis of kidney cancer by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy of tissue smears

Herein, a technique to analyze air‐dried kidney tissue impression smears by means of attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR‐IR) spectroscopy is presented. Spectral tumor markers—absorption bands of glycogen—are identified in the ATR‐IR spectra of the kidney tissue smear samples. Thin kidney tissue cryo‐sections currently used for IR spectroscopic analysis lack such spectral markers as the sample preparation causes irreversible molecular changes in the tissue. In particular, freeze‐thaw cycle results in degradation of the glycogen and reduction or complete dissolution of its content. Supervised spectral classification was applied to the recorded spectra of the smears and the test spectra were classified with a high accuracy of 92% for normal tissue and 94% for tumor tissue, respectively. For further development, we propose that combination of the method with optical fiber ATR probes could potentially be used for rapid real‐time intra‐operative tissue analysis without interfering with either the established protocols of pathological examination or the ordinary workflow of operating surgeon. Such approach could ensure easier transition of the method to clinical applications where it may complement the results of gold standard histopathology examination and aid in more precise resection of kidney tumors.      

Assessment of agreement for assignment of a normal grade to human conjunctival impression cytology samples

M. J. Doughty Assessment of agreement for assignment of a normal grade to human conjunctival impression cytology samples Objective: To assess the level of agreement for assignment of a normal grade for human ocular surface bulbar conjunctival cells as collected by conjunctival impression cytology. Methods: Suitable images from published articles that included a scale marker were subjected to the same planimetry method to assess cell area, nucleus area, long (L) and short (S) dimensions of the cells and the nucleus. These measures, along with the nucleus‐to‐cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio, were compared. Results: Area measures on normal grade images indicated a broad unimodal distribution (250–275 μm²), and distribution of nucleus area values was heterogeneous, with neither being normally distributed. The inter‐sample variance for any particular area value ranged from 11 to 90% (group averages of 49%). The L:S dimension ratio averaged 1.288, consistently showing these cells are not round. N/C values showed a wide range (from 0.151 to 0.655), as did nucleus‐to‐cytoplasm dimensions (from 0.332 to 0.603). Conclusions: Current criteria for subjective assignment of a normal grade to bulbar conjunctival cells do not appear to be robust enough to allow for inter‐sample comparison. Quantitative measures need to be developed further.     

Shoulder function after constraint-induced movement therapy assessed with 3D kinematics and clinical and patient reported outcomes: A prospective cohort study

IntroductionWe hypothesised that reduced shoulder function post stroke improves during constraint-induced movement therapy and that improvement in scapula upward rotation measured with three-dimensional kinematics is associated with improvements in clinical and patient reported outcomes.MethodsThirty-seven patients were tested pre and post constraint-induced movement therapy and again at three-month follow-up. Kinematic outcome measures – with scapula upward rotation as the primary outcome – during tasks 5 (ReachLow) and 6 (ReachHigh) from the Wolf Motor Function Test were included together with clinical and patient reported outcomes. Changes in outcome measures were analysed with linear mixed models and logistic regression analysis.FindingsScapula upward rotation was reduced from 16.2° pre intervention through 15.9° post intervention to 15.6° at three-month follow-up during ReachHigh. Statistically significant reductions of <2° were also found for shoulder flexion during ReachLow and trunk lateral flexion during ReachHigh. The clinical and patient reported outcomes showed improvements post constraint-induced movement therapy, and at follow-up, the outcomes resembled post values.InterpretationThe minimal improvements in selected 3D kinematic measures of upper extremity movements did not reflect any clinically meaningful changes. Therefore, the clinical and patient reported improvements could not be related to restitution of shoulder function.     

Conjunctival impression cytology in contact lens wearers

The upper tarsal conjunctiva is in constant friction with the surface of the contact lens. The conjunctival surfaces of 80 soft and gas-permeable contact lens wearers (40 each) and 20 controls were studied using biomicroscopy and impression cytology. A filter dissolution technique was used to process the conjunctival imprints. Biomicroscopic and cytologic grading of the conjunctivae was performed using four-tier grading systems. Impression cytology is a non-invasive, painless procedure. The altered technique of processing yielded better cellularity and excellent cellular detail. On biomicroscopy and cytology, all controls showed Grade 1 appearances. Soft lens wearers who were symptomatic were found to have a significant increase in both biomicroscopic and cytologic grades, when compared with their asymptomatic counterparts. No correlation was found between duration of lens use and biomicroscopic or cytologic grades. All changes were found to be more severe in soft lens wearers.     

A replication technique for scanning electron microscopy: Applications for anthropologists

Scanning electron microscopy has become an increasingly useful tool for anthropologists, particularly because of the development of improved methods of replicating specimens. One of the best replication techniques involves silicone-based dental impression materials to make negative impressions, in conjunction with epoxy resins, which are used to make positives or casts. The technique outlined here is particularly useful for anthropologists. Using this technique allows the examination of bone surfaces, teeth, and fossils for taphonomic, microwear, and experimental studies. Reproduction of detail is faithful at magnifications of × 1,500 to × 2,000, routinely giving resolutions of .1 to .25 μm.