Effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy on elasticity and microstructure of equine cortical bone

OBJECTIVE: To measure changes in the modulus of elasticity (E) and describe histologic findings after extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy on equine cortical bone specimens. SAMPLE POPULATION: 16 bone specimens from the proximodorsal cortex of an equine third metacarpal or metatarsal bone. PROCEDURE: Baseline E was determined by the density (p) and unidirectional ultrasound transmission velocity (C) of each specimen according to the equation E = pC2. Eight specimens were treated with 500 pulses of 0.15 mJ/mm2 of extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and 8 specimens were treated with 500 pulses of 0.16 mJ/mm2of radial pressure wave therapy. After treatment, C was determined again. Four treatment sessions resulted in 2,000 pulses and 5 C measurements. The p of each sample was measured again. Mean post-treatment E was calculated for each group. Nondecalcified sections of all specimens were stained with toluidine blue or basic fuchsin for histologic evaluation. RESULTS: Overall treatment group effect was not significant for C or E. Final E was not different from baseline values for extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy. No histologic changes could be attributed to either treatment modality. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy did not affect the material properties of equine bone at the energy and pulse values used in this study.     

Cinnamon Shows Antidiabetic Properties that Are Species-Specific: Effects on Enzyme Activity Inhibition and Starch Digestion

Despite considerable research the evidence around the antidiabetic properties of cinnamon remains equivocal, and this may be due to varietal differences which is an aspect that is understudied. This study systematically compared the anti-hyperglycaemic properties of the four major commercial cinnamon types used around the world (Chinese; Cinnamomum cassia [CC], Indonesian; C. burmanii [IC], Vietnamese; C. loureirii [VC], and Ceylon; C. zeylanicum [SC]). LC-MS analysis showed distinct diffrences in the phytochemical profiles of cinnamon with SC showing the lowest coumarin concentration. CC and IC had the highest polyphenol levels and antioxidant potential, and all four types differed significantly in their content (P?<?0.001). All cinnamon types showed potent species-specific effects on starch digestion enzyme activity inhibition (P?<?0.001), CC was most effective against α-amylase and all four strongly inhibited α-glucosidase compared to acarbose. Cinnamon significantly reduced starch breakdown during oral (P?=?0.006) and gastric (P?=?0.029) phases of gastro-intestinal digestion with IC and SC showing consistent effects. No effects of cinnamon were seen in the intestinal phase. IC, VC and SC showed the greatest potential to inhibit formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) during digestion. In conclusion, cinnamon demonstrates anti-hyperglycaemic properties, however effects are species-specific with best overall properties seen for Ceylon cinnamon.

     

An assessment of adult risks of paresthesia due to mercury from coal combustion

This paper presents a probabilistic assessment of the risks of transient adult paresthesia (tingling of the extremities) resulting from ingestion of methylmercury (MeHg) in fish and shellfish. Two scenarios are evaluated: the “baseline,” in which the MeHg dose results from the combined effects of eating canned tuna fish, various marine seafoods, and freshwater sportfish, and an “impact” scenario in which the Hg content of the freshwater sportfish is increased due to local deposition from a hypothetical 1000 MW_e coal-fired power plant. Measurements from the literature are used to establish the parameters of the baseline, including atmospheric rates of Hg deposition and the distributions of MeHg in fish. The Hg intake for the impact scenario is then based on linear scaling of the additional annual Hg deposition as estimated from a Gaussian plume dispersion model. Human health responses are based on a logistic fit to the frequencies of paresthesia observed during a grain poisoning incident in Iraq, 1971–2. Based on a background prevalence rate of 2.2% for adult paresthesia, the assessment predicts a 5% chance that the increase in paresthesia prevalence due to either baseline or incremental MeHg doses might approach about 1% of the background prevalence rate.