BACKGROUND Anecdotal reports assert a relationship between weather and lunar activity and the odontogenic abscess (OA) incidence, but this relationship has not been validated. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between oral pain caused by OA and a variety of meteorological parameters and cyclic lunar activity. METHODS The records of all dental emergency patients treate...

Blood gas measurements were collected on healthy lifetime nonsmokers at sea level (n = 96) and at an altitude of 1,400 meters (n = 243) to establish reference equations. At each study site, arterial blood samples were analyzed in duplicate on two separate blood gas analyzers and CO-oximeters. Arterial blood gas variables included Pa(O(2)), Pa(CO(2)), pH, and calculated alveolar-arterial PO(2) d...

Exposure to acute hypoxia (barometric pressure 263 mmHg) for 8 hours did not lead to increased numbers of mast cells in the lungs of rats. In contrast, in adult rats kept for 35 days at a barometric pressure of 380 mmHg there was a proliferation of mast cells around the pulmonary blood vessels and in the alveolar septa. This hyperplasia of lung mast cells in response to chronic hypoxia was reve...

The main objective of this project is to demonstrate the tracking capability of a single Luggage Tracking Unit (LTU). This device is configured to record GPS fixes every 15 minutes and transmit the data to the user via text message or email. Ambient light is detected using a phototransistor that indicates if the luggage has been opened. A barometric pressure sensor is used to determine when the...

Prevailing abiotic conditions may positively or negatively impact insects at both the individual and population levels. For example while moderate rainfall and wind velocity may provide conditions that favour development, as well as movement within and between habitats, high winds and heavy rains can significantly decrease life expectancy. There is some evidence that insects adjust their behavi...

We describe an operating table in which the whole patient, apart from the eye undergoing surgery, is enclosed in a caisson within which the barometric pressure can be lowered at any time during surgery. This increases the effect of atmospheric pressure on the eye, enabling 'open sky' surgery to be carried out on patients of any age.