Woman's Breast Implant Saved Her Life by Deflecting a Bullet, Case Study Shows

  

In a remarkable study, researchers report what they are saying is that the first documented case in the medical literature of a silicone implant altering a bullet's trajectory and possibly saving a woman's life.

This horrific but ultimately non-fatal incident transpires in Ontario, Canada, and therefore the events of the evening are the topic of an ongoing investigation, with the shooter remaining unidentified, and therefore the firearm utilized in the episode never having been recovered.

What is certain, though, is that a 30-year-old woman with breast implants sustained severe chest trauma after being struck by a bullet publically at nighttime, with the projectile hitting her suddenly and abruptly.

"The patient-reported walking down [the] street and feeling heat and pain in her left chest, looking down and seeing blood," a probe team led by sawbones Giancarlo McEvenue explains in a very case note.

Right breast implant with damage from bullet trajectory. (McEvenue et al., Plastic Surgery Case Studies, 2020)

After being transferred to a trauma center, the lady was in a very stable condition, with no additional injuries aside from one entry wound within the upper part of her left breast.

Examination of the wound revealed thermal injury surrounding the hole on the left breast, suggesting close proximity to the discharging firearm, and a hard, bullet-like mass might be felt under the woman's skin on the opposite side of her body, lodged behind her right breast.

X-rays confirmed this mass was the bullet still inside the patient's body, within the right lateral thoracic wall, while also showing a fractured rib – clues to the bullet's trajectory through the body, the researchers say, entering the left breast and spending through to the proper thoracic wall, where it absolutely was eventually stopped.

CT scans revealed pulmonary contusion (damage to lung tissue) but no intrathoracic injury, although signs of debris and air indicated both breast implants had been struck by the bullet.

Bullet in right lateral thoracic wall on chest X-ray. (McEvenue et al., Plastic Surgery Case Studies, 2020)

The surgeons removed both damaged implants, and extracted the projectile, which was given to police, and identified as a copper-jacketed 0.40 caliber bullet.

After the successful operation, the woman's medical team used CT imaging in conjunction with the clinical evidence to reconstruct how the bullet tried and true the patient's body and her breast implants.

According to the researchers, the bullet was on track to pass directly through the chest wall and may need striking the woman's heart, had it not been for a deflection within the projectile's trajectory because of the presence of the left implant.

"Based on the trajectory of bullet entry clinically and evaluation radiologically, the sole source of bullet deflection of the bullet is that the left implant," the authors write.

"This implant overlies the center and intrathoracic cavity and so likely saved the women's life."

The researchers suggest deflection occurred within the implant likely at the purpose when the bullet pressed against and ultimately ruptured the implant's membrane.

While the hypothetical role of breast implants slowing down bullet velocity has been investigated before, the researchers say their patient's case is that the first showing multiple lines of evidence that suggest deflection can even occur.

"Our study adds to the current knowledge by using high-resolution CT technology to analyze bullet trajectory in an actual patient case," the authors write.

"This trajectory change could only are because of the bullet hitting the implant in our patient's case because the bullet didn't hit bone on the left side (as evidenced by lack of left-sided fracture and a bullet that retained enough energy to cause right-sided fractures)."

Although reported cases like this could be rare, the team found a minimum of two other cases in the medical literature where ruptured breast implants are thought to possess played a job in saving patients' lives after they were struck by bullets.

"The unfortunate story includes a happy ending in this the patient only suffered minor injuries and made a whole recovery," McEvenue says.

The findings are reported in Plastic Surgery Case Studies.

Interactive Map Shows Where You'd Pop Up If You Dug Straight Through The Earth

 In most countries, people have a belief about where they'd find themselves if they dug their way through the middle of the planet and popped abreast of the opposite side. For people within the USA, they think it’s China. For people within the UK, they think it’s Australia. Australians think it's somewhere in Europe and hope it isn't the united kingdom because the weather is just too terrible there.

But prepare to readjust your childhood belief, as this interactive map will show you where you'd really find yourself if you were to dig your way through the world and somehow aren't getting burned to death by the core, or crushed by the extraordinary pressure. If you're within the UK, sorry, don't pack a hat with corks on. One, it's offensive, and two, you are going to finish up within the ocean just off the south-east coast of recent Zealand, not Australia like you have been taught. 

In fact, there aren't many places in Europe it's safe to dig down from. Most European countries lead straight to the ocean. the sole really safe place you'll visit from Europe by digging your way down is central Spain.

And where would you finish up if you travel from the USA? You guessed it. You're also ending up within the sea. The closest place we are able to find where you'd find yourself near actual terra firma is near Fort McMurray in Canada, which places you on one among the Heard Island and McDonald Islands. You can try the map for yourself here, and enter your location to search out out your antipode point.

So before you are trying and dig your way through the world sort of a supervillain or a crazed mole, take a glance at the map and see where you'll find yourself. you would like to be dressed appropriately upon arrival.

Special Type of DNA in Owl Eyes May Be a 'Lens' That Supercharges Night Vision

 Owls are one in every of the rare avian predators that catch their prey by night, and new research suggests that there is something special within the way the DNA molecules in their eyes are packaged, giving them a strong visual advantage within the dark.

Through the method of natural action, the new study proposes that the DNA within the retinal cells of owls may are put together in such how that it acts as a kind of lens or vision enhancer, improving eyesight during the night.

The unusual trait hasn't been seen in birds before, which hints that owls have gone it alone on this particular evolutionary path, a minimum of among birds. the bulk of birds are diurnal like we are – is most active within the day and sleeping it all off in the dark.

"In the ancestral branch of the owls, we found traces of positive selection within the evolution of genes functionally associated with seeing, especially to phototransduction, and to chromosome packaging," write the researchers in their paper.

The team checked out the genomes of 20 different bird species, including 11 owls, identifying where positive selection had occurred – where beneficial mutations had been kept over generations. for sure, lots of this is going on within the areas of sensory perception, which is why owls can hear and see so well.

But the team also discovered signs of accelerated evolution in 32 genes that were more of a surprise. These genes were linked to DNA packaging and chromosome condensation – as if the structure of the molecules inside the owl eyes had actually adapted themselves to be able to capture more light.

A similar change in DNA molecule arrangement in retina cells has been seen before in nocturnal primates, and computer models of their molecular structure have suggested they will channel light.

This isn't the sole evolutionary boost that owls have for peering through the gloom – they even have retinas packed with rod cells for better twilight vision, for instance – but it'd definitely help in catching prey after dark.

Although the researchers' claims remain hypothetical, it's an intriguing idea. The comparison of genomes also supports the concept that owls did indeed evolve from an ancestor that was diurnal - seeing because the largest changes observed in their genetics seem to be associated with enhancing night-hunting abilities.

While owls kept the sharp talons they share with day-hunting birds of prey, like eagles and falcons, the researchers found genes that differed from owls' ancestors, and one which may potentially enhance their excellent hearing, visual sense, and soft feathers for silent flight. If the study's findings are confirmed, even the DNA molecules seem to be boosting the wonderful sight capabilities of owls.

The authors caution their proposed roles for the different genes are only suggestions for the instant, particularly with respect to how photoreceptors in owl eyes actually function. Direct observations and analysis is also ready to build upon the findings outlined here and will tell us even more about how owls gained their evolutionary advantages.

"Our study suggests novel candidate genes whose role within the evolution of owls is further explored," write the researchers.

Scientists Design Super-Light Carbon Nanostructure That's Stronger Than Diamond

 Scientists have found a brand new thanks to structure carbon at the nanoscale, making a fabric that's superior to diamond on the strength-to-density ratio.

While the small carbon lattice has been fabricated and tested within the lab, it is a very good distance of practical use. But this new approach could help us build stronger and lighter materials within the future - which are some things that are of great interest to industries like aerospace and aviation. 

What we're talking about here are some things called nanolattices - porous structures just like the one within the image above that's made from three-dimensional carbon struts and braces. thanks to their unique structure, they're incredibly strong and light-weight.

Usually, these nanolattices are based around a cylindrical framework (they're called beam-nanolattices). But the team has now created plate-nanolattices, structures based around tiny plates.

This subtle shift might not sound like much, but the researchers say it can make an enormous difference when it involves strength.

Based on early experiments and calculations, the plate approach promises a 639 percent increase in strength and a 522 percent increase in rigidity over the beam nanolattice approach.

"Scientists have predicted that nanolattices arranged during a plate-based design would be incredibly strong," says materials scientist Cameron Crook, from the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

"But the issue in manufacturing structures this manner meant that the speculation was never proven until we succeeded in doing it."

To finally test these materials within the lab, the researchers used a fancy 3D laser printing called two-photon polymerization direct laser writing, which essentially uses carefully managed chemical reactions inside a ray to etch out shapes at the tiniest of scales.

Using liquid resin sensitive to actinic radiation, the method shoots photons at the resin to show it into a solid polymer in an exceedingly particular shape. Additional steps are then required to get rid of excess resin and to heat up the structure to mend it in situ.

What the scientists have managed to try and do here actually comes near the utmost theoretical stiffness and strength of a fabric of this kind – limits called the Hashin-Shtrikman and Suquet upper bounds.

As confirmed by a scanning microscope, these are the primary actual experiments to indicate that those theoretical limits are often reached, though we're still a protracted way off having the ability to manufacture this material at a bigger scale.

In fact, a part of the material's strength lies in its tiny size: as objects like this get shrunk below 100 nanometres – one thousand times smaller than the thickness of a personality's hair – the pores and cracks in them get ever smaller, reducing potential flaws.

As for a way these nanolattices might eventually be used, they'll certainly be of interest to aerospace engineers – their combination of strength and denseness makes them ideal for aircraft and spacecraft.

"Previous beam-based designs, while of great interest, had not been so efficient in terms of mechanical properties," says engineer Jens Bauer, from UCI.

"This new class of plate-nanolattices that we've created is dramatically stronger and stiffer than the simplest beam-nanolattices."

Solar Winds Hitting Earth Are Hotter Than They Should Be, And We May Finally Know Why

 Our planet is continually bathed within the winds coming off the blistering sphere at the center of our scheme. But while the Sun itself is so ridiculously hot, once the solar winds reach Earth, they're hotter than they must be - and that we might finally know why.

We know that particles making up the plasma of the Sun's heliosphere cool as they unfolded. the matter is that they appear to require their sweet time doing so, dropping in temperature far slower than models predict.

"People are studying the solar radiation since its discovery in 1959, but there are many important properties of this plasma which are still not well understood," says physicist Stas Boldyrev from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

"Initially, researchers thought the solar radiation needs to calm down very rapidly because it expands from the Sun, but satellite measurements show that because it reaches the planet, its temperature is 10 times larger than expected."

The research team used laboratory equipment to review moving plasma, and now think the solution to the matter lies in a very trapped sea of electrons that just can't seem to flee the Sun's grip.

The expansion process itself has long been assumed to be subject to adiabatic laws, a term that simply means energy isn't added or off from a system. This keeps the numbers nice and easy, but assumes there aren't places where energy slips in or out of the flow of particles.

Unfortunately, an electron's journey is anything but simple, shoved around at the mercy of vast magnetic fields sort of a roller coaster from Hell. This chaos leaves many opportunities for warmth to be passed back and forth.

Just to complicate matters further, because of its tiny mass, electrons get an honest advantage over heavier ions as they shoot forth from the Sun's atmosphere, leaving a largely positive cloud of particles in their wake.

Eventually, the growing attraction between the 2 opposing charges takes over the inertia of these flying electrons, pulling them back to the start where magnetic fields another time play havoc with their paths.

"Such returning electrons are reflected so they stream aloof from the Sun, but again they can't escape thanks to the attractive electric force of the Sun," says Boldyrev.

"So, their destiny is to make a comeback and forth, creating an oversized population of so-called trapped electrons."

Boldyrev and his crew recognized the same game of electron ping-pong playing enter their own laboratory, inside an apparatus commonly wont to study plasma called a mirror machine.

Diagram of a mirror machine

A linear fusion reactor, or 'mirror machine'. (Cary Forest)

Mirror machines don't actually contain any mirrors. At least, not the familiar shiny kind. Also called magnetic mirrors or magnetic traps, these linear fusion devices are little quite long tubes with a bottle-neck at either end.

Their reflective nature is formed as streams of plasma passing through the bottle pinch in at either end, altering the encircling magnetic fields in such a way that particles within the stream reflect back inside again.

"But some particles can escape, and after they do, they stream along expanding field lines outside the bottle," Boldyrev says.

"Because the physicists want to stay this plasma very popular, they need to work out how the temperature of the electrons that escape the bottle declines outside this opening."

Or if you're Boldyrev and his team, those leaking electrons will be studied to higher understand what's happening with our very own solar radiation.

He and his colleagues suggest the population of trapped electrons that yo-yo back and forth play a serious role within the way electrons distributes their energy, changing the standard distributions of particle velocities and temperatures in predictable ways.

"It seems that our results agree o.k. with measurements of the temperature profile of the solar radiation and that they may explain why the electron temperature declines with space so slowly," says Boldyrev.

Finding such a decent match between the mirror machine's figures and what we see in space suggests there may be other solar phenomena worth studying this fashion.

This Genius New Type of Solar Energy Cell Can Be Used in Windows

 Engineers have developed a semi-transparent photovoltaic cell that provides a viable level of efficiency, and it'd get us closer to a future where windows that double up as solar panels could transform both architecture and energy production.

Two square meters (around 22 square feet) of the next-gen perovskite solar cells (PSCs) would be enough to come up with about the maximum amount electricity as a regular electrical device, in keeping with the most recent study – within the region of 140 watts per meter, if tinted to the identical degree as current glazed commercial windows.

Solar cell windows are something researchers are functioning on for years, but until now nobody has really hit the sweet spot in terms of efficiency, stability, and value. The team behind the new project says they're closer than ever to doing just that.

"Rooftop solar contains a conversion efficiency of between 15 and 20 percent," says materials chemist Jacek Jasieniak, from Monash University in Australia. "The semi-transparent cells have a conversion efficiency of 17 percent, while still transmitting over 10 percent of the incoming light so that they are right within the zone.

"It's long been a dream to own windows that generate electricity, and now that appears possible."

Central to the work is that the replacement of a key electric cell component (Spiro-OMeTAD to be technical) with a specially developed polymer, supported by an organic semiconductor, which increases overall stability.

That stability is crucial in the material that goes in the sunshine all day. Add the recent efficiency increases in PSCs and you'll see why this growing solar technology is becoming more and more commercially attractive.

However, you will not be able to gaze through a superbly clear window and obtain the utmost amount of energy efficiency from it – there's still a balance to be found between opacity and efficiency.

"There could be a trade-off," says Jasieniak. "The solar cells are made more, or less, transparent. The more transparent they're, the less electricity they generate so becomes something for architects to contemplate."

Even with this major breakthrough, it's going to be a while – maybe the maximum amount as 10 years – before the tech is commercialized and scaled up. The scientists are working with business partners to do and acquire the solar cells included in future building plans.

Multi-story buildings where glazing is already expensive are likely to be the primary beneficiaries, in keeping with the team, because the addition of photovoltaic cell technology won't cost a large amount extra (and remember the electricity savings).

Among the avenues that the researchers are now exploring is combining a layer of perovskite solar cells with a layer of organic solar cells (the more traditional type) to urge the advantages of both.

"These solar cells mean an enormous change to the way we predict about buildings and therefore the way they function," says Jasieniak.

"Up so far every building has been designed on the belief that windows are fundamentally passive. Now they're going to actively produce electricity."