A titanium-encased alumina ceramic bearing for total hip arthroplasty: 3- to 5-year results.

Unlabelled: We examined whether encasing the alumina ceramic total hip arthroplasty insert in a thin titanium sleeve would reduce significantly or eliminate insert chipping on impaction of the insert into the shell. We also compared results, including observations of osteolysis, of the Trident study group with those of the predecessor alumina bearing couple design to determine clinical improvement and radiographic stability. Beginning in October 1996, 328 alumina ceramic bearings were implanted by six surgeons in 316 patients as a part of a prospective, randomized United States Investigational Device Exemption three-arm study comparing an alumina ceramic bearing with a control bearing of cobalt-chromium on polyethylene.

Five-year experience with Crossfire highly cross-linked polyethylene.

Unlabelled: Our purpose was to compare the clinical wear performance of highly cross-linked (Crossfire) polyethylene with conventional (N2Vac) polyethylene total hip bearings. We implanted 56 hips (47 patients) with Crossfire acetabular bearing liners and compared their wear performance with 53 conventional polyethylene inserts. Wear and clinical data were collected retrospectively at a minimum 4-year and average 5-year followup.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) represents about 14% of all leukemias and occurs with a frequency of about 1 in 100,000. It is rare in children. Symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, sweating, and abdominal discomfort from an enlarged spleen.

High frequencies of plexiform neurofibromas, mental retardation, learning difficulties, and scoliosis in Brazilian patients with neurofibromatosis type 1.

A clinical study of Brazilian patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) was performed in a multidisciplinary Neurofibromatosis Program called CEPAN (Center of Research and Service in Neurofibromatosis). Among 55 patients (60% females, 40% males) who met the NIH criteria for the diagnosis of NF1, 98% had more than six café-au-lait patches, 94.5% had axillary freckling, 45% had inguinal freckling, and 87.

Alumina ceramic bearings for total hip arthroplasty: five-year results of a prospective randomized study.

Unlabelled: Three hundred twenty-eight ceramic bearings were implanted by six surgeons in 316 patients as a part of a prospective randomized US Investigational Device Exemption study comparing alumina ceramic bearings with cobalt chrome-on-polyethylene bearings. There was no difference between the control metal-on-polyethylene and the alumina bearing couple patient cohorts regarding demographics or clinical scores through 7 years. Revision for any reason occurred in 2.

Gaining a solid grip on adipogenesis.

Obesity is presently being combated by fitness regimens, drugs and diet. Increasing our understanding of the physiology of adipocytes, by deducing the regulatory pathways involved in lipid metabolism and all aspects of adipogenesis, will provide alternative strategies to reduce adverse problems of obesity. Research has suggested that mature fat cells may dedifferentiate to form proliferative-competent fat cell precursors.

Effects of creatine on thermoregulatory responses while exercising in the heat.

Objective: We hypothesized that creatine supplementation would interfere with normal body fluid shifts that occur during exercise in a hot environment due to its osmotic effect intracellularly. This study examined the effects of acute creatine loading (20 g/d for 5 d) on the thermoregulatory response of the body during a bout of exercise at 39 degrees C.

Methods: Subjects (15 men and 1 woman) performed a cycle test of maximum oxygen consumption to determine the proper work rate for the heat-stress test (40 min at 55% maximum oxygen consumption at 39 degrees C) and were assigned to a creatine group (n = 8) or a placebo group (n = 8) in a double-blind fashion.

Antiulcerogenic activity of ethanol extract of Solanum variabile (false "jurubeba").

The ethanol extract (EE) of the aerial parts of Solanum variabile Mart. (Solanaceae) was investigated for its ability to prevent ulceration of the gastric and duodenal mucosa at different doses. Its ability to heal chronic ulcer processes was also evaluated.

A poorly differentiated synovial sarcoma (SYT/SSX1) expresses neuroectodermal markers: a xenografts and in vitro culture study.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a neoplasm that poses diagnostic problems, due to its histologic heterogeneity. The poorly differentiated variant, in particular, may be histologically indistinguishable from other small round cell tumors. Detection of the synovial sarcoma-associated t(X;18) or SYT-SSX fusion transcripts may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis of SS in difficult cases.

Nonsurgical transthoracic epicardial approach in patients with ventricular tachycardia and previous cardiac surgery.

Introduction: The subxyphoid pericardial mapping approach can be used to facilitate catheter ablation of postmyocardial-infarction ventricular tachycardia (post-MI VT), but the presence of dense adhesions is thought to preclude this approach in patients who have previously undergone open-chest cardiac surgery.

Aims Of The Study: This study reports the first use of a nonsurgical transthoracic epicardial approach in patients with scar-related VT and previous cardiac surgery.

Methods: Five patients with a mean age of 67 +/- 10 years, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 40 +/- 4.

A population study of the precedence effect.

Data are reported from a population of untrained individuals under lag- and single-click conditions in a discrimination suppression precedence-effect task. The cue to be discriminated was an interaural level-difference (ILD). Each of 91 observers completed 10 runs in a two-interval forced-choice design under a lag-click condition and three runs under a single-click condition.

Bacteremic elder emergency department patients: procalcitonin and white count.

Objectives: To assess serum procalcitonin (PCT) and white blood cell (WBC) count in detecting bacteremia in elder emergency department (ED) patients.

Methods: A prospective, observational study of ED patients aged > or =65 years in whom blood cultures were drawn was conducted at an urban, tertiary care, academic ED. Serum for PCT and WBC count was obtained at the time of ED visit.

Precedence-effect thresholds for a population of untrained listeners as a function of stimulus intensity and interclick interval.

Data are reported from 127 untrained individuals under lag- and single-click conditions in a precedence-effect task. In experiment I, each subject completed ten runs in a two-interval forced-choice design under a lag-click condition and three runs under a single-click condition. The cue to be discriminated was an interaural time difference (ITD).

Ten-year results with hydroxyapatite-coated total hip femoral components in patients less than fifty years old. A concise follow-up of a previous report.

We report the results of total hip arthroplasty with use of a proximally hydroxyapatite-coated femoral component after a minimum follow-up of ten years in a group of patients who were less than fifty years old at the time of the primary procedure. In the five years since the original publication of our study, two additional stems have undergone revision. Thus, a total of six stems have been revised.

Proteomics as a tool for discovery: proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease are highly expressed in normal pancreatic islets.

A proteomic analysis of islets was undertaken to determine the protein constituents of normal adult mouse islets. Unexpectedly, we identified several islet proteins that are associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Some of these proteins had chaperone activity that is integral to proper protein folding.

Analysis of CDKN1A polymorphisms: markers of cancer susceptibility?

The CDKN1A (TP21) gene encodes a 21-kD protein that is a critical downstream mediator of wild-type TP53 and an important regulator of the cell cycle. Failure in the function of this gene would be expected to result in abnormal cell proliferation and transformation. Tumor-associated mutations of the coding region of the TP21 are rare.

A 10-year minimum follow-up of hydroxyapatite-coated threaded cups: clinical, radiographic and survivorship analyses with comparison to the literature.

We evaluated the clinical, radiographic, and survivorship outcomes in a series of 418 threaded hydroxyapatite-coated acetabular cups (Arc2f; Osteonics, Allendale, NJ) implanted in a consecutive series of 384 patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty. In all cases, the cup was screwed into the prepared acetabulum. Bone screws were used to provide secondary fixation.

Alumina ceramic bearings for total hip arthroplasty.

This article presents an experience with alumina ceramic bearings involving the use of improved ceramic materials as well as new design considerations. The alumina-alumina ceramic hard bearing is a safe option for the younger, more active patient.

Civilian use of night vision goggles.

Civil aviation operators have expressed an increased interest in conducting night operations with night vision imaging systems. The development of special operational concepts, hardware requirements, training requirements, and regulatory change and oversight is necessary to control for the known performance constraints associated with these devices. In 2001, the Aerospace Medical Association initiated an internal request to review the human factors issues concerning the use of night vision goggles (NVGs) in civilian flight operations.

Osteolysis: a disease of access to fixation interfaces.

Long-term clinical studies of total hip replacement suggest a direct relationship between bearing wear and periprosthetic osteolysis, particularly if polyethylene wear is greater than a threshold value of 0.1 mm per year. The current clinical trend to cross-linked polyethylene and hard-to-hard bearings attempts to ensure that bearing wear remains below this threshold.

Hydroxyapatite coated stems in younger and older patients with hip arthritis.

A primary aim of research in total hip arthroplasty is to extend longevity through improved fixation and decreased wear and osteolysis. Age range of patients receiving hip implants is ever increasing as technology improves and average life span increases. The current report focuses on minimum 10-year results of a proximally hydroxyapatite-coated stem in patients with degenerative joint disease, comparing those 45 years and older (n = 229 hips) with younger patients (n = 41 hips).

Effects of norandrostenedione and norandrostenediol in resistance-trained men.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of norsteroid supplementation (224 mg of 19-nor-4-androstene-3,17-dione and 120 mg of 19-nor-4-androstene-3,17-diol, total daily dose = 344 mg) on body composition and strength in resistance-trained men. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized fashion, 10 subjects received the norsteroid (11 capsules containing a combination of both norsteroids) or a placebo for 8 wk (five subjects per group). Each subject participated in resistance training an average of 4 d/wk for the duration of the study.

Efficacy and safety of mitomycin-C in primary trabeculectomy: five-year follow-up.

Purpose: To examine the 5-year complications and results of primary trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C (MMC).

Design: Retrospective, noncomparative interventional case series.

Participants: One hundred twenty-three eyes that underwent primary trabeculectomy with MMC between December 1991 and March 1995.

Use of amino acids as growth hormone-releasing agents by athletes.

Specific amino acids, such as arginine, lysine and ornithine, can stimulate growth hormone (GH) release when infused intravenously or administered orally. Many individuals consume amino acids before strength training workouts, believing this practice accentuates the exercise-induced GH release, thereby promoting greater gains in muscle mass and strength. The GH response to amino acid administration has a high degree of interindividual variability and may be altered by training status, sex, age, and diet.