What Is the Magnitude and Long-term Economic Cost of Care of the British Military Afghanistan Amputee Cohort?

Background: Personal protection equipment, improved early medical care, and rapid extraction of the casualty have resulted in more injured service members who served in Afghanistan surviving after severe military trauma. Many of those who survive the initial trauma are faced with complex wounds such as multiple amputations. Although costs of care can be high, they have not been well quantified before.

Central line-associated bloodstream infections in Australian intensive care units: Time-trends in infection rates, etiology, and antimicrobial resistance using a comprehensive Victorian surveillance program, 2009-2013.

Background: The epidemiology of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in Australian intensive care units (ICUs) has not previously been reported. We sought to describe time-trends in CLABSI rates, infections by ICU peer-groups, etiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens in a large cohort of Australian ICUs for the period January 1, 2009-December 31, 2013.

Methods: Using National Healthcare Safety Network methods, CLABSI surveillance in adult patients was performed by hospitals participating in the Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System (n = 29).

Use of volatile anaesthetic agents in anaesthesia: A survey of practice in France in 2012.

Volatile anaesthetic agents are used in the vast majority of general anaesthesias performed in France. We assessed the degree of understanding of French anaesthetists with regard to the general pharmacology of these products and their understanding of the factors that govern selection of the different agents available for use in adults. A validated 13-item questionnaire was sent electronically in 2012 using files from the Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar).

Surgical interventions for anterior shoulder instability in rugby players: A systematic review.

Aim: To systematically evaluate the evidence-based literature on surgical treatment interventions for elite rugby players with anterior shoulder instability.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar using the following search terms: "rugby" and "shoulder" in combination with "instability" or "dislocation".

Investigating the Effects of Knee Flexion during the Eccentric Heel-Drop Exercise.

This study aimed to characterise the biomechanics of the widely practiced eccentric heel-drop exercises used in the management of Achilles tendinosis. Specifically, the aim was to quantify changes in lower limb kinematics, muscle lengths and Achilles tendon force, when performing the exercise with a flexed knee instead of an extended knee. A musculoskeletal modelling approach was used to quantify any differences between these versions of the eccentric heel drop exercises used to treat Achilles tendinosis.

Posterior mini-incision total hip arthroplasty controls the extent of post-operative formation of heterotopic ossification.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of bone at extra-skeletal sites. Reported rates of HO after hip arthroplasty range from 8 to 90 %; however, it is only severe cases that cause problems clinically, such as joint stiffness. The effects of surgical-related controllable intra-operative risk factors for the formation of HO were investigated.

Midwifery students receiving the newborn at birth: A pilot study of the impact of structured training in neonatal resuscitation.

The experience of midwifery students in receiving the newborn at birth, before and after structured training in neonatal resuscitation: A pilot study. The practice of receiving the newborn, including neonatal resuscitation is an essential component of midwifery. Anecdotal evidence suggests preparation for the task is ad hoc within midwifery curricula, leading to student's anxiety.

Accidental injection of patent blue dye during gynaecological surgery: Lack of knowledge constitutes a system error.

The authors report a case in which an intravenous injection of Patent Blue V dye instead of Indigo Carmine was given during routine gynaecological surgery. The patient presented with temporary arterial (spurious) desaturation and skin discoloration over a 48-hour period. Pharmacological differences between these dyes are described.

Diminishing surgical site infections in Australia: time trends in infection rates, pathogens and antimicrobial resistance using a comprehensive Victorian surveillance program, 2002-2013.

Objective: To evaluate time trends in surgical site infection (SSI) rates and SSI pathogens in Australia.

Design: Prospective multicenter observational cohort study.

Setting: A group of 81 Australian healthcare facilities participating in the Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System (VICNISS).

On the role of the patella, ACL and joint contact forces in the extension of the knee.

Traditional descriptions of the knee suggest that the function of the patella is to facilitate knee extension by increasing the moment arm of the quadriceps muscles. Through modelling and evidence from the literature it is shown in this paper that the presence of the patella makes the ability of the quadriceps to rotate the thigh greater than their ability to rotate the tibia. Furthermore, this difference increases as the knee is flexed, thus demonstrating a pattern that is consistent with many human movements.

The role of the biarticular hamstrings and gastrocnemius muscles in closed chain lower limb extension.

The role of the biarticular muscles is a topic that has received considerable attention however their function is not well understood. In this paper, we argue that an analysis that is based upon considering the effect of the biarticular muscles on the segments that they span (rather than their effect on joint rotations) can be illuminating. We demonstrate that this understanding is predicated on a consideration of the relative sizes of the moment arms of a biarticular muscle about the two joints that it crosses.

Oil platforms off California are among the most productive marine fish habitats globally.

Secondary (i.e., heterotrophic or animal) production is a main pathway of energy flow through an ecosystem as it makes energy available to consumers, including humans.

Rigid and Elastic taping changes scapular kinematics and pain in subjects with shoulder impingement syndrome; an experimental study.

Rigid and Elastic scapular taping is used in physical rehabilitation of shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS). It is believed to reduce pain and normalise scapular movement patterns. However, there is insufficient evidence to support its use.

Genetic and acute toxicological evaluation of an algal oil containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and palmitoleic acid.

Algal strains of Nannochloropsis sp. were developed, optimized, cultivated and harvested to produce a unique composition of algal oil ethyl esters (Algal-EE) that are naturally high in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 23-30%) and palmitoleic acid (20-25%), and contain no docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Algal-EE was evaluated for mutagenic activity (Ames bacterial reverse mutation, in vitro mammalian chromosome aberration, in vivo micronucleus test) and for acute oral toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Biomechanical determinants of elite rowing technique and performance.

In rowing, the parameters of injury, performance, and technique are all interrelated and in dynamic equilibrium. Whilst rowing requires extreme physical strength and endurance, a high level of skill and technique is essential to enable an effective transfer of power through the rowing sequence. This study aimed to determine discrete aspects of rowing technique, which strongly influence foot force production and asymmetries at the foot-stretchers, as these are biomechanical parameters often associated with performance and injury risk.

Scaling and kinematics optimisation of the scapula and thorax in upper limb musculoskeletal models.

Accurate representation of individual scapula kinematics and subject geometries is vital in musculoskeletal models applied to upper limb pathology and performance. In applying individual kinematics to a model's cadaveric geometry, model constraints are commonly prescriptive. These rely on thorax scaling to effectively define the scapula's path but do not consider the area underneath the scapula in scaling, and assume a fixed conoid ligament length.

Draft Genome Sequence of Marine Actinomycete Streptomyces sp. Strain NTK 937, Producer of the Benzoxazole Antibiotic Caboxamycin.

Streptomyces sp. strain NTK 937 is the producer of the benzoxazole antibiotic caboxamycin, which has been shown to exert inhibitory activity against Gram-positive bacteria, cytotoxic activity against several human tumor cell lines, and inhibition of the enzyme phosphodiesterase. In this genome announcement, we present a draft genome sequence of Streptomyces sp.

Primary care of chronic dyspnea in adults.

Chronic dyspnea is the presence of shortness of breath lasting for a minimum of 4 weeks. It is a common complaint associated with many of the cardiopulmonary diseases seen in primary care. This article provides a systematic, evidence-based, and cost-effective approach to the evaluation of this complex symptom.

Foot force production and asymmetries in elite rowers.

The rowing stroke is a leg-driven action, in which forces developed by the lower limbs provide a large proportion of power delivered to the oars. In terms of both performance and injury, it is important to initiate each stroke with powerful and symmetrical loading of the foot stretchers. The aims of this study were to assess the reliability of foot force measured by footplates developed for the Concept2 indoor ergometer and to examine the magnitude and symmetry of bilateral foot forces in different groups of rowers.

Deep mantle structure as a reference frame for movements in and on the Earth.

Earth's residual geoid is dominated by a degree-2 mode, with elevated regions above large low shear-wave velocity provinces on the core-mantle boundary beneath Africa and the Pacific. The edges of these deep mantle bodies, when projected radially to the Earth's surface, correlate with the reconstructed positions of large igneous provinces and kimberlites since Pangea formed about 320 million years ago. Using this surface-to-core-mantle boundary correlation to locate continents in longitude and a novel iterative approach for defining a paleomagnetic reference frame corrected for true polar wander, we have developed a model for absolute plate motion back to earliest Paleozoic time (540 Ma).

Gait compensations in rats after a temporary nerve palsy quantified using temporo-spatial and kinematic parameters.

Background: The aim of this work was to test a method for measuring the gait of rats with sufficient sensitivity to detect subtle locomotor changes due to pathology, injury and recovery.

Method: The gait of female Sprague-Dawley rats was assessed using an optical motion tracking system and the DigiGait™ imaging system during normal locomotion, shortly after temporary nerve block to the left hind limb and after full recovery.

Results: The effect of low treadmill speeds (10-30 cm/s) was initially investigated.