Comparison of percutaneous and open repair of Achilles tendon rupture: results and complications from a single institution.

Background: The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the human body, but it is prone to injury, especially in modern times when recreational sports are growing in popularity. As a result, Achilles tendon rupture is becoming an increasingly common medical problem in modern society. The main objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of percutaneous repair and open repair for the treatment of Achilles tendon rupture.

AAV-mediated expression of a new conformational anti-aggregated α-synuclein antibody prolongs survival in a genetic model of α-synucleinopathies.

Prion-like transmission of pathology in α-synucleinopathies like Parkinson's disease or multiple system atrophy is increasingly recognized as one potential mechanism to address disease progression. Active and passive immunotherapies targeting insoluble, aggregated α-synuclein are already being actively explored in the clinic with mixed outcomes so far. Here, we report the identification of 306C7B3, a highly selective, aggregate-specific α-synuclein antibody with picomolar affinity devoid of binding to the monomeric, physiologic protein.

Novel screw fixation placement configuration for the treatment of Pauwels type III femoral neck fractures: a finite element analysis.

Verticality of transcervical hip fractures in young patients is usually connected with typically high-energy fractures which are known as Pauwels type III. Artificial femoral head replacement surgery is mostly not considered for treating femoral neck fractures in such patients. The commonly used devices for the fixation of vertical femoral neck fractures are multiple screws or a sliding hip screw with or without an antirotation screw.

MSD-based assays facilitate a rapid and quantitative serostatus profiling for the presence of anti-AAV antibodies.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector applications are often limited by capsid-directed humoral immune responses, mainly through neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), which are present throughout the human population due to natural AAV infections. Currently, antibody levels are often quantified via ELISA-based protocols or by cellular NAb assays and less frequently by NAb assays in mice. These methods need optimization for each serotype and are often not applicable to AAV variants with poor transduction.

Comparison between external locking plate fixation and conventional external fixation for extraarticular proximal tibial fractures: a finite element analysis.

Background: Good clinical outcomes for locking plates as an external fixator to treat tibial fractures have been reported. However, external locking plate fixation is still generally rarely performed. This study aimed to compare the stability of an external locking plate fixator with that of a conventional external fixator for extraarticular proximal tibial fractures using finite element analysis.

THE CROATIAN HEALTH INSURANCE FUND DOES NOT RECOGNIZE DIFFERENCES IN THE COST OF DIFFERENT TREATMENTS FOR REVISION TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the cost of treatment for revision interventions for hip and knee prostheses. In all publications so far, the authors note the high cost of treatment for revision interventions, especially if infection is present. The aim of this study was to compare the cost of treatment and health insurance reimbursements between revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) for infection and revision for aseptic indications (aseptic instability and periprosthetic fracture).

Intramedullary nailing of adult forearm fractures: Results and complications.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological results of adult forearm fractures treated with interlocking intramedullary nailing.

Methods: This retrospective study included 21 patients who were treated with intramedullary interlocking nailing for forearm fractures between January 2010 and September 2017. All patients were treated with intramedullary forearm nails designed to allow interfragmentary compression.

Surgical treatment of scapular fractures: Results and complications.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe a surgical technique and report on patient-based functional outcomes and complications following open reduction and internal fixation in patients with scapular fractures.

Methods: The study comprised 14 patients who were treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of a scapular fractures between September 2010 and July 2018. Surgical indications were as follows: medial/lateral displacement greater than 20 mm; shortening greater than 25 mm; angular deformity greater than 40°; intra-articular step-off greater than 4 mm; and double shoulder suspensory injuries (including fracture of the clavicle, coracoid or acromion with displacement greater than 10 mm).

TREATMENT OF HUMERAL SHAFT FRACTURES: ANTEGRADE INTERLOCKING INTRAMEDULLARY NAILING WITH ADDITIONAL INTERLOCKING NEUTRALIZATION SCREWS THROUGH FRACTURE SITE.

The aim of this study was to compare union time between two different nail designs for the treatment of humeral shaft fracture, i.e. antegrade interlocking intramedullary nail with and without additional interlocking neutralization screws.

A Small-Molecule-Responsive Riboswitch Enables Conditional Induction of Viral Vector-Mediated Gene Expression in Mice.

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-mediated gene therapy holds great potential for future medical applications. However, to facilitate safer and broader applicability and to enable patient-centric care, therapeutic protein expression should be controllable, ideally by an orally administered drug. The use of protein-based systems is considered rather undesirable, due to potential immunogenicity and the limited coding space of AAV.

High-throughput identification of synthetic riboswitches by barcode-free amplicon-sequencing in human cells.

Synthetic riboswitches mediating ligand-dependent RNA cleavage or splicing-modulation represent elegant tools to control gene expression in various applications, including next-generation gene therapy. However, due to the limited understanding of context-dependent structure-function relationships, the identification of functional riboswitches requires large-scale-screening of aptamer-effector-domain designs, which is hampered by the lack of suitable cellular high-throughput methods. Here we describe a fast and broadly applicable method to functionally screen complex riboswitch libraries (~1.

Kinetic Energy Harvesting for Wearable Medical Sensors.

The process of collecting low-level kinetic energy, which is present in all moving systems, by using energy harvesting principles, is of particular interest in wearable technology, especially in ultra-low power devices for medical applications. In fact, the replacement of batteries with innovative piezoelectric energy harvesting devices can result in mass and size reduction, favoring the miniaturization of wearable devices, as well as drastically increasing their autonomy. The aim of this work is to assess the power requirements of wearable sensors for medical applications, and address the intrinsic problem of piezoelectric kinetic energy harvesting devices that can be used to power them; namely, the narrow area of optimal operation around the eigenfrequencies of a specific device.

Geometrical design characteristics of orthodontic mini-implants predicting maximum insertion torque.

Objective: To determine the unique contribution of geometrical design characteristics of orthodontic mini-implants on maximum insertion torque while controlling for the influence of cortical bone thickness.

Methods: Total number of 100 cylindrical orthodontic mini-implants was used. Geometrical design characteristics of ten specimens of ten types of cylindrical self-drilling orthodontic mini-implants (Ortho Easy®, Aarhus, and Dual Top™) with diameters ranging from 1.

Temperature and pharmacological rescue of a folding-defective, dominant-negative KV 7.2 mutation associated with neonatal seizures.

Benign familial neonatal seizures (BFNS) are a dominant epilepsy syndrome caused by mutations in the voltage-gated potassium channels K(V) 7.2 and K(V) 7.3.

Molecular correlates of age-dependent seizures in an inherited neonatal-infantile epilepsy.

Many idiopathic epilepsy syndromes have a characteristic age dependence, the underlying molecular mechanisms of which are largely unknown. Here we propose a mechanism that can explain that epileptic spells in benign familial neonatal-infantile seizures occur almost exclusively during the first days to months of life. Benign familial neonatal-infantile seizures are caused by mutations in the gene SCN2A encoding the voltage-gated Na(+) channel Na(V)1.

GLUT1 mutations are a cause of paroxysmal exertion-induced dyskinesias and induce hemolytic anemia by a cation leak.

Paroxysmal dyskinesias are episodic movement disorders that can be inherited or are sporadic in nature. The pathophysiology underlying these disorders remains largely unknown but may involve disrupted ion homeostasis due to defects in cell-surface channels or nutrient transporters. In this study, we describe a family with paroxysmal exertion-induced dyskinesia (PED) over 3 generations.

Visualization of protein interactions in living plant cells using bimolecular fluorescence complementation.

Dynamic networks of protein-protein interactions regulate numerous cellular processes and determine the ability to respond appropriately to environmental stimuli. However, the investigation of protein complex formation in living plant cells by methods such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer has remained experimentally difficult, time consuming and requires sophisticated technical equipment. Here, we report the implementation of a bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) technique for visualization of protein-protein interactions in plant cells.

Calcium sensors and their interacting protein kinases: genomics of the Arabidopsis and rice CBL-CIPK signaling networks.

Calcium signals mediate a multitude of plant responses to external stimuli and regulate a wide range of physiological processes. Calcium-binding proteins, like calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins, represent important relays in plant calcium signaling. These proteins form a complex network with their target kinases being the CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs).

The calcium sensor CBL1 integrates plant responses to abiotic stresses.

Calcium ions represent both an integrative signal and an important convergence point of many disparate signaling pathways. Calcium-binding proteins, like calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins, have been implicated as important relays in calcium signaling. Here, we report the in vivo study of CBL1 function in Arabidopsis.

Loss of the mitochondrial cox2 intron 1 in a family of monocotyledonous plants and utilization of mitochondrial intron sequences for the construction of a nuclear intron.

The intron content of plant organellar genes is a useful marker in molecular systematics and evolution. We have tested representatives of a wide range of monocotyledonous plant families for the presence of an intron (cox2 intron 1) in one of the most conservative mitochondrial genes, the cox2 locus. Almost all species analyzed were found to harbor a group II intron at a phylogenetically conserved position.

Evaluation of serum arabinitol as a diagnostic test for candidiasis.

Gas-liquid chromatography was used to quantitate the arabinitol concentration in the sera of patients with candidiasis and in that of control patients. Serum arabinitol was elevated in 59% (n = 34) of patients with Candida sepsis, in 39% (n = 38) with Candida colonization, in 14% (n = 62) with bacterial sepsis, and in 0% (n = 11) of normal persons. The above patients were subsequently divided on the basis of renal function.

Rapid biotyping of Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus parainfluenzae with PathoTec strips and spot biochemical tests.

PathoTec strips and spot biochemical tests were evaluated for the ability to biotype Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus parainfluenzae. Indole, urease, and ornithine decarboxylase reactions were tested. The results of PathoTec strips compared favorably with those conventional methods; the percent agreements were as follows: indole, 100; urease, 99.

Medium for selective isolation and presumptive identification of the Bacteroides fragilis group.

We developed and evaluated a new medium (FRAG agar) for the selective isolation and presumptive identification of the Bacteroides fragilis group. This medium contains 1% D-glucuronic acid as a fermentable carbon source, a reduced peptone content, gentamicin, and 20% bile. Presumptive identification of the B.

Rapid identification of enterococci by reduction of litmus milk.

Of 100 strains of enterococci, 83% reduced litmus milk within 4 h. None of the 100 non-enterococcal streptococci tested were positive.