MRI in the evaluation of plantar plate disease: diagnostic value of the "stress test".

Introduction: The plantar plate, also called the plantar ligament, is a fibrocartilaginous structure found in the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) and interphalangeal (IP) joints. Our study aimed to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed with the patient in the standard position or with joint hyperextension (the "stress test", ST) in the study of plantar plate (PP) disease that involves metatarsophalangeal joints.

Materials And Methods: All patients underwent forefoot MRI (Atroscan C, Esaote, Genoa, Italy), operating at 0.

Development of methodology to support molecular endotype discovery from synovial fluid of individuals with knee osteoarthritis: The STEpUP OA consortium.

Objectives: To develop a protocol for largescale analysis of synovial fluid proteins, for the identification of biological networks associated with subtypes of osteoarthritis.

Methods: Synovial Fluid To detect molecular Endotypes by Unbiased Proteomics in Osteoarthritis (STEpUP OA) is an international consortium utilising clinical data (capturing pain, radiographic severity and demographic features) and knee synovial fluid from 17 participating cohorts. 1746 samples from 1650 individuals comprising OA, joint injury, healthy and inflammatory arthritis controls, divided into discovery (n = 1045) and replication (n = 701) datasets, were analysed by SomaScan Discovery Plex V4.

Predictable electronic tuning of Fe and Ru complexes choice of azine: correlation of ligand p with (M) of complex.

Five new mononuclear ruthenium(II) tris-ligated complexes have been synthesised, varying through the choice of azine in the family of 3-azinyl-4-(4-methylphenyl)-5-phenyl-4-1,2,4-triazole ligands (Lazine): [Ru(Lpyridine)](PF) (1), [Ru(Lpyridazine)](PF) (2), [Ru(L4-pyrimidine)](PF) (3), [Ru(Lpyrazine)](PF) (4), [Ru(L2-pyrimidine)](PF) (5). Three of them, 1·2MeCN·EtO, 3·2MeCN·EtO and 4·2MeCN, have been structurally characterised, confirming the presence of the isomer, as was previously reported for the Fe analogues. Cyclic voltammetry studies, in dry CHCN Ag/0.

Bimodal modulation of angiogenesis with photoactive polymer nanoparticles.

Angiogenesis is a fundamental process in biology, given the pivotal role played by blood vessels in providing oxygen and nutrients to tissues, thus ensuring cell survival. Moreover, it is critical in many life-threatening pathologies, like cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In this context, conventional treatments of pathological angiogenesis suffer from several limitations, including low bioavailability, limited spatial and temporal resolution, lack of specificity and possible side effects.

Semiconducting Polymer Nanoporous Thin Films as a Tool to Regulate Intracellular ROS Balance in Endothelial Cells.

The design of soft and nanometer-scale photoelectrodes able to stimulate and promote the intracellular concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is searched for redox medicine applications. In this work, we show semiconducting polymer porous thin films with an enhanced photoelectrochemical generation of ROS in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). To achieve that aim, we synthesized graft copolymers, made of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and degradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) segments, P3HT--PLA.

Approximate Bayesian computation for the natural history of breast cancer, with application to data from a Milan cohort study.

We explore models for the natural history of breast cancer, where the main events of interest are the start of asymptomatic detectability of the disease (through screening) and the time of symptomatic detection (through symptoms). We develop several parametric specifications based on a cure rate structure, and present the results of the analysis of data collected as part of a motivating study from Milan. Participants in the study were part of a regional breast cancer screening program, and their ten-year trajectories were obtained from administrative data available from the Italian national health care system.

Demystifying the convergent ecological specialization of desiccation-tolerant vascular plants for water deficit.

Background And Aims: Desiccation-tolerant vascular plants (DT plants) are able to tolerate the desiccation of their vegetative tissues; as a result, two untested paradigms can be found in the literature, despite contradictions to theoretical premises and empirical findings. First, it is widely accepted that DT plants form a convergent group of specialist plants to water deficit conditions. A derived paradigm is that DT plants are placed at the extreme end of stress tolerance.

Quality-Improvement Initiative for Expedited Partner Therapy Provision in an Obstetrics and Gynecology Office.

Objective: To perform a quality-improvement project to increase the rate at which expedited partner therapy is offered and prescribed at our clinic, in line with Connecticut Department of Public Health regulations.

Methods: We conducted quality-improvement interventions at an urban hospital-based outpatient clinic in Hartford, Connecticut, to improve prescribing of expedited partner therapy to at least 70% of eligible patients. We defined appropriate provision of expedited partner therapy by infection type (gonorrhea or chlamydia only per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines) and method of prescription per Connecticut Department of Public Health regulations (paper prescription or in-clinic dispensing).

Organismal and Cellular Stress Responses upon Disruption of Mitochondrial Lonp1 Protease.

Cells engage complex surveillance mechanisms to maintain mitochondrial function and protein homeostasis. LonP1 protease is a key component of mitochondrial quality control and has been implicated in human malignancies and other pathological disorders. Here, we employed two experimental systems, the worm and human cancer cells, to investigate and compare the effects of LONP-1/LonP1 deficiency at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels.

Quantitative Assessment of Ligand Substituent Effects on σ- and π-Contributions to Fe-N Bonds in Spin Crossover Fe Complexes.

The effect of para-substituent X on the electronic structure of sixteen tridentate 4-X-(2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl))-pyridine (bpp ) ligands and the corresponding solution spin crossover [Fe (bpp ) ] complexes is analysed further, to supply quantitative insights into the effect of X on the σ-donor and π-acceptor character of the Fe-N (pyridine) bonds. EDA-NOCV on the sixteen LS complexes revealed that neither ΔE (R =0.48) nor ΔE (R =0.

Quantitative and Chemically Intuitive Evaluation of the Nature of M-L Bonds in Paramagnetic Compounds: Application of EDA-NOCV Theory to Spin Crossover Complexes.

To improve understanding of M-L bonds in 3d transition metal complexes, analysis by energy decomposition analysis and natural orbital for chemical valence model (EDA-NOCV) is desirable as it provides a full, quantitative and chemically intuitive ab initio description of the M-L interactions. In this study, a generally applicable fragmentation and computational protocol was established and validated by using octahedral spin crossover (SCO) complexes, as the transition temperature (T ) is sensitive to subtle changes in M-L bonding. Specifically, EDA-NOCV analysis of Fe-N bonds in five [Fe (L ) (NCBH ) ], in both low-spin (LS) and paramagnetic high-spin (HS) states led to: 1) development of a general, widely applicable, corrected M+L fragmentation, tested against a family of five LS [Fe (L ) ](BF ) complexes; this confirmed that three L are stronger ligands (ΔE =-370 kcal mol ) than 2 L +2 NCBH (=-335 kcal mol ), as observed.

Predictable Electronic Tuning By Choice of Azine Substituent in Five Iron(II) Triazoles: Redox Properties and DFT Calculations.

Five new mononuclear iron(II) tris-ligand complexes, and four solvatomorphs, have been made from the azine-substituted 1,2,4-triazole ligands (L ): [Fe (L ) ](BF ) (1), [Fe (L ) ](BF ) (2), [Fe (L ) ](BF ) (3), [Fe (L ) ](BF ) (4), and [Fe (L ) ](BF ) (5). Single-crystal XRD and solid-state magnetometry reveal that all of them are low-spin (LS) iron(II), except for solvatomorph 5⋅4 H O. Evans method NMR studies in CD Cl , (CD ) CO and CD CN show that all are LS in these solvents, except 5 in CD Cl (consistent with L imposing the weakest field).

Engaging with a history of counselling, spirituality and faith in Scotland: a readers' theatre script.

This paper presents an abbreviated version of a verbatim script developed from oral history interviews with individuals key to the development of counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland from 1960 to 2000. Earlier versions were used in workshops with counsellors and pastoral care practitioners to share counter-narratives of counselling and to provide opportunities for conversations about historical and contemporary relationships between faith, spirituality, counselling and psychotherapy. By presenting intertwined histories in a readers' theatre script, the narrative nature of lives lived in context was respected.

Open medial dislocation of the ankle without fracture.

A 20-year-old man sustained an open medial dislocation of the ankle without an associated fracture after a low-energy inversion injury. Prompt debridement and reduction with primary wound closure of the skin were performed without suture of the capsule. Immobilisation in a non-weight-bearing cast for 30 days followed by ankle bracing for two weeks and subsequent physiotherapy, produced full functional recovery by three months.

"A double-edged sword"? The professionalisation of counselling in the United Kingdom.

Drawing on interviews with practitioners involved in voluntary-sector counselling in Scotland, this paper explores contradictions associated with the professionalisation of counselling in the UK. Five meanings of the term "professional" are identified. Those in support of professionalisation aim to bring these different meanings into close alignment, whereas those with reservations point to tensions between at least some of these meanings and core values of counselling.

Italian version of the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form: cross-cultural adaptation and validation.

Purpose: Patient-oriented measures, represented by self-administered questionnaires, have become an important aspect of clinical outcome assessment. To be used with different language groups and in different countries, questionnaires must be translated and adapted to new cultural characteristics, and then validated by a widely accepted process to evaluate reliability and validity, fundamental characteristics for each measure. The aim of the study was to perform the cross-cultural adaptation and to assess the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Form.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for chronic calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder.

Over the past few years, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been introduced for the treatment of some orthopedic diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of ESWT on chronic calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder through a prospective study. We studied 30 patients (mean age, 56.

[Trawl-fishing: assessment of accidents at the largest Italian marine].

Unlabelled: Fishing is a work with high accidents risk. The results of European Community Safety Commission show that in the fishermans the fatal injures are highest than in the manufacturing factory. The authors report the data of working accidents in the fishermans of Mazara del Vallo during the years 1989-98.

Acute neurotoxicity after trichloroethylene ingestion. Case report.

Trichloroethylene (TCE), a solvent widely used in the chemical industry, in dry cleaning because of its degreasing action and as a household grease remover, is known to have a toxic action, especially on the nervous system. Cases of intoxication, acute and chronic, due to inhalation, are reported. We report a case, certainly an unusual one, of acute oral intoxication.