The outcome of fractures in very elderly patients.

We compared case-mix and outcome variables in 1310 patients who sustained an acute fracture at the age of 80 years or over. A group of 318 very elderly patients (≥ 90 years) was compared with a group of 992 elderly patients (80 to 89 years), all of whom presented to a single trauma unit between July 2007 and June 2008. The very elderly group represented only 0.

Pompe disease gene therapy.

Pompe disease is an autosomal recessive metabolic myopathy caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase and results in cellular lysosomal and cytoplasmic glycogen accumulation. A wide spectrum of disease exists from hypotonia and severe cardiac hypertrophy in the first few months of life due to severe mutations to a milder form with the onset of symptoms in adulthood. In either condition, the involvement of several systems leads to progressive weakness and disability.

Socioeconomic status affects the early outcome of total hip replacement.

This prospective study assessed the effect of social deprivation on the Oxford hip score at one year after total hip replacement. An analysis of 1312 patients undergoing 1359 primary total hip replacements for symptomatic osteoarthritis was performed over a 35-month period. Social deprivation was assessed using the Carstairs index.

Malignant lesions are rare in medial third of the clavicle in children: the European Juvenile Medial End of Clavicle Tumour study.

Condensing osteitis is a condition presenting to all paediatric orthopaedic services, but the prevalence of the condition and optimal management is difficult to determine from the literature. Many case reports in the orthopaedic literature describe biopsy to exclude malignancy as mandatory, whereas expert radiological opinion has suggested that lesions can be classified as typical of sclerosing osteitis on imaging alone. The aim of this study was to calculate an accurate incidence of malignancy at the medial end of the clavicle in children based on data held by national and regional cancer registries in Europe.

Functional outcomes following ceramic total joint replacement for hallux rigidus.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate functional outcomes following ceramic arthroplasty used in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hallux metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-seven consecutive patients who underwent press-fit ceramic joint arthroplasty were identified. Joint movement, gait pressure studies, radiographs, patient's outcome based on the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scale, hallux metatarsal phalangeal-interphalangeal index (HMPI) and visual analogue pain scales were assessed.

Parallel Mapping Approaches for GNUMAP.

Mapping short next-generation reads to reference genomes is an important element in SNP calling and expression studies. A major limitation to large-scale whole-genome mapping is the large memory requirements for the algorithm and the long run-time necessary for accurate studies. Several parallel implementations have been performed to distribute memory on different processors and to equally share the processing requirements.

The Edinburgh variant of a talar body fracture: a case report.

We describe a novel closed pantalar dislocation with an associated sagittal medial talar body and medial malleolus fractures. Closed reduction was attempted unsuccessfully. Open reduction was performed, revealing a disrupted talonavicular joint with instability of the calcaneocuboid joint.

Shoulder exostoses in hereditary multiple exostoses: probability of surgery and malignant change.

Hypothesis: Patients with hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) in association with palpable shoulder exostoses are more severely affected by their disease.

Materials And Methods: From a prospective database of 78 families with HME identified, 172 patients were identified. Demographic details, deformity, functional scores, standing height, number of exostoses, site, exostosin genotype (EXT1 and EXT2), surgical excision, and malignant change were recorded.

Referral practice among Swiss and non-Swiss walk-in patients in an urban surgical emergency department.

Aim: To assess the relationship between nationality, gender and age and use of health services among patients visiting an urban university hospital emergency department (ED).

Introduction: ED crowding is an increasingly significant national and international problem. Overcrowding has many potential detrimental effects, including frustration for patients and ED personnel and greater risk of poor outcomes.

One-by-one trap activation in silicon nanowire transistors.

Flicker or 1/f noise in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) has been identified as the main source of noise at low frequency. It often originates from an ensemble of a huge number of charges becoming trapped and de-trapped. However, as a deviation from the well-known model of 1/f noise is observed for nanoscale MOSFETs, a new model is required.

Hierarchization of myogenic and adipogenic progenitors within human skeletal muscle.

Skeletal muscle cells constitute a heterogeneous population that maintains muscle integrity through a high myogenic regenerative capacity. More unexpectedly, this population is also endowed with an adipogenic potential, even in humans, and intramuscular adipocytes have been found to be present in several disorders. We tested the distribution of myogenic and adipogenic commitments in human muscle-derived cells to decipher the cellular basis of the myoadipogenic balance.

Molecular organization and dynamics of the melatonin MT₁ receptor/RGS20/G(i) protein complex reveal asymmetry of receptor dimers for RGS and G(i) coupling.

Functional asymmetry of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) dimers has been reported for an increasing number of cases, but the molecular architecture of signalling units associated to these dimers remains unclear. Here, we characterized the molecular complex of the melatonin MT₁ receptor, which directly and constitutively couples to G(i) proteins and the regulator of G-protein signalling (RGS) 20. The molecular organization of the ternary MT₁/G(i)/RGS20 complex was monitored in its basal and activated state by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer between probes inserted at multiple sites of the complex.

Invasive group B streptococcal disease in an orthopaedic unit.

Invasive group B streptococcus (GBS) is an increasing cause of infection in orthopaedic patients. Risk factors include increasing age, diabetes mellitus and immune deficiency. It may cause native and periprosthetic joint sepsis, cellulitis, fasciitis, soft tissue abscesses and osteomyelitis.

Does diabetes affect outcome after arthroscopic repair of the rotator cuff?

We compared the outcome of arthroscopic repair of the rotator cuff in 32 diabetic patients with the outcome in 32 non-diabetic patients matched for age, gender, size of tear and comorbidities. The Constant-Murley score improved from a mean of 49.2 (24 to 80) pre-operatively to 60.

Identification of pathway-biased and deleterious melatonin receptor mutants in autism spectrum disorders and in the general population.

Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and a synchronizer of many physiological processes. Alteration of the melatonin pathway has been reported in circadian disorders, diabetes and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, very little is known about the genetic variability of melatonin receptors in humans.

The carboxy-terminal fragment of inhibitor-2 of protein phosphatase-2A induces Alzheimer disease pathology and cognitive impairment.

Development of rational therapeutic treatments of Alzheimer disease (AD) requires the elucidation of the etiopathogenic mechanisms of neurofibrillary degeneration and β-amyloidosis, the two hallmarks of this disease. Here we show, employing an adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV1)-induced expression of the C-terminal fragment (I(2CTF)) of I(2)(PP2A), also called SET, in rat brain, decrease in protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau, and neurodegeneration; littermates treated identically but with vector only, i.e.

Assessment of shoulder function using the coronal plane angle.

Background: Assessment of shoulder function is an essential part of clinical practice. Current scoring relies on multiple subjective and / or objective components. We present a single angular measurement, the coronal plane angle, which relates to the functional assessment of the shoulder.

Polytrauma in the elderly: predictors of the cause and time of death.

Background: Increasing age and significant pre-existing medical conditions (PMCs) are independent risk factors associated with increased mortality after trauma. Our aim was to review all trauma deaths, identifying the cause and the relation to time from injury, ISS, age and PMCs.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of trauma deaths over a 6-year period at the study centre was conducted.

Novel Cr(III) dinuclear complexes supported by salicyloylhydrazono dithiolane and dithiane ligands: synthesis, stability, crystal structures and magnetic properties.

We hereby report the synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic characterizations of three novel Cr(III) complexes: a mononuclear Cr(III)(HL((1)))₃ species along with two dinuclear μ-methoxo Cr(III)₂(μ-OMe)₂(HL)₄ (H₂L((1)): 2-salicyloylhydrazono-1,3-dithiolane; H₂L((2)): 2-salicyloylhydrazono-1,3-dithiane). EPR studies indicate that both dinuclear complexes (2a and 2b) are stable in solution (CHCl₃). Both Cr(III) dinuclear complexes exhibit a strong antiferromagnetic coupling.

Near-perfect infectivity of wild-type AAV as benchmark for infectivity of recombinant AAV vectors.

Viral vectors derived from adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are widely used for gene transfer both in vitro and in vivo. The increasing use of AAV as a gene transfer vector, as well as recently shown immunological complications in clinical trials, highlight the necessity to define the specific activity of vector preparations beyond current standards. In this report, we determined the infectious, physical and genome-containing particle titers of several wild-type AAV type 2 (wtAAV2) and recombinant AAV type 2 (rAAV2) preparations that were produced and purified by standard methods.

The metal-backed glenoid component in rheumatoid disease: eight- to fourteen-year follow-up.

Hypothesis: We believe the variable reported survivorship of the metal-backed glenoid is related to the design of the component. This study reports the outcome and survivorship of the uncemented glenoid in rheumatoid patients with an intact or repairable rotator cuff at surgery, and considers the key design features that may predict longevity of this component.

Method: Forty-six shoulders in 39 patients (31 women), with a mean age of 55 years (range, 35-86 years) received a total shoulder replacement with a screw-fixed porous coated metal-back glenoid.

Adeno-associated virus-mediated correction of a canine model of glycogen storage disease type Ia.

Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSDIa; von Gierke disease; MIM 232200) is caused by a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphatase-alpha. Patients with GSDIa are unable to maintain glucose homeostasis and suffer from severe hypoglycemia, hepatomegaly, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, and lactic acidosis. The canine model of GSDIa is naturally occurring and recapitulates almost all aspects of the human form of disease.

Isolation of a highly myogenic CD34-negative subset of human skeletal muscle cells free of adipogenic potential.

The differentiation of multipotent cells into undesirable lineages is a significant risk factor when performing cell therapy. In muscular diseases, myofiber loss can be associated with progressive fat accumulation that is one of the primary factors leading to decline of muscular strength. Therefore, to avoid any contribution of injected multipotent cells to fat deposition, we have searched for a highly myogenic but nonadipogenic muscle-derived cell population.

Dried tube specimens: a simple and cost-effective method for preparation of HIV proficiency testing panels and quality control materials for use in resource-limited settings.

HIV testing has rapidly expanded worldwide, but proficiency testing (PT) programs to monitor and improve the quality of testing are often lacking in resource-limited settings (RLS). Traditional PT programs and quality control reagents use serum or plasma specimens requiring stringent conditions for storage and transportation. A novel, simple and easy to use approach, based on dried tube specimens (DTS), was developed that can help monitor the quality of HIV antibody testing in RLS.