The risk of complications after hip fracture.

Aims: The risk of mortality after a hip fracture has been extensively investigated, but there is little high-quality information available dealing with the overall risk of complications. The aim of this study was to report the risk of complications in the first 120 days after a hip fracture.

Methods: This was a multicentre, prospective cohort study of patients aged > 60 years with a hip fracture, involving 77 hospitals in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, between January 2015 and 2022.

A novel, multi-component contingency management intervention in the context of a syndemic of drug-related harms in Glasgow, Scotland: First year of the 'WAND' initiative.

Background: To address high levels of drug-related harms among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Glasgow, a novel contingency management intervention was developed to engage high-risk PWID with four harm reduction measures (known as the WAND initiative: ound care, ssessment of injecting, aloxone, and ried blood-spot test). Our aims were to assess if WAND engaged and re-engaged high-risk PWID.

Methods: Baseline data of WAND participants (n = 831) from 1st Sept-2020 to 30th Aug-2021 were analysed.

Examining trends in the incidence of HIV infection among people with a history of drug use to inform an outbreak investigation and response: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: In the context of an outbreak of HIV among people who inject drugs in Glasgow, Scotland, identified in 2015, our objectives were to: (1) develop epidemiological methods to estimate HIV incidence using data linkage, and (2) examine temporal changes in HIV incidence to inform public health responses.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving data linkage of laboratory HIV testing data to identify individuals with a history of drug use. Person-years (PY) and Poisson regression were used to estimate incidence by time period (pre-outbreak: 2000-2010 and 2011-2013; early outbreak: 2014-2016; ongoing outbreak: 2017-2019).

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Test Uptake Among People Who Inject Drugs in the Context of an HIV Outbreak.

Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, has been experiencing an HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs (PWID) since 2015. A key focus of the public health response has been to increase HIV testing among those at risk of infection. Our aim was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on HIV testing among PWID in Glasgow.

Biomarkers as predictors of inpatient mortality in fractured neck of femur patients.

Introduction: Hip fractures are common and it is estimated to cost the National Health Service (NHS) around £2 billion/year. The majority of these patients are elderly and they require careful perioperative management as morbidity and mortality are high. This study aims to look at routinely gathered biomarker data and baseline demographics to evaluate if they may be used to predict inpatient mortality.

Examining the impact of the first wave of COVID-19 and associated control measures on interventions to prevent blood-borne viruses among people who inject drugs in Scotland: an interrupted time series study.

Background: COVID-19 has likely affected the delivery of interventions to prevent blood-borne viruses (BBVs) among people who inject drugs (PWID). We examined the impact of the first wave of COVID-19 in Scotland on: 1) needle and syringe provision (NSP), 2) opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and 3) BBV testing.

Methods: An interrupted time series study design; 23rd March 2020 (date of the first 'lockdown') was chosen as the key date.

Evaluation of the scale-up of HIV testing among people who inject drugs in Scotland in the context of an ongoing HIV outbreak.

Background: A large outbreak of HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) has been ongoing in Glasgow city centre (GCC), Scotland since early 2015. The outbreak is associated with high levels of homelessness, cocaine injecting and injecting in public places. A key component of the public health response was the scale-up of HIV testing in a range of services engaged with PWID.

Should we be prepping the foot? Stockinette use and drape contamination during hip arthroplasty: An experimental study.

Background: Meticulous prepping and draping of the surgical field is paramount to reduce the risk of infection. A consistent technique for draping for hip arthroplasty is not well established. One technique for preparing the operative field utilises a sterile stockinette over an unprepped foot.

Thumb CMCJ prosthetic total joint replacement: a systematic review.

Thumb carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) arthritis is a common and painful condition. Thumb CMCJ prosthetic replacement aims to restore thumb biomechanics and improve pain and function. Early reviews demonstrated a lack of high-quality studies, but more recently a significant number of higher-quality studies have been published.

Accuracy of Bone Resection in MAKO Total Knee Robotic-Assisted Surgery.

Accurate component positioning and planning is vital to prevent malalignment of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) as malalignment is associated with an increased rate of polyethylene wear and revision arthroplasty. The MAKO total knee robotic arm-assisted surgery (Stryker, Kalamazoo, MI) uses a preoperative computed tomography scan of the patient's knee and three-dimensional planning to size and orientate implants prior to bone resection. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of the MAKO Total Knee system in achieving the preoperative plan for bone resection and final limb coronal alignment.

The effect of time to surgery on outcomes and complication rates following total hip arthroplasty for fractured neck of femur.

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty is recommended for elderly patients with fractured neck of femur who are independently mobile, have few co-morbidities and are not cognitively impaired. Providing a daily total hip arthroplasty service is challenging for some units in the UK and considering that these patients may be physiologically distinct from the average hip fracture patient, loss of the best practice tariff as a result of surgical delay may be unjustified. The aim of this study was to determine whether time to surgical intervention for patients eligible for total hip arthroplasty had a negative impact on patient complications, length of stay and functional outcomes.

Managerial leadership for research use in nursing and allied health care professions: a systematic review.

Background: Leadership by point-of-care and senior managers is increasingly recognized as critical to the acceptance and use of research evidence in practice. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the leadership behaviours of managers that are associated with research use by clinical staff in nursing and allied health professionals.

Methods: A mixed methods systematic review was performed.

Rat astrocytes during anoxia: Secretome profile of cytokines and chemokines.

Introduction: The precise mechanisms of the inflammatory responses after cerebral ischemia in vivo are difficult to elucidate because of the complex nature of multiple series of interactions between cells and molecules. This study explored temporal patterns of secretion of 30 cytokines and chemokines from Sprague Dawley rat astrocytes in primary culture in order to elucidate signaling pathways that are triggered by astrocytes during anoxia.

Methods: Primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes were incubated for periods of 2-24 hr in the absence of oxygen (anoxia) or under normal partial pressure of oxygen (controls).

Post-illumination cellular effects of photodynamic treatment.

Increased interest in clinical application of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in various medical fields poses a demand for better understanding of processes triggered by photo-treatment. Most of the work on PDT performed so far has focused on the immediate effects of photo-treatment. It is generally accepted that cellular damage occurs during light exposure and within a short period thereafter.

Early Results of the ARPE Arthroplasty Versus Trapeziectomy for the Treatment of Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis.

Background: Thumb carpometacarpal joint arthroplasty for osteoarthritis may hold advantages over trapeziectomy by preserving range of motion, whilst providing stability and preventing thumb shortening.

Methods: We compare functional and satisfaction outcomes scores, radiological shortening and complication rates between patients treated with trapeziectomy and those receiving the ARPE thumb CMCJ arthroplasty.

Results: Seventy-five trapeziectomies and one hundred and ten ARPE arthroplasties were performed over the study period.

Cationic amphiphilic Zn-porphyrin with high antifungal photodynamic potency.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative approach particularly attractive for treatment of localized fungal infections. It is based on compounds, photosensitizers (PSs), which when excited with visible light, generate reactive species that ultimately cause cell death. Such species have short lifespans; as a consequence, efficiency and selectivity of the PDT treatment depend mainly on the properties of the PSs.

Probiotic containing Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophiles (ACTIMEL) for the prevention of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea in the elderly with proximal femur fractures.

The incidence of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea (CDAD) is greater in elderly patients. Probiotics may have a beneficial effect in the prevention of CDAD. However, their effect in elderly orthopaedic patients has not been previously reported.

Important cellular targets for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy.

The persistent problem of antibiotic resistance has created a strong demand for new methods for therapy and disinfection. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of microbes has demonstrated promising results for eradication of antibiotic-resistant strains. PDI is based on the use of a photosensitive compound (photosensitizer, PS), which upon illumination with visible light generates reactive species capable of damaging and killing microorganisms.

Hip and knee arthroplasty implants contraindicated in obesity.

Introduction: High patient weight is a risk factor for mechanical implant failure and some manufacturers list obesity as a contraindication for implant use. We reviewed data from the 2012-2013 UK National Joint Registry to determine whether surgical practice reflects these manufacturer recommendations.

Methods: The product literature for the most commonly used hip and knee implants was reviewed for recommendations against use in obese patients (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30kg/m(2)).

Decreased erythrocyte nucleoside transport and hENT1 transporter expression in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is associated with erythrocyte sensitivity to oxidative damage and hemolytic crises. In β-thalassemia major, where hemoglobin instability imposes oxidative stress, erythrocytes show reduced hENT1 nucleoside transporter expression and decreased nucleoside uptake. This study investigated hENT1 expression and nucleoside transport in G6PD-deficient erythrocytes to determine if decreased hENT1 activity might be a contributory feature in the variable pathology of this enzymopathy.

Anti-proliferative Activities of Metallic Nanoparticles in an in Vitro Breast Cancer Model.

Aims: To investigate effect of metallic nanoparticles, silver (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as antitumor treatment in vitro against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and their associated mechanisms. This could provide new class of engineered nanoparticles with desired physicochemical properties and may present newer approaches for therapeutic modalities to breast cancer in women.

Materials And Methods: A human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was used as a model of cells.

Amphiphilic cationic Zn-porphyrins with high photodynamic antimicrobial activity.

Aim: Photodynamic inactivation of microbes can efficiently eradicate antibiotic-resistant strains. Systematic structural modification was used to investigate how porphyrin-based photosensitizers (PSs) could be designed for improved antibacterial activity.

Materials & Methods: Zinc(II)5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-alkylpyridinium-2(3,4)-yl)porphyrins presenting systematic modifications at the periphery of the porphyrin ring were evaluated for toxicity and antimicrobial photodynamic activity by measuring metabolic activity, cell membrane integrity and viability using antibiotic-sensitive and resistant Escherichia coli strains as model Gram-negative targets.

Revision of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty versus primary total knee arthroplasty.

The risk of revision following unicompartmental arthroplasty (UKA) is greater compared with primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Some surgeons report that UKA revision is straightforward with outcomes comparable to TKA. We reviewed all Oxford medial UKAs and TKAs performed at our institution over a five year period.

Targeting mitochondria by Zn(II)N-alkylpyridylporphyrins: the impact of compound sub-mitochondrial partition on cell respiration and overall photodynamic efficacy.

Mitochondria play a key role in aerobic ATP production and redox control. They harness crucial metabolic pathways and control cell death mechanisms, properties that make these organelles essential for survival of most eukaryotic cells. Cancer cells have altered cell death pathways and typically show a shift towards anaerobic glycolysis for energy production, factors which point to mitochondria as potential culprits in cancer development.

The effect of ankle joint immobilization on lower limb venous flow.

Background: Below-knee cast immobilization is associated with an increased risk of developing deep vein thrombosis secondary to venous stasis. We investigated the effect of weight-bearing in a below-knee cast or pneumatic walking boot on lower limb venous blood flow.

Methods: Duplex ultrasonography was used to measure venous blood flow in the popliteal vein of 10 healthy volunteers.