Community-based, inclusive design of a 3D tactile map to enable playground navigation for children who are visually impaired and blind.

The LSU Community Playground Project (LSUCPP) collaborates with communities (especially the true experts at play, the children) to design and build playgrounds that reflect "the soul of the community." One member of the LSUCPP undertook a research project in an effort to design better playgrounds for use by children who are visually impaired or blind. A recommendation from this research was to provide a 3D-printed tactile map of each play area, such that children who were visually impaired or blind could feel the location and type of equipment and ground surfaces prior to entering a playground, which would enable them to play independently.

Far-red light effects on plant photosynthesis: from short-term enhancements to long-term effects of artificial solar light.

Background And Aims: Long-term exposure over several days to Far-Red (FR) increases leaf expansion, while short-term exposure (minutes) may enhance the PSII operating efficiency (ϕPSII). The interaction between these responses at different time scales, and their impact on photosynthesis at whole-plant level is not well understood. Our study aimed to assess the effects of FR in an irradiance mimicking the spectrum of sunlight (referred to as artificial solar irradiance) both in the long and short-term, on whole-plant CO2 assimilation rates and in leaves at different positions in the plant.

Change in stroke volume during alveolar recruitment maneuvers through transient continuous positive airway pressure or stepwise increase in positive end expiratory pressure in anesthetized patients: a prospective randomized double-blind study.

Purpose: Intraoperative alveolar recruitment maneuvers (ARM) used during protective ventilation strategy may have severe adverse hemodynamic effects, reported mainly during abrupt continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Stepwise increase and decrease in positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) may be used. We compared the hemodynamic effects of these two maneuvers.

Effect of intramedullary nail stiffness on load-sharing in tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis: A patient-specific finite element study.

Tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis is a procedure to treat severe ankle and subtalar arthropathy by providing pain free and stable fusion using IM nails. These nails can be manufactured with multiple materials and some feature the ability to dynamize the arthrodesis construct. However, the impact of IM nail material and nail dynamization on load-sharing and in the setting of bone resorption have not been quantified.

Republication of "Total Ankle Replacement Conversion to Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis With Bulk Femoral Head Allograft and Pseudoelastic Intramedullary Nail Providing Sustained Joint Compression".

Tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis is commonly performed to salvage a failed total ankle replacement. These salvage procedures are complicated by significant bone loss from the ankle replacement and are associated with low patient satisfaction. Here, we describe 2 cases of patients who presented with a failed total ankle replacement and underwent arthrodesis using a bulk femoral head allograft and a novel pseudoelastic intramedullary nail.

Effect of Arthrodesis Device Type and Trajectory on Subtalar Joint Compression.

The use of subtalar arthrodesis procedures has been widely implemented to relieve hindfoot issues after failure of conservative treatments; however, fusion failures persist in some patients with certain risk factors. Currently, surgeons utilize cannulated screws in these arthrodesis procedures to immobilize the subtalar joint. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated improved fusion outcomes in at-risk patients using sustained dynamic compression devices in the tibiotalocalcaneal complex.

Effect of Simulated Bone Resorption on the Biomechanical Performance of Intramedullary Devices for Foot and Ankle Arthrodesis.

Midfoot and subtalar arthrodesis surgeries are performed to correct foot deformities and relieve arthritic pain. These procedures often employ intramedullary (IM) devices. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the biomechanical performance of a sustained dynamic compression (SDC) IM device compared to mechanically static devices in withstanding the effects of simulated bone resorption.

Factor Structure, Psychometric Properties, and Validation of the Hungarian Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (ECR-R-HU) Questionnaire in a Nationally Representative Community Sample.

The Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) is a widely used self-report instrument to assess adult romantic attachment. The present study aimed at examining the factor structure, reliability, construct validity, and temporal stability of the Hungarian version of the ECR-R (ECR-R-HU) in a nationally representative community sample ( = 958). The original avoidance and anxiety dimensions of the ECR-R could only be identified, when reversed-item method factors and residual correlations were included in the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Severe liver failure rather than cirrhosis is associated with mortality in patients with infectious endocarditis: a retrospective case-control study.

Background: Data on infectious endocarditis (IE) in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) are sparse. We aimed to describe the characteristics and predictors of mortality from IE in patients with LC.

Patients And Methods: Overall, 101 patients with LC and 101 controls with IE matched for sex, age, date of IE, and diabetes were retrospectively selected in 23 liver units between 2000 and 2013.

Performance Evaluation of a Dedicated Preclinical PET/CT System for the Assessment of Mineralization Process in a Mouse Model of Atherosclerosis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) acquisition and reconstruction parameters on the assessment of mineralization process in a mouse model of atherosclerosis.

Procedures: All experiments were performed on a dedicated preclinical PET/CT system. CT was evaluated using five acquisition configurations using both a tungsten wire phantom for in-plane resolution assessment and a bar pattern phantom for cross-plane resolution.

Revision Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis With a Pseudoelastic Intramedullary Nail.

Unlabelled: Hindfoot (tibiotalocalcaneal or TTC) arthrodesis is commonly used to treat concomitant arthritis of the ankle and subtalar joints. Simultaneous fusion of both joints can be difficult to achieve especially in patients with impaired healing due to smoking, diabetes mellitus, or Charcot neuroarthropathy. Conventional intramedullary fixation devices allow for compression to be applied at the time of surgery, but this compression can be lost due to bone resorption or settling, leading to impaired healing.

Use of 3D Printed Bone Plate in Novel Technique to Surgically Correct Hallux Valgus Deformities.

Three-dimensional (3-D) printing offers many potential advantages in designing and manufacturing plating systems for foot and ankle procedures that involve small, geometrically complex bony anatomy. Here, we describe the design and clinical use of a Ti-6Al-4V ELI bone plate (FastForward™ Bone Tether Plate, MedShape, Inc., Atlanta, GA) manufactured through 3-D printing processes.

Automated estimation of salvageable tissue: Comparison with expert readers.

Purpose: To assess the performance of an automatic perfusion-diffusion mismatch outlining algorithm, in a cohort of acute ischemic stroke patients imaged as part of a multicenter study.

Materials And Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from 167 patients with anterior circulation strokes scanned at either 3T or 1.5T systems were analyzed retrospectively through an automatic perfusion-diffusion mismatch detection algorithm.

High-strength, surface-porous polyether-ether-ketone for load-bearing orthopedic implants.

Despite its widespread clinical use in load-bearing orthopedic implants, polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is often associated with poor osseointegration. In this study, a surface-porous PEEK material (PEEK-SP) was created using a melt extrusion technique. The porous layer was 399.

Experimental airborne transmission of porcine postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome.

The objective of these studies was to investigate if porcine postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) could be induced in healthy pigs following contact with air from pigs with clinical signs of PMWS. The pigs were housed in different units. Either 31 (study I) or 25 (study II) pigs with clinical symptoms of PMWS from a PMWS-affected herd and 25 healthy pigs from a PMWS-free, but PCV2-positive, herd were housed in unit A.

MBNL1 gene variants as modifiers of disease severity in myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystemic autosomal dominant disorder characterized by a highly variable phenotype and caused by an unstable CTG repeat expansion in the 3' untranslated region of the dystrophia myotonica protein kinase (DMPK) gene. Longer CTG repeat expansions often correlate with an anticipated age at onset and CTG repeat number may account for 45-60 % of the variance in disease severity. In order to search for candidate genes that could act as modifiers of disease severity, we studied the association between Muscleblind-like protein-1 (MBNL1) gene polymorphisms and the DM1 phenotype.

Effects of in vivo mechanical loading on large bone defect regeneration.

Fracture healing is highly sensitive to mechanical conditions; however, the effects of mechanical loading on large bone defect regeneration have not been evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effects of functional loading on repair of critically sized segmental bone defects. About 6-mm defects were created in rat femora, and each defect received 5 µg recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), delivered in alginate hydrogel.

Functional restoration of critically sized segmental defects with bone morphogenetic protein-2 and heparin treatment.

Background: Bone defects and fracture nonunions remain a substantial challenge for clinicians. Grafting procedures are limited by insufficient volume and donor site morbidity. As an alternative, biomaterial scaffolds functionalized through incorporation of growth factors such as bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been developed and appear to regenerate the structure and function of damaged or degenerated skeletal tissue.

Synthetic scaffold coating with adeno-associated virus encoding BMP2 to promote endogenous bone repair.

Biomaterial scaffolds functionalized to stimulate endogenous repair mechanisms via the incorporation of osteogenic cues offer a potential alternative to bone grafting for the treatment of large bone defects. We first quantified the ability of a self-complementary adeno-associated viral vector encoding bone morphogenetic protein 2 (scAAV2.5-BMP2) to enhance human stem cell osteogenic differentiation in vitro.

Spatiotemporal delivery of bone morphogenetic protein enhances functional repair of segmental bone defects.

Osteogenic growth factors that promote endogenous repair mechanisms hold considerable potential for repairing challenging bone defects. The local delivery of one such growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), has been successfully translated to clinical practice for spinal fusion and bone fractures. However, improvements are needed in the spatial and temporal control of BMP delivery to avoid the currently used supraphysiologic doses and the concomitant adverse effects.

Effects of protein dose and delivery system on BMP-mediated bone regeneration.

Delivery of recombinant proteins is a proven therapeutic strategy to promote endogenous repair mechanisms and tissue regeneration. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) has been used to promote spinal fusion and repair of challenging bone defects; however, the current clinically-used carrier, absorbable collagen sponge, requires high doses and has been associated with adverse complications. We evaluated the hypothesis that the relationship between protein dose and regenerative efficacy depends on delivery system.

An alginate-based hybrid system for growth factor delivery in the functional repair of large bone defects.

The treatment of challenging fractures and large osseous defects presents a formidable problem for orthopaedic surgeons. Tissue engineering/regenerative medicine approaches seek to solve this problem by delivering osteogenic signals within scaffolding biomaterials. In this study, we introduce a hybrid growth factor delivery system that consists of an electrospun nanofiber mesh tube for guiding bone regeneration combined with peptide-modified alginate hydrogel injected inside the tube for sustained growth factor release.