Utility of a Pediatric Adaptive Sports Clinic: A Case Series Review.

Background: Limited funding is available for athletes with disabilities in the United Kingdom. This compounds the barriers to participation and development that already exist.

Method: To combat this growing problem, a Multi-Disciplinary Pediatric Adaptive Sports Clinic was formed.

Glucose meter standardization across a large academic hospital system.

Background: To select and standardize point-of-care (POC) glucose meters across a multi-hospital system.

Methods: We formed a multidisciplinary POC glucose standardization working group including key stakeholders from each site. A set of selection criteria: usability, clinical and laboratory performance, indications for use, interface connectivity, ease of implementation and ongoing operational costs were used to develop a scoring schemato facilitate a consensus-driven selection process.

Autologous Blood Injection With Dry-Needling vs Dry-Needling Alone Treatment for Chronic Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Autologous blood injection (ABI) for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis has been promoted as an approach to improve outcomes over standard dry-needling approaches. The purpose of this trial was to investigate if there are improved outcomes following an ultrasonography-guided ABI compared to dry needling alone for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis.

Methods: A double-blinded (participant-blinded and observer-blinded) RCT within a single clinic enrolled 90 patients with symptoms of plantar fasciitis that had failed to improve with a minimum of 3 months of rehabilitation.

Oxidative C-H/C-H Coupling of Dipyrromethanes with Azines by TiO-Based Photocatalytic System. Synthesis of New BODIPY Dyes and Their Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties.

Oxidative C-H/C-H coupling reactions of dipyrromethanes with azines in the presence of a heterophase oxidative photocatalytic system (O/TiO/visible light irradiation) were carried out. As a result of cyclization of obtained compounds with boron trifluoride etherate, new hetaryl-containing derivatives of 4,4-difluoro-4-boron-3,4-diaza--indacene were synthesized. For the obtained compounds, absorption and luminescence spectra, quantum yields of luminescence as well as cyclic volt-amperograms were measured.

Three Sessions of Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Gives No Additional Benefit Over "Minimal-Dose" Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Patients With Chronic Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Double-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Objective: To investigate the outcomes following 3 weekly sessions of radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) in patients with chronic greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) presenting to an NHS Sports Medicine Clinic in the United Kingdom.

Design: Double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Setting: A single NHS Sports Medicine Clinic, in the United Kingdom.

Use of Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether for the Treatment of Refractory Intrahepatic Biliary Strictures and Bile Casts: A Modern Perspective.

Cholelithiasis is a prevalent problem in the United States with 14% or more adults affected. Definitive treatment of cholelithiasis is cholecystectomy. When cholecystectomy yields minimal resolution treatment options include expectant management of asymptomatic gallstones or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram.

The effect of caffeine ingestion on skill maintenance and fatigue in epee fencers.

The ergogenic effect of caffeine on sports performance focuses predominantly on endurance sports (Doherty & Smith, 2004 ) with little research on intermittent high intensity sports. This study aimed to explore the effect of caffeine ingestion on skill maintenance following fencing simulated exercise. Eleven competitive fencers participated (four female; seven male; age 33 ± 6.

Morphology of the proximal femur differs widely with age and sex: relevance to design and selection of femoral prostheses.

The ability of uncemented femoral stems to osseointegrate properly depends largely on their fit in the proximal femur. We evaluated the topography of the proximal femur and determined differences based on age and sex. Retrospectively, anteroposterior radiographs from 312 (168 male, 144 female) pre-operative total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients (age of 21-85 years) were collected.

Revision for stiffness following TKA: a predictable procedure?

Background: Stiffness is a known complication following total knee arthroplasty. Multiple options are available to address this problem but revision TKA has been reported to be an effective treatment especially in the presence of technical issues such as oversized or loose components. However, it is not clearly known what factors may affect the outcome of revision TKA for stiffness.

Primary total hip arthroplasty with an uncemented femoral component five- to nine-year results.

This study reports the outcome of total hip arthroplasty with use of an uncemented, tapered stem with a 5- to 9-year follow-up. The first 200 consecutive patients (214 hips) undergoing total hip arthroplasty with the Accolade TMZF stem (Stryker Orthopaedics, Mahwah, NJ) were enrolled prospectively. Follow-up for these patients averaged 7.

Identification and validation of novel human pregnane X receptor activators among prescribed drugs via ligand-based virtual screening.

Human pregnane X receptor (hPXR) plays a key role in regulating metabolism and clearance of endogenous and exogenous substances. Identification of novel hPXR activators among commercial drugs may aid in avoiding drug-drug interactions during coadministration. We applied ligand-based computational approaches for virtual screening of a commonly prescribed drug database (SCUT).

Stiffness after revision total knee arthroplasty.

Stiffness after a revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a disabling complication that has largely been overlooked in the literature. This study attempts to define the prevalence of stiffness after revision TKA and to determine the risk factors that may lead to its development. Thirty-two knees (4.

Management of a point-of-care testing program.

The approach to managing a point-of-care testing (POCT) program has evolved over recent years. Although many of the essential features of early POCT management programs remain intact, contemporary challenges including expansion of the test menu, changing regulatory requirements, and the development of more sophisticated data management connectivity require ongoing adaptation of POCT management programs. Despite improvements in test quality and regulatory compliance, significant challenges for the management of POCT will continue for the foreseeable future.

A single amino acid controls the functional switch of human constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) 1 to the xenobiotic-sensitive splicing variant CAR3.

The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is constitutively activated in immortalized cell lines independent of xenobiotic stimuli. This feature of CAR has limited its use as a sensor for xenobiotic-induced expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes. Recent reports, however, reveal that a splicing variant of human CAR (hCAR3), which contains an insertion of five amino acids (APYLT), exhibits low basal but xenobiotic-inducible activities in cell-based reporter assays.

TRAF6 autoubiquitination-independent activation of the NFkappaB and MAPK pathways in response to IL-1 and RANKL.

The adapter protein TRAF6 is critical for mediating signal transduction from members of the IL-1R/TLR and TNFR superfamilies. The TRAF6 RING finger domain functions as an ubiquitin E3 ligase capable of generating non-degradative K63-linked ubiquitin chains. It is believed that these chains serve as docking sites for formation of signaling complexes, and that K63-linked autoubiquitination of TRAF6 is essential for formation and activation of a complex involving the kinase TAK1 and its adapters, TAB1 and TAB2.

Cutting edge: requirement for TRAF6 in the induction of T cell anergy.

TRAF6, TNFR-associated factor 6, is a key adaptor downstream from the TNF receptor and TLR superfamily members. T cell-specific deletion of TRAF6 (TRAF6-DeltaT) was recently shown to result in the development of multiorgan inflammatory disease and the resistance of responder T cells to suppression by CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. In this study we examined the role of TRAF6 in an additional mechanism of peripheral tolerance, anergy.

TRAF6 is a T cell-intrinsic negative regulator required for the maintenance of immune homeostasis.

TRAF6 has a key role in the regulation of innate immune responses by mediating signals from both TNF receptor and interleukin-1 receptor/Toll-like receptor superfamilies. Here we show that T cell-specific deletion of TRAF6 unexpectedly results in multiorgan inflammatory disease. TRAF6-deficient T cells exhibit hyperactivation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway compared with wild-type T cells and, as a result, become resistant to suppression by CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells.

'Working at the margins' or 'leading from behind'? A Canadian study of hospital-community collaboration.

Collaboration between hospitals and community organisations has been promoted over the past 20 years by various levels of government, hospital associations, health promotion advocates, and others at the state/province, national and international levels as a way to improve the 'efficiency of the system', reduce duplication, enhance effectiveness and service coordination, improve continuity of care, and enhance community capacity to address complex issues. Nevertheless, and despite a growing literature on interagency collaboration, systematic documentation and empirical analysis of hospital-community collaboration (HCC) is almost completely lacking in the literature, particularly as regards collaborations that address the determinants of health beyond the hospital walls. In this paper, we describe the methodology and key findings from a research study of HCC.

Eyes wide shut?--A conceptual and empirical critique of methadone maintenance treatment.

Background: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been the 'gold standard' pharmacotherapy treatment for illicit opioid dependence for over 30 years. It has been widely evaluated, and is generally claimed to be 'effective'.

Methods: The objective of this paper is to review the rationale of MMT as an intervention for a biomedical disorder with primary social objectives as well as the methodological quality and evidence of MMT outcome research.

Screening for antisocial personality disorder in drug users--a qualitative exploratory study on feasibility.

Knowledge about co-occurring personality disorders in drug users is important for planning therapy and prevention. The objective of this study was to assess whether the SCID-II (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R) Screen for antisocial personality disorder was feasible and acceptable in a population of opioid users. A qualitative study on veridicality and emotional quality in responses to SCID-II Screen was carried out by personal interview in a multifunctional addiction centre.