Following total hip arthroplasty: femoral head component diameter of 32 mm or larger is associated with lower risk of dislocation in patients with a prior lumbar fusion.

Aims: There is evidence that prior lumbar fusion increases the risk of dislocation and revision after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The relationship between prior lumbar fusion and the effect of femoral head diameter on THA dislocation has not been investigated. We examined the relationship between prior lumbar fusion or discectomy and the risk of dislocation or revision after THA.

Spinal surgery complications: an unsolved problem-Is the World Health Organization Safety Surgical Checklist an useful tool to reduce them?

Purpose: To investigate whether the World Health Organization Safety Surgical Checklist (SSC) is an effective tool to reduce complications in spinal surgery.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and radiological charts prospectively collected from patients who underwent a spinal surgery procedure from January 2010 to December 2012. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of complications between two periods, from January to December 2010 (without checklist) and from January 2011 and December 2012 (with checklist), in order to assess the checklist's effectiveness.

Primary human hepatocytes are protected against complement by multiple regulators.

Inflammatory liver disorders are often associated with a potentially tissue damaging complement activation directly at the main site of complement protein synthesis. As hepatocytes may be the primary target of complement attack, we investigated the expression and protective capacity of soluble and membrane-bound complement regulatory proteins in primary human hepatocytes (PHH). Isolated PHHs were analyzed for their basal and cytokine-induced complement regulator expression by cytofluorometry, rtPCR, confocal laser microscopy and ELISA.