Is the French Paradox cementing philosophy superior to the standard cementing? A randomized controlled radiostereometric trial and comparative analysis.

Aims: Highly polished stems with force-closed design have shown satisfactory clinical results despite being related to relatively high early migration. It has been suggested that the minimal thickness of cement mantles surrounding the femoral stem should be 2 mm to 4 mm to avoid aseptic loosening. The line-to-line cementing technique of the femoral stem, designed to achieve stem press-fit, challenges this opinion.

[Estimation of the number of kidney recipients with a functional graft in France, from 1975 to 1994].

The evolution observed in the number of kidney grafts performed in France and the number of recipients living with a functional graft is described. Using the data collected between 1975 and 1988 and the graft survival rates, the size of this population for the 5 forthcoming years can be predicted. The annual number of kidney grafts will stabilize at 2,750 in 1993, if we assume a limit of 50 grafts per million inhabitants, which is the maximum rate currently observed in several regions of France.

Early postoperative weight-bearing and muscle activity in patients who have a fracture of the ankle.

Fifty-six patients who had a displaced fracture of the ankle necessitating surgical fixation were randomly assigned to one of three postoperative treatment regimens: no plaster cast or weight-bearing, and active exercises of the ankle; a non-weight-bearing plaster cast; or a plaster walking cast for the first six postoperative weeks. At follow-up with a duration of as much as two years, there were no consistent differences in the clinical results between the three groups. The time lost from work and the proportion of excellent and good clinical results were also uninfluenced by the postoperative regimen.