Experimental and biphasic FEM determinations of the material properties and hydraulic permeability of the meniscus in tension.

Tensile tests and biphasic finite element modeling were used to determine a set of transversely isotropic properties for the meniscus, including the hydraulic permeability coefficients and solid matrix properties. Stress-relaxation tests were conducted on planar samples of canine meniscus samples of different orientations, and the solid matrix properties were determined from equilibrium data. A 3-D linear biphasic and tranversely isotropic finite element model was developed to model the stress-relaxation behavior of the samples in tension, and optimization was used to determine the permeability coefficients, k1 and k2, governing fluid flow parallel and perpendicular to the collagen fibers, respectively.

Estimated kyphosis and lordosis changes at follow-up in patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

The objective of this study was to verify the accuracy of surface measurements to estimate the magnitude of sagittal curvature changes at follow-up. Ninety-seven patients with idiopathic scoliosis were evaluated at two different visits (interval: 15.7 months).

Altered mechanics and histomorphometry of canine tibial cartilage following joint immobilization.

Joint immobilization is associated with altered cartilage biosynthesis and catabolism that may affect cartilage mechanics and joint function. In this study, the mechanical behavior of articular cartilage was studied in an experimental model of joint immobilization, in which the canine knee was cast-immobilized at 90 degrees of flexion for 4 weeks. Articular cartilage from the medial tibial plateau was tested in compression and in shear.

Acute postural adaptations induced by a shoe lift in idiopathic scoliosis patients.

The objective of this study was to identify acute spinal and three-dimensional postural adaptations induced by a shoe lift in a population of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) patients. Forty-six IS patients (mean age: 12 +/- 2 years) were evaluated radiologically and with a stereovideographic system for pelvic obliquity. Based on the initial postural and radiological evaluation, a pertinent shoe lift height was chosen for each with the result that 12 patients were tested with 5-mm (S5) lifts, 20 patients were tested with 10-mm (S10) lifts, and 14 patients with 15-mm (S15) lifts.

[Deliverance of emergency contraception, in 1988, in family planning and education clinics (FPEC) of Val de Marne].

Objectives: To facilitate access to emergency contraception (EC). To allow the nurses in the family planning clinics to deliver it during the doctor's absence.

Methods: For one year, 1998, 1102 women requested EC in the 38 family planning clinics participating in the study.

Relationship between gibbosity and Cobb angle during treatment of idiopathic scoliosis with the SpineCor brace.

The objective of this study was to quantify the relationship between gibbosity and spinal deformation expressed by the angle of Cobb before and during treatment with a brace for different classes of idiopathic scoliosis patients. As part of the standard treatment with the Dynamic Corrective Brace (SpineCor), 89 idiopathic scoliosis patients underwent an initial radiological examination and gibbosity measurement with a scoliometer wearing and not wearing the brace. The 89 patients were classified in relation to the apex of the scoliosis curves: thoracic (n = 29); thoracolumbar (n = 40); lumbar (n = 7) and double (n = 13).

Protein folding: versatility of the cytosolic chaperonin TRiC/CCT.

Efficient de novo folding of actins and tubulins requires two molecular chaperones, the chaperonin TRiC (or CCT) and its novel cofactor GimC (or prefoldin). Recent studies indicate that TRiC is exquisitely adapted for this task, yet has the ability to interact with and assist the folding of numerous other cellular proteins.

Structure of the molecular chaperone prefoldin: unique interaction of multiple coiled coil tentacles with unfolded proteins.

Prefoldin (GimC) is a hexameric molecular chaperone complex built from two related classes of subunits and present in all eukaryotes and archaea. Prefoldin interacts with nascent polypeptide chains and, in vitro, can functionally substitute for the Hsp70 chaperone system in stabilizing non-native proteins for subsequent folding in the central cavity of a chaperonin. Here, we present the crystal structure and characterization of the prefoldin hexamer from the archaeum Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

Observation of the noncovalent assembly and disassembly pathways of the chaperone complex MtGimC by mass spectrometry.

We have analyzed a newly described archaeal GimC/prefoldin homologue, termed MtGimC, by using nanoflow electrospray coupled with time-of-flight MS. The molecular weight of the complex from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum corresponds to a well-defined hexamer of two alpha subunits and four beta subunits. Dissociation of the complex within the gas phase reveals a quaternary arrangement of two central subunits, both alpha, and four peripheral beta subunits.

Simultaneous changes in the mechanical properties, quantitative collagen organization, and proteoglycan concentration of articular cartilage following canine meniscectomy.

The mechanical properties and microstructure of articular cartilage from the canine tibial plateau were studied 12 weeks after total medial meniscectomy. The organization of the birefringent collagen network was measured with quantitative polarized light microscopy to determine the thickness and the degree of organization of the superficial and deep zones. The zonal concentration of sulfated glycosaminoglycan was quantified with digital densitometry of safranin-O staining.

Multicenter evaluation of the Glucometer Elite XL meter, an instrument specifically designed for use with neonates.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical performance of the Glucometer Elite XL Diabetes Care System in neonatal settings using a multicenter study

Research Design And Methods: A total of 388 blood specimens from 333 neonates were included in the study. A capillary or arterial sample was analyzed for determination of glucose with the Glucometer Elite XL system by an attending trained nurse. Through the same sampling site, a specimen was collected and sent to the laboratory for measurement of plasma glucose, bilirubin, and hematocrit.

A noninvasive anthropometric technique for measuring kyphosis and lordosis: an application for idiopathic scoliosis.

Study Design: Cross-sectional measurement of the sagittal geometry of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of a noninvasive anthropometric approach for the measurement of kyphosis and lordosis.

Summary Of Background Data: Noninvasive approaches were developed to estimate the sagittal curvatures of the spine.

[Reductibility of idiopathic scoliosis during orthopedic treatment].

Non-operative treatment of idiopathic scoliosis is long and difficult. For the patient and the therapist it is particularly important to define early the therapeutic prognosis. The goal of this study is to verify if the initial reducibility at the beginning of treatment with the dynamic corrective brace (Spinecor) would be valid as a prognostic factor, allowing a more effective prognostic judgement of the final outcome treatment.

[Comparison of the reliability of two 3D acquisition systems used for the study of anthropometric and postural parameters].

The goal of this study is to compare the between trials and between session reliability of the postural geometry (PG) and anthropometrical evaluations, obtained by the FreePoint (FP) system and the Motion Analysis System (MA). The potential of automatization of the anthropometric evaluation is also evaluate through the comparison of height measurements obtained by the two 3D systems and traditional anthropometrical tools. The PG of 15 adult control subjects (x: 25 years, SD: 6) evaluated on two occasions (1 week interval) and a mannequin on one occasion were evaluated with both systems.

MtGimC, a novel archaeal chaperone related to the eukaryotic chaperonin cofactor GimC/prefoldin.

Group II chaperonins in the eukaryotic and archaeal cytosol assist in protein folding independently of the GroES-like cofactors of eubacterial group I chaperonins. Recently, the eukaryotic chaperonin was shown to cooperate with the hetero-oligomeric protein complex GimC (prefoldin) in folding actin and tubulins. Here we report the characterization of the first archaeal homologue of GimC, from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

Effect of point of care testing on length of stay in an adult emergency department.

Devices are now available that are practical for point of care testing (PCT) in hospital settings. Previous studies in clinical settings, however, have failed to demonstrate a reduction in patients' length of stay (LOS) associated with the use of PCT. This randomized controlled study compared PCT with central laboratory testing in a hospital Emergency Department to assess the difference in patients' LOS.

Compressive and shear properties of alginate gel: effects of sodium ions and alginate concentration.

The equilibrium and viscoelastic properties of alginate gel crosslinked with Ca2+ were determined as a function of alginate concentration and duration of exposure to physiologic concentrations of NaCl. Compressive and shear stress relaxation tests and oscillatory shear tests were performed to measure the material properties at two time periods after storage in NaCl compared to no NaCl exposure. The effect of concentration was determined by testing 1-3% alginate gel in a bath of physiological NaCl and CaCl2.

Acute systematic and variable postural adaptations induced by an orthopaedic shoe lift in control subjects.

A small leg length inequality, either true or functional, can be implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous spinal disorders. The correction of a leg length inequality with the goal of treating a spinal pathology is often achieved with the use of a shoe lift. Little research has focused on the impact of this correction on the three-dimensional (3D) postural organisation.