Can freshwater plants and algae act as an effective feed supplement to reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock?

Methane production by livestock is a substantial component of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The marine red algae, Asparagopsis taxiformis, has been identified as a possible supplement in livestock feeds due to its potent inhibition of methane production but currently is unable to be produced at scale. Finding additional taxa that inhibit methane production is therefore desirable.

An O-Specific Polysaccharide/Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine Induces Protection in Guinea Pigs against Virulent Challenge with .

Q fever is caused by the bacterium and is spread to humans from infected animals especially goats, sheep and cattle, predominantly when giving birth. There is an effective human vaccine (Q-VAX) against Q fever, and although Q fever is a worldwide problem, the vaccine is only used in Australia due to difficulties associated with its use and the risk of adverse reactions. The desire to protect humans, particularly farmers and abattoir workers, from Q fever prompted the development of a new safe and effective human vaccine without all the difficulties associated with the current vaccine.

The Impact of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Orthopaedic Infection.

By hastening the resolution of edema and improving local microcirculation, topical negative pressure wound therapy (TNP) aids the establishment of early wound coverage. Its use in the setting of type III open fractures is reviewed. The author's initial use of TNP for closed surgical incisions and how it morphed its way into being applied to closed surgical wounds with heightened likelihood for infection is presented.

Investigation of Kryptonite™ bone cement in hybrid screw configurations of locking plate humeral midshaft fixation: A study of surrogate bone model.

Purpose: Locking compression plates (LCP) allow trauma and orthopedic surgeons to have a variety of options for utilizing locking and non-locking screw features. In this study, the hybrid constructs of mixed unicortical and bicortical screws were investigated for humerus midshaft fractures. The locking and non-locking features were also incorporated into the hybrid LCP constructs.

Use of the Reamer/Irrigator/Aspirator Decreases Carotid and Cranial Embolic Events in a Canine Model.

Background: Approximately 2 million patients in the United States annually undergo total joint arthroplasty with reaming and placement of intramedullary nails, resulting in extravasation of bone marrow and fat into the circulatory system and potentially causing fat embolism syndrome. Acute and chronic changes in mental status documented after these procedures may be related to embolic events. The Reamer/Irrigator/Aspirator (RIA) device has been shown to decrease intramedullary pressure during reaming.

Infection in Orthopaedics.

Infection in orthopaedic trauma patients is a common problem associated with significant financial and psychosocial costs, and increased morbidity. This review outlines technologies to diagnose and prevent orthopaedic infection, examines implant-related infection and its management, and discusses the treatment of post-traumatic osteomyelitis. The gold standard for diagnosing infection has a number of disadvantages, and thus new technologies to diagnose infection are being explored, including multilocus polymerase chain reaction with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and optical imaging.

Negative pressure wound therapy in grade IIIB tibial fractures: fewer infections and fewer flap procedures?

Background: Grade IIIB open tibia fractures are devastating injuries. Some clinicians advocate wound closure or stable muscle flap coverage within 72 hours to limit complications such as infection. Negative pressure wound therapy was approved by the FDA in 1997 and has become an adjunct for many surgeons in treating these fractures.

Microvascular effects of subatmospheric pressure in striated muscle.

Objective: Topical application of subatmospheric pressure (TASAP) promotes faster wound healing, but tissue effects are not entirely understood. This study investigated microvascular effects of TASAP in striated muscle with the hypothesis being that TASAP elicits arteriolar vasodilation and decreases interstitial accumulation of protein.

Methods: Rat cremasteric microcirculation was directly examined in two experiments utilizing a novel technique.

Value of 3-D CT in classifying acetabular fractures during orthopedic residency training.

The complex anatomy of the pelvis and acetabulum have historically made classification and interpretation of acetabular fractures difficult for orthopedic trainees. The addition of 3-dimensional (3-D) computed tomography (CT) scan has gained popularity in preoperative planning, identification, and education of acetabular fractures given their complexity. Therefore, the authors examined the value of 3-D CT compared with conventional radiography in classifying acetabular fractures at different levels of orthopedic training.

The mangled limb: salvage versus amputation.

A mangled extremity is defined as a limb with injury to three of four systems in the extremity. The decision to salvage or amputate the injured limb has generated much controversy in the literature, with studies to support advantages of each approach. Various scoring systems have proved unreliable in predicting the need for amputation or salvage; however, a recurring theme in the literature is that the key to limb viability seems to be the severity of the soft-tissue injury.

Soft-tissue management after trauma: initial management and wound coverage.

Before proceeding with treatment, it is necessary to recognize that bony injuries are always associated with soft-tissue disruption and damage. A good soft-tissue envelope is essential to fracture healing and overall extremity function. Injury management begins by recognizing and classifying the injury.

Diagnosis and management of chronic infection.

High-energy penetrating extremity injuries are often associated with severe open fractures that have varying degrees of soft-tissue contamination and tenuous soft-tissue coverage. The result is a relatively high prevalence of chronic osteomyelitis compared with that in civilian trauma patients. Diagnosing chronic osteomyelitis requires a careful history and thorough physical and radiographic examinations.

Infection.

Musculoskeletal infection is a clinical problem with significant direct healthcare costs. The prevalence of infection after closed, elective surgery is frequently estimated to be less than 2%, but in severe injuries, posttraumatic infection rates have been reported as 10% or greater. Although clinical infections are found outside the realm of medical devices, it is clear that the enormous increase of infections associated with the use of implants presents a major challenge worldwide.

The effect of incisional negative pressure therapy on wound complications after acetabular fracture surgery.

The purpose of the study was to determine if the use of incisional negative pressure therapy affected the rate of wound complications after acetabular fracture surgery. Between August 1996 to April 2005, 301 patients were found to have had an operatively treated acetabular fracture. There were 235 patients who had placement of incisional vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) who had three (1.

Incisional vacuum-assisted wound closure in morbidly obese patients undergoing acetabular fracture surgery.

We studied the effect of incisional vacuum-assisted closure (IVAC) on wound complications (dehiscences, infections) associated with surgical treatment of acetabular fractures in morbidly obese patients (body mass index, >40 kg/m(2)). No wound complications were found in 19 consecutive patients over 5 years of IVAC use. IVAC is an attractive treatment adjunct for minimizing postoperative wound complications in morbidly obese patients undergoing acetabular fracture surgery.

Relationship between intraoperative femoral head bleeding and development of avascular necrosis after acetabular fracture surgery.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence or absence of bleeding after drilling of the femoral head can be used to predict the development of avascular necrosis (AVN) after operative treatment of acetabular fractures. A computerized medical record search from 1996 to 2005 of all patients with an operatively treated acetabular fracture yielded 146 patients who had an intraoperative assessment of the vascularity of their femoral head and 72 of whom were available for a minimum of 12 months of follow-up. The average time to the development of AVN was 99.

The long lost art of preoperative planning--resurrected?

Tibial plateau fractures are complex injuries that can affect both knee function and stability. In the past, surgeons have relied on radiographs, viewboxes, tracing paper, and scaled acetate templates to formulate a preoperative plan. With the advent of digital radiography, viewboxes, and standard radiographs are no longer routinely available.

Current thought regarding the mechanism of action of negative pressure wound therapy with reticulated open cell foam.

There are currently 2 main theories regarding the mechanism of action of negative pressure wound therapy with reticulated open cell foam (NPWT/ROCF) as delivered by V.A.C.

History of open wound and fracture treatment.

This introduction summarizes historical aspects regarding improvements in the treatment of open fractures and complicated wounds. Before the development of standardized surgical wound treatment and antisepsis, amputations were frequently required to prevent sepsis and death. Nowadays, the use of modern sealing techniques has caused a further dramatic reduction in the infection rates and an improvement of the healing response, thus enabling orthopaedic surgeons to perform skin graft coverage, where previously plastic surgeons had to perform skin flaps.

Evidence of beneficial effect of physical therapy after lower-extremity trauma.

Objective: To examine the effect of physical therapy (PT) use on a range of measures of physical impairment in a cohort of patients with lower-extremity trauma.

Design: Longitudinal, observational study of patients with severe lower-extremity trauma. Patients were interviewed by a research coordinator and examined by an orthopedic surgeon and a physical therapist during initial admission and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postdischarge.

Encapsulated Staphylococcus aureus strains vary in adhesiveness assessed by atomic force microscopy.

Staphylococcus aureus capsular polysaccharides are believed to play a role in adhesion to surfaces and may contribute to their antimicrobial resistance, thereby increasing the rates and severity of associated infections. The purpose of this study was to compare the adhesiveness of distinct S. aureus capsular polysaccharides to determine whether adhesiveness was a general or specific feature across different S.