Threaded Pin and Volar Plate Fixation of Distal Radius Fractures: Early Functional Recovery.

Purpose: To assess the results of threaded pin fixation and volar plate fixation of extra-articular distal radius fractures.

Methods: A retrospective case comparison study of patients undergoing operative fixation of distal radius fracture and postoperative therapy at 1 hand clinic was performed. Clinical variables included implant type along with the assessment of the volar tilt; radial height; postoperative wrist flexion, extension, pronation, and supination; key pinch; and grip strength.

Percutaneous Threaded Pin Fixation of Distal Radius Fracture in the Athlete.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes and return to play with early rehabilitation in athletes who sustained unstable extra-articular distal radius fractures treated with a purpose-designed threaded pin technique.

Methods: This prospective study examined athletes with displaced and unstable distal radius fractures treated surgically with purpose-designed threaded pins. Patients were enrolled in an early rehabilitation protocol, with formal therapy initiated on postoperative days 1 to 3.

Ultra-low Doses of Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Progesterone Attenuate the Severity of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Features in a Hyperandrogenized Mouse Model.

Background: Polycystic-ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a reproductive illness characterized by hyperandrogenism and anovulation. Using hyperandrogenized mice, it was demonstrated that the oral administration of incremental dose of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) attenuated some of PCOS characteristics. This work aimed to study the effect of ultra-low doses of combined FSH and progesterone orally administered on PCOS murine model.

Universality of the Turbulent Velocity Profile.

For nearly a century, the universal logarithmic law of the mean velocity profile has been a mainstay of turbulent fluid mechanics and its teaching. Yet many experiments and numerical simulations are not fit exceedingly well by it, and the question whether the logarithmic law is indeed universal keeps turning up in discussion and in writing. Large experiments have been set up in various parts of the world to confirm or deny the logarithmic law and accurately estimate von Kármán's constant, the coefficient that governs it.

Three months of Western diet induces small intestinal mucosa alteration in TLR KO mice.

Several studies support the role of Western-style diet (WD) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Toll-like receptors/NOD-like receptors (TLRs/NLRs) are important to maintain a healthy epithelium as well as inducing inflammation. Given that dietary factors influence IBD development, that epithelial dysfunction is thought to be involved in initiating intestinal inflammation and that TLR-NLR are involved in maintenance of the functionality of intestinal epithelium as well as in regulating inflammation, we decided to examine the role of TLR signals in the triggering events that lead to alteration of the small intestinal epithelium associated to consumption of WD.

Oral Administration of Interleukin-10 and Anti-IL-1 Antibody Ameliorates Experimental Intestinal Inflammation.

Background: To elucidate the effects of a solution containing interleukin-10 and anti-IL-1 antibody in modulating experimental intestinal inflammation.

Methods: Colitis was induced in BALB/c mice by oral administration of dextran sodium sulphate; mice were then treated with interleukin-10 plus anti-IL-1 antibody at low dosage. Transepithelial electrical resistance of isolated mouse colon and colon lengths were evaluated.

Stimulation of TLRs by LMW-HA induces self-defense mechanisms in vaginal epithelium.

The innate immune system is present throughout the female reproductive tract and functions in synchrony with the adaptive immune system to provide protection in a way that enhances the chances for fetal survival, while protecting against potential pathogens. Recent data show that activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and 4 by low-molecular weight hyaluronic acid (LMW-HA) in the epidermis induces secretion of the antimicrobial peptide β-defensin 2. In the present work, we show that LMW-HA induces vaginal epithelial cells to release different antimicrobial peptides, via activation of TLR2 and TLR4.

Validation of a spectrophotometric method for quantification of carboxyhemoglobin.

The measurement of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in blood is a valuable procedure to confirm exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) either for forensic or occupational matters. A previously described method using spectrophotometric readings at 420 and 432 nm after reduction of oxyhemoglobin (O(2)Hb) and methemoglobin with sodium hydrosulfite solution leads to an exponential curve. This curve, used with pre-established factors, serves well for lower concentrations (1-7%) or for high concentrations (> 20%) but very rarely for both.

[High intake of phytoestrogens and precocious thelarche: case report with a possible correlation].

Precocious thelarche is the breast development before 8 years of age with two peaks of incidence during the first two years of life and after 6 years of age. A 4.75-year-old girl presented with thelarche associated to an excessive intake of phytoestrogens (phye).

Vertebrobasilar infarcts in infancy: a case report and review of the literature.

We report a rare case of a child with cerebellar infarction confirmed by vertebral angiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The etiology of this case is unknown. The relevant literature is reviewed.

Irreversible respiratory failure in an achondroplastic child: the importance of an early cervicomedullary decompression, and a review of the literature.

The authors report the case of a girl with achondroplasia suffering from a progressively worsening hypotonic quadriparesis. CT scan showed slight dilatation of ventricular and subarachnoid spaces, with well-defined evidence of cortical sulci and gyri. This aspect was compatible with the diagnosis of macrocrania and megalencephaly (CP being 51 cm).

[Statistics on 123 children with febrile convulsions from 1976 to 1981 with possible advantages of continuous prophylaxis with valproic acid and/or phenobarbital].

All children (6 months to 5 years of age) presenting with febrile seizures have been followed for 3-5 years. Analysis of the data of 123 children gave the following results: -in 20 cases the duration of the convulsions was longer than 20 minutes; -males were prevalent (60,2%) and characterised by a longer duration of convulsive manifestations (20,2% of cases); -valproic acid (20-30 mg/kg/die) or phenobarbital (3-5 mg/kg/die) prophylaxis for a minimum of I year protect against recurrence of convulsions (26,6% of new episodes in non treated vs 10,2% in treated patients); -irrespective of drug prophylaxis, recurrence is minimal and approaches zero, when the first episode occurs in children older than 3 years; -only one case (0,8%) had recurrence not associated with fever, during valproic acid treatment two years after the first episode.

Use of indeterminate Padè approximations in the analysis of diffraction at the mirror edges of an optical resonator.

A method is presented for analysis of the diffraction of waveguide modes at the open end of a two-dimensional metallic waveguide, based on a rational approximation of the field diffracted outside the open end. We believe that this method can be used for waveguides with nonplane walls, and it should prove a useful tool in the analysis of optical resonators.