Manual therapy and therapeutic exercise in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip: a systematic review.

This systematic review aimed at investigating the role of therapeutic exercise and/or manual therapy in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis (OA). Two independent reviewers (AR, CV) searched PubMed, Cinahl, Cochrane Library, PEDro and Scopus databases and a third one (SP) was consulted in case of disagreement. The research criteria were publication period (from May 2007 to April 2012) and publication language (English or Italian).

The Prolo Scale: history, evolution and psychometric properties.

Background: The Prolo Scale (PS) is a widely accepted assessment tool for lumbar spinal surgery results. Nevertheless, in the literature there is a dearth of consensus about its application, interpretation and accuracy. The purpose of this review is to investigate the evolution of the PS from its introduction in 1986 to the present, including an analysis of different versions of the scale and research on the existing studies investigating its psychometric properties.

Self-reported gait unsteadiness in mildly impaired neurological patients: an objective assessment through statistical gait analysis.

Background: Self-reported gait unsteadiness is often a problem in neurological patients without any clinical evidence of ataxia, because it leads to reduced activity and limitations in function. However, in the literature there are only a few papers that address this disorder. The aim of this study is to identify objectively subclinical abnormal gait strategies in these patients.

Clinical and functional outcomes of the saddle prosthesis.

Background: The implantation of a saddle prosthesis after resection of a pelvic tumor has been proposed as a simple method of reconstruction that provides good stability and reduces the surgical time, thus limits the onset of intraoperative complications. There are no studies in the literature of patients evaluated using gait analysis after being implanted with a saddle prosthesis. The present study is a retrospective case review aimed at illustrating long-term clinical and functional findings in tumor patients reconstructed with a saddle prosthesis.

Ribosomal DNA organization before and after magnification in Drosophila melanogaster.

In all eukaryotes, the ribosomal RNA genes are stably inherited redundant elements. In Drosophila melanogaster, the presence of a Ybb(-) chromosome in males, or the maternal presence of the Ribosomal exchange (Rex) element, induces magnification: a heritable increase of rDNA copy number. To date, several alternative classes of mechanisms have been proposed for magnification: in situ replication or extra-chromosomal replication, either of which might act on short or extended strings of rDNA units, or unequal sister chromatid exchange.