Early rehabilitation after elective total knee arthroplasty.

Background And Aim Of The Work: Outcomes after TKA surgery are supposed to be related to the intensity and type of post-operative rehabilitation. Aim of this paper is to describe our early rehabilitation protocol following TKA with mini-invasive surgery in the immediate post-operative period and analyze functional recovery and changes in pain scores in these patients.

Methods: in this observational study, data were collected on 215 total knee arthroplasty patients referred to Orthopedics and Traumatology inpatient ward from July 2012 to January 2014, treated with the same early start rehabilitation protocol.

A Multiscale Approach to the Smart Deployment of Micro-Sensors over Lightweight Structures.

A topology optimization approach has been recently proposed to maximize the sensitivity to damage of measurements, collected through a network of sensors to be deployed over thin plates for structural health monitoring purposes. Within such a frame, damage is meant as a change in the structural health characterized by a reduction of relevant stiffness and load-carrying properties. The sensitivity to a damage of unknown amplitude and location is computed by comparing the response to the external actions of the healthy structure and of a set of auxiliary damaged structures, each one featuring reduced mechanical properties in a small region only.

Recovery of deambulation after cardiothoracic surgery: a single center experience.

Background: Surgical procedure and postoperative bed rest lead to musculoskeletal system alterations with a possibility of new walking dependence of patients who undergo cardiothoracic surgery, which is sometimes associated with prolonged hospitalization and increased health expenditure.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the postoperative motor disability in inpatients admitted to the cardiothoracic surgical ward, and the results of customized rehabilitation in terms of recovery of postural changes and walking capacity with respect to the preoperative condition and destination after discharge.

Design: A prospective observational study was conducted.

Monitoring iliopsoas muscle contraction in idiopathic lumbar scoliosis patients.

Background: Curve evolution in idiopathic scoliosis frequently occurs in lumbar and thoracic-lumbar spine. The spinal and iliopsoas muscles play a major role in maintaining the static and dynamic stability of the spine.

Objective: To monitor by video recording, the degree to which asymmetric isometric contractions of the iliopsoas muscle improve the lumbar curve.

A study of cytopathic rotavirus strains isolated from calves with acute enteritis.

Nine cytopathic bovine rotavirus strains were isolated in MA-104 cell cultures from fecal specimens of dairy calves suffering from diarrhea. Isolation of the virus was accomplished from three outbreaks which occurred on dairy farms located in Central and Southern Italy. Fecal suspensions were treated with a high concentration (1000 micrograms/ml) of trypsin, and inoculated into MA-104 cell cultures grown out in Eagle's minimum essential medium (MEM) containing 5 micrograms/ml of the enzyme.