Posterior cruciate ligament injuries managed with internal bracing.

Background: Synthetic augmentation in the form of an internal brace is increasingly used to stabilize injured knee ligaments. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcome of patients with knee dislocations treated with a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) internal brace.

Methods: Synthetic suture tape drilled into the femoral and tibial PCL footprints was performed in patients with multiple knee ligament injuries.

Evaluation of clinical, laboratory, radiographical and histopathological characteristics in patients with spinal tuberculosis in the context of HIV infection: An analysis of 52 patients from a South African tertiary hospital.

Background: South Africa (SA) has the highest prevalence of people with tuberculosis (TB) and HIV coinfection globally. People living with HIV have an increased risk of TB infection, and are more likely to develop extrapulmonary TB. Approximately 10 - 20% of extrapulmonary TB accounts for skeletal TB, with spinal involvement in 50 - 60% of instances.

New insights into a sensitive life stage: hydraulics of tree seedlings in their first growing season.

The first year in a tree's life is characterized by distinct morphological changes, requiring constant adjustments of the hydraulic system. Despite their importance for the natural regeneration of forests and future vegetation composition, little has been known about the hydraulics of tree seedlings. At different times across the first growing season, we analysed xylem area-specific (K) and leaf area-specific (K) shoot hydraulic conductance, as well as embolism resistance of three temperate conifer trees, two angiosperm trees and one angiosperm shrub, and related findings to cell osmotic parameters and xylem anatomical traits.

Pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to para-infectious immune activation in the brain.

Neurological complications, including encephalopathy and stroke, occur in a significant proportion of COVID-19 cases but viral protein is seldom detected in the brain parenchyma. To model this situation, we developed a novel low-inoculum K18-hACE2 mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection during which active viral replication was consistently seen in mouse lungs but not in the brain. We found that several mediators previously associated with encephalopathy in clinical samples were upregulated in the lung, including CCL2, and IL-6.

Simultaneous Periprosthetic Joint Infection and Infective Endocarditis: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Presentation.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) and periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) occur due to hematogenous bacterial spread, theoretically increasing the risk for concurrent infections. There is a scarcity of literature investigating this specific association. We aimed to assess the prevalence, comorbidities, and clinical presentation of patients who have simultaneous PJI and IE.