Anti-biofilm activity of sub-inhibitory povidone-iodine concentrations against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus.

Biomaterial-related infections continue to hamper the success of reconstructive and arthroplasty procedures in orthopaedic surgery. Staphylococci are the most common etiologic agents, with biofilm formation representing a major virulence factor. Biofilms increase bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents and host immune responses.

Hyperpolarized ³He magnetic resonance imaging: preliminary evaluation of phenotyping potential in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Rationale And Objectives: Emphysema and small airway obstruction are the pathological hallmarks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this pilot study in a small group of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients was to quantify hyperpolarized helium-3 ((3)He) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) functional and structural measurements and to explore the potential role for (3)He MRI in detecting the lung structural and functional COPD phenotypes.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated 20 ex-smokers with stage I (n=1), stage II (n=9) and stage III COPD (n=10).

Femoroacetabular impingement after slipped capital femoral epiphysis: does slip severity predict clinical symptoms?

Background: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) may be common after slipped capital femoral epiphysis though the actual frequency is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of symptomatic FAI in young adults after slipped capital femoral epiphysis and define its relationship with slip severity.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of 49 patients (65 hips) to determine patient and slip characteristics and treatments.

Photoacoustic detection of melanoma micrometastasis in sentinel lymph nodes.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and has the fastest growth rate of all cancer types. Proper staging of melanoma is required for clinical management. One method of staging melanoma is performed by taking a sentinel node biopsy, in which the first node in the lymphatic drainage path of the primary lesion is removed and tested for the presence of melanoma cells.

Silver doped perfluoropolyether-urethane coatings: antibacterial activity and surface analysis.

The colonisation of clinical and industrial surfaces with pathogenic microorganisms has prompted increased research into the development of effective antibacterial and antifouling coatings. There is evidence that implanted biomedical surfaces coated with metallic silver can be inactivated by physiological fluids, thus reducing the bioactivity of the coating. In this work, we report the biofilm inhibition of Staphylococcus epidermidis using a room temperature processed silver doped perfluoropolyether-urethane coating.

Demographics of acute admissions to a National Spinal Injuries Unit.

This prospective demographic study was undertaken to review the epidemiology and demographics of all acute admissions to the National Spinal Injuries Unit in Ireland for the 5 years to 2003. The study was conducted at the National Spinal Injuries Unit, Mater Miscericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. Records of all patients admitted to our unit from 1999 to 2003 were compiled from a prospective computerized spinal database.

Nursing theory-directed healthcare: modifying Kolcaba's comfort theory as an institution-wide approach.

The tradition of the nursing discipline borrowing theory from other disciplines is examined, and the idea of other healthcare disciplines borrowing nursing theory is proposed. A brief literature review of borrowed theory sets the stage to examine how a modification in the theoretical framework of Kolcaba's theory of comfort can guide the thinking and work of other healthcare disciplines. This change positions Kolcaba's theory as an acceptable blueprint to guide the activities of all health disciplines within an institution, transposing this theory from a theory for nursing to a theory for healthcare.

Enteral nutrition enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) preserves lean body mass following esophageal cancer surgery: results of a double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Background: Esophagectomy represents an exemplar of controlled major trauma, with marked metabolic, immunologic, and physiologic changes as well as an associated high incidence of complications. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) enriched enteral nutrition (EN) modulates immune function and limits catabolism in patients with advanced cancer, but its impact in the peri-operative period is unclear.

Objectives: To examine the effects of perioperative EPA enriched EN on the metabolic, nutritional, and immuno-inflammatory response to esophagectomy, and on postoperative complications.

Hydrogen peroxide induced repression of icaADBC transcription and biofilm development in Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Expression of the icaADBC-encoded polysaccharide intercellular adhesion by Staphylococcus epidermidis promotes biofilm formation and represents an important virulence factor in biomaterial-related infections following orthopedic surgery. Biofilm development by the pathogen can be viewed as a protective reaction to environmental stressors including osmotic stress, thermal stress, and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Oxidative stress, arising from the release of toxic oxygen radicals by polymorphonuclear cells, is encountered by bacteria entering the body perioperatively.

Intravenous oxytocin bolus of 2 units is superior to 5 units during elective Caesarean section.

Background: The optimal dose of oxytocin at Caesarean section is unclear. Oxytocin may cause adverse cardiovascular effects, including tachycardia and hypotension, whereas an inadequate dose can result in increased uterine bleeding. We compared the effects of two doses of oxytocin in a randomized double-blind trial.

Hyperpolarized 3He magnetic resonance imaging of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: reproducibility at 3.0 tesla.

Rationale And Objectives: We assessed subjects with stage II and stage III chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and age-matched healthy volunteers at a single center using (3)He magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3.0 T. Measurements of the (3)He apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and center coronal slice (3)He ventilation defect volume (VDV) were examined for same-day and 7-day reproducibility as well as subgroup comparisons.

Theoretical, psychometric, and pragmatic issues in pain measurement.

Measurement is essential to nursing practice and research, and adequate tool selection is crucial for both. The present paper seeks to provide an overview of key issues to consider in tool development, selection, and psychometric testing using the concept of pain. Both the classic and the contemporary approaches to validity are described and compared.

Mapping and quantifying hyperpolarized 3He magnetic resonance imaging apparent diffusion coefficient gradients.

We measured hyperpolarized 3He magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) and quantified ADC gradients in each three-by-three voxel region of interest (ROI). Such local ADC gradients can be represented in vector maps showing the magnitude (|G3x3|) and direction of ADC gradients, providing a qualitative visualization tool and quantitative measurement of airway and air space heterogeneity. Twenty-four subjects (15 male, mean age=67+/-7 yr) with global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) stage II (n=9, mean age 68+/-6 yr), GOLD stage III chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=7, mean age 67+/-8 yr), and age-matched healthy volunteers (n=8, mean age 67+/-6 yr) were enrolled based on their age and spirometry results.

Six-dimensional quantum dynamics of H2 dissociative adsorption on the Pt(211) stepped surface.

Results of experimental studies, and theoretical calculations utilizing classical trajectories, have shown that dissociation of H2 on the Pt(211) stepped surface is enhanced at low energies by a molecular trapping mechanism. Because quantum effects can play a large role at the low energies and long lifetimes that characterize molecular trapping, we have undertaken quantum dynamics calculations for this system, the first to treat all molecular degrees of freedom of a gas molecule reacting on a stepped metallic surface. The calculations show that molecular trapping persists in the quantum system, but only at much lower energies than experimentally seen, pointing to possible deficiencies in the potential energy surface.

Hyperpolarized 3He magnetic resonance imaging of ventilation defects in healthy elderly volunteers: initial findings at 3.0 Tesla.

Rationale And Objectives: Hyperpolarized (3)He magnetic resonance imaging ventilation defects have been observed in subjects with respiratory disorders. We quantified (3)He ventilation defects in elderly and middle-aged subjects who had no history of smoking, respiratory, or cardiovascular disorders.

Materials And Methods: Hyperpolarized (3)He magnetic resonance imaging ventilation defect volume (VDV) and ventilation defect score (VDS) were assessed in eight elderly healthy volunteers (mean 67+/-6 years) scanned twice within 7+/-2 minutes and again 7+/-2 days later.

Quantification of the coupled motion that occurs with axial rotation and lateral bending of the head-neck complex: an experimental examination.

The vertebrae of the cervical spine exhibit out-of-plane or coupled motion during axial rotation and lateral bending. Quantifying the range of motion (ROM) of this occurrence can aid the understanding of cervical spine injury mechanisms and disorders, as well as the development of new treatment methods. Previous studies have formulated ratios to describe coupled motion obtained from in-vitro examinations.

Transarticular stabilization of the immature femoral head: assessment of a novel surgical approach to the dislocating pediatric hip in a porcine model.

Background: Acetabular dysplasia and hip instability are common in neuromuscular diseases such as spina bifida and cerebral palsy due to deranged muscle function around the hip. Occasionally in developmental dysplasia of the hip, persistent instability may be difficult to manage by standard treatments. It is in these contexts that we wished to investigate whether a dislocatable hip could be stabilized by means of a transarticular suture acting as a reconstructed ligamentum teres.

Prevention of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation using a low-temperature processed silver-doped phenyltriethoxysilane sol-gel coating.

Sol-gel coatings which elute bioactive silver ions are presented as a potential solution to the problem of biofilm formation on indwelling surfaces. There is evidence that high-temperature processing of such materials can lead to diffusion of silver away from the coating surface, reducing the amount of available silver. In this study, we report the biofilm inhibition of a Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm using a low-temperature processed silver-doped phenyltriethoxysilane sol-gel coating.

Anatomical distribution of 3He apparent diffusion coefficients in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: To evaluate the anatomical distribution of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) using hyperpolarized helium-3 (3He) MRI in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Materials And Methods: Hyperpolarized 3He MRI was performed in eight healthy and seven COPD subjects under breathhold conditions in the supine position to determine ADC values from diffusion-weighted images and evaluate anterior-posterior (AP) and superior-inferior (SI) differences.

Results: ADC differences between anterior and posterior slices, DeltaAP, was 0.

The intersections of lesbian studies and postcolonial studies: one possible future for class.

This position piece addresses the decline of class as a mode of inquiry in Lesbian Studies and Postcolonial Studies. It argues that in spite of this decline, class continues to forcibly pervade all areas of our lives and, therefore, should be fundamental to the research praxis of these fields of study. It goes on to suggest that the intersections of these two disciplines are able to open up a space where questions regarding class and its global dimension in the twenty-first century can be addressed.

Micro-CT imaging of rat lung ventilation using continuous image acquisition during xenon gas contrast enhancement.

We measured ventilation (V) in seven anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, supine Wistar rats. Images of the whole lung were continuously acquired using a dynamic, flat-panel volumetric micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanner during ventilation with a xenon/oxygen (Xe-O(2)) gas mixture. Forty time-resolved volumes consisting of eighty 0.

Heelys and street gliders injuries: a new type of pediatric injury.

Objectives: Our goals were to highlight an increasing trend in orthopedic injuries in children as a result of "heeling" or "street gliding," to describe injuries sustained by children using Heelys (HSL, Carrollton, TX) and Street Gliders (Glowgadgets Ltd, Bristol, United Kingdom), and to increase public awareness and prevent such injuries.

Patients And Methods: We prospectively recorded the data of all roller shoes injuries referred to our department during the summer school holiday. Using a data-collection sheet, we recorded demographic data, type of injury, mechanism and place of injury, heeling or street-gliding experience, use of safety equipment, methods of treatment, and intention to continue heeling or street gliding after recovery from injury.

Hyperpolarized 3He ventilation defects and apparent diffusion coefficients in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: preliminary results at 3.0 Tesla.

Objective: Hyperpolarized 3He magnetic resonance imaging (3He MRI) at 3.0 Tesla of healthy volunteers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients was performed for quantitative evaluation of ventilation defects and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) and for comparison to published results acquired at 1.5 Tesla.