Minor or occult ankle instability as a cause of anterolateral pain after ankle sprain.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine which intra-articular injuries are associated with chronic anterolateral pain and functional instability after an ankle sprain.

Methods: From 2008 to 2010, records of all patients who underwent ankle joint arthroscopy with anterolateral pain and functional instability after an ankle sprain were reviewed. A systematic arthroscopic examination of the intra-articular structures of the ankle joint was performed.

Magnetically driven quantum heat engine.

We studied the efficiency of two different schemes for a magnetically driven quantum heat engine, by considering as the "working substance" a single nonrelativistic particle trapped in a cylindrical potential well, in the presence of an external magnetic field. The first scheme is a cycle, composed of two adiabatic and two isoenergetic reversible trajectories in configuration space. The trajectories are driven by a quasistatic modulation of the external magnetic-field intensity.

Effect of calcium, bicarbonate, and albumin on capacitation-related events in equine sperm.

Repeatable methods for IVF have not been established in the horse, reflecting the failure of standard capacitating media to induce changes required for fertilization capacity in equine sperm. One important step in capacitation is membrane cholesterol efflux, which in other species is triggered by cholesterol oxidation and is typically enhanced using albumin as a sterol acceptor. We incubated equine sperm in the presence of calcium, BSA, and bicarbonate, alone or in combination.

Standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty of the vaginal rings does not modify the sperm production and motility characteristics in intact male horses.

Laparoscopic hernioplasty techniques have been developed in the recent years to avoid the recurrence of inguinal hernias and to spare the testicles for breeding purposes in stallions. However, there have been no previous comprehensive and systematic studies of the reproductive outcomes and prognoses for stallions after inguinal hernioplasty. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the possible effects of one of these techniques (standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty) on the sperm production and motility characteristics of six healthy stallions that received this procedure based on 1-year follow-ups.

Effect of overnight staining on the quality of flow cytometric sorted stallion sperm: comparison with tradtitional protocols.

Flow cytometry is considered the only reliable method for the separation of X and Y chromosome bearing spermatozoa in equines. The MoFlo SX DP sorter is highly efficient, allowing the production of foals of the desired sex. However, to achieve acceptable pregnancy rates the currently used protocol requires working with fresh semen obtained close to, or at, the sorting facility.

Use of colour and spectral Doppler ultrasonography in stallion andrology.

Doppler ultrasonography is an important tool in the andrological evaluation in humans; however, this method is not so extensively used by equine andrologists. Spectral or pulse Doppler is a useful non-invasive method for the early diagnosis of subfertility problems in the male, especially those triggered by vascular disturbance. The identification of any disturbance in the blood flow of the testis is crucial for a correct diagnosis of various testicular and scrotal disorders but also to monitor the therapeutic outcome following treatment.

Social vulnerability as a predictor of mortality and disability: cross-country differences in the survey of health, aging, and retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Background: Social factors are important for health; the concept of social vulnerability considers them holistically and can be quantified using a social vulnerability index (SVI).

Aims: Investigate the SVI in relation to mortality and disability, independent of frailty, in middle-aged and older European adults, and examine how this relationship differs across countries.

Methods: 18,289 community-dwelling participants 50 years and older from SHARE wave 1 (2004) were included in our sample.

Initial force systems during bodily tooth movement with plastic aligners and composite attachments: A three-dimensional finite element analysis.

Objective: To describe, using a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model, the initial force system generated during bodily movement of upper canines with plastic aligners with and without composite attachments.

Materials And Methods: A CAD model of an upper right canine, its alveolar bone and periodontal ligament, thermoformed plastic aligner, and two light-cured composite attachments were constructed. A FE model was used to analyze the effects of imposing a distal movement condition of 0.

Influence of retinopathy on the achromatic and chromatic vision of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Luminance contrast sensitivity and colour vision are considered to have great predictive value in the evaluation of type 2 diabetic retinopathy. However, these two visual characteristics have seldom been investigated in the same group of patients. In the present study we measured contrast sensitivity and colour vision in a group of patients with type 2 diabetes and correlated the results with estimates of common metabolic markers for the disease.

Association study between a SNP in bovine SCD1 gene with fatty acid composition in a Spanish commercial population fed with two different diets.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1 gene) is an enzyme responsible for the endogenous conversion of saturated fatty acid into monounsaturated fatty acids. The objective of this study was to assess the association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the SCD1 gene with the fatty acid composition of beef intramuscular fat of a Spanish commercial bull population (n = 155) finished with two different diets. The results suggested that the marker could be used as a candidate gene to obtain a healthier final product.

Iatrogenic articular cartilage injuries during ankle arthroscopy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of iatrogenic articular cartilage injuries during ankle arthroscopy and to determine the factors that caused them. The hypothesis of this study was that the incidence of iatrogenic cartilage injuries produced during ankle arthroscopic procedures is high and directly related to the arthroscopic technique.

Methods: All consecutive records from ankle arthroscopies performed between 2008 and 2010 were reviewed.

Effects of stress by unfamiliar sounds on carcass and meat traits in bulls from three continental beef cattle breeds at different ageing times.

One-hundred-and-twenty-four young bulls of three Continental beef cattle breeds were used to study the effect of pre-slaughter stress by unfamiliar sounds on carcass traits and quality characteristics of beef aged for three different periods. Stress due to unfamiliar noises had a moderately negative effect on carcass and meat quality. Carcasses from group Stressed had higher (P<0.

Caspase activation, hydrogen peroxide production and Akt dephosphorylation occur during stallion sperm senescence.

To investigate the mechanisms inducing sperm death after ejaculation, stallion ejaculates were incubated in BWW media during 6 h at 37°C. At the beginning of the incubation period and after 1, 2, 4 and 6 h sperm motility and kinematics (CASA), mitochondrial membrane potential and membrane permeability and integrity were evaluated (flow cytometry). Also, at the same time intervals, active caspase 3, hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion (flow cytometry) and Akt phosphorylation (flow cytometry) were evaluated.

Phosphorylated AKT preserves stallion sperm viability and motility by inhibiting caspases 3 and 7.

AKT, also referred to as protein kinase B (PKB or RAC), plays a critical role in controlling cell survival and apoptosis. To gain insights into the mechanisms regulating sperm survival after ejaculation, the role of AKT was investigated in stallion spermatozoa using a specific inhibitor and a phosphoflow approach. Stallion spermatozoa were washed and incubated in Biggers-Whitten-Whittingham medium, supplemented with 1% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the presence of 0 (vehicle), 10, 20 or 30 μM SH5, an AKT inhibitor.

Cardan angle rotation sequence effects on first-metatarsophalangeal joint kinematics: implications for measuring hallux valgus deformity.

Background: There currently are no recommended standards for reporting kinematics of the first-metatarsophalangeal joint. This study compared 2 different rotation sequences of Cardan angles, with implications for understanding the measurement of hallux valgus deformity.

Methods: Thirty-one women (19 hallux valgus; 12 controls) participated.

A role for the regulator PsrA in the polyhydroxyalkanoate metabolism of Pseudomonas putida KT2440.

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is a Gram-negative bacterium capable of producing medium-chain-length-polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA). When fatty acids are used as growth and polymer precursors, the biosynthesis is linked to fatty acid metabolism via ß-oxidation route. In the close-related Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the transcriptional repressor PsrA regulates the ß-oxidation, but little is known about the regulatory system in P.

Cell system engineering to produce extracellular polyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerase with targeted applications.

Novel platforms based on the application of bacterial cell systems as factories for production of new bioproducts open avenues and dramatically expand the catalogue of existing biomaterials. Herein, we designed the strategy based on in vivo production of extracellular Pseudomonas fluorescens GK13 (PhaZGK13) depolymerase to degrade previously biosynthesized polyhydroxyalkanotes (PHAs) or to obtain 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids (HAs). With this aim, extracellular PhaZGK13 was produced in recombinant strains and the optimal conditions for controlled release of HAs and oligomers by growing cells were set up with a particle suspension of (14)C-labelled PHA, being maximal after 24h of incubation.

Identifying common characteristics of frailty across seven scales.

Objectives: To determine whether commonly used frailty scales exhibit shared characteristics when applied to a representative sample of middle-aged and older Europeans.

Design: Secondary analysis of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Setting: Eleven European countries.

Comparison of alternate scoring of variables on the performance of the frailty index.

Background: The frailty index (FI) is used to measure the health status of ageing individuals. An FI is constructed as the proportion of deficits present in an individual out of the total number of age-related health variables considered. The purpose of this study was to systematically assess whether dichotomizing deficits included in an FI affects the information value of the whole index.

Identification of apoptotic bodies in equine semen.

Apoptosis in the testis is required to ensure an efficient spermatogenesis. However, sometimes, defective germ cells that are marked for elimination during this process escape elimination in the testes, giving rise to ejaculates with increased percentages of abnormal and apoptotic spermatozoa and a high percentage of apoptotic bodies. Apoptosis markers in the ejaculate have been associated with low fertility, either in animals or humans.

During cooled storage the extender influences processed autophagy marker light chain 3 (LC3B) of stallion spermatozoa.

To investigate the role of the processed autophagy marker light chain 3 (LC3B) protein in sperm survival in stallion semen processing during cooled storage, split ejaculates were diluted in two different extenders, KMT and INRA 96, and LC3B processing and sperm quality evaluated during incubation at 5°C for five days. After 3 days of incubation there was a drop in total motility in both extenders, although the percentage of progressive motile sperm was greater (P<0.05) in samples extended in INRA96.

Survey: Enhancing protein complex prediction in PPI networks with GO similarity weighting.

Predicting protein complexes from protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks has been the focus of many computational approaches over the last decade. These methods tend to vary in performance based on the structure of the network and the parameters provided to the algorithm. Here, we evaluate the merits of enhancing PPI networks with semantic similarity edge weights using Gene Ontology (GO) and its annotation data.

First ray kinematics in women with rheumatoid arthritis and bunion deformity: a gait simulation imaging study.

Objective: The first ray plays a role in the development of bunion foot deformity, but for unknown reasons. This prospective, cross-sectional study investigated first ray kinematics in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and bunion.

Methods: Nine participants having RA-bunion were analyzed in comparison to a control group (n = 10).

The Crc protein inhibits the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates in Pseudomonas putida under balanced carbon/nitrogen growth conditions.

Pseudomonas putida synthesizes polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as storage compounds. PHA synthesis is more active when the carbon source is in excess and the nitrogen source is limiting, but can also occur at a lower rate under balanced carbon/nitrogen ratios. This work shows that PHA synthesis is controlled by the Crc global regulator, a protein that optimizes carbon metabolism by inhibiting the expression of genes involved in the use of non-preferred carbon sources.

Three-dimensional imaging of localized surface plasmon resonances of metal nanoparticles.

The remarkable optical properties of metal nanoparticles are governed by the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs). The sensitivity of each LSPR mode, whose spatial distribution and resonant energy depend on the nanoparticle structure, composition and environment, has given rise to many potential photonic, optoelectronic, catalytic, photovoltaic, and gas- and bio-sensing applications. However, the precise interplay between the three-dimensional (3D) nanoparticle structure and the LSPRs is not always fully understood and a spectrally sensitive 3D imaging technique is needed to visualize the excitation on the nanometre scale.