Shared Decision-Making in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Understanding Surgeon and Patient Perspectives Regarding When It Is Time for Surgery.

Background: Although total hip and total knee arthroplasty are highly successful operations, the decision of whether and when to undergo surgery is highly subjective and discretionary, and specific guidelines regarding readiness for surgery remain elusive. The nature of these decisions underscores the importance of shared decision-making, which is founded on the concept that patients substantially contribute to determining their own readiness for surgery. The OPTION survey was developed as a conversation aid to facilitate shared decision-making in the context of total joint arthroplasty.

Validation of the schema coping inventory for dysfunctional coping strategies.

Introduction: According to the theoretical model of Schema Therapy, each human being has basic needs that require natural satisfaction from childhood. When these emotional needs are frustrated, early maladaptive schemas (EMS) develop, leading to coping styles that are strategies to manage the pain caused by activated EMS. The study validates and standardizes the Schema Coping Inventory in the Italian population and evaluates correlations between psychological variables and the SCI.

Morphological and Mechanical Property Differences in Trapeziometacarpal Ligaments of Healthy and Osteoarthritic Female Joints.

Purpose: To identify changes in morphological and mechanical properties in the volar ligament complex (VLC), dorsoradial ligaments (DRL), and posterior oblique ligaments (POL) in healthy and osteoarthritic female trapeziometacarpal (TMC) joints.

Methods: Twenty-four fresh-frozen female cadaveric TMCs were separated into (1) younger healthy/early-stage osteoarthritic, (2) elder healthy/early-stage osteoarthritic, and (3) advanced-stage osteoarthritic groups based on age and Eaton-Littler grading. Stress relaxation and load-to-failure testing were performed to characterize mechanical tensile properties.

IMMUNOREACT 9 metachronous rectal cancers have high HLA-ABC expression on healthy epithelium but a lower infiltration of CD3+ T cells than primary lesions.

Lynch syndrome is rarely associated with rectal cancer (RC) and thus, metachronous RC has been scarcely investigated. This study aimed to analyze the mucosal immune microenvironment in sporadic and metachronous RC. We analyzed the mucosal immune microenvironment in the 25 metachronous RCs present in the IMMUNOREACT 1 and 2 multicentre observational studies (624 patients).

IMMUNOREACT 8: Immune markers of local tumor spread in patients undergoing transanal excision for clinically N0 rectal cancer.

Background: Transanal excision of rectal cancer can be considered the definitive surgical treatment if the depth spread is T1 or lower, and the lesion is completely included within the resection margin. This study aims to analyze the immune microenvironment in healthy rectal mucosa as a possible predictor of tumor infiltration depth, lateral tumor spread, and recurrence of rectal cancer after transanal local excision.

Methods: This study is a subanalysis of data from the IMMUNOREACT 1 and 2 trials (NCT04915326 and NCT04917263, respectively) including all the patients who underwent transanal excision of rectal cancer.

Body weight variability as a predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in type 1 diabetes: A nationwide cohort study.

Aim: Intraindividual body weight variability (BWV), that is, the degree of weight fluctuations over time, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in multiple settings. The impact of BWV on cardiovascular risk in type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains unclear, despite the issues relative to weight management in individuals with this condition.

Materials And Methods: Using data from the Swedish National Diabetes Register, we identified individuals with T1D and without CVD at baseline with at least three measurements of body weight taken over three consecutive years.

Chemical and Resistive Switching Properties of Extract-Carboxymethyl Cellulose Composite: A Potential Active Layer for Biodegradable Memory Devices.

Biodegradable electronic devices play a crucial role in addressing the escalating issue of electronic waste accumulation, which poses significant environmental threats. In this study, we explore the utilization of a methanol-based extract of the plant blended with a carboxymethyl cellulose biopolymer to produce a biodegradable and environmentally friendly functional material for a resistive switching memory system using silver and tungsten electrodes. Our analyses revealed that these two materials chemically interact to generate a perfect composite with near semiconducting optical bandgap (4.

Light-driven Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenase Catalysis Mediated by Type I Photosensitizers.

The use of light as abundant, renewable, and clean energy source to boost lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) reactions represents an exciting and yet under-explored opportunity. Herein we demonstrated that photosensitizers, commonly used in photodynamic therapy, which act through the photocatalytic Type I mechanism can drive the oxidation of PASC by LPMOs, whereas Type II photosensitizers are not capable of promoting the LPMO activity. We analyzed Type I and Type II photosensitizers (methylene blue and tetraiodide salt of meso-tetrakis-(4-N-methylpyridyl) porphyrin, respectively) and demonstrated that, even without an addition of external reductant, Type I was capable of boosting Thermothelomyces thermophila MtLPMO9A activity in the presence of light.

Inflammatory Trajectory of Type 2 Diabetes: Novel Opportunities for Early and Late Treatment.

Low-grade inflammation (LGI) represents a key driver of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its associated cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Indeed, inflammatory markers such as hs-CRP and IL-6 predict the development of T2D and its complications, suggesting that LGI already increases before T2D diagnosis and remains elevated even after treatment. Overnutrition, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, obesity, and aging are all recognized triggers of LGI, promoting insulin resistance and sustaining the pathogenesis of T2D.

DNA Methylation-derived biological age and long-term mortality risk in subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) face an increased mortality risk, not fully captured by canonical risk factors. Biological age estimation through DNA methylation (DNAm), i.e.

Complete photodynamic inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm with use of potassium iodide and its comparison with enzymatic pretreatment.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative bacterium, accounts for 7% of all hospital-acquired infections. Despite advances in medicine and antibiotic therapy, P. aeruginosa infection still results in high mortality rates of up to 62% in certain patient groups.

Sugarcane bagasse derived xylooligosaccharides produced by an arabinofuranosidase/xylobiohydrolase from Bifidobacterium longum in synergism with xylanases.

Arabinoxylan is a major hemicellulose in the sugarcane plant cell wall with arabinose decorations that impose steric restrictions on the activity of xylanases against this substrate. Enzymatic removal of the decorations by arabinofuranosidases can allow a more efficient arabinoxylan degradation by xylanases. Here we produced and characterized a recombinant Bifidobacterium longum arabinofuranosidase from glycoside hydrolase family 43 (BlAbf43) and applied it, together with GH10 and GH11 xylanases, to produce xylooligosaccharides (XOS) from wheat arabinoxylan and alkali pretreated sugarcane bagasse.

Extracellular vesicles as human therapeutics: A scoping review of the literature.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by all cells and contribute to cell-to-cell communication. The capacity of EVs to target specific cells and to efficiently deliver a composite profile of functional molecules have led researchers around the world to hypothesize their potential as therapeutics. While studies of EV treatment in animal models are numerous, their actual clinical benefit in humans has more slowly started to be tested.

Two-domain GH30 xylanase from human gut microbiota as a tool for enzymatic production of xylooligosaccharides: Crystallographic structure and a synergy with GH11 xylosidase.

Production of value-added compounds and sustainable materials from agro-industrial residues is essential for better waste management and building of circular economy. This includes valorization of hemicellulosic fraction of plant biomass, the second most abundant biopolymer from plant cell walls, aiming to produce prebiotic oligosaccharides, widely explored in food and feed industries. In this work, we conducted biochemical and biophysical characterization of a prokaryotic two-domain R.

Organ-specific biological clocks: Ageotyping for personalized anti-aging medicine.

Aging is a complex multidimensional, progressive remodeling process affecting multiple organ systems. While many studies have focused on studying aging across multiple organs, assessment of the contribution of individual organs to overall aging processes is a cutting-edge issue. An organ's biological age might influence the aging of other organs, revealing a multiorgan aging network.

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events.

Background: Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease in preclinical studies. Direct evidence that this risk extends to humans is lacking.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, multicenter, observational study involving patients who were undergoing carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid artery disease.

Feasibility of a Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Program at Nationwide Level in General Practice: A Pilot Study in Italy.

Background: Lifestyle interventions halt the progression of prediabetes to frank type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the feasibility of a diabetes prevention program promoting tailored interventions on a national scale and conducted by primary care physicians is unclear.

Methods: General practitioners located in ten different regions throughout Italy enrolled random subjects without known metabolic diseases to identify individuals with prediabetes and prescribe them an intervention based on physical activity.

Molecular mechanism of cellulose depolymerization by the two-domain BlCel9A enzyme from the glycoside hydrolase family 9.

Carbohydrate-active enzymes from the glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) play a key role in processing lignocellulosic biomass. Although the structural features of some GH9 enzymes are known, the molecular mechanisms that drive their interactions with cellulosic substrates remain unclear. To investigate the molecular mechanisms that the two-domain Bacillus licheniformis BlCel9A enzyme utilizes to depolymerize cellulosic substrates, we used a combination of biochemical assays, X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering, and molecular dynamics simulations.

AOA Critical Issues Symposium: So, You Want to Be a Department Leader: Essentials for Success.

Most health systems are vertically integrated, and the leaders of orthopaedic surgery departments or service lines must have a comprehensive understanding of their role in the strategic plan of the health system. Orthopaedic surgery departments must be profitable while supporting the tripartite mission of excellence in clinical care, research, and education. This symposium had 4 specific objectives: to discuss how to (1) create synergy between the department or service line and the health system, (2) develop a strategy to enhance financial stability and revenue growth, (3) develop a comprehensive plan to enhance recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, and (4) consider alternative strategies to foster education and research, even when the health system may be more focused on revenue generation.

On the Elusive Crystallography of Lithium-Rich Layered Oxides: Novel Structural Models.

Lithium-rich layered oxides (LRLOs) are one of the most attractive families among future positive electrode materials for the so-called fourth generation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Their electrochemical performance is enabled by the unique ambiguous crystal structure that is still not well understood despite decades of research. In the literature, a clear structural model able to describe their crystallographic features is missing thereby hindering a clear rationalization of the interplay between synthesis, structure, and functional properties.

Microglia Polarization and Antiglioma Effects Fostered by Dual Cell Membrane-Coated Doxorubicin-Loaded Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanoflakes.

Microglial cells play a critical role in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) progression, which is considered a highly malignant brain cancer. The activation of microglia can either promote or inhibit GBM growth depending on the stage of the tumor development and on the microenvironment conditions. The current treatments for GBM have limited efficacy; therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel and efficient strategies for drug delivery and targeting: in this context, a promising strategy consists of using nanoplatforms.