Using a combination of three clinical tests for detecting meniscal tears increases the accuracy of the clinical examination.

Background: Recent studies indicate that using combination of two or more clinical tests for detecting meniscal tear gets a higher sensitivity and specificity than any clinical test performed individually.

Methods: The study involved 84 participants who were divided into two groups: the "OP group" consisting of participants diagnosed with a meniscal tear and who consequently underwent arthroscopic meniscectomy, and the "CN group" comprising of healthy participants with no history of knee injury. Two independent observers (orthopedic surgeons) recorded the results of six clinical tests: Thessaly Test, joint line tenderness, McMurray Test, Ege Test, Steinmann I Test, and atrophy of the thigh muscles.

Current practice variations in the management of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in Croatia.

Aim: To investigate current preferences and opinions on the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in Croatia.

Methods: The survey was conducted using a questionnaire which was sent by e-mail to all 189 members of the Croatian Orthopaedic and Traumatology Association. Only respondents who had performed at least one ACL reconstruction during 2011 were asked to fill out the questionnaire.

Monitoring, removal and risk assessment of cytostatic drugs in hospital wastewater.

Cytostatic agents are applied in cancer therapy and subsequently excreted into hospital wastewater. As these substances are known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction, they should be removed from wastewater at their source of origin. In this study the fate and effects of the cancerostatic platinum compounds (CPC) cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the anthracyclines doxorubicin, daunorubicin and epirubicin were investigated in hospital wastewater.

Fate of cancerostatic platinum compounds in biological wastewater treatment of hospital effluents.

The present work focuses on the fate of two cancerostatic platinum compounds (CPC), cisplatin and carboplatin, as well as of two inorganic platinum compounds, [PtCl(4)](2-) and [PtCl(6)](2-) in biological wastewater treatment. Laboratory experiments modelling adsorption of these compounds onto activated sludge showed promising specific adsorption coefficients K(D) and K(OC) and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. However, the adsorption properties of the investigated substances were differing significantly.

Determination of activated sludge biological activity using model corrected CO2 off-gas data.

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) online off-gas monitoring is useful to detect changes in biological activity for activated sludge systems especially under limited oxygen conditions like under simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) where respirometric measurements are not applicable. So far, the influence of the bicarbonate system on the liquid-gas transfer of CO(2) prevented the wider use of off-gas CO(2) for monitoring purposes in wastewater treatment. The objective of the paper is to demonstrate a practical method to correct measured off-gas CO(2) as an indicator of biological activity by taking into account pH shifts (resulting in CO(2) release or retention) and changes in influent alkalinity.