"Mechanical Integrity Assessment of Polymethylmethacrylate Bone Cement Incorporating Local Anesthetics: Implications for Joint Arthroplasty".

Background: Effective management of postsurgical pain following arthroplasty remains a challenge, lacking a definitive gold standard. As most knee and hip arthroplasties are cemented or hybrid, we used the property of bone cement as a drug carrier and added powdered local anesthetics (lidocaine hydrochloride and bupivacaine hydrochloride) to the polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as analgesics. However, the addition of drugs to bone cement may compromise its mechanical properties, necessitating a thorough analysis.

Distortions and gender-related differences in the perception of mechanical engineering in high school students.

Background: The reason for this study was the low interest that high school students, particularly females, show for the subject of mechanical engineering (ME). We assumed that this problem was partly due to: (a) lack of understanding of the tasks involved in ME, and (b) a distorted and negative perception of the professional environment and working conditions.

Method: To assess these two assumptions, two measurement instruments (tasks and perceptions) were developed and administered in a sample of 496 high school students.