Introduction: medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLr) is a common surgical procedure for treating patellar instability. Grafts can be fixed to the femur using a bone-tunnel technique with an interference screw. However, this may lead to femoral tunnel enlargement (FTE) post-operatively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising therapeutic delivery vehicles, although their potential is limited by a lack of efficient engineering strategies to enhance loading and functional cargo delivery. Using an in-house bioinformatics analysis, we identified N-glycosylation as a putative EV-sorting feature. PTTG1IP (a small, N-glycosylated, single-spanning transmembrane protein) was found to be a suitable scaffold for EV loading of therapeutic cargoes, with loading dependent on its N-glycosylation at two arginine residues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ability for snakes to ingest large prey (macrostomy) is a widespread, derived trait that involves distending the skin during ingestion and metabolic upregulation during digestion. The material behavior of the skin must accommodate significant stretch associated with a large prey bolus, but data remain sparse for how the material properties of snake skin vary: longitudinally within an individual, after ingesting large prey and among species. To test whether these three factors affected the mechanical properties of snake skin, we quantified uniaxial stresses and strains in circumferential loops of skin from the neck, mid-body and tail of fasted and recently fed Boa constrictor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is predicted to outstrip malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis combined as the leading infectious cause of death by 2050. Strengthening the knowledge and evidence base for AMR with surveillance and research is one of the five main objectives of the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR. While recent efforts to strengthen diagnosis and surveillance have been encouraging, these are unlikely to be sustainable without continued funding support in most low-resource settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew, first-in-class oral antibiotics like zoliflodacin, developed in a public-private partnership, require an optimal introduction strategy while ensuring antibiotic stewardship. Zoliflodacin, given as a single dose for uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhoea, recently demonstrated non-inferiority to ceftriaxone plus azithromycin and safety in a phase 3 randomised controlled trial. Following regulatory approval, zoliflodacin could improve sexually transmitted infection (STI) management and help address the threat of untreatable gonorrhoea, as levels of resistance to current first-line treatments increase.
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