Short femoral stem and porous titanium: winning combination?

A lot of different implants are available in hip replacement arthroplasty (THA), stems differ mainly by type of fixation, material, length, diameter, shape, surface coating, modularity, etc. The main quality of a non-cemented stem is to pursuit primary and secondary stability, to preserve bone stock, to be adaptable and modular. The literature shows that the most popular non cemented stems used in THA are metaphyseal femoral stem in which the distal portion has only the action to avoid varus stem placement but can also be a source of complications such as stress shielding.

Distinguishing visceral leishmaniasis from intolerance to pegylated interferon-alpha in a thalassemic splenectomized patient treated for chronic hepatitis C.

A 37-year-old splenectomized man affected by beta-thalassemia and chronic hepatitis, recently treated with pegylated interferon-alpha (Peg-IFN), was admitted because of elevated fever lasting 3 months and unresponsiveness to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Laboratory studies showed white blood cell and platelet counts within the normal range but lower than observed before Peg-IFN treatment and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The blood transfusion rate was reported to be increased compared with the period preceding Peg-IFN treatment.

Pneumococcal meningitis in childhood: a longitudinal prospective study.

After implementation of programmes for active immunization against Haemophilus influenzae b, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis became the most common agents of bacterial meningitis in childhood. Over a 9-year period, children showing clinical and laboratory findings of meningitis on the basis of their positive cultures of blood or cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) for S. pneumoniae were enrolled.

Four cases of meningitis by streptococci other than pneumoniae in adults: clinical and microbiological features.

Meningitis sustained by streptococci other than pneumoniae, infrequent in community medicine, is emerging as a hospital-acquired infection. We describe four cases of meningitis caused by streptococci other than pneumoniae in adults.

Combined treatment with ceftriaxone and linezolid of pneumococcal meningitis: a case series including penicillin-resistant strains.

This study evaluated the role of linezolid in the treatment of patients suffering from pneumococcal meningitis. Treatment included ceftriaxone (4000 mg every 24 h), linezolid (600 mg every 12 h) and dexamethasone (8 mg every 6 h). Linezolid was withdrawn if a penicillin-susceptible isolate of Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified.