Gillespiepadgett7774

The intervertebral disc (IVD) is made up of the annulus fibrosus (AF) and the nucleus pulposus (NP)-an inert hydrated complex. The ability of the IVD to deform is correlated to that of the NP and depends on its hydration. As the IVD ages, its hydration decreases along with its ability to deform. Antibiotics chemical In adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, one of the etiological hypotheses pertains to the IVD, thus making its condition relevant for the diagnosis and monitoring of this pathology.

IVD hydration depends on sex, age and spine level in an asymptomatic pediatric population. The corollary is data on a control group of healthy subjects.

A cohort of 98 subjects with normal spine MRI was enrolled; their mean age was 13.3 years. The disc volume and hydration of each IVD was evaluated on T2-weighted MRI sequences, using previously validated image processing software. This evaluation focused on the lumbar spine, from the thoracolumbar junction to the lumbosacral junction. It was assumed that IVD hydration was related to the ratio of NP and AF volumes. A mixed multivariate linear analysis was used to explore the impact of age, sex and spinal level on disc hydration.

Disc hydration was higher overall in boys than in girls, but this difference was not significant. Hydration increased with age by +0.005 for each additional year (p=0.0213). Disc hydration appears to be higher at the thoracolumbar junction than the lumbar spine, although this difference was not significant.

Through this MRI study, we established a database of non-pathological lumbar disc hydration as a function of age, sex and spinal segment along with 95% confidence intervals.

IV.

IV.

Tribological studies have shown that the most used couples for hip prostheses consist of metal-on-polyethylene and alumina-on-alumina prostheses. Over time, wear products accumulate in the joint cavity and in the periprosthetic tissues. Although polyethylene and metal are easily identifiable by microscopy in periprosthetic tissues, alumina particles are very difficult to identify.

The fluorescent azo-dye lumogallion was evaluated as a suitable histochemical stain for alumina particles in periprosthetic tissues.

In 28 patients who had a prosthetic revision of an alumina-on-alumina prosthesis, periprosthetic tissues were removed and embedded in paraffin; sections were stained with HPS (for conventional diagnosis) or with lumogallion. Sections were examined for wear particles in light and fluorescence microscopy. Some sections were counter-stained using DAPI for visualization of cell nuclei.

The wear particles of the alumina-alumina prostheses were very difficult to identify on the HPS stained sections; they were clearly evidenced by lumogallion staining with a bright orange fluorescence. The stain revealed large quantities of particles (of the order of several thousand per section). Only two patients had no particles. The staining technique identified numerous particles that were not visible on HPS-stained sections in macrophages, synoviocytes and fibroblasts.

This staining, which has been validated in neuromuscular pathology for the identification of alumina used as a vaccine adjuvant, gave successful results in the present study. Alumina particles are modified when they are phagocytized by macrophages. lumogallion staining easily shows the presence of thousands of wear particles released by alumina-on-alumina prostheses in periprosthetic tissues.

V expert opinion study.

V expert opinion study.

Sagittal alignment and thoracic cage parameters are correlated with the surgery success rate and life quality of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, the effects of the long-term bracing on sagittal and thoracic cage parameters have not been clearly recognized.

Long-term brace treatment could compromise sagittal balance and thoracic development in patients with AIS.

Two hundred and seventy-five patients with AIS were included in this study. The radiographs when AIS was diagnosed and 2 years after Chêneau bracing treatment were collected. Sagittal, cervical, pelvic, and thoracic cage parameters were evaluated. In addition, 32 patients finishing brace treatment with complete radiograph data were selected from included 275 patients and the data of CL, TK and LL at five different time points was collected.

CL (average from 14.13° to 8.94°, p=0.012), TK (average from 24.35° to 19.02°, p=0.001) and LL (average from 38.44° to 32.13°, p=0.004) underwent observably decline after two-year brace treatment. No statistically significant alteration of pelvic parameters was shown. The vertical parameters of thoracic cage including T1-12 height, left and right thorax height and thoracic transverse diameter increased significantly. Thoracic anteroposterior diameter at the T7 vertebral level (average from 11.49 to 10.57cm, p=0.001) and diaphragm level (average from 11.89 to 10.74cm, p=0.001) decreased significantly after bracing.

CL, TK and LL decreased after long-term bracing treatment, which lead to the aggravation of "flat back" in AIS patients. In addition, the thoracic anteroposterior diameters declined after two-year bracing, which may result from reduced TK and contribute to further pulmonary function impairment.

IV.

IV.

FimH adhesin is proposed to enhance Escherichia coli kidney infection by acting with PapGII adhesin, but genetic epidemiology study and animal study have not been widely conducted to confirm this hypothesis.

We compared the prevalence of adhesin gene and their coexistent pattern between upper and lower urinary tract infection (UTI) strains. fimH mutant (EC114FM), papGII mutant (EC114PM) and fimH/papGII double mutant (EC114DM) were constructed from a pylonephritogenic strain (EC114). We compared among these strains for the infection ability in bladders and kidneys of female BALB/c mice challenged transurethrally with these bacteria and assessed 1, 3, and 7 days after inoculation.

Strains carrying fimH-only genotype were significantly more prevalent in lower UTI (P<0.001). Strains carrying the fimH/papGII, but not papGII-only, were significantly associated with upper UTI (P=0.001). Incidence of kidney infection increased after inoculation with EC114 on days 1 and 3, at both low and high dose, as compared with EC114DM; and the effect was greater than the sum of individual effect of EC114PM and EC114FM.