Surgical treatment for early osteoarthritis, part II: allografts and concurrent procedures

Young patients with early osteoarthritis (OA) represent a challenging population due to a combination of high functional demands and limited treatment options. Conservative measures such as injection and physical therapy can provide short-term pain relief but are only palliative in nature. Joint replacement, a successful procedure in the older population, is controversial in younger patients, who are less satisfied and experience higher failure rates. Therefore, while traditionally not indicated for the treatment of OA, cartilage repair has become a focus of increased interest due to its potential to provide pain relief and alter the progression of degenerative disease, with the hope of delaying or obviating the need for joint replacement. The field of cartilage repair is seeing the rapid development of new technologies that promise greater ease of application, less demanding rehabilitation and better outcomes. Concurrent procedures such as meniscal transplantation and osteotomy, however, remain of crucial importance to provide a normalized biomechanical environment for these new technologies

Rastni odziv navadne kostrebe (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Pb.) na povečano koncentracijo CO2 v tleh - izkušnje iz zaplinjevalnega poskusa

Background: Cellulose-based materials have been used for centuries to manufacture different goods derived from forestry and agricultural sources. In the growing field of nanocellulose applications, its uniquely engineered properties are instrumental for inventive products coming to competitive markets. Due to their high aspect ratio and stiffness, it is speculated that cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) may cause similar pulmonary toxicity as carbon nanotubes and asbestos, thus posing a potential negative impact on public health and the environment. Methods: The present study was undertaken to investigate the pulmonary outcomes induced by repeated exposure to respirable CNC. C57BL/6 female and male mice were exposed by pharyngeal aspiration to CNC (40 μg/mouse) 2 times a week for 3 weeks. Several biochemical endpoints and pathophysiological outcomes along with gene expression changes were evaluated and compared in the lungs of male and female mice. Results: Exposure to respirable CNC caused pulmonary inflammation and damage, induced oxidative stress, elevated TGF-β and collagen levels in lung, and impaired pulmonary functions. Notably, these effects were markedly more pronounced in females compared to male mice. Moreover, sex differences in responses to pulmonary exposure to CNC were also detected at the level of global mRNA expression as well as in inflammatory cytokine/chemokine activity. Conclusions: Overall, our results indicate that there are considerable differences in responses to respirable CNC based on gender with a higher pulmonary toxicity observed in female mice

Trauma and parenting: Considering humanitarian crisis contexts

This chapter uses a risk and resilience framework to examine three humanitarian crisis contexts (natural disasters, war exposure, and forced displacement) that represent potentially traumatic events in the lives of children around the world. For each context, the existing research relating to: adverse child mental health outcomes; risk and protective factors (at the level of the individual child/youth, parent/family, and community); and parenting interventions is reviewed. Although parenting interventions are frequently recommended for families in each of the three settings, very little empirical research has been conducted to date. Across the three humanitarian crisis contexts, common risk factors for adverse child outcomes include exposure to trauma for children and parents, parental mental health, changes in parenting behaviors, hardships and financial stress, domestic and community violence, and a lack of accessible services. Equally important, common protective factors include stable supportive parental relationships, strong family connectedness, and sustainable resources available to support families. The importance of parents—in terms of both risk and resilience—is clear. Few culturally appropriate and sustainable parenting interventions exist, with even less published research evaluating these interventions. Strengthening families is an empirically supported means of buffering or protecting children from exposure to disaster, conflict, and forced displacement; and must be the focus of future endeavors