Endoscopic Cubital Tunnel Recurrence Rates

Cubital tunnel syndrome is the second most common nerve entrapment in the upper extremity. There are no current publications concerning the recurrence rates after endoscopic cubital tunnel release. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the recurrence rate of endoscopic cubital tunnel release compared to published reports of recurrence following open cubital tunnel procedures. We reviewed 134 consecutive cases of endoscopic cubital tunnel release in 117 patients. There were 104 cases in 94 patients with greater than 3 months follow-up. The mean follow-up time was 736 days. They were grouped using Dellon’s classification. Two literature control groups were used from published reports of recurrence rate following open cubital tunnel release. A recurrence was identified if the patient was symptom-free following surgery but had symptoms reappear 3 months or more after surgery as defined in the literature. Of the 104 cases, 92.31% had more than a 4-month follow-up. One case (0.96%) met the criteria for recurrence at 4 months postprocedure. Data were then compared to the literature control groups used from published reports of recurrence rates following open cubital tunnel release. Pooled, the combined controls had 22 of 180 cases (12.22%) with recurrences. The percentage of procedure recurrence varied significantly with p value equal to 0.0004. It is recognized that there is a lack of common classification and comparative analysis of these studies, but they do classify preoperative grading and recurrence similarly. We are 95% confident that our true recurrence rate is between 0.02% and 5.24% and that endoscopic cubital tunnel release has a recurrence rate, which is not higher than open cubital tunnel release literature controls

Relationship education and marital satisfaction in newlywed couples: A propensity score analysis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether premarital relationship education and characteristics of relationship education in a community sample of newlywed couples predicted marital trajectories over 27 months. Newlywed couples (N = 191) completed measures of marital satisfaction 9 times over 27 months, and prior to marriage they provided information about relationship education and demographic, personal, and relationship risk factors for marital distress. Propensity scores (i.e., the probability of receiving relationship education) were estimated using the marital distress risk factors, and used to derive a matched sample of 72 couples who participated in relationship education and 86 couples who did not. Multilevel analyses of the propensity score matched sample (n = 158) indicated that wives who participated in relationship education had declines in marital satisfaction while wives who did not receive relationship education maintained satisfaction over time. Furthermore, the more hours of relationship education the couple participated in, the less steeply their marital satisfaction declined. Findings indicate that participation in community-based relationship education may not prevent declines in marital satisfaction for newlywed couples. A possible explanation is that the quality of relationship education available to couples is generally poor and could be greatly improved by inclusion of empirically based relationship information and skills training that are known to lead to stronger marriages

Autism research is “all about the blokes and the kids”: autistic women breaking the silence on menopause.

Objectives: The menopause is a major transition marked by considerable challenges to health and well‐being. Its impact on autistic women has been almost largely ignored but is of significant concern, given the poorer physical and mental health, emotion regulation and coping skills, and the common social isolation of this group. We aimed to explore awareness and perception of the menopause; menopausal experiences and their impact across each individual’s life; ways that menopause with autism might differ from a non‐autistic menopause; and what optimal support might look like. Design: A qualitative interview study. Methods: Comprehensive interviews were conducted with 17 autistic participants (16 of whom identified as cisgender women). Inductive thematic analysis was used, guided by IPA principles and literature. Results: Four major themes were identified: (1) covering the long journey of our participants to recognizing autism in adulthood; (2) menopausal awareness and perceptions; (3) symptoms and their impact; and (4) ways that a neurodiverse menopause might differ from the norm. Menopausal experiences varied greatly and some participants experienced marked deterioration in daily function and coping skills, mental health, and social engagement. Menopausal awareness was often low, so too was confidence in help from health care professionals. Conclusions: These findings implicate the potential for menopause to severely compromise health and well‐being of autistic people and indicate an area of underserved support needs

Superconductivity and Spin Fluctuations in the Electron-Doped Infinitely-Layered High Tc Superconductor Sr0.9_0.9La0.1_0.1CuO2_2 (Tc=42K)

This paper describes the first 63-Cu NMR study of an electron-doped infinitely-layered high Tc superconductor Sr$_0.9$La$_0.1$CuO$_2$ (Tc=42K). The spin dynamics in the normal state above Tc exhibits qualitatively the same behavior as some hole-doped materials with significantly enhanced spin fluctuations. Below Tc, we observed no signature of a Hebel-Slichter coherence peak, suggesting an unconventional nature of the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter.Comment: Invited Paper to SNS-95 Conference (Spectroscopies on Novel Superconductors 1995 at Stanford). Also presented at Aspen Winter Conference on Superconductivity and Grenoble M^2S-HTSC in 199

IR Monitoring of the Microquasar GRS 1915+105: Detection of Orbital and Superhump Signatures

We present the results of seven years of K-band monitoring of the low-mass X-ray binary GRS 1915+105. Positive correlations between the infrared flux and the X-ray flux and X-ray hardness are demonstrated. Analysis of the frequency spectrum shows that the orbital period of the system is $P_{orb}= 30.8 \pm 0.2$ days. The phase and amplitude of the orbital modulation suggests that the modulation is due to the heating of the face of the secondary star. We also report another periodic signature between 31.2 and 31.6 days, most likely due to a superhump resonance. From the superhump period we then obtain a range on the mass ratio of the system, $0.05 < q < 0.12$.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures; v2: minor change

From Auspicious to Suspicious Evaluating the Intention and Use of Imperial Chinese Symbolism in Contemporary Fashion

A Chinese Motif Evaluation System (CMES) was developed as a tool for visual content analysis to assist in understanding the relationships between Chinese culture and aesthetics. The CMES provided a platform to associate aesthetic characteristics such as colors, motifs, and compositions to non-verbal communication cues which helped explain the meaning behind certain motifs. Thirty garment images were selected to illustrate cultural appropriation influenced by traditional Chinese aesthetics. Each set of three comparison images contained a control (an imperial-era Chinese garment) along with a contemporary Chinese apparel design and a contemporary Western apparel design of similar aesthetics to the control. The ten imperial-era Chinese garments were selected for their aesthetic characteristics and non-verbal communication cues representative of Chinese culture. Based on our CMES analysis, contemporary Chinese designers utilize cultural appropriation differently than Western designers. Chinese designers focused primarily on motif and content cultural appropriation, whereas Western designers emphasized content cultural appropriation

An enzymatic Finkelstein reaction : fluorinase catalyses direct halogen exchange

We thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK, for a research grant.The fluorinase enzyme from Streptomyces cattleya is shown to catalyse a direct displacement of bromide and iodide by fluoride ion from 5′-bromodeoxyadenosine (5′-BrDA) and 5′-iododeoxyadenosine (5′-IDA) respectively to form 5′-fluorodeoxyadenosine (5′-FDA) in the absence of L-methionine (L-Met) or S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). 5′-BrDA is the most efficient substrate for this enzyme catalysed Finkelstein reaction.PostprintPeer reviewe