1,608 research outputs found
Bone turnover markers for early detection of fracture healing disturbances: A review of the scientific literature
Imaging techniques are the standard method for assessment of fracture healing processes. However, these methods are perhaps not entirely reliable for early detection of complications, the most frequent of these being delayed union and non-union. A prompt diagnosis of such disorders could prevent prolonged patient distress and disability. Efforts should be directed towards the development of new technologies for improving accuracy in diagnosing complications following bone fractures. The variation in the levels of bone turnover markers (BTMs) have been assessed with regard to there ability to predict impaired fracture healing at an early stage, nevertheless the conclusions of some studies are not consensual. In this article the authors have revised the potential of BTMs as early predictors of prognosis in adult patients presenting traumatic bone fractures but who did not suffer from osteopenia or postmenopausal osteoporosis. The available information from the different studies performed in this field was systematized in order to highlight the most promising BTMs for the assessment of fracture healing outcome
A Microsoft-Excel-based tool for running and critically appraising network meta-analyses--an overview and application of NetMetaXL.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.BACKGROUND: The use of network meta-analysis has increased dramatically in recent years. WinBUGS, a freely available Bayesian software package, has been the most widely used software package to conduct network meta-analyses. However, the learning curve for WinBUGS can be daunting, especially for new users. Furthermore, critical appraisal of network meta-analyses conducted in WinBUGS can be challenging given its limited data manipulation capabilities and the fact that generation of graphical output from network meta-analyses often relies on different software packages than the analyses themselves. METHODS: We developed a freely available Microsoft-Excel-based tool called NetMetaXL, programmed in Visual Basic for Applications, which provides an interface for conducting a Bayesian network meta-analysis using WinBUGS from within Microsoft Excel. . This tool allows the user to easily prepare and enter data, set model assumptions, and run the network meta-analysis, with results being automatically displayed in an Excel spreadsheet. It also contains macros that use NetMetaXL's interface to generate evidence network diagrams, forest plots, league tables of pairwise comparisons, probability plots (rankograms), and inconsistency plots within Microsoft Excel. All figures generated are publication quality, thereby increasing the efficiency of knowledge transfer and manuscript preparation. RESULTS: We demonstrate the application of NetMetaXL using data from a network meta-analysis published previously which compares combined resynchronization and implantable defibrillator therapy in left ventricular dysfunction. We replicate results from the previous publication while demonstrating result summaries generated by the software. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the freely available NetMetaXL successfully demonstrated its ability to make running network meta-analyses more accessible to novice WinBUGS users by allowing analyses to be conducted entirely within Microsoft Excel. NetMetaXL also allows for more efficient and transparent critical appraisal of network meta-analyses, enhanced standardization of reporting, and integration with health economic evaluations which are frequently Excel-based.CC is a recipient of a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (funding reference number—CGV 121171) and is a trainee on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network team grant (funding reference number—116573). BH is funded by a New Investigator award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network. This research was partly supported by funding from CADTH as part of a project to develop Excel-based tools to support the conduct of health technology assessments. This research was also supported by Cornerstone Research Group
A scalar field condensation instability of rotating anti-de Sitter black holes
Near-extreme Reissner-Nordstrom-anti-de Sitter black holes are unstable
against the condensation of an uncharged scalar field with mass close to the
Breitenlohner-Freedman bound. It is shown that a similar instability afflicts
near-extreme large rotating AdS black holes, and near-extreme hyperbolic
Schwarzschild-AdS black holes. The resulting nonlinear hairy black hole
solutions are determined numerically. Some stability results for (possibly
charged) scalar fields in black hole backgrounds are proved. For most of the
extreme black holes we consider, these demonstrate stability if the ``effective
mass" respects the near-horizon BF bound. Small spherical
Reissner-Nordstrom-AdS black holes are an interesting exception to this result.Comment: 34 pages; 13 figure
Systematic review with network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of robotic-assisted arm training for improving activities of daily living and upper limb function after stroke
Hidden conformal symmetry of extreme and non-extreme Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton-Axion black holes
The hidden conformal symmetry of extreme and non-extreme
Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton-Axion (EMDA) black holes is addressed in this paper.
For the non-extreme one, employing the wave equation of massless scalars, the
conformal symmetry with left temperature and right
temperature in the near region is
found. The conformal symmetry is spontaneously broken due to the periodicity of
the azimuthal angle. The microscopic entropy is derived by the Cardy formula
and is fully in consistence with the Bekenstein-Hawking area-entropy law. The
absorption cross section in the near region is calculated and exactly equals
that in a 2D CFT. For the extreme case, by redefining the conformal
coordinates, the duality between the solution space and CFT is studied. The
microscopic entropy is found to exactly agree with the area-entropy law.Comment: V3, typos corrected, version to appear in JHE
Tartrate-resistant acid phosphate as biomarker of bone turnover over the lifespan and different physiologic stages in sheep
Currently, the best resources for assessment of bone tissue using imaging techniques are expensive and available in few medical facilities, thus serum or urinary bone turnover biomarkers could be useful as early indicators of prognosis. However, there is a wide range of variability in bone turnover markers due to several factors, such as different ages and metabolic stages, thus it is important to have as much data published on the subject as possible. The aim of this study was therefore to generate a reference range for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and validate the already published data.National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq - Brazil) PhD scholarship 202248/2015–1.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Avaliação da resistência ao cisalhamento da união entre duas ligas a base de CoCr e uma cerâmica
INTRODUCTION: Based on the importance of the integrity of the metal/ceramic interface, the purpose of this work was to
evaluate the shear bond strength of the metal-ceramic union of two Co-Cr alloys (Wirobond C, Bego; Remanium 2000, Dentaurum)
combined with Omega 900 ceramic (Vita Zahnfabrik). MATERIAL and METHOD: Eleven cylindrical matrixes were made for
each alloy, and the metallic portion was obtained with the lost wax casting technique with standardized waxing of 4mm of height
and of 4mm of diameter. The ceramic was applied according to the manufacturer’s recommendations with the aid of a teflon
matrix that allowed its dimension to be standardized in the same size as the metallic portion. The specimens were submitted to
the shear bond test in an universal testing machine (EMIC), with the aid of a device developed for such intention, and constant
speed of 0.5mm/min. RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS: The mean resistance was 48.387MPa for Wirobond C alloy, with standard
deviation of 17.718, and 55.956MPa for Remanium 2000, with standard deviation of 17.198. No statistically significant difference
was observed between the shear strength of the two metal-ceramic alloys. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMOINTRODUÇÃO: Baseados na importância da integridade da interface metal-cerâmica, este trabalho tem como objetivo
avaliar a resistência ao cisalhamento da união metal-cerâmica de duas ligas de Co-Cr (Wirobond C, Bego; Remanium 2000,
Dentaurum) combinadas com a cerâmica Omega 900 (Vita Zahnfabrik). MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foram confeccionados 11
corpos-de-prova cilíndricos para cada liga utilizada, sendo que a porção metálica foi obtida por fundição pela técnica da cera
perdida, através de enceramentos padronizados com 4mm de altura por 4mm de diâmetro. A aplicação da cerâmica foi realizada
segundo recomendações do fabricante, com auxílio de uma matriz de teflon que permitia sua padronização com as mesmas
dimensões da porção metálica. Os corpos-de-prova foram submetidos ao ensaio de resistência ao cisalhamento em máquina de
ensaios universal (EMIC), com auxílio de dispositivo desenvolvido para tal propósito, sob velocidade constante de 0,5mm/
min. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÕES: As médias de resistência obtidas foram 48,387 MPa para a liga Wirobond C, com desvio
padrão de 17,718, e 55,956 MPa para a Remanium 2000, com desvio padrão de 17,198. Após análise de variância foi possível
observar que não há diferença estatisticamente significante entre os valores de resistência ao cisalhamento das duas ligas
metalocerâmicas
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