Current knowledge in orthopaedic surgery on recommending sport activities after total hip and knee replacement

The increasing number of younger patients with total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty sets higher demands on the postoperative quality of life. When it comes to athletic activity, recommendations and guidelines for sports remain unclear.We have reviewed published literature to determine the extent to which patients resume their athletic activities postoperatively, and what would be the best choice. Golf and double tennis remain the most recommended activities. No-impact, low power sports like swimming and bicycling are generally allowed. Jogging is not considered as a factor for short-term implant failure, but a long-term analysis is needed. Contact and high-impact sports like football or basketball are not recommended. There are no recommendations regarding alpinism and field hockey

Impact of the gold support on the electrocatalytic oxidation of sugars at enzyme-modified electrodes

The influence of gold support on the bioelectrocatalytic activity of glucose oxidase and cellobiose dehydrogenase immobilized on self-assembled monolayer-modified high surface area gold electrodes such as rough gold and gold nanoparticles has been studied. The two types of enzyme-modified electrodes showed very high activity towards sugar oxidation. However, it has been shown that the largest part of this electrocatalytic activity comes from the underlying gold surface. These findings are of special importance for bioelectrochemical studies of enzymatic electrodes, where the immobilization support might show electrocatalytic properties toward the substrates of investigated enzymes

Scale up of Transmembrane NADH Oxidation in Synthetic Giant Vesicles

The transfer of electrons across and along biological membranes drives the cellular energetics. In the context of artificial cells, it can be mimicked by minimal means, while using synthetic alternatives of the phospholipid bilayer and the electron-transducing proteins. Furthermore, the scaling up to biologically relevant and optically accessible dimensions may provide further insight and allow assessment of individual events but has been rarely attempted so far. Here, we visualized the mediated transmembrane oxidation of encapsulated NADH in giant unilamellar vesicles via confocal laser scanning and time-correlated single photon counting wide-field microscopy. To this end, we first augmented phospholipid membranes with an amphiphilic copolymer in order to check its influence on the oxidation kinetics spectrophotometrically. Then, we scaled up the compartments and followed the process microscopically

Archaeosomes for Oral Drug Delivery: From Continuous Microfluidics Production to Powdered Formulations

Archaeosomes were manufactured from natural archaeal lipids by a microfluidics-assisted single-step production method utilizing a mixture of di- and tetraether lipids extracted from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the exceptional stability of archaeosomes as potential carriers for oral drug delivery, with a focus on powdered formulations. The archaeosomes were negatively charged with a size of approximately 100 nm and a low polydispersity index. To assess their suitability for oral delivery, the archaeosomes were loaded with two model drugs: calcein, a fluorescent compound, and insulin, a peptide hormone. The archaeosomes demonstrated high stability in simulated intestinal fluids, with only 5% of the encapsulated compounds being released after 24 h, regardless of the presence of degrading enzymes or extremely acidic pH values such as those found in the stomach. In a co-culture cell model system mimicking the intestinal barrier, the archaeosomes showed strong adhesion to the cell membranes, facilitating a slow release of contents. The archaeosomes were loaded with insulin in a single-step procedure achieving an encapsulation efficiency of approximately 35%. These particles have been exposed to extreme manufacturing temperatures during freeze-drying and spray-drying processes, demonstrating remarkable resilience under these harsh conditions. The fabrication of stable dry powder formulations of archaeosomes represents a promising advancement toward the development of solid dosage forms for oral delivery of biological drugs

Mechanical dispersion is associated with poor outcome in heart failure with a severely depressed left ventricular function and bundle branch blocks

<p><b>Objectives:</b> Bundle branch blocks (BBB)-related mechanical dyssynchrony and dispersion may improve patient selection for device therapy, but their effect on the natural history of this patient population is unknown.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> A total of 155 patients with LVEF ≤ 35% and BBB, not treated with device therapy, were included. Mechanical dyssynchrony was defined as the presence of either septal flash or apical rocking. Contraction duration was assessed as time interval from the electrocardiographic R-(Q-)wave to peak longitudinal strain in each of 17 left ventricular segments. Mechanical dispersion was defined as either the standard deviation of all time intervals (dispersion_SD) or as the difference between the longest and shortest time intervals (dispersion_delta). Patients were followed for cardiac mortality during a median period of 33 months.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Mechanical dyssynchrony was not associated with survival. More pronounced mechanical dispersion_delta was found in patients with dyssynchrony than in those without. In the multivariate regression analysis, patients’ functional class, diabetes mellitus and dispersion_delta were independently associated with mortality.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Mechanical dispersion, but not dyssynchrony, was independently associated with mortality and it may be useful for risk stratification of patients with heart failure (HF) and BBB.Key Messages</p><p>Mechanical dispersion, measured by strain echocardiography, is associated with poor outcome in heart failure with a severely depressed left ventricular function and bundle branch blocks.</p><p>Mechanical dispersion may be useful for risk stratification of patients with heart failure and bundle branch blocks.</p><p></p> <p>Mechanical dispersion, measured by strain echocardiography, is associated with poor outcome in heart failure with a severely depressed left ventricular function and bundle branch blocks.</p> <p>Mechanical dispersion may be useful for risk stratification of patients with heart failure and bundle branch blocks.</p

Thiolated Chitosan Conjugated Liposomes for Oral Delivery of Selenium Nanoparticles

This study aimed to design a hybrid oral liposomal delivery system for selenium nanoparticles (Lip-SeNPs) to improve the bioavailability of selenium. Thiolated chitosan, a multifunctional polymer with mucoadhesive properties, was used for surface functionalization of Lip-SeNPs. Selenium nanoparticle (SeNP)-loaded liposomes were manufactured by a single step microfluidics-assisted chemical reduction and assembling process. Subsequently, chitosan-N-acetylcysteine was covalently conjugated to the preformed Lip-SeNPs. The Lip-SeNPs were characterized in terms of composition, morphology, size, zeta potential, lipid organization, loading efficiency and radical scavenging activity. A co-culture system (Caco-2:HT29-MTX) that integrates mucus secreting and enterocyte-like cell types was used as a model of the human intestinal epithelium to determine adsorption, mucus penetration, release and transport properties of Lip-SeNPs in vitro. Thiolated Lip-SeNPs were positively charged with an average size of about 250 nm. Thiolated Lip-SeNPs tightly adhered to the mucus layer without penetrating the enterocytes. This finding was consistent with ex vivo adsorption studies using freshly excised porcine small intestinal tissues. Due to the improved mucoadhesion and retention in a simulated microenvironment of the small intestine, thiolated Lip-SeNPs might be a promising tool for oral selenium delivery