Botulinum Injection in the Tensor Fasciae Latae as an Adjunct Treatment for Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Iliotibial band syndrome is a highly prevalent and painful condition characterized by anterolateral knee pain from an inflamed iliotibial band, with the current standard of care being physical therapy. However, we lack sufficient adjunct treatment options for patients with refractory iliotibial band syndrome who fail physical therapy. This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of using botulinum toxin type A injections into the tensor fasciae latae as an adjunct therapy for patients with refractory iliotibial band syndrome. With all patients receiving the same physical therapy treatment, we randomized patients to the control group of saline injection and to the treatment group of botulinum toxin type A injection. Successful use of botulinum injections will lead to significant improvement in pain and function in patients with refractory iliotibial band syndrome and open the door for its use in other muscle imbalance syndromes

Laser power conversion system analysis, volume 2

The orbit-to-ground laser power conversion system analysis investigated the feasibility and cost effectiveness of converting solar energy into laser energy in space, and transmitting the laser energy to earth for conversion to electrical energy. The analysis included space laser systems with electrical outputs on the ground ranging from 100 to 10,000 MW. The space laser power system was shown to be feasible and a viable alternate to the microwave solar power satellite. The narrow laser beam provides many options and alternatives not attainable with a microwave beam

Laser power conversion system analysis, volume 1

The orbit-to-orbit laser energy conversion system analysis established a mission model of satellites with various orbital parameters and average electrical power requirements ranging from 1 to 300 kW. The system analysis evaluated various conversion techniques, power system deployment parameters, power system electrical supplies and other critical supplies and other critical subsystems relative to various combinations of the mission model. The analysis show that the laser power system would not be competitive with current satellite power systems from weight, cost and development risk standpoints

The Structural Genomics Consortium: successful organisational technology experiment or new institutional infrastructure for health research?

In a sector characterised by patenting, direct appropriations and returns from investment, the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) constitutes a radically different public-private and entirely open access approach to pre-competitive research. This paper discusses the significance of findings from the first independent review of the SGC. We argue that the SGC offers a shared knowledge resource for drug discovery which is distinctive from other types of knowledge production and, as such, provides a knowledge infrastructure for the wider scientific community. We distinguish three ways in which this infrastructure functions as a model for investing in, extracting value from, and generating knowledge for the field. Our analysis suggests there is a future for open science models such as the SGC in health research and innovation, but that such models raise a set of challenges over the role of different public and private institutional actors and the way in which value is extracted

Expressive vocabulary predicts non-verbal executive function: a 2-year longitudinal study of deaf and hearing children

Numerous studies suggest an association between language and executive function (EF), but evidence of a developmental relationship remains inconclusive. Data were collected from 75 deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and 82 hearing age-matched controls. Children were 6-11 years old at first time of testing, and completed a battery of nonverbal EF tasks and a test of expressive vocabulary. These tasks were completed again two years later. Both groups improved their scores on all tasks over this period. DHH children performed significantly less well than hearing peers on some EF tasks and the vocabulary test at both time points. Cross-lagged panel models showed that vocabulary at Time 1 predicted change in EF scores for both DHH and hearing children but not the reverse

Muscle Protein Turnover and Tenderness in Broiler Chickens Fed Cimaterol

To investigate the impact of cimaterol (CIM) on muscle protein turnover, carcass and muscle composition, muscle cathepsin B+L activity and meat tenderness, 21-d-old broiler chickens (n = 88) were assigned to dietary treatments of either 0 or 1 ppm CIM. Fractional synthesis rates (FSR), fractional accretion rates (FAR), proximate composition and collagen content were determined in the breast muscle (BM; pectoralis major) and a group of leg muscles (LM; gastrocnemius and peroneous longus) from groups of six birds per treatment within each of two time periods (age = 38 or 56 d). Whole body composition,\u27 serum hydroxyproline content and BM cathepsin B+L activity also were measured. Fractional degradation rates (FDR) were calculated as the difference between FSR and FAR. Feeding CIM increased (P \u3c .01) whole body protein content. Weights of LM and percentage of body weight as BM and LM were increased (P \u3c .05) when CIM was included in the diet. Although FSR was)lot significantly reduced by CIM feeding, it decreased (P \u3c .05) with increasing age. Due to decreases in FAR, FDR thereby was reduced by CIM 31.5% and 11.9% in BM and 38.2% and 37.4% in LM at 38 d and 56 d of age, respectively. Cathepsin B+L activities also were reduced 33.6% (P \u3c .01) and shear forces were increased by 41% (P c .05) by CIM feeding. For chickens fed CIM, the correlation between cathepsin B+L activity and shear force was -.63 (P \u3c .01). Feeding CIM improved carcass leanness and muscling due to reductions in FDR and proteolytic enzyme activity. Feeding CIM also reduced meat tendernes

Muscle Protein Turnover and Tenderness in Broiler Chickens Fed Cimaterol

To investigate the impact of cimaterol (CIM) on muscle protein turnover, carcass and muscle composition, muscle cathepsin B+L activity and meat tenderness, 21-d-old broiler chickens (n = 88) were assigned to dietary treatments of either 0 or 1 ppm CIM. Fractional synthesis rates (FSR), fractional accretion rates (FAR), proximate composition and collagen content were determined in the breast muscle (BM; pectoralis major) and a group of leg muscles (LM; gastrocnemius and peroneous longus) from groups of six birds per treatment within each of two time periods (age = 38 or 56 d). Whole body composition,\u27 serum hydroxyproline content and BM cathepsin B+L activity also were measured. Fractional degradation rates (FDR) were calculated as the difference between FSR and FAR. Feeding CIM increased (P \u3c .01) whole body protein content. Weights of LM and percentage of body weight as BM and LM were increased (P \u3c .05) when CIM was included in the diet. Although FSR was)lot significantly reduced by CIM feeding, it decreased (P \u3c .05) with increasing age. Due to decreases in FAR, FDR thereby was reduced by CIM 31.5% and 11.9% in BM and 38.2% and 37.4% in LM at 38 d and 56 d of age, respectively. Cathepsin B+L activities also were reduced 33.6% (P \u3c .01) and shear forces were increased by 41% (P c .05) by CIM feeding. For chickens fed CIM, the correlation between cathepsin B+L activity and shear force was -.63 (P \u3c .01). Feeding CIM improved carcass leanness and muscling due to reductions in FDR and proteolytic enzyme activity. Feeding CIM also reduced meat tendernes

Facing Facts: Facial Injuries from Stand-up Electric Scooters

Background Stand-up electric scooters (SES) are a popular public transportation method. Numerous safety concerns have arisen since their recent introduction. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients presenting to the emergency departments in Indianapolis, who sustained SES-related injuries. Results A total of 89 patients were included in our study. The average patient age was 29 ± 12.9 years in a predominantly male cohort (65.2%). No patient was documented as wearing a helmet during the event of injury. Alcohol intoxication was noted in 14.6% of accidents. Falling constituted the leading trauma mechanism (46.1%). Injuries were most common on Saturday (24.7%) from 14h00 to 21h59 (55.1%). Injury types included: abrasions/contusions (33.7%), fractures (31.5%), lacerations (27.0%), or joint injuries (18.0%). The head and neck region (H&N) was the most frequently affected site (42.7%). Operative management under general anesthesia was necessary for 13.5% of injuries. Nonoperative management primarily included conservative orthopedic care (34.8%), pain management with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (34.8%) and/or opioids (4.5%), bedside laceration repairs (27.0%), and wound dressing (10.1%). Individuals sustaining head and neck injuries were more likely to be older (33.8 vs. 25.7 years, p=0.003), intoxicated by alcohol (29.0% vs. 3.9%, p=0.002), and requiring CT imaging (60.5% vs. 9.8%, p <0.001). Conclusion Although SESs provide a convenient transportation modality, unregulated use raises significant safety concerns. More data need to be collected to guide future safety regulations

Impact of wild-type and genetically modified Pseudomonas fluorescens on soil enzyme activities and microbial population structure in the rhizosphere of pea

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com. Copyright Blackwell Publishing DOI : 10.1046/j.1365-294x.1998.00367.xThe aim of this work was to determine the impact of wild type along with functionally and non-functionally modified Pseudomonas fluorescens strains in the rhizosphere. The wild type F113 strain carried a gene encoding the production of the antibiotic 2,4 diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) useful in plant disease control, and was marked with a lacZY gene cassette. The first modified strain was a functional modification of strain F113 with repressed production of DAPG, creating the DAPG negative strain F113 G22. The second paired comparison was a non-functional modification of wild type (unmarked) strain SBW25, constructed to carry marker genes only, creating strain SBW25 EeZY-6KX. Significant perturbations were found in the indigenous bacterial population structure, with the F113, (DAPG+) strain causing a shift towards slower growing colonies (K strategists) compared with the non-antibiotic producing derivative (F113 G22) and the SBW25 strains. The DAPG+ strain also significantly reduced, in comparison with the other inocula, the total Pseudomonas populations but did not affect the total microbial populations. The survival of F113 and F113 G22 were an order of magnitude lower than the SBW 25 strains. The DAPG+ strain caused a significant decrease in the shoot to root ratio in comparison to the control and other inoculants, indicating plant stress. F113 increased soil alkaline phosphatase, phosphodiesterase and aryl sulphatase activities compared to the other inocula, which themselves reduced the same enzyme activities compared to the control. In contrast to this, the -glucosidase, -galactosidase and N-acetyl glucosaminidase activities decreased with the inoculation of the DAPG+ strain. These results indicate that soil enzymes are sensitive to the impact of GMM inoculation.Peer reviewe

"Meniscal" scar as a landmark for the joint line in revision total knee replacement

$\textbf{AIM}$: To determine whether tissue identified at the joint line was actually remnant "meniscal" scar tissue or not. $\textbf{METHODS}$: Nine patients undergoing revision knee surgery following informed consent had meniscal scar tissue sent to the histology department for analyses. All revisions were performed where joint line had been raised or lowered at earlier surgery. Although preoperative radiographic evaluations suggested that the joint line had been altered, intraoperatively there was scar tissue at the level of the recreated joint line. This scar tissue has traditionally been described as meniscal scar, and to identify the origins of this tissue, samples were sent for histological analyses. The tissue samples were stored in formalin, and embedded and sectioned before undergoing histochemical staining. All samples underwent macroscopic and microscopic examination by a histopathologist who was blind to the study aims. The specific features that were examined included tissue organisation, surface and central composition, cellular distribution including histiocytes, nuclear ratio and vasculature. Atypical and malignant features, inflammation and degeneration were specifically looked for. A statistical review of the study was performed by a biomedical statistician. $\textbf{RESULTS}$: The histological findings for the nine patients showing the macroscopic and microscopic findings, and the conclusion are outlined in a Table. The histological analyses were reviewed to determine whether the tissue samples were likely to be meniscal scar tissue. The response was yes (2, 22%), no (6, 67%) and maybe (1, 11%) based on the conclusions. The results were "yes" when on macroscopy, firm cream tissue was identified. In these two "yes" samples, microscopic analyses showed organised fibrous tissue with focal degenerative areas with laminated pattern associated with histiocytes peripherally but no inflammation. The "no" samples were assessed macroscopically and microscopically and were deemed to have appearances representing fibrous synovial tissue and features in keeping with degenerate scar tissue or connective tissue. One sample was indeterminate and microscopically contained fibro-collagenous tissue with synovial hyperplasia. It also contained some degenerate hyalinised tissue that may represent cartilage, but the appearances were not specific. $\textbf{CONCLUSION}$: Based on our pilot study, we recommend reliance on a number of markers to identify the joint line as outlined above, and to exercise caution in using the "meniscal" scar