Medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy: A retrospective review of patient outcomes over 10 years

Objectives: High tibial osteotomy (HTO) has become a well-established treatment for unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee. Over the last 30 years, various techniques have been introduced to advance this procedure. The purpose of this study is to review the outcomes of patients who received medial opening wedge HTO over the last ten years (2002-2012) using a modern, low profile, medially based fixation device. In addition, we sought to determine if obese patients had a less favorable outcome than their non-obese counterparts. Methods: Ninety-three patients were identified from a surgical database as having undergone a HTO for medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee with varus mal-alignment. All procedures were performed by one of two fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons from 2002-2012 utilizing a low profile fixation device and identical surgical technique. Minimum follow-up was one year for inclusion in the study. Outcomes were measured using Lysholm and WOMAC scores. Radiographs were evaluated to determine delayed union or non-union at the osteotomy site and surveillance was undertaken to evaluate post operative complications. Results: 93 patients were identified from the database, 63 (70%) were available for follow-up and are included in this analysis. Average follow-up time was 48 months (range 17 to 137). There were 44 males and 19 females. The average age was 45 years old. The average final Lysholm and WOMAC scores were 66.4 (range: 13-100) and 18.6 (range: 0-86) respectively. There was no significant difference in reported Lysholm or WOMAC scores between obese (BMI \u3e30) and non-obese patients (p=.31;p=.69). Complications were as follows: 3 patients required a surgical lysis of adhesions, 2 patients developed an infection, and 1 patient experienced a delayed union. At final follow-up, 18 patients received additional treatment on the affected knee: 11 required removal of symptomatic hardware, 5 received viscosupplementation, 2 underwent a total knee replacement. Conclusion: Low profile, medial based devices used in the setting of HTO is an accepted treatment for unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee. At final follow-up, a majority of patients reported positive outcomes and few complications. 18 patients required additional treatment for osteoarthritis. In our analysis, obese patients faired equally as well as their non-obese counterparts, with no significant difference in outcomes scores or complication rate. Survivorship of high tibial osteotomy was excellent in this series, with only 2 patients having undergone total knee replacement at last follow-up. © The Author(s) 2015

Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of small colony variants and their role in chronic infection

Small colony variant (SCV) bacteria arise spontaneously within apparently homogeneous microbial populations, largely in response to environmental stresses, such as antimicrobial treatment. They display unique phenotypic characteristics conferred in part by heritable genetic changes. Characteristically slow growing, SCVs comprise a minor proportion of the population from which they arise but persist by virtue of their inherent resilience and host adaptability. Consequently, SCVs are problematic in chronic infection, where antimicrobial treatment is administered during the acute phase of infection but fails to eradicate SCVs, which remain within the host causing recurrent or chronic infection. This review discusses some of the phenotypic and genotypic changes that enable SCVs to successfully proliferate within the host environment as potential pathogens and strategies that could ameliorate the resolution of infection where SCVs are present

The Relationship between Cognition, Preseason Hitting Assessments, and In-Game Batting Performance in Collegiate Baseball and Softball Players

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(6): 23-30, 2023. Successful hitting performance may be related to perceptual processing of visual information. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between preseason cognitive assessments, off-field preseason hitting assessment, and in-game batting performing in collegiate baseball and softball athletes. Collegiate varsity baseball (n = 10, 20.5 ± 1.0 years) and softball (n = 16, 20.3 ± 1.3 years) underwent Flanker Task and Trail Maker Tests A (TMT-A) and B (TMT-B) 24 hours prior to a pre-seasoning indoor hitting assessment. During pre-season hitting assessment, athletes selected 10 underhand pitches and were outfitted with commercially available measurement tools (i.e., HitTrax and The Blast) to quantify swing characteristics. Batting average (BA), slugging percentage (SLUG) and on-base percentage (OBP) was obtained from subsequent 14 non-conference baseball and softball games. The data from this study demonstrated a relationship between the ball\u27s exit velocity (r = .501), bat velocity (r = .524) and average distance traveled (r = .449) during the hitting assessment and in-game BA, p \u3c 0.05. No relationship between hitting assessment outcomes and OBP or SLUG were detected, p \u3e 0.05. Furthermore, the Flanker-Task, TMT-A and TMT-B were not related to in game batting outcomes, p \u3e 0.05. Therefore, these data suggest that off-season preparation should be designed to maximize swing velocity while maintaining performance (i.e., skill) of the coordinated swing

No UV-bright Eruptions from SN 2023ixf in GALEX Imaging 15-20 Years Before Explosion

We analyze pre-explosion ultraviolet (UV) imaging of the nearby Type II supernova SN 2023ixf in search of precursor variability. No outbursts are seen in observations obtained 15-20 yr prior to explosion to a limit of $L_{NUV} \approx 1000~L_{sun}$ and $L_{NUV} \approx 2000~L_{sun}$. The time period of these non-detections roughly corresponds to changes in the circumstellar density inferred from early spectra and photometry.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to AAS Research Note

Genomic plasticity of pathogenic Escherichia coli mediates D-serine tolerance via multiple adaptive mechanisms

Significance Pathogens ensure infection of favored sites in the body by responding to chemical signals. One chemical abundant in urine, the amino acid d -Ser, is toxic to EHEC and reduces expression of the machinery used for host cell attachment, making the bladder an unfavorable environment. We observed that under d -Ser stress, EHEC acquires genetic changes that lead to blocking d -Ser uptake into the cell or activating a silent enzyme for degrading d -Ser. This prevents growth inhibition and, critically, inhibits the repression of attachment machinery normally caused by d -Ser. These findings highlight the importance of pathogen evolution in determining how host molecules regulate colonization. These interactions underpin a process known as niche restriction that is important for pathogen success within the host

A Bright Submillimeter Source in the Bullet Cluster (1E0657--56) Field Detected with BLAST

We present the 250, 350, and 500 micron detection of bright submillimeter emission in the direction of the Bullet Cluster measured by the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST). The 500 micron centroid is coincident with an AzTEC 1.1 mm point-source detection at a position close to the peak lensing magnification produced by the cluster. However, the 250 micron and 350 micron centroids are elongated and shifted toward the south with a differential shift between bands that cannot be explained by pointing uncertainties. We therefore conclude that the BLAST detection is likely contaminated by emission from foreground galaxies associated with the Bullet Cluster. The submillimeter redshift estimate based on 250-1100 micron photometry at the position of the AzTEC source is z_phot = 2.9 (+0.6 -0.3), consistent with the infrared color redshift estimation of the most likely IRAC counterpart. These flux densities indicate an apparent far-infrared luminosity of L_FIR = 2E13 Lsun. When the amplification due to the gravitational lensing of the cluster is removed, the intrinsic far-infrared luminosity of the source is found to be L_FIR <= 10^12 Lsun, consistent with typical luminous infrared galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Maps are available at http://blastexperiment.info

Synthesis and characterisation of pyrene-labelled polydimethylsiloxane networks: towards the in situ detection of strain in silicone elastomers

Pyrene-substituted polyhydromethylsiloxanes (PHMS-Py-x) were synthesised by the hydrosilylation reaction of prop-3-enyloxymethylpyrene with polyhydromethylsiloxane (M-n = 3700). The ratio of pyrene substituent to Si-H unit was varied to afford a range of pyrene-functionalised polysiloxanes. These copolymers were subsequently incorporated into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers by curing via either Pt(0) catalysed hydrosilylation with divinyl-terminated PDMS (M-n = 186) and tetrakis(dimethylsiloxy) silane, or Sn(II) catalysed condensation with alpha,omega-dihydroxyPDMS (M-n = 26 000) and tetraethoxysilane. An alternative method involving the synthesis and integration of [3-(pyren-1-ylmethoxy)propyl]triethoxysilane (Py-TEOS) into PDMS elastomers was also investigated: a mixture of alpha,omega-dihydroxyPDMS (M-n = 26 000), tetraethoxysilane, and Py-TEOS was cured using an Sn( II) catalyst. Certain of the resulting fluorescent pyrene-labelled elastomers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis. No significant changes were observed in the thermal or mechanical properties of the elastomers containing pyrene when compared to otherwise identical samples not containing pyrene. All of the pyrene-containing elastomers were demonstrated to be fluorescent under suitable excitation in a photoluminescent spectrometer. Two of the elastomers were placed in a photoluminescence spectrometer and subjected to cycles of extension and relaxation (strain = 0-16.7%) while changes in the emission spectra were monitored. The resulting spectra of the elastomer containing the PHMS-Py-50 copolymers were variable and inconsistent. However, the emission peaks of elastomers containing Py-TEOS displayed clear and reproducible changes in fluorescence intensity upon stretching and relaxation. The intensity of the monomer and excimer emission peaks was observed to increase with elongation of the sample and decrease upon relaxation. Furthermore, the ratio of the intensities of the excimer : monomer peak decreased with elongation and increased with relaxation. In neither case was there appreciable hysteresis, suggesting that fluorescent labelling of elastomers is a valid approach for the non-invasive in situ monitoring of stress and strain in such materials

Over half of the far-infrared background light comes from galaxies at z >= 1.2

Submillimetre surveys during the past decade have discovered a population of luminous, high-redshift, dusty starburst galaxies. In the redshift range 1 <= z <= 4, these massive submillimetre galaxies go through a phase characterized by optically obscured star formation at rates several hundred times that in the local Universe. Half of the starlight from this highly energetic process is absorbed and thermally re-radiated by clouds of dust at temperatures near 30 K with spectral energy distributions peaking at 100 microns in the rest frame. At 1 <= z <= 4, the peak is redshifted to wavelengths between 200 and 500 microns. The cumulative effect of these galaxies is to yield extragalactic optical and far-infrared backgrounds with approximately equal energy densities. Since the initial detection of the far-infrared background (FIRB), higher-resolution experiments have sought to decompose this integrated radiation into the contributions from individual galaxies. Here we report the results of an extragalactic survey at 250, 350 and 500 microns. Combining our results at 500 microns with those at 24 microns, we determine that all of the FIRB comes from individual galaxies, with galaxies at z >= 1.2 accounting for 70 per cent of it. As expected, at the longest wavelengths the signal is dominated by ultraluminous galaxies at z > 1.Comment: Accepted to Nature. Maps available at http://blastexperiment.info

The balloon-borne large-aperture submillimeter telescope for polarimetry: BLAST-Pol

The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLAST-Pol) is a suborbital mapping experiment designed to study the role played by magnetic fields in the star formation process. BLAST-Pol is the reconstructed BLAST telescope, with the addition of linear polarization capability. Using a 1.8 m Cassegrain telescope, BLAST-Pol images the sky onto a focal plane that consists of 280 bolometric detectors in three arrays, observing simultaneously at 250, 350, and 500 um. The diffraction-limited optical system provides a resolution of 30'' at 250 um. The polarimeter consists of photolithographic polarizing grids mounted in front of each bolometer/detector array. A rotating 4 K achromatic half-wave plate provides additional polarization modulation. With its unprecedented mapping speed and resolution, BLAST-Pol will produce three-color polarization maps for a large number of molecular clouds. The instrument provides a much needed bridge in spatial coverage between larger-scale, coarse resolution surveys and narrow field of view, and high resolution observations of substructure within molecular cloud cores. The first science flight will be from McMurdo Station, Antarctica in December 2010.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures Submitted to SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation Conference 201