Efficiency of two-stage revision arthroplasty in management of periprosthetic knee and hip joint infection

This technique involves removal of implant components, debridement of the purulent focus and installation of a cement spacer which is subsequently replaced with a permanent implant after 3–9 months. Purpose To evaluate mid-term results of two-stage surgical treatment of patients with chronic periprosthetic infection of the knee and hip joints. Materials and methods Treatment outcomes of 172 patients with periprosthetic infection who underwent two-stage revision arthroplasty in the period from 2011 to 2015 were assessed. Among them, 113 patients developed infection after hip replacement and 59 patients had infected knee joint. The average follow-up period was 4 ± 1.58 years (range: 2 to 6 years). Results Out of 113 two-stage procedures of hip joint revision, 102 (90.2 %) cases showed an arrest of infection. Four (3.6 %) patients with recurrence of the purulent process underwent resection arthroplasty, another four (3.6 %) rejected to replace the spacer with an implant, and three (2.6 %) had a two-stage re-revision. Out of 60 (59 patients) procedures of a two-stage knee joint revision, infection was arrested in 50 (83.3 %) cases; eight (13.4 %) had recurrence and underwent knee arthrodesis. One (1.6 %) refused to replace a spacer for an implant, and one more (1.6 %) had a two-stage repeated revision. Conclusions Two-stage knee and hip revision arthroplasty using a cement spacer is an effective option for treatment of chronic periprosthetic infection. It provides infection control in 86.7 % (83.3 % for knee and 90.2 % for hip joints) of cases in the mid-term follow-up period up to 5 years. However, the rate of re-infection remains significant and reaches 13.3 % (9.8 % for hip and 16.7 % for knee joints)

Outcome of bilateral periprosthetic hip infection management

Introduction Infection is a devastating complication after joint arthroplasty. In most cases of purulent infection, surgeons are forced to perform revision of the artificial joint. This is caused by the ability of microorganisms to adhere on the implant surface. Periprosthetic infection is a heavy burden both for patients due to a significant level of the disease recurrence and for medical institutions because of high medical treatment costs. Methods The analysis of the treatment outcome in a female patient with bilateral periprosthetic hip infection was conducted. One- and two-stage revisions were performed. Results The treatment measures stopped the purulent inflammatory process (according to Delphi) and restored the functional state of both hip joints (HHS of 79 points on the left and 93 points on the right side). Discussion Treatment of periprosthetic infection is a complex clinical task, which requires a personalized and comprehensive approach that includes implementation of the basic principles of diagnosis and treatment of the disease, understanding of this pathology, and teamwork. One- and two-stage revisions provide a successful arrest of periprosthetic infection and functional restoration of the affected joint

Vegetation of Europe: hierarchical floristic classification system of vascular plant, bryophyte, lichen, and algal communities

Vegetation classification consistent with the Braun-Blanquet approach is widely used in Europe for applied vegetation science, conservation planning and land management. During the long history of syntaxonomy, many concepts and names of vegetation units have been proposed, but there has been no single classification system integrating these units. Here we (1) present a comprehensive, hierarchical, syntaxonomic system of alliances, orders and classes of Braun-Blanquet syntaxonomy for vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen, and algal communities of Europe; (2) briefly characterize in ecological and geographic terms accepted syntaxonomic concepts; (3) link available synonyms to these accepted concepts; and (4) provide a list of diagnostic species for all classes. Location: European mainland, Greenland, Arctic archipelagos (including Iceland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya), Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Caucasus, Cyprus. Methods: We evaluated approximately 10 000 bibliographic sources to create a comprehensive list of previously proposed syntaxonomic units. These units were evaluated by experts for their floristic and ecological distinctness, clarity of geographic distribution and compliance with the nomenclature code. Accepted units were compiled into three systems of classes, orders and alliances (EuroVegChecklist, EVC) for communities dominated by vascular plants (EVC1), bryophytes and lichens (EVC2) and algae (EVC3). Results: EVC1 includes 109 classes, 300 orders and 1108 alliances; EVC2 includes 27 classes, 53 orders and 137 alliances, and EVC3 includes 13 classes, 24 orders and 53 alliances. In total 13 448 taxa were assigned as indicator species to classes of EVC1, 2087 to classes of EVC2 and 368 to classes of EVC3. Accepted syntaxonomic concepts are summarized in a series of appendices, and detailed information on each is accessible through the software tool EuroVegBrowser. Conclusions: This paper features the first comprehensive and critical account of European syntaxa and synthesizes more than 100 yr of classification effort by European phytosociologists. It aims to document and stabilize the concepts and nomenclature of syntaxa for practical uses, such as calibration of habitat classification used by the European Union, standardization of terminology for environmental assessment, management and conservation of nature areas, landscape planning and education. The presented classification systems provide a baseline for future development and revision of European syntaxonomy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

GrassPlot - a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (releves) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001;... 1,000 m(2)) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetationplot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database " sPlot". Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale-and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board

Persistence factors and antibiotic susceptibility of enterobacteria isolated from various animal species

During the study, we isolated 575 strains of enterobacteria from various animal species belonging to the genus Escherichia, Shigella, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Proteus, Providencia, Hafnia, Morganella, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Serratia, Erwinia, Kluyvera, Yersinia. In farm animals, the amount of transient pathogenic enterobacteria Salmonella enteritidis and Yersinia enterocolitica did not exceed 0.22-0.12%. Among wild animals, the proportion of pathogenic Salmonella enteritidis and Yersinia enterocolitica did not exceed 0.24-0.11%, while Shigella dysenteriae and Shigella flexneri were isolated at a low concentration of 0.01%. In the feces of zoo animals, the amount of Salmonella enteritidis and Yersinia enterocolitica did not exceed 0.21-0.10%, while Shigella dysenteriae and Shigella flexneri were detected at the level of 0.01% of the total concentration of enterobacteria. The share of Salmonella enteritidis and Yersinia enterocolitica in domestic animals did not exceed 0.012-0.04%. Persistence factors in Salmonella enteritidis, Shigella dysenteriae and Shigella flexneri, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Yersinia enterocolitica were observed to be the highest among all isolated enterobacteria. Enterobacteria showed high resistance to benzylpenicillin from the group of natural penicillins to streptomycin, cephalothin from the group of cephalosporins of the first generation, polymyxin B, ofloxacin (tarivid), and metronidazole. Carbenicillin from the group of carboxypenicillins and piperacillin from the group of ureidopenicillins, kanamycin, amikacin, and gentamicin, cefepime from the group of IV generation cephalosporins, tetracycline, doxycycline and chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, trimethoprim showed the highest antimicrobial activity against all cultures of enterobacteria isolated in this study

Syntaxonomic and ecological peculiarities of extra-zonal pine forests with participation of Acer negundo L. from the forest-steppe and steppe zones of Altai Krai (South-Eastern Siberia)

The syntaxonomic analysis of pine forests with Acer negundo occurring on fluvio-glacial sandy deposits of Altai Krai (South-East Siberia) was made based on 93 releves. It was established that Acer negundo takes a different phytocenotic part in 2 associations, 2 variants, and 6 no-ranked communities of 4 classes and 4 orders according to the Braun-Blanquet approach. The method of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA coordination) implemented in the DECORANA software package was used to confirm the ecological and floristic integrity of the identified vegetation units. New data on the spatial syntaxa distributions depend on the complex humidity gradient, soil fertility, and anthropogenic factors. Acer negundo is most abundant and common in the communities of the Brachypodio-Betuletea pendulae class, which are characterized by habitats with moderate moistening and greater soil fertility. In the spatial series considered, according to the soil fertility and humidity gradients, we observe an increase in Acer negundo in the Vicia sylvatica – Pinus sylvestris community and an increase in the activity of mesophytes and mesohygrophytes that are more demanding to soil fertility