Massive rotator cuff tears: functional outcome after debridement or arthroscopic partial repair

Background The surgical treatment of massive rotator cuff tears (RCT) is still controversial and can be based on a variety of different surgical repair methods. This study investigated the effectiveness of arthroscopic debridement or arthroscopic partial repair in patients with massive RCT. Materials and methods This prospective, randomized study involved forty-two patients with massive RCT (fatty infiltration stage 3 or 4) treated with either arthroscopic partial repair or arthroscopic debridement were selected to detect possible differences in functional outcome. Both groups were matched according to age and gender. Patients were examined before, and 16 ± 3 and 24 ± 2 months after surgery. The status of the rotator cuff repair was determined using ultrasonographic evaluation. Results Regardless of the treatment group, postoperative results demonstrated highly significant improvements compared with preoperative values in most parameters. The overall Constant score in the partial repair group was superior to the outcome in the debridement group (P \ 0.01, F = 8.561), according to better results in abductio

Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) vitellogenins: Development of homologous and heterologous ELISAs and analysis of vitellogenin pathway through the ovarian follicle

International audienc

Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) vitellogenins: Development of homologous and heterologous ELISAs and analysis of vitellogenin pathway through the ovarian follicle

International audienc

Daydreamer, a Ras effector and GSK-3 substrate, is important for directional sensing and cell motility

<p>How independent signaling pathways are integrated to holistically control a biological process is not well understood. We have identified Daydreamer (DydA), a new member of the Mig10/RIAM/lamellipodin (MRL) family of adaptor proteins that localizes to the leading edge of the cell. DydA is a putative Ras effector that is required for cell polarization and directional movement during chemotaxis. dydA(-) cells exhibit elevated F-actin and assembled myosin II (MyoII), increased and extended phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) activity, and extended phosphorylation of the activation loop of PKB and PKBR1, suggesting that DydA is involved in the negative regulation of these pathways. DydA is phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), which is required for some, but not all, of DydA's functions, including the proper regulation of PKB and PKBR1 and MyoII assembly. gskA(-) cells exhibit very strong chemotactic phenotypes, as previously described, but exhibit an increased rate of random motility. gskA- cells have a reduced MyoII response and a reduced level of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate production, but a highly extended recruitment of PI3K to the plasma membrane and highly extended kinetics of PKB and PKBR1 activation. Our results demonstrate that GSK-3 function is essential for chemotaxis, regulating multiple substrates, and that one of these effectors, DydA, plays a key function in the dynamic regulation of chemotaxis.</p>

The Use of Ultrasound in the Recovery of Food Materials: Sonocrystallization and Membrane Processing

Membrane processing and crystallization are common separation technologies that are widely used to recover, extract and purify food materials. A literature review is provided in this chapter, to highlight the role of ultrasound in mitigating fouling in membrane processing, as well as improving product quality, separation efficiency and repeatability in crystallization processes. Typical examples of ultrasound-assisted membrane processes include microfiltration and ultrafiltration of fruit juices, whey and milk. Sonocrystallization has been mainly studied for the formation of ice, salts, sugars, and lipids in food processing. To minimize energy consumption, ultrasound at low frequency with optimal intensity should be selected to avoid membrane damage and changes to physicochemical properties of food materials